#THE ONE AND ONLY: isko!

[illumnis]

OMGG WAIT I DID TRY IT, BUT THEN I DID IT AGAIN BUT NOTHING SHIWS wht the freak.

ITS OK DW I’LL JUST TURN POST NOTIFS ON DKSKFJSKMF

[storekn1fe]

tabby's poll got me thinking about the het ships i'm actually invested in... i can only think of 3 or 4 off the top of my head

[aikastales]

i’m drunk, i love you (jk)

𝗌𝗎𝗆𝗆𝖺𝗋𝗒: with only a day before graduation, you make a promise that you will not only graduate from university, but also from your feelings for your best friend of seven years, jeon jungkook.

𝗉𝖺𝗂𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀: film student!jungkook x med tech student!fem!oc (named sola)

𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗋𝖾𝗌: heavy angst, unrequited love, jungkook as an isko agenda, set in the ph 🇵🇭

𝗐𝖺𝗋𝗇𝗂𝗇𝗀𝗌: this story is fiction. it does not represent the members of bangtan or any of the idols here in real life. all resemblance to real life characters, institutions, associations, places, events, among others are either purely coincidence or depicted in a fictitious manner only. there’s really no warnings for this story other than it’s a self-indulgent fic to get me back to writing. the smut isn’t that severe. just kissing, nipple sucking, and grinding. this is based on the film, i’m drunk i love you, which i highly recommend you watch. i didn’t alter much of the plot & scenes bc i think they’re already great as it is, but i did tweak a bit here and there. i hope you enjoy! let me know what you think by reblogging/commenting. ♡

𝗍𝗈𝗍𝖺𝗅 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍: 5,784

You were never quite the believer in love at first sight, but what you felt that night was the closest thing to that feeling. 

He was one of the freshmen performers during your orientation, singing Adam Levine’s Lost Stars. Like the entire audience, you were captivated by his heavenly vocals and charisma as he performed on stage with an acoustic guitar one of the seniors lent him. Not only that, Jeon Jungkook wasn’t bad looking either—quite the opposite, really. 

However, after the orientation, you didn’t get to see much of the dark-haired handsome boy. You were studying at UP, the biggest state university in the country, and so your paths were bound not to cross. Until, your older cousin, who was a senior at that time, invited you to eat dinner with him and a couple of his buddies after seeing you strolling around campus alone. When you arrived at the eatery, you not only saw your cousin Yoongi’s friends—Yijeong and Woosung—you also spotted the boy who hadn’t left your mind since you saw him over four months ago at that time. 

You sat across from him and you tried your best not to freak out as Yoongi introduced the both of you. Apparently, he had already known Jungkook because he was the younger stepbrother of his other friend, Namjoon. During the course of your dinner, you and Jungkook didn’t really talk much. But you would muster up the courage to ask him some basic questions such as his program, why he went to UP, if he joined any orgs yet, etcetera. Jungkook was polite enough to answer your inquiries. 

He was a Film major. He went to UP because everyone in his family went to UP so it was the most obvious choice for him and he was a member of the Film society. In return, Jungkook asked the same set of questions. You were a pre-med student, Medical Technology, to be exact, and you went to UP because it was your dream school. You were also a member of the College of Arts and Sciences’ student council. 

After your meal was finished, Yoongi entrusted your care to Jungkook as they were going to meet up with some of their friends and you were both living at campus dormitories anyway. So, you hopped into his old army green Toyota Rav4 and needless to say, the ride back to UP was awkward. So, to get rid of the awkward silence, you asked if you could play some music. He said sure and handed you the aux cord already connected to his stereo. Once you had the other end connected to your phone, you played one of your favorite songs—Waltz of Four Left Feet by Shirebound and Busking. 

To your surprise, Jungkook also knew the song and just like that, the awkward silence was gone and you became inseparable ever since. 

Music became the bridge that connected you and Jungkook. Whenever you would hangout, it was always your topic—your favorite artists, songs, original scores in films, best albums, underrated artists, overrated artists, the current state of music, everything. He also became your gig buddy—seeking out mainstream and indie artists you both liked and going to their live performances downtown bars, jam packed arenas and stadiums. 

But your favorite would always be watching him perform. After his performance at the orientation, he naturally became one of the popular students at UP. He wasn’t popular like a celebrity or an influencer, but heads would turn whenever he walked around campus. Also, he still had the luxury of privacy on his side, but if you looked at the right places, you would find small accounts on social media dedicated to him. He didn’t care for the attention, though, and just went about his day as normally as possible. 

His performance did land him some gigs here and there. You found it cute whenever he’d turn to you to ask if he should accept the invitation or not, and you would always tell him to do whatever he wanted. Most of the time, he accepted, especially if it was at Route 96, a historic venue for aspiring musicians. 

It was here that he performed the first song he wrote by himself called Still With You. It was also during this performance that you began to see him in a different light—quite literally. He was performing with the bar lights off, only the lights on stage and the spotlight illuminated the entire establishment. When the spotlight on him turned purple, you felt a whole new admiration for your best friend. It wasn’t the “Oh god I’m so proud of my best friend” kind, rather it was the “Oh fuck I’m in love with my best friend” realization. 

But like every other story where someone falls in love with their best friend, you kept your feelings hidden, hoping someday it would go away. However, you soon realized, once you fell in love with Jeon Jungkook, there was no going back. It was a rabbit hole. 

The more you spent time with him, the more you fell in love with him and all of him—from the way he smiles to the sound of his laugh, how he would always annoy the shit out of you when you were supposed to be studying to how he would remember small things about you like your favorite snack at the vending machine, how you’d be the first to know his test results to how you’d be his first audience for the short film they needed to produce for that semester, how he would lend you his jacket when you ate bingsu because he knew you’d get cold easily to how he’d send you random memes he found funny out of the blue. 

It was so easy to fall in love with Jeon Jungkook. Thus, everyone else did too. For seven years, you watched on the sidelines as he dated several girls and loved them how you wished he’d love you. 

“In one day, you can finally lay your hands on Jungkook,” your best friend, Mingyu, teased as he took a sip from his beer. 

You let out a sarcastic laugh, head resting on your palm, elbow propped on the wooden table in front of you, a bottle of beer in the other hand. You were bordering on getting tipsy now as you had been drinking since you arrived at La Union with Mingyu and Jungkook in the afternoon. You didn’t even know why you agreed to your best friend’s idea of going to the province for a music festival when you had your graduation—the very graduation that was seven years in the making—on Sunday.   

“Fuck you, Kim Mingyu,” you told the honey-skinned man across from you with a chuckle. 

“What? Let this be your final test before finally graduating. Are you ready?” a lopsided grin appeared on his handsome face. 

Under the orange light, Kim Mingyu was easily one of the most handsome men you ever laid your eyes on. He was also tall, well-mannered, smart, capable, had a stable job while being a med student, and the textbook definition of a walking green flag. In another life, you could imagine yourself falling for him instead of Jungkook. But in the current universe you were in, he was one of your trusted friends who had known about your crush on Jungkook since first year. 

The waiter arrived to bring you your order of another bucket of Red Horse beer. Mingyu took a bottle from the silver bucket and opened it. “Happy horse for the happy whore,” he told you as he handed you the fresh bottle of beer. You gave him a middle finger. He laughed. “What? Am I not right?” 

“You’re the whore,” you replied. “I saw you with that cute chinito by the beach earlier. What happened to Mino?” 

He rolled his eyes at the mention of his ex—or you believed was his ex. You never really know with Mingyu and relationships. He was the complete opposite of you. While you were a hopeless romantic at heart, he didn’t believe in love—or so he says. 

“Seven years,” Mingyu mused, glancing towards the beach. “You didn’t stop falling in love with your best friend. Now, it looks like you don’t even plan to stop.” 

You sucked your teeth, tracing the water around the bottle due to the ice with your fingers. “Do I just throw it away?” You weren’t sure if you were asking Mingyu or yourself. “We make a good pair.” You laughed to yourself. 

“Except?” Mingyu pointed out the harsh reality. 

“Except,” you took in a shaky breath. “He doesn’t love me back. Maybe.” 

Mingyu sighed deeply, looking at his watch. “Time check: you still have your hopes up.” 

“It’s still early,” you argued. “I still have two days. Just give me time.” 

“Give me time?” Mingyu repeated, taking a sip from his beer. “What the fuck are you talking about, Sola? The universe has given you all the time. But you did nothing.” 

You groaned, throwing your head back as a realization hit you. “Fuck, Gyu, I just—I just realized. Is it right that we’re here? Was it the right decision to come here? My mom’s gonna be so mad once she finds out I’m in La Union.”  

“It’s all you. You’re a raging masochist,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “Anyway. Let’s just play a game. Let’s enumerate all the things you did with Jungkook. Those are seven years worth of memories, Sola. Game?” 

“Game.” 

“What year did you first meet Jungkook?” 

A smile immediately creeped up on your face. “2017.” 

Mingyu waved his hand at you. “Wow! You can do math! But I just thought of something—instead of just general memories. Let’s make them specific. Let’s list down all the stupid things you did for Jungkook for seven years.” 

“The fuck are you talking about?” you let out a scoff, drinking your beer. 

“What? Now you can’t remember?” he challenged. 

You clicked your tongue. “Fine, you stupid bitch. Ask away.” 

Mingyu grinned. “2018.” 

You hummed before saying, “Jungkook was heartbroken that year. I was back at home and he was at UP. But I rushed into the city to be there for him. I remember because I was supposed to attend this baptism with my parents but I snuck out and got an earful from my mother the next day. I was completely hungover too because Jungkook and I went bar hopping the entire night.” 

“Jesus Christ, Sola.” 

“Don’t judge me. It was my decision, okay?” 

Mingyu rolled his eyes. “Okay. 2019.” 

You stared at Mingyu, laughing as you recalled the memory. “2019. Me and Jungkook walked from UP to Aurora Boulevard just to tell me how Song Areum became his girlfriend.” 

He shook his head. “2020.” 

“2020—he was sick. I had an exam that day, but I quickly answered it so I could buy him his favorite, Tapsilog from Tapsi ni Vivian, before it ran out ‘cos it runs out quickly, right?” Mingyu nodded. You licked your lower lip then let out a small laugh. “But when I got to his dorm room, his roommate already told me Areum brought him to the university hospital. And I failed my exam ‘cos I didn’t answer the back part.” 

“2021, go!” 

“I loved him for four years now and counting. Is that good enough?” 

“Okay. I’ll accept it. 2022?” 

“2022—I’ve been in love with him for five fucking years already, fucking shit!” you exclaimed, feeling the alcohol in you boosting your confidence. 

“Okay. We’re in the last year, girl. What about in 2023? What was the stupid thing you did for Jungkook last year?” 

You gulped. “I’m two years delayed.” 

Mingyu exhaled deeply. A moment of silence settled between the two of you. Then, she asked, “Sola, it all boils down to this: when will you end this?” 

You sat up straight, taking a deep breath. “You mean when will I stop with my foolishness?” Mingyu nodded. You purse your lips. “Maybe when I’m done with UP. When I’m done with UP, I’ll graduate from everything—including him. Especially him.” 

When you got back to your shared room with Jungkook and Mingyu, you were already tipsy. You almost fell face flat on the floor when you opened the door, feeling lightheaded, but luckily, your best friend was there to catch you. 

“You’re drunk, Sola,” Jungkook chuckled deeply. You could smell his expensive cologne—the one you bought for him for his birthday last year and it brought a huge grin on your face, knowing he wore it. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” 

“I’m fine, Guk. I’m not that drunk. But I do need to sit down,” you said followed by a set of giggles as you let Jungkook walk you to the bed you shared with Mingyu, and then you threw yourself on it, back against the mattress, arms spread like an eagle. 

Jungkook sat down beside you. “Are you still mad at me?” 

The question seemed to sober you up instantly. The truth was—you could never stay mad at him. For anything. Sometimes, you’d think he could do the most painful and hurtful thing to you, deliberately, and you would still forgive him even if he wouldn’t apologize. 

“I wasn’t mad. I was just… I just wished you would’ve told me the real reason why you wanted to come here,” you replied softly, biting your lower lip. 

“Would you have come? If I told you I wanted to go here because my ex wanted to reconnect—would you have come?” Jungkook matched your tone, looking over his shoulder to look at you. 

Instinctively, your eyes also darted towards his. The lights in the room were dim, only the lamp, the light coming beneath the bathroom door, and the moonlight outside illuminated the room. Jungkook looked especially beautiful in the dim light—long black wavy hair all messy from his habit of running his fingers through it, hooded eyes staring at you like he was memorizing every inch of you, the gentleness of his features made him look like an angel in this light. 

But then you’d see his dozens of piercings in his ears, eyebrow, and lower lip; his tattooed arm and hand, and the way he looked sexy as hell with his thin white long sleeved, sleeves rolled up to his elbow, and his white beach shorts that hugged his strong muscular thighs, and you’d realize he was more of a Greek god than an angel. 

“I’ll go wherever you go,” you told him, swallowing the lump in your throat. “You know that.” 

Jungkook lied down beside you and you felt your heartbeat racing. His tattooed arm was brushing against yours. His head was tilted, close to yours. 

“Will you go with me to the moon?” he asked. 

A small smile ghosted on your lips. “I will, Guk.” 

“How about Saturn?” 

“I’ll be with you there, too.” 

“Law school?” 

You turned your head to him. He was already looking at you. “Law school? Why?” 

He brushed the hair on your face aside with his fingers, making you tense. But you kept your composure. “I passed UP LAE.” 

“But,” you began. “What about film? I thought you didn’t wanna become a lawyer like your parents.” 

Jungkook looked at the ceiling. “It’s not that bad. Being a lawyer. Besides, I like studying.” 

“You’ve always wanted to become a director, though.” 

“I’m not good enough for it,” Jungkook scoffed. “All my batchmates are already directing their films and showing them at festivals here and abroad—yet here I am. Still here.” 

You turned on your side, propping your elbow to support your head as you looked at your best friend. It was rare for Jungkook to open up. Even to you. He was always someone who kept all his innermost thoughts and feelings to himself. In the seven years you’d known him, it still felt like there was a wall around him that you never managed to climb on or punch through. For seven years, it felt like you simultaneously knew everything and nothing about your best friend. 

“It’s not the end of the road, Jungkook. So what if they’re showing their films at festivals? You can do it too. At your own pace, in your own time,” you said. You wanted to reach for his face, to make him look at you, but you were scared. “You’re a great filmmaker, Guk. The best direk ever.” 

He looked at you once again. “You’re drunk, Yu Sola. Go to sleep.” 

He sat up, carrying your legs over the bed. You let out a groan. “I’m not drunk, Jeon Jungkook. Why do you always do that?” 

“Do what?” he asked, chuckling. 

“You always cut the conversation when you’re beginning to open up. You always clamp up, Guk. I wish you didn’t do that. I’m your—,” you bit the inside of your lower lip. What right did I have to demand him to open up to me? “I’m your best friend.” 

“I don’t clamp up. I just have nothing else to say,” your best friend replied with a shrug, fixing his hair as he looked in the mirror across from your bed. “Go to sleep. You’ll get a massive headache tomorrow. I’m just going to meet with Areum and her friends.”  

Then, you blurted it out. It just happened. You didn’t even know how. You always had this grand idea in your mind to do it after the graduation ceremony, that way, you could immediately leave. That way, you didn’t have to see him all the time. You would have enough time to move on and move forward in your life. 

But nothing in life truly went according to plan. 

“I love you, Jungkook,” you confessed. Your heart felt heavy and you sat up, head hanging low as you picked on your nails. Tears were beginning to form in your eyes. “I’ve loved you for seven years now.” 

And you sobbed, burying your face in your hands. Then, moments later, you felt your hands being taken away from your face. You lifted your head and saw Jungkook kneeling in front of you, holding your hands. He let one go to wipe away the tears on your face, to tuck your hair behind your ear. 

And then, ever so slowly, Jungkook leaned in and kissed you softly. A tear rolled down your cheek. His lips were soft while yours were chapped and wet from your tears, but he didn’t seem to mind. You were still in shock. This was not the response you expected. Not even in your wildest dreams but it was happening. 

Jungkook held your face, tilting his head as he continued to kiss you more—only this time with more need and passion. Your body reacted. You began to reciprocate his kisses, hands wrapping around his wrists. He tasted of toothpaste and mouthwash. 

He pushed you onto the bed, one hand remaining on your face while the other held your waist. Your fingers curled the ends of his hair. You could feel his growing member on your stomach and feeling it was enough to make your cunt wet. His lips then traveled on your jaw, down to your neck. You were breathing heavily as he nibbled on your sensitive skin, making a soft moan escape your lips. 

His hand made its way under your shirt and your breath hitched, causing Jungkook to lift his head from your neck, and look you in the eyes. 

“You okay?” he asked softly. 

You nodded. “I’m okay.” 

“Okay,” he smiled, making your heart skip a beat. “Is it okay if I take this off now?” 

“I—,” you were at a loss for words. Was this really happening? It seemed too good to be true. But it was happening and you wanted it more than anything else. “Okay. Yes, you can.” 

Jungkook peeled your shirt off, exposing your naked chest. You didn’t wear bras; found it too much of a hassle and you always hated the feeling. Instead, you wore nipple tapes. 

“What are these, Sola?” Jungkook asked with a chuckle, making your cheeks heat up. 

“They’re nipple tapes, you dumb ass,” you replied, smacking his arm lightly. 

“Okay. Do I just take them off, like, tape?” 

He was adorably cute. “Yes, you just take them off like tape.” 

And so he did just that. The coolness of the room and your arousal instantly perked your nipples. Jungkook took your breasts in his hands, massaging and squeezing them, making you arch your back ever so slightly. Then, he dipped his head, capturing one of your nipples in his mouth while remaining to massage the other. 

The sensation was simply divine. You didn’t know if it was the alcohol in your system, your feelings for your best friend, or just Jungkook in general that made you feel so good at that moment. Your hands traced the outline of his toned biceps through his thin polo. 

You were so wet and when Jungkook began to grind his hard cock against your clothed cunt, you felt another wave of wetness. You wanted him—all of him—and so you began to rock your hips against him, making him release a moan. 

He lifted his head, staring at you with those doe eyes you have loved for seven years. “Are you sure?” 

Those three words held so much. Once you crossed the line, there was no going back, and both of you knew that. 

“I’m sure. I want this, Guk. I want you.” 

That was all he needed to hear to make love to you the whole night. Once both of you came, Jungkook laid beside you, chest heaving. For a while, the both of you lay in silence. 

“Will you be here in the morning?” you asked, turning your head on the pillow to face him. 

He did the same. “I will,” he promised. “Go to sleep now, Sola.” 

But he wasn’t. 

When you woke up the next day, the other side of the bed was empty. You sat up, burying your face in your hands. What the hell have I done? What the hell have we done? 

You left the bed, entering the bathroom, and proceeding to take a shower. In there, you cried, because nothing was going to be the same after last night. You couldn’t blame it all on Jungkook either. You also made it happen. You desperately wished it was just a dream—another wet dream you had of your best friend—but the traces of his cum were still on your inner thigh. 

It happened. There was no going back. Everything was going to be different now and most of all, you didn’t know if you still had your best friend. 

When you finished showering and getting dressed, you made your way down to the beach. You had texted Mingyu while getting dressed and he told you he was there with the chinito you saw him with, Wonwoo. Arriving at the beach, you pulled your phone out of your back pocket, about to text the honey-skinned med student when you saw Jungkook with Areum in the water, his strong arms that held you throughout the night, now wrapped around her waist. Fits of giggles escaped her lips as Jungkook wrestled with her in the water, a huge grin on his handsome face. 

Your heart shattered. 

You quickly looked away, a fresh set of tears forming in your eyes. As you were about to turn away, you heard Mingyu’s familiar voice which caused you to stop on your tracks. 

“Sola, hey, there you—what’s wrong?” The concern in his voice was palpable. You felt his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you closer to him. 

“I—I finally told him, Gyu,” you said, taking in a sharp shaky breath. “I finally told him.” 

Mingyu didn’t ask for more details. He knew. He led you back to your room, promising Wonwoo to text him later. Once you were back, you just cried on his shoulder. He didn’t say anything and neither did you. He just let you be until the tears finally stopped. 

“I’m sorry I pulled you away from Wonwoo. He seems like a nice guy,” you said after a while, voice raspy from all the crying. 

“It’s fine. We’ll be seeing each other often anyway,” Mingyu shared. 

You looked at him, surprised. “Really?” 

Your friend nodded, laughing to himself. “You know, all those times I teased you about your being a hopeless romantic and believing in love—I think it’s backfiring on me now with Wonwoo.” 

“You love him?” you asked. 

“I don’t know, Sola. But I know what I feel for him is different,” he answered. “It’s terrifying. How quickly someone can change your perspective on something.” 

You couldn’t argue with that. 

“What’s your plan now?” Mingyu asked. 

You sighed deeply. “I think I’m going to head back. My graduation is tomorrow anyway. Do you mind booking the bus ride home?” 

“I’m staying here, Sola. I—I want to be with Wonwoo more,” Mingyu confessed, smiling at you apologetically. 

“Gyu…” 

“Please be a friend to me now, Sola.” 

You pressed your lips tightly. Then, you nodded. You wanted your friend to be happy. 

“I’m gonna pack now,” you announced. 

“Okay. Just text me if you need anything,” Mingyu gave you a hug and kiss on top of your head. “I want you to know I’m proud of you, Sola.” 

Once Mingyu left, you began to pack. You didn’t bring a lot of clothes, but you were still biding your time. A part of you didn’t want to leave. You wanted to stay here and never graduate. But that illusion was quickly broken when you saw your mom’s contact flashing on your phone screen. 

You sucked your teeth before answering, “Hi mom.” 

“Sola? Where the hell are you? Why haven’t you been answering my texts? Your graduation is tomorrow. Everyone is looking forward to it!” she exclaimed frantically. 

“Mom, I’m sorry. I’m in La Union with Jungkook and—,” 

“What the hell are you doing in La Union?! You better get back instantly, Sola. I’m not kidding. If you don’t graduate now, I really don’t know what I’m gonna do. It’s been seven years! Please let me graduate too.” 

“I’m already packing and I’ll catch the bus home soon. I just—Mom, I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it in time for the ceremony ‘cos—,” 

Your phone was suddenly snatched from your grip. You looked up and saw Jungkook standing beside you. 

“Hey tita, it’s Jungkook. Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll take her home. She’ll make it in time. Yes. We’ll be home before the ceremony, tita. Okay. Bye.” 

He ended the call and sat down on the bed across from you, handing you your phone back. You grabbed it from him. “You don’t have to take me home.” 

“I already promised tita I will,” he answered. 

“You didn’t have to,” you muttered, folding your shirt. 

Silence. Jungkook was just staring at you the entire time as you folded your clothes and packed them inside your bag. Then, he said those two words. 

“I’m sorry.” 

You bit the inside of your lower lip. What was he exactly for? For having sex with you? For spending the night with you? For not feeling the same way as you? All of the above? 

As if reading your thoughts, he added, “For everything.” 

You nodded. “You don’t have to apologize for anything,” you told him. “It’s not your fault you don’t love me the same way.” But why did you kiss me? Why did you make love to me? 

Jungkook lowered his head. You zipped your bag. “Let’s go. I still have a graduation to chase.” 

“What’s this?” you asked, eyebrows furrowed when you saw Areum standing beside Jungkook’s car with her luggage and bag. 

“I’ll drop Areum on the way,” Jungkook announced, grabbing her luggage and putting it at the back of his car. 

You pressed your lips in a line. “Fine.” You stepped into the back passenger seat, quickly grabbing your phone and earphones from your bag, and plugging it in. 

Lowering yourself on the seat, you rested your head against the window as Areum stepped into the passenger seat while Jungkook sat on the driver’s seat. You caught him glancing at you from the corner of your eyes, but you didn’t look back. Instead, you turned the volume up. Moments later, he began to drive. 

You decided to sleep the entire ride. However, when you woke up, you immediately realized Jungkook wasn’t driving in your hometown. “Where are we?” you asked, taking one of your earphones off. 

“I’m dropping Areum first,” Jungkook replied. 

You frowned. “I’m the one chasing a graduation, remember?” 

“Shh, just go back to sleep. Here,” he threw something at you—your favorite candy, Butterball, landing on your lap. 

You grabbed it, tempted to eat it, but you threw it back at him and went back to sleep. By the time you woke up again, you were at Areum’s house. She turned to look at you, smiling. 

She was really beautiful and kind. You began to feel guilty for hating her so much the entire time. “Congrats on your graduation, Sola. I’ll see you around, okay?” 

“Thanks Areum.” 

After Jungkook walked her to her door, he came back to the car. “What are you doing there? Come here,” he said, patting the passenger seat. 

“I’m fine here,” you replied. 

“Sola, come on. Please? I drive better with you beside me.” 

For the rest of the ride to your home, you sat beside Jungkook. Unlike before, where your car rides were filled with music and random conversations, tonight it was silent. You didn’t plug your phone into his stereo and you kept your eyes closed the whole time, listening to your music. Once in a while, Jungkook would try to make small talk, but you would only give him short replies, then went back to sleeping. 

When you arrived at your family house, you stayed with Jungkook outside for a bit, both leaning against his car. 

“It’s your graduation in four hours.” 

“Are you not going to come to yours?” 

“I don’t see the point,” Jungkook replied. 

You nodded and pushed yourself off his car. “I’ll head inside. Thanks for the ride, Jungkook.” 

He grabbed your arm before you entered the gate. You stared into his eyes. You couldn’t quite place what held them right now. Maybe you never really knew Jeon Jungkook after all this time. 

“I’m sorry, Sola.” 

“Why do you keep saying sorry? I told you—it’s not your fault and I’m fine. I’m over it now. See you around, Jungkook.” 

You head back inside. Graduation was in four hours. 

You wore a traditional Filipiniana dress, a pair of white heels that were already scraping the skin at the back of your feet, your mother’s pearls, and your sablay when your name was called. You came up on the stage with your excited mother, shook hands with your Dean, and finally grabbed your diploma. You always imagined graduation to be something so spectacular, but the moment you received the piece of paper that confirmed you had, indeed, graduated—you just felt the same. 

After the ceremony, you went back to your house where almost all your relatives from your mother’s side were waiting for you. A tarpaulin with your graduation picture and the words, “Congratulations Yu Sola!” printed on it and hung outside your gate. You greeted everyone on your way, telling them thanks, before retreating in your room to change out of your dress and into more comfortable clothes. 

While you were slipping on your shirt, your phone buzzed on your nightstand. When you grabbed it, you saw Jungkook’s message on the lockscreen. 

Let’s go, it said. 

You knew it meant one thing: a beer and butterball at Route 96. There was still a part of you that wanted to go because you always went when you received a message like that from Jungkook. It was always a yes when it came to him. But now that you confessed, something shifted, whether he admitted to it himself or not. 

So, you put your phone in your pocket, and went down. But as you do so, you felt your phone vibrate again. You pulled it out of your pocket and Jungkook texted you another message. 

Please? One for the road. I’m outside. 

You bit your lower lip. Then, you made your way out. There, you saw Jungkook wearing his barong and sablay, leaning against his car like hours ago. He smiled as soon as he saw you come out. 

“You still have it,” he pointed to your shirt. 

You looked down on it and realized you had picked his shirt of all things. It wasn’t anything special; just something he bought at a boutique. But it meant a lot to you because he gave it to you after you spilled beer on your shirt years ago. 

“You attended your ceremony?” you asked, crossing your arms over your chest. He nodded. “I thought you didn’t see the point.” 

“I changed my mind.” 

You wished you were just as quick in having a change of heart. 

“One for the road?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. 

You took a deep breath and nodded. “One for the road.” 

“Shit, I forgot it’s Sunday. It’s closed,” Jungkook sighed, seeing the steel gate at Route 96. 

“It’s fine. Let’s just go,” you told him, grabbing the beer he bought beforehand and making your way up to the bar. Jungkook followed behind. 

You both leaned in the railing before you, beer in hands. Another silence. 

You couldn’t believe this was the culmination of the seven years you spent loving Jeon Jungkook. You thought, after confessing, you would never speak again. He’d distance himself from you but here you were—having a beer with him at your favorite place in the world. You wished you knew what was going on in his mind right now. You wished you could dissect his mind and learn every thought he had ever since you confessed. 

Because you never really knew Jeon Jungkook. You were just so in love with him and idealized who he was over the last seven years. Suddenly, all the stupid memories you shared with Mingyu flashed in your mind and made you laugh. 

“What’s funny?” Jungkook asked, chuckling. 

You shook your head, drinking your beer. “Nothing.” 

He nudged your side. “Come on, share it.” 

You took a deep breath and for the first time, you looked at Jeon Jungkook and saw him for who he was; not the man you have loved for the past seven years. 

“I graduated, finally.” 

↪˚ author’s note: if you want to donate to me via kofi or gcash <33 i would appreciate it a lot. thank you & see you in more fics later on.

↪˚ permanent taglist: @whoa-jo @kookieandjoonberries

all rights reserved. 2024. belovedguk.

[phuljari]

social media au! part 2

summary : khushi is a model and influencer; arnav just seems to stumble upon her profile one day— not so much by accident. (or what if khushi fell in love at first sight?)

warnings : just some hindi/hinglish, cussing in both languages. deliberate typos. online stalker!shyam. flirting with the boss

a/n : i am...trying something new (by using the word prompts) #IPK 13th Anniversary Fiesta @arshifiesta

hellohibyebye

liked by aakash_r, amanmathur, gulabo_devyani, anjaliiiii.r, mahendrarudrapratapsinghraizada, hari_prakash and 137 others

hellohibyebye haaye! ekdum vaijanthimaala laagat hai hum😍🥰

⚫kaala tika najar na lage e ke khatir⚫

view comments

aakash_r Maa group pe daalne ko bola tha, Instagram pe nahi 🤦

gulabo_devyani Manorama! Ye Hear. hum aapko diye naahi the... Toh kaisan aap pehen liye?

anjaliiiii.r Mamiji 👌😍

mahendrarudrapratapsinghraizada Thoda vakht nikal ke humare saath bhi ek-do photu khichwaye leti!

⤷hellohibyebye aap photo me bilkul handsome.... nahi laagat hai 😒

hari_prakash B//J...K>';edxnnnnddd

iMessage "Raizada Group"

Aakash Maa aapne instagram pe post kar diya 🤦

Manorama toh ka hui gawa? hainn

Mahendra Bohot sundar laagat hai tumhari amma 😊

Akash liked a message

Manorama liked a message

Devyani Humra. Haar. Dena mat bhulna. Onmanorama.

Anjali Arre Aakash, karne do yaar, umar hai inki 😌

HP Ji Naniji, hum abhi wapas rakhwa dete hain

HP hhhhhhhh?/?????

Aakash HP yaar tune firse phone bandh kiye bina pocket me rakh diya... buttdial nahi, yaha toh butt-typo hote hain😶

Anjali 😂😂🤣🤣🤣

Arnav seen

Anjali Chotte yahan bolna mana nahi hai!

Arnav: Di, I'm in a meeting right now. Ttyl

Anjali: Arre, chotte 🤦‍♀️

Manorama added NK to Raizada Group

NK: Hello bhaiyyon aur bhabhiyon

Anjali: Bhabhiyon nahi NK bhai, beheno!

NK: Haan wahi Di! You understand me so well!!

Aakash: 😂😂

Arnav left Raizada Group

NK: Oh no Nannav! Tum kyu chale gaye

Aakash: You know that he can't see the messages now right?

NK: Oh, Whoops! Wait

NK added Arnav to Raizada Group

NK: Nannav mere bhai!! How are you??

Arnav: Isn't it like 3 AM in Sydney?

NK: Nannav, naughty naughty, tumne time check kiya mere liye! So cutee! I'm at your home doofus 😂

Arnav: gtg

Arnav left Raizada Group

iMessage

Anjali: Ye har baat pe chotte group kyu leave kar dete ho?

Arnav: Di! WTF ye NK kya kar raha hai Shantivan me?

Anjali:😶‍🌫️

iMessage

Aman: Sir, we have officially signed Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta!

Arnav: Good

Arnav: Kumari?

Aman: That's her middle name boss

Arnav: Oh, okay

iMessage

Aakash: Bhai, you signed THE KHUSHI GUPTA??

Arnav: Yes

Arnav: And she's not that popular c'mon

Aakash: Bhai do you even use instagram? 😭

Arnav: Of Course!

Arnav: Btw I have more followers than her 😒 So much for "influencer"

Aakash: That's her personal profile Bhai! You have to see @/thekhushigupta

seen

thekhushigupta

liked by divalavanya, payaliyaa, guptagarima, aakash_r, shyamjha, versace, arnavsinghraizada, saritaraman and 396,981 others

thekhushigupta @/versace thank you for sponsoring my cannes debut

view comments

saritaraman You dancing on hawa hawaii at cannes was the only thing left for me to see😭

⤷thekhushigupta all thanks to you babe <3

payaliyaa My babie sisterrrr 😍

⤷thekhushigupta jijiiiiii 😊

guptagarima Ae Khushi isko chalu kaise karte hai

versace It was our honour! 😍

aakash_r Amazing performance👌

shyamjha khushiji aapka koi boyfriend hai kya? 😭

divalavanya Bestie 💖

⤷thekhushigupta right back at ya! 💖

user1 i love the dressss

user2 just one chance khushi pls pls

user3 it was so cheap idk why ppl idolize u

⤷user1 get tf outta here

shyamjha hosh rubaa😍

nandiii khushi jiiiiii 💘

⤷thekhushigupta nanhe jiiiiii

nandiii

tagged: @/emirates @/anjaliiiii.r @/aakash_r

liked by aakash_r, anjaliiiii.r, gulabo_devyani, mahendrarudrapratapsinghraizada, hari_prakash, hellohibyebye, thekhushigupta and 806 others

nandiii So excited to meet you guys!😭

view comments

anjaliiiii.r Pooja ki thaal tayyar hai NK Bhai

⤷gulabo_devyani Aapan. Ka. hi intezaar hai Bitwa.

mahendrarudrapratapsinghraizada Return flight book karke nikle ho ki naahi?

⤷nandiii Now why would I do that Mausa Ji? 😊

thekhushigupta nanhe ji! iss baar aap mile bina nahi jaa sakte 😌

⤷nandiii Aapse hi toh milne aa rahe hai Khushi ji! It was fun to hangout with you while shooting in Portugal last year! 😊

hellohibyebye humre khaatir oo gucci peck kiye ki naahi?

⤷nandiii Maasi ji aapke liye toh chanel, gucci, versace sab haazir!

hari_prakash Ccooffee lenge?

Notifications (arnavsinghraizada)

thekhushigupta followed you

titaliya_k followed you

payaliyaa followed you

Notifications (thekhushigupta)

arnavsinghraizada followed you back

shyamjha unread 1475 messages

shyamjha commented on your post: hosh rubaa 😍

shyamjha commented on your post: khushiji aapka koi boyfriend hai kya? 😭

usershyam hume aap bohot pasand hai khushiji

iMessage

Khushi: he followed me back omgomgomg

Lavanya: ???

Khushi: ajgar

Khushi: arnav*

Lavanya: 😂😂

Lavanya: You didn't stop talking about him last night oh god

Khushi: i know ur friends were so pissed😭

Lavanya: Nooo, why would you thibk that

Lavanya: And look at you crushing so hard on ASR!

Khushi: you've met?

Lavanya: Briefly

Khushi: 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

Khushi: I'm gonna slide into his dms wish me luck

Lavanya: Khushi wtf

Lavanya: Khushi come back you son of a bitch

Lavanya: Istg Khushi pls don't make a fool of yourself in front of your new boss😭

Lavanya: Khushiii??????

seen

(1) message from thekhushigupta

thekhushigupta: hey

arnavsinghraizada: Hi?

thekhushigupta: we met the other day

arnavsinghraizada: Yeah, you bumped into me, how can I forget?

thekhushigupta: omg i'm really sorry for that😩

thekhushigupta: can i take you out for an apologetic dinner?

thekhushigupta: tonight?

arnavsinghraizada: Are you...

thekhushigupta: asking you out? yes

arnavsinghraizada liked a message

TBC

<previous> | <next>

[mahyuume]

EMBRACE

getou suguru

everything always felt more peaceful in his embrace or if he was in yours. in any case, it was win-win for both of you!

extra notes from isko!

sdt: the only getou fan ever (noor) (this fic is for her i love u)

the reader in this fic is leaning towards female (req). if you don’t feel comfortable with fem!reader, please don’t read!

this took like almost a week to do with other fics in drafts, please like and reblog. (-_-;) maybe comment too idk!!! but please do smth to get my work around! ヽ(；▽；)

the warm hug surrounding getou that he enjoyed the most came from none other than you. getou cherished these small moments with you, even more so when returning from a mission that involved exorcizing curses of all levels.

despite the fact that he was much heavier and stronger and would place most of his body weight on you, it didn't bother you much. but what he did mind was your constant movement while he lay on your thighs, maybe even with his arms wrapped around your legs, made him complain about the motions disrupting his comfort of resting with parts of your body. (most of the time, you're just trying to get him off you, but he wouldn't budge either way.)

and this happens often.

5:57PM — IN BED WITH GETOU

"suguru, move," you grumbled as you attempted to shift your upper body away from your very clingy but needy boyfriend, who was unusually holding onto you like a lifeline. he was hugging you from the back more… tightly? you couldn’t put a finger on it, but you knew something was up.

groaning in response as he lazily moved along with you, still holding onto you as if you were waking him up from a well deserved nap.

“mmrghh… later.. stay like this.” he says with a muffled voice due to his face being buried in your neck, and him laying into the crook of your neck. eyes obviously closed. you can feel his warm breath against your skin, creating a sense of comfort and intimacy. the sound of his steady heartbeat reverberates through your body, further deepening the connection between the two of you. in this moment, time seems to stand still as you savor the precious closeness you share.

his quiet breaths and figure going more limp by the second, now admitting you don’t mind him laying around on your body. in fact, you enjoy it. the weight of his body pressing against yours is comforting, a reminder of the love between you. you can feel his warmth seeping into your skin, slowly noticing sleep calling for him. you can tell he feels a sense of closeness and security with you. as he breathes softly against your neck, you find yourself drifting into a state of thought. you revel in the simple pleasure of his presence. in this moment, there is nothing else that matters except the two of you.

this almost makes you feel bad for wanting to push him off for your space of the bed… that you really want.

there is no need for exchanging words, but when you are in each others’ presence, you can already imagine the sincere words flowing from simple gestures. like a tug on the shirt earlier from getou, him signaling for you to sleep and ease with him into the comforts of sheets and pillows. the soft but gentle glow from the lamp beside him reflects on getou’s face, making him appear even more beautiful than before. you never thought this could be possible, as he is already beautiful in every aspect imaginable. who knew you could look even better sleeping with the help of a lighting from a 1.50$ lamp you found at the furniture store together?

you make the decision to reposition your entire body to ensure that everyone and everything is more at ease. you rotate your torso to face the opposite direction, so now your chest is facing getou's. he’s still peacefully asleep, but unsurprisingly, his grip is still holding onto you. his face and head are now resting on your neck, almost touching your chest, and his cheek is lifted from the movement against the side of your neck.

his breathing had gentle rhythm almost as one of a lullaby, lulling you into a peaceful slumber as his. the sound of his heartbeat being felt against yours was a soothing melody that echoed in your ears. the world and the dangers outside seemed to fade away as you closed your eyes, surrendering yourself to the serenity of the moment.

you mentally remind yourself to scold him for taking most of the space of the bed in the morning or when getting ready for school.

but for now you’ll let it slide… just this once. (again)

6:54 AM — WAKING UP WITH GETOU

isko’s notes!

I FINALLY FINISHED OH MY GOD ITS ALMOST 2AM (1:51am as of writing this)

ok i have never wrote getou in my life nor do i know anything of him so i hope this isnt really ooc or inaccurate…… that would be embarrassing then (¬_¬)

but anyways i hope u guys liked this :33 baii

perm tags! (send an ask to be on perm)

@ritsufeet @squiiv

© ii2ko, 2023. do not edit or copy my work! do not repost onto any other platform. this fic will be and is uploaded to only tumblr and ao3.

[greekmythcomix]

New obsession:

THIS HAT ⬆️

Can only find it called kalatiskos in relation to this one image of it at the Carneia festival (on volute krater from C5th BCE). Wiki descrips suggest a male dancer (no mention of what’s happening to the skirt! Whirling round?) in a straw hat!

A kalathos is a basket (nifty Archaic Greek ceramic version from the BM below) worn as a crown (like a polos but taller), to signify prosperity, like on the statue of Serapis below (a bit like a cornucopia?)

And ‘-iskos’ is a diminutive. So… a little Kalathos? Hardly looks little though in that base painting! Reminds me of an Erté crown!

And the skirt reminded me of Sufi dancers (exact image provided by art friend!)

[maniculum]

Bestiaryposting Results: Gaersnae

This one seems to be flying under the radar, identification-wise, much more than I expected, which is a pleasant surprise. I don't have anything else to add at the beginning of this post. The entry people are working from is here:

And if you don't know what this "bestiaryposting" business is, you can find an explanation and all previous posts at https://maniculum.tumblr.com/bestiaryposting.

Now, art in roughly chronological order:

@silverhart-makes-art (link to post here) has made the entirely logical decision that the "king of crawling things" should be whichever creature has the most legs, and drawn us a millipede large enough to fight a weasel. I think this is a good and sensible direction, and that's a quality depiction of a millipede/weasel fight right there.

@sweetlyfez (link to post here) has gone in a more rodent-y direction, with the interesting detail that, as a result of living in caves, its legs are gradually becoming vestigial. I think this is also quite clever, and the rat is pretty cute.

@cheapsweets (link to post here) decided that the "king of crawling things" should have no legs, as maximum crawling happens when one is flat on one's belly. Hence our crowned snake -- complete with a bird going down in flames near the top of the drawing, and a weasel/Hreksong invading the burrows near the bottom. I think the "crown" works really well, and it's always nice to see a callback to previous beasts. As usual, CheapSweets has provided an interesting and informative explanation of their design in the linked post -- I particularly liked the phrase "pelvic spur for extra rizz".

@coolest-capybara (link to post here) is running with the idea of a creature that kills with its scent (and has white stripes), so we have this amazing picture of a skunk zapping an owl out of the sky. The medieval skunk is excellent -- I think if they had skunks in medieval Europe, that's probably how they would have drawn them -- and the scribbly owl is just delightful. Check the linked post for additional observations and a link to a short but informative source about medieval owls.

@pomrania (link to post here) also has some skunk inspiration going on here, though their version has some extra legs and a kind of boar-like face. A very informative series of drawings about how this thing can kill you -- I particularly like the one with the little scroll reading "deadly!!"

@strixcattus (link to post here) has contributed an invertebrate, which I think makes this one of the only entries that's gotten more than one of those. And that's a solid drawing of an arthropod -- I also like the lettering at the bottom right there. As usual, I implore you to read the write-up in the linked post, where the animal is re-imagined from the perspective of a modern naturalist.

Okay, Aberdeen Bestiary:

So this is actually a case of the artist's preconceptions making them mess it up a bit. You may notice that it does not fit the description. It also sticks out a bit in the context of the bestiary, because it's in the "snake" section of the manuscript.

What's happened here is that this is the entry for the basilisk, but the artist has drawn a cockatrice. This is not actually unusual, as the two mythical beasts are hopelessly entangled in the tradition; I looked into it a bit, and it seems like there's actually some confusion about where the cockatrice even comes from. Probably the reason the two creatures have similar powers attributed to them is because the cockatrice kind of inherited that aspect from the basilisk.

(See, e.g., Breiner, Laurence A. "The Career of the Cockatrice." Isis, vol. 70, no. 1, 1979, pp. 30–47.)

Anyway, the basilisk is so called because it is the king of snakes -- basileus is Greek for "king", and -iskos is a diminutive. Little king.

(The translation provided by the University of Aberdeen, "king of crawling things," is unusual -- the Latin reads "rex serpentium". It's possible this translation choice is because of the flexibility of the term "serpent".)

This is a creature originally described by classical authors and then passed along through medieval European sources. It has white stripes, often some sort of "crown" on its head, is venomous, and is sometimes said to distinguish itself from other snakes by holding the front part of its body regally upright... yeah, it's obviously a cobra that's been telephoned and exaggerated into being ludicrously deadly. Just swap out "weasel" for "mongoose" -- I think that's pretty clearly a case of some author who distantly predated scientific taxonomy just going, "looks like a weasel to me".

Also, this entry ends with:

The creature called sibilus is the same as the regulus, or basilisk; for it kills with its hiss before it bites or burns.

I am not aware of any creature called sibilus.

[gardenwons]

Filo conyo! enha hyung line (maybe sfw for maknae line only if u are comfy w it) like i need all of them as conyo kids. (Jake is ateneo, Jay is lasalle... ARGUE W ME ON THIS!!)

Also can i be 🎀/🌸/🍒 anon??

AYAN NANAMAN KAYOOO 🤭🥰🥰🥰

heeseung isko ng bayannn lets go! I cant w him 😭 puta literal campus crush. Everyone KNOWS this mfer, kahit papasok palang mga freshies alam agad nila kung sino ung hot na senior 😔🤭 Super shy despite the popularity, he shoots his chances w women he genuinely likes naman. Although acads is a big hindrance whenever pursuing someone— seung would always hit you with the “its not you, its me” bc ayaw niya pa naman bumagsak ng tuluyan (both w grades and you)

Jay as a lozol kid, he fits right in. Kinda the trend setter in campus na IT boy na cold na maingay sa hallway biglang sisigaw. Super gentleman, Chivalry never died w this man. Known to be loyal (long term relationship fr) kinda type!! Would always be that guy you’d see driving as his mode of transpo to school. Tapos dad polo shirts every other day talaga, anak ni henry sy ung palaging tinutukso sakanya 🤪

jake admu! my lil stem boy 🥺 brains and beauty ang atake. APPLIED PHYSICS ANG COURSE PLS ang hot ayoko na. Maharot pero usually siya nasasaktan sa mga kaharutan niya 😭 palaging nagmumukmok pag failed ang situationships. Truly a hopeless romantic, tipong maghihintay sa library to see if may girl na he’d fall in love at first sight with. Madaling kausapin, leader ng org nila and loves socializing, super conyo and super okay with it.

sunghoon ust idc idc loves ghosting ppl bc he seems too preoccupied w/ studies + panglipas oras mga flirty chats niya jusko. Overall he’s a sweet guy,, talagang wag lang muna landiin if hindi niya pa kayang seryosohin my god. i cant see him as an athlete pero bakit nursing talaga or dentistry AHSHHS POGI SO MUCH.

All of them became friends through mutual connections and would often see them before or after exams in bars either sa pobla or bgc 🤭 asar v much whenever one of them brings their gf (pero sa totoo inggit lang sila)

next time na maknae line 🫶🏻 kinikilig ako asan na ba jake ko from ateneo ano ba yan >:(( TYSM anon ily namiss ko filo moots💓 ay omg nsfw ba dapat to natuwa ako just imagining them as students 😭 sige sige next time fr nsfw na HSHDHSH

[obsolete-stars-if]

Happy Anniversary

I know I'm late.... like over a month. LISTEN, it just slipped my mind. but to celebrate, how about a side snippet. The original anniversary is like, uhh 28th of May, but like.... it's only 1st July. gimme a break.

ANYWAY, i have been meaning to write this for some time now. But before chapter 8 came out, i couldnt and pushed it back a lot. and i finally had the motivation to do so. the next demon fight wont take me another year, so dw its not gonna be another anniversary snippet again.

So like... Mikhails POV of his fight. 1143 words, about 5min read time

“Mika..”, his voice sounds like it is about to break. It snaps you out of your frozen state. You haven’t seen him like this often, or before at all. "Are you abandoning General Vi? If you do now, her life shared with you is meaningless. Those who died for you, are meaningless. You will go out there and defeat the monster." Anyone else might have thought of it as an accusation. But you understand the meaning.

Save those who love you. Be good, defend your family, for they will die for you. It has always been like that. Your soldiers became your siblings at heart, the General as your father, General Vi has been a mother to you. Your kingdom was the home to protect, to make room to let all your family members spread their wings. As they deserve, and you’re turning your back on them. You really try to run away from them, the people who will die for you. Who love you more than any blood could offer. Who listened to your woes, celebrated your victories, and loved you in ways you never knew possible.  It is not an accusation, but a plea, from father to son. "You are not a soldier anymore, but you are their sibling, and you will defend your family." You know this all too well. You’re afraid your voice breaks if you speak, so you offer a nod.

He pulls you aside one last time before you return, he kneels to your height, and the folds that have scarred his face to nothing but anger and rage, turn into worry, it is way too much like…  “Do you remember my first battle?” Your voice is barely above a whisper. He nods, “Saving you, it is haunting.” His hand travels to your hair, and he takes a strand and pushes it behind your ear, “But I do not regret it.” “Isko…” His name feels foreign in your mouth. “Now it is my turn to save you.” Isko lets out a soft breath, “You already have, my child.”

The fall back into the line is shocking, it feels like nature, being told where to stand, how to arrange yourself, get your weapon, and scan the fields. You never wanted to bring the war back home, you would smile through the pain, just to see your family, your people, happy for your return. And now you brought the war here. You wish you had flashes of those who died to your blade. But it has been too many to bother your mind.  You can’t have Adam in this mess, nor your siblings, let alone your spouse, you gave all up, swore to protect and submit to them, and you are the very thing threatening you.

The sound of the soldiers arriving travels not by air, but through the ground. It is just a show, you know it is, practiced movement, synchronized. And while it may strike fear into your people, watching them hide away, it has long lost its charm. What is training worth if you can’t bear to kill at the end of the day? When you stop right before you kill again, and the face of another young child clears in your vision, you decide that you cannot do this again. What was so special about the kid? Trying to recall their face is impossible, yet it feels so clear. And a whisper in the air reminds you, that you gave up on being a monster.

You dare to take a steadying breath. You’re not afraid, you haven’t been in years. The soldiers are children, you realize by nothing but their height. And the leader amongst them all, they stand at your height. Is that truly what it means to protect your family? To kill those who you’re stealing from. You don’t know. 

The sky is clear, the sun shining down on your skin, hot, burning you alive. This is nothing like the winters you spend up north. Those behind you stir when they realize what you already have. Children soldiers. And when you cross glances with it, it is the visage of those you ended. You cannot let your heart ache, as much as it desires to, it is not about want, but need. You need to protect those you love.

You push ahead, it does not matter if you know their faces or not, for they have already died before. They can die again, die an amount you cannot count, if it means protecting those you love, you would not trade a world in which you were not a soldier.  In which you stayed home, and not became siblings with every person your blood rules over. You must serve your people. Your family.

You only stop at the leader, steadying your sword, and you watch it take the helmet off. His hair falls below his shoulder blades, hair a rich brown, and eyes much too like Isko, much too like your own.  Never have you seen him before, but it is like a mirror, to who you are, who could’ve been, or maybe what you avoided. He takes his time watching your face, drinking in how you became frozen. 

“What a poor replacement,” his voice is like silk, “You killed me for this?” “I have not,” You answer. But he is unfazed by you.  “You killed me.” He repeats, “You killed the memory by claiming it. You took all these children and denied them a future. You claimed parents, children, lovers, and friends, in the name of your parents, siblings, lovers, and friends. Not only did you destroy their family by fire and your blade, but so did you destroy your family.”

Lies, these must all be lies.

“You couldn’t even die for your family. Truly, a pitiful imitation.” But you did not mean to die for them, you just needed the agony to stop, the nightmares, the faces, the pain in your heart when you saw your sibling's corpses, felt their light leave their eyes as you continued to force magic into their body, as you tried to save them. You meant to save them. Save your family. And one day, you knew, you could only save them from this pain if you stopped.

“I am the only one to judge you by the blood running through my veins. Which you so desperately tried to copy, and you may steal my place, my appearance, but Isko only had one child.” He lifts his sword, “You have committed crimes of blood, Mikhail, your own, the one on your blade, and the one you tried to claim. The Gods have sent me to judge you. And I have found you guilty on all accounts.”

[CHOICE]

→ [“May you no longer betray blood, family, and love.”] → [“I have never betrayed my blood, family, or love.”]

[bayofwolves]

Rereading Rise and Fall

We're back unusually early to recap the penultimate, and my personal favourite, Spirit Animals book. If you don't know by now, these posts are essentially my notes from rereading the Spirit Animals books -- interesting details, stuff I missed and how I would change certain things. This is all part of my divine plan to revise and expand upon the series. Let's get into it!

This cover is one of my all-time favourites, apart from the short-haired Conor jumpscare (he has long hair in my universe). It's interesting how he is never shown with the axe he wields, only the shepherd's staff. I suppose they're striving for the most accurate portrayal of their characters on the covers, and Conor will always be a shepherd before he is a warrior.

Abeke's opinion of Shane seems to have deteriorated somewhat. In her first chapter, she doesn't think of him as a friend, only as an ally, and her attitude towards him is quite cold. This is most likely due to the fact that he is her jailer at this point. However, it got me thinking... it would have been kind of neat if Abeke's friendship with Shane slowly deteriorated over the course of these first six books. Perhaps because of what she sees him tolerate from his fellow soldiers, perhaps what she sees him do with his own hands. Perhaps both. She sees him do good, yes, but she sees the bad, too, and it makes her start to doubt him. When he saves her from the Conquerors and expresses his wish to switch sides, her faith in him soars -- of course he would do the right thing, she always believed he could -- only to come crashing down when he betrays her days later. I just think it would be more realistic if Abeke had some doubts about her Conqueror boyfriend as the war dragged on (she's not completely stupid, after all). If she chose to put them aside and trust in him, it would make his betrayal of that trust hurt all the more.

"Abeke struggled to keep her composure, but when she thought of that day at Mulop's grotto, frightening images passed through her mind..." "Then Abeke saw Meilin, and her eyes widened in fear." "Without meaning to, she lifted a hand protectively to her throat." Abeke having a lasting fear of Meilin could have been such a rich concept to explore. Of course, we're made to believe that everything is fine and dandy between the Four after the war is over, but what if it wasn't that simple? Like, Abeke loves her friend and knows none of it was her fault, but she can't help but flinch away when she comes near, remembering those cruel fingers around her throat. It takes some time and therapy for her to feel entirely safe in her presence... and for her to truly let go of those memories of how she treated her before. Abeke and Meilin's relationship had the potential to be so complex after the first arc, but they took it nowhere, and I'll always be disappointed in that.

In the Spirit Animals game, Iskos is much, much larger than he is described in the text. I wish they made him gigantic in the books, too. My headcanon is that Stetriol, as the fantasy version of Australia, has a whole array of giant insects and arachnids. Iskos would be one of these.

"Not much to look at, are they? But then, I knew from the moment I met Abeke that we had nothing to fear from her." Oh, it's gonna be so good when Abeke kills Zerif and the Wyrm in one fell swoop in The Burning Tide rewritten. The fact that Zerif has always underestimated her, only to be brought down by her in the end... for her to prove to him that she is a force to be reckoned with.

Rollan says Concorba was hot, which prompted me to flip back to the map and realize that his city is almost level with Okaihee. This is surprising to me; I always imagined Concorba as being farther north in Amaya and having a continental climate, with mild summers and harsh winters.

Rollan thinks of Conor as his best friend. Awww.

It's stated that Rollan has only recently learned to see through Essix's eyes, but he actually first experienced this all the way back in Blood Ties.

Enter one of my favourite characters ever: Irtike! Oh Irtike, I love you so much. The authors realized you were too powerful and shelved you, but I never forgot you.

I can't believe I almost forgot to mention such an important detail, but in my universe, Chinwe is Abeke's aunt, and Irtike is her cousin. Chinwe and Ikenne, Abeke's mother, were sisters. Abeke always had a good relationship with her aunt, and was devastated to learn of her death. However, this means that when Abeke cuts off her father and sister in The Evertree, she still has one family member in Irtike. I've had this headcanon for so many years that I think of it as canon.

I love Rollan's perspective on Soama, and the implication that she only appears more beautiful than Abeke because unlike her, Soama is treated with love and care. It breaks my heart.

Pojalo straight up disowns Abeke. This is actually unforgivable. Him refusing to say that he loves her, declaring that she is dead to him... the fact that they made up after this is absurd. What were they thinking?

A nice little bit of foreshadowing is when Meilin fights the Devourer in a dream and can't see his face because he is covered head to toe in armour -- she can only stare into the "gaping black eyeholes" of his mask. Come to think of it, it would have been cool if Conor had cryptic dreams about the Devourer during his group's time in Nilo. He could have been plagued by them all the way through the book, disturbing visions of the Devourer night after night that he cannot decipher. When they discover Gar dead, Conor thinks this is what the dreams were warning him of. But then they realize the truth.

I always wondered how Shane didn't notice Abeke was injured when he came to get her and Meilin, but it's possible Jhi was able to heal her bruises and scratches that quickly.

"Meilin could sense Abeke's softness... Even if Shane was the kindest of their captors, Abeke needed to be using him, not falling for him." This line always gets me. Abeke's feelings for Shane being on full display, but she herself remaining oblivious to them is something I can't get enough of.

Cabaro and Suka are canonically the strongest Great Beasts -- which makes sense, given their species.

I'm assuming it would be impossible for Cabaro to sire cubs with his lionesses, but all the same, are they his mates? Would a Great Beast even look at a common animal that way? It's an interesting thought.

If Halawir hadn't convinced him to remain neutral, Cabaro might have fought alongside the Four Fallen in their last battle all those years ago. I wonder, was Halawir was going around changing the minds of any others he felt would be sympathetic to their cause?

Cabaro mentions that Briggan was the only one the Great Beasts all trusted. So despite being formed by the same disaster and walking side by side for eons, the Great Beasts still had reservations about their fellows? Interesting...

Cabaro makes a good point about the Greencloaks and their spirit animals, and mankind overall. I wish we could have known what Briggan and Essix were thinking during his speech; for a series called Spirit Animals, we barely ever get inside their heads! Especially when it matters, like now! I want to know how the Four Fallen feel about being spirit animals. Is there any resentment there? Any feelings of being trapped in their new, lesser bodies? Any wishes to return to the greatness and independence they knew for millennia and leave their human partners behind? A conflict revolving around the Four Fallen themselves and the complexity of being tied to humans would be intriguing as hell.

"...Drina, as beautiful as her brother, Shane, was handsome..." To me, this is proof that Abeke is bisexual. She totally has a crush on both of them.

Gerathon is canonically Abeke's biggest fear. Can't fault her for that.

I hold the belief that neither Drina nor Shane knew she was truly going to die that day. The way I see it, the Conqueror leaders originally planned to stage a fake death, in order to give Abeke and Meilin a reason to trust Shane. Both siblings were aware of this... but Drina's death unexpectedly turned out to be real, making her terror and his anguish all genuine. Gerathon and the Conqueror leaders could have decided to kill her because she was putting up too much resistance to Gerathon, and they feared defiance from someone in such a powerful position would cause dissent among the rest of the Conquerors. (In ARHoE, I took this idea and expanded on it a little more. Drina believes she should be leader and queen instead of her brother, and attempts to stage a coup. Her reckless campaign divides the Conquerors -- some are loyal to Shane, some to her. Naturally, Gerathon rewards her treachery with death.) That's just my opinion though, because to my knowledge this whole conspiracy is never fully explained. I love Drina, and wish we got more clarity on what happened here.

I don't think Abeke was meant to hear the whispered exchange between Gerathon and Shane. I think that was her reminding him, in the face of his shock and anger over his sister really being dead, to go ahead with the plan and not flake out now -- lest he meet a similar end.

Meilin wielding a sword in each hand is metal as fuck.

Irtike rides bareback. I don't know much about horseback riding, so I'm not entirely sure why she would remove the saddle, but it seems like a power move.

Conor literally stuck an axe in a Great Beast's back. Holy hell. I want to see him telling this story to a group of excited children.

Meilin being unwilling to fight that Conqueror boy because he could be in the same situation as she is was such a good layer to her internal conflict.

Gerathon bites Cabaro on the leg, but her venom doesn't seem to have any effect on him.

I like how they gave Shane's family similar features. Gar and Drina are both described as having large eyes.

"As they approached the spot of scuffed earth and open air that led down to the oasis, a nameless dread overtook Conor." Conor's bond with Briggan giving him not just cryptic visions of the far future, but little premonitions of the near future, is something I would have liked to see.

We don't get to see Cabaro's reaction to his oasis being levelled, which is a shame. Also, wow, even with half the team the Greencloaks bring destruction wherever they go, this time to the animal kingdom.

Why did Gar summon a wolverine, anyway? From what we've seen, people only call up animals that are native to their homeland. In the real world, upon which Erdas is painstakingly based, there are no wolverines anywhere close to Australia. They live in the northern forests of Canada and Eurasia (Amaya, Eura and Zhong on Erdas). So... what's the explanation for this? Are there wolverines in Stetriol, despite the arid climate being nothing like what they are used to? Or did Gar somehow manage to summon a spirit animal from another land?

Sundown has to be my favourite chapter of the book -- possibly even of the entire series. It's the calm before the storm, and a beautiful look into a friendship that will never be the same again. The romantic implications for Shane and Abeke are as clear as day here: The way she keeps noticing how he looks (the sun lighting his face, the lids of his eyes, his arm when she lays her hand atop it), him huskily calling her amazing and her blushing and looking away. I love how it's not fully spelled out, either, and it's up to the reader to deduce that there is love there from the observations she makes, from the words they say, from the way she thinks about him. Their romance is so slow and gentle and bittersweet. This is the last tender moment they'll have. It's sad to look back on it.

My theory is that Shane was letting Grahv out of passive state while they were on the ship, to swim around in the water out of Abeke's sight. This would explain Shane's ease around water, which isn't, to my knowledge, a natural trait of his -- his crocodile is lending him his abilities. Shane is also mentioned to have been diving into the sea without a shirt on, and Abeke would surely have seen the tattoo if Grahv was in passive form during this. Shane could have explained Renneg's absence by saying he was below decks, since the sight of the water made him queasy, and told Abeke not to disturb him because he was resting. This theory is technically invalid because Abeke says Shane hasn't summoned Renneg the whole voyage, but I truthfully don't know how else he could walk around shirtless.

I don't like that Irtike goes right back to Okaihee at the end of the book. What happened to the Irtike who told our protagonists "my heart lives outside of Okaihee now"? She deserved to go with Conor and Rollan to Greenhaven, be present at Tarik's funeral, become a Greencloak in-text and live at Greenhaven thereafter. After all, the Greencloaks probably have more need of her powers than Okaihee at the moment, since the village's failed crops mean it is no longer a target of the Conquerors. At the very least, she should have been one of the returning characters from previous books who travel with the team to Stetriol in The Evertree. (To tell you the truth, I just wanted a whole lot more of Irtike. What do you mean they created a character who is no doubt one of the most powerful people on the planet and then never used her again?)

"Shane turned to face Abeke, his expression unreadable." I just know Shane is gonna have nightmares about Abeke's shocked, disbelieving, betrayed face in this moment for the rest of his life.

"Essix shrieked, and Halawir cocked his head toward her, listening." I love how the Great Beasts seem to be able to understand the Four Fallen, even in their diminished forms. Like they are the only ones who can still hear their voices.

Poor Abeke. She has only just been able to prove that she was not secretly a traitor all along, only just been able to hope for her friends' full trust, and now she has unsuspectingly paved the way for the Conquerors' ultimate victory. She must be fearing that she is farther from acceptance than ever before. My poor, poor girl.

It would have been great if the team managed to hold onto the Slate Elephant as well. One talisman for each of them. I'll have to reread The Evertree to examine how the events of that book would change with the Slate Elephant, and see if it would be feasible to incorporate into ARHoE. I only fear it would make their journey across Stetriol too easy; they could all just clamber onto Great Uraza's back and be at Muttering Rock within a day. But the mental image I have of Abeke riding Great Uraza in the Battle of Muttering Rock, her raw heartbreak manifested in the giant leopard's wrath, is incredible.

I like Conor's character development into a strong leader and think it was needed, but it happened much too fast. Instead of laying the necessary groundwork for this change early on and building from there, these authors seem to prefer having their characters do a 180 in the span of a single book or even a few chapters. That and the way they handled Irtike are my only major complaints about this book, though.

Did Rise and Fall stand the test of time and remain my favourite? Well, yes! I enjoyed this book from start to finish. There were so many things I loved about it: The introduction of badass one-timers Irtike and Drina, Abeke and Meilin among the Conquerors, all the sweet Shane and Abeke moments, and the fact that we got three new Great Beasts in one book! Most of all, I loved all its ups and downs. I remember being absolutely blown away reading Shane's betrayal when I was ten; that whole plot point was executed very well. Meilin and Jhi surrendering themselves to the Conquerors, Meilin in manacles, Jhi embracing her, made me inconsolable. And of course, Tarik's death was a gut punch. Even with all these losses, though, the book ends on a hopeful note -- the team still has two talismans. They still have a chance against their enemies, however slim. They've hit rock bottom, but they're still looking up. It's a powerful ending, and one that's always stuck with me.

This is part of an ongoing series.

Wild Born | Hunted | Blood Ties | Fire and Ice | Against the Tide | Rise and Fall | The Evertree

Immortal Guardians | Broken Ground | The Return | The Burning Tide

Heart of the Land | The Wildcat's Claw | Stormspeaker | The Dragon's Eye

Tales of the Great Beasts | The Book of Shane | Tales of the Fallen Beasts

[illumnis]

RINA IT WONT LET ME TAG UU 😭😭

NAURRR WAIT 💔💔 CAN U TRY DOING THR @ RIGHT AND NAWT CLICKING ANY USER,, JUST LET IT LIKE BE TYPED OUT I THINK IT WILL TAG ANYWAYS BC THATS WHAT I DO

[neechees]

I picked up a different terrible book (not Rose Christo's, a different book, the one that brutalized a Native character for no reason)

Apparently this "elder" stems from the word "Iskotew", but I think it's the opposite, since "Iskotew" itself is a compound word, first possibly of "Iskwêw", Woman, & "otêw", heart. Alternatively it could be a compound of still otêw, and "isko-" meaning like "so far, to such an extent, to this point". Crees acknowledging multiple genders also means we would have known women are not the only people who can become pregnant and "give life".

Men also would not have gone around calling their female relatives "woman" (with maaaaybe the exception of his wife/wives if they've been married for a long time, OR hid sister in law/s, who he is expected to jokingly insult and tease) unless the context was him talking about gender specifically, because otherwise referring to your relatives without kinship terms was seen as blatant disrespect and rude, and would reflect badly on not only him, but his family.

The Cree language specifically was not the origin of the bastardization of the word "squaw" which then became a slur: this originates from Europeans creating dictionaries of EASTERN ALGONQUIAN languages like Wampanoag and Pohawtan, where "squaw" really does just mean "woman" & of course originally had no negative connotation. Squaw had likely already become a slur by the time Crees met Europeans in the 17th century. It sounds similar because Cree is also an Algonquian language.

[taistelutaide]

Top 8 boxers in #daily wood stage two W-bracket

#1 Anton (100%, 14 votes)

Anton's cocky in every sense of the word, with the power to back up his taunts, and then some. In his own words, he gets off on knocking men unconscious, as his opponents can both confirm. He beat the absolute crap out of Felix before knocking him out, and pummeled Tuomas like a punching bag even after he was knocked out cold.

#2 Isko (88,8%, 16 votes)

The power puncher of the tournament, Isko's bouts now have twice as many paramedics on standby. His glancing blows send spit and sweat flying, and solid hits send men either clear across the ring like Samuel or through the ropes and out of the ring altogether like Ukko. Suffice to say when he sends you down, you aren't getting back up, and he's only ever lost one fight: knocked out by Robert during his mma debut.

#3 Jens (86,4%, 15 votes)

A bit of a wildcard, Jens seems to not to be content with just his domination of lesser men. After crushing the former champion, he almost seemed bored as he smacked Sauli and Elmo around. From his smile while watching the other top boxers when they step into the ring though, he seems to relish their brutality, biding his time until he can fight them himself to finally find out if any of them can take him.

#4 Valdemar (86,3%, 21 votes)

Another fighter who keeps the paramedics busy, Valdemar's brutal punches are powered as much by his rage as by his massive muscles. Not a single one of his past opponents hasn't had to be carried out on a stetcher, and Kauno and Simon were no exception. Even weakness seems to piss him off; not very good solace for his future opponents.

#5 Jan (85,9%, 18 votes)

The strength of Jan's unbridled aggression is only surpassed by his iron jaw. He doesn't seem to care whether his opponents hit him or not, all he's interested in is pounding them into submission. Based on how his bout with Aaron ended, he clearly also gets off on knocking men out cold, but Natanael barely lasted half as long. He's probably looking forward to facing Anton given their similar interests...

#6 Miika (83,8%, 11 votes)

Miika's another heavy hitter, though it's hard to compare closely with either Isko or Valdemar when all three send their opponents to sleep so quickly with their powerful punches. They'll probably be facing off soon enough, but unlike his previous two opponents, Verner and Ralf, next he's going to have to go through the former champion Ville...

#7 Henri (83,2%, 20 votes)

Henri's a man with a grudge, and unfortunately for his opponents, he's the type to take out his frustration by crushing anyone who gets in his way, as he savagely demonstrated with Mike and Touko. He's well on his way to a third rematch with his rival Ville, after the man knocked him unconscious both of the last two times they fought.

#8 Leo (82,6%, 14 votes)

Leo's aggression matches his rival Jan's. Fitting, given their history. Leo's actually got a little of everything going for him: Jens's drive to find a worthy opponent, a grudge to rival Henri's, power to rival Isko's, and a raging hardon for brutal knockouts like Anton... and Jan himself. After how he destroyed Johannes and Oliver, Jan had better get ready.

[ratedfleur]

i want to see more of ganda & pogi when they weren’t together yet & only crushing on each other!! ganda definitely was and still is hao’s student manager <3 just like what you said before, dahil student council members nga sila & ganda is hao’s student manager lagi silang magkasama!! everybody’s swooning over them everywhere they go! i wanna see how they got together & how they developed feelings for each other!!

- 🎻

omg lengthy brainrot ahead hihi hindi naman halata na i enjoyed writing this 😄 also i purposely wrote this in a rush bago ako mag sleep bc alam kong hindi ako makakatulog kaka-isip if hindi ko pa sinulat HEH

also full name reveal na ni ganda heh self indulgent syempre 😔 also i couldn’t get myself to give pogi a new name, basta zhang hao pa din siya (imaginin niyo nalang may filo name siya) (also defo send filo name ideas!!! i want to see how pogi looks like sa mata niyo mwa) 🫶

before ganda became hao’s student manager, he always tried inviting her to watch his games so that she’s aware of what happens in the games especially in the UAAP, his most important events in his college years.

“aly please? just one game, you don’t even have to stay if you don’t want to.” hao says as he chased after alyx, finding her strides hard to catch up to.

how does this tiny lady walk so fast as if she’s 6 foot tall? hao thought as he got squished through the sea of people as he tried chasing alyx through the halls.

seeing her head pop up in the sea of students, he grabs onto her hand, making ganda yelp when hao pulls her hand.

“so? i’ll see you tomorrow?” hao asked with hope in his eyes, only for ganda to shake her head.

“sorry zhang, i’m busy tomorrow nor am i interested to go.” ganda says before she pulled her hand away from hao, leaving him in the busy hallway.

but hao had one last trick up his sleeve, diligently preparing it once he got home. he immediately went on his laptop and got to work, hoping his trick would work just in time for his first game of the year.

the moment aly step foot in the arena, students were cheering and waving at her once their eyes landed on the fair lady, excited to see the pretty face finally joining them to watch the UAAP.

what you didn’t know is that hao was looking for you, looking left and right for his tiny girl— or rather his tiny feisty soon to be student manager, manifesting, he says.

aly sat cluelessly on the seat given to her by hao himself, specifically choosing a seat in the UP area where most isko’s and iska’s sat. soon enough, the game started, announcers starting and hyping the crowd up as students from two universities cheered.

she of course cheered for her own school, even dressed in a red shirt. moments later, the athletes poured into the court. hao immediately looked for her despite it being a huge arena, his eyes looked for the feisty eyed lady before they landed on aly who blinked a few times before smiling in a thin line.

this has hao smiling to himself once he proves to himself that he could get you to watch his game, though uncertain whether you’d stay ‘til the end.

a few games later, hao specifically made the team’s manager get you from the audience, making you simply follow her when she says hao was looking for you.

letting him celebrate with his team, you stayed a few steps back before hao himself stepped away from the team, standing right before you.

“ayos ba?” he asked.

pursing your lips, “ayos lang.” you answered, making hao chuckle.

“eh what about my request? naka-decide ka na?” he asked once more, making you nod your head.

full of expectancy, hao waited for you to answer his questions.

“i’m accepting your request but—“ “but?” “i won’t start immediately, busy pa ‘ko sa council.”

hao nods, understanding where you were coming from.

“copy, miss aly. feel free to start kung kailan mo gusto, i just need you on court, that’s all.” he says whilst you nodded.

since you were both partners in the student council whilst you were his student manager in his athletic activities, you two were stuck together like gum, from day to night.

and with hao being the gentleman he is, he takes care of you whenever you two are alone. all of his caring acts were not for the prying eyes but he was acting based off of his natural instincts.

“here, i know hindi ka pa kumakain the moment you sat down.” hao said while sliding over a paper bag from your favorite café in the area.

you smile lightly at him when your eyes meet, “thanks zhang.” you said to him as you took the sandwhich out, snacking on it as you both worked on a event schedule.

“aly, sakay na. hatid na kita, it’s raining!” hao called out to you in the rain from his car as you ran towards the bus stop. you turned your head to look at him, waving your hand as you shielded yourself from the rain.

“hindi na, i’ll be fine.” you insisted before hao stopped his car beside you, getting out with a umbrella in hand as he insisted on giving you a ride.

“sabi ko ngang i’m fine eh.” you said as you settled in your seat, thanking him when he hands you a box of tissues and his handkerchief to wipe yourself down.

“no can do, i know magkakasakit ka tomorrow so drink advil later on.” hao says to you knowing how often you got sick even from a little drizzle before he drove out of the university’s street, eyeing you ever so often.

the ride goes well not until you’re both stuck in traffic with you drenched in your wet clothes. this gets hao cursing when he caught sight of this before he reaches back for his spare clothes that he always keeps in his car for safety measures after practice or his games.

“sorry, i should’ve offered this kanina pa. i won’t look, basta bilisan mo at baka may makakita pa sa’yo.” hao says whilst handing you a shirt, recognizing it to be one of his subtle jersey shirts.

“‘wag kang titingin ah?” you said while squinting your eyes at hao who looks away from you, staring right out the tinted windows.

you cautiously looked around your surroundings before slipping on his shirt on top of your wet one, slipping off your wet shirt quickly even while already clothed, a trick you learned online.

after that, the traffic barely moves while the rain kept pouring buckets. this gave time for you and hao to catch up on each other, finding out more and more about each other’s interests and whatnots.

an hour later, you were feeling drowsy with the time being 5 minutes passed 1. hao noticed how you turned silent after nearly an hour and a half of chitchatting away in traffic.

he lowers his music down, letting the rain lull you to sleep as he drove through the busy streets of manila.

soon enough, you were fast asleep with your head bobbing up and down, a sign that you were clearly fast asleep.

one long nap later, you woke up to the sight of the car parked right in front of your apartment with hao simply scrolling on his phone as you napped.

“kanina pa tayo?” you asked with a croaky voice, clearing your throat as hao nodded, putting his phone away.

“like 30 minutes? it’s okay, i have no places to be at naman and besides, you needed that nap.” hao says with a smile, letting you tidy yourself up.

you both got out of his car whilst he watched you carry your bag, he walks you over to the lobby of your apartment, hands in his pockets as you bid your goodbyes to him.

“thanks for tonight, hao.” you said, finally calling him by his first name as you bid your goodbyes, making hao smile as he waved.

“sleep tight, miss aly.” hao says as you entered the elevator, waving once more before the doors shut.

and yet somehow, a tiny flower bud was blooming between you two, slowly blooming into a beautiful flower that would grow into a field of flowers of different colors.

[s0fti3w1tch]

Just a question that’s been on my mind recently but uh- what’s it like to be a twin? I’ve always heard people saying how cool it is to be a twin because they know twins but aren’t actually a twin themselves so I kinda just wanted to know, y’know?

Also funny thing, my older brother and I have been thought to be twins cuz we “act like twins” but we aren’t even related and it is very obvious we are not related but people still think we are twins and it’s just so fucking awkward to explain that we are in fact not twins or related by blood

I'm still sleep rn, bht I'll do my best to describe what it was like for me growing up with Isko (fraternal twin's name).

You can also get sort of an idea based on how I portray Leo and Donnie. (it's easier there)

I won't get too deep into it.

Describing twinship to someone who has never experienced it is difficult. We've never known what it was like to not be a twin.

Twinship, much like any other sibling relationship, is not a one-size fits all. Each twinship is different. For me, I've had a positive experience.

Isko, my younger twin, is one of my best friends and I can't fathom the idea of him not being in my life. I genuinely don't think there was a time in my life where I didn't care about him.

Isko and I were quite literally there for each other since the beginning. Even through our worst arguments. Our biggest changes and realizations. Even when a lot of people in our lives, especially our bio parents, loved comparing us and making us compete in every aspect of ourselves (not fun). We were each other's only friends for a while, even with our other siblings (not to say I don't love them as much too, it was just generally harder to talk to them).

We're individuals in our own right, but we're like a set.

We accidentally match a lot: whether music tastes, general main interests, how did we both end up trans, doing the same pose at the same time, stimming in sync, etc.

Wouldn't trade him for the world.

I know this probably isn't a satisfying answer, but yeah.

[promdiboy]

BASICS

FULL NAME: FRANCISCO “ISKO” AGBAYANI

» MEANING: Francisco [ Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name Franciscus. It means “free man” in Latin.]; Agbayani [ Ilocano (Philippines): nickname from Ilocano agbayani 'to be heroic'. ]

VERSES: The Game, Excess Baggage, Fear of 13, Life’s A Drag, City of Gods

NICKNAME(S): Isko, which is a typical nickname for the name Francisco in the Philippines [ as opposed to Spanish which is Paco and Portuguese which is Chico. ] When he attended university in Manila, he was called Promdiboy because of his accent and also of the fact he mostly lived in the island until he traveled to attend college. Promdi is a Tagalog slang referring to a person from the country or province [ an ellipsis of "from the province.” ] It could mean an insult but Isko didn’t mind being called that especially by people and classmates who he became very good friends with up to this day. Promdiboy = boy from the province.

AGE: 27-years old.

DATE OF BIRTH: 8th April 1995

PLACE OF BIRTH: Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

OCCUPATION: Bar/business owner.

RELIGION: Cathoilc.

ORIENTATION: Pansexual, panromantic.

GENDER: Cisgender male.

SPECIES: Human.

PERSONALITY

STRENGTHS: Courageous, Confident, Passionate, Honest, Determined, Ambitious.

WEAKNESSES: Impulsive, Moody, Impatient, Aggressive, Ambitious, Short-tempered.

APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Brandon Perea.

HEIGHT: 5’10” [ 177 cm.]

WEIGHT: 143 lbs. [65 kg.]

BUILD: Athletic.

GAIT: TBA.

HAIR COLOR: Brown.

EYE COLOR: Brown.

BIRTHMARK: TBA.

OVERVIEW:

» SCARS: TBA.

» TATTOOS: Various. details to be added.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Victoria, Oriental Mindoro, Philippines.

RESIDENCES: Manila, Calapan, and Victoria in the Philippines. Chicago and Hawaii, USA.

NATIONALITY: Filipino-American.

ETHNICITY: Asian, Carribean.

FINANCIAL STATUS: Upper middle-class.

EDUCATION LEVEL: University graduate.

DEGREES: Hotel and restaurant management.

SPOKEN LANGUAGES: Isko is fluent in Tagalog, Ilokano, English, and Spanish. He can converse lightly in Japanese and Korean and some Mandarin as well since he has been living in Hawaii.

RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS: Mother is Ma. Christina Agbayani, alive. Father was a young Puerto Rican businessman named Michael Perez; they met when he was born but Perez passed away before he turned one. Isko has contact with his father’s family New York and Puerto Rico.

SIBLINGS: Younger ones on his mother side as she married when he was 10. He has no half-siblings on his father’s side and that made his father’s family care for him a lot.

CHILDREN: He has no children.

PETS: Fishes.

SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS: Miss J [temporary name], is someone he looked up to since he was a teenager. Struggling when he came to the US, Miss J was one of the people that helped and supported him... Many times he’d expressed interest in Miss J but Miss J only saw him as a younger brother...

Isko became acquainted with a mafia named Leon Goodman. He did odd jobs for the man but he made sure that he didn’t want to be involved in any criminal activities. Leon Goodman was a man of his word and kept him on payroll managing the legal side of the man’s gyms and other businesses. Eventually, Isko saved enough and opened his own business, a Filipino grocery store that his mother helped managed. He then opened a restaurant and let it grow until he is able to establish business back in the Philippines. When he moved to Hawaii, he ventured into a bar business with six other friends whom he met online when he was in high school and opened a bar with them they call THE DEVIL’S PIT.

» TBA.

FAMILY HISTORY: Named after the saint Francis, Isko grew up mainly with his grandparents in the island of Mindoro, in the Philippines. His mother met his father while working up north of the country. She came home pregnant but the businessman promised to marry her. Preparations were made but unfortunately, fate had a different plan for the new family as it took Isko’s father way too early. 

Isko’s mother struggled to take care of him but with her parents help, she continued to work outside of the island. Eventually, learning about their late son’s family, they tracked Christina and Isko and found them living in Mindoro. They kept in contact and supported Isko. Since Isko is an American citizen as his birth was reported by his parents to the US Embassy right after, Isko’s father’s family suggested that he come live in the US. Isko refused whenever the subject was brought up but made a deal with his grandparents that he’d come to the US after he finishes college in the Philippines. He didn’t want to leave his mother on her own. Isko’s father’s family at this point were doing well financially but bad investments caused them to lose many of their fortunes that by the time Isko came to the US to live with them, they were struggling themselves. 

Used to living with what he only needed to go on, this did not bother Isko and instead worked on bettering himself. Eventually, his mother was able to join him in Chicago. His mother mostly stays in the Philippines with her husband and their children, managing Isko’s businesses there.

ROMANTIC HISTORY: Miss J. Miss J. Miss J. He’s had relationships in the past. Broke up with the recent one as he got very busy with business. Most partners he had didn’t like that he has no time for them because of work.

PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS: Isko is a member of a group of seven friends who call themselves THE PIT CREW. Each friend lives in a different country and met through online gaming when they were teenagers. They stay connected and meet once a year. They also opened a chain of bars they call THE DEVIL'S PIT.

THOUGHTS ON LOVE: "Sacrifice.”

HEALTH

PHOBIA(S): Nothing really.

HANDICAP(S): None.

MENTAL DISORDER: None.

PHYSICAL DISEASE(S): None.

PREDISPOSITION(S): Alcoholism.