#V’s got a complex about make sure she goes fast

[thebookworm0001]

There’s a period of time after V comes back from arasaka without Johnny that she thinks she could settle down with River. Not give up everything, she’s an Afterlife Legend after all, but scale it back. Take jobs she won’t get killed on and charge heavily for them. But then she has another attack. And all she can remember is her mother. She would take every last moment she had with her, sweat and tears and puke and mucus, every last god damn part she would take again because they were with her. But she won’t do that to someone else, not when she can spare them. Maybe they’ll hate her for it, maybe they want the pain when it means they get to be there for her.

But she doesn’t give them the choice.

[merakiui]

I was reading through your tags and you mentioned at some point the kazuscara roommates finding your onlyfans and I think I completely combusted—thus i present to you my brain rot of late: you attend the same school as them but you’re not actually friends, all you know about kazuha is that he’s the friendly regular at the cafe you work at, who makes polite conversation every now and then but otherwise is nothing of note. In reality he’s been stalking you for weeks ever since your first encounter, and is dead set on the idea that you’re this innocent, weak thing that needs to be protected (maybe he stepped in when you had a bad customer and your meek reply helped fester his delusions?). Scara, on the other hand, is only aware of your presence since you’re his favourite cam model that he recently found. (Since he’s a harbinger he’s probs loaded) Weeks of funnelling money towards you cause him to feel this unwarranted possessiveness, believing that since he’s been providing so much in your “relationship” that it’s time you reward him in turn. However, despite the unbridled interest they have toward you neither are aware of each other’s feelings for you— that is, until you happen to run into the both of them heading to your class. While both are known for maintaining their stoic masks, they’re friends for a reason— and instantly can tell the attraction their roommates have towards their own “lover”. After kazuha finds your onlyfans he’s certain that you’ve been coerced and wants to save you, while scara thinks it’s time that he’s stopped letting other plebeians look at his possession—so, despite their initial reservations, come together to form the ideal plan. When you find yourself waking up groggy in a room you don’t recognize, all they can do is look on with glee whilst planning their next course of action with their new belonging. They’re friends after all, and good friends share though, don’t they?

This is v long srry lol you can ignore this ofc!!

AAAH, ANON!! YES!!! <3 I couldn’t resist writing more on this concept. orz They make for such a terrifying pair when they work together!

(cw: yandere, stalking, nsfw, implied kidnapping/drugging, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, delusional thoughts, savior complex, implied violence)

What if Kazuha and Scara were just acquainted with one another and actually became closer through their mutual obsession with you? Yes, they’re roommates and ought to get along because they’re living together but they haven’t exactly clicked yet. They talk every now and then and know little things about each other. Nothing too special. They don’t really hang out outside of their dorm either, what with their class schedules being vastly different. And Kazuha’s always out of the dorm doing who-knows-what. Most of his time is spent at a café, where he’ll write and read and stare at you while you work. On the other hand, Scara prefers to stay inside if he doesn’t have a good reason to go out. He likes his alone time. Although he has enjoyed going to the library every now and then to study.

So maybe they need to find some common ground. Maybe they need a push in the right direction before they get closer.

Kazuha likes to stare. Talking to you is great, but he worries he’ll say too much and then he’ll be a nuisance, or you might not want to talk to him at all since you’re working. But you always regard him with a warm smile, happy to scribble his name on the plastic cup because you remember him. Because you recognize his familiar face and soft, gentle eyes. He’s the one who saved you from that rude customer, after all, and he’s a polite regular. Why wouldn’t you know him? You might look like you can handle those types of situations, but what Kazuha saw that day was something entirely different. You were nervous—so soft-spoken and scared. He absolutely has to protect you from those kinds of people now, doesn’t he?

And he does exactly that. He’s your second pair of eyes—your valiant knight in shining armor—who sees and hears all. Sometimes he goes to the café with the intention to simply watch over you and make sure no one’s bothering you. He can recall one time when a customer was speaking rudely about you because her drink hadn’t been prepared in a ‘timely manner.’ In reality it’s impossible to make a drink within a few seconds, especially when you’re already preoccupied with making another customer’s drink. She must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or maybe she’s just a hateful person in general. You didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of such fiery insults, though.

Her eyes just can’t see your perfection and therefore she does not deserve to see out of them.

Kazuha’s willing to wrestle with all of this darkness if it means you’ll stay safe, oblivious, and pure. You’re like a defenseless kitten, unable to protect yourself from the scary world. He writes about you a lot in his journal; you’re his muse—someone who constantly shows up in poems and short paragraphs where he tries to describe what your dream date might be or what type of wedding you’d prefer. Things get darker the deeper you delve into his writings, where you’ll find entries in great detail. Kazuha writes a lot and he doesn’t even mean to. He just has to get all of his thoughts on paper before they abandon him and he’s left with emptiness.

Everything you do is pure; you’re almost an equivalent to a holy being. Your smell is pure. Your body is pure. Your actions are pure. Your smile is pure. Even when you’re on the verge of crying from harsh customers or when you’re turning down a confession, you’re still pure. And Kazuha likes that about you because it’s special. There aren’t many people in his life who are completely pure. He’s been through a lot of rough things and has seen firsthand how impure people can be. It’s only fair that he gets a chance to protect purity itself.

He might have some impurities, but that doesn’t deter him from watching over you. As gentle and unassuming as he is, there are times when even he loses his composure. Not many are privy to these dark emotions of his. His smiles are sharp and venomous and his eyes fill with a gloom so dark it can swallow you whole. You’ll never see this side of him; he won’t allow it. Instead you’re treated to his sweet, calm side, where he feigns perfection in hopes of catching your interest.

As for Scara… He doesn’t really care about Kazuha in the beginning. He’s just someone he has to live with. It’s not a big deal and as long as he doesn’t try to make lots of pointless conversation everything will be okay. He prefers the peace and quiet, considering he’s acquainted with people who are far from peaceful and quiet. Scara’s relieved that Kazuha leaves the dorm so often because it gives him an opportunity to watch his favorite cam star’s most recent video. He’s your most loyal follower—someone who’s paid lots of money just to have access to the highest tier of rewards and such. He even got a private video where you addressed him and moaned out his name with lustful thoughts of him. Having lots of money comes in handy.

When he finds out that you go to the same school as him, he’s a little shocked. He didn’t expect you to be so close. You’re practically within touching distance. If only he knew your schedule. If only you were in one of his classes. It’s really annoying that he only knows your online presence and not who you might be in your personal life. The last thing he’s going to do is consult Childe, that popular athlete who knows literally everyone in the school for whatever reason. Surely he knows you. But he’ll die before he ever asks Childe for a favor.

Scara loves you out of every other cam model because you’re different. You’re not just trying to get fast cash. You’re genuine. You listen to your subscribers and their feedback. You do your best to improve and do even better streams than the previous ones. All of your hard work is overlooked by the other fools who watch your streams, but it isn’t overlooked by him. Scara appreciates your attention to detail and the way you’re able to hook him with your breathless voice alone. You’re very skilled at what you do, so it’s only fair you get paid for it.

But buying your services isn’t enough. It’s not a real relationship, but it certainly feels like it when he buys preferential treatment. Private shows, special requests, odd favors—you do it all because he pays for it. But this relationship isn’t going to be one-sided forever. You’ll have to pay him back in full eventually. Scara likes to think he has patience and that waiting is fine. It gives him more time to plan his next move—to figure out what he should do to finally have you all to himself. So that those private shows he watches through a screen can finally be real.

Scara finds the journal sitting innocently on Kazuha’s bed, its maroon cover and maple leaves pulling at his curiosity. He might not know everything about Kazuha, but he’d recognize this journal anywhere. His roommate almost always has it on his person. Scara wouldn’t be surprised if he slept with it. To say he’s curious would be absolutely correct. He can only wonder what Kazuha writes in that thing. Perhaps it’s just notes for a class. That’s what anyone would think, right?

Scara opens it and flips through the first few pages. They’re normal for the most part. Just a bunch of haikus and other useless scribbles. When he skips over some pages, he starts to find things that are far more interesting than poetry and doodles of cats. He finds the majority of the journal is comprised of information. More specifically, there are facts and other knowledge about you—the cam model he’s been obsessed with ever since he stumbled upon your onlyfans. He reads through as much of the journal as he can and instantly learns so much: your address, your roommate, your workplace, your friends’ names, names of any potential exes. The list goes on and on.

Scara doesn’t have anything against Kazuha. His first impression of him wasn’t anything groundbreaking. He thought he was a pushover at first. But now that he knows what this journal holds… Well, it sheds an entirely new light on his roommate.

Just days before Scara took a peek inside his journal, Kazuha discovers your secret online life. He snoops through Scara’s laptop when he steps out, having left it open and unlocked. He’s just trying to find what could have caught Scara’s interest, as he’s almost always glued to his laptop on specific days at specific times, with his headphones on and his gaze unyielding. He doesn’t intend to find the file of one of your private videos—something that was meant only for Scara’s eyes.

He clicks on the video out of interest. He’s not sure what he was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t this. Kazuha sits there and stares at the sight before him. You’re dressed in skimpy lingerie and you’re muttering the dirtiest things while coating your fingers in lube. And your hands are stroking a thick toy and you’re addressing Scara and you’re lining it up to your hole and— He shuts the laptop before it can get even more explicit than it already is. He’s so conflicted, fraught with a betrayal so strong it weighs his heart down.

Why would he have this sort of video on his laptop? Did you give it to him? Did he make you do this? Are you in danger? Are you still pure?

Kazuha can’t kill on campus. It’s way too risky and he’d be one of the first suspects if Scara’s body is found. Besides, it’s not like he has the full story. He doesn’t know whether or not Scara’s done something that’s worthy of death. You could just be in a tight spot. He knows how easily you give in when you’re under pressure. Maybe you’re just doing this because you feel like it’s the only thing you can do. Not to worry; Kazuha will save you before Scara can ruin your purity with his twisted fantasies.

They confront each other when the time feels right. Kazuha struggles to keep a smile plastered to his face for the sake of politeness, while Scara holds in his raging temper so that he can bear some semblance of cooperation. Neither of them is happy to hear that the other went through their stuff, but they force themselves to make up because a more pressing issue is at hand: their connection to you.

Kazuha says he’s your secret admirer. Scara says he’s in a relationship with you. There’s no way you’d ever date someone like Scara—Kazuha knows this for a fact. Yet he falters at the confidence in Scara’s tone. That can’t be the truth, right? Despite this, Kazuha still strikes up an offer: If they work together to get what they both want, they’ll be unstoppable. With Scara’s riches and his influence and Kazuha’s charisma and clever thinking, they can easily get their hands on you. Of course this means they’ll have to share, but it’s not a big deal when they’re already in so deep. They both know the other’s secret; now they’re swearing to keep it in the pursuit of having you all to themselves. And luckily Scara agrees to the deal, but that doesn’t give Kazuha a reason to lower his guard.

However despite how well they work together when it comes to planning the kidnapping and actually executing it, they both have their own reasons for wanting you. Scara wishes to make his relationship with you a reality—to toss aside the screen that once held him back and finally do all of the things he could only do in his dreams. Kazuha seeks to protect your fragile heart, lest you crumble under Scara’s intense way of doing things and cling to him for salvation. You can’t do those sorts of things with Scara; he won’t allow it. Your purity is meant for him and no one else.

But sharing is caring and some have to learn that the hard way. It definitely brings Kazuha and Scara closer together, even if neither of them will admit it. If they look past their desires, they can be friends. And soon enough they’ll have to accept this new friendship if they want to avoid any unnecessary complications.

However there are times when they’ll cooperate in order to do things with you. They’re a packaged deal you can’t get rid of.

[heauxplesslydevoted]

And They Were Roommates (Bryce Lahela x MC)

Summary: A surprise leads to a major shift in Bryce and Casey’s relationship

A/N: Eeeek, this is my first time ever writing a Bryce x MC fic! The day you guys see me writing something not Ethan centric is the day you should play the lotto because it’s more rare than a unicorn sighting.

Anywho....please enjoy!

Tags: @drakewalker04 @canknot @lapisreviewsstuff @senseofduties @maurine07 @badchoicesposts @ermidc @sundaescreamcheese @danijimenezv @starrystarrytrouble @the-pale-goddess @gogotomago95 @have-aheart @aworldoffandoms @zaffrenotes @anotherbeingsworld @to-fangirl-or-not-to-fangirl @nazariolahela @the-unconquered-queen @writinghereandthere @omgjasminesimone @parkerattano @silent-storms-posts

~v~

“Okay, are we going out to lunch?” Casey asks, twisting her fingers into her skirt. From the passenger seat of Bryce’s car, the bustling streets of Boston fly past her. A tendril of her curly hair whips around in the wind, settling on her lip as it sticks to her tacky lip gloss. Bryce is a freaking speed demon and drives too fast for her liking.

But she does like looking at him when he’s behind the wheel. His grip on the wheel is relaxed, much like his posture, slouched low in the seat, right hand drumming against the gear shift. While it’s still winter, the sun is shining brightly, making the highlights in his hair and the light dusting of freckles adorning his nose stand out. Her boyfriend—even thinking that word makes her giddy—makes a pretty sight to behold.

“No, that’s not the plan. But we can go get food once we’re done,” Bryce answers..

“Ice skating?” Casey guesses. She watches as he shakes his head. “But ice skating sounds so fun.”

“We can go ice skating some other time, Case.”

“We’re going to the movies?”

Bryce chuckles. She’s been trying to guess all morning what he has planned for the day, and despite getting every single guess wrong, Casey comes up with another one at the drop of a hat. The persistence is admirable. “You’ll find out soon enough. Stop being so nosy.”

Casey pouts, feigning hurt. “I resent that! I prefer to be called naturally inquisitive. It makes me sound smart.”

“You’re nosy,” Bryce deadpans. “But don’t fret, we’ll be there in like, 5 minutes tops.”

He’s been excited from the moment he told her to get dressed, and Casey can see that his leg is bouncing up and down underneath the steering wheel. Whatever he has planned, he’s really excited about it, so Casey decided to keep quiet and enjoy the rest of the ride.

They enjoy the rest of the short ride, Casey scrolling through Bryce’s different Spotify playlists until she settles on the perfect song, but he’s pulling in and parking his car before she can even hit play.

An apartment complex was not what she was expecting to see. It’s a very nice apartment complex, located a few blocks away from Boston University. Casey can see the college students milling around, some adults walking their dogs, a few older more established couples, some with kids, some without going in and out of the building.

Now her curiosity is piqued. Is Bryce dragging her along to some surgeon friend’s apartment? Is this his idea of a Saturday adventure? Granted, he never promised her an adventure, just a surprise, and while she likes most of his surgical cohort, she’d rather be doing something else. Nonetheless, Casey doesn’t say anything, letting Bryce intertwine their fingers and lead her through the building.

They ride up the elevator in silence until they reach the 4th floor. It isn’t until Bryce reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key do the alarms go off on her brain. “Bryce? Did you–”

“I got a new apartment!” Bryce exclaims, cutting her off. “Surprise!”

Once the door is open, he’s pulling her in, his excitement palpable. Casey looks around the place. It’s unfurnished, the hardwood floors beneath them bright and freshly waxed. And even though she hasn’t looked around, she can already tell it’s much larger than his current 1 bedroom.

“Oh...wow,” is all that manages to come out of her mouth.

“I know! It’s in Keiki’s school district, thank god. And it’s a brand new unit, all stainless steel appliances, marble and quartz countertops, which are apparently huge deals when you’re apartment hunting. In-unit washer and dryer, walk-in closets, there’s a gym and a pool downstairs, a game room–”

Casey watches him as his animatedly rattles off all of the features in the apartment. His face is flush, pink with excitement, his words are breathless and tumbling out of his mouth all at once. She takes a step forward, cupping his face between both hands. “Bryce, I think you should stop and breathe.”

The command makes him flush hard, now from embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. You can continue now.”

“That was pretty much it. The main draw is that it’s a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment, so I don’t have to sleep on the couch anymore. Now Keiki and I will each have our own space. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“Will the 15 year old girl like having her own room, and not having to share a bathroom with her older brother?” Casey nods. “Absolutely. Keiki is a lucky duck.” She takes a few steps further into the apartment, silently appraising it. It’s beautiful from what she can see, and she hasn’t even seen the bedrooms. “Question: how are you affording this place? You’re a surgical resident, living in Boston is expensive, and I’m pretty sure Sallie Mae is eating most of your paychecks.”

Bryce looks down at his feet, shuffling them back and forth much to Casey’s dismay. He’s going to scuff the floors doing that. “I uh...I talked to my parents.”

“When?”

“A little over a month ago, before I enrolled Keiki in school. I called my parents and gave them quite the earful about not contacting Keiki once since she’s been in Boston, and I kinda let them have it. Turns out I’ve been holding in a lot of pent up...stuff regarding my parents.”

Casey’s eyes soften at his confession. They hardly ever have conversations about his parents, and when they do, it’s never good. “You want to talk about it?”

Bryce shakes his head, memories of that conversation trying to bubble to the surface. His mother tried her hand at making awkward small talk as if they hadn’t gone years without talking, while his father said nothing at all. He bites the inside of his cheek, willing the bad memory to go away. Negative thoughts of his parents don’t need to invade this space.  “Nah, it’s not important.”

Resisting the urge to call bullshit, Casey simply nods. “Agree to disagree, Bry. But we’ll table it for now and just continue your story.”

He’s grateful that she’s willing to listen, but not pushy enough to force him to talk, leaving the ball in his court. “Long story short, I told them that Keiki is welcome to stay with me in Boston and I wouldn’t make it public news that they all but abandoned their daughter and drag social services into things, if they allowed me to be her legal caregiver.”

“Really?”

“Yup. So I can be in charge of her education and medical decisions while she’s out here. It’s less permanent than me filing her guardianship, and my parents still legally have rights, but it makes things easier. And because of that, my parents are giving me a pretty generous monthly allowance for all of her expenses. Housing, food, school supplies, the works.”

“So child support?”

“Pretty much, yes. I didn’t ask for it, but the Lahelas like to throw money at their problems. Some of that money goes towards the rent here, the rest I put in a savings account for Keiki. I’ll gift her the money when she starts college, so she’ll have a bit of a nest egg, and won’t be dependent on ramen noodles and the McDermot’s dollar menu like I was.”

Bryce shoves his hands into his pockets and looks at Casey, trying to gauge her reaction. “I know I dumped a lot on you, and you probably think I’m insane for taking all of this on but–”

Casey wraps her arms around his waist and cuts him off with a quick kiss. “If I could look at you with literal heart eyes right now, I would.”

“Really?” 

“Really.” She leans forward, resting her head against the solid expanse of his chest. The faint scent of his laundry detergent and his cologne invade her senses, and she relishes in it. He smells like comfort, if there was ever such a thing. “I can’t believe you accomplished all of this in such a short period of time.”

“Well my lease was up, and I was trying to get Keiki situated in school, and it all sort of fell into place at the right time.”

“Stop trying to downplay it,” Casey orders. “You are strong, and brave, and you take initiative in any situation. I don’t know too many 27 year olds that would spring into action and volunteer to raise their teenage sisters, all while being a resident and trying to juggle their own personal life.”

The way she says it, the awe and idolatry in her voice makes his stomach flip. Bryce considers himself to be a pretty self-assured guy. He has a healthy level of self esteem, but something about Casey praising him always causes him to short circuit, without fail. “You make it sound so much cooler than it really is.”

“It is cool,” Carey argues. “You’re doing a noble thing, so let me give you compliments you deserve.”

He doesn’t meet her eyes immediately, the bashfulness still holding him tight. Eventually, Bryce looks up at her, her expression open and earnest. “You make me sound so much better than I really am.”

Casey grabs hold of his sweater and tugs him closer, forcing him to crane forward and be at her eye level. “Mhmm, it’s a hidden talent of mine. I happen to be an excellent salesperson.”

Bryce smirks, their lips barely brushing against each other, and mumbles “You’re such a dork,” before capturing her in a kiss. Casey responds instantly, matching his eagerness and fervor. It doesn’t take long for things to get more heated, his tongue slipping into her mouth, hands going to grip her waist.

She breaks to kiss to inhale sharply. “You’ve lived here for 5 minutes and you’re already trying to defile the place.”

“Can’t help it. You make me feel like a horny teenager again, baby.”

“Well stop it.”

Bryce rolls his eyes. “You’re no fun.”

“Come on loverboy, show me around. Give me the grand tour.”

They wander around the apartment at a leisurely pace, Casey pointing out all of the different things Bryce could buy to furnish the place—“What do you mean you’ve never gone to Home Goods?”—and admonishing his idea to shop on Craigslist. He’s an adult, not a college freshman, and his home should reflect that.

“You want to know what the best part is?” Bryce asks, leading Casey back to their starting point, the living room.

“What?”

“Keiki’s bedroom is on the other side of the apartment, separated by a pretty sizable living room.”

He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, and she shoves at his chest, laughing. “And? Are you trying to say something?”

“Yeah, that one of us—you—can be pretty loud at times.”

Her cheeks heat up and she blushes furiously. “Well I’ll make sure to keep it quiet on the nights that I sleep over.”

“What if you didn’t just spend the night over here?”

He instantly regrets the way he phrased that sentence because it sounds like he just told her he doesn’t want her in his apartment. Casey frowns. “What do you mean?”

“Sorry! That sounded weird.” He flushes, stumbling over his words. Something about Casey Valentine makes him very nervous. “That’s not what I meant, I promise.”

Bryce grabs both of Casey’s hands, holding them close to his chest. “Move in with me.”

Her eyes widen at the suggestion. He wants to do what? “What?”

“I spent all of last year tiptoeing around our relationship, trying to keep things light and breezy when I really didn’t want that. And it took you being in that...horrible accent for me to finally reveal the full extent of my feelings for you. Now that we’re together and official, I don’t want to waste any more time.”

“I would like to go to sleep with you every night, your ice cold feet pressed against my legs, and your curly hair tickling my nose because you’ve invaded my side of the bed. And I want to wake up to you every morning, because even though you think you look crazy in the morning, I think you’re absolutely beautiful. I want us to cook together every day, or just you because you’re a much better cook than I am.” Casey giggles at his jokes, which only spur him on further. “Besides Keiki, you’re the most important person I have, and I want you here with me, permanently.”

When Casey doesn’t say anything immediately, Bryce understands. He just dropped a bomb—a few bombs actually—right at her feet, she needs time to process. But the silence stretches until it grows into something long and uncomfortable, and a thin sheen of sweat forms at Bryce’s hairline. Did he just shoot himself in the foot? Did he seriously overestimate her feelings for him, and the nature of their relationship?

Before he can open his mouth to renege on the invitation, Casey speaks. “We’re going to have to talk to your landlord, or the property manager, because a new lease needs to be drawn up.”

“W-what?”

“I mean, I assume it’s just you and Keiki listed on the lease, and I don’t want to just be a permanent guest staying in your apartment. I want it to be our apartment, so I need to be on the lease agreement,” Casey explains. “And I know you said your parents cover most of the rent on this place, but I want to contribute, so I guess I’ll be in charge of the–”

She doesn’t get to finish talking because Bryce is on her in an instant, his mouth crashing into hers in a fiery kiss. His fingers dig into her hips, walking her backwards until her back bumps into the kitchen island. In a quick show of strength, Bryce lifts her onto the island, and Casey has to break the kiss to hiss. 

“Shit, that’s cold!”

“Sorry baby.” He’s not the least bit sorry, flashing her his signature smirk. “I’ll warm you up.”

“And you say I’m the dorky one,” Casey teases, laughing as Bryce kisses her between each word.

“You are,” he insists, kissing down her neck. She squirms away from him as his lips find a particularly sensitive spot, but he holds her in place. “We bring that out in each other.”

He kisses her a few more times, some softer than others, some so deep, she feels dizzy when he pulls away.

“We’re really going to do this?” Casey asks rhetorically. “This whole living together thing?”

“We are. I asked, and you said yes, so you’re stuck with me, little lady.” 

There’s a smile on his face, so huge, Casey really thinks he might blind her with his pearly white teeth. She hasn’t seen him this relaxed, this unabashedly happy in a while. She can’t help but to smile back.

“You have to let me have creative control on furniture and decorations though.”

“This apartment is going to look like a furniture store magazine spread.”

Casey nods. “It’ll smell like the inside of a Bath & Body Works store in here, too.”

“You’re going to go crazy on the candles, aren’t you?”

“Oh absolutely. They also have cute wall plug-ins.”

Bryce laughs. “I don’t care. You and Keiki can do whatever you want to the place.”

“Mhmm, now you’re talking my language, Lahela.”

They talk excitedly, basking in the fun that this new journey is going to bring their relationship. They don’t know how much time has passed when the conversation finally dwindles down.

“Hey, Bryce?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you let me down from here?” Casey asks, gesturing to the countertop. Bryce has her caged in, arms on either side of her. “Despite your best efforts to warm me up with a make-out session, this thing is freezing cold.”

“No one told you to wear a mini skirt like this in winter, you naughty school girl.”

“I resent that! This skirt is very cute, and it would’ve looked even cuter had you taken me ice skating.”

Bryce rolls his eyes. He’s gonna have to take this girl to the ice skating rink, and soon. He trails his hands up and down her legs, taking in all the goosebumps that have popped up on her smooth skin.

“You want to know where this skirt would look even better?”

“Where?”

Gripping the backs of her thighs, Bryce lifts Casey off of the countertop and into his arms. “The floor of our new bedroom.” 

[starrysupercell]

Brawl Stars Fantasy Outline....7! It was going to be longer, but the cut off point felt way too long. You guys are just going to have to wait until next time. <3

They enter the castle, and Shelly notes that even if it’s slightly neater inside, there’s still flowery vines and thistles growing inside the windows of the castle.

There’s an Owl staring down at them from a ledge high above them as they enter. It tilts its head in interest.

Rosa notices Shelly is stepping over and looking around. She’s amused. “Like I said, even if we’re trying our hand at technology right now, we primarily specialize in magic. Plants and other ingredients have a lot to do with that regard. Y’know, the essence of it and all of that.”

“Ingredients like what?” Shelly asked, sounding interested.

“Well, animal parts and of the sort. There’s two types of wizardry. Brewery and Performance. ...Agh, well, that’s generalizing it a lot,” Rosa said, sounding a little frustrated. “But to keep it simple, I’ll leave it at those two categories. Enchantment can be used for a lot of things. Like fighting, servitude, and creation.”

As Rosa explained that, a plant creature and a blue liquified one trotted by in tow, carrying a couple of varied items. (Sakura, Spike and Squeak!)

“Like them, for example!” the Mystic Knight pointed out. “They were just a cactus, a small tree, and a bucket of water, but Bea, my queen, specializes in Personification Magic.”

“Oh! I see!” Max says in delight. She suddenly gets a sense of something, and looks around the room in confusion.

Shelly considers that. And the two fights she’s been in her life, ever. And how she only won because Ash and Max were there, but now Ash was predisposed.... “How fast can someone use magic to learn how to fight?”

Rosa laughed very heartily because of how it sounded, and midway through realized that that could likely be taken as very rude, and cleared her throat as they stopped before a set of double doors. Shelly had a look of very annoyed embarrassment. “Well. Uh, I’ll get back to you on that. I think there’s someone who can help you out in this castle. For now, we're going to talk about your royal situation, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Shelly said. Rosa pushed open the doors, feeling a little bit awkward and we see Bea, who was starting to head out. I can see her as a Fairy as well, but I think she could be default Bea (Beafault) easily. Sorry no fancy description for you, bug girl. Oh! Queen Bea, duh.

Anyway, Bea was about to go rest up as she had just finished meeting up with someone and sent him on his way, but Rosa explains that Shelly’s from another Kingdom here to talk. Bea changes her mind immediately.

As they walk through the doors, the Owl that had been observant and been the presence that Max felt swoops down and joins the crowd in the room. Max is freaked out by it. She doesn’t take her suspicious glare off the bird as she goes over to land on Shelly’s shoulder.

“Hey...” she starts.

“What?” Shelly asks.

She feels silly--this isn’t Colette. And she was about to accidentially spill something crucial-! “N-never mind!”

Shelly is confused, but then Bea and Rosa motion to her to sit down and begin discussing. She explains once again that her kingdom was destroyed, leaving nothing.

"Really? Well, you know who's an expert about Dragons and other creatures, right? The De La Prim Kingdom probably attacked you." Rosa pointed out

The Owl blinked and held a special focus in the conversation, as soon as the De La Prim Kingdom was mentioned.

"We didn't!" Max defended with a huff. "We wouldn't, even if--!" Shelly shushed her. It was enough to let them know that one Kingdom was entirely compromised.

"You're allied with them?" Bea asked curiously.

"Kind of," Shelly said. "I'm only traveling to see who could help us in our plight. Castle De La Prim turned us down, but granted us a boon of a Fairy."

Bea looked over at Rosa, who returned the glance. They seemed to have some silent agreement. Max blinked. What was that feeling? But it was gone before she could pinpoint it.

"We can help you." Rosa nodded at Shelly. "Right now we're working on a few things for the upcoming future, but you're definitely welcome to stay here. ...but there probably won’t be progress on looking into your Kingdom's fate until later. In the meantime, you said you wanted to learn Magic right?"

"Yes." Shelly said, feeling excited.

Rosa looked over to the Avian who remained afar from a ledge. “You’re fine to start teaching someone else too, aren’t you?”

The Owl glanced aside, seemingly unimpressed.

“..Yes, you’ll be paid an extra amount. Double.”

“...?” Shelly was confused when the Owl suddenly turned to her. It eyed her critically. She could swear it made a face and rolled its eyes!

She felt offended, really, but apparently the Owl seemed to be satisfied with that offer, and lets the Queens know with a single, telling hoo.

"That's settled then!" Bea announces. "Eglantine will show the way to your rooms, then she'll get you started." She points to the doors. "We'd do so ourselves, but like I said.. I just got done with someone, and would like to rest."

Rosa nodded.

"..Okay," Shelly said, making to open the doors to leave. The Owl spread its wings and soared ahead of Shelly and Max to lead the way.

Max hovers just a bit closer to Shelly.

They’re shown to a room which Shelly can assume is where she’ll be staying. They put what little stuff they have down, with Shelly briefly placing Moth Ash’s bug cage down. The Owl shows a keen interest which Max picks up on.

"I think it wants to eat him." Max warns Shelly. Shelly picks up Ash again and keeps a firm grip on the cage.

Frankly, the Owl is offended that they would even think that, but waits for them to finish settling in before leaving the way further into the castle.

It's a silent walk as they travel through...

Until Shelly recalls that she was annoyed by the Owl earlier. That, combined with absurdity of the situation spurs her to comment.

"Hey Max, do you really think this pigeon can teach us magic?" She asks in a feigned whisper.

Without stopping, Eglantine turns toward a rounded staircase.

Max laughs as Eglantine lands on a small ledge, and g l a r e s down at them.

She suddenly swoops down towards the small fairy who shrieked mid-laugh and retreated back into Shelly's hair.

"...Are you okay?" Shelly asked.

"...Yeah," Max responded shakily.

They continue and cautiously walk down. The bird's completely out of sight and they're wondering if they were wrong about seeing the bird come this way.

But upon the final round of the staircase, they see a man waiting for them near the foot of the stairs. He's scowling, and the bird was perched on a bookcase, looking down at them again.

It feels like.. Max and Shelly were snitched on.

"Eglantine is an Eastern Screech Owl." Is how this man greets them. "If you ever make another demeaning remark toward her at any point during your stay here, the only spell you’ll learn is one that'll exile you to the far reaches of the land. I'll answer to the Queens myself."

Shelly blinked, dumbfounded really. Was this guy serious? Over a bird!?...

"Yeah. He is." Max whispered to her.

Oh.

"Sorry." Shelly said, because that’s all she could think of. (how did he even know. :v) "...Sorry for calling the owl a pigeon."

He is not impressed one bit. He witnessed the conversation 'himself' but still didn't expect this former Royal to be this.... witless.

Honestly. She was a true fish out of water here. She didn't know the basics of magics. She'd likely even be far behind the Prince, and they weren't even human.

From what he can tell, she didn't even know what a Familiar was. How ignorant.

...

"Hmm." Byron responded testily. "I know what your first lesson will be in that case."

Shelly was almost offput, but her eagerness to finally get started on some new skills outweighed the prospect of not knowing what was coming.

Her hand brushed against the bug cage and she recalled the side quest words of that other wizard. "You'll know him when you see him."

"Oh, right.." she lifted the strap up and carefully lifted the main cage to peer inside a final time. If Moths could look angry, she was sure Ash was the poster bug for it.

For a brief second she doubted if she should hand off her friend, but Max's words from earlier, and the fact that she had absolutely no skill points in magic convinced her that there was no choice.

"This is for you," she said, holding out Ash. "We passed someone on our way here, and he turned my friend into a bug. He said you could turn them back."

Byron reached out, already feeling the familiar sense of the magic. He grabbed it by the strap and felt the complex weaves of magic.

He..wanted to work on this one already.

"Did he say anything else?" He asked, idly already thinking what he can use to counter the transmutation spell. He shook his head. "Never mind that."

The Wizard glanced at the table before carelessly scooting the scatter of papers to clear a space on the surface and set the cage down. The moth was fluttering like crazy, at the side of the cage.

Odd. Byron turned to her. "We start your first lesson now." He said.

Shelly grinned.

[the-last-millenial-disaster]

I read ur hc's about omen! its really good~ as for the hc where omen makes rounds to check on everyone, what if one day he finds that someone went missing (not like seriously, the missing agent was prob doing something stupid where they never are found,,,unless you wanna go the angst route-)?

Okay first of all, thank you for the ask! I really appreciate it.

(this might get too long and off topic but oh well here we go)  

I had a bit of a dilemma with this one at first, because who would Omen miss if he didn’t find them during his rounds? For who would he blink twice? I kind of imagine Omen as a middle aged man employed in some university teaching physics or something similar. The proffesor that would be cool if he wasn’t so mean. Before Kingdom of course. So I believe that he generally cares for everyone around him, but doesn’t show it in any way. So assuming he’s the oldest or second oldest of the V protocol he adopted the same mindset about the agents as he had for his students - they need someone to challenge and push them to the very best of their abilities.

So when one of the chaos children in the V protocol isn’t in the building at 00.30 in the morning, Omen stirrs

Worry is not a good word for it, because he doesn’t necesarrily care where they are, or what they’re doing

But he’s curious - he likes to be aware of where the agents are

He isn’t one to form attachments easily

But after his transformation, after he left his whole life behind, these people were the only family he had

If Brimstone is the dad, Omen is like, the uncle noone knows how to feel about

So of course he’d prefer if they live

But then, kingdom decides to roll in another agent, seemingly out of nowhere

Enter: Skye

Omen being the distrusting ball of darkness he is, doesn’t approach her, doesn’t talk to her, nothing. Just. Observing.

He’s totally one of those people who will burn holes in your back with searing stares and expect you to hear their thoughts

Hurt one of these idiots and I will annihilate you

(This probably isn’t what you had in mind for angst, but I couldn’t pass it up I’m sorry)

Imagine this:

Omen is doing his rounds as per usual going methodically trough each room from the bottom floor up

He sees Breach going off on his punching bag, checks if Raze’s workshop’s still standing, oversees the labs with Killjoy up to her elbows in everyone’s broken equipment and even says hi to Viper

It’s one of his good days

But then he nears Skye’s door

He almost passes them, but then...what the hell why not

So he quietly checks the room...and it’s empty

A few questions pop into his head

Where is she and what is she doing

He continues his way and clears the complex of Skye

Where could a complete newcomer go, on one of their first days in the base no less?

He doesn’t like this. At all.

After checking on the last storey, he quietly shroud steps on the roof

The place is calm, Sage’s garden giving it a cozy ambiance while still keeping the space fresh with hints of wilderness that strech across the west grounds of the HQ property

Omen likes to read there, or simply just come to desocialize

A faint but beautiful bird song echoes trough his head

But

Hold up

It’s a good hour past midnight

What bird is singing such sweet melodies in the dead of the night?

A quick flash reflecting in the dome catches his attention

He amost immediately spots the source

It’s gone as fast as it started, but he caught a whiff of red hair dissapearing into the bushes

There you are

And so it began

Skye heard Omen teleport to the edge of the forest and ever since then they’ve been playing a game of cat and mouse

Sometimes Omen hunts, other times Skye tracks

Skye finds Omen fascinating - one second she has his trail and the next she has to find it all over again

Things escalate to short conversations can you imagine

You might think they don’t have much in common, but you’d be wrong

They’re both trackers, hunters, and that exact fact is why Omen started trusting Skye to not stab him in the back

Noone else knows about Skye’s nightly wilderness escapades

It’s almost like playing tag - Omen doesn’t know but Skye is keeping score

As for a little bit softer route:

Omen is very aware of his surroundings

A big part of it is his teleport - he can’t do shit if he isn’t familliar with the layout of the land

But he also likes to keep tabs on people

That’s why he’s doing rounds - or at least that’s what he’s trying to convince himself

Most agents are in the common room that night, watching some sort of an action movie

Omen never understood what people have to gain from that, but what he did know is that this is Cypher’s sort of gig

But he doesn’t see him anywhere

So Omen promptly makes his way to his room, dodging the tripwires and ignoring the warning signs on the door

Cypher isn’t home

He checks the comms tower

...and Cypher isn’t over there either

Now he’s got Omen’s attention

He goes to the conference room and checks the logs - Cypher might have gone to a minor or more of a hush hush mission

But he doesn’t turn anything up

Where is he?

Since he’d literally rather parnoia himself than initiate a conversation he makes his way to the shooting range

Cypher is smart, he’s probably fine

...right?

Like most nights, Omen hovers around the base, trying to decide what to spend his time on

If it were a normal night, he’d be poring over some scientific article or simply stealing a historic novel from Sova’s collection

But he couldn’t stop thinking about Cypher

He still hasn’t come back

And so Omen finds himself patrolling from one entrance to another, and just when he’s about to actually go outside and track that idiot down, his target staggers trough the staff entrance

If he didn’t know better, Omen would’ve thought he was drunk

But the way Cypher clutches his side, drags his leg and silently curses in arabic tells him that he’s injured. Badly.

Cypher doesn’t spot Omen

Instead, he limps over to the elevator, leaning heavily against the wall the entire time

He punches a button and sighs in relief when the doors open immediately

Since his little ‘walk’ wasn’t in the books, Omen assumes he’s not going to the med bay

He can practically feel Cypher’s pain and anguish from the rising elevator

If you won’t get yourself help, I will

Omen first makes sure that Cypher managed to get his sorry ass back to his room without collapsing

Then he straight up ults to med bay, scaring the crap out of the on-call physician

He goes to the only doctor that doesn’t ask many questions and directs him toward Cypher’s room

The medic’s intervention saved Cypher’s life

And he never found out how the doctor knew to come and treat him

Whenever he tried to question the said doctor, he got the same answer

I didn’t ask any questions, and neither should you

(A/N: Again, thank you for the ask and thank you for reading!)

[mysmediscord]

The Missing Coordinator

HALLOWS WRITING CONTEST ENTRY #8 Written by: sushioasis#6900 ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── The party was crowded, packed even. Every corner was bustling with activity and the entire hall was filled with the cheers of happy children, panicked shrieks and laughter as people enjoyed themselves. It was certainly fun to see everyone running around the party, donating amounts to charity in exchange for tickets to play games. Every decoration was perfectly in place and though Jaehee was incredibly exhausted from running around, she was perfectly happy in this position. Seeing everyone participating, from Zen reading a story to a group of young children to Jumin, chatting up the patrons to get them to give a bit more to charity, made her unbelievably happy. Jaehee gave out a small sigh, hoping to find MC and share some candy with them as a small break until Seven burst into the hall from outside in a panic. His hair was untidy and the cat costume was torn as if he had been attacked by an animal. “Jaehee! Jaehee, it’s MC!” He ran over to her, limping slightly. “MC? What happened?” Jaehee’s voice shook slightly, the panic in the hacker’s voice causing her to become worried. What could’ve happened to shake Seven like this? “Are they alright?” “There was an attack… Outside… MC’s gone… I don’t know what to do!” Seven collapsed to the ground gasping for breath and attempting to explain things to Jaehee. “Need to tell… Messenger…” Seven put his hand to his forehead and fell backwards, fainting before he could get out everything.  “Seven, now isn’t the time to be dramatic or silly! MC is in trouble and you just lay there?” Jaehee’s voice was stern as she bent down to shake the redhead. He didn’t respond to her, despite her tone, only laid on the floor of the hall limply. “Fine. I need to gather everyone then, could be in serious danger and someone has to make sure that they don’t get harmed.” As the brown-haired woman started to get out her phone she noticed the guests' concern, groups were staring at the passed out Luciel and Jaehee wondering why there was so much commotion. Jaehee made an attempt to calm her expression and spoke to the crowd, “Excuse me, there has been an emergency. Some of the activities will be temporarily shutting down as we handle this, thank you for your patience.”  Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom. Jumin Han has entered the chatroom. V has entered the chatroom. Jumin Han: Jaehee, what is going on? What is the emergency? V: Is everything alright? Jaehee Kang: MC is in danger according to Seven. He came from outside, supposedly from the haunted house. V: The Haunted House? When did they go out there? Jaehee Kang: They told me that they were going to go with one of the kids since they were scared but I didn’t think that they would go missing. Jumin Han: Jaehee, please calm down. I can see you pacing from my place on the other end of the room. V: Jumin… I think she needs a moment to process that her partner is missing. Jaehee Kang: Missing… Jaehee put her phone down for a moment, trying to calm herself and think logically. She really should take bodyguards and go after whoever took MC but that would take time. She thought for a moment before checking her phone again and writing a message. Jaehee Kang: Saeran, Jihyun and Yoosung, make sure the event goes smoothly. Jumin, call security and get them in order to rescue MC. Zen, come with me and carry Seven. He’s our best bet on finding MC. Jaehee Kang: Please do this quickly, I’m going after them. Jaehee left the chatroom and gripped her phone tightly, dialing MC’s number as she ran towards the door. She didn’t have any thoughts other than getting to MC and making sure that they were safe. She pushed the door leading to the haunted house open and found that it was much different than the one MC had planned with her.  “That’s strange, It’s much darker than it was before…” Jaehee trailed off before remembering why she was here. MC needed her and that came first before any strange haunted houses. She turned on her phone flashlight, sighing at the fact that this was the best thing that she had to light the darkness. Then a creak sounded and a bright light shone from behind her. Who- “Alright, where are we going exactly?” Zen asked as he and a disoriented Seven walked through the door.   “We should split up to cover more ground! I think that-” Seven piped in before being cut off by the glares of the other two.   “That’s the opposite of what we should do, Seven. We should get out of here first, Seven where is the exit?” Jaehee sighed. “We don’t have time for this, we need to get to MC. Come on.” Zen started down the hallway and Jaehee followed after him. The two ventured through the darkness of the haunted house finding the entire place nearly empty. They walked a little ways through the halls filled with cobwebs and decorations. The entire place was dark, the lights that used to brighten the hallways dark and the only light in the place coming from Jaehee’s phone. The hallways twisted and turned and Jaehee wondered when this place got so elaborate. “This is nothing close to what we planned at all… I wonder why it’s all so complex.” Jaehee thought aloud, earning a shrug from the actor.   “They must have really liked the haunted house idea… speaking of which, where is Seven?” The pair turned around, Jaehee scanning her flashlight around them in a slight panic. “That idiot… He must have left us! When I find him I’ll-“ Crash! The pair jumped at the noise from behind them, the sound of metal crashing against the ground. Jaehee’s heart pounded as she realized that there was something on the loose that had attacked MC and could attack them. She hadn’t thought this through enough and she mentally smacked herself for not thinking things through properly. If only Jaehee hadn’t let the prospect of MC being harmed get in the way of her planning and logic. A sharp, “Jaehee! Come on!” yanked her from her thoughts as she quickly followed Zen. She was led though the haunted house until suddenly… CLANG! Another set of metal fell to the floor, this time Jaehee could see that what was crashing were the metal poles holding up the tent the haunted house was inside of. With this realization she started to look around as she ran. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary except for… “Zen! Watch out!” Jaehee screamed as she realized the path of the pole that was beginning to fall to the ground. He took a look up before beginning darting to the side, disappearing behind the fabric and the third pole. “Zen! Zen, are you okay?!” Jaehee cried, trying desperately to find her friend. She dialed Jumin in a panic. “Jaehee, is everything alright-“ Jumin started.  “Zen isn’t responding. A pole fell down. Hasted House. Hurry. Need an Exit.” She spoke quickly and in as few words as possible before she began to search for a way out again. She ran as fast as she could down a path that went deeper into the house but seemed to leave towards the exit. Jumin spoke again, “Alright. I’ll send a medic with the bodyguards. I have more-“ He was cut off by a piercing scream on the other end of the line and then the phone hanging up. Jaehee was in the middle of the haunted house, arms wrapped around her waist and her phone no longer in her possession. The person behind her had taken it and hung up on the call for her. Jaehee in a panic tried to fight off her attacker. She started to attack the person before she heard their voice.  “Jae, Honey. It’s okay, it’s just me!” Jaehee whipped her head around in shock to see a completely unharmed MC. MC’s arms were wrapped around the terrified woman’s waist and they wore a smile more mischievous than the one that Jaehee was used to. Ignoring the smile, Jaehee relaxed into MC’s arms, feeling much better now that her safety was guaranteed. Her hand found its way to her partner’s and she began to rub the calloused fingertips affectionately.  “MC… Where’s your-“ She cut herself off, going on high alert after realizing that certain things didn’t add up. The calloused hands, the eyes that were a bright orange rather than a deep brown and the complete give away, the lack of MC’s ring on the imposter’s hand. Jaehee broke from the grasp of the imposter, putting herself in a defensive position before she asked in a growl, “Where are they. Answer me. Now.” The Imposter’s act dropped in a flash, seeing Jaehee in a position that they never thought that would happen.  “Gahh! That was scarier than anything we did tonight!” Seven dropped his MC impersonation and began acting dramatically yet again, jumping backwards to emphasize his point. Zen came out from the hallway that Jaehee had run through, “That’s what you get for saying that you should cosplay MC to scare her. You just don’t have the acting abilities I have!” A shocked Jaehee sat in stunned silence, trying to process what had just happened to her.  MC poked their head out from a slit in the fabric covering the doorway. “You didn’t even let me get to my part of the act… What a shame, I was looking forward to getting some time to just comfort Jaehee.”  “MC... You’re okay!” A smile of relief broke onto Jaehee’s face before she went over to hug her disgruntled spouse. She sighed as she felt the familiarity of MC’s body against hers, and smiled more when she felt the ring on the shorter person’s hand. Then Jaehee managed to shake herself from her relief for a moment, “Darling. That was extremely rude of you! I was so worried about you…” She stopped her half-hearted attempt at scolding when she felt a familiar touch on her face, a caress that she leaned into out of habit.   “I’m sorry, Jae...” MC tilted her wife’s head down slightly, looking into her eyes. “I think that I have a plan to make you feel better though.” “What is it?” Jaehee’s concern was plain on her face which only made MC laugh. “How about... next year we pull a prank Seven?” MC’s familiar smile returned to their face as they looked up to their wife. “Hey!” Seven called out from behind the lovebirds, being the only one still there as Zen had wisely fled after seeing Jaehee preoccupied. “I’m right here, you aren’t seriously thinking about trying to prank God Seven himself?” MC looked up to Jaehee and the two shared a smile. Jaehee gave a slight nod. “Oh of course… We wouldn’t dare.” The pair walked back to the event hand in hand as Seven shivered, trying to imagine what would happen at next year’s Halloween Party. ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[boboricha]

Rating: T

Words: 1.8k

Pairing: Gen

Summary: 5+1; 5 lives Kuwabara lived and 1 time he isn’t alive yet. A reincarnation fic. 

I.

He’s trying to keep his breathing under control. If he doesn’t, he’ll bleed out. Then he won’t be any good to anybody. Especially not these poor kids, these kids who have lost their mother and father to these fucking demons. 

In his chest, his heart aches for them, for everyone who had to suffer in this life. 

It aches for the older sister that never was given the chance to marry, have children, and grow old.

All because of one man’s god complex. 

Inhale, exhale. Concentrate. Find the blood vessels. Stop the bleeding. Can’t die yet. Not until these kids are safe. 

Gripping his katana tighter, he locks eyes with his enemy. 

A man mustn't run from a battle. 

Racing forward, with a blade colored gold, he goes to sever the demon’s neck. 

He hopes, in a future life, for the power to cut through anything.

II.

Kurama blinks as he stares down at the manga that depicts four characters ready for battle on the cover page. 

If he were anybody else, he wouldn’t have thought much of it. Even Yusuke or Hiei would have probably never spared it a second glance. Honestly, for a second, he even thought it was a stretch to think that it could be the four of them together. Maybe he’s getting sentimental after all these years, wishing for the four of them to reunite and take on the evils of the world like the good days.

But no, the nine-tailed fox character with squinting eyes and a sultry smile resonates with him. 

So he picks a copy up and takes it with him to Yusuke’s ramen restaurant.

By the time he’s finished reading it, he’s sure of it.

This is their story.

Of course, it’s a stitched-together tale. The works of editors and other influences are clear. Obviously, there are embellishments. It’s a telephone version of their tale.

But it’s their tale nonetheless.

With trembling hands, Kurama takes a closer look at the authors and can’t help but let out a wet laugh.

Yusuke pops his head out of the kitchen and looks at him curiously. “What’chu laughing about over there Kurama?”

Kurama lifts up the manga and points right at the names of the authors with a bright smile.

Written by Kawahara Kazuko and Kai Yumi. Drawn by Kawahara Kazuko. 

III.

Yusuke is bored as hell. 

To be fair, that’s how he feels most of the time nowadays. 

Fuck demon lifespans.

That’s how he ends up wandering around town aimlessly, trying not to think about how the lack of a need to care about time feels more like a noose than the freedom it’s supposed to be.

He’s passing by the edge of a new park when he hears a vibrant sound from a violin.

Then there’s the strike of the keys on a piano. 

A duet.

Yusuke could care less about music, especially classical shit (that was definitely more up Kurama’s alley and back in the day, especially during a study session). 

But something is pulling him forward. 

He sees them in a little stadium at the center of the park and every fiber of his being knows these two auras. 

Her hair is black this time, but her eyes are a warm brown like the first time he met her. The violin is nestled under her chin and her fingers dance over the strings, her body swaying with the song. She might be taller than him this go around.

His hair is blonde (and though Yusuke misses that vibrant orange, he’s still glad to see his friend’s hair still sticks out like a sore thumb). Unfortunately, it’s not coiffed, but cleanly cut. His jaw is softer but his cheekbones are as sharp as ever. His frame is still as huge as ever, and his long fingers show mastery over the piano keys. 

He knows jack shit about music, but even he can tell they’re no amateurs. The crowd that’s settled around the little stage tells him as much. 

He feels his mouth go dry and his throat threatens to close up. 

Yusuke’s never been so glad to have been bored.

IV.

Hiei’s been trailing him for a couple of days now.

Honestly, he’s disappointed. Back in the day, at his best, Kuwabara would call him out for being a stalker in a matter of minutes, even when he suppressed his energy. It had become a bit of a game, not that Hiei would ever admit that. Obviously, this reincarnation would require a significant amount of training before he could be half the man he used to be. Hiei is both annoyed by the idea and anticipating it.

So far, all Hiei can conclude about this Kuwabara’s life is that it is quite bland. 

The boy goes to school, hangs around with his adolescent friends playing catch or going to the arcade, then goes home to diligently study before going to bed. 

He lingers in the shadows as another day goes by. Orange and pink bleeds into blue as the sun starts to set in the distance. 

In a minute, Kuwabara will make a sharp right and keep... that’s not a right. 

Hiei leaps off his branch to follow. 

When he sees the teen’s destination, the fire demon can’t help but think that really, he shouldn’t have expected anything. 

The human opens the door to a pastry shop, and a bell jingles to welcome his presence. From the large window, Hiei observes as the reincarnation moves behind the counter and puts on an apron before disappearing into the back of the store.

Assuming that it would be a while before this Kuwabara came back from his apparent job, Hiei chooses to take a nap. 

It’s about three hours later that the high school student leaves the pastry shop, waving goodbye to the owners. A bag, no doubt full of extra sweets, hangs off his arm. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he whistles as he heads toward what Hiei knows is his home. 

Right before he crosses the threshold, Kuwabara turns, digging into the pastry bag, pulling out a delicately made cupcake. He bends to place it on the ground before straightening up and looking directly at where Hiei is hidden in the brush of the trees. There’s a smug look coupled with a wide grin and if there was any doubt in his mind before about this being Kuwabara, it’s gone, replaced by the feeling of wanting to murder the buffoon. 

As if feeling his malicious intentions, Kuwabara cackles. 

“You’re not as good as ya’ think, ya’ stalker. I’m a nice guy though. So I’ll let ya’ have this as a consolation gift. It’s handmade by yours truly. See ya’ round.”

With a final smirk and a two-finger salute, the cheeky fucker is gone.

The cupcake is terrible, he tries to tell himself. 

V.

He’s fucking eleven. 

Yusuke, for one heartbreaking moment, wishes he didn’t find him this time around. There are no locks of hair for Kuwabara to even attempt to coif. He’s the smallest he’s ever been in all his lives. His parents have to wheel him around.

When he tells Kurama and Hiei about it, they go seek him out on their own terms. 

Hiei comes back looking shaken and absolutely furious. The fire demon is ready to rip open the heavens to tear Koenma a new one. 

Honestly, Yusuke would be right behind him the moment he tried. 

“He reeks of death,” Hiei mutters.

Kurama goes and comes back with pained eyes. He’s clenching his fists so hard they’re trembling. 

“I visited him while he slept. He… he’s so frail. He only has a couple of months left.”

Yusuke wants to punch something. But how the fuck do you punch cancer?

So Yusuke settles for just… loitering around the hospital. He smokes outside the door and gets yelled at by the nurses. 

Kurama keeps visiting while Kuwabara’s sleeping. He leaves flowers.

The stubborn bastard doesn’t admit it, but Yusuke knows Hiei’s taken up residence at one of the hospital’s tallest trees. 

It’s only three months before his aura flickers away like a candle blown out. It feels like a stab in the gut in a way the other times Kuwabara left them doesn’t.

It’s not even a couple of hours after that, that a cat is nudging Yusuke’s leg, a letter tied to its collar. 

Thanks for keeping me company. I missed you guys. See you next time.

+1

“You ass, took you long enough.”

“Shut up Urameshi. You know how many times I’ve had to go through this shit? You can deal with waiting a couple of years.”

“You look well Hiei.”

Yusuke’s arms are crossed, and he’s tapping his toes against the ground. Kurama’s leaning against a tree, fiddling with a rose petal. Kuwabara is sprawled out on the floor, gazing up at the clouds in the sky. 

“Hmph, I suppose you expect me to apologize for not perishing earlier?”

“Urameshi’s just pissed that he died earlier than you.”

“What was that you piece of shit -” 

“It’s comforting to know that even after all these years, you two still get along like peas in a pod.”

“Enough of this prattle. Isn’t there somewhere we have to be?”

“Oh my god, yes, finally. Let’s go.”

Kuwabara lurches himself up into a sitting position. “You just got here! Don’t you wanna, I dunno, look around or whatever?”

“Smell the roses?” Kurama remarks cheerfully, choosing to ignore the exasperated looks on his teammate’s faces. But then he turns more pensive, before stumbling upon an epiphany of sorts. A self-satisfied, knowing smirk is directed towards the shortest member of the group, causing Hiei to bristle. 

“Ah well, there’s always next time,” Kurama lends a hand to Kuwabara, pulling him up. They start walking together towards the end of this realm. It’s not long before they stand together in front of a blinding light. “Really Hiei, after all these years, you could stand to be more honest with us.”

“Shut it fox, I will cut you.”

“Huh?” Yusuke and Kuwabara both look at Kurama curiously.

Kurama’s face is damn smug at this point. He cups his hand over his mouth to mock whisper to the two former delinquents. “He’s just eager for all of us to be reborn at the same time. He missed us.”

“You’re an absolute fool if you think that’s the case. If I’m eager to do anything then it’s to get away from the lot of you as fast as possible!” 

They’re laughing and wrapping themselves around Hiei as they walk into the light.

[ddaenggtan]

amae | jhs

amae - japanese. the way you act when you want to depend on another person. relying on someone’s goodwill and love to help you. frequently thought of as wanting to be loved and taken care of.

when someone new moves in next door, you don’t expect to become friends. everyone on your block was friendly, yes, but none of you gave more than a courteous wave when you spotted each other in passing. that changes with jung hoseok; a literature professor with sunlight gleaming out of every pore, who enjoys complex lectures, random coffee trips, and…sleeping in your hammock? curiosity gets the better of you as you befriend him, but just what could have this man sleeping in your garden hammock every night?

pairing | jung hoseok  x reader

genre/warnings | neighbor!hobi, writer!reader, pure cotton candy fluff, this may actually rot your teeth

word count | 6.7k | cross posted to ao3

a/n | ahaha this did end up shorter than give and take, bc it felt very right to end it where i did!!! there’s a lot of flower language used in this, bc i’m the ultimate slut for flower language, i think it’s the cutest shit i’ve ever seen. i also tried to make this MC different than g.a.t’s, pls tell me if i failed!!!! i want them all to be v distinguishable and independent and unique, and i love feedback!!!!

The moving van in front of the neighbor's house shocks you when you get up that morning. There had been a For Sale sign hanging in the yard for upwards of a year, and you've watched with mild amusement as the price continued to drop.

A favorite hobby of yours is coming up with creative reasons the realtor was more and more desperate to sell the house. Your favorite so far was that the adorable plump woman had to sell it soon, or her wife would run off with their girlfriend in the night, never to be seen again.  Until Minri did get it sold, that is, upon which her wife and girlfriend would return and they would live in bliss.

Minri was, in actuality, very nice, and you doubt you should be entertaining such thoughts about her. She'd sold you your own house, after all; a lovely little three-bedroom, with a wonderful yard for your garden and your friends' dogs. Minri had even managed it at a great price, though she had emphasized the cleanliness of the place and the nearby churches, which was a little odd. You owed her for it, no matter how peculiar she had been during the viewing. 

Well not really, she got a very nice commission from the sale, but it's the principle of the thing. 

You scavenge one of the dry erase markers from the drawer and make a note on your fridge to bake her cookies sometime soon. Your mother would have a fit if she saw you writing straight on your fridge, but it was erasable and easy and you are if nothing if not a simple girl. 

You pull yourself from your musings and make another note to call your mother before she could get huffy that you haven't in a while, and toss the marker back into the drawer when you're done. You direct your attention back at the moving van, unsurprised when a gaggle of young-looking boys emerges from the neighboring house to start unloading. Well, it wouldn't be extremely fair to call them a gaggle, as there are only three of them, but the point stands. They seem to be very close, judging by the way they tease and play, and it makes you smile a little. It was long past time the neighborhood got some life in it. The closest people to your age are the couple three doors down, in their 50s and always willing to talk about their seven children. It got tiring. 

With a soft sigh, you turn from the window at your sink and dismiss the flash of bright pink you see in the mirroring window from next door. None of the three you saw had pink hair, but you could have missed one. You slide your hand along the spine of your cat, Tuna, and smile as she wraps her tail around your wrist for a moment before chirping and jumping down from the counter. She follows as you make your way to your office, tucked into the smallest of the bedrooms because it gets the best light, and settle at your desk to return to your work. Novels don't write themselves, after all. 

You aren’t sure which of the boys lives next door, but it becomes quickly clear that it’s only one of them. Several are over at all hours of the day, but by the time the sun goes down, there’s usually only one or two there. A variety of vehicles come and go, but only one is there often enough to be the owner's. You might think it was a gay couple, had you not heard the complaints about an uncomfortable sofa on your way to get your morning paper.

They’re a very respectful bunch, whoever they are. They keep things quiet after sunset, and wait for a reasonable hour to start their backyard morning exercises. The music they play is pleasant, if a bit loud as it drifts over to where you kneel in the dirt. The fence that separates your yard from his reaches your shoulder. A white-picket thing that surrounds each of the yards in the neighborhood, you've never cared much for it, and it keeps you from seeing anything notable as you tend your garden. Still, you catch snippets of conversation, bits of stories that you never get a conclusion to, jokes with a punchline that’s carried off by the wind. 

For the most part, though, you catch names; Jungkook, Jimin, Seokjin, different variants of each, but the one you hear most often is Hobi. His name rings out constantly, gliding through the air on notes of both mirth and vitriol. It’s usually accompanied by a laugh that makes your heart warm in your chest, or some form of inhuman screech, though you’re not sure why. You’ve never seen enough to understand what happens at the house next door, nor have you actually met any of the people that come and go like leaves in the fall. 

Still, you can’t deny your curiosity, and you tell yourself that if the opportunity presents itself, you’ll introduce yourself. Despite that decision, the opportunity never does seem to present itself. Weeks pass, and you find that you feel nervous at the thought of going and introducing yourself now. The window has passed, it would be too strange now, he would think you odd. So you keep to your own house, tending your flowers and your trees, writing your novel, and doing your level best to keep Tuna off of the manuscripts and letters sitting around that you have yet to organize. You’ve resigned yourself to the sad truth that you simply won’t get to know your neighbor, won’t be able to have that adorable friendship you’ve dreamed of, won’t even know which one it is that lives there. 

The universe has always worked rather strangely for you, though, and it’s not long after your acceptance of this fact that you come out of your back door, gardening gloves in hand and already reaching for the misting hose, to find someone swaying in your hammock. 

You’re not really mad, you don’t use it very often anyway and someone should. Mostly you’re curious - you always have been, and always will be, most likely. Curious as to why someone is in your hammock when most everyone on the block has their own lawn furniture, who that someone is, how they got into your yard. The bolt on the gate is nearly impossible to unlatch from the outside; you know, from the many times that you’ve locked yourself out and had to James Bond your way into your own house through the back window.

You set your gloves on your patio table - a white bistro set your mother gave you when you moved out - and make your way over to the stranger. He’s good-looking; feather-soft brown hair and oddly clear skin, drowning in a sweatshirt that was at least two sizes too big, snoring lightly as the wind rocked him. 

“Hey,” You say. He doesn’t respond, and you frown. “Hey, dude, what are you doing?” Still no response. You huff and turn, eyeing the yard for something to help. You don’t want to shake him awake, that could prove dangerous if he swings out at you. Your eyes light up as they land on the hose, forgotten among the grass. You tromp over and pick it up, dragging it back over to where the hammock sways among the tree branches. 

“I’m gonna spray you awake,” You say. You receive no reaction, not that you expected any, and shrug. With one pulse, a fine mist of water settles on him. The guy does, indeed, flail, swinging wildly in a futile attempt to fight the water raining down him. He sputters and wipes at his face, and you watch as he does. 

“What the hell, who the fuck sprays someone with water when they're sleeping?” He asks, shaking out his now damp hair. 

“In my defense, I told you I was going to do it. You were the one that was asleep and didn’t hear.” The man freezes at the sound of your voice, looking around your yard as if seeing it for the first time. He gives you a hesitant and apologetic grin, and the sun seems to grow brighter on his face. 

“I’m so sorry, I did not mean to fall asleep in your yard, I swear. There was...it’s a long story, but it really was an accident.” He flips himself gracefully off the hammock, with practiced ease that makes you only a little jealous. You should learn to do that. 

“It’s fine, you can sleep in the hammock. I only want to know how you got in my yard.”

“I vaulted the fence,” He says as if it was obvious. You look from him to the fence, and back again. “What? It’s not difficult.” You turn back to the fence, measuring it with your eyes. If he was able to vault it without much difficulty, how fast would he have to be going? He would surely need a good deal of momentum, of course, to be able to launch himself five feet up in the air. The only thing in your brain is that ‘ten-foot vertical leap’ meme, and you curse your best friend for sending you every meme he ever thinks is remotely amusing. 

The sound of your name brings you back to the present, and you focus on the man once more. “That’s you, I’m assuming?” The man says. You nod and point to him, belatedly realizing that you still have the hose in your hand when he flinches. 

“Which one are you?” You ask him. He gives you a confused look. “There are several people next door most of the time, which one are you? Jungkook, Jimin, Seokjin, or Hobi?”

“Hobi,” He says after a second, beaming at you as he does. Something in your chest starts to unfurl itself, and the sensation is strangely comforting. “But my name is actually Hoseok, they just call me Hobi. You’re welcome to as well, most do.”

“Right.” You watch him for a few more seconds as he shakes out his sweatshirt, water dusting the grass below him. “I have gardening to do. Please let me know the next time you want to sleep in the hammock.” You turn back to the flowers closest the fence, satisfied now that you’ve answered so many of your questions about your neighbor. 

“You aren’t going to ask why I’m here?” His voice calls from behind you. You shrug, kneeling beside your white camellias and checking their soil and sprouts. They were starting to bloom and you needed to be careful to make sure they weren’t soaking up too much water. “So I can seriously sleep here whenever. I just have to tell you first?”

“That’s what I said,” You reply. You pause, thinking for a second, and turn to look at him. “Does this make us friends?” The beaming smile he wears is nearly blinding, and you find it very endearing that he is so wildly happy at such a small thing. 

“It absolutely makes us friends,” He tells you. You return the smile, albeit yours is much less sunshine-y than his. He starts to walk toward the fence and you laugh under your breath. 

“Hoseok, you can use the gate,” You tell him. He stops and looks between the gate and the fence for a second before laughing embarrassedly at himself. “Please refrain from vaulting the fence in the future, as well. I'll leave the gate unlatched for you from now on.”

Hoseok grins and waves as he jogs out the gate and to his own home. You don’t relax until you hear the click of his door shut. A soft mrow from your left has you moving to pet Tuna once more, and you beam at her. 

“It’s been a long time since I had a friend, hasn’t it?”

You don't expect to see or hear much from Hoseok after your brief interaction. You've had friends before, of course, but they all tend to fade away as they have their own lives and you have deadlines. Even your closest friends, three boys you met in college and somehow kept around, don't message you as often when you're close to finishing your work; they know better than to expect a response when you have an editor breathing down your neck. You're used to it, used to people becoming immersed in their own problems and not wanting to share them, so you never get upset about it anymore. There's no use in it, not when you do the same thing.

You're so used to this that it surprises you when Hoseok waves at you one morning as you're both getting mail. Another day he's playing football with a couple of friends and shouts a quick greeting over the fence as you dip down to do your gardening. One memorable evening, you turn from shooing a raccoon away from your trash with a feather duster to see Hoseok watching from his driveway. You give him a polite smile and he shoots you a proud, yet puzzled, grin, and the next day when he sees you putting out small feeders near the back part of your yard for the raccoon, he just chuckles. 

Not to mention that you still come outside most mornings to find him snoozing in your hammock, rocking in the gentle breeze and comfortable as can be. He's never given you any explanation, though to be fair, you also don't pry. 

It's a struggle; you want so much to know why he doesn't sleep in his house that sits not ten feet away from yours. You don't want to push him, though, too scared of breaking this tentative friendship you've built over something so small. 

Things only start to change the afternoon he knocks on your back door while you're getting lunch ready for Tuna. She yells as you set the food down in front of her - a special blend designed to help her hearing and her eyesight since she's predisposed to troubles with both - but she quiets soon enough. You step around her to open the door, and you're shocked at the expression on Hoseok's face. 

He wears a smile now, but for a second...for a second, he had looked afraid. 

Your name drops from his lips in a tone that tells you he didn't expect you to answer. "I was only wondering, do you, um…" He trails off and you wait patiently for him to finish the thought. "Do you want to get lunch? Coffee? Anything? I need to get out of the house for a while."

"Sure," You reply. "Let me get my wallet." You move to the entryway to grab the thing - old and falling apart but still useful - and when you return, Hoseok is standing exactly where you left him. You pat Tuna's head and exit, closing the door behind you before you turn to Hoseok with an expectant smile. "I'll drive?" You suggest, since he still seems somewhat jumpy, and he nods. 

He's not quiet on the drive, by any means, but it amazes you how he says so much but so little all at once. By the time you get to the cafe he directed you to, you've heard all about the antics of his friends - Jimin, Jungkook, and Seokjin, who helped him move that day - and you've heard plenty about their time at school and his days spent as a literature professor at the local university, and yet that's the most you know about him. Fun anecdotes and the off-hand comment about a student. Definitely not a word about why he sleeps in your hammock, or why he showed up at your door out of nowhere and asked you to lunch with a look in eyes that you thought you'd only see from a rabbit caught in a hunter's snare. 

Still, as curious as you are, you can't bring yourself to ask about it, because it's so obvious that he wants to talk about anything else. 

"So, what do you do? I never see you leave for work when everyone else does, so I assume you work from home?" You nod in response to Hoseok's question.

"I do. I'm an author, so I spend quite a bit of time in my office. That's why I started gardening, actually, so that I was forced to be outside in the sun at least a little bit every day. Otherwise, I tend to nest in my office for days without leaving."

"That makes a lot of sense," He says as he sips at his coffee. "What do you write?" 

"Horror." The shock on his face, like perhaps he heard you wrong, is one of your favorite things about telling people you write. He gazes at you, taking in the messy hair, overalls, daisy-covered shirt, and pink sandals. "Psychological horror, to be exact.”

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." You grin, much too amused with the entire conversation. You slide your phone out of your pocket and tap at it until you're at your official website. You slide it across for him to see, and he clicks through the pages. There are several - one for each series, one for your upcoming releases, an appearance schedule, and then a quick bio that features a picture of you and Tuna. When he slides the phone back across the table, he looks impressed, and it warms you. 

"I had no idea that was you," he says. You can't help the knowing grin. "You seem a little...bright for the genre."

"The mind is a fascinating place, Hoseok. The darker parts are so often either overlooked entirely or exaggerated for dramatic purposes. I want to tell real stories about real things that can happen. There's no need for embellishment when very real, very terrible things happen every single day. Besides, you don't need to dress in all black and carry around a leather-bound copy of Stephen King to prove you're interested in horror." He hums across the table, and his look has turned almost calculating. 

"I may have to read some of your work then."

"You might." You give him a serene smile and finish your coffee. 

He's somehow friendlier after that. He initiates small conversations almost every day, outside your mailbox or hanging over the fence while you garden. He appears all but every other day on your doorstep, looking terrified but grinning as he asks you to go to coffee. You start to wonder if there's something chasing him that only he can see, but brush the thought off the same second you have it. You've become too deep into your latest book. 

He does read your work, which surprised you; you'd never expected him to do so. You offer to lend him your copies, as you have one of each on a shelf in your office, but he steadfastly refuses. You talk about it over coffee, and though you shouldn't be surprised at the quick thinking and keen observations he makes, you are. As often as you interact with your readers at signings and readings and conventions, you've never been quite so invested in someone's thoughts before.

You're eager to know what he thinks of the most recent book he's read. You're curious as to what metaphors and symbolism he's picked up on, what foreshadowing has punched him in the gut with realization.  If he would criticize the heavy-handed allegory you've created, or if praise would fall from his lips to slide across and settle in your chest.

It's been a very long time since you cared for someone's opinion like this, you realize one morning as you stare out your kitchen window. Butterflies form in your stomach and you sigh, content in the knowledge that there would be no running from this. You watch as Hoseok runs around his own backyard, laughing at something Jimin says. He's sweaty from the game they're playing, but the sunlight seems to absorb into his skin in a way you've not seen before, and it looks like he's glowing. His smile lights up the sunset, and you can hear his laugh from here, and you want nothing more than to wrap yourself up in the sound. 

No, you decide, there would be no running from these feelings, only acceptance of the blossoming fondness inside your heart. You turn from the window as Hoseok laughs again, spotting an empty section of your garden as you do, right beside the eye-catching red tulips. It makes you frown, as you can't remember there being an empty section there before.

You make a note on your fridge to pick up some pink camellias next time you're at the garden center to fill it. Your reminder to call your mother stares back at you and frown at it for a solid minute before you pick up the phone. As it rings, you resign yourself to yet another conversation with your mother about why you're not married with a real career yet.

"Have you had dinner yet?"

You look up from the weeds in your grasp to see Hoseok leaning across your fence and beaming at you. 

"Have you had dinner yet?" Hoseok repeats at your obvious confusion. "I ordered delivery and saw you out here and I thought I should offer to share. Since you've been so kind in sharing your lovely hammock and free time, I want to repay the favor."

"Oh. No, I haven't eaten yet." You stand and dust the dirt off your gloves before sliding them off. Hoseok grins and hands two large bags over the fence to you. You take them, curious, and watch as he pulls himself up and over the fence. He’s careful not to step on your flowers, but he still gives an apologetic smile as you sigh. "The gate is right there, Hobi."

He winks as he rights himself and takes one of the bags. "It's faster like this." You laugh and slide your gloves off with care, not wanting to drop the food, and hang them on the fence beside you. Hoseok is already halfway to your back door and waves at Tuna where she waits on your dining table. 

"Oh, Hoseok, don't-" He's opened the door before you can finish your sentence, and a small black and tan fluff darts out. The dog circles him, yipping at his toes and running back and forth between the two of you. Hoseok looks startled, but a smile spreads across his face after a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm dogsitting for my friend while he's out of town."

Hoseok coos at the dog and leads him back inside, luring him along with a small bit of meat. You laugh as you follow, sliding a hand down Tuna's back as you shut the door behind you. 

"He's adorable, I love him!" Hoseok exclaims, laughing again as he sets the food on the counter. He looks at you and gestures to the piece of meat in his hand, and you nod to let him know it's fine. Yeontan takes it and follows Hobi around as he starts getting plates and utensils, the fact that he knows where they are is a testament to how often he's at your house.

The two of you eat in relative silence. Tuna bathes languidly atop her cat tower and Yeontan sits between you and Hoseok, his entire body shaking back and forth as his tail wags. Every so often, Hoseok will comment about his day, as he usually does when the two of you eat together, and he asks about yours. You tell him about the new flowers you've planted - some gorgeous white lilies that should bloom well. He tells you about his theories and opinions on the last book of yours he'd read. 

By the time you're finished eating, he has several new thoughts and notes jotted down in a hasty scrawl on a napkin. He's insightful with his questions, bringing up points you hadn't considered and opinions on continuity that you need to clarify in the future. Your heart flutters in your chest when he smiles, bouncing Yeontan in his lap. 

"I do think they're good, though," He says as he makes kissy faces at the dog. "Like, good good. If I ever teach a psychological horror class, I may use them. Students could learn a lot from the dedication to detail."

"Thanks, Hobi," You tell him, and you don't bother to hide the fond smile. The fluttering in your chest is familiar at this point, and it makes you sigh a little.

You're so smitten, you think as you watch him bounce Yeontan on his knee; you should, perhaps, feel more conflicted about your growing emotions. And yet, you've been accepting of it since you first met him. It was as if the second you met Hoseok, you knew you would fall for him. How could you not, with his charm and warmth and humor and the unbearable mystique he left in his wake each time you spoke to him? 

"Oh, that reminds me, I have something for you!" You stand and head outside for a mere moment, grabbing what you need in a flash. When you return, Yeontan is on his belly beside Hoseok, Tuna glaring at both of them with envy. You set the pot in front of him, and he blinks at it, bewildered. 

"Is this...?"

"Tulips!" You say with a grin. The yellow blossoms stand proud as he gapes, and you like to imagine that they're proud they look so good for him. "To brighten up your house. You always seem so interested them, and I had several extra seedlings this year, so I grew one for you."

The look on Hoseok's face is unreadable and he's silent for a long while as he looks at the flowers. You wait; you've seen the way he looks at your garden while the two of you talk over the fence, you've seen the way that he eyes the tulips as you weed them. You know it's a good gift, and you scream the reminder inside your chest to drown out the voice in the back of your head saying otherwise. It's worth the wait when his face splits into the biggest smile you've ever seen, radiant and bright. It almost seems to surround him, a halo of joy that feels like a summer sun. 

"I absolutely love it," He tells you. "It's gorgeous, I'm going to make sure everyone can see it." He stands, potted flowers cradled in both hands like a babe, and gives Yeontan one last kiss. "I should be going anyway, I have a class in the morning, but I need to make sure I find the perfect place for these." He beams at you again, and you return his grin. 

"It's nothing, Hobi," You say, walking him to the front door and opening it for him. "Consider it a housewarming gift." He beams as he makes his way across to his own house, and the way he's already cooing at the buds and talking to it have your emotions a mess.

It's been months since you first went to coffee with Hoseok. The two of you are, you would say, friends. You've definitely graduated from neighbors, and you spend more time together than acquaintances, but it feels strange to call him your friend when what you feel is so much more than that. 

Every time you see him, it only gets worse. More than once, you wished time would stand still if only to keep him with you a little longer. Being around him feels like standing in a meadow of daffodils in the noon sun, heat seeping into your skin and painting the world with its oranges and yellows while the breeze whispers a promise in your ear as it rolls through you. 

You wish you could bottle the feeling. 

You make a note on your fridge - 'bottling emotions for capitalistic gain - too obvious? trite? overused? must consider further' - and set out a treat for Tuna. She's grumpy, likely because you've yet again woken at four in the morning and disrupted her usual bed - your face - with your need for a bathroom and a snack.

You haven't slept much that week, too busy polishing the last few press releases and comments that had to be perfect before release. You'd finally done the last of the work and had checked the mail and done your gardening before you received Joy's email saying you were good to go back into hibernation until the next book was due. 

You took the hint and proceeded to pass out at around five that evening. You needed the sleep, clearly; you can't remember the last time you slept so long without even getting up to pee. Still, you muse as you munch on a week-old granola bar your mother left on her last visit, you're glad that you've gotten the book done. You're always relieved when you finish writing one, these days. In the beginning, you would wait anxiously until publication finished and the book was on the shelves. Joy had to pull you out of your rabbit hole several times, too consumed with what people were saying to even bother with anything else. 

That was before Tuna, of course, and the garden. 

Now, you were content seeing whatever happened your way. You didn't much care for professional reviews anymore; they were nice but they weren't as honest. The random people who stumbled onto Twitter in the early hours of the morning because they'd just turned the last page were much more genuine. There were always those that criticized you, of course, but you contented yourself with the knowledge that they never had to read your books if they didn't want to. Others enjoyed them, and that was what mattered. The ones who read them and then couldn't sleep, either for need to express their thoughts to someone before they could rest or because they were too on edge, too anxious, the ones who saw danger in every mundane shadow of their bedroom after putting your book down, those were the ones who mattered to you.

A bang startles you out of your thoughts, and you share a look with Tuna. Her fur is raised, tail straight up as she looks to your front door. You follow her gaze and see nothing, which isn't unusual. Tuna regularly communes with whatever shadow monsters exist in that parallel plane of existence only cats can see. It's not typical, however, for you to be able to hear said shadow monsters. 

You pad your way to the front door, sliding one of the hardcovers that had arrived the day before into your hand as you do, in case one of the shadow monsters tried something. Another bang echoes throughout your house, followed by a series of quick, desperate knocks. Deciding that no respectable shadow monster would knock before murdering you, you open the door to see Hoseok, panicked and sweating and panting. He looks as surprised as you feel. 

"Um…" is all he says for a minute, and you wait. "I didn't expect you to answer, honestly, I just. You weren't around earlier so I didn't want to use the hammock, and it's getting kind of chilly, and so I tried to sleep in the house, but it's gotten worse and I was doing alright but then it started making these noises? So I tried to get it to stop with some things I found online but that only made it all worse, and then it seemed like things were gonna shoot around the room, so I-"

"Hoseok," You interrupt. He stops, fixing wide eyes on you. "Context." "My house is being haunted by some kind of demon monster and I think it's going to try to kill me and I would really appreciate your help in exorcising it." You blink, but the grave expression on his face doesn't change. It takes a second for your brain to fit that particular frame around the puzzle that Hoseok has been - sleeping in the hammock, random coffee trips where he's jittery and on edge, the minute you go to leave the cafe, the terrified look in his eyes whenever he comes over or sparks a conversation out of nowhere. 

"Okay," You say, sliding the book under your arm and closing the door behind you. Hoseok looks taken aback at the idea that you're actually going to help him, but he hesitantly follows as you head across the front yard to his own front door. 

The house is quiet when you enter, the shadows of still-yet-to-be-unpacked boxes dancing on the walls as you turn the overhead light on. He's lived in the house for months and yet it seems only the bare necessities have been unpacked; it should surprise you more, but considering the fact that he's spent all that time believing there's a ghost haunting him, you aren't surprised.

Your first walk through the house doesn't seem to trigger anything. It's completely silent, eerily still, and yet Hoseok seems to jump at every creak of a floorboard, ready to run at every twisting shadow that shies away from the light. 

"Is there a ghost here?" You eventually call into the living room, and Hoseok curses at the soft thud that echoes. Your eyes narrow, darting around the space. "I asked a question. Don't be rude, it's very inconsiderate of you." There's a couple of other thuds eyes track them around the room. "If you don't stop, I'm going to start performing an exorcism, and then who's going to regret being impolite?" 

Hoseok hisses your name, but you ignore him, instead of focusing on the way the lamp in the corner wobbles ever so slightly. Hoseok clearly also notices this, inching towards the door once more. 

"Hoseok said you were talking to him. Am I not good enough?" There's a pause, and then a warbled voice reverberates through the room, eerie and lingering, which only cements your theory. You turn to Hoseok and lower your voice, barely even whispering. You're so close that your lips brush his ear as you ask him where the entrance to his attic is. He leads you to it, stepping softly and avoiding the creaky floorboards as you do.

It's harder to be quiet as he pulls the trapdoor down, stairs sliding along with it, but at this point, you don't need to be. You ascend first, Hoseok following close behind. He no longer looks afraid, merely curious, and you're glad for it. It's a pity that he's felt so alienated from his own house. 

There are several squeaking sounds as you turn on your phone flashlight and showing Hoseok exactly what has been haunting him: a pink-haired young man and his blonde friend, both scrambling for cover amidst the sleeping bag and snack wrappers that litter the floor of the attic. 

You stand aside as Hoseok chases them out, cursing about mice and sleep and ungrateful friends as he does. When Jungkook and Jimin are both gone, laughing so hard they can't run, you show Hoseok the boots they used to stomp around, the nearly-invisible fishing line threaded down and around various lamps and paintings, the radio hookup they used to change their voices.

"It's all stuff I've used in books before," You tell him as he pours a cups of coffee for you both. "Also, I could hear them laughing."

"I feel like an idiot for waking you up for this. And for sleeping in a hammock and getting chased out of my house for something so stupid." He runs a hand through his hair and the fondness in your chest grows. He doesn’t look at you, instead staring at the potted tulips sitting in his kitchen window. It mirrors your own, and you’ve caught yourself staring more than once from your own kitchen.

"There are worse things,” you say.

"Oh?"

"Mhm. I could've not had a hammock." The small grin he gives has you melting, and you want nothing more than to wrap him in a hug and kiss away the line between his brows. 

“You have a point," He says with a small laugh. "It is a really comfortable hammock. I almost don't want to go back to my bed."

"So don't," You say, voice steady despite the fluttering in your chest. The tone in his voice feels new, feels good, like perhaps he's standing in that meadow of daffodils with you, and it gives you hope. "You're always welcome to use the hammock. As I said, someone should, otherwise it's going to hang there, all sad and lonely."

He looks shocked to hear that, though you aren't sure why. It isn't like you've been very secretive of the way he makes you feel; but then, you haven't been outright vocal, either. And he did think he was being haunted for the better part of four months, without realizing it was two of his friends living in his attic.

"You're welcome to come over whenever, Hobi," You tell him. "You don't need to be chased out by a ghost to talk to me."

"I don't want to interrupt your work," He says. His voice is hesitant and sweet and it reminds you of the orange blossoms you used to plant with your grandmother. 

"I'm actually finished with my book," You tell him. He makes a questioning noise, and you remember the hardcover tucked under your arm and set it on the counter. "This is actually for you." He steps closer to look it over and flips it around to look at the back as well. 

"I can't take your only copy," He starts but you cut him off with a shake of your head. 

"I have one for me," You say. Your voice is firm, unaffected by the rolling of your stomach, but it's quieter than usual. "That's yours. I wanted your opinion on it if it lives up to the hype. We talked about the one right before this last week, and I'm curious if this one will answer any of your questions or if it leaves you with more. I've been trying some new things, and I'm not sure how well I executed them."

You choke the need to keep talking. Instead, you bite your tongue and return the look Hoseok is giving you; it's intense and full of something you can't place. But he's opened the book to the back, fingers resting lightly against the dedication bearing his name, thumb brushing the red carnation you'd pressed between the pages out of sheer impulse. 

"You don't have to read it, of course," You eventually say. 

"I'll need something to do while you garden, though," He says, stepping closer and letting the book fall closed. "I can't exactly lay in that hammock and watch you garden, can I?"

"If you wanted, you could." He's closer than he's ever been now, eyes focused on your lips even as he studies your face for any sign that you don't want him there. "I wouldn't mind."

When he finally presses his lips to yours, they're softer than you expected. Even his hands are soft as he slides them up to cup your jaw and press deeper, like gardenia blossoms against your skin, and everywhere he touches is warmed, as if the sun itself was dancing across you. It makes it hard to breathe, but god, at this point, you'd be fine with never breathing again so long as he kept kissing you. 

It feels like hours when he finally pulls away, a shy smile painted pink with the sunrise, and it's breathtaking. 

Later that day, you plant lilies, white and yellow intermixed in a pattern that your grandmother taught you, while Hoseok swings lazily in your hammock, one leg on the ground to rock himself. He spouts questions at you as he does, making little notes in the margins of each page as you respond, Tuna curled beside him and happily snoring. 

You should plant more daffodils, you decide as you watch them.

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 8

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

James I (203): James I/VI (First of England, Sixth of Scotland) is known for both translating the Bible and being just... so, so incredibly gay. The book mentions that he promoted a dumb jock to gentleman of the bedchamber, but it leaves out that 13-year-old James would just make out with dudes in public, and that the dumb jock (George Villers) was James’s third serious adult relationship. His friends introduced him to George because his last boyfriend was bad for the kingdom. 

George Eliot (205): Mary Anne Evans wrote under the pen name George Eliot to escape the stereotype that women could only write romances. She wrote seven novels, of which Middlemarch is the most famous, known for their realism and psychological insight.

Daniel Defoe (205): A pioneer of the English novel, Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe as well as a series of divisive political pamphlets and tracts.

Jonathan Swift (205): Irish political writer most famous for A Modest Proposal, a satirical piece that suggests cannibalism of infants as a more humane response to the British treatment of Ireland than letting them grow to starve in adulthood.

Dickens... “woman who languishes away in a crumbling mansion wearing her wedding gown” (205): Charles Dickens wrote stories concerned with the lower classes. This quote in particular refers to Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, who was left at the altar and refused to take off her wedding dress or even put away the food set out for the wedding.

Sense and Sensibility (205): This is probably Austen’s second most popular novel (after Pride and Prejudice); it follows the four Dashwood women in their move to a new home following the death of Mr. Dashwood. Like most of Austen’s novels, the opinionated narrator follows the women through a series of romantic mishaps, culminating in a happy ending.

Green American Money (206): Fun fact, British money is blue and orange and purple and all sorts of fun colors! It also all looks different, because (at least in Scotland) four banks are allowed to print pound notes, so there are four different designs all in circulation.

Sean Hannity (206): A conservative American political commentator.

Harvard rowing (206): Rowing is like... the bougiest of sports.

Pleiad (206): In Greek mythology, the pleiades were the daughters of the titan Atlas who became stars following his entrapment under the earth. They are remembered for their beauty and loyalty. Myths of the missing pleiad explain why only six of the seven stars are visible to the naked eye. According to some sources, the missing pleiad is Merope, who was shamed out of the sky for her relationship with a mortal.

Minute Maid Park (206): The baseball stadium associated with the Houston Astros baseball team; it seats just over 41,000.

Politico (207): An American political opinion news source.

Drop-kick Murphys (208): An American Celtic punk band. (listen here and here)

The Klan (209): The Ku Klux Klan, an incredibly racist organization that has been responsible for the lynching of thousands of people of color.

Kim Nam-June (210): Kim Nam-Joon, known as RM or Rap Monster, is the leader and rapper of the K-pop group BTS.

Milwaukee (211): The largest city in and main cultural center of Wisconsin, which is a “swing state”, meaning that it could go either way politically in a national election.

Seth Meyers (211): An American talk show host and comedian whose creatively titled show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, is liberal-leaning. He hosts celebrities and often chats about politics or the news.

Clear Crystal Quartz (211): Apparently the most “iconic” crystal, it is believed to be able to help with clarity and the achievement of goals.

Wimbledon (213): The oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious.

Royal Box (213): The royal box at Wimbledon is a section of the best seats, reserved for royalty and specially invited celebrity/politically powerful guests.

David Beckham (213): A former professional soccer player and current fashion icon known for being hot and wearing nice suits.

McQueen (214): Alexander McQueen was an openly gay British fashion designer who rose from a lower class background to become one of the most famous designers in the world. Though he died in 2010, his brand continues to be known for unconventional fashion shows and theatrical imagery. 

Dashikis (215): A colorful, ornate piece of clothing somewhere between a shirt and a tunic originally from West Africa.

Orangery (218): A very large greenhouse or conservatory designed for growing orange trees.

Woman at her Toilet (218): This painting shows a woman in her bedroom putting on her socks with a little dog next to her; you can see it here.

Baroque bed* (218): Baroque art was designed to show off a monarch’s power; it is incredibly extravagant (Versailles is pretty much the iconic Baroque thing; you can see more about it here).

The Killers (219): An American rock band formed in the early 2000s and known for having donated over $1 million to charity (they did “Mr. Brightside”). (listen here and here). According to McQuinston’s twitter, the song Henry plays is “When You Were Young”, which you can listen to here.

Dred Scott (219): In the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford case, the US supreme court ruled that the constitution did not extend to or protect Black folks. 

Nina Simone (219): An American singer/songwriter/political activist whose music spanned a variety of genres and whose activism focused largely on the civil rights movement and was largely influenced by her “friend” Lorraine Hansberry, a Black lesbian playwright. (You know Hozier’s “Nina Cried Power”? She’s Nina) (listen here and here)

Otis Redding (219): Considered one of the greatest singers in American pop music and was one of the foundational soul artists in the US. (listen here and here)

Brahms (219): A German composer known for sticking to more classical forms of music while his contemporaries often leaned toward more dramatic or opulent styles. (listen here and here)

Wagner** (219): A German composer who wrote both the music and the librettos for his operas; his works tend to be very complex, and he has been credited with beginning modern music. (listen here and here)

Romantic (219): Artistically, the Romantic movement was a direct response to industrialization that called for a return to and celebration of nature. Queerness was very much a part of this movement, as it was seen as a return to or celebration of one’s natural state (think Byron).

War of the Romantics (219): A music history term used to describe the split between conservative composers like Brahms who wanted to stick with the Baroque, opulent styles of the past century and radical progressive composers like Liszt, who favored newer styles that blended music with narrative and morals.

Liszt (219): A Hungarian composer known for a diverse body of work and his position as the leader of the radical progressive group in the War of the Romantics. (listen here and here)

Alexander Scriabin (219): Russian composer known for his atonal or dissonant music. (listen to the piece Henry mentions here)

Elton John’s “Your Song” (219): A song written before Elton John came out, but with his queerness in mind. In a 2013 interview, John referred to it as “a perfect song”, and that the lyrics (written by Bernie Taupin) got even better as he got older and sang it more. (listen here)

Consecrated (220): made holy.

DNC (221): The Democratic national conference, when members of the Democratic (liberal) party get together to prepare for a presidential race.

College Republicans of Vanderbilt University (221): Vanderbilt University is a private (and therefore more expensive) school in Nashville, Tennessee. Its location in the South and its price tag would both mark it as being more conservative.

Cage match (221): A type of wrestling match that takes place inside a steel cage; the most common way of winning is by escaping the cage, usually by climbing over the top.

Paul Ryan (222): A conservative retired politician and former Speaker of the House.

The Second Amendment (222): The second amendment grants Americans the right to bear arms (have guns).

Salon (222): An American news and opinion website with a politically liberal editorial stance.

Air Force One (222): the president’s plane

“My Canadian girlfriend” (223): A running joke that someone (often a high schooler) whose partner goes to another school or lives somewhere else is made up.

Five Guys (225): Five Guys Burger and Fries is a popular fast food burger chain across the US.

Vampire Weekend (225): An American indie rock band.

The general (226): the general election in November, when Americans would vote for their president

Plainclothes (226): out of uniform

The Beekman (226): A very fancy hotel in Lower Manhattan, near the Brooklyn Bridge.

NATO (233): the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries.

----

*every time I read this, I flinch just a little bit. Baroque architecture is just... so much, and the concept of a Baroque bed when beds/bedrooms are supposed to be simple to help you rest... It’s just so much and I hate it with all of my being. I’m sorry if you like Baroque furniture, but especially for Henry, who dreams of a simple life where he can just write and be anonymous... It’s a big yikes.

** Literally no one asked, but his stuff is just... it’s so boring? Like I’m sure it’s great to fall asleep to or calm down to, but I tried to listen to it while I wrote this and I just couldn’t. Liszt is better, but he’s no Mozart. Also? Mozart wrote BOPS. ONLY. “The Birdcatcher’s Song” slaps and no one can change my mind on that.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 9

[maatryoshkaa]

Stray Kids as Roommates | Thread

some roommates-to-lovers fluff coming at you!

Bang Chan

You guys are the pair that n e v e r sleep

Turned his room into a home studio; probably would have thrown out his bed and turned his room into an office if you hadn’t stopped him

You often fall asleep to the sound of his humming and tracks muffled through your bedroom wall

You see the most of him during exam season, while pulling all nighters

He’s always in the kitchen making his 14th cup of coffee when you get up to go to the bathroom at 3 am

Lots of deep, meaningful conversations over late night snacks

You swear you’ve heard him talking to his Goku figurines during the unearthly hours of the morning

You’re the only one Chan lets ruffle his fluffy dandelion bedhead in the morning

Takes care of you more than he takes care of himself

Always asks you how your day went when you get home and insists on listening even when he’s been awake for over 48 hours

Always there to give you advice and comfort you when you’re feeling down! A living breathing mental health hotline

Walked into your room when you were studying for finals at 2am

You were in your pajamas, hair a mess and eyes barely open

And that was when Bang Chan decided he was in love with you

Ah, the couple with matching bags under their eyes.

☽ Read the rest of the boys under this cut! 

Woojin

Fried chicken takeout for dinner is a big Friday night thing

Kind of like a big moral support teddy bear, his hugs are the greatest

You steal half his closet in the winter because his hoodies are the comfiest

Literally the dad of your household

Checks up on your health and how you’re doing every now and then

Pushes you to finish your work and makes sure you’re not procrastinating

Honestly, your grades are soaring thanks to him

Helps you with homework

Your parents love him

Always saves and brings you good things to eat

Tucks you in at night when you can’t sleep nyahh i’m soft

And a couple times, when you wake up shaking from nightmares, homesickness or stress, he’s always there to comfort you, lying there until you fall asleep again.

“Woojin?”

“Yeah? Shh, don’t worry, I’m here.”

You always sit outside the bathroom and listen to him sing in the shower

Until he suddenly opened the door in nothing but a towel and you couldn’t face him for weeks

He thought your furiously blushing face was the cutest thing he’d ever seen and teased you about it, 

Until you finally kissed him to make him shut up

Hint: it worked wonders.

Minho

Saturday night dance battles are a t h i n g

Doesn’t do any chores unless he notices you’re feeling tired

Tried to cook once and probably accidentally gave the both of you food poisoning

Remember when he cooked rice cakes in the unwashed metal pan I’m--

Likes you a lot more than he lets on

Like, you’d mention craving a certain food or not having saved up enough money for something, and voila, the next day it’d be sitting on the kitchen table.

“What? It was on sale, just lying around. Don’t think too much of it.”

Clowns you for every little thing, but the moment he hears someone make fun of you, it’s on sight

Bicker like an old married couple, lots of back and forth catfights

Evenings falling asleep on the sofa, both tipsy and giggling while his two cats snuggle up around you

Arguing over who the cats love more

Endless crackhead antics; the neighbours probably hate you

Insists on walking his cats around the apartment complex, when in reality he just wants to spend more time with you

Everyone already knows you’re basically dating but you’re both too stubborn to admit it

Probably hooked up once or twice, or more than once or twice ;)

Changbin

Honestly when you first got him as your roommate, you were terrified

Because this 5’6 ball of dark is intimidating as frick

Realized how soft he really was when he whipped out his Munchlax plushie

Petty arguments with him are impossible because he speaks so fast

So you just let him win

Makes you kill the spider

Always manages to convince you to watch horror movies at 1 am

Probably as an excuse to have you in his arms if you get scared ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) he thinks he’s slick

Perfected the “stretch and put his arm around your shoulder” move

Made a special playlist for everything you do together: good vibes for breakfast, upbeat jams when doing the chores together, chill indie mixes for cozy evenings in doing work

Insists on helping you around the house

Bringing you fresh ice coffee, cookies, and convenience store hauls whenever he gets off work

“B-but the Peperos were on a buy one get one free sale 👉👈”

Suggests playing the pocky/pepero kiss game to which you smack him in response

But you end up giving him a quick peck anyways, and he freezes, stunned

You run off, face red, Changbin chasing after to you with a wicked grin

“What was that? Is that buy one get one, too, because I want another oneeee!”

Hyunjin

The chillest roommate, but when he gets hyper oh m y

I ain’t gettin no sleep cos of y’all, y’all not gettin sleep cos of me

You have to wake him on the weekends because this boy would sleep until the evening

You want to let him rest, though, since he’s always out and working so late ;(

Secretly takes so many candid, soft pictures of you and saves them as his wallpaper

Loves to take you shopping and dress the both of you in matching #OOTDs

Hypes you the heck up

“She’s sister snatched today! Skin glowing, outfit on point -- oh look at that SMILE! Do the thing again -- oh my gosh. You’re killing it, y/n!”

Gives you fashion advice and beauty tips, although you keep bugging him for his skincare routine cuz damn

Probably share skincare products

Always do face masks together but fail at keeping them on because the two of you keep laughing at the stupidest things

Sometimes he has to put you to bed when he comes home late, and you’ve fallen asleep on the couch waiting for him to get back

Can’t resist kissing your forehead sometimes when tucking you in

At moments like these, he finds himself wishing for a sliver of a chance that you might feel the same way he has

He’s honestly so damn obvious though, getting you matching “roommate” things when he goes out -- plushies that remind him of you, little snacks when you’re down, cute accessories, you name it

This boy also forgets that he talks in his sleep -- and is very hard to wake up

So one morning, you’re leaning over his bed, about to shake him awake, and hear him mumble

“y/n, y/n, y/n...i like you sooo much...what do i do?”

You nearly choke on your toast, effectively waking the boy up, and he stares at you, half-awake and mortified.

“What? Did I--did I say something in my sleep?”

The smug, blushing smile spreading over your face is enough to send him diving back under the covers as you begin to tease him

Jisung

So comfortable to be around, he’s basically your best friend from day 1

Except for the fact that he’s so. Damn. LOUD

Noise complaints filed from the neighbours, the landlord, the neighbour’s dog, you name it

Another soft bean whose bedhead you love to ruffle

I mean have you seen My Pace dance practice? That boys mane has a mind of its own--

Brings you lots of cakes and pastries from cute bakeries when you’re stressed

A responsible boi™ ! always helps you out around the house.

Grocery shopping together? What a concept

Except he piles the cart with chips and snacks when he thinks you’re not looking

Lots of late nights binging movies on Netflix

This boy loves moves

But he loves them even more when he watches them with you ;D

Afterwards, you’re both too lazy and comfortable to move, so you end up falling asleep cuddled up against each other

Always runs away and hides when you ask to see his songs

You find scraps of hastily scribbled lyrics and ideas strewn around the house all the time

Little phrases like “i think i love you” and “my heart beats impossibly fast when i’m with you”

So you manage to collect enough to bring them to him and tease him about it

Jisung gets all quiet, though, instead of whining like he usually does, and you quickly apologise, thinking you’ve gone too far

You reassure him his writing is amazing

“It’s not that.”

He finally looks you in the eye, the intensity of his stare making your heart stop for a moment.

“They’re about you.”

Oh, how the turn tables.

Felix

i hate him sm, blease

Why did you even agree to room with him

Rooming with Felix is a one way trip to insanity -- we going ✈️✈️ acid trip

You can hear him yelling yeets and yeehaws when he plays Fortnite while you do your homework, and you swear you’re t h i s close to putting his head straight through his screen

Video game marathons when you’re not busy though, you have to admit, are the bomb

Probably convinced you to make TikToks with him

Makes you do all the viral challenges, including the couple trends

Honestly the most fun guy to be around ever

Your daily dose of memes and sugar

Knows when to be down to earth and serious, though!

Gives the best massages when you’re overworked and runs you a bath, promptly ordering your favourite takeout and making sure to feed you

Building pillow forts together on rainy days and snow days, and having sleepovers!

Binging vine compilations together during said sleepovers

Sending each other memes at 1 am when you’re both simultaneously procrastinating on homework

You basically became a couple without really going through the confession stage; it just sort of happened

“Hey, ‘lix?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I think I kinda like you.”

A sideways smirk. “Well, yeah, you’ve dealt with me for this long.”

The best-friends couple: soulmates, and, more importantly, partners in crime vine

Seungmin

Sweetest roommate!! Honestly you feel bad for even asking him to do chores

Has a bit of an evil side, though

One second he’s flashing you an angelic smile, the next he’s roasting you for your selfie skills on your recent Instagram post

You make one (1) complaint about the living room being messy, next thing you know you wake up and it’s spick and span

Cooks?? Really hecking well?

Sometimes you wonder if you signed up for a roommate or a housekeeper

Your apartment is so clean

Taking evening strolls together after dinner and taking pictures at the park

Walks you to and from work/school like a little puppy, and gets anxious if you’re late coming home

Doesn’t know how to show how much he cares about you and gets frustrated with himself

So he indulges in the little things, like packing you cute little lunches with sticky notes on the containers

Little notes around the house on days he stays out working late, like make sure you’re eating! And don’t sleep too late!

Honestly, you fell for him the moment he first smiled at you

Once, he was working overtime nonstop, and you didn’t get to see him for over two weeks

When he finally came home on time, you couldn’t help tackling him in a big bear hug

After he got over his initial heartbeat racing a thousand miles per hour, he dropped his head into the crook of your neck, hugging you back tightly

No words were needed, you missed each other’s presence so much, it seemed to say itself

I love you, and I missed you.

Jeongin

Is this boy even old enough to rent out a room? He is babie

So incredibly shy when he first meets you, but warms up quickly

Owns animal-printed pajamas and onesies

You both had a mini celebration when he got his braces off, complete with banana milk and animal crackers

You are both babie

An early bird, always wakes up before you

You wake up to him shaking you and laughing at your scrunched up face

“Wake uuppp, y/n, you’re going to be so late!”

“Ergghhhh.”

Can’t clean to save his life; always ends up breaking something or knocking things over

So he’s in charge of doing the laundry

Had a fat mental breakdown when he realised that meant your underwear

Your apartment is littered with figurines and plushies that both of you collect and don’t have the heart to clean out

“Jeongin, where are y----” you stop. “Why are you lying face down on the ground?”

“...we’re out of banana milk.”

Another hidden evil bean who clowns you for everything you do once he warms up to you

Baby boy!Jeongin switches to Savage!Jeongin in a matter of seconds

Also makes you kill the spider

Helps you cook, but only if you tell him how to do everything or he’ll freak out

Putting mukbang channels on the TV while eating together and watching in comfortable silence

Loves watching you eat and has a million derpy pictures of you saved on his phone

Poor boy has no idea how to tell you he’s falling head over heels with you

Accidentally blurts out “I like you” during a screaming contest

Lots, I mean LOTS of awkward laughing as Jeongin feels his face heat up, watching yours do the same

The longest moment passes, and Jeongin is getting ready to disassociate when you’re finally able to open your mouth and scream back,

“I like you, too!”

Baby boy found his soulmate.

[chwesolai]

cafe girl, grocery boy | ch.7

why did it have to me?~

taglist (cant tag @jaybeenow) @xumingh0e​​ 

-Jeonghan-

“I think you went too far, Han.” Seokmin sighed as I explained to them what my little venture to my parents’ house was about.

“Whatever, y/n should know better, business is business.”

“You’re insane, Yoon. But, whatever, it’s just Seungcheol.” Seokmin continues to be on his phone.

“This could work?” Jun’s face lights up in inspiration, “You could turn her against him.”

I smile at my lovely friend, “You already know, Moon Junhui, you already know.”

“A bad idea!” Seokmin yells from the other room.

“Ignore him, I believe in this, Han.”

-

-You-

I will fucking end Yoon Jeonghan. Well, shit, my own mom is against me. 

“No, Dad, I’m not turning my car around. I can’t believe you!” More nonsense being spewed out of his mouth. “I really don’t care, if you can’t tell, you’re not taking this away from me. Not again, bye Dad.”

Pulling up into my apartment garage, I see an all too familiar-looking motorcycle, “Why can’t this dickhead leave me alone.” I sigh, banging my head into my steering wheel.

I peek through my rear-view mirror and see Mr. Yoon Jeonghan, himself in front of my apartment door. I can’t even get ready for my fucking date. Continuously see Jeonghan tapping his foot in front of my door, as long as he doesn’t turn around I could leave. I undo my seat belt and move to my back seat and begin to search for any possible clothing I keep in my car. 

Oh, fuck yeah. 

Thank god for Joshua Hong and convincing me to go clubbing that one night after work. I grab my duffel bag and shuffle through the clothes in the bag, this can work, this is a cute outfit. God bless Joshua Hong.

I peek out the window once more to still see Jeonghan by the door, still waiting, ha asshole I’m one step ahead. I look around my surroundings to make sure no one is near me, and change into my new outfit.

5:30pm ok he’s off of work already.

I look at myself in my mirrors and I look good. I move back to my driver’s seat and open my compartments to find my emergency makeup bag and touch up a few spots and fix my eyeliner.

“Ok, y/n, we can do this.” I start my car, and peek at my rear view mirror and oh shit, he turned around. I immediately back up my car as I see Jeonghan begin to run down the stairs of my apartment complex. Shit, go y/n, fast and furious mode time. 

I make it out of the parking lot before Jeonghan reaches his cycle. Ok game plan, um, coffee?

I take the shortcut from my apartment to the cafe, that no one rly knows about and who knew, in five minutes I was in front of the cafe. I lock my car and run to the employee entrance of the shop.

“BOYS!” I yell in the back room of the cafe, as three guys come rushing in.

“I knew she would be back,” Vernon laughs at me.

“Shut up V, this is important. Ok, reason why my parents came in, Yoon Jeonghan snitched on me.”

“Hang on, what?” Joshua looks at me in confusion.

“What is he, 5? Who snitches on someone to their parents at the age of 22?” Mingyu laughs, “This bitch needs to go.”

“Chill, gyu. So, I’m going on a date with Grocery boy right? And apparently his parents’ are the company rivals of my parents and the Yoon’s.”

“WHAT” Only Joshua reacts, reminding me I forgot inform our younger co-workers about my family background. “Dude, what did they say?”

“Pretty sure my mom wants to disown me and my dad can’t stand up for himself as usual so, I’m ignoring them for awhile.”

“Badass, y/n-nie” Vernon laughs as he puts his hand up for a hi-high and I smile as I hi-five him back, “Jeonghan can suck it.”

“Yeah! Yeah he can, V.” I laugh at his response, “So I’m hiding out here until 7 because Jeonghan is on my ass right now, trying to talk to me.”

“Sounds good to me, but do, note, Seokmin’s shift is in like 10 minutes.” Joshua tells me as Mingyu and Vernon go place to the front to go work.

“Kyeom and I are chill, I’ll be fine,” Then, I realize Seungcheol is supposed to pick me up at my place, “Oh shit, I need to text Seungcheol, he’s supposed to pick me up at my apartment.”

“Call me, good luck b.”

“Thank you loser.”

We both laugh as Joshua leaves the back room. 

I go on my phone and scroll to my phone app and find his contact, you just need to tell him y/n its not that big of a deal. My internal anxiety stops as you hear the back door open, “Hiding from Yoon?”

“Kyeom!” I look at him with a sad smile, “and yes because your friend’s insane.

“I know, he told us what happened and honestly, I’m on team y/n.”

“Per usual,” We both laugh as Kyeom sits across from me and at that exact moment Seokmin’s phone goes off, “let me guess.”

“Jeonghan.” We both laugh as our lovely Yoon Jeonghan is so predicatable.

“He asked if you’re in the cafe, I’m telling him nope.”

“Ahh Lee Seokmin, I love you.”

“Ahh Y/n Y/l, you saying something to me that Yoon Jeonghan will never hear.” Now, we were dying with laughter, “But I think you have a phone call to make.”

“Ok Mr. Nosy, I’m going.” I roll my eyes as I go into the employee bathroom. I open my phone and press his contact.

“Hello Choi Seungcheol’s phone.” Another guy answered his phone, “Cheol is currently freaking out about what he should wear tonight, y/n.” Ahh, his roommate friend 

“Oh! No worries I can call back!”

“GIVE ME THAT!” Seungcheol’s voices beams in.

“Seungcheol?”

“H-H-Hey! Y/n! Wh-What’s up!”

I smile as he stutters, “So I have a situation with my apartment and I’m hanging out at the cafe right now, so, would it be cool if I come pick you up instead?”

“Oh! Oh! Yeah! That’s fine, I’ll text you my address, and-”

“Y/N JUST COME OVER RIGHT NOW!”

“Oh!”

“Y/n you dont- Don’t listen to him.

“I mean,” You really thought about it and, “if I can? It’s better than being in the break room at work,” I nervously laugh, preparing for him to say no.

“Bring us some drinks?”

“Ok, bet,” You both laugh over the line, “Text me your orders and address.”

“Yes, ma’am.” We both laugh again.

“See you in like 20?”

“You got it.” We both laugh and I hang up the phone, while exiting the bathroom, heading to the front room.

“A raspberry iced tea, hot hazelnut latte and a matcha thai milk tea and three everything bagels pleasseeeee.” I come behind Joshua as he was standing in front of the espresso machine.

“Fine.” He laughs and rolls his eyes at me, “but you’re making the drinks.”

“Bet,” I laugh as I put on an apron.

[pxiao]

Reasons I’m glad V///R is dead and gone forever

So V//R is dead and cancelled and my only reaction is FINALLY. Since VR is gone and we can finish forgetting the forgettable show and get rid of all our salt. You’re free to add to the post but there are rules. 

1. DO NOT TAG IT SO THE FANS CAN SEE. As much as I hate the show and the fandom even they don’t deserve to see people bashing the show in their tag. 

2. Don’t write the name of the show or the characters. Use /// or ---- in the character’s name like Yu///saku so the tumblr search can’t pull them up

ok good? Good. 

Everyone but Yu///saku is worthless. 

Seriously when have any of the characters actually progressed the story? Potentially only SB have done anything truly worthwhile. Everyone else was just to die to build tension for Yu//saku. And if you’re asking for RE///volver. OHHH I have a section just for him, don’t you worry.

Sto//rm Acc/ess aka Yu//saku is such a shitty duelist that the MINORITY of his duels has him not cheating. 

SERIOUSLY it’s written that Yu//saku can get a random extra deck monster with his skill BUT the issue is despite it being “random” Yu//saku ALWAYS gets the monster he needs to win. NOT ONCE IN THE 100+ EPISODE HAS HE GOTTEN A USELESS CARD. ALWAYS THE ONE HE NEEDS. Totally doesn’t seem like plot armor. And you know it wouldn’t be as big of an issue IF HE DIDN’T USE IT FOR EVERY SPE///ED DUEL!!!!!!!! For a character that the show likes to say is “invincible” he sure isn’t good enough to win with the deck he built. It got ridiculous with his duel with G/oo in season 2 where G//o countered his skill BUT A//i revealed it had a secondary effect that let him draw a card AND still get a new extra deck monster. 

Plot twists: 

They fall into two camps, “we already knew you dumbasses” or “THE HELL WERE YOU GUYS SMOKING!” Essentially the twists are obvious like A///i was based off of Yu//saku’s data as why wouldn’t he be. Or the dumb ones like Spec///tre beating A///oi or somehow Spec//tre had CONSCIOUS TREE AS A MOTHER. There have been a few twists that I can count that surprised me but they lead to other twists that fall back into stupid.  

the “Plot” just plain doesn’t exist.

 It’s just things happening with some connecting plot lines BUT they rarely lead into each other. Light///ning revealed that his plan was happening THE EXACT SAME TIME as season 1′s finale. A//i being the villain is more due to Light//ning’s simulation somehow proving that A///i will destroy humanity than the fact that A/i’s the only Ig//nis left. And each season’s arc has no connecting plot either. Season 1 can be broken down to Yu//saku gets A//i which has him meet the “main cast” and then Yu///saku go to S//OL for info that was TOTALLY pointless. Which is isolated from Re//volver setting a virus that traps you on the internet which leads to Re//volver learning Yusa//ku’s face AND MEETING HIM but does jack shit with that info. And then Re///volver’s final plan happens that was based on timing than anything else. 

Does that seem disjointed? YEP because there is no narrative at all, things are just happening. There is a vague connection at best but none of the characters’ actions actually affect how the story goes. THE FRUSTRATING PART IS THEY SET UP MOMENTS WHERE THEY COULD HAVE BUT THEY DIDN’T. SEASON 2 AND 3 IS THE SAME THINGS JUST HAPPEN AND THEN YU//SAKU HAS TO SAVE THE FUCKING DAY. V/R has no rhyme or reason why things happen, they just do and let me tell you, that’s fucking boring.

The Yu//saku praise

 My fucking god. Look the protagonist getting praised isn’t new, it happens with each series BUT the issue is the volume that Yu//saku gets and how early he gets it. Most protagonists have to wait till at least the second series before the population love them. Yu///saku got it by the THIRD EPISODE. BY. BEAT. A. MOOK. He was called a hero, people were saying he was hot, people were copying his avatar. AND IT NEVER STOPPED. EVERY OTHER EPISODE HAS SOMEONE SAY HE’S AMAZING, STRONG AND SOOO IMPORTANT. 

An A//oi episode in season 1 has a less than five minute section just to show that a kid HERO WORSHIPS YU//SAKU AND WAS IT. The kid appears with an avatar based on PM, PM saves him and tells the kid to trust him to save and then the kid logs out. AND THIS HAPPENS CONSTANTLY. “YU//SAKU IS INVINCIBLE”, “YU//SAKU IS MY HERO!”, “EVERYONE DEPENDS ON YOU YU//SAKU”. IT’S BEEN AN ENTIRE SHOW OF PEOPLE SINGING YU///SAKU’S PRAISES AND THE WORST PART OF IT IS, HE DESERVES NONE OF IT.

The setting. 

Let me ask ... THE FUCK IS IT. What even is Link Vr//ains? Is it a game, a site, a program? WHY IS IT ONLY IN DE///N CITY? WHY IS DESTROYING IT WILL LEAD TO THE ENTIRE INTERNET CRASHING???????? Link Vr///ains is something that NEEDS to be explained but the show NEVER DOES. HELL IT NEVER EVEN TRIES. 

The girls

Jesus christ ... the girls are .... just sad. A///oi ... my fucking god A//oi. A///oi’s personality starts and ends with “onii-sama”. NEARLY EVERY MOTIVE OF HER’S IS I WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR MY STEPBROTHER. Everything else is a passing fancy. Mi///yu? Yeah nice motivation but that’s why her two duels as BM in season 2 is more about her relationship with Ak//ira than her “friend”. 

Em//ma’s backstory was absorbed into BS’ despite the fact he was a new addition when Em//ma was around since season 1. 

Vir//ya is just a bit character meant to fill out the remain KOH, since their return in season 2, she haven’t done anything of value. 

Qu///een ... why is she there? I mean she appeared in a Bikini ... in virtual reality. seriously there is no point in that shit, and then did nothing besides watch over Ear//th’s death and then lost to A//i when her skill was named honey trap. 

Mi////yu is so unimportant we haven’t gotten a scene of her out of flashback despite being a lost chi//ld.   

Back to A//oi, it’s not even that A//oi isn’t important,sadly that’s not uncommon in YGO, it’s the fact EACH TIME SHE TRIES TO DO SOMETHING, THE SHOW PUNISHES HER FOR IT. She tries to be a symbol for people, it’s stupid why she trying but still, Spec///tre reveals he was toying with her the entire time and she had no chance. She tries to get stronger in season 2, SB beats cause she doesn’t have an Ig//nis and then she does nothing for half the season. She tries to save her “childhood friend”, Bow//man beats her and takes her consciousness so Yu//saku has to save her ... again. She tries to protected Ak//ira, A//i beats them and only takes A//oi to taunt her over her failure. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SHOW, ANYTIME A//OI TRIES TO DO ANYTHING, THE SHOW BEAT HER UP AS IF TO SAY, YOU SHOULDN’T DO ANYTHING EVER. Great message there. 

Simulations

You know as people there are plenty of reasons that conflict starts, greed, hate, anger, lust, desperation to survive, hunger. And how does conflict start in V/r? FUCKING SIMULATIONS. EVERY SINGLE CONFLICT IN THIS SHOW IS BECAUSE OF A SIMULATION. K//OH are a thing cause Kog///ami did a simulation that showed that the Ig//nis are learning TOO FAST AND WILL CAUSE THE END OF HUMANITY. Ligh///tning turned evil because he learned no matter what he can NEVER BE FRIENDS WITH HUMANITY CAUSE OF A SIMULATION. A///i turning “evil” because he’s doom to end the world cause of you guessed it a SIMULATION. Simulations are just tools and are NEVER THE FINAL RESULT. There are too many variables to truly make an 100% accurate simulation BUT HERE THEY ACT AS IF SIMULATIONS ARE A FUCKING GOSPEL. IT’S STUPID AND INCREDIBLY LAZY THAT THE CAUSE OF ALL the conflict in this show is because of independent simulations.  

Mental illness

As a person with a mental illness and went to therapy I can say this, VR doesn’t deserve any brown points for covering mental illness. If anything VR touching mentally illness takes points away. I have already said my piece on how poorly VR tackles mental illness. But my take away is this when it comes to mental illness VR is a absolutely horrible.

Rev///ovler

Re//voler is in all honestly a shitty character despite what his fans think. He’s an asshole that has no drive of his own. He admit he does this all BECAUSE OF HIS DAD. The one time he did do something of his own accord, turn his dad in, he later regretted so much that he refuses to do it again. LOOK I can understand missing your father despite the fact he’s trash, human relationships are complex BUT RE///VOLVER BEING “FATHER I WILL NEVER EVER GO AGAINST YOU AGAIN DESPITE THE FACT YOU KIDNAPPED KIDS AND THEN TORTURED THEM BECAUSE YOU FELT SAD HUMAN WILL EVENTUALLY GO EXTINCT ONLY TO TURN ON YOUR CREATIONS” IS FUCKING STUPID. And then he goes the EXTRA MILE OF ASS and says to Yu//saku’s face that he REGRETS SAVING HIS LIFE TWICE. And he never apologized either. 

Also his “development” is forced as shit, Revo//lver never develops onscreen or shows signs of changing, just the show and characters say OH YES RE//VOLVER CHANGED.... IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.  Honestly after his return in season 2 where he showed he DIDN’T CHANGE, then he tries to help Hom//ura despite telling Yu//saku he regrets saving him. WHY THE CHANGE. HE HAS SEEN NOTHING THAT MADE HE FEEL SYMPATHY FOR THE LOST KI//DS. BUT HE’S ALL OF A SUDDEN KIND TO HO///MURA. AND THEN AFTER HE LOSES TO LIGH//TNING AND SAY’S A/I NAME, ONLY TO SNAP BACK IN SEASON 3 AND WANTS TO KILL A///I. What I’m saying is, he has no real character development, you can tell what the show WANTED him to become but my god they were too lazy to actually show him changing. 

Yu//saku

OH BOY this is going to be long. Yu//saku is by far the WORST WRITTEN PROTAGONIST IN YGO HISTORY.  He has no personality and no real background besides HE WAS TORTURED, POOR HIM!!!!! Seriously what was his life like before the Lo//st Incident. What did he like to do, did he have friends, where the fuck are his parents. There is no information about him, past or present. Like his current “personality”, WHAT IS IT besides he’s stoic/emotionless. He’s not nice or even mean anymore. He has no likes or even dislikes. All we know is he’s determined ... and that’s it. Yu//saku is a blank slate for the viewers to project on. Yu//saku is honestly NOTHING. 

Honestly, Yu///saku isn’t strong as he cheats the MAJORITY of his duels, he isn’t smart as rarely does he do anything that’s smart, wanting to brutal force the solution and he doesn’t follow his own advice. 

Yu//saku: Bonds are important and the only thing that are absolutes

Yu//saku then fucks off for 3 MONTHS NOT TELLING ANYONE

And like Re//volver, his “development” is forced as hell. He just says things that make no sense for him to say. Yu//saku shouldn’t say revenge doesn’t help WHEN IT OBVIOUSLY DID. The show was supporting him and he got the guy that kidnapped him killed and then he got better. HELL JI//N WAS SAID TO GET BETTER ONCE THE K//OH WERE BEAT.   

[lexstovall]

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TASK

Are they introverted or extroverted?

Lex is more introverted, though she can sometimes be a little more outgoing around the right people. Her idea of recharging is a quiet night in with a book or a documentary, with some wine and a hot bath. That doesn’t mean she likes to go out and party or anything like that, however, she just finds that after a stressful day she likes to unwind quietly at home.

What bad habits do they have?

She has a bad habit of lying about her well-being to those who ask or care about her, to the point where sometimes she doesn’t know whether or not she’s okay or not. She calls it putting on her mask, and it keeps people out and keeps the bad in. Lately, she’s been better about it, but it does come up from time to time. She also has an awful habit of speaking badly about herself and insulting herself.

How do they display affection?

She tends to display affection by showering in gifts or by being an ear, when it comes to platonic affection. Romantic affection, she tends to be a little more hands on with it. She likes to touch, stroke, kiss, and cuddle. Casual displays of dominance are also prominent in both types of affection. It’s not unusual to see her with her hand on someone’s back, casually leading them some place or gently nudging them to do something with her tone.

How do they want to be seen by others?

She want to be seen as strong, elegant, and graceful. Strength being the most important of the three, Lex almost needs people to believe that she’s someone reliable to lean on, because she doesn’t feel as though she is half the time. She tries to exude an air of confidence, beauty, like something one might see in a magazine. A very different outward air compared to her inner turmoil.

How do they see themselves?

Lex sees herself as a monstrous being. Her intrusive thoughts and mental illness have taken their toll on her self-perception and most of the time she views herself as something that needs to be taken away. A lot of this began when she started to realizing her gender identity, not because of her own feelings towards her feminine nature, however, but because of the relentless teasing and abuse she endured. A lot of that she internalized and often thinks about herself when things start to spiral. Every misstep she takes, she blames herself for it completely and often acts as if she’s unforgivable. 

Strongest character trait?

I’d say that it’s her perseverance, despite everything she’s gone through and everything she thinks about herself, she still pushes through no matter how much she wants to stop and give in to her darkest thoughts and desires. Even when she feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, she’s still clawing her way through the metaphorical trenches. 

Weakest character trait?

Her weakest, though, would probably be her self-loathing and self-doubt. They go hand in hand because when she doubts, she hates herself even more for ever thinking those things. The self-loathing is the worst of the two, for sure, but it feeds off of everything negative that she does or thinks.

Do they make snap judgements or take time to consider?

It depends on the situation, which can vary greatly. Most of the time, however, she tries to consider what might be going on, rather than jumping to conclusions and reacting solely based off of her initial reaction. 

What is their greatest fear?

It’s literally that everything she thinks about herself is true, that she is the monster she thinks she is and it’s only a matter of time before the people who say she isn’t see her true self. 

What are their biggest secrets?

Her biggest secret as of right now is that she’s terrified of commitment and her diagnosis that’s going to be coming up when she goes to therapy. She doesn’t want to admit that she has Persistent Depressive Disorder, and it will take some time before she actually does to anyone other than Amira. 

How do they treat people better than them?

She treats people who are more skilled, talented, etc. with respect-- though it depends on the circumstances that she’s in when she’s with them. Her betters in the hospital, she was friendly and respectful. When she’s with peers, she doesn’t treat them any differently than she would other friends. 

How do they treat people worse than them?

Worse is so subjective to Lex, so she usually thinks in terms of those who might be worse off than her in terms of finances or marks. And even then, she doesn’t go out of her way to treat them terribly. If anything, she tries to be accommodating to those that need it, offering help if it’s appropriate for her to. 

Describe their best friend.

Her best friend, as much as it’s odd for her to say this, is Emily Barton. Despite their age difference, they have much more in common than Lex really likes to admit, down to self-image to how they project to others. She hates to admit it because she hates to think about someone she cares about struggling with the same, or similar, things she does on a day to day basis. Emily can come off harshly, but she can also be kind and caring, and an open ear to Lex if she ever needs it, and that goes a long way. 

How do they respond to a threat?

If it’s a physical threat, Lex will not hesitate to exercise her power as a dominant or call the police, if it’s serious enough to. A non-physical threat would be dependent on the person its coming from. She’s used to having to hold her own against people, even other dominants who think they’re better than she is. And if it’s from a ‘lower’ mark, she’ll make sure they’re properly disciplined if the situation calls for it.

What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

She thinks the worst thing that can be done to someone is to have all their insecurities and fears completely exploited with no remorse or thought to the contrary. For her, she’s endured this over years and years of bullying, so she believes that, for the most part, she’s seen some of the worst of humanity. 

Where do they want to be in a week? A month? A year?

In a week, Lex wants to be able to talk to Amira candidly about her struggling with commitment and her thoughts of cheating. In a month, she wants to be able to have the apartment with her and start to seriously talk about the idea of what their future together looks like, despite her fears. And in a year, she’d really love to be claimed to Amira-- as fast as that is. Relationship issues aside, in a year, Lex wants to be making much more progress in her recovery and able to being to work towards her goal in being a prominent figure in Ashbridge.

How do they act in public?

She acts like how she’d like to be viewed. So she exudes an air of confidence about her that makes others think she knows what she’s going, no matter what, and that she’s always perfectly okay, despite the roiling storm inside of her. 

How do they act in private/among close friends?

Even among close friends, Lex acts similarly to how she does in public, because she doesn’t like to even let her closest friends see her weakness or anything she might be dealing with. It’s only when she’s alone completely does she allow herself to break down.

How do they respond to compliments?

She deflects and refuses, for the most part, or just flat out denies the compliment. She doesn’t take them well, and never has, partially because of how she views herself. 

What kind of qualities do they like in others?

She likes people who are honest and willing to talk, even though she knows she’s hypocritical for enjoying those qualities in others when she’s none of those. However, she also enjoys intelligence, of any kind, because she likes people who can keep up with her. It’s the type of people that barge in with no invitation and act like they know everything about a situation that bother her the most, and she’s had several run ins with people like that in her life. 

Why is your character in New Eden?

Lex is in New Eden, because the idea of a utopia where she could be who she was with no qualms about her identity or her dominance was the dream after she left Texas for the first time. It helped that New Eden had a fantastic medical program and the teaching hospital had a great neuro program that she was very much interested in.

Have they ever considered leaving the city? If so, why haven’t they?

Absolutely not, she’s found her home here and believes her lifestyle suits the city, even in its darkest moments.

What would your character say about each mark if they knew it would never be revealed to anyone?

For dominants, she believes that most of them have a god complex, even if they don’t act on it. The way they all talk, even her, and even the people who were mismarked or don’t fall into traditionalist circles, leads her to believe that most enjoy the power that comes with it. 

For submissives, she fully believes that most of them are lost and need that dominant guidance to help them along, but respects their decision to refuse it. 

And for switches, she is struggling with what to think of their mark in general and how to help them, because she does want to make sure that they get the help they need. Recent revelations about the v-shot have made her question everything.

How does your character truly feel about their mark?

She absolutely adores being a dominant. She loves having the privilege and the power that it affords her, because she’s grown up not having any of that. Sometimes she likes being a little power hungry. 

Do they think their mark fits them?

Oh, absolutely, yes. Even as a teenager, she was completely and totally dominant and bossy, always needing her way or nothing else. When she got marked, it was easy to see that it was who she was meant to be. 

What would they do to improve the city?

She isn’t sure what could be done to improve the city, though she knows improvements do need to happen. She’s upset and annoyed at the way the election turned out and believes that there needs to be more firm understanding and help rather than something stuck directly in the middle of it all, despite her being a registered moderate. She would have been happier if there was more information in general. 

How important is their mark to them?

It’s not her entire identity, but it does determine how she approaches situations and how she does prefer to be treated and seen by the people around her. I’d say it’s extremely important, and she would hate to see a dissolution of the mark system entirely. 

How important are other people’s marks to them?

Again, it depends on the situations she’s perceiving these marks, but for the most part, it’s sort of the same to how she views her own mark. There’s a certain level of pride that’s there and she hopes that, even with all the hardships that come from being a submissive or switch, they find some semblance of happiness in it. 

How did they feel when they first received their mark?

She was absolutely ecstatic, because she thought it was going to be a relief from the abuse from her father and she thought it was going to be something different. What it did end up being for her was an escape, which is part of the reason she loves it so much. 

[the-truth-will-light-the-sky]

A Day in The Life of Gladiolus Amicitia, Part One

Set during the days at Insomnia, before the treaty.

Gladio wakes up at five in the morning, thirty minutes before his alarm goes off.

He works out as soon as he finishes tidying up his room and putting all his books back on their respective shelves. Oh, nobody messes with his books -- they’re all organized based on the genre and the year they’re published. He even carries them all in one arm, sort of as a work out in itself.

He showers right after, sometimes humming to a song in his head. If he’s feeling extra lithe he’ll even sing, too. He’s got a good voice, Gladio. He then puts kettle to heat for his morning drink of hot lemon water.

Checks his phone as he dries up, laughing as he scrolls through the conversations at the group chat. Prompto ‘slayed’ Noct again in their on-going meme battle. What a pro.

Keeps himself informed about the latest memes and friendly insults the bros threw at each other, remembering the lines so he could bring it all up again the moment they meet up for the day.

After getting dressed, he’d step out into his balcony to take in the morning air. Insomnia may be a bit polluted, but his room is overlooking the manor’s garden. He gets enough of the outdoors with just a few strides from his window sill. He particularly loves it when the sun has just started rising from the horizon. 

Yup, he’s got the room with the most sunlight. He gets to see both the sunrise and sunset. He’s a happy man whenever he witnesses both marvels.

Iris is still fast asleep. He checks in on his sister to make sure the blanket is not on the floor, leaving her cold in the bed. Most of the time though, it happens. He quietly puts the thick blanket back, Iris’ smile decorating her calm face.

Clarus is mostly at the Citadel, but on rare days, he’s back at home with his children. He eats breakfast with his Gladio at six in the morning without fail.

Breakfast for Gladio is always a rice meal. Eggs, meat and vegetables with rice is always a staple meal for him.

He and Clarus head on to the Citadel to start their day.

His day officially starts with warm up exercises with Cor. V joins in a few minutes later and engages Gladio with conversations about books. He always gets good recommendations from her.

During training, he and Prompto compare their progress with their fitness journey.

Just one look and Prompto knows he’s the losing party. Noct won’t even join in on the conversation unless provoked. Prompto gives him the stink eye whenever Gladio removes his shirt after a particularly difficult training, his smirk driving Chocobo boy into competition mode. 

Gladio always gets good remarks during training. He may be burly, but he’s quick and agile on his feet. Cor approves. 

He knows how to read his opponents moves even before they’d execute it. Often times it is him who would catch V during stealth training. 

The usually quick-footed immortal would dodge an attack, but Gladio catches her before she could even sneak an attack against him. At the end of their training, expect to see V ruffled. She’s not used to being surprised in the battlefield. Cor approves again, with a competitive smirk. Gladio knows that there’s an ongoing battle between the two immortal friends.

He likes to listen to music with heavy notes every time he trains. Hiphop songs with ‘heavy beats’ and also instrumental pieces that are full of percussions such as the ones with oriental drums. But sometimes, he likes to listen to classical or orchestra music as well, matching his movements to the complexity of a piece. 

On his ‘Cor Day’, expect Gladio to be extra agitated. He looks up to the marshal so much that he pushes himself to be worthy of the man’s praises.

Cor trains him intensively, often times using words to rile him up just to see if he can handle the different kinds of pressure that the Shield would encounter in their journeys.

It pays though. Gladio becomes sharper every time they train. Cor gives him books about military strategies to study. The marshal would also lend him his trusty book of philosophy as well. They can both look brusque, but their wisdom goes deep.

He also knows how to strategize. He and Iggy always make a great team. This spells bad news for Noct and Prompt if they were asked to team up together -- they’re no match for the two older guys.

After training, Gladio prefers to curl up in a corner and read. He likes to recharge his mind after driving his body up to its limit. His mind is always whirring like a well-oiled machine. 

Gladio usually only reads just one book at a time, but if he’s feeling rather restless during midday, he’d pick up one nonfiction book to read (usually history books).

He drinks any kind of beverage as his fingers turn one page after another, mostly preferring a cold glass of rootbeer or barley tea.

Cor joins him, the silence between the two after a hard day at work a welcome respite.

Gladio’s duty as the prince’s shield is 24/7. There are no lunch breaks, recesses or vacation modes for him. 

As a result, being with the stubborn prince can get on his nerves. 

Don’t get him wrong. Gladio is VERY patient. It’s just that he expects nothing less from Noct. He’s always thinking that the prince knows his responsibilities enough to act accordingly with it. 

He would often tell Noct off if his attitude is bordering on ‘bitchy’ at times. Noct can be one hard nut sometimes. But Gladio has always been there for him. He finds himself ‘adopting’ a younger brother every time he takes care of Noctis.

He trains Noct hard, too. He’s tasked with coming up with fighting techniques with him since they’ll work together all the time. He expects perfection and synchronization.

Gladio can be very strict with Noct, but on weekends, he lets the prince get away with a couple of road trips around the city. ‘Make it quick’ is his magic word for Noct.

Noct would then drive to the dimsum joint that they like spending the afternoon in.

Iggy looks forward to this in secret. He’s supposed to keep the Prince’s schedule in check, but knowing that Gladio would be there to keep things in order relaxes the usually stressed royal advisor.

Gladio and Prompto would fight for the last piece of pork dimsum. Gladio wins almost all the time, though oftentimes opting to give up so that Sunshine Kid would smile more. 

He’s curious about the outside world. So whenever the bros would drive to Insomnia’s perimeter, expect Gladio to stand up in the car just so he would see more of what’s out there. 

[hvndcvffed]

“ let me just –– can you –– uh. ”  grizz clears his throat and raises a finger. because this? oh, boy. stomaching this shit without laughing mandates a breather.  “ hold that thought for a moment while i collect myself. s’been quite the day and i want to give you my undivided attention. ”

or, alternatively :  yo yo yo, party people ! guess who finally made it ?  i’m lev / linc ( she/her/hers ) , comin’ atchu from the ever so lovely est timezone with ya boy, the tru ledge, grizz visser! click on that read more to read some headcanons i’ve got goin’ for west ham’s resident handcuff-owning, intellectual beb !

[   g    r   i   z    z        v    i     s     s     e    r    ––    B O Y   O N   F I R E .

✔ ┊❝ ( nick robinson. 18. he/him &. cismale ) rumor around town is that gareth “grizz” visser was on one of the buses that left for the field trip. they’re the eighteen year old that resides in new ham. over the summer news spread that he purposely botched his chances to win a football scholarship to a local uni because he applied to several ivies behind his parents’ backs, but who knows if that’s true or not? what we do know is that their friends describe them as well-read & piquant, but who knows when they’re known to be elusive & misanthropé from time to time. 

( &&. general information )

full name: gareth visser

nickname(s) or alias: grizz

preferred name: grizz –– call him gareth and he will... not be happy.

current age: eighteen

astrological sign: leo

gender: cismale

preferred pronouns: he/him

sexual preference: homosexual ( but closeted )

romantic preference: demiromantic

home environment: a quaint three-bed / two-bath house with his parents. a positive, almost sickeningly sweet home: family portraits all over the place, cheesy “ home is where the heart is ” décor all around from his mother’s many trips to pier 1 imports.

current occupation: student, student athlete.

language(s) spoken: english, french, a tad of latin. wants to learn more hebrew, but that shit is complicated as heck.

native language: english.

current relationship status: single.

( &&. background )

reason behind name: y’know, he’s asked his parents this countless times. why gareth? why. gareth. and each time he’s just gotten the same vague response: they liked it. it sounded respectable. ack.

birth order: only child.

ethnicity: american. west ham born & raised, baby!

nationality: american.

religion: agnostic. goes to church with his mother as a way to keep the peace, but... the idea of a god out there saying homosexuality’s a sin gives him a bad taste in his mouth. he’d rather discount his whole existence and uphold morality than accept that there’s a bigoted big guy in the sky. sees the bible more as a literary exercise to instill human value. did jesus really walk on water? heck no. but it makes a good fable.

political views: very, very liberal. doesn’t subscribe to labels, but as close to democratic socialist as you can get in this country without causing riots. anti-brexit. anti-trump. anti-bullshit, basically. maybe socialism or communism done right wouldn’t be a terrible idea.

financial status: very, very comfortable. his parents earn well and know how to save / spend frugally. the vissers are modest in living so they can pour more into experience. for grizz’s twelfth birthday, his parents took him hiking through the adirondacks. they’ve gone on some awesome trips together, and most of their vacations include some aspect of super cool nature. unbeknownst to grizz, his parents’ planned grad gift for him was a month-long backpacking tour through new zealand.

hometown: west ham, connecticut. cool beans.

level of education: high school senior. but he’s one of the learned folk: ap literature on lock. he took some college courses at the local community college last summer, because his job as a summer camp counselor wasn’t exactly intellectually stimulating. leading kids on hikes is fun ‘n all, but... not as engaging as college-level philosophy.

( &&. physical appearance )

looks like (or face claim, if applicable): nick robinson. with longer hair. reference [ here ] . 

height: 6′0 ( jack’s shorter, but nick’s my main fc i’m workin’ with so i decide to bump it up. plus, height? football? makes sense. )

weight: 158 lbs

shoe size: 10.5

figure/build: athletic build. muscular. broad shoulders, lean waist.

hair colour: deep, deep brown. almost black. natural.

hair length: about jaw-length. curly. ( REFERENCE. )

eye colour: brown with an overlay of hazel-y jade-green. his campers over the summer compared his eyes to moss a lot. it kinda felt badass. “moss boss” had a ring to it.

glasses?: nope. 20/20 vision. but he’s been known to steal friends�� glasses sometimes, just for funsies.

skin tone: light, but not necessarily pale – spends a lot of time outdoors. no freckles.

tattoos: none, yet. would love to get a quote from walden. or a pine tree, if it wasn’t so cliche.

piercings: none. but getting an ear pierced has always intrigued him.

birthmarks/scars/distinguishing marks: some miscellaneous scars on his hands from whittling incidents growing up. a faint line across his arm from stitches, when he broke it in the peewee football league in fifth grade. 

dominant hand: left-handed, but very recently learned he’s marginally ambidextrous for important tasks.

if painted, what color are their nails?: never painted. he keeps them short.

usual style of clothing: letterman jacket. jeans. tall socks, boots. pants tucked into socks, because why the hell not? flannels, hoodies, utility jackets layered over plain white tees. pendant necklaces, leather bracelets. occasionally he’ll wear a statement button-downs that looks like your grandmother’s upholstery, but somehow it’ll work really well. varsity t-shirts. hats of all varieties. if he could, he’d showcase some edgier styles. but he’s paranoid. he’s got a stanford hoodie buried in his closet. and a yale one, too.

frequently worn jewelry:  leather bracelets. a silver ring strung on a chain, engraved with “ for sylvie, with love ”. he found it on a hike, and... figured he’d be sylvie for a day, or something.

describe their voice, what accent?:  he has a light, gentle voice. a soft autumn breeze. laced with some gravel. strong, resolute. kind.

what is their speaking style (fast, monotone, loquacious)?: often speaks slowly, surely. not always keen to fill silences. but words are some of his favorite devices of deflection. if he’s unsure, he’ll cut himself off, leading to some choppy and hard to follow sentences. he very rarely mumbles. not afraid to speak eloquently, but will certainly match his speaking style to those he’s around, to an extent. rarely seems bothered. he masks it well.

describe their scent: amber, sandalwood, musk. vague hints of cinnamon. 

describe their posture: grizz holds himself proudly. shoulders broad, chin up, chest open. it makes his vulnerable moments very easy to spot.

( &&. legal information )

any speeding tickets?: nope. this kid drives by the book. probably because he very much prefers to walk or bike around town, when he can help it.

have they ever been arrested?: never. he’s only been to the police station once, to drop off some promotional donuts for the homecoming football game.

do they have a criminal record?: nah.

have they committed any violent crimes?: no sir.

property crimes?: no.

traffic crimes?: nope! unless you count accidentally cutting cars off with his bike, because that’s happened a handful of times, when he’s been deep in thought.

other crimes?: just breaking hearts.

( &&. medical information )

blood type: o negative.

date/time of birth: july 26, 1997. 3:23am. during a rainstorm.

place of birth: west ham hospital.

vaginal birth or cesauren section?: vaginal birth.

sex: male

smoker? / drinker? / drug user?: no / yes / marijuana.

addictions: does good lit count?

allergies: sulfur-based antibiotics. bullshit.

ever broken a bone?: his left arm in fifth grade. right foot at the seventh grade dance –– the girl he asked to slow dance tripped and grizz, wanting to show off his cool socks, wound up with a stiletto heel to the talus. ouch. collar bone, freshman year of high school: he climbed a tree to save his neighbor’s cat and slipped.

any physical ailments/illnesses/disabilities: nope.

any medication regularly taken: allergy meds. sometimes he gets the sniffles.

( &&. personality )

direct quote from them:  UNO.  DOS.  TRES.  QUATRO.

positive traits: charismatic, cunning, introspective, virtuosic.

negative traits: cataclysmic, self-destructive, reckless, careless.

likes: classic literature, trail mix, synth vibes, 60s/70s/80s rock, the beatles, radiohead, faith by george michael. old vinyls. bob ross. vanilla-cinnamon candles and jasmine tea. wind-rustled leaves. fresh fallen rain.

dislikes: bitter coffee. the disappointment just after sunrise. katy perry. cleaning, laundry. the warmer side of the pillow. waking up without a hand to hold. gareth. secrets, but he harbors a few big ones. pretending. hiding. transitively, himself.

strengths: can be quite resolute but sometimes about the wrong things. his ability to analyze and respond to complex literature is… uncanny. intelligence. deduction. survival facts. he’s a postmodern bear grylls trapped in suburbia.

weaknesses: impatience. do-it-yourself attitude.  fear of rejection. fear of acceptance. fear of others. fear of himself. 

insecurities: what if people in west ham discover who he really is? how’s he supposed to postpone that?

fears/phobias:  irrelevancy. book-burning. ignorance. time.

habits:  playing with his fingers. biting his bottom lip and twisting it between his teeth. humming when he thinks no one is listening. going for late-night walks through the emptiest parts of town. staying up ‘til 4am to read and re-read and read again.

quirks: rarely settles his gaze on anything for more than a few seconds, except for other peoples’ eyes. eye contact is probably one of grizz’s biggest conversational strengths. probably why he makes such a good liar, when he needs to. he’ll finish a pint of ice cream and just sit there for over an hour sucking on the spoon, lost in thought. licks his lips when he’s nervous. plays with his hair a lot. you know he’s nervous when he keeps tucking his hair behind his right ear. chuckles to himself, even when things are the pure opposite of funny.

hobbies: jotting notes in book margins. he dabbles in poetry but feels like his shit is too beat-generation to be that cool. wandering through the woods and attempting to generate his own maps, then checking them for accuracy. lighting matches in the cold, mid-evening air just to watch them burn.

guilty pleasure: peanut m&ms. twizzlers. burned marshmallows. apartment tour videos on youtube.

desires: to prove he’s… sometime more than this. something more than a footballer destined to pretend.

wishes: he could come clean about college. wishes he could come clean about himself. wishes he could work up the courage to ask a guy to prom.

secrets: he purposefully botched an interview he had with central connecticut state university’s football recruiter because he doesn’t want to play in college. he wants to go to yale, or stanford, or brown. to study literature. classics. philosophy. his sexuality. but it’s getting harder and harder to keep that locked down.

turn ons: intelligence. genuine, pure intelligence. sharp-witted humor. dimples. dorky laughs. gentle touch. someone who doesn’t bother with worries ‘bout tomorrow.

turn offs:  idiocy. khakis. people with too much pride. line cutters. naggers. people who don’t think the proper way to eat bugles is by fashioning crisp-claws first and pretending to be edward scissorhands. people who overlook adrienne rich’s poetry, or claim dante shouldn’t be taught in school.

lucky number: 0.

pet peeves: hearing people scratch their scalps. sniffly public transit users. people who don’t use earbuds. cold fries. nail-clickers. knuckle-crackers. people who slurp from straws like they’ve never had a drink before in their lives. 

their motto:  “ i’m surrounded by idiots. ”

( &&. favourites )

food: curly fries with cajun seasoning.

drink: half-oreo half-chocolate milkshake. extra whipped cream. two cherries. please.

fast food restaurant: he’s not huge on fast food, but he can fuck with five guys.

flavour: anything chocolate and peanut.

word: fuck !!!  or zephyr: a soft, gentle breeze.

colour:  a nice, deep forest green.

clothing: his letterman jacket. his deep green flannel’s a close second.

accessory: “ for sylvie, with love” . silver ring. he likes pretending he’s sylvie and that someone cared enough to get his name etched into a precious metal forever.

candle scent: the connecticut homesick candle. it smells like cinnamon and nutmeg and vanilla and fireside bliss. and pine trees. yum.

game: monopoly. but only if he wins.

animal: fish. they’re so graceful.

holiday: halloween. boo.

weather: sunset, just after rain. golden rays peering through deep gray clouds. it makes the greens of trees practically scream against the sky. it’s glorious. it’s heartbreaking. grizz loves it.

season: late fall.

book: le petit prince by antoine de saint-exupéry. it was the last book his grandmother ever read to him, on his fifth christmas eve.

artist: edvard munch. or van gogh, simply because he chopped his ear off and mailed it to his lover. now that’s modern romance.

band/group: the divine comedy, radiohead, pink floyd, the beatles, the rolling stones, the kooks. the avett brothers. belle & sebastian.

song: high and dry, radiohead. elephant, tame impala. anything by the beatles.

movie/film:  mr. nobody. eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. the first time little grizz saw alice in wonderland, he wouldn’t shut up about it for two weeks.

tv show: he grew up watching wallace and gromit. he’s still got a soft spot for it.

sport: football.

possession: his dad’s collection of beatles original release vinyls.

number: 0.

person: henry david thoreau.

( &&. skills )

talents: writing, but he won’t admit it. football. wood-whittling. gardening. navigation.

ability to drive a car?: yes.

can they ride a bike?: yes, and will frequently do so with no hands.

do they play any sports?: football.

anything they’re bad at?: juggling. sleeping. pretending to like gross food.

do they have any combat training? why?: grizz once yahoo answered how to punch somebody to the moon, after one of his best friends got made fun of in grade school for accidentally wearing a costume the day before halloween. he’s still waiting for an answer to that post.

( &&. firsts )

childhood memory: waging what was left of his fruit gummies during a game of fireside poker on the first visser camping trip.

crush: matty kerrington, pre-k. his hair smelled like strawberries and his smile reminded grizz of the hot honey that clung to his mum’s spoon after stirring tea. but to this day, he’ll say his first crush was amanda vander-voss, because her hair was pretty in braids and she reminded him of the pretty deer from bambi.

email address: grizzlybear@aol.com

job: camp counselor at a hiking / adventure camp based in west ham.

phone: a nifty samsung with a slide-out keyboard. made him feel like a god.

kiss: jessica winthrop, in a game of third grade truth or dare.

love: tess de luca ( @tessdl )

sexual experience: with jessica winthrop in the woods behind the middle school, three years later. jess got poison ivy in all the wrong places. grizz thought it was hysterical.

( &&. childhood )

best childhood memory?:  honestly? wearing that boa in dance class. his mom was quick to stop that.

worst childhood memory?:  nearly breaking his nose on the neighbor’s front porch, while attempting to ding-dong ditch with his friends. he’s not sure what gave them away more –– his blood staining their pavement, or the fact that he blubbered the whole run home.

what were they like as a child?:  grizz tended to poke his nose into all the wrong matters, landing him in oodles of trouble. he’d steal from the snack cabinet, sketch constellations across the walls… even stole his dad’s old walkman so he could listen to music under his covers past his bedtime. tried to sneak into the library after hours to get his hands on another thoreau novel. but it was all harmless. the vissers weren’t very firm disciplinarians: they just loved that their son was engaged and passionate about knowledge.

any crushes growing up?: oh, loads. more than he’d like to admit.

( &&. this or that )

expensive or inexpensive tastes?: inexpensive, but lasting.

hygienic or unhygienic?: hygenic.

open-minded or close-minded?: open.

introvert or extrovert?: ambivert. thrives in social settings but the mood has to be right.

optimistic or pessimistic?: pessimistic with a weak optimistic veil. pragmatism, is how he’d put it.

daredevil or cautious?: cautious daredevil.

logical or emotional?: a blend of both, but emotions often influence his actions more than he’d like to say.

generous or stingy?: generous.

polite or rude?: polite when it’s socially mandated. but if there’s no threat of repercussions? a bit rude, if he has to be.

book smart or street smart?:  both.

popular or loner?:  popular, by proxy. but grizz vibes with some solid solitude, especially to recharge.

leader or follower?: leader. follower, though, in the high school structure of things. it’s a way to ensure his place and avoid potential fallout. he’ll call his friends out if they’re up to no good, though.

day or night person?: night. definitely night.

cat or dog person?: both! prefers cats just a smidge more.

closet door open or closed while sleeping?: open. maybe his demons wanna cuddle or some shit.

( &&. social media )

do they have a facebook? twitter? instagram? vine? snapchat? tinder/grindr? tumblr? youtube? yes to instagram and (begrudgingly) snapchat.

if so; name on facebook: none.

instagram user: grizzvisser

snapchat user: grizzybear

( &&. musical tastes )

theme song: kimochi warui ( when? when? when? ), car seat headrest. god... get him OUT of this town.

makes them sad: blackbird, the beatles. his grandparents used to sing this when he’d sleep over/ they’d be in the kitchen early in the morning trying to convince him to eat his cereal. they’d change the lyrics and snap slightly off-tempo, all smiles and coaxing gestures. ave maria. he’s not sure why. it inspires melancholia.

makes them dance: hazy miss daisy, kid bloom. anything with a sick beat and erratic synth. take on me, a-ha. good times bad times, led zeppelin. 

loves the most: fool of myself, the band camino. it’s a song he can throw his head back to, close his eyes, and sway in the breeze.

( &&. miscellaneous )

do they have a fake i.d.?: yep, used to, but now that’s not necessary!

are they a virgin?: nope siree!

describe their signature: it’s unapologetic on the page. takes up more room than it should with lateral squiggles and grandiose swirls. G and V are decipherable, but everything else is convoluted by its own physics. a muddled mess. beautiful in its self-collapsing structure.

how long would they survive in a zombie apocalypse?:  he’d outlive everyone. survivalist visser, right here.

do they travel?: yes, but he wants to do more, see more. the grand canyon would be cool. or maybe the alps. he’s always had a dream of hiking yosemite. 

one place they would like to live: anywhere but here.

one place they would like to visit: new zealand. australia. hawaii.

celebrity crush: young johnny depp. emma watson.

what can you find in their pockets/wallet/purse: tic tacs, but never the mint ones. only the odd flavors.

place(s) your character can always be found:  anywhere with trees. rooftops. alleyways. the football field. coffee shops. the local diner. roadside sunflower fields. his parents’ garden.

when does your character like to wake up?:  with the sun.

what’s your character’s morning routine?: blink at the ceiling for about 20 minutes. wash his face, brush his teeth. annotate a few lines of whatever book he’s reading. push-ups, pull-ups, crunches. run a mile or two. rush into the shower. grab his lunch from the fridge and bike to school (and barely make it).

what does your character eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner?:  grizz’s mom loves to cook, so they’re always trying some new paleo trend. some of it’s awful. but he’ll try to eat it and if he can’t, he’ll sneak a granola bar later. if the school’s serving smiley face fries, he’ll have those. he really likes green apples and those little clementines.

how does your character spend their free days?:  hiking. reading. writing. lying in the sun and just... thinking. lately, he’s been daydreaming a lot about an ivy league education. something more engaging than west ham’s high school snoozefest.

what’s your character’s bedtime routine?:  some kind of pre-bed stretching routine. wash his face, brush his teeth, curl up in bed with a book. fall asleep with it still open on his chest.

what does your character wear to bed?: boxers and a t-shirt.

if your character can’t fall asleep, what are they thinking about?: the past. mistakes. time ticking away.

what is their idea of perfect happiness?: he’s still workin’ on that bit.

on what occasions do they lie?:  very rarely, if he can help it.

most marked characteristic: his hair. it’s all russet waves. untamed. some days, his hair truly has a mind of its own. it screams free spirit. it doesn’t let on that, inside, his soul is burning.

what is one thing they’d most like to change about themselves?:  honestly? it’s not so much what he’d want to change about himself as it is about this town. 

how would they like to die?:  well-read.

do they snore? not unless he’s got a head cold. then there may be a few soft snores here and there.

can they curl their tongue?: yes!

can they whistle?: yes indeed!

do they believe in the supernatural?: not really. but it’s fun to indulge on halloween.  did he move your cup, or did the ghouls?!  s p o o k y .

has anyone ever broken their heart?:  no. haven’t had the opportunity to.

have they ever broken anyone’s heart?:  yes. little marsha lapone’s, at summer camp. she was 8, he’s 18. he told her there was no chance, and she cried into her pb&j. tough.

are they squeamish?: no. 

have they ever seen anyone die? what happened?: just in films.

are they a lightweight?: heck no.

that was a very lengthy thing but... yeah! hit me up for plots! i’m gonna get to crafting and replying to starters v shortly!

[svrpcntined]

okie so here’s my third and final child ,, my softer boi lincoln who is less of a little shit than stevie and mickey , my lil bub and i luv him so pls be kind to him . this is v late bc im at work and got busy pfft and had to do my actual jOB .. lame, but here we go !!

( jordan fisher, cismale, he/him ) ↷ hey, that’s LINCOLN BRADSHAW who’s originally from KINGSTON, ENGLAND. i heard they’re TWENTY-FIVE and have been working on the ship as a BAKER AT PUFFERFISH PASTRIES for TWO YEARS. other passengers seem to say they’re INSOUCIANT and IMPETUOUS, but are also known to be SERENE and ELOQUENT. when they’re missing home, i heard MORNING YOGA & CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS can always cheer them up. ↷

statistics:

full name: lincoln william bradshaw / nicknames: linc / birthday: february 14th / sexuality: pansexual / birthplace: kingston, england / spoken languages: english & spanish / hogwarts house: slytherin

tidbits of info:

so lincoln is an only child between his two parents isobella and monica but he was a sperm donor baby of which isobella was who gave birth to lincoln .. at the time bc it was the 1990′s .. his mom’s were together but not Officially Together in terms of the law but they were together for a long while

isobella was a high end art dealer who had a studio in london and made serious $$ from selling these fancy schmancy paintings ,, she was v big into the dutch golden age but she sold a lot of post-modern art meanwhile monica was a bioengineering professor over at the imperial college london

things were swell and lovely up until linc was around 4 years old or so .. his mom’s loved him v much and he had his nanny samantha that raised him mostly when his parents were busy , but he often saw monica more than isobella and it was a lot of built up agitation between his moms that built up before it bubbled over the top

his mom isobella was super big into party and w her art friends and money , she often held parties at their flat and was more into recreational drugs and alcohol than she should’ve been with a lil son .. and monica was v wary of this and the two of them often clashed in terms of how to raise linc

his mom’s split up when he was four and isobella kicked monica out which made linc ))): and from then he mainly saw his nanny samantha and saw isobella whenever she would come home at night for a half hour before she tucked him into bed and her friends would come over

it was a tough time bc isobella was uHhh petty and didn’t let monica see linc much other than every other weekend and the law couldn’t do much bc isobella was the biological parent and technically they weren’t ever married so monica couldn’t do much

but fast forward his childhood which was kinda lonely and samantha raised him more than his mom did .. linc was easy going and enjoyed learning and was never a v fussy type of person

he definitely was shaped in the lax environment of his home w isobella and for sure when he was in his teens he went behind his mom’s back to spend time w monica bc he missed her and knew isobella was being annoying and petty

bc he remembers the arguments between his mom’s .. he’s not v big into like .. disputes and is a calm dude who goes w the flow and doesn’t ever yell or raise his voice bc he sees no point to it and it just gets ppl more angry

he got a job at a popular bakery which was owned by a friend of monica’s and *harry styles vc* he was a baker .. kdsan loved the intricacies and complexity of making pastries and loved decorating them and making them pretty bc he’s a nerd and i love him (’:

v soft and v embracing of his sexuality and kinda just .. does his thing ?? spreads the love and is content being on his own atm since he’s just enjoying his life  .. did fairly well in school bc things just came easy to him and was well liked among his classmates and teachers

knew he enjoyed baking and making pastries bc it was generally peaceful and he was kept to his own devices and was in the back more often than dealing with cranky customers in the front kjdnfdks but when he was up by the register he got some nice tips w his smile n dimples

he’s slightly miffed bc his mom isobella pulled strings despite him telling her not to about him securing a place at le cordon bleu in london for their diplôme de pâtisserie ,, but either way he accepts and gets educated there and he !! loves it !!

after graduating he decides he wants out of london and to kinda ,, spread his own wings and following his mom monica’s wedding w her new wife claire , he embakrs on horizon where he was hired as pastry chef at pufferfish pastries and he’s excited to be able to travel the world !!!

overall a v chill and laidback dude who means well , v compassionate and wears his heart on his sleeve but in no way lets ppl roll right over him .. v hipster  and loves getting up early to do morning yoga bc i hate him djkfs