#THERES LITERALLY GROUND RIGHT NEXT TO YOU

[afterartist]

Me: I like all TotK NPCs

This waste of data:

[unknownati]

xi. slow morning

a/n: from my draftz if theres typos dont tell me im blind and proud... as a side note i feel like i write intimacy better than anything else AM I TWEAKING.

warnings/tags: gn!reader, no use of y/n, no desc of reader's physical features, fluff and smut, short, handjob (e! recieving—very ekko focused), intimacy (both nonsexual and sexual), cuddling, morning sex, modern!ekko, slight sub!ekko, hoping this position is understandable lol, no morning breath mentions y'all arent in each others face, half-proofread...meaning i gave up halfway thru. goodnight! 🙋🏾‍♀️

_______________________________________________

warm slivers of sunlight seep through cracks in the curtains, spilling on your face as your eyes fluttered open, making a slow ascent into consciousness.

you're met with a phone screen, a pair of hands framing the device. ekko's. a thumb swipes along the screen, transitioning into the next video. two cats cuddling. you watch him hover over the send button, tap it, choose your profile, and type the message 'us :)' before sending it to you. your phone buzzes faintly on the nightstand, though you don't reach for it.

gentle breaths seep into your ears from behind you, relaxed and steady. a shift in movement, warmth enveloping your figure—his arms, which you reach up to stroke. his hold is protective and grounded.

he was long awake before you, you can tell from the way his voice sounds, smooth and airy.

"morning, angel."

it's a stark contrast from when he first wakes up. he sounds more gruff. more miserable. much like how you sound now.

you groan, soft. you stretch to rub the sleep out of your eyes. "g'morning."

you don't feel miserable, though. far from it. waking up in his arms is the only way you've ever liked waking up.

neither of you will be getting up any time soon. not with the way your legs are tangled together, the way he presses a tender kiss against the shell of your ear as a secondary greeting, it's all too...weighted. too comfortable to just brush past. it's the weekend, anyway.

you turn, neck slightly craned, forehead pressing into his clavicle. his scent clings to him, as intoxicating and heavenly as ever. the faint traces of last night's shower linger. you know he used your body wash—he always did. shea butter lied above a layer of his basic lotion (eucerin, you put him on since he has drier skin), completed with that divine cologne he uses. forest-y, notes of pine and bergamot.

your fingertips drag along the bare skin of his side, and he twitches away from your touch. a breathy laugh exits him.

"that tickles."

you stop, moving down to his core. "sorry," you murmur. it's half-sincere.

your digits dance across the surface of his stomach, quite literally. you create legs with your pointer and middle finger, making your little hand-person do twirls and jumps. his laughs bubbles again.

"that tickles worse," his chin meets the crown of your head when he looks down, unable to catch your expression. a hand meets your nape, mimicking your movements.

it's featherlight and playful, as if bugs are scuttling along your skin. you laugh the same as he does, shoulders shrugging up in discomfort.

"okay, okay! i'm sorry."

his hand settles at the bottom of your back, right where your spine curves inward. it's relaxed at first, but then it presses. pulls you closer. as if there's even any more space to close.

your legs wrap around his waist, the leg which you lay on pushing beneath his hip to raise it. it's only uncomfortable for a second, then it's like you're slowly melting into each other's forms. bare chest to bare chest, chins resting on the other's shoulder, hearts swelling at the same speed. you know your leg will fall asleep soon, but you don't care.

yet, he's not paying enough attention to you. not as much as you'd like. sure, his hand is stroking your back. sure, he still seems like he's trying to find ways to pull you closer. but his focus strays. it's all on his phone, undeserving.

his eyes stay glued to the screen, darting around. some video about owls. his hand was beginning to falter, his affection slowing.

greedy. you need more. you know how to get it.

you shift away and your hand meets his side again. he flinches, assuming you're continuing with your ticklish movements. he settles once realizing you won't. then it trails, a slow drag down towards the front of his boxers—a light blue pair with snoopy and woodstock printed in an even pattern. you bought them for him a while back, and he was never one to complain. plus, they were comfy.

only when your fingers breach the elastic band did he notice what you were doing. he doesn't stop you.

he wasn't soft for very long after you reveal his length. feeling it grow stiff in your hands made your heart rate pick up.

"i've barely even touched you yet," you murmur, turning to litter his neck with open-mouthed kisses. he groans in response.

his tip prods at your naval once his dick is standing at full attention. an airy chuckle flows from you into his ears. your fist closes just below the head, thumb reaching to rub along the sensitive underside. each vein, each ridge that you trace over elicits a whine—ones that are close to melodic, satisfying hums to your ears.

your hand moves agonizingly slow, long strokes that leave his mind going fuzzy. it's not long until his tip starts crying, which you happily collect as lubricant. his brows knit together, delicate gasps overlapping the video in the background.

ekko's face nuzzles into the junction connecting your neck and shoulder, plump lips pressing into the end of your collarbone. his moans muffle against your skin.

"hidin'?" you ask, your free hand reaching to run through his locs. he nods, slowly thrusting his hips up into your fist, meeting your movements halfway.

a small noise clicks behind you, and whatever video he was watching stopped. then a thud against the mattress. he dropped his phone. another arm clamps around you, and you know you've got him good.

finally, the attention is on you. his grasp on your body is tight, the sweet desperate nothings he whispers into your ears as he curses and begs you not to stop are angelic.

"fuck...don't stop. please, you make me feel s-so good. god, baby—"

you loosely echo his words back to him, voice sultry and raspy. "yeah?" you purr. "feels good?"

your wrist flicks faster, too quick for his lazy hips to keep up with. he loses rhythm, his pants stutter. he murmurs something, too shyly for you to hear, yet you can only assume he's coming undone. your theory is quickly confirmed, his movements slowing to a stop as he releases all over your hand and tummy, fingertips pressing into your back.

if only you could hear his pretty cries better. against your skin, they're low and subdued, but you can hear the incantations of your name paired with his voice breaking off at the peak of his climax.

neither of you realized how tense his body had become until he relaxes against you, hand still weakly skimming along your lower back.

still, your bodies were heavy. neither of you wanted to move. but the cum dripping off you was starting to feel weird, and you want it off.

you barely even get to think about moving before his arms squeeze tighter around you. "ekko, i wanna go wipe this off."

"not yet," he whispers shakily. "just...a few more minutes. can't be done with you yet."

you've definitely won his attention. for a few hours.

[bluegiragi]

ok im going to be brave and not be on anon for this because i need to send screenshots as i rave about how INSANE ABOUT THE REDRAW IS. IM NOT OKAY. HOLY SHIT IT WAS SO GOOD. i went frame by frame to compare and im losing my mind because the two year improvement is so OBVIOUS and im like. balls to the walls insane. (i hope this was okay i'm so normal i swear but this was just SO COOL. and showed so much growth i need to speak about it because it was so cool and i was very inspired hi) first off, i didnt even REALIZE it was a redraw. the original was just that good in my mind. i saw it, saw your style and didnt even QUESTION the jump in quality cuz "ah yes ofc thats always been how i saw it in my head" anyways. i have things im literally clawing at the walls for. first things first! GOING INSANE AT HOW OBVIOUSLY YOU IMPROVED IN ANATOMY UNDERSTANDING

LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS SO COOL. THE DETAILS. THE IMPROVEMENT. THIS IS SO INSPIRING. IM GOING INSANE. when i read the og i LOVED the way the hands moved, but the change makes so much SENSE. i love how theres less tension in the redraw, it feels like he's being casual about it. he's calm, he's not kickstarting his engines like he's eager to rock konig's shit!!!! his body is more serious and relaxed, it feels less flirty and more a genuine lesson he wants to teach konig to help the guy out again, the ANATOMY UNDERSTANDING!!!!!

improvement goes SO hard im staring im staring im staring but also haha i see that you drew the right hand this time its not cut off heehee BUT ALSO THE BODY LANGUAGE. in the og he doesnt look tense he just looks uncertain, in the redraw he looks like a startled meerkat standing at attention and again AUGHHHH IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE IN CONTEXT OF THE PLOT HERE. CUZ YEAH HE JUMPED TO ATTENTION WHEN GHOST CALLED HIS NAME YOURE SO CORRECT IM GOING INSANE AT HOW YOU MANAGED TO CONVAY THAT IN THE REDRAW. but also slay you kept his slutty little waist yippee we never stray far from the source material HUIEHFDIEURFIER ugh i LOVE the soap redraw

in the redraw they feel so much more weighted and aged and grounded and im clawing at the ground CUZ WHOA LOOK AT THAT JUMP IN UNDERSTANDING AT LIKE THE PLANES OF THE FACE AND STUFF WHOAAAAA YOU CLOCKED IN FOR THESE TWO YEARS I LOVE HOW IN THE REDRAW HE TILTS HIS HEAD UP he looks so SMUG and sure of himself it shows off so much CHARACTER UGHHHH HIS EXPRESSIONS FEEL UNIQUE AND BELIEVABLE FOR HIS CHARACTER also heehee i see hand improvement (slay!) i LOVE the head swivel cuz it feels like his eyes are!! leading!! us!! to where!! we should be looking !! next!!! UGHHHH THE IMPORVEMENT.

it adds movement IT FEELS SO ALIVE!! IT FEELS SO MUCH MORE IMMERSIVE!! SHEDDING REAL TEARS!!! AUGHHHHHHH THE ANATOMY IMPROVEMENT (i scream for the millionth time) but also HEEHEE HAND IMPROVEMENT !!! I SEE HAND!! AUGHH IM SO INSANE ABOUT HOW MUCH THE HANDS IMPROVED THEY CONVAY SO MUCH IM STUDYING HOW YOU DRAW THEM SO HARD

also i saw the redraw and went "heeehee he's so burly omg" before i realised it was a remake and now im insane over how much you beefed him up. thats so real and correct of you actually. OKAYYYYY WE'RE GETTING TO THE ACTION. WOW I HAVE SO MUCH TO YAP ABOUT.

LOOKAT THAT IMPACT. UGHHHHHHH LOOK AT THAT ANATOMY UNDERSTANDING AND HOW IT FEELS LIKE REAL MUSCLE HITTING THE GROUND. UHGHHHH IM SO INSANE THAT LOOKS SO GOOD IT LOOKS SO AUGHDYRYURRJHEHBFHFEVHBEH im doing laps. i love how you hint at existing muscle im studying your art under a microscope. THIS SHOT. THIS PIN. its almost the exact same pose but UGHHHH THE IMPROVEMENT.

i love how theres so much more tension in the way you draw figures. it feels so purposeful. i love the bunching of muscles as they interact with each other and the slight camera angle change that makes you FEEL the weight of ghost pressing down. i love the change in expressions too!! it feels like konig is taking this seriously and actively struggling against ghost's grip and IUGHH i could go on forever but also HEE HEE HANDS!!! HANDS WERE DRAWN!! HAND UNDERSTANDING IMPROVED!!! (i love. so much. sorry i keep pointing it out) THIS. IMPACT. GOES SO HARD UGHH.UHEWFHIUFIUHFRDF. i love LOVE the experience that putting FORCE into the movement speaks to

i LOVE HOW DYNAMIC IT IS I LOVE THE SLIGHT ANGLE OF THE GROUND TO REALLY FEEL HOW IT REELS TO HAVE YOUR FACE SMASHED INTO THE GROUND LIKE THAT hehe i love hand i LOVE hand i love how you draw hand THIS SHOTTTTTT THIS SHOT THIS SHOT THIS SHOT (i say. but i am fully aware ive just been going frame by frame)

I LOVE THE CHANGE IN ANGLE I AM SCREECHING I AM FROTHING AT THE MOUTH I FEEL SICKKKKK. THAT PERSPECTIVE CHANGE IM GOING INSANE ITS SO DYNAMIC IT FEELS SO GROUNDED i love how your character interact with each other and the way you draw the give of flesh and cloth is so :((( IS SO. IM STUDYING OKAY. IM LOOKING. IM STARING SO HARD. but also the redraw really makes you feel what its like from konig's perspective and and how ghost is looming over him and you feel it so much more keenly cuz he feels like he's looming over US (the audience) and and THE COMIC MAKING SKILLS SHOW THEYRE SHOWING THEY SHOW I SEE THEM I SEE THE SKILLS love the weight of his knees hitting the floor. love how CLEAR you made it in the redraw even though it was totally understandable in the og love how you panel things you make it look so easy and i KNOWWW its not and its just so AUGHHH

love the perspective change again love how CLEAR AND CLEAN IT IS TO REALLY FEEL KONIG BEING CHOKED (slay) AND THE NEW PERSPECTIVE CREATES SO MUCH TENSION IN FORM AND ADDS SO MUCH TO THE STORY AND AND i love the slight change in konig's pose cuz he's still trying to break free and in the redraw its like a show of ghost's strength and skill that he's not budging even when konig is making a genuine effort AND AND IM. IM SO. UGHHH ITS JUST DONE SO WELL OKAY. HEEHEE THE HAAANDSSS i love how you posed them a little differently to give the readers clear view of what theyre both doing while still keeping pretty much everything the same

BUT ALSO THE BODY LANGUAGE. in the og (i loved this shot of the og btw it still goes hard) he looks slumped over, it feel passive, its like he's defeated and just letting ghost whammy him into the ground over and over which is real but the redraw adds so much DETAIL AND STORY OKAY ITS SO AUGHHH LIKE LOOK AT THE LITTLE WORD ADDITION I FORGOT THE NAME it makes it feel like he's trying to catch his breath and also like he's moving instead of being slumped over and it shows he made an EFFORT in the spar like lOOK HE'S BREAKING A SWEAT HE DOESNT LOOK DEFEATED IT JUST LOOKS LIKE HE'S STRAINING WHICH HE SHOULD BE CUZ HE'S PARTICIPATING IN THE LESSON ITS SO REAL ITS SO IUERHFIUREHFGIURFGRIUGIU ITS SOOOOOO. but also heeehee ghost is so burly in the redraw i love how you gave him a little bit of pudge but thats not the point here sorry i got distracted AUGHHH THE HAAAAAANDS sorry ive been struggling with hands recently and seeing you draw them so well is making me spin circles in joy

BUT THIS. THIS SHOT. UGH. I LOVE HOW HE HAS HIS HAND BRACED AGAINST THE GROUND AND ITS LEANING BACK IN THE REDRAW. he looks shy and startled instead of nervous and uncomfortable AND THATS SO. ITS SO STORYTELLING ITS SO PEAK POSING ITS SO IMPROVEMENT ITS SO. i really struggle with having characters interact believable with the things around them and the redraw just shows how weighted and grounded your art feels and and its so inspiring actually sorry if i keep using the same words but its TRUE love the realistic change of the mask being yanked from the chin instead of grabbing ghost's face and also i love how much more real? the fabric looks bunching in his hands AND ALSO EEE the HANDSSS

but also i cant reall say anything here that i havent said above so instead is repeating myself like a freak i will scream and shout into the void unintelligibly AUGHHHHHH THE POSES THE HANDS IUIE3RIHFTRIUGTUG EEEEEEEE THE ACTION LINES I DONT KNOW WHAT THEYRE CALLED BUT AUGHHH THEY ADD SO MUCH LIFE AND MOVEMENT AUGHHHHH. HEEE HEE HANDS but also i love how he looks angry/intense here instead of shocked like the redraw. its a lovely reminder he is, at the end of the day, a dangerous violent guy in a violent profession. very cool 10/10 change

skipping over ghost being pinned cuz i have nothing better to say than "heehee. nice." and im getting dangerously close to the 30 picture limit ugh i LOVE how you draw ghost looming every frame he's in. he's such a solid undeniable presence that feels so correct with his character. i love how he's so looming he's covering most of konig which adds to the feeling of konig scrambling back like YES. THIS IS SO CORRECT. i love how in the redraw konig's hands are tucked to his chest instead of waving like he's trying to make himself smaller and less of a threat. VERY COOL. very sick. very nice.

to end it off, i love how smug you redrew johnny. like look at that fuckass smile. look at that SMIRK. that eyebrow raise johnny i know what you are. i also love how the long mullet propaganda from the monster au came back to haunt the redraw 10/10 excellent wow that took so long to put together holy shit. IN SUMMARY. dude. i'm sure you dont need me to say anything. dont look at me. but i've been following your art for half a decade (only found this account last year by accident but i've been on the other one) and your improvement is so incredible and its so inspiring and i've been looking up to you since i first started drawing (this is not an exaggeration) and i love your comics and you've always been such a pillar in what i strive for in my skills and I DUNNO MAN YOUR IMPROVEMENT IS SO OBVIOUS AND IM ALSO VERY EMOTIONAL AND ITS SO COOL and i love your art and LIKE AGAIN, ME SAYING THIS MEANS NOTHING BUT like. i know deeply how much WORK goes into skill like this and its so ugh i know ive used the word inspirational like 30 times BUT I DONT HAVE A BETTER ONE and yeah. love your stuff. perceive your skills. sorry i went insane in your askbox i really hope you done mind. i also hope you know how cool you are. <333 have a nice day! :)

"me saying this means nothing" it means everything jelly...(i hope its okay i call you jelly, i went to your blog to see what you like to go by bc after such a long and thoughtful message i felt like i couldn't not refer to you by your name). ive been having a real tough time for a while struggling with my relationship with my own art and my stamina and how things that used to come so quickly and easily seem to come so much slower and. just the fact that someone out there feels so much about my work that they'd sit down to write such a long message (with screenshots!!!!) means so much more than i could put into words...like you interpreting all the little things like slight alterations in posing or angles and even the shading like...the care....im just so touched

im really so unbelievably grateful and happy over this message, it made me genuinely grin from ear to ear seeing you appreciate all these little details and my art improvement and god, you saying you've been watching my work for half a decade is OOFT but so, so humbling and kind. and. yeah uhhhh thank you so much? for all of this? and being here still, somehow? i just. yeah. im kinda just lost for words. thank you so much. what a wonder it is to be perceived...

(also, idk if you ever stop feeling like you don't know how to draw hands, im definitely still in that boat looking at some of my peers!! which isn't to deter you or be condescending and i hope it doesn't come off that way, just that it's a relatable feeling and I definitely know how you feel some days ;_;)

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Shut Up and Kiss Me | Jeon Jungkook | Epilogue

Summary: Jungkook let's you work on his second single 3D but although he's singing this to girls all over he reminds you that you're the only one he wants Pairing: Backup Dancer Reader x Idol Jungkook (f2l they're honestly crackheads I love them) Word Count: 4.7K~ (barely edited per usual lmao) Warnings: Explicit language and smuuttt (he's so hot ya'll I can't) a/n: Kay this took me ling enough to get out but I figured it was about time since the main story hit 1K notes!!! Like what??? Ya'll are actually insane! Thank you so much and I hope you like the epilogue as much as you liked the first part 🫣 p.s. This takes place partially during the 3D dance practice video so yeah I hope ya'll enjoy 🥰 Be sure to read Shut Up and Kiss Me first 💜

"Alright guys go ahead and take a break. Jungkook can you come here for a second?" the choreographer calls out.

"Y/n" Nari whispers, right in my ear scaring me half to death making me place my hand over my heart to ground myself. "Don't do that!" I whisper scream at her. "Not my fault you're staring girly I said your name like three times" she teases and I scoff before walking over to grab my water bottle.

"Am I not allowed to stare at my boyfriend?" I say cocking a brow at her after taking a drink of water. "You are but you also have to remember that your boyfriend is Jungkook and not everyone here knows that" she says, scolding me and bringing me back to reality.

"Hey" Jungkook says, jogging up to us. "What did he want?" I ask, nodding my head towards the head choreographer for this song. "Well..." he says rubbing the back of his neck. "Well what?" I ask, scared that theres something wrong.

"Well they wanted to tell me everyone is doing a great job and the formations are solid but..." he trails off again. "Jeon Jungkook if you trail off like that one more time I'm gonna have a heart attack now tell me what's wrong?" I scold, waiting for his answer.

"They said that we had good chemistry while we were dancing together" he starts off and I let out a breath, glad that it wasn't something major. "But maybe too much chemistry. They think it looks obvious that we're dating with the way we're interacting with each other verses the rest of the dancers" he says and grabs my water bottle out of my hand and starts chugging it nervously.

"Really?" I cringe, loving the fact that we show clear chemistry but also hating the fact that I haven't blended in like a background dancer should. "Yeah they kinda just told me to tone it down and asked me to tell you the same" he says, handing me my now empty water bottle, cringing as well at the notes that they had given.

"Well alright then I guess I'll try my best" I say, shaking my arms and legs real quick to physically shake off the pressure I had felt growing. "Yeah I will too" he says, nodding his head and smiling at my actions.

"What are you smiling at?" I ask, eyes narrowing, a playful scowl written all over my face. "You look cute when you're nervous" he compliments with a crooked smile and I roll my eyes, scoffing at his words.

Once I hear the choreographer call out to everyone to come back and I start to make my way over Jungkook grabs me by my wrist and pulls me back towards him making me fall on his chest. "What are yo-" I start but he kisses me right on the lips and dips me real quick causing all the dancers to gasp and cheer us on.

"Alright you two that's enough" the choreographer scold and Jungkook breaks the kiss and steadies me on my feet again. I take a deep breath, my breath literally being taken away from how sudden that was and how embarrassed I am on top of it.

He rests his forehead on mine and lets out a dry chuckle before I wack him on the bicep which happens to be on full display today with his white muscle shirt on. "Why did you do that?" I whisper scream to him, looking around at all the eyes that have started to trickle away from us and listen to the instructions for the next run through.

"Just because he said we couldn't show too much chemistry while we're dancing doesn't mean that we can't do it while we're not" he smirk, placing a kiss on the back of my hand before running over to the group that's gathered in the middle of the practice room.

I shake my head at him and make my way over on my own, wiping my lips to take away his messy saliva he left on them and when he sees me do so he pouts a bit before looking turning his attention to where it once was.

"What just happened?" Nari whispers when I walk up next to her. "Don't look at me, Jungkook did it. He said something about they said we were showing too much chemistry while dancing but we can when we're not. I don't know something like that" I mumble and she nods her head and goes quiet for a second to listen but breaks her silence again.

"You know all of us had to sign new NDAs today right?" she says and I turn to look at her, my brows scrunched together in confusion. "Really? But why didn't I have to?" I question and she laughs at the same time that the choreographer tells us to get in starting position.

"We signed them so that they made sure we would keep our mouths shut about you two" she winks and the two of us and two other of the girls line up behind Jungkook to get in formation, waiting for the music to start.

"You're kidding me right?" I whisper and she shakes her head, "Your name was on it and everything. They even highlighted it since you guys are the newest idol couple. Well a couple that includes an idol" she says, clarifying her wording unnecessarily.

"Okay I get it I get it" I say, and cover my face with both of my hands in embarrassment. No wonder everyone had been giving me weird looks today.

As Jungkook's voice blares through the speakers Nari and I compose ourselves and wait for our parts.

"I can't touch you through the phone" Jungkook starts, getting into his idol mindset and I get weak in the knees like I always do but take a deep breath and remember to maintain chemistry with him but not too much...

"When there's two dimensions..." he says and our eyes lock when we step into each other. 'He's so fucking hot' is the only thing I can process, my body on autopilot, following muscle memory and willing myself to stop thinking about him.

"So if you're ready, and if you let me" 'Trust me I've let him' I think, my mind wandering to the places I've let him- "See it, in motion, in 3D" he sings, his voice going in and out of my head as I follow the steps along with everyone else.

'Okay why don't I just focus on the other dancers? Yeah make sure our formations look well and our moves are in sync' I think to myself and go along with that.

"Body to body to body to body to body" comes through next and I push on his right shoulder while one of the others girls pushes on his left and I look at the way he's grabbing onto him, definitely a lot harder than she needs to me and I annoyingly take note of it.

"You give me brand new emotion, you got me drinkin' that potion" he says and I hold onto his shoulder while we all do this hip thrust thing. I don't know what the choreographer was thinking when he gave the girls this kind of a move but alright. Being next to him and holding onto his while he does it tho is um...well let's just say the flashbacks are a lot more vivid this time.

"I just wanna see you like that see you like that..." 'God I swear why did I start focusing on the other dancers? Now all I can think about are the girls and everything that goes along with this song and how Jungkook's voice and music dictates our every movement.

"'Cause you know how I like it girl" 'Yes Jungkook, I know how you like it, and you know how I like it. When is this song gonna be over? This is honestly some sick form of torture at this point. You know what, lemme just look at the staff, yeah the staff will be more or less harmless right?'.

When I look towards the staff though my eye catch Jungkook's in the mirror behind them and it takes everything in me to not stop dead in my tracks.

The look in his eyes is mesmerizing, promises of things we would never say aloud hidden behind that fiery stare and it brings me some form of comfort, knowing that although he's singing this song to women through out the world and with female dancers around him, I'm the only one he's got his eyes on. The one he's singing his song to.

I wonder if the reason he chose this song was because these might've been some of his thoughts and feeling for me when we weren't living in the same city, or weren't even on the same continent. Why do I have to keep on having these thoughts? I swear I'm just digging myself deeper.

"I had one girl, too boring" I hear Jack's voice come through and I roll my eyes, chancing a glare at Jungkook and I see him wince, remembering the scolding I gave him when he showed me the song for the first time.

"Am I not enough for you? Too boring?" I fumed. It was on a day when I had been feeling a little insecure to begin with and when he told me he had another song I had been excited to listen because he was excited to show me.

"Baby that Jack's verse, I swear I don't feel like that! You know I've loved you since I was little! I promise!" he pleads and I just end up giving him the silent treatment for the rest of the night but I let him cling to me and he apologized over and over again.

"We already asked him to rewrite his lyrics a few times and I felt bad asking him again" he says, placing his chin on my shoulder and arms wrapped around my waist, being positively attached to my hip.

I turn around to face him, still with his arms wrapped around my waist to make sure he's being honest with me.

"You sure you don't mean that?" I say, glaring up at him and he nods, the poutiest lips and the saddest doe eyes I've ever seen are granted to me along with his response. "Okay" I say, cupping his face and he closes his eyes leaning into my touch before I tap him twice on the cheek.

"Hey" he whines, scrunching his brows together, a new flavor of a pout on his face. "Just make sure that any more features you have on this album young man have to do with monogamy, you got that?" I say pointedly and he nods his head up and down violently.

"I promise! I'll make sure to tell the producers" he says and I hum in response, loving his panicked response. "Why couldn't his verse have been like Latto's?" I groan and try to walk away from him but he pulls me back.

"And what might you mean by that princess?" he says, taking on a whole new demeanor knowing exactly what I mean based off the explicit lyrics. "How they more or less kinda sorta are based off of a true story" I mumble, looking down at where he's pressed our bodies together and dying to get rid of these clothes already.

"Yeah? Which part? Maybe I should make sure it's completely based off of a true story hm?" he says, his hands slowly trailing his hands down from my waist grab my ass, pulling me even closer if possible.

I lean my head against his chest getting shy at the thought that he's keep his promise and he laughs at the cute gesture mixed with the explicit words that garnered this reaction.

"Is my girl getting embarrassed?" he taunts, placing a kiss on top of my head but still making no moves to take his hands off my ass. I whine and he laughs again and lets up, leaning back to try and catch my gaze.

"You know I love you right?" he asks and I hide my face even more, making sure he can't see how red it's gotten. I nod my head and mumble out a muffled 'love you too' but he's not satisfied by my answer and starts walking us backwards, the back of my knees hit the couch and as a result has me not so gracefully falling onto it.

"Since you're too embarrassed to say that you love me it guess I'll just have to make you scream it instead" he says leaving me biting my lip, my heart rate skyrocketing when he comes closer...

'So if you're ready, and if you let me, I wanna see it in motion in 3D' blares through the speaker one last time at the end of the song, all of the dancers going on with the choreography and Jungkook looking back at us, at me and he knows what's on my mind and smirks through the lyrics and I know I'm an absolute goner once we're alone together.

Why do all of these songs have to be so sexual? Every single time we're done with practice or he finishes up his own rehearsals it seems as though he can't wait to be alone with me. Not that I'm complaining but how can one man contain this much stamina.

When Latto said 'Seven days a week, Seven different sheets, Seven different angles I can be your fantasy' she really hit it right on the head.

'You know how I like it girl, 3D' finally closes out the song and everyone stops, panting in effort to catch our breaths can be heard throughout the room and a few of us dramatically fall to the floor in an effort to ground ourselves, including Jungkook.

"Alright everyone that's a wrap. We'll see you guys bright and early Monday morning with one last rehearsal before we fly out to film the music video. Thank you very much and get some rest because we've got a long week ahead of us" the choreographer says and we all clap for each other and get ready to grab our stuff to go.

Jungkook comes over and gives me a hand to help me up and I take it right away, not even having to put in any effort with him putting in all the work to get me back on my feet. "You done for the day?" I ask, seeing that look in his eye, knowing exactly what's bound to happen and as soon as he's about to open his mouth one of the staff members calls him over again.

"Meet me in my studio, this shouldn't take long" he whispers in my ear leaving me shuddering as he leaves me, not giving me even a second to answer before he's jogging over to said staff.

"I was gonna ask if you wanted to go home together but it looks like you've got other plans" Nari says, scaring me again for what is it the third time today? I look at her and she knows the answer already, rolling her eyes and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Just don't get pregnant" she says, louder than I'd care to admit. "Nari!" I scold and she laughs, causing our little conversation to catch Jungkook's eye, granting me a wink in response but quickly switching back to a more professional demeanor.

"I'll see you later" she sings and I groan before picking up my dance bag and heading towards the locker rooms to shower. I'm thankful that they have these for us because I would hate to have to deal with being disgustingly sweaty just waiting for him to come back.

~~~~~

Once I finish up I make my way to Jungkook's studio where I see him sitting at his desk, hair still dripping a bit while he towel dries it a bit more.

"Thought I told you to wait here for me" he teases, draping the small towel around his neck before getting up to walk towards me, placing a hand on my waist and pulling me in to kiss him. I hum into the kiss, loving moments like these where we can openly be ourselves again.

"Didn't know how long they were gonna keep you so I took my time in there" referring to said shower and he kisses me again before taking my bag off my shoulder and throwing his towel in the little laundry basket by the door.

"Looks like you're gonna need another one soon though" he says, turning around and stalking towards me leaving me walking backwards until I stupidly back into his desk. "Is that a threat?" I ask, taking us back to that morning after.

"Thought by now you would know that I always keep my promises" he says and places his hand on my jaw, putting me at just the right angle to kiss me.

He starts slow, full of the longing and desire he had shown me when he was looking at me through that mirror and deepening the kiss, making me fall further and further into him.

Trailing my hands up his chest I bring them up to wrap my arm around his neck, trapping him against my lips while I use the other to run my fingers through his hair, making my nails drag along his scalp and pull at his locks just how he likes it leaving him groaning into the kiss.

"Tell me what you were thinking about during rehearsal" he says, pulling away from my lips before kissing me one last time and the trailing his lips down my neck. "I wasn't thinking about anything" I gasp when he bites down on my collarbone in response.

"Don't lie to me, I saw the way your eyes glossed over and how flustered you got when I finally caught your eye. Baby was having flashbacks wasn't she?" he teases, trailing his hands under the shirt I'm wearing which happens to be his.

I whimper when his hands cup my breasts, the warmth of his skin seeping through the pitiful excuse for a bra and he pinches one of my nipples as a punishment for not telling him the truth.

"I was thinking about you" I gasp, feeling him smiling against my skin before leaning back and pulling up my shirt a little, waiting for me to give him the go ahead by lifting up my arms which I do right away, used to having done this time and time again in his studio.

"Care to elaborate?" he asks cocking a brow at me, leaving me rubbing my thighs together giving him clear answers as to what I had been thinking of.

"Remembering that you know how I like it? Perhaps the champagne confetti you know you give me every time? Rain rain rain you can't fake it?" he says, trailing his hand down and pressing a finger against my center, already feeling how wet I am for him.

"Seems like she's already soaking wet isn't she" he says, trailing his hand up towards the drawstring on my sweats and tugging them as a plea to take them off. I hop off the desk and he immediately helps me out of them, smiling at the small wet stain that's been left on them before setting me up on his desk again, totally bare with only my bra on which is new and incredibly sheer him having just noticed since it's the last thing that's keeping me from being fully exposed.

I bring hands to my back to unclasp it but he tells me to leave it on. "It looks so pretty on you. Wanna fuck you in it" he growls into my ear before leaning back and ridding himself of his clothing and smashing his lips up against mine, having become even more needy if possible while scanning my body and taking off his clothes.

"Been thinking about this all day. Wish I could fuck you in here all the time. Can't even work properly in here. Just thinking about how I've fucked you everywhere in this room" he says, driving me to insanity while he drags his dick up and down my slit, making me dizzy from the stimulating but needing more to satiate this hunger he's built up in me.

"Jungkook please, do something" I plead, remembering the fact that this room is soundproof meaning I can be as loud as I want in here which is another reason why he loves having sex in here. He tells me he that sometimes he wishes it wasn't though. Says he wants the whole company to know how he makes good on his word and is fucking me right.

"Needy little thing now aren't you" he says, holding back his need to be buried balls deep in me in favor of making me beg some more. I scoot my hips forward and pull him closer in an effort to do it myself but he gives me absolutely no power over the situation.

"Gotta stretch you out" he mumbles against my lips and replaces his dick with his fingers, dragging it along my folds to get some of my slick on it to make it easier to slide in and after playing why clit a little and gaining breathy whimpers from me in response he slides a finger in, drawing circles along my clit in an effort to help me relax.

He does a quick job of it but makes sure to be gentle nonetheless while prepping me for him, needing to me inside me now. As a result he's soon pulling his fingers out of me and placing them in my mouth, distracting me from the fact that seconds later he's pushing into me, leaving me moaning around his fingers.

When I bite down on them from the surprise of him putting it in he hisses from feeling my walls clench around him along with the pain from the bite.

He pulls his fingers out of my mouth and places both hands on my hips and pull me towards him, slamming the rest of his length inside of me leaving me arching my back and choking out a sob.

He snaps his hips into me over and over again at a fast pace he only settles for in times where he's extremely needy or feeling a need to remind me of who I belong to. The first being the case for this situation.

"Shouldn't have let you work on this project" he grunts while his hands grip my hips even harder, dimpling my skin, bound to leave marks tomorrow.

"Drives me fucking insane seeing you move like that, you know that? Makes it so hard for me to not pop a boner right then and there. Fuck how did I get so lucky?" he growls in my ear, leaving me drowning in the sound of his voice, hearing all the thoughts he's been having this whole time.

"You're lucky I took a chance on the loner" I slur out leaving him slowing his pace so he could look at me properly. "Loner huh?" he smirks and I nod, smirking right back at him. He rolls his eyes and picks up the pace again, leaving me giggling at his reaction but soon I'm moaning his name with ever snap of his hips, all my coherent thought long gone when I'm close to tipping over.

"You've got a smart mouth on you today huh? Just begging to get ruined like always, my girl is never satisfied until she's begging for me to stop. Telling me it's too much. You're so fucking adorable when you cry like that. Fuck I wish I cou-" "Shut Up" I choke out, cutting him off by smashing my lips against his, not being able to handle his dirty mouth anymore.

Although I know it's almost impossible for someone to hear us I can't help but want to muffle my moans with his mouth when I cum, making his swallow all of them as his hips stutter and my orgasm triggers him leaving his slowing down, changing his pace to one that more lazy but just as deep, fucking us both through our highs before he pulls out making me whine as the loss of contact.

Maybe I am insatiable, maybe I'm completely lost in him. Not just because of who he is or what he does to me but just because he's him. Someone that I want to spend my life with and although I've felt like that for a long time I'm sure the freshly fucked mindset I have right now is the reason these feelings have come to the front again. 

He rests his forehead against mine and focuses on cleaning me up with a clean towel he had somehow gotten when I was lost in a daze and walks away, cleaning himself up quickly and throwing some sweats on.  

Once he's done and throws yet another towel in the basket he walks back over to me and kisses me. Over and over and over again whispering sweet nothings between every kiss and I swear I could never ask for someone more perfect in my entire life. 

"You okay?" he asks, pulling me off the desk and holding onto my hips, keeping me on my feet when my knees buckle once I make contact with the floor. "Yeah I'm, yeah I'm fine" I say, embarrassed by stumbling even though for the most part I always end up like this after we fuck. 

"Did a number on you huh?" he smirks, guiding me over to the couch to rest after having helped me into thankfully another fresh change of clothes I had in my dance bag with me. "Shut up" I grumble and flop down onto it, laying down and he chuckles before laying down and putting his full weight on top of me. 

I groan and hit him on the shoulders, hoping to get him off of me but he just laughs in response. "I swear you're trying to kill me" I say through labored breaths, but he thankfully alters his position so he's still on top of me but distributes some of his weight elsewhere. 

"No, I just love you that's all" he says, propping his chin on my chest and looking at me as if I hung the stars for him. "I love you too weirdo" I say, ruffling his hair when he pouts at me words, feigning offense.

 "First I'm a loner and now I'm a weirdo? You hurt me with your words" he whines, placing his hands on his chest right over where his heart is. "You are a weirdo" I say, sitting back up and cupping his face turning it towards me. "But you're my weirdo" I whisper, placing my forehead against his and rubbing my nose up against his, giving him eskimo kisses. 

"We need to get home" he says standing up and grabbing my hand to hoist me up as well. "Wait, why?" I ask, questioning his urgency and also getting a fluttering feeling when he call his place home as if we lived there together. 

"You're too cute to fuck just once today and I wanna spoil you" he says, kissing me and making me lose myself in him again. When he pulls away I laugh as I watch him clean up everything and grab both of our bags to carry out and when I try to reach to take mine from him he refuses. 

"Least I can do for my girl after that champagne confetti is carry her bag" he teases and drags me out of the studio before I'm able to scold him properly. "Jeon Jungkook you better watch yourself" I growl and he laughs, thoroughly pleased with himself. 

"I'd rather see you, in motion, in 3D" he says pulling me into the elevator and pressing G for garage while I push him against the wall once the doors close. "Feisty are we? Thought I took care of that back there" he taunts. 

"Just shut up and kiss me" I mumble against his lips and he switches roles, turning me around and pressing me against it instead. "You're gonna get yourself into trouble you know that?" he says between kisses, gripping onto my hips and pulling them flush up against his, showing me how hard he still is. 

"I counting on it" I say and we laugh before he kisses me breathless, the elevator taking us, down down down, each moment bringing us closer to my demise. Knowing tonight will leave me completely shattered, but luckily I've got him to pick up the pieces.

The End

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[gigiszn]

I'M HERE — kang dae-ho x fem!reader

tw: mentions of sorta daddy issues ??, forced breakup, kinda angst like theres some tears, mentions of death, mentions of gunshots!

FLUFF!

wc: 3.0k

i wanted to bring some aspects of squid games to life! fluff is amazing, but how can there be fluff without a little heartbreak?? ;))

۫ ꣑ৎ ｡°‧⭑.ᐟ

You never thought life would take you to this point. You never imagined being driven away in a car, only to wake up in a sterile, white-walled room—surrounded by a sea of eight-row bunk beds, and hundreds of strangers. Yet here you were, sliding off the edge of your top bunk—the one tucked into the corner, making it easy to drop down onto the platform below.

The cold metal floor hit your feet with a thud, but the jarring impact didn’t compare to the shock that hit you next.

You looked up. Your heart stuttered. And there he was—Dae-ho.

The air between you thickened as your gazes locked. His face was just as stunned as yours, his eyes wide, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. "Dae-ho?" you whispered, breath catching in your throat.

His name hung in the air, a ghost from the past you never expected to face again.

"Is that really you?" Dae-ho barely managed to breathe out, his voice faltering as emotions he hadn’t even known he still carried rushed to the surface.

Ex-relationships are always complicated, but this? This was something else entirely. A clean break from a toxic partner is simple—sharp, quick, done. But this was no ordinary breakup.

You hadn’t wanted it to end. Hell, you still weren’t sure if you were ready to let go.

But his father had forced your hand from your Dae-ho's—figuratively, and literally. He’d never liked you. Not one bit. It had been clear the day he sent Dae-ho off to the military, isolating him from you, cutting all contact. He warned you not to talk to his 'precious boy' anymore, and much to your despair, you'd listened. And just like that, your relationship had faded away—no closure for him, no goodbyes.

Years had passed since then. No voice, no words, no scent of sandalwood and roses clinging to his skin.

Before you could say another word, the sharp sound of a buzzer ripped through the room.

You found yourself stepping away, heading into the main area of the room without a second glance. You didn’t know what would happen if you spoke to Dae-ho, but one thing was clear: if his father found out, he’d finish what he started. The thought sent a chill down your spine. You couldn’t allow that—no matter what. As much as you loved him, keeping him alive was all that mattered to you. Even if it meant never hearing his voice again. Even if it meant never touching him again. His heartbeat, his breath, that was enough for you.

Hundreds of people crowded the space, their faces a blur of tension and anticipation as they formed a line to pass through the doors. One by one, they took their photos, the flash stinging the air, and you tried to stay in the moment, ignoring the weight of eyes that seemed to follow you, but your gaze couldn’t help but flicker toward him. There he was, Dae-ho, standing in the line next to you, desperately trying to make eye contact. He waved once, his movements jerky, but you kept your focus fixed straight ahead. Your heart clenched. You couldn’t afford to look at him—not now. Not with everything on the line.

The doors creaked open, and the first game was revealed. Red light, green light. Simple, right? Just follow the rules. Stop when the song halts and run when it plays. Piece of cake, right?

But you were wrong.

As the song played, the rhythm easy at first, you shifted nervously, waiting for the game to begin. Then the unthinkable happened. A deafening gunshot sliced through the air. A woman at the front, his face twisted in fear and panic, crumpled to the ground. His body lay still. Gone. You blinked, dazed, the blood draining from your face. The man had been right—his warning had been clear, but you'd thought it was just another crazy story. You weren’t supposed to die. This was just a game. But the reality hit hard.

One by one, people were dropping. A few screamed, others froze, but you barely noticed them. Your focus narrowed, panic seizing your throat. The beat of your heart felt louder than the music, the pulse in your ears like a warning bell. Dae-ho. Where was he? Was he safe? Was he—?

The song slowed. Your legs tensed instinctively, muscles wound tight, and the room seemed to hold its breath. The doll’s mechanical song dragged, slowing the pace with it. You had to stop. Now. The world around you faded to a blur, the only thing clear in your mind being the instinctual need to freeze.

But then, suddenly, you felt a violent shove from behind. A force—strong, insistent—pushed you forward, and before you could even comprehend it, the words Red light! rang out. The game was on.

Your heart was pounding in your chest now, painfully fast, like it was trying to break free. No! Not like this, you thought. You could practically feel the cold barrel of the gun against your skin, the promise of the end so near. You braced yourself, waiting for the sound of the bullet, the sharp sting of death to end it all. You closed your eyes, knowing it was inevitable.

But then, it didn’t come.

Instead, there was a tug—a firm grip at the back of your tracksuit. The force of the pull was sharp, but comforting in a way. When the next green light was called, you whipped around, wide-eyed, heart racing even faster as you finally met the gaze of the person you never thought you’d see again, standing there, just behind you.

Dae-ho.

He was alive. His eyes were filled with concern, his face flushed with the panic he’d clearly held in for so long. The world around you seemed to blur as everything else disappeared into the background. All you could focus on was the boy standing in front of you, alive, breathing, and here. He was here.

You barely left Dae-ho’s side as the game progressed. Every move he made, you mirrored. When he ran, you ran. When he stopped, you stopped, your heart racing as the seconds ticked by. It felt as though you were tethered to him, a constant pull drawing you closer to the finish line, to safety, to him. The world seemed to narrow down to just the two of you. The other players, their screams, their desperation—they were mere echoes in the background as you both raced forward, heartbeat syncing with the rhythm of the game.

The finish line loomed ahead, and with a burst of adrenaline, you crossed it together. The timer blinked, and you both had made it—20 seconds to spare. You could hardly believe it. You were alive. He was alive. But at what cost?

The air felt thick with tension as you were herded back into the main room. The door slammed shut behind you, and the buzzing of the lights above made your head spin. The atmosphere shifted, and the sound of a heavy mechanism groaning filled the space. A massive golden piggy bank, the size of a small house, began to lower from the ceiling, its shiny surface glinting ominously. It creaked and groaned, the weight of its golden exterior pressing down like a reminder of what had just transpired.

Slowly, almost ceremoniously, it opened, revealing the amount of money won from the first game. The sight of it made your stomach churn. It was a fortune, no doubt. Enough to change the course of your life.

But the bloodshed—the cost—it weighed heavily on you. One person dead, their life snuffed out in an instant, was worth that much? You thought of the shark-like faces that had been hunting you before the moment you stepped into this nightmare, their breath cold on your neck, their eyes filled with hunger. That kind of money could’ve silenced two of them. Maybe even more.

Your gaze flickered toward Dae-ho, and you felt a knot tighten in your chest. He was staring at the money too, his expression unreadable for a moment before something in his eyes shifted. The desire was there—strong and undeniable. The temptation. He wanted to stay. He wanted to keep playing, to risk everything for the money.

You could see it in the way his hands twitched, how his lips pressed together, a faint tremor running through his body. There was something in the way he looked at the money—something hungry. You knew he wasn’t just thinking about himself. He was thinking about survival. This was a chance, maybe the only chance, to get out of this alive with something to show for it.

You didn’t want that. You didn’t want this to be the kind of world you lived in. But you loved him. You loved him enough to understand the desperation in his eyes.

So when the time came to vote, you didn’t hesitate. You knew what he wanted. You knew what he needed. And you couldn’t bear to leave him alone in this hellhole, not when there was so much more at stake than money. The choice was clear, despite the gnawing fear in your gut. You voted to stay.

For him. For you. For the hope that there might still be a way out.

Dinner came and went. It was nothing more than a piece of stale bread and a cup of water—barely enough to fill the gnawing emptiness in your stomach. But you didn’t complain. There wasn’t much to complain about anymore. You’d stopped expecting comfort, stopped hoping for kindness. It was just survival now.

When the lights flickered off, signaling the end of another day in this twisted hell, the silence that followed felt deafening. The weight of everything pressing down on your chest was almost unbearable. You needed an escape, even if just for a moment. You needed to clear your head, to put some space between yourself and the madness of it all.

You slipped quietly out of the room and made your way toward the bathroom, hoping for a minute alone to breathe. But when you reached the door, it was locked. You knocked once, then twice, then—desperate—began banging your fists against the cold metal.

"Please, I really need to pee, sir!" you begged, your voice strained, but the masked guard’s only response was the cold, unfeeling click of the window slamming shut.

Frustration bubbled up inside you. You could feel the pressure building in your abdomen, but your pleas felt like nothing more than echoes in an empty room. Why were they doing this? What kind of sadistic game was this? You rested your forehead against the door, taking a deep breath, trying to steady yourself, when suddenly—without warning—you felt a hand fall gently on your shoulder.

You flinched at the unexpected touch, but then you recognized the familiar warmth.

"Hey," Dae-ho’s voice was low but determined. "I need to pee, too! You want us to go on this floor? We will!"

He banged his fist against the door with a force that made you jump. The guard hesitated, and after a tense beat, reluctantly opened the door. You slipped inside quickly, your heart pounding in your chest.

As you entered, the guard’s attention was distracted by a call from another one further down the hall. Dae-ho walked beside you, silent for a moment, as you approached the bathrooms.

When you reached the women’s restroom, though, Dae-ho suddenly grabbed your arm, pulling you toward the men's bathroom.

"What are you doing?" you hissed, your voice sharp and panicked. "I can’t be in here!"

You tried to pull away, but his grip tightened.

"Stop. Just trust me." His voice was quiet, but there was something in it—something raw—that made you pause.

You swallowed hard, but before you could protest further, he pulled you through the door. The sound of it clicking shut behind you felt suffocating.

The dim lights of the men's room flickered overhead, casting strange shadows on the walls. You tried to shake off the feeling of discomfort, but there was something about being this close to him, this far from the boundaries you’d set, that made your heart race in an unfamiliar way.

As you walked to the far side of the restroom, trying to keep a distance, Dae-ho stopped.

His eyes locked onto yours, and there was a vulnerability there you hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You left me,” he spoke, his tone breaking slightly. "You... you left me. You let me go off to the military, and you broke up with me.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and painful. You froze, your heart thudding painfully in your chest. You hadn’t realized until that moment just how much it had affected him. You knew he didn't know what you knew, the terror his father caused you. But now, standing here in this sterile, lifeless place, you saw the cracks in his carefully constructed armor.

His lip quivered slightly, the tremor in his voice unmistakable. It hit you like a ton of bricks, the weight of the words, the regret in his eyes. It wasn’t just about the game anymore—it was about the past, the choices, the hurt that neither of you had truly addressed until now.

Your chest tightened as you fought the urge to say something, anything, to make things right. But you didn’t know how. The distance between you felt so vast, yet at the same time, so painfully close.

In the quiet of the men’s bathroom, with the weight of his confession lingering in the air, you realized something. This wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about what you had lost, what you were still holding onto. And maybe, just maybe, this moment was where the game truly began for both of you.

“I... had to,” you whispered, barely able to keep your voice steady. Your head hung low, the weight of the confession almost too much to bear. “Your father made me. He... said he would...” You couldn’t finish it. The words stuck in your throat, sharp and heavy. You knew if you said it all, it would be like betraying everything. But it didn’t matter. Dae-ho understood.

The flicker of anger in his eyes came like a sudden storm—raw and violent—before it quickly faded into something else. Something deeper. His face hardened, but there was a pain there. Regret. Not at you, but for you. His father had broken you in ways you couldn’t even fully explain.

He took a step forward, his movements deliberate, as if he couldn’t trust himself to be gentle. Every inch he closed between you felt like a pressure building in the air, the space between you so thick it was almost suffocating. Your breath hitched in your chest, a lump forming in your throat. You could barely look at him, afraid of what you might see in his eyes. But when you finally dared, you saw only the raw vulnerability of someone who had been hurt too.

The space between you was closing, inch by inch. Your noses almost touching, you could feel his breath, ragged and uneven, mingling with yours. And for the first time in a long time, your heart felt like it was no longer beating alone.

You thought he would shout. You thought he would accuse you—demand to know why you hadn’t fought harder, why you had let his father control you. Why you had let him. But instead, there was only silence. A silence that spoke louder than anything he could say.

And then, without warning, he moved. His hands reached for you, not in anger, but with a kind of urgency that left you breathless. His lips found yours—soft at first, but with an intensity that caught you off guard. You could feel the desperation in it. The kiss was frantic, but it wasn’t about passion—it was about something much deeper. It was as if he had been holding his breath for too long, as if the moment had been building between you for ages, and now, he had no choice but to release it all.

His lips moved against yours with such intensity that you felt like you were drowning in him. It wasn’t rough. It wasn’t about hunger or lust. It was about the ache between you—about the years apart, the things left unsaid, the things neither of you had ever been strong enough to face. His lips trembled against yours, as though they were desperate for the air you breathed. And yours—yours were his oxygen.

You responded instinctively, your arms winding around him, pulling him closer. As you did, a quiet, broken cry escaped you. It was soft, but full of so much pain that it took your breath away. You couldn’t hold it in anymore. The floodgates had opened. Every single fear, every regret, every moment of helplessness that you had buried deep inside spilled out in that single, desperate sound. And it was swallowed by the kiss, as if he could take it all from you and make it disappear.

When you finally pulled apart, gasping for air, your head dropped to the crook of his neck, your body trembling. You could feel his pulse thudding under your cheek—steady and sure, a reminder that he was there, that you were still here, that this was still real. You closed your eyes tightly, as if trying to hold on to the moment for just a little bit longer. The world outside was still chaos, still cruel, but in this single, fragile moment, you had found something solid.

You didn’t speak. Neither of you did. The silence stretched between you, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was an unspoken understanding. You both knew that words couldn’t fix everything, but you knew being with each other could.

"I'm here," You whispered, nails digging into the back of his neck as if you were afraid he would disappear, "I'm always gonna be here."

[twipsai]

this one panel in issue #50 and it's, like, not THAT bad alright

fuck it im tired and had a long day this is my treat to myself. im talking about that panel. yes, THAT panel. which one?

THIS ONE. alrighty this is off the cuff and terrible, lets go.

so this panel isnt like, that bad in context when it comes to Sonic. i think specifically "ive made peace with enough enemies to know there is a better way" is a really interesting line here, because it calls back to the amount of times that the "villain" hes fought has just been a person whos hurting, and how hes been able to help those people. it makes sense that eventually hes more keen on trying to figure out someones whole story before deciding if theyve gotta go (which is rare).

but i want to talk about the FRAMING of this panel, and specifically the larger context of this issue in particular. theres a lot of flip-flopping in perspectives. usually, IDW is told through Sonic's perspective (loosely, this kind of thing is up to interpretation a lot), but in issue 50, it switches rapidly between four different groups -- Sonic and Surge, Tails and Kit, Eggman and Starline, and Belle and Metal. within these groups, the perspective its being told from changes a few times, but never as much as Sonic and Surge's do

i actually love these two when they interact as a storyteller myself, and one that has handled scripts too often for my own liking. Sonic and Surge do this thing where they push and pull the pacing of the script to fit their motives -- Surge keeps trying to escalate things, whenever shes in a panel everything starts pushing rapidly and it feels like the panels are tumbling off the page. when Sonic does anything, though, its slow and deliberate. hes having fun fighting, sure, but he can very much tell that Surge is trying to kill him and hes not having any of that. Sonic keeps things slow and focused, Surge tries to push things faster and unfocused. i could get into how this reflects her motivations and stuff but thats not what this is about i already lost track of what i was talking about fuck hang on

ok so. Surge knows shes supposed to be Sonic, to be BETTER than Sonic. its all she knows, really, and thats the problem. shes traumatized and full of rage and Sonic has been put on this high pedestal, not just by her, but by everyone. she cannot stand this.

this panel is how SURGE sees Sonic, specifically the composition. hes shrouded in light and physically above her -- its not even that subtle of a metaphor, they use it all the time in idw.

the entire overpowered saga shows Surge clawing for control of herself, her life, her freedom... this issue sets all that up in the main story. the way Sonic is framed here isnt how he sees himself at all. weve seen him do this exact same thing from his own perspective before, where everyone is on even ground. he doesnt see himself as above anyone, this instance of him being depicted as such isnt alluding to how Sonic feels about himself, its how Surge feels about Sonic.

and, look, its not the most well-done in the world. this issue has a whole host of problems, evident by the constant switching of focus from one group to a next (a problem that i think they did better on in the Phantom Rider saga). i literally forgot about Belle and Metal in this issue bc theres just so much more going on, i wouldve loved for them to slow things down a bit, maybe splitting it into two issues, but hey, what can you do, yk?

as an aside, i think its really weird how people narrow in on this specific panel of Sonic as being "so out of character", which i sorta like, 30% agree with (i think some phrasing could be better), and then ignore the page right after it...

...in which he pretty much says "you dont get freedom if youre gonna be a problem". funnily enough, on twitter i have this flow chart saved whenever i need a quick guide on Sonics morality and stuff, its really not that complicated

x

none of this is new imo, we see he has the same philosophy in sa1 and satbk. Chaos was blinded by rage and pain after being trapped for thousands of years RIGHT after they were attacked by the echidnas. Merlina was so scared of death (implied to be because she had lost family members and wasnt able to cope with it well) that she became a monster in an attempt to never let anything change ever again. these arent very different stories in my head i guess, just cases of Sonic seeing people who are hurting and doing his best to free them from that.

uhhhh anyways. all this is disorganized i forgot what i was talking about like 5 times while writing this but. people on twitter are ripping into this issue again. like its a b tier issue stop acting like its an f yk Q_Q i will defend anything if people are too mean tbh

thanks for making it this far if you read all this. i love idw a lot and i think that it does have some flaws, theyre all really blown out of proportion.

have a great day/afternoon/evening wherever you are yall :) bye bye

[fireheartpages]

like they do in babylon | l.m.

liam mairi x reader (for now…)

series masterlist

summary: “but if all you can ask for at present are two feet on solid ground and your best friend next to you, then maybe you have a chance of surviving this hellscape.”

word count: 4.5k

notes: 2nd pov, she/her reader, and i gave the reader a last name (bishop). mentions of parental death, canon typical violence, liam mairi is a certified idiot™. spoilers. so many spoilers. through FW for this chapter, but by the next chapter there will be OS spoilers. for the love of god please do not spoil yourself. anywhooooooo i have been sitting on this bad boy for a FAT minute. get ready for angst, no one comes out unscathed. also, this is gonna be a love triangle. i don’t wanna hear it, i love a good love triangle and i poured my heart and soul into this one. if RY won’t do it, i will! mwah ha ha ha ha song link :)

Your balance is shit.

Liam’s up ahead of you, making the parapet look like a child’s balance beam, and you’re teetering like baby deer forty-five minutes after it was born. This really is designed to kill you.

He hadn’t even said goodbye. Just gave you a “see you on the other side” and started walking, started making you look bad in front of everyone. You literally come from the same place, were trained together, and yet he can walk the parapet—you, decidedly, cannot. Did he mean he’d see you after your souls were condemned to Malek? ‘Cause that’s what it’s looking like.

The end is maybe ten paces away. Ten steps between you and glorious, solid ground. How the hell were you going to be a dragon rider when you were afraid of heights? That’s a later problem. The problem at hand was not slipping and falling in the gods-awful rain.

Liam lands with the grace of a trained dancer on the other side, like he’s done this a million times before. You’re going to make it across this damn bridge just so you can smack him upside the head for that.

He turns around and he’s got that pretty smile pinned on you—the one that makes you feel a lot more than you should be feeling for your best friend—all white teeth and big, blue eyes. Fuck him. Like, sincerely fuck him.

You’re maybe five paces away, practically touching the alcove when a gust of wind blows through the valley so strongly that you sway—you falter. You see it in Liam’s expression. He panics, toothy grin snapping shut and baby blues going wide. You suck in a breath, lean against the wind.

You’re falling the other way now and the wind is no longer helpful in correcting you.

Your flail, and your leg swings out to counter your weight. You’re righted again, two feet firmly on the line of brick, and you suck in a deep breath. There’s no place for fear on the Parapet. (That’s what everyone says about everything in this hell hole.) Yeah, sure, deep breath, and another step. And another, and another, and another, until—

Two feet. Solid ground. Big ass arms wrapping around you.

“Li—”

“You made it!”

“I’m going to murder you—”

“Can’t do that in front of Executive Officers.” Wait, that isn’t Liam’s voice, it’s—

Xaden.

You tear out of Liam’s arms, twisting until you spot him, and you’re more teary-eyed than you’d care to admit. Two years stretched between you, and suddenly the weight of it is there. The weeks before he’d left had been hectic, barely pausing for long enough to pat you on the shoulder and start an argument with Brennan. And then he had left with Garrick, and then Bodhi and Imogen had gone, and now he was here, in front of you, and he was a godsdamned dragon rider. You have a whole year of seeing him every day now, seeing the people you knew like family, and despite the circumstances, it all felt right.

"You did good, B," Xaden whispers, a hand on your shoulder.

You pull back with a wince. "You don’t really have to call me that anymore. No one to differentiate me from."

"Good luck with that," Liam mumbled from behind you, and when you turn around, theres a glint in his eye—a little mischief, a little intrigue, but mostly understanding. It turns your stomach over in a way you didn't want to acknowledge, and it’s the last part that inclines you to let it slide.

"Go give your name to the roll keep. I'll get you in my Wing." He steps away from you, a clear signal the theatrics are over, to fall in line. You give him a mock salute. He rolls his eyes, and you hear Liam laugh behind you.

Second squad, Tail section, Fourth Wing, and a smiling Bodhi greet you and Liam as you file into place in formation. The summer heat is oppressive in the all-black outfit you’re sporting, courtesy of Brennan and his Infinite Knowledge of Basgiath War College, but if all you can ask for at present are two feet on solid ground and your best friend next to you, then maybe you have a chance of surviving this hellscape.

“Hi.”

The voice belongs to someone over your right shoulder, and you chance a look—flat lipped smile conveying the what the fuck you’re feeling since you’re fairly certain the dragons will come down and rip you apart for not paying attention the Xaden’s speech up on the dais.

“I’m Brinn.”

She keeps speaking. You give her another not-smile, and introduce yourself.

“B,” Liam hisses. You bring your gaze forward again and swear you can feel Xaden’s attention on you.

The girl’s bright brown eyes dance between you, and you swear you can feel her gearing up to say something else.

“I’m making friends.”

Is this girl serious? You turn to look at you over your shoulder, and she’s fucking beaming at you. You take a moment to survey her: wild brown hair in a braid down to her waist, a cream tunic paired with black trousers, and attention that is anywhere but where it should be. She’s like a ball of energy and excitement all wound up and ready to spring. You roll your eyes.

“I heard they torch cadets that don’t pay attention to formation,” you respond.

“Torch?”

You turn back, arching a brow. “Like, with dragons?”

“There are no dragons here yet,” Brinn responds sagely. “But I think they’re gonna be here soon. Have you ever seen a dragon?”

You blink. “One killed my parents.”

She sucks a breath through her teeth, a look of genuine remorse and something else etching into her face. “Oof. That’s rough. Mine were killed by gryphons.”

It’s enough to make you almost turn fully to her. She has Liam’s attention now, too, and you share a look with him.

“Look, we’re trauma bonding,” she says in a half-whisper. “Besties!”

And you can’t help it—you laugh. Just a little. Really, genuinely laugh.

｡･:*˚:✧｡

Dragons are, in fact, as fucking terrifying the second time you lay eyes on the species as the first. But the novelty wears off, which is good, you guess, considering soon you’ll be riding one. A thought that is borderline more terrifying than the fire itself.

It’s no more than a month into the year before you realize just how seriously—or, unseriously—people take training for the riders’ quadrant. Your squad has six first years, three second years, and a lone third year and squad leader. Smaller than most of the others, and you and Liam are, of course, the only Marked ones.

Other than one of the first years, Des, who practically bares his teeth and snaps at the pair of you any time you’re in his vicinity, everyone else is surprisingly unaffected by the relic. Which is honestly more than you could have asked for. The other two first years, Micha and June, are kind to you. One second year, Ollid, seems indifferent, another, Caelum, is too reserved to anyone but Ellis for you to get a read on—and you cannot for the life of you figure out the dynamic between the latter two. Your squad leader, Lumen, the only third year, just seems like he got the job because nobody else wanted it.

Classes are easier than you’d expected, too. Math and physics are practically no brainers, you’re surprised with how much you can get away with in history by just regurgitating answers you think a Navarrian would want to hear. Battle Brief is tougher. Definitely going to be a learned skill, but not impossible. Weeding through what you know versus what they are expecting for an answer is going to be a delicate line to walk, though. Liam, naturally, excels at everything.

Surprisingly, so does Brinn. And moreover, she is an excellent strategist. Even slipping you a few answers in Battle Brief that Professor Devera, kindly, doesn’t call you out on. You’re always send her a soft, hesitant thank you, but the way she beams and sends you an exaggerated thumbs up makes you glad no one’s attention is on you.

Besides Des, who seems to have hawk-eyed for any movement a Marked one makes. He always delivers a scrutinizing glare to Brinn, but she never falters. You’re honestly unsure anything could make her falter.

Sparring was the one thing you worried about, no matter how practiced you were—which was not nearly as much as Liam, much to your dissatisfaction. It was no surprise the hulking mass of a man was good at hand-to-hand, but even though you were in the same squad, and therefore meant to be encouraging one another, you would be remiss if you didn’t at least try to poke a hole in his perfect facade. Even after he took you down on the mat time and time again.

So, when assessment day rolled around, and you watched Emetterio point to Des, then to you, you had half the mind to be relieved Liam wasn’t up against you. The other half was a bit worried at the idea of sparring with someone that was probably out for blood. But, hey, he can’t kill you. Right?

You weren’t so sure as you took the mat, Des’s glare sticking you in place as you felt your heart ratchet up. He was tall, sure, but he didn’t have nearly as much muscle packed on him as Liam or Xaden, and you’d been training with them since you were a teenager. You took a deep breath, breathing in for a four count, holding for three, and out for five. You were not about to let some bigot get the best of you.

So, when he threw the first punch—of course—you used your size to your advantage and ducked. It was clear he had some power, but there wasn’t nearly enough follow through on it. He seemed to miscalculate, stepping forward, and you were at the perfect level now to throw an elbow into the back of his knee and land him face-first against the mat.

All you had to do was glance up to see Liam’s smile, trained on you.

Gods, this guy was an idiot. An idiot that was going to get himself killed if he fought like this in battle. You would have loved to see him go up against an actual opponent.

He rolled onto his back and made to kip, but not before you spun to meet his groin to the heel of your foot. To his credit, the only reaction he made was a sound of discomfort before he was pushing up, but all it took was a punch to the nose before he was back down again. There was the tell-tale crack, and then his hands were cradling his face, blood already smearing as he groaned. You laid a hand flat on his chest.

“Yield?” you ask, cocky with it.

Anger flared in his eyes, and he reached for you, bloody hands grabbing for the sides of your face—to do what, you weren’t sure—but you scrambled back. You rolled into a crouch and kicked, sweeping the feet he’d gained out from under him, and he fell forward on his already-broken nose.

“This is painful,” you heard Lumen mutter from behind you. Then, Emetterio, louder, “He yields, Bishop.”

You stand, offering Des a hand that he doesn’t take.

“Ollid, take him to the healers before he bleeds all over everything,” Lumen says, ushering Des off the mat.

You’re smirking when you step off, and Brinn offers you a towel and points to the spot on your neck where his bloody fingertips had grazed. You give her a nod of thanks, wiping at your skin before crouching to clean the mat.

“Brinn and Liam,” Emetterio calls as you rise, and you turn to face your squad mates with raised eyebrows. “You two are up.”

You toss Lumen the towel, locking eyes with Liam before you turn to look at Brinn. “Kick his ass for me?”

Brinn throws her head back and laughs. “Yeah, sure. I’ll do my best.”

You look over at the rest of your squad, seeing Micha and June—the latter sporting a quickly blackening eye, even after winning her match against the former—watching with rapt interest. Caelum wasn’t anywhere near paying attention, but Ellis looked like she was watching a sporting event. She held out a closed fist to you.

“Badass, little B,” she said.

The name sent a shock through you, and your smile fell, even as you bumped your fist against hers. Suddenly, your focus was on not letting your chest physically cave in.

“She’s big B,” Liam calls, because of course he heard the exchange. He probably read your demeanor change even from the distance.

“Nah,” Ellis laughs. “First years are all little, at least until threshing.”

“My sister,” you said, speaking past the emotion, “was always little B.”

“Aw,” Ellis croons, not missing a beat. “I landed on a family nickname.”

And something about the way she said it, the smile she sent you, set you right again. She didn’t even have to acknowledge it.

Your turn and place your back flat against the wall, your shoulder a healthy distance away from Ellis’. It seems the remaining members of your squad are just as eager to watch the match between Brinn and Liam. All eyes are trained on them as they step up, equidistance apart and beginning to circle.

Brinn is a fucking powerhouse—she’s all lean, packed muscle and an insanely quick mind. She’s a fast thinker and a brilliant strategist. She has enough confidence to make you really think she has any situation under control.

But, Liam… he’s just fucking huge.

He’s got six inches minimum on Brinn, and not to mention one of his thighs is probably the size of her head. He’d been training for the quadrant since he was a teenager, and if Xaden was anything to go by, the Lindell household was a formidable one. It turned out warriors.

But, by Dunne, if there isn’t a glint in Brinn’s eye that gave you the sneaking suspicion she might win this thing.

Something in Liam’s expression twists as he looks at Brinn, readying herself in a defensive position, and you could tell he was hanging back. He doesn’t want to make the first hit. It was obvious. But Brinn is all mirth as she looks up at him, as if daring him to try.

And try he does, but Brinn is powerful, and Liam had underestimated her. He throws the first punch, and she catches it, wrenching his arm behind him as she slips out of his reach. He winces, spinning around to try and grab her again, but she lands a quick jab to his ribs that doubles him over.

“Are you serious?” Liam groans.

“Are you taking it easy on me?” Brinn taunts him.

“No,” he mumbles, and it’s evident it’s a split second decision. A reassessment in his gaze as he calculates her threat level, sizing her up as a different breed of opponent.

You know Liam, you know him intimately, and you know the way his brain works. He doesn’t hurt his friends, and somewhere between the wide smiles and quiet remarks, Brinn was categorized as one now. Despite his hulking frame and brutal training, Liam is gentle at heart. You’ve seen him take spiders outside instead of killing them, just because he felt bad.

You can’t help but laugh, feeling lucky you weren’t paired against him. You don’t envy either of them. You weren’t sure you’d be able to take either of them down in the same situation.

Brinn is the first to lunge this time, a pattern of punches so quick Liam has no choice but to fall back onto the defensive, hands flying to block any from striking where it would hurt the most. He spins around, kicking back and making contact with the back of her knees, but Brinn is ready for it, twisting her body so she falls on her back and letter her momentum throw her into a backwards roll until she’s in a crouch. She springs up again, and Liam is there, throwing a punch out that makes contact with her jaw.

“I’m sorry!” he shouts, as if it’s a reflex, and you hear a laugh from beside you.

“Seriously, Mairi?” It was Lumen, watching them fight, and you see Professor Emetterio next to him, observing the match with rapt interest. His bushy eyebrows are raised in the biggest display of a reaction you’ve seen from him, and a quick glance around the room tells you he’s not the only one whose attention has been snagged.

Brinn seems impossible to knock off course, though. She barely even falters after the punch, immediately launching into her next attack with so much force you start to wonder where she’s hiding all of the muscle that has to be powering her. It’s incredible to see. Liam has yet to lose a match, but she’s giving him a run for his money.

She lands another good punch to his throat, so hard you know it’s going to bruise, and she’d downright giddy as she dances around him. She spins, and you can tell by the way she shifts her weight that she’s prepping for a kick. The tell is evident, and there’s a piece of you that’s hoping Liam is too distracted to notice as well.

Unfortunately for Brinn, he isn’t. She goes to kick, and with one step back, he’s there to grab her leg, pulling until she’s on her back, slamming into the mat. She recovers quickly, knocking into his ribs with a jab you know has to hurt, but not before he lands a punch that you know will bruise.

You had spent the latter half of your adolescence watching Liam spar with Xaden, or Garrick, or Bodhi, or Imogen, and yet this had to be the most entertaining match you had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

By the end of it, both parties are breathless, bloody, and bruised. Liam, with so much exhaustion lining his face you were worried he was going to pass out on top of her, ends up with his entire body pinning Brinn down, bracing a bit of his weight on a forearm near her head as her front is pressed into the mat. He pants out, “Yield, please.”

Brinn looks just as worn as Liam does as she lifts a hand to tap the mat twice, and Emetterio calls the match begrudgingly for Liam. They both limp over to you, purpling bruises littering each of their faces, and Liam is pressing a hand gently to his ribs while Brinn favors her left foot.

You’d imagine your face reads the precise amount of shock you’re feeling. All you end up saying though is, “What the hell?”

“You pack a punch,” Liam pants, addressing Brinn.

She just shrugs, a smirk lining her split lip.

“Are you okay?” you ask her.

Humor dances in her eyes as she answers. “I’ll live.”

You cut a glare at Liam, who balks in response.

“Are you serious? What did I do?” he asks indignantly.

“You beat her up!” you squawk, and try to remain serious, because you are concerned about your friends, but you can’t help but relish in the way shock colors his features at your teasing.

“It’s assessment, B! I didn’t mean to hurt—”

He doesn’t make it much farther before Brinn bursts out laughing, and you dissolve into a pit of giggles right there beside her.

｡･:*˚:✧｡

“You’re sure we’re not going to get caught?”

Liam cuts you a sideways glance as the two of you make your way across the field together, back to the dorms. “You heard what X said, he and Garrick have been doing this since their first year,” he says. “Helped Bodhi through his, too.”

“This share-the-wealth situation seems a little outside them,” you volley, and he rolls his eyes.

“Yeah,” he answers. “I guess so.”

“Why’d you go? Not like you need any help,” you mumble. Because it’s true. Liam hasn’t so much as lost a match. At this point, you’re pretty sure he doesn’t know how to take second place.

You’re not too far behind him, and neither is Brinn. But it’s nearly impossible to catch up to him. Micha and June aren’t doing terrible either, and even Des has started to shut up when he realized just how lacking in the hand-to-hand department he is. Liam might be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of you, but you’re pretty sure that if the rest of you remain steady, with the advantage Liam give you, once Squad Battles roll around, they’re going to be an easy victory.

Maybe your sleuth leaves something to be desired though, because as you all break from the meetings the Marked ones held under the massive oak, you’re absolutely convinced someone is going to spot your duo. Even though it is only the two of you now, and it’s no longer a capital fucking offense.

“You were there,” he answers, like it’s obvious. “Did you see the way Ellis and Ollid were looking at each other after dinner today?”

Your head whips towards him. “Are you… gossiping?”

“You seem nervous.” He shrugs. “I’m distracting.”

You can’t help but laugh. “I don’t know how everyone in this school hasn’t caught chlamydia by now,” you answer. “I thought there was something between her and Caelum. She’s like the only person I’ve ever seen him talk to.”

“Maybe they’re a throuple,” Liam says dryly.

You can’t help but throw your head back, immediately panicking because fuck, you’re being too loud, and—

“B? Liam?”

There’s a voice that sounds out of breath, and then footsteps crunching over the gravel. In your panic, you don’t even bother to register the voice. You feel Liam tense next to you, and you quickly calculate all the ways to get out of this situation, all the lies based off who could have caught you. Who is even out here after curfew like this? Crazy people. And you qualify, and so does Liam.

And Brinn, apparently, who is who you see as you spin, clamping down on your panic. She jogs up to you, black sparring leathers sticking to her sweat-soaked skin. Her brown hair is pulled back from her face, but by how loose the tie is, it’s clear she’s been out here for a while just… running?

“Brinn,” you say in lieu of greeting, relief a fickle thing as you see her glance at a cluster of other Marked ones walking behind you. You catalogue the way her eyes flit over them, then back to you. Still, you can’t help but arch a brow at her. “Out for a night cap?”

The way Brinn laughs always seems to capture your attention. It puts you at ease, watching the way she is almost surprised by it, like her own joy caught her off guard. That’s the way she laughs as she looks at the two of you, and you feel a bit of the tension in your body release.

“I have to tire myself out at night, or I’ll never make it to bed,” she says, propping her hands on her hips as her breathing begins to even out. “Figured I might as well make use of it and do something productive with the way they run us ragged around here.”

“Being run ragged isn’t enough to tire you out?” you ask, incredulously.

She shrugs. “My stamina is legendary.” The throws you a wink, and you can’t help but return her smile. “Though, It looks like you two had the same idea?”

Liam quickly shakes his head, and the way you cut your eyes at him is involuntary.

“Listen, a field after dark with a ton of people around isn’t my forte, but if it’s what you two are into—”

“No!” Liam says, correcting her quickly, and it’s practically a shout.

You ignore the way it stings.

“We went for a walk,” you explain, opting for half-truths, because something about lying to Brinn made you feel ill. “I like the trees around here. The creek.”

“The trees,” Brinn says, arching a darkly defined brow at you.

You shrug. “Privacy.”

From the way her eyes light up, you immediately regret saying it. Brinn quickly picks up her feet, moving past you two.

"It's not what you think," Liam says, rushing to correct her, but Brinn isn't giving an inch.

“I’ll leave you to it, then!” she says jogging backwards as she gives you a mock salute. “See you tomorrow for breakfast?”

“Yep!” You hold up a hand, trying not to cringe.

The silence between you and Liam in her absence is deafening—and tense as a bowstring.

“She’s…” Liam began.

“Eclectic,” you finish, and despite how close you were to being caught, despite her insinuation, you were forcing down a smile. Something in your gut told you that Brinn knew you weren’t looking for a quiet place to be alone, or do whatever she implied you were doing. She saw the other marked ones behind you, walking from the same direction in what were hopefully inconspicuous groups. And she poked fun at you instead. Just let it roll off her, and turned back to what she was doing like it wasn’t a big deal.

Maybe you didn’t know her very well, and maybe you would never be able to share all of the parts of you with anyone that isn’t a Marked one, but you knew then:

You had an ally in Brinn.

But from the look on his face, Liam seemed harder to convince. “She’s suspicious,” he said warily.

“She is not,” you say, feeling the urge to defend her.

“It was weird of her to assume…”

You can’t help the way you spin towards him. “Assume what?”

He shrugged, not meeting your eye. “You know, that we…”

“That we what?”

He shook his head. “It felt like a deflection.”

Something stung. Deep in your chest, something stung. You frown. “The idea of it is so outlandish you’d rather her accuse us of treason than hooking up?”

Liam’s head whipped towards you. “No, I just think we need to be wary of her.”

“Wary?” you ask, appalled. “She has been nothing but nice to us.”

“Nice people can still be suspicious, B. Not all of them are like Des, constantly throwing it in our face that they hate us,” he retorts.

You reel back. “She saw the other Marked ones, you’re right, and she didn’t say anything. She’s keeping it to herself.”

“She literally ran away from us,” he says, and you barely recognize the look in his eye. “Who knows who she’s off telling! You need to be more careful.”

You scoff. “You’re right. Can’t have more people thinking we’re sleeping together.”

You turn on your heel and march away, leaving him calling after you, shouting your name across the courtyard like gasoline in an engine that only makes you walk faster, not even bothering to look back as he catches up to you.

You walk back to the first year dorms in silence.

[sultanforareason]

Can’t sleep ~ Katsuki Bakugo

It was another night where I couldn’t sleep. Tossing and turning around. I groan as I stand up. A little walk wouldn’t hurt. I make my way to the common room to sit on the couch. I sigh and throw my head back. Theres a sudden sound of somebody approaching. I snap my head to look at them but when I realize who it is I just roll my eyes.

Katsuki Bakugo… of course. He’s in his pyjamas, messy hair. He just stands there. “What are you doing here, idiot.” Its sounds like a threat instead of a question. “Couldn’t sleep..” I answer, not in the mood to fight right now. He then sits down next to me. Manspreading and folding his arms against his chest. He sits close but theres still a fair amount of space between us.

I side eye him. There’s a silence. Neither of us looking at eachother. “Why cant you sleep…?” He suddenly asks. “I don’t even know..” I answer and then ask back. “you..?”. He groans. “none of your damn business.” Damn alright. I roll my eyes. The moonlight just slightly shining enough for me to see something. I look him up and down but still side eyeing so he doesn’t notice. He does look attractive even when he just got out of bed. His messy hair suits him. Ugh whatever.

He’s yawning and even if I dont want him to leave, I say “go to bed, you’re obviously tired, idiot”. I look away to smile. He’s probably gonna get angry now. He for sure doesn’t like to be bossed around. “What did you just say..” I can practically feel him look at me with angry eyes. I look at him and then start smiling. “you’re cute when you’re mad..” I tease him.

“Shut up… I’m not cute..” he looks away. Is he flustered? I grin like an idiot and turn to him. I fake gasp. “Are you blushing..?” I take it even further. He slowly turns to me. “I will kill you..” he mutters and then suddenly i’m being pinned down. His hands gripping my wrists. I start laughing and at the same time, try not to.

“You think this is funny..? You think its funny to mess with me.. stupid idiot..” he starts threatening me and leans closer to my face. My laughter then dies down when I realize the others are still sleeping. Damn he is way too close right now. Suddenly I am aware of our current position. One knee between my legs. “you’re just so easy to mess with.. can you blame me?” I continue.

“Shut up.. I am not easy. You’re just a pain in the ass.” He says and then leans even closer. Our noses just barely touching. He smirks. He is such an ass. He’s doing rhis on purpose. I don’t even know if this means anything to him. It’s probably all just a joke to him. Ass. “Whats wrong? You seem tense..” he says with a smug smile.

“I-Im not tense” FŲCK WHY DO I STUTTER NOW. He leans back now. He is basically staring at me right now. “hmm you look really nervous right now.. what’s there to be nervous about?” He obviously teases. My heart literally HAMMERS against my chest. Can he hear it? Oh man this is so embarrassing. He still stares at me and tightens his grip. Weirdo.

Im not letting him win this. I suddenly wrap my legs around his waist and turn around. We fall to the ground with a thud. It seems to shock him because his grip just slightly weakens. I take the opportunity to now pin his hands down. His eyes wide just for a second. He’s good at hiding his emotions.

Right now he’s the speechless one. Damn never ever would I have imagined to see him like this. “Whats wrong, kat? You seem tense..” I copy his words. His face flushes at the mockery. “You… stupid… extra… get off me!” He says in a low tone. Almost scary… if he wasn’t under me. I giggle. He’d probably rip anyones head off if they dare to do this to him.

I lean closer to him just as he did to me. It feels wrong for him to look up at me. Seeing him so vulnerable damn. This can’t be real. “Weren’t you gonna kill me?” I ask him softly. I let go off his wrists to caress his cheek but he almost immediately grabs my hand and sits up. Mind you I was straddling him so now Im basically sitting on him. My eyes widen. Damn I didn’t expect this.

He’ll deffo kill me now. His eyes show anger, I gulp. Then notice that his hands are around my waist. Were they there ever since he sat up? Ugh I cant even think clearly. I swear I just saw him look at my lips for a brief moment. Is this real? It can’t be. He’s probably just tired. “kat…?” I softly call out. The silence killing me.

His expression still angry.. but also something else? I can’t quite describe it. “…yeah…?” He basically breathes out. Damn that was hot. ‘Just kiss me idiot’ my mind screams. And as if he could hear it, he roughly grabs my chin. He presses his lips onto mine and tilts my head for his liking. My hands on his chest. Is this a dream? Is hot-head Bakugo actually kissing me right now?

We pull apart and I start grinning like an idiot.

“stop.. stop smiling like that, nerd”

_____

this seems rushed sorry

[gothicloverdream]

"These guys, they are excess. They're literally like the rotting of wealth and extreme glitz, rings on every finger, went the full mile, and then also wanted that to be a kind of protection of sickness. How can something be that fancy and extreme and gaudy and then also very gross and kind of messy and a little scary and dirty."

"Janty Yates, who's the costume designer on the first Gladiator and has done tons of films with Ridley in between that one and this one, is just a genius. I mean, she's an incredible craftsperson, and her sense of character and her attention to detail to the time is really precise So when we met and started talking about him, I feel that we both gravitate towards excess. I kind of think of him as rotting gold. It's where all this money goes to die basically, and when it came to, say, the rings, we started to put him on six fingers, seven, eight. I remember looking at her, eye contact and just being like, 'I think this is a ten finger ring kind of guy. Rings on every single.' We kept notching it up, checking if, like, is it going to break? Is this going to be too much? And honestly pushing to those limits always felt right."

"Jana, who's the makeup artist, and then, she and I talked a lot about what that look was for him in terms of the kind of－ He's suffering from syphilis and lead-poisoning, and so, like, what makeup does is a kind of shield almost, protection, and then, the hair, I think we looked at every single shade of red until we arrived at that one. It was like, really, yeah. I think immediately you want to have a sense of out-thereness, just like an unexpected, dialed up to 11 feeling about these guys."

"It takes weeks and weeks of dialing in that level of excess. I kind of think of him as rotting gold. It's every glitz and glamour, but there's true sickness in that, and how do you have both of these things, and Janty Yates who's just a brilliant brilliant costume designer. It was so fun to build this day by day, but even the hair was something that we were working on, like the precise shade of that red, so that it feels fun and bombastic, but also believable and grounded in something twisted and menacing at the same time."

Fred Hechinger on Emperor Caracalla and Emperor Geta's Costumes and Hair: huffpostuk / Next Best Picture /HeyUGuys / Screening Q&A

[nessle]

Miguel thirst

Imagine hobbie tries to hit on you but Miguel isn’t having it so after the day is over he offered to stay at your place and he treats you to a ruff fucking leaving hickeys and scratch marks over your body. And your suit is kinda revealing so everyone can see it.

Imagine Miguel is crashing at your place with the little peace you both have and he sees you doing the laundry in a tank top and shorts. He can see your pierced nipples and gets a lil hard because hes imagining you bent over the washing machine with your feet barely touching the ground as your boobs fall out your tank top.

Imagine you were in a battle and your suit got ripped up so you had to call lyla but she told you to talk to Miguel about it and winks at you and bleeps out. Causing Miguel to think you were teasing him at work, making him cautiously fuck you covering your mouth so no one hears. (WHICH IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE THERES SO MANY SPIDER PEOPLE)

Imagine Miguel is having a business meeting and your sitting right next to him just staring right in his eyes. Since he’s 6’8 you have to look up at him all the time, he can’t really look into your eyes now because it’s gonna make him have to readjust himself in front of everyone and he’ll get embarrassed :(. I just know he got one of the most noticeable bulges ever like this—> https://twitter.com/bigjackxl/status/1666073007561887745?s=12 but tight against his suit.

Imagine Miguel making you sit on his lap to hide the bulge during the meeting but after he makes you suck his dick because he needs to get rid of it before he steps back out. The sounds of you slurping and Gagging didn’t go unheard. He knew people could hear you two he just didn’t care, he makes sure they know who you belong too.

Side note: I’m gonna get back to posting avatar soon like during the summer. I’ve just been out of inspiration. But if this gets any likes then maybe I’ll do another one.

[lunar-wandering]

was in discord contemplating how they're gonna bench Wukong next season, thought about it having to do with Wukong holding back (which has been brought up three times and brushed off every time), and accidentally unlocked my angst abilities at full power

(transcription of discord screenshots under the cut)

another way of going about it* (*Wukong being benched) instead of Wukong holding back more, is that the effects of chaos magic make it harder for him to hold back- aka he starts isolating himself again because he can't control his abilities and he doesn't want to hurt them-

it'd be kinda similar to how i wrote sick Wukong that one time- with him accidentally breaking things, while trying to claim that everything's fine, while staying far away from everyone as possible and avoidign physical contact

MK tries to like. tackle him because he's acting sus and he wants to know what's going on. and Wukong dodges out of the way- but accidentally both leaves a crater in the ground from his movement and shatters any nearby glass objects cause of the amount of energy he accidentally used

tries to lock himself in his house. the door breaks off while he's trying to lock it. he puts a barrier over top of the house- effectively trapping himself inside a barrier of his own creation instead

if it's like a theme of the season theres a whole chance MK is dealing with being unable to keep his powers under control too- the difference is that while he's scared of hurting his friends, the others are definitely one hundred percent capable of reassuring him that everythign's going to be fine and that they can handle it they can't do that with Wukong because he has experienced literally THE worst case scenario from lack of holding back-

OH AND ALSO. IF MACAQUE IS CORRUPTED BY CHAOS MAGIC AND IS BEING A VILLAIN AT THE SAME TIME. THIS SITUATION BECOMES SO MUCH WORSE HELLOOOO MK and the others banging on the barrier trying to get Wukong to come out, we can deal with this together Monkey King- MK: you're not dangerous, Monkey King- Corrupted!Macaque, emerging from the shadows: Ohoho, but he is. Tell me, surely you've wondered why your mentor was so keen on holding himself back? and like. starts going into this whole speech as Wukong is hunched over inside the barrier, clutching at that arm- Corrupted!Macaque: he's not the great hero you think he is, bud, and neither are you- Wukong: enough! full out shatters the barrier, leaps out, pins Macaque to the wall- PARALLEL TO THAT SCENE IN S3EP10- and suddenly Macaque glitches out a bit, and he looks scared, and Wukong hesitates, and it's like- Macaque: Wukong, please! I can't contro- and then glitches again and- Corrupted!Macaque: Haha! So, the great Monkey King is going to kill his friend again, huh? and Wukong fully recoils, and just, the others reactions cause they didn't know about this- and Corrupted!Macaque using that to his advantage like- Corrupted!Macaque: look at their faces. they're afraid of you. as they should be, you demon-

Wukong being caught off guard and getting hit by a blast of chaos energy and just slamming into a wall and then onto the ground- rocks fall down and cover him up, and Corrupted!Macaque starts slowly walking towards him (parallel to how Macaque walked in s3ep9 before he grabbed Mei) and then MK is there, staff also crackling with chaos magic as he slams it into Macaque's side, knocking him away. full out "Don't touch him!" level anger from him. and we get like. this little standoff. and then Corrupted!Macaque does this pained-looking bow and fades into the shadows again. MK turns away and runs over to where the others are shifting rocks off of Wukong, who eventually slowly shifts, pulling himself up a little so that he's on his hands and knees instead of laying down. MK asking him the typical stuff, if he's okay and all that, and then, hesitantly… "…He was… lying, right? Just- saying things to get under our skin?" Silence. MK: …Monkey King? Wukong, quietly: …….I've done a lot of things that I regret, kid. and then, ignoring the others yells for him to sit down- he's injured- hold on, wait a moment- Wukong pushes himself into a standing position- and then gets on his cloud and leaves. (another s3 parallel).

[kenah-sturniolo]

GROW OLD WITH YOU

PART 1 > read me like a book <

A/N: hello! Thank you for reading this is my first ever au and I am very excited I hope you like it! (This is my work)

WARNINGS: swearing. Use of y/n. Mention of abuse.

Y/n POV:

Most days I wake up to the endless sounds of bickering between my parents, or the obnoxious agreement that it’s my fault they don’t love each other anymore. That they were better off just having my brother — not me as well. Sometimes it’s things being thrown around in anger. Other times it was them getting along and laughing together until dad goes too far, resulting in yet another argument. I never know what it’s gonna be the next morning, honestly I don’t want to. The arguing wasn’t just in the mornings, it’s at night too. All night every night, kinda like an I built routine that has to be done everyday.

I can’t remember the last time I slept properly.. or didn’t nearly fall asleep in school. Hell I don’t even know if my parents ever helped me with my homework. They always prioritised Dylan. He was the ‘golden child’ after all. Everyone here in Somerville wanted their kids to be just like him. To be popular, well loved, good at sport. Or the captain of the team.

I didn’t get any of that praise.. for as long as I can remember I’ve done everything myself. I thought myself how to read, write, even ride a bike. I never dared to ask for help — I never wanted to start another argument.

My body jolts awake to the sound of mom’s voice approaching my room. “I swear to got y/n. If you don’t get up, you’ll miss the bus!” Her hoarse voice echoes right through the thin walls of the house. The Boston accent really thick and clear in every word she says. “I mean it. I don’t want another one of those goddamn emails from the school asking why you’re late again!” The windows shake as she bangs on the door to my room. An automatic groan slips from my lips. My cold clammy hands toss the covers off of my tired state. The cool air sending a shiver down my spine, as the cool air hits my exposed skin. I move my knotted hair out of my face, as my sock covered feet come in contact with the ground — physically and mentally preparing myself for the horrible day ahead.

————

The walk to the bus stop was annoyingly slow. Cool air dancing around me as I take each step. It was so cold that the sweater, and two jackets I am wearing aren’t doing anything. Definitely does not help that theres a big snow storm on the way. Normally I’m happy to go to school — not anymore. As the arguing between my parents got more frequent the excitement of ‘getting away’ from the noise and abuse had started to fade. Everything was starting to feel dull and numb.. not just emotionally, but all around me too. The trees lost their colour and the children in the neighbourhood stopped playing. Like time stilled and no one could go back and time and stop that from happening.

I could practically hear the craziness of the bus, once it finally came into view. Stepping onto the bus is no where near my favourite part of my day, but here I am doing it. Again. My body mindlessly steps onto the bus. As always, I see Dylan and his stupid friends from the lacrosse team, sitting at the back of the bus. The sudden feeling of nausea rushing through me at the sight of a couple girls swooning over my brother as if they’re 6, and he’s some piece of candy that they have to fight over.

Like every other day, the bus was full, yet my usual spot — front row — was still empty. The bus doors squeak shut making my ears ring. I quickly take my seat as the bus starts to move. Making its way to drop us off at school. The bus comes to an abrupt halt, flinging me forward in my seat “-fuck” I mumble in shock. The bus had literally stopped before it had even started.

The door squeaks open again and I scrunch my nose at the noise. Three boys step into the bus, breathing ragged as if they were just running. I blink in confusion. Am I hallucinating or are there three identical boys. All good looking, tall-ish with the same piercing blue eyes and fluffy brunette hair.

One of the boys’ eyes land on me. His blue eyes are beautiful, they shine in the little light that the bus gives off and were slight covered by his hair that fell perfectly on his face, his middle part messy and untamed. He gives me a shy smile and I smile back just as shyly. The noise that was once consuming the bus and my eyes — now disappeared and i can’t tear my gaze away from him. But of course that’s soon interrupted when one of the other boys takes the few steps to the row of seats I was sitting in.

“Can we sit here?” He asks politely, still out of breath. My hands start to feel clammy again and I nod my head. Anxiety was always something I struggled with.. that and attachment issues. My brother spread a few bad rumours about me a couple years back and I haven’t made a single friend since. It wasn’t just from those stupid rumours though. I grew up being ignored my whole life, I got used to being alone. As if I was designed to be alone. By force.. never by choice. So I never wanted to get attached to someone. Over time it seemed normal having no friends, no matter how lonely it got.

I nod my head answering his question and they all sit down next to me. I want to say something, I really do but my brain won’t form the words.

My eyes find their way back to the boy who smiled at me. He was wearing this cute green sweater with little dinosaurs embroidered all over it. “I’m nick by the way” the one who talked a few seconds before spoke. I smile nervously. I never really was the social kind — due to my anxiety and the stupid rumours that float around school still. Just something about the way he spoke and looked at me, so nicely and comfortingly made the whole interaction seem.. easy?

“I’m y/n” my voice is soft and quiet as I speak up.. of course, I can say my name, but I can’t answer a simple question with words. I wipe my clammy hands against my Jean covered thighs. Nick notices how anxious I look but doesn’t say anything.. until he does.. ‘oh no he’s gonna bring it up’ I think to myself. “This is Chris” he points to Chris and he waves giving me a genuine smile, I smile back. “And that’s Matt” I look at Matt ‘Matt’ I repeat his name in my head and smile at him, he just smiles shyly again.

God his smile — it’s so warm yet so gentle and genuine at the same time.. Is that even possible?

“We’re triplets” Chris finishes and I make an ‘ah’ sound as he just confirmed I wasn’t hallucinating. “You new to the area?” Finally I say something! They all shake their heads in sync, making me smile. “No we’ve lived here our whole lives” nick says “but new to the school” he finishes and Chris nods in agreement. Matt keeps quiet.. but hey I’m not gonna judge.

Chris and nick keep the conversation going, constantly making me laugh with there stupid jokes. Matt still hasn’t said anything but I can see him looking at me Everytime I say something. He looks at me again and I smile softly at him. Something about Matt was endearing, in a good way — was it the way he blushed slightly Everytime I smiled at him, or how we hold eye contact each time I catch him looking at me. Though It looked like he was seeing right through me.. that no matter how many times I smiled he could tell I was alone and hurting. That I was miserable, how I lacked attention and love. Like I’m a book and he’s just slowly turning the pages.. reading my life story but still doesn’t know anything about me.

A/N: Hiii. I hope you liked the first chapter.. I’ve already started writing the next chapter! Hehe thank you so much for reading :)

Mini tag list: @sturniolohohoho @cherryystemm @bernardscups @mattspillowprincess

[tidalfoam]

hey look, legitimate reference sheets for my Fates AU. Look at me, doing things i said i would. my art is always shaky and im bad at consistency so hopefully this helps me.

more Fates shit beloooow (spoilers for the fanfic) (warning for MASSIVE wall of text).

how dare you read spoilers instead of waiting for me to actually finish the next chapter (i am sobbing im stuuuuuck). anyways.

i forgot lambert's jewelry in the ref sheet fuuuuuUUUUCK.

Uhhh so Fates is a 2-part story. Currently writing/posting Fates Worse Than, which is Narinder's POV. Love Can't Save You From is part 2 (working title lmao) thats Lambert's POV.

Basically switch em. Nari is vessel Lamb is god of death. After Narinder inevitably defeats lambert, lambert dips for 200 yrs and is a hermit while the world changes and Nari founds the New Faith.

Pt 1 follows standard gameplay and is a lot shorter than pt 2 (though my word document begs to differ), its a lot more about what's going on in Narinder's mind and unpacking backstory.

After burning midas's bitch ass place down, the other areas on the map (save for midas's bitch ass place and ratau's shack) become towns of their own. The old cult grounds break down and a Temple of TOWW is built. Nari rescues the old Bishops from purgatory, they become his disciples, and three of them run the temples in towns as Disciples/New Bishops (sans powers, just gold skull necklaces) and Shamura keeps the Main Temple of death by themselves. NONE OF THIS i actually write its just explained during the story. Hah.

pt 2 basically is Lambert & Narinder regaining trust (narinder feels shitty for what he did to lambert and cares for them greatly.) And then theres a lot of trauma unpacking, sibling reconnection, and the two of them growing closer.

BIG SPOILERS NEXT

Ya so basically Nari doesn't fully have control of his godhood powers and folks start ressurecting randomly, but 9/10 of them are Cursed and this is Not Great. After consulting with Shamura and doing their own investigating basically aaaah Narinder either has to monitor the gateway or give Lamb the crown back.

They fight over this, obviously, like right after they finally hit the "lovers" part too. fun!

and so in the end they both agree that Narinder will sit in the Gateway, at least for probs a few centuries to maybe a millenia until he has full control over everything. He asks Lambert to lead the New Faith and keep tabs on everyone, thus coming full circle. Narinder is TOWW in the gateway, Lambert is his servant (but no crown, Nari keeps the crown). End of Spoilers.

Also just fun shit. They can't reproduce, gods of death can't create life. I will 10000% make non-canon shittens content tho because ITS FUN.

Lamb is They/Them

Shamura is actually one of the Old Gods, and slaughtered other gods to steal their crowns to give to their "siblings". They literally stole Kallamar as a child, didn't like how he turned out. Stole lamb as baby, loved them and was closest to them, so stole heket too and were meh about her. They were in the middle of slaughtering other gods and destroying crowns when Lambert and Heket found a baby worm in the woods. They begged shamura to keep their new baby brother. Shamura and Kallamar weren't happy but caved to their beloved baby siblings. That worm baby was Leshy. Then shamura drove chemench insane, the group finished slaughtering all other gods & crowns, and that was that.

Goat isn't canon but i did draw him once because it felt like fun and maybe one day jokingly i'll do an au to the au whoops

everyone calls ratau old but he's not that old Narinder & Lambert are just dicks lmao. I promise i do like Ratau i'm just writing in the POV of two assholes.

if you got this far... why? i'm extremely honored but holy hell WHY. I love you now. I love you dearly.

Please feel free to ask me anything i'm foaming at the mouth constantly for this, its my new Sole Purpose. I am absolutely not avoiding my actual fucking novel i'm supposed to be finishing l o l.

[lemon-wedges]

Hello!!! I love your art and your style. I'd love to hear your inspirations behind how you draw and, in addition, hear a bit about your painting process (I love the impressionistic look your paintings have)

ahh!!! thank you so much ;u;

Ill tried my best to break down my thought process behind my drawing, so i hope this all makes sense aahaha

undercut cause it came out real long

SO Karl Gnass is an instructor that i took an anatomy class with. and who broke down anatomy in a way that really helped me grasp space. like space a figure occupies. and from that i think my characters feel a bit more...grounded? im not sure what the right word would be but tangible is something people sometimes say about my art.

And i do think when youre able to make a figure look like its really wrapping its hands around something it makes character interactions a lot more intimate.

heres a few under sketches i do when i start a drawing (i am trying REALLY hard not to use my nsfw ones tho those are pretty perfect when it comes to showing u anatomy RIP)

after i got the poses done ill turn down the opacity and rough sketch out details on top of these. and once THATS done i move onto lineart. and the most important aspect of this step is NOT TO TRACE YOUR UNDER DRAWING!!!! thats what sucks the life out of your work!!!!

instead you use your undersketch as a guide. ilI actually redraw the simple anatomy underneath very lightly, erase where they over lap and then add line weight variety + darken up the details.

examples of this are gonna look a little messy but. Left is the original pose i drew out with rough details. right is the drawing i do on top of it. you'll see theyre not one to one and theres some lines i didnt fully erase out when redoing the anatomy. i find my clean up has a lot more energy when i do this.

the thing about my style is that you'll notice i never actually do actual clean smooth lineart. and thats because i HATE DOING THAT SHIT. like i did learn how to do it and consistently forced myself to do it for over a year. and while i do think i learned a lot about line weight and drawing clearer. i realized? its just not for me. I like a textured brush and i like being able to see those small lines i didnt get to fully erase out because i think they look cool lol and thats ok!! do what you want forever man!!! its your art!!!

Also before i move onto painting ill show you this neat little trick. you know those more "loose" drawings of mine that feel more gestural? the begining process is exactly the same. the difference is i use a chunkier pen and try to see how much i can simplify details + just feel out the energy of lines

NOW PAINTING.

man. where to even start.

the thing about painting is that its an entire different set of skills that need to each be honed on their own and will slowly build up together. ill break it down like this.

VALUE, COLOR, and TECHNIQUE

I've said this on another ask before but you'll notice ill do a lot of black and white sketches. and i do that to practice choosing how to group values.

like this example. how light is laios' wolf coat compared to his skin? or kabrus skin color compard to laios coat. when do you want to really push the contrast of light and dark and when do you let values be closer to each other when you DONT want attention

the next step from this is adding a light source.

and when you're working in black and white its a lot easier to pay more attention where you want your light/how its gonna look like hitting youre characters and how far youre gonna push your shadows.

and you know if you get good at this you can play with limited color palletes

this is literally just be picking out blues and hitting the bottom with the gradient tool to light it up

NOW COLOR

is a lot harder and also very subjective. I do a ton of impressionist studies where i just color pick the fuck out of a piece to see what colors masters used + knowing the history of paint and what colors were available during that time period. +knowing what colors = what mood + knowing what colors to use when you want to be more realistic vs when you want to lean into more stylized+ what colors YOU specially incline towards + AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

its a lot and im actually still learning myself

But when i do a painting i collect a LOT of refrences of the kind of mood i want my own painting to feeling like. I've show the first example in another ask before but heres one from my latest labru too

WHen i actually start a painting tho they look like this. The top drawings are just flat colors with a simple outline of where i want the light to be hitting. like in my value studies im just trying to get the idea down, seeing what values need to be darker vs what is lighter. and how the light source covers the character.

figuring this out in the begining makes the rest of the painting so much easier because youve essentially made all the big compostion decisions NOW. from here you can start playing with colors.

my second stage, youll see with drawings at the bottom, is when i start using my texture brush to lay in extra shadows and just play with variety.

and then? i start rendering

that would be TECHNIQUE

And well....thats also something thats gonna be very subjective.

With my own style im not interested in rendering everything to perfection. Im trying to figure out how to texture hair/skin/clothes in ways that make them feel like the materials they are while also showing the energy of my brushstrokes.

I dont zoom in while i paint btw. everything i do is zoomed out so i can see the entire drawing. it helps me not tight up my strokes while also letting me build up all areas of the painting equally. the only time i zoom in is when im lining out the eyes/mouth of a character. and yeah. it drives me insane doing this because ITS SOOOOO Tempting to obsess over paint 1 area forever then zoom out and see that nothing matches lol

The other thing about my style of painting. Is that im not gonna use the exact same formula for every piece. like this isnt cell shading. you can have an idea of how to texture skin/clothes/hair and sometimes it looks great and beautiful in one painting and then it looks like shit in another. ive overhauled a lot of paintings multiple times because what i thought would work doesnt and ive had to force myself to explore and play with my brushstrokes. and you know? i wouldnt have it any other way. it means none of my paintings are gonna look alike! and i think thats pretty cool :D

ill leave you with this in the end. a painting im in the middle of doing and debating to overhaul cause im just not feeling the strokes. who knows what ill look like in the end

anyways i hope this helped a little? even if you look at all this and go. IM NEVER GONNA DRAW LIKE THIS BOZO ahahah

BUT I WISH YOU LUCK ON YOUR OWN ARTS :DDDD

[crazychaoticizzy]

I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship Part 2

feat. Levi, Erwin, Hange, Reiner

Part 1

Continuation of that one trend that was popular forever ago because why not

WARNINGS: fluffy, Hange is written with they/them pronouns

Word Count: 683

Navigation

AOT Masterlist

LEVI ACKERMAN

He will literally just stare at you with a straight face

Let’s be real he probably doesn’t care (I’M SORRY-)

And it ends and there’s no more audio and your phone is still recording as you just kind of stare back at him

You hold intense eye contact for what feels like literal hours before you grab your phone from the kitchen counter and stop

You awkwardly apologize and play it off as wanting to do a funny video before running off to the bathroom and beating yourself up over this

When you finally calm down you walk out and tell Levi that your roommate called and they need help with something

He most likely will never bring it up again and if/when one of you ask the other out. he’s gonna pretend that’s the first time anything feeling related had been done

But in theory if he does care, don’t be surprised when the next day there’s flowers on your counter that your roommate brought in

Theres a handwritten note hidden in the blossoms that has the kind beautiful poetic writing that people dream of getting (he asked Hange what to write and they found something on Pinterest)

It practically summed up that he would like to be more than friends as well, and asked you out to dinner

Of course, it was fron Levi

And of course you accepted his dinner date

ERWIN SMITH

He had zero clue what you’re doing

Honestly I don’t even think he noticed cause he was working on paperwork or something

He probably heard the sound but didn’t register it and just said “Y/n, I’m working”

It’s a lesson to not bother him while he’s working and actually talk to him when you have his attention 💀

So the trend didn’t work but hey you actually talked to him about it later!

And hey he probably returns those feelings and starts slacking off a tiny bit for you 🤷🏻‍♀️

But yes afterwards you actually confess to him and he is appalled

But he does like you back and so he kisses your hand and asks you out like the gentleman he is

HANGE ZOË

Hange was actually escatic

Like jumping off the walls escatic

Y’all were on a walk in the park and you suddenly stopped and told them you wanted to film a cute video because the scenery was nice

They were kind of confused at first but then the sound played more and they jumped up and wrapped their arms around you so tight you swear you saw Jesus for a moment

They gave you a big, sloppy smooch so close to your mouth they almost kissed your lips

And then they kind of lifted you off the ground and yelled that they like you, too

You got some weird looks but it doesn’t matter because they kissed your cheek again and said “you’re my significant other now” with the cheekiest smile it was so cute

And y’all turned your walk into a cute date and lived happily ever after

REINER BRAUN

You guys were making pumpkin bread (mostly because I’m craving that right now but that’s unimportant)

You literally got your phone out while you were stirring the batter and started to set it up

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

And then you told him immediately after you wanted to make a tiktok and he just let you

He was listening to the sound in case it was one of those traps where you played the pornhub theme to get his reaction

And he watched as you set it up directly in front of where he was making the sugar topping for the loaf

A smile crossed his face when he recognized the audio and he glanced down at you when you wrapped your arms around him

He brushed the sugar off his fingers and put his hand under your chin, tilting your head up

You were immediately flustered and almost regretted doing it because oh my god-

And then he kissed you

Right on camera

[jelicoxoxo]

TWST CHARACTERS AS CATS

Summary: Your favorite had embarrassingly made a mistake in potionology class, which ultimately resulted in them turning into a cat! They hunt you down to care for them, escaping their usual routine for the day.

Warnings: N/A. Can be seen platonic or romantic, OC friendly. No proofread cause i’ll wanna delete it

A/N: I’m posting this at 12AM, so if Leona’s looks or sounds sort of off(or OOC), it’s probably because I’m surviving off of insomnia and leftover energy from an energy burst (ADHD).

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(Heartslabyul) (Savanaclaw) (Octavinelle) (Scarabia) (Pomefiore) (Ignihyde) (Diasomnia)

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LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

- He was irritated. Extremely. All the time.

- See, Leona skipped the class that would have told him NOT to do X, Y, and Z. So what did he do when he came without that knowledge? yeah.

- At first, he was just grumpy as hell (whats new)

-But eventually he stopped caring, found a good hidden spot in the botanical garden and took the longest nap because nobody could even find him.

-Aside from you that is. You scooped up this pretty… large… brown tabby, and plopped him in your bag immediately after cooing in his grumpy face.

-only reason he didn’t hiss and scratch was because it was you, anyone else and they would have had their day ruined in seconds.

-You took him back with you and put him on your bed, staring at him as you thought of how you where going to go about this. You seriously thought he was just a regular cat, and that you could keep him.

-The first thing you attempted to do was give him cat food, and he turned his nose and walked away. Then, you tried a bath. That didn’t work since you turned around for literally 4 seconds and he was gone.

-You found him asleep on your bed after a while of looking, deciding to let him sleep while you switched your focus from him and his failed bath-time, to studying for this upcoming history test.

-While you where writing, you look up and leona is SNORING on your bed, not the perfectly normal tabby cat you thought you had brought home.

RUGGIE BUCCHI

-“the fuck do I do now” for a moment.

-He wonders if this is how Leona feels on a regular, or if this is how Jack feels when he uses his signature spell.

-Escapes quickly and makes his way to wherever you are, running his body against your ankles with a sweet meow. You had absolutely no idea the little tan colored cat was him, crouching to pet him and pick him up, immediately accepting him as yours.

-refused to eat cat food, but ate UP whatever you cooked. He was so full after omg.

- cried while he had diarrhea. it was bad, he was so embarrassed, refuses to talk about it regardless of how long ago it was.

-he’ll play with and collect any toys you give him just because you bought them for him, and bring you one he wants you to throw. He has nothing else to do but be a cat, so why not?

- Brings back coins and thaumarks he finds on the ground anywhere and hides them in a pile somewhere for him to have when he turns back. Flicked his tail at you when you found his stash and SWATTED AT YOU when you tried getting near it.

- When he turned back, he came back only for his stash. Or so he said, because he hung around you for a good hour before going back to whatever business he had.

JACK HOWL

- His partner knocked the bottle over, which he tried to save it, and the potion wasn’t even the right one, so now he’s a cat.

- Wasn’t sure how to feel about being a wolf one moment and a cat the next

- He tried not to do anything that would irritate or upset you, but his CHATTERING.

- He will chatter even if theres nothing to chatter at, he’ll do it in your ear, at you, he just would not stop when he figured out he could do such a thing.

- He’ll stop doing anything IMMEDIATELY if you spray him with water, and will sulk for an hour after.

- Will bolt from one end of your dorm to the other. If you get him toy’s he’ll play with them, but not for long.

- ^ I say not for long because he eventually RUNS AWAY and explores twisted wonderland by himself as a cat, just to see what all he could do with this new kind of flexibility and agility.

- Stares at you while you do things while he sits on your desk. Not like he’s plotting something or anything, just observes you while you continue your routine.

- When his time as a cat was up, he was glad to be back, but also slightly disappointed when he thought of new things he could’ve done beforehand.

- He came back to you as his original beastman self(??) since he was out when it happened, and thanked you for anything you provided even if it was simply playing with him.

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WHEW.