#and i’ve been to various sides of tiktok right

[m-e-w-666]

i obsessively watch tiktoks too but like why is everyone on tiktok Like That

[theglassesgirl]

Calypso vs Antinous: A Tale of Two Villains

I know this is such a weird topic for me to come back for after not blogging for months, especially I’ve never spoken on this fandom here, as opposed to TikTok. But precisely BECAUSE tiktok is so limiting, even if you make various videos on a topic, someone won’t have all the context and the comment system of that app is pure ass so here I am

Calypso and Antinous are two (out of three!) of the MAJOR villains in the Wisdom Saga, however, both these villains have produced polarizing discourse that has fascinated yet confounded me. On Calypo’s end, she is a villain who many are made upset by when she is interpreted as the villain she is (in varying degrees). On Antinous’s end, he is a villain who many are made upset by when he is interpreted as anything BUT the villain he is (in various extremes). What on earth happened here?

I’ll try to dissect what has transpired as i have come to understand both situations.

PLEASE try to read through the end, but if you like, you are also more than welcome to just focus on one section if you don’t care for both discourses or how i think one affects the other. I totally get it. KEEP IN MIND, that i might speak about something you haven’t PERSONALLY seen, but as i often say in fandom, just because YOU didn’t see it, doesn’t mean it didn’t HAPPEN. It adds context to why/how certain fans are reacting as they are. You could be in one camp, and never have seen what the other camp has, so at any point where youre reading and saying to yourself “is this a thing that happened?” Consider that it did indeed, happen, and you are welcome to expand your knowledge on the subject.

ANY comments that go “you have no idea what your talking about/this isn’t true/i’ve never seen this/when did this happen(sarcastically)” will not be answered and you will be blocked, because it is clear you are not actually open to discussion. You’ve made up your mind about these characters and topics, and my time, at least, is valuable.

GENUINE questions like “I didn’t know this/when did this happen (genuine)/can you explain this point more” are more than welcome. I will absolutely entertain character interpretation as well, so long as we’re not trying to “convince” one another, as that isn’t the point of this post. These are two villains who i find fascinating and am wondering why are being treated so differently in discourse spaces.

For Calypso:

I truly and HONESTLY believe that because Calypso is a unique (and lovable! Mind you!) villain, it had led to many of her newer fans to feel uncomfortable with her role in the story. I have seen numerous sides of her discourse and have come with a few iron-clad rules: it is ONLY acceptable to call someone out if they are harassing Wangui, calypo’s VA (which has NOT happened as i am writing this out) OR if an anti-calypso comes into SOMEONE ELSE’s post saying anything like “if you like calypso then you condone her actions” because as what we sane people know, that is just a silly fallacy, OR if they start shit in a cosplayers/fanfic writer/fanartists comment section. ASIDE from these instances, i will be speaking on what none sense has transpired about how Calypso is portrayed in the Musical within her first song, and her future song, because BOTH have been used for utter bias.

A few things to debunk:

FIRST Calypso is NOT cursed to fall in love with anyone who comes across her island. That is a Percy Jackson ONLY addition that has no bearings on her actions in the musical or the original poem.

ALSO though Calypso CANONICALLY RAPES Odysseus for seven years in the original poem, the CHILDREN from that abuse only really exist in secondary sources/works. They NOT in the original poem.

Having said that:

The Ambiguity of Calypso’s actions in both of her songs means that everyone is right when they speculate on what she has done. Odysseus was trapped on her island against HIS will for seven years. He is canonically seen refusing her advances, trying to kill himself, and begging her to let him go and leave him alone. These are UNDISPUTED facts. As such, regardless of how YOU personally choose to interpret Calypso actions, she will always have a CANONICAL victim in the musical. I feel people are forgetting Odysseus when they speak on Calypso and that’s the whole point of her existence in the poem and the musical.

This leads directly into WHY there has been arguments about Calypso’s character. In the POEM, she very much sexually assaults Odysseus for seven long years. He is seen crying nightly and begging to be free. In the MUSICAL, Jorge has decided to leave the situation ambiguous - which, i have seen, does not sit well with current fandom culture. NEW fans of Calypso seem to be very adamant about NOT interpreting Calypso as a rapist, in levels that range for they’re just not comfy with it so decided not to head canon her as such, to other very concerningly speaking about rape survivors in such a way to justify liking a villain when you dont HAVE to justify liking a villain at any point at all ever.

Let’s break it down.

Those who just don’t like the idea of Calypso being a rapist in the MUSICAL are valid. It’s very easy to block and avoid those who have chosen to explore this aspect of her in the musical because they can and are allowed to. I am very pro-finding a space in fandom where you can talk about Calypso without HAVING to mention she might have raped someone. She’s still a villain for having kept Odysseus captive for seven years, but it’s not important. You are more than allowed to love villains, and without the rape aspect, Calypso’s villainy boils down to her physiological and emotionally torturing Odysseus while physically kidnapping him. That’s still ALOT of bad stuff to unpack, if you so want to. You could also not want to! It doesn’t hurt anyone, and anyone who says it does is not being intellectually honest.

The PROBLEM that I’m seeing, is that many of her newer fans…DONT want Calypso to be seen as a villain. At all. Which…is not how fandom works, I’m sorry to say.

While some EPIC fans have interpreted Calypso of being manipulative / selfish even in their most sympathetic analysis of the story (and the current song), others are treating these interpretation as wholly incorrect and somehow a form of harassment. The main caveat to this reaction appears to be, as TikTok puts it, “That Calypso DOESN’T SA Odysseus on the musical”

As we have pointed out, Calypso canonically rapes Odysseus in the poem, while it’s ambiguous in the musical. As we have ALSO pointed out, the ambiguity of the musical allow ALL INTERPRETATIONS to be correct. Something about the RAPE aspect of Calypso’s characterization in this musical, however, is the primary reason this discourse has happened.

Now, as i have said earlier. You are in your RIGHT to not head canon Calypso has a rapist in the musical. In the same vein others also have a RIGHT to head canon Calypso AS a rapist in the musical. But from what I’ve seen, it’s when others interpret Calypso as a rapist that newer Calypso fans leave comments about they’re not “interpreting the story correctly” and not “Judging calypso based on Jorge’s vision” and at first i found it funny…now it’s a bit concerning.

There are two instances that come to mind. One tiktoker made a video where she was in tears saying that it made HER SAD that people were “judging Calypso wholly based on outside sources material” which is disingenuous. As i have said before, even without the RAPE aspect of Calypso, which i will go further into what her newer fans consider “rape”, she is still an antagonist within the musical - she is a villain who keeps Odysseus against his will. To claim that they are calling her a villain for that reason alone is a blatant and useless addition to the discourse. I did not care for it at all. It would have been MUCH MORE constructive for this tiktoker to say that even though Calypso is a villain, the sexual assault is up to individual interpretation, and as all interpretations are valid, it’s better to find people who agree with your head canons rather than start fights with people who don’t share yours. This tiktoker very poorly worded the discourse as a one-sided thing where one side is wrong, and that is simply not true.

ANOTHER tiktoker, who wisely turned off comments because such discussions are impossible on the app, worryingly claimed that a line in Not Sorry for Loving You was absolute PROOF that Calypso did not “rape” Odysseus so it was wrong to interpret her as such, because, and this is a loose quotation “i don’t think Jorge would make Odysseus say something like that HAD Calypso done that to him” which unfortunately leaves fandom discourse into REAL WORLD victim discourse. Holy shit. The line she is referring to is when Odysseus calms Calypso down when she is in the middle of explaining her actions by saying “Calypso i love you, but not the way you want me to” to this tiktoker, it seems illogical for a rape victim to every say these kinds of things to their rapist…which is….NOT it. At all. Fiction, as beautiful as it is, is meant for you to QUESTION “huh…how would this impossible fictional scenario work? What makes this compelling?” It is NOT meant for you to attribute your REAL WORLD assumptions onto a FICTIONAL SCENARIO in order to justify you liking a villain character when you dont HAVE to justify it. You can like Calypso! It’s only weird when you make real-world comparisons like this because a rape victim can and HAS said as much and even more to their rapists in known history. *bonks you* dont do what this person did! Fiction allows you to explore situation that would be traumatizing outside of it in as safe and consensual way! You CANNOT and should NOT ascribe your personal biases on sensitive topics for FICTIONAL characters. That’s not how this works. “real victim wouldn’t x, so fictional wouldn’t y” is a ludicrous statement! You can’t back it up with facts! “Fictional victim does x, so i wonder if there ever would be a situation where a real victim would do y, and would like educate myself on the topic” IS what fiction was made for! OPENing your mind, not closing it for stupid reasons.

But it got me thinking. BECAUSE these fans anchor their arguments on the rape of Odysseus, even when they themselves DONT consider it, what exactly do they consider rape, and why is that ONE act Calypso may or may not do the ONLY reason to call her a villain when she is one, regardless.

Well, I’ve seen a lot of back and forth. Some anti-calypso’s are okay with the idea that Calypso is more of a “kissy-face” monster, a silly villain who, having no concept of what actual love is and what your supposed to do with someone you love, thinks hugging and kissing is the only thing on the table. It still makes this version of Calypso something of a sex pest and is still in line with sexual assault as we see Odysseus is miserable. The gravity of the situation is based entirely on funny fanfics to Odysseus canonically trying to kill himself because of Calypso’s affection. This interpretation (shockingly enough) is also hated by some new Calypso fans.

Because from what i have gathered. “SA” as used in TikTok, had been boiled down to a literal forced insertion of Odysseus’s dick in Calypso’s vagina. Not the literal words ���sexual assault” which is an umbrella term for multiple things. But in this discourse “SA” has JUST been used for the ACT of rape itself. That is what new Calypso fans think is criminal. That is what they entirely base her villainy on. Because we will NEVER get confirmation on whether this happened, it’s impossible to engage with some of the newer fans, who dislike attributing Calypso with the villain title because of this one thing and this one thing alone. Any other line, from Calypso saying “and I’m sorry if i pushed you, or if i came on too strong” in her next song, or even her saying “in bed we will climb” is, for some reason, not grounds for others to be allowed to interpret her as, at the very least, assaulting Odysseus physically and sexually in a way without having to have actually raped him. It boggles my mind. Truly. But every argument i have seen has boiled down to the newer fans saying “welllllll, we dont know the context, and Odysseus said —“ when i have already explained that none of that matters. All interpretations are valid. You CANNOT say with certainty that she did or didn’t rape Odysseus. That’s the POINT. You can’t PROVE either, stop TRYING to, it’s YOUR choice and your interpretation can be backed by lyrics/official animatics, but it is hardly an absolute.

It has become a GROWING problem that in videos where Calypso is portrayed negatively, there are at least a dozen newer calypso fans who have to bring up how she is sympathetic, and therefore, not a villain. Which is not true. She is the MOST compelling villain in the epic musical, thus far.

These “fans” say that she absolutely didn’t rape Odysseus which is theory, not fact. And not a theory that can become fact. In the same way that saying she absolutely did rape is can not become fact. They appear to believe everything outside of this hypothetical act, nothing else she does is deserving of her title as a villain, and start arguments in non discourse posts about all the ways she’s sympathetic when it goes hand in hand with what makes her a compelling villain antagonist.

There’s also a newer cope saying that it’s all Zeus’s fault anyway, which has NO bearings on the conversation as, again, despite Zeus being a dick and allowing Odysseus live while not necessarily enabling him returning to Ithaca, it’s still up to Calypso on how she acts towards HER captive. And she straight up chooses violence lmao. Athena asks for “Devine intervention” to an impossible situation, regardless of if it was Zeus’s actions that led to it, it’s also up to him to “untie apprehensions” because Calypso, being a goddess, has complete control over whether Odysseus can leave and SHE won’t. She has to be ORDERD to. By a HIGHER power. Zeus.

Such argumentations as “well if YOU were in Calypso’s situation, wouldn’t you also do the same” are useless fallacies to get into, because you are NOT a goddess who owns an island and is in possession of a man who does not love you. Even if you were, guess what, it still makes you the antagonist. A villain. A knowing one or not.

In fact, since I LIKE interpretations that Calypso isn’t psychologically torturing Odysseus ON PURPOSE, i go as far as to say that her being a genuine goddess who wants love is in fact���..so much more painful, narratively. Because that means she is INCAPABLE of ever being a good person. Her loneliness and fear of being unloved makes her utterly blind to Odysseus’s misery. She HEARS him saying constantly that he misses his family, that all he hears are screams, and that SHE doesn’t know him, but she in turn CANNOT get passed this because she is, at her core, unable to, and thus accidentally triggers him constantly, is delusional about her island being paradise, AND convinces herself that her love is real (when it is not) and that Oddy will love her back if she keeps trying.

THAT is what you call a compelling villain!

As in all Calypso stories. There is NEVER a moment of clarity where Calypso realizes “if i actually love this person, i should let him go” in the musical HERMES is tasked in telling her to let him go. And she, as in all her other stories, goes on a tirade to explain/justify her actions, however you wish to see her being manipulative or honest. Regardless of how you choose to SEE calypso, at the end of the day, she has NO RIGHT to be upset at Odysseus because he was her captive. And REGARDLESS of whether Odysseus’s words are interpreted as him forgiving her, or just placating her, at the end of the day, he is her victim and she ends her next song upset that he is willingly leaving her once he got the chance. With absolutely no hope of him returning her feelings. It’s not his job to make her feel better, she IS an antagonist, and you are allowed to love her no matter how that might upset others. It is ONLY a problem when you take it to such extremes that you are in other peoples comments acting as if Calypso is a real person who needs defending. You are more than in your right to block people who come into YOUR videos accusing you of somehow being a bad person because you like a bad person. That’s not how fiction works.

Once again. My analysis of the Calypso debacle is that for some, calling Calypso a villain upsets them. Because they like her, and they are uncomfortable with the idea of liking a villain. This is a personal grievance that shouldn’t boil into fandom. Know your truth, have fun. You CAN make silly calypso videos. Many have. Her song is a bop, the meaning of the song is hilariously dark compared to the composition. Jorge did his job VERY well. Too well, that the idea of liking Calypso feels either / or when it’s not. TRUST that i would not be on the side of anyone who says “if you like calypso, youre evil”, but I HAVE seen a pattern that because Calypso is likable, than several people have made it their confused mission to tell everyone who is “mean to her” that “if you DISLIKE calypso, YOU are evil”. That’s bizarre to me. Calypso does enough evil actions in the musical to warrant that title regardless of the reasons for her actions, whether she is being purposely malicious or unconsciously so due to her lack of socialization. Being weird about real life SA survivors for a fictional character is never acceptable. For or against Calypso, whether she is a rapist or not, it is up to YOU to find like minded people who share your interpretation, not to argue with people who disagree with you in their own space. She isn’t real. Get over it.

ANYONE WHO HARASSES WAGNUI, COSPLAYERS, OR GOES INTO POSITIVE CALYPSO INTERPRETATION SPACES TO BE PURPOSELY MEAN* ARE WRONG. Otherwise. Leave them alone, they are as valid as you are. “Defending” a character is a waste of time when you could be creating for them. Calypso is a compelling villian antagonist regardless of how uwu or vile you choose to make her. Thus is the beauty of fiction.

(*purposely mean, would, logically, be someone calling you an idiot or a rape apologist for headcanoning her in a positive way. The ideal interaction with a negative calypso interpreter would be “i dont see her this way, but i understand/like your headcanon”)

WHICH BRINGS US TO Antinous:

Hilariously enough. Antinous has the complete INVERSE problem as Calypso, which was also detailed in her section for fairness sake at multiple points, and this problem is much easier to understand. Antinous is a villian antagonist in the musical Epic, and in his debut in the wisdom saga, he is shown (like calypso) to be in direct opposition to Telemachus and Penelope’s goal.

He alludes to sexual assault much more clearly than calypso. He calls Penelope a tramp to her son’s face AND suggests he let them into her room “so [they] can have fun with her” which is in the same vein as calypso saying “soon in bed we will climb” to Odysseus later on that “you (Odysseus) are mine all mine” in her own song. Like calypso, it is told to us that Antinous has been having this kind of vibe for FIVE YEARS* (a fan pointed this out to me! read here🙏🏼) as opposed to calypso’s seven years. Everyone is, usually, in agreement that Antinous is a villain in the wisdom saga and in the overall Epic musical.

Antinous’s VA is ON TikTok, and has spoken about how happy he is that fans consider him a talented person who did a spectacular rendition of such a villainous character. AND YET.

Inversely from what we saw in the Calypso section, where some of her fans are against the notion of her being portrayed as the antagonist she is, for Antinous we have MANY fans claiming that others are not ALLOWED to portray him as anything BUT an antagonist. Unlike with Calypso, where people circularly argue that her allusions to sexual assault are “too ambigous” and lead to much senseless debate on whether you’re “allowed” to like her or call her a villian, with ANTINOUS, there is this claim that he ABSOLUTELY is alluded to sexual assault and therefore, cannot be liked or treated as anything other than a villain.

As i have discussed AT LENGTH in Calypso’s section, this argumentation is pure fallacy.

There have been NUMEROUS thirst videos that have rightfully said that DESPITE the actions of the character, they still think Antinous is hot and likable (the Gaston affect, if you will). Even WITHOUT the disclaimer, it is OF COURSE understood that Antinous fans are NOT rape apologists. That is a ridiculous assumption that serves only to kill any interpretation that someone else can rightfully have.

It’s utterly devoid of nuance or actual knowledge of how to play within fandom and interact w characters.

There have been SEVERAL posts calling Antinous fans delusional for liking him and “reminding” the fandom that he is a bad guy. This serves no purpose and is utterly useless to the discourse. Antinous being a bad guy is not debated. This is factual. It doesn’t (or shouldn’t, because we cannot speak in absolutes) hurt anyone’s feelings to see an Antinous videos depicting him as the villain he is. Like with Calypso it is ONLY acceptable to call someone out if they are harassing Ayron Alexander, Antinous’s VA (which has NOT happened as i am writing this out) OR if an anti-Antinous comes into SOMEONE ELSE’s post saying anything like “if you like Antinous then you condone his actions” because as what we sane people know, that is just a silly fallacy, OR if they start shit in a cosplayers/fanfic writer/fanartists comment section.

Otherwise. Who cares that someone is saying Antinous is a villain? Block the no fun police and enjoy analysis from others who choose to see him purely as what he is, if you want. If you dont, block them to, it’s your space. You have a RIGHT to headcanon Antinous however you want, even make up AUs for him where he’s nice or lives and gets a happy ending, SO LONG AS you’re not in other people’s posts going actually Antie is my uwu child and he did nothing wrong. Cuz then youre just being dumb. And annoying. Fandom is already impatient with genuine disagreement, being a smart ass gets your head dunked in a toilet. I used to think this was common sense.

(And in case you didn’t read the Calypso section, or didn’t see enough of it there, this IS the appropriate response to people who address newer fans of her as rape apologists too, its in her section, i just also thought it was important to touch on the stranger phenomena of her other fans refusing to call her a villain because it makes them personally uncomfortable - it’s very interesting as Calypso is a female antagonist while Antinous being a male antagonist is being treated very differently for the same subject. In any case, it’s a disservice to either character and Jorge’s narrative to get upset about the very real fact that BOTH of these characters are villain antagonists.)

The very CURRENT discourse surrounding Antinous is that he was recently shipped with Telemachus.

The animator for Apollo’s section of God Games was harassed to such a point that she had to make a public apology regarding her ALTERNATE UNIVERSE scenario. And i, personally, think that’s bullshit.

There have been accusations that she was being insensitive to sexual assault survivors, and that she made a dark joke, all of which she addressed in her apology IN ADDITION to her explaining that she is ALSO a survivor of child sexual assault. She took down her work. DESPITE all of this, there are still others who continue to harass her, and claim that they dont want “a rape creator” in THEIR fandom. To those people: you don’t speak for any of us. In the same way you can claim not to believe that the animator is a survivor, i have no reason to consider your concerns in any way shape or form as being in service of victims. It is absolutely not your call, when blocking and scrolling on will ALWAYS be an option for YOU.

Even in the event someone writes Antonio’s fan fiction keeping his canon personality and characterization in a non-canon divergent way it is not grounds to harass people.

In addition to this animator, there have been SEVERAL Antinous shippers who have expressed disappointment that she was essentially harassed into a corner, as they also liked the ship and the AU she created. These people are NOT “weird” they are allowed to express themselves creatively, and if you disagree, dont even bother with leaving any sort of response — i wont read it, my time is important. Stay in your echo chamber. Even if it wasn’t an AU, and someone wants to write for Antinous as he is in the narrative, they are more than allowed to do so. Dark fiction isn’t going to traumatize you or give you cooties. Grow up.

I am MUCH more willing to ride with Antinous shippers than i ever will be with fans who attempt to control how a character is interpreted by others. Because to ship Antinous with anyone, AU or otherwise, you have to have an UNDERSTANDING of why this would be a compelling thing to write/make fanart for. He is an evil character, and it would be FASCINATING to see him in fictional scenarios that (like in the calypso section) lead us to as WHY this would be an appealing and interesting take on someone. It’s OKAY to do it in fiction. He isn’t REAL. It’s not hurting EVERYONE. And more so than with calypso, it IS understood that Antinous HAS victims in Penelope and Telemachus There’s no senseless debate on what he is, a villain, no one is arguing he is a uwu babygirl so please sympathize w him, it’s inherently understood even among his FANS.

This is why find Antonio’s and Calypso’s discourses so polarizing. Because no one is getting offended or arguing that Antinous only acts villainously because of some tragic backstory or sympathetic reason. It would be absurd to.

That’s the appeal of a lovable villain. Because like Calypso, Antinous IS lovable, but in such a different way that you have fans treating both characters as if they’re polar opposite when at the very LEAST, there’s on the same bracket, just different ends of them. Telemachus/Penelope and Odysseus’s plights are being MIRRORED in parallel.

THAT is what floors me about these two discourses. That they are functionally THE SAME yet are being treating as if they aren’t. I’m positive that there is an Antinous fan who detests Calypso in the same way there is a Calypso fan who detests Antinous. These are called biases. Once you KNOW your own bias, it is up to YOU to act right according to them.

You are responsible for your OWN fyp.

The Epic fandom had yet to experience such backwards discourse as this, and I wouldn’t expect Jorge or any of the VAs to dignify such trivial discourse with a response. If you’re the type to bring it up to them, you’re being awful. The popular fandom Epic tiktokers are already way too involved as it is. And even they are getting things wrong.

It almost feels remiss to say that in the NARRATIVE of the musical, both Calypso and Antinous are villian antagonists, while outside of the narrative they become dolls you can play with however you like, so long as we are not in each others comments being obtuse. I don’t expect any of my essay to even make it to a larger part of the fandom. But i HAD to get my ideas written down, because if you don’t see someone else connecting the dots you have, you have to present them yourself. Very “can’t we all just get along?” But hopefully, not as insufferable nor one-sides as others might have been. I tried to bring up ideas/points that i have not seen discussed about these two villains and why they seem to connect and go hand in hand.

Why is Calypso, as a female antagonist, given more grace than Antinous, a male antagonist, who is very firmly given none at all. It very well could be just how they were presented, and if so, ask yourself WHY these villains were presented so differently. What purpose do they serve? What are they trying to accomplish? These are questions more suited for actual fandom collaboration that is being drowned out by circular arguements. It feels like homework, instead of knee-jerk reacting to interpretations unlike your own.

To ME, these two characters are two sides of the same coin. (though I DO think it’s funny that the NEUTRAL phrase to refer to either character is “I hate them BUT” because in reasonable fandoms, this is understood inherently….but in this fandom such decorum seems to be lost? For some reason?? Wisdom saga has brought out a lack of wisdom, I fear.) This is the kind of purity culture that suggest you can’t LIKE a character of their a villain, so you go out of your way to argue they aren’t, or that no one else should like them: that’s bonkers. You might disagree and it might even upset you, but that’s a you problem to have.

Having said that, and if you are POSITIVE that you want to engage in conversation with me, you are welcome to do so.

[estellan0vella]

Sunshine's Guide To Murder│Lee Minho

Chapter Twenty Eight: I Bite SS: 18 (ignore time stamps and dates) Word Count: 3.2K Content Warnings: talks of murder, talks of blunt force trauma, Minho butt hunter mentions, Previous Next Masterlist

The living room is bathed in the warm, amber glow of the setting sun. Dust motes drift lazily through the air, catching the light filtering through the partially drawn curtains. Hayun, Jisung, Minho, Felix, and Jeongin are sprawled across the couches. The coffee table is a war zone of empty snack bowls, discarded honey butter chip bags, and soju bottles in various stages of emptiness.

Hayun’s legs are stretched out across Minho’s lap on the loveseat, and he’s absentmindedly massaging her ankle while sipping from his soju bottle. His fingers press into the arch of her foot, eliciting the occasional involuntary sigh from her. The faint hum of TikTok videos plays from her phone, the screen illuminating her face in the dim room.

Jeongin leans forward in the armchair, tapping his fingers on the neck of his soju bottle, his expression one of barely contained excitement. “Hyunjin’s supposed to be here soon. The second he gets here, we’re updating the murder board. I’ve got markers, post-its, magnets. All the fucking works.”

Jisung groans dramatically, throwing his head back against the couch. “Dude, we’re supposed to be chilling, not solving crimes right now. You’re, like, aggressively obsessive about that board.”

Jeongin shrugs, unabashed, a smug grin spreading across his face. “Well, someone’s gotta keep this shit together. If it were up to someone, we’d all be sitting here watching Levi Ackerman edits and eating expired ramen.”

At the mention of Levi Ackerman, all eyes swivel toward Hayun. She’s curled up on her side, completely engrossed in her phone. She doesn’t even glance up, her thumb scrolling as Levi slices through Titans in slow motion, his signature scowl practically radiating from the tiny screen.

Minho leans over, peeking at her phone with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? Isn’t that guy, like 5’3” or some shit?”

Hayun finally tears her gaze away from her phone, her expression filled with righteous indignation. “Yeah, and?”

Minho smirks, leaning back against the loveseat. “Just saying, he’s not exactly intimidating. I could probably punt him across a field.”

Hayun scoffs, sitting up straighter, her tone dripping with mockery as she shows Minho her screen. “But could you look this good doing it?”

Minho narrows his eyes at her, and Felix nearly chokes on his drink, laughing. “Oh, she got you there,” Felix says, pointing at Minho with his bottle. “Levi might be short, but he’s got should have been the main character energy. You? You’re just the funny best friend.”

“Wow,” Minho mutters, holding a hand to his chest as if physically wounded. “The fucking disrespect in this house.”

Jisung jumps in, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “It’s not disrespect if it’s true, dude. Levi’s untouchable.”

Hayun smirks, leaning into the banter. “Exactly. Levi Ackerman came first. Sorry, Minho.”

The room erupts in laughter, and Minho throws his hands in the air, his smirk still lingering despite the ribbing. “You’re all traitors. Every single one of you.”

Jisung, emboldened by the chaos, sits up straighter, pointing a finger at Minho. “She can have a 2D boyfriend and a 3D one, but let’s be real, you two haven’t even put a label on it yet.”

Minho’s smirk falters slightly, his eyes narrowing as he shifts his attention to Jisung. “And have you put a label on it with Hyunjin? Or are you still just stuttering every time he calls you cute?”

The jab lands perfectly. Jisung freezes, his soju bottle halfway to his mouth. He glances around the room as if searching for an escape route. “Oh, wow, look at that! Is that a crack in the paint? Someone should definitely fix that.”

Jeongin leans back in his chair, a devilish grin spreading across his face. “You’re deflecting. That’s a classic guilty move, Ji.”

Felix nudges Jisung with his elbow, laughing. “Spill it, dude. Did you make out with him or what?”

Jisung glares at Felix, taking a long swig of soju before muttering, “You’re all fucking annoying. Maybe back off and focus on Hayun and Minho’s ‘will-they-won’t-they’ bullshit.”

Minho raises an eyebrow, leaning back into the loveseat as he rests his arm casually along the back, just behind Hayun’s shoulders. “There’s no mystery. I’m clearly her favourite.”

Hayun, without missing a beat, takes a sip of her soju and deadpans, “Right after Levi Ackerman.”

The room explodes into laughter again, and Minho throws his head back with a groan. “You wound me, princess,” he says, clutching his chest in mock agony.

Jisung is doubled over, laughing so hard tears are forming in his eyes. “She said what she said! You’re runner-up, my guy. You’ve been bested by a fucking anime character.”

Felix raises his bottle in a faux toast, his voice filled with mock solemnity. “To Minho: second place to a fictional character who’s shorter than most children.”

Jeongin chimes in, grinning. “Levi’s got that energy, though. Can’t compete with that.”

Minho flips them all off, shaking his head. “Fuck all of you. I’m done. You’re all banned from my car, my house, and my life.”

Hayun, still grinning, raises her glass and clinks it against his bottle. “Cheers to that, second place.”

Minho glares at her, but the corner of his mouth twitches upward, betraying his amusement. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

The front door swings open, and Hyunjin strolls in with Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin trailing behind. Hyunjin doesn’t waste time, flopping onto the couch like it’s his own place. He pulls a bottle of soju from his tote bag.

“So,” Hyunjin starts, taking a swig before leaning back dramatically. “Yeji had severe blunt force trauma like I said in the group chat. The hit came from someone around her height, but that doesn’t narrow it down much. You know, heels, platforms, the whole deal.”

He pauses for effect, watching as the group leans in. “The weapon was cylindrical, like a pole or something. The dead person doctor wasn’t sure.”

Minho raises an eyebrow, resting his hand casually on Hayun’s shin as she reclines beside him on the loveseat. “And the guy just told you all of this? Just handed over the autopsy details?”

Hyunjin grins, his confidence borderline obnoxious. “Yeah. A sucker for crocodile tears. I pulled out my best ‘poor grieving cousin’ act. Flawless, if I do say so myself.”

Chan shakes his head, rubbing his temples. “You’re ridiculous.”

Hayun shifts, her legs still draped over Minho’s lap, and leans forward slightly. “Cylindrical, like a pole or-” Her voice trails off as her eyes lock onto the murder board. “A police baton.”

The room stills. Jeongin grabs a marker and strides to the board, scrawling “#1 Suspect” under Mr. Shin’s picture with bold strokes. The tension in the room tightens, like a noose around the group’s collective theory.

Jisung raises his bottle in a mock toast. “Honestly, we should digitize this board at this point. Easier to keep track of all the crazy shit we’ve been uncovering.”

Jeongin smirks, twirling the marker between his fingers. “Already done. It’s on my laptop, saved on two separate flash drives, just in case.”

Hayun nods approvingly. “See, this is why you’re the brains of the operation.”

Felix laughs, clinking his bottle against Jeongin’s. “And the most paranoid.”

Hayun, Jisung, Felix, and Jeongin all move to stand in the middle of the living room, passing the marker between them like they’re brainstorming for a high-stakes exam.

Jisung tosses the marker to Hayun. “Maybe Mr. Shin followed Yeji when she went to check on the body?”

Hayun catches it effortlessly, spinning it between her fingers. “What if he found out the truth? Ryujin killed Yuna, and Yeji stashed the body. He could’ve snapped.”

Felix grabs the marker mid-air. “But he didn’t kill Ryujin.”

Jeongin snatches it next, tapping it against his palm as he speaks. “Maybe he’s spacing it out. Put some time between the murders. Less obvious. Or maybe because he already lost one daughter and doesn't want to lose a second"

Felix nods thoughtfully, handing the marker back to Jisung. “Or what if Ryujin gave him some half-truth? Like, she wasn’t entirely sure about the plan she made with Yunnie to frame Mingi.”

Hayun narrows her eyes, crossing her arms. “So she gets ahead of it, tells her dad what Mingi did to her and how Yuna was involved.”

Jeongin adds, “Then she spins it so Yeji’s the villain. Says Yeji killed Yuna and forced Ryujin to stay quiet. Mr. Shin flips, makes Yeji take him to Yuna’s body, and then BAM!” He claps his hands for emphasis. “Smacks her over the head, she dies, and he dumps her in the tank.”

The four of them stop, staring at the board as though waiting for it to confirm their theory. The room feels electric with energy, theories bouncing off the walls.

From the corner of the room, Minho leans back, watching them with a bemused expression. Chan nudges him, gesturing at the chaos. “Is this… normal?”

Minho smirks, resting a hand on Hayun’s abandoned bottle of soju. “Completely. It’s how they think. They bounce ideas off each other until something sticks.”

Felix tosses the marker back to Hayun. “Ryujin didn’t know where Yeji hid Yuna’s body, right?”

Hayun nods, pacing slightly as she speaks. “Not until the news broke. Yeji was the only one who knew.”

Jisung catches the marker from her, spinning it dramatically. “Then Mr. Shin had to follow Yeji. Or maybe Ryujin told him Yeji was involved.”

Felix snatches it from Jisung with a quick grab. “What if he held Yeji at gunpoint? Forced her to take him to the body?”

Jeongin grabs the marker next, his voice cutting through the rising tension. “So we all agree? We're investigating Mr Shin?"

There’s a pause as the room collectively breathes in. Then, all at once, everyone says, “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Hayun grabs another bottle of soju from the crate near the couch, twisting the cap off. She drops back onto the loveseat, and Minho immediately wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her snugly into his side. She lets out a soft sigh, resting her head on his chest as she takes a sip of her drink.

Jisung, sitting cross-legged on the floor with his own bottle in hand, frowns thoughtfully. “Wait. How the fuck do we even go about investigating a police officer? Like, what’s the play here?”

Everyone falls silent for a moment, glancing around at each other like someone’s supposed to have a genius idea locked and loaded.

Seungmin finally breaks the silence with a deadpan expression. “Apparently, the jury’s out on that one.”

Chan leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and shrugs. “Anyone got any ideas? Even bad ones. At this point, I’ll take literally anything.”

That’s all the encouragement Jisung, Hyunjin, and Changbin need. They light up like Christmas trees, clearly ready to share the absolute worst plans possible.

Jisung lifts his bottle in mock seriousness. “Okay, hear me out: we tunnel into the police station. Like, fucking gopher style. Steal his files, then scurry back out before anyone notices.”

Hayun raises her hand lazily from her spot against Minho. “Claustrophobic, so I’m out.”

Minho chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head. “Smart move.”

Hyunjin sits up straighter, his face deadly serious. “Alright, my turn. I could seduce him.”

Felix squints at him. “He’s straight, though, right?”

Hyunjin shrugs dramatically, a smirk playing on his lips. “You don’t know until you know.”

Felix takes a slow sip of his soju, nodding in reluctant agreement. “That is… more than fair, actually.”

Changbin claps his hands together. “We fake reports of gas leaks in his neighbourhood. Say he needs to evacuate his house for safety.”

Jeongin blinks at him, his voice dry as the Sahara. “He’s a fucking police officer. He can check that shit.”

Hayun snorts softly against Minho’s chest, her shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.

Jisung, undeterred, raises his bottle like he’s making a toast. “We could kidnap him!”

Hyunjin jumps in immediately, smacking Jisung’s hand in a high five. “And torture him for answers!”

Minho groans loudly, staring at them like they’ve grown second heads. “They just need to hurry the fuck up and either fuck or get together or something.”

Hayun nods sagely, tipping her bottle toward Jisung and Hyunjin. “Agreed. It’s painful to watch.”

Jisung turns to Chan with a mock gasp after hearing Chan mutter about a lack of brain cells. “Excuse you! Hyunjin, Changbin and I are professional theorists, okay?”

Felix raises an eyebrow. “Theorists of what? Dumbass ideas?”

Jisung smirks. “Creative solutions.”

Hyunjin leans into the bit, flipping his hair dramatically. “Visionaries, if you will.”

Chan groans, running a hand down his face. “Why the fuck did I agree to come here tonight?”

“Because you love us,” Hayun says sweetly, raising her bottle in a toast to him.

Chan mutters something unintelligible into his drink, but his smirk gives him away.

Seungmin rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair. “We’re doomed.”

The house is steeped in a drunken warmth when the group finally winds down from their chaotic night. Chan, Changbin, Hyunjin, Minho, and Seungmin have all decided to crash at the house, their earlier drinking rendering driving an impossibility.

Jeongin pulls Chan upstairs toward his bedroom with an easy grin, Chan following with his own subtle smirk. The two disappear into Jeongin’s room, the door clicking shut behind them without a word to the others.

Meanwhile, Felix drags a massive air mattress out of the airing cupboard, huffing as he unfolds it in the middle of the living room. “Help me with this shit,” he says, nudging Changbin with his foot.

“I’m not the one who owns it,” Changbin grumbles, but he helps anyway, rolling it flat as Hyunjin tosses some pillows and blankets onto it. Seungmin simply sits on the couch, sipping water and watching the chaos unfold with a faintly amused expression.

Once the mattress is ready, the three of them settle onto it, Hyunjin taking the middle and sprawling out dramatically. “Room for one more?” he jokes, earning himself an eye roll from Seungmin and a snort from Changbin.

“You’ll be lucky if we don’t smother you in your sleep,” Seungmin mutters, lying on his side and pulling a blanket over himself.

“Love you too,” Hyunjin chirps, before flopping onto his back with a satisfied sigh.

Felix heads into his room, mumbling something about needing to scroll through TikTok to relax. Jisung waves lazily before heading to his room, shutting the door behind him. Minho and Hayun linger in the hallway for a moment before Minho follows her into her bedroom.

Inside, Hayun flicks on her bedside lamp, the soft yellow glow washing over the room. She peels off her oversized jumper, revealing a black lace bralette and black yoga shorts beneath. Her fluffy Hufflepuff socks stay firmly in place, adding a touch of cosy absurdity to her otherwise sleek look.

Minho leans back against her door, watching her with a small smirk. “You really commit to the aesthetic, huh?” he teases, nodding toward the socks.

“Comfort first, Minho,” she retorts, tossing her jumper into the corner. “Unless you want to lecture me about dressing up to match my pyjamas.”

“Never,” Minho says with a grin as he pulls off his hoodie, followed by his t-shirt.

His toned torso gleams faintly in the dim light, and he doesn’t miss the way Hayun’s eyes flick over him before she quickly looks away. He chuckles quietly, stepping out of his cargo trousers until he’s down to his boxers.

Hayun climbs onto her bed, watching as Minho joins her. She stretches out, letting out a small groan. “Soju makes me so fucking tired,” she murmurs, her voice soft and lazy.

Minho nods as he pulls the blankets over both of them. “Yeah, it’s like a whole-body shutdown,” he agrees, lying on his side and curling around her. His chest presses flush against her back as he wraps an arm around her waist. The warmth of his body radiates through her, making her sigh softly.

Hayun’s voice is muffled against her pillow as she speaks. “Reckon Hyunjin will end up in Jisung’s bed?”

Minho snorts. “Probably. Those two are a disaster waiting to happen. You know something?”

The room falls into a still, golden glow as the faint sounds of the house settling outside Hayun’s door fade into silence. Minho shifts slightly, the playful ease he carried all night giving way to something softer, more serious. His arm tightens just slightly around her waist, pulling her closer as his breath brushes the back of her neck.

“You know…” His voice is low, almost hesitant, the weight of unspoken thoughts threading through his tone. “I never followed through on that text I sent after Mr. Han pulled his abduction bullshit.”

Hayun turns her head toward him, her curiosity piqued despite the quiet comfort of their position. Her voice is soft, teasing, but there’s a flicker of something earnest beneath it. “The one where you said you’d kill me and then kiss me for making you worry?”

Minho exhales a quiet laugh, his lips quirking in a faint smile that she can feel more than see. “Yeah, that one.” His tone softens, carrying a quiet intensity. “The killing part? Not as appealing.”

She smiles, her voice steady but laced with a playful edge. “And the kissing part?”

For a moment, he doesn’t respond. The air between them grows heavier, the unspoken tension building as his fingers trail absently against the curve of her hip. Then he shifts, propping himself up on one elbow so he’s hovering just slightly over her. The dim light catches the flicker of emotion in his eyes, his expression unreadable but intent.

Minho’s gaze locks onto hers, the room shrinking until it feels like they’re the only two people in the world. The space between them hums with anticipation, every second stretching out like an eternity.

“Sounds fucking divine,” he murmurs, his voice dropping into a deeper, huskier register as he leans down, closing the distance.

When their lips meet, it’s soft at first but it deepens quickly. His hand cups her face, his thumb brushing against her cheek in a gesture so gentle it makes her heart stutter. Hayun’s fingers thread through his hair, tugging lightly as she tilts her head, pulling him closer. The kiss grows more deliberate, the world outside dissolving as they lose themselves in each other.

Minho’s lips move against hers like he’s memorizing the moment, his other hand pressing lightly against her waist to keep her grounded. Hayun feels a warmth spreading through her chest, a quiet intensity that’s equal parts comfort and fire. She’s not used to this. To letting herself be vulnerable, to feeling safe. But in Minho’s arms, it feels right.

When he finally pulls back, his forehead rests against hers, his breaths coming a little quicker. His dark eyes flicker open, meeting hers with a small smile that softens the edges of his usual confidence.

“Well fuck,” he whispers, his voice rough around the edges. “Should’ve done that sooner.”

Hayun’s fingers linger in his hair, her lips still tingling. She chuckles softly, the sound low and warm. “Yeah. Took you long enough.”

Minho’s grin widens, a playful glint returning to his gaze. “Guess I was waiting for the right moment.”

He shifts back down, lying behind her once more and wrapping his arm around her waist again. His chest presses firmly against her back, his thumb resuming its soothing circles against her hip.

“You’re such a sap,” Hayun murmurs, her voice teasing but tinged with affection.

“And you fucking love it,” he fires back, his tone light but confident.

She smiles, her hand coming to rest on top of his where it lies against her stomach. She doesn’t say anything, but the small, contented sigh that escapes her lips says everything she doesn’t.

“Goodnight, princess,” Minho whispers, his voice a quiet murmur against her ear.

Hayun shifts slightly, leaning back into him. “Goodnight, Minho,” she replies, her voice soft and filled with a contentment she hasn’t felt in a long time.

As the room falls into silence, the gentle rhythm of their breathing syncs, the warmth of his body a steady presence at her back. Outside, the world keeps spinning, but here, wrapped in Minho’s arms, everything feels still, safe, and undeniably theirs.

Taglist: @hityoulikebahng @drewsandsebastianswife @fackeraccount @lily-loves-kpop @stilldontknowhoiam

@ziggy1221 @justaspoonofjam @tr-mha-fan @candycurshidkwhatthehell

@heeseungspookie @smigcrazy @skzstannie @nightmarenyxx @beaann

[mj-102009]

Million to One (Colby Brock x oc)

Summary: After rising through the youtube ranks of a paranormal investigator, Avery Denim meets Colby Brock and quickly gets what the hype was about.

Warnings: Cheesy, alcohol, ghostes?

Words: 5363

Masterlist

-----------------------------------

I watched the video again with a shaky breath in and out.

Andee looked around the room, her eyes brave but her body betrayed her fear. “Is anyone here?”

I didn’t glance up from the spirit box in her hands, keeping lazer focus on the device.

By my side, Eve had the camera trained on my face, she reached out and tapped my arm. “You good?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I just…I feel off.”

On the floor across the rem pod, Callum raised an eyebrow. “Avery with an off feeling is never good.”

Andee asked one more question. “How did you die?”

My feeling expanded in my chest and forced its way out my throat into words. “Polio.”

Everyone sucked in a breath and no one moved an inch. 

“She’s right.”

The crack of the spirit box had everyone jumping to their feet and yelling.

The clip ended with my “not surprised but very much dizzy” expression.

The video had been posted to tiktok over a week ago and had received over 57 million views and 5 million likes; shooting our 800,000 subscribers on youtube to nearly two million. Most of the comments circled around “Avery is so psychic” or “faaaake asf” (Although I’ve been too afraid to go through it too much).

“Well,” I announced to my phone, the instagram live was filled with more viewers than normal. “What do we think?”

Most of the comments were good, the bad drained out by enthusiastic greetings. I had the phone propped up on the water bottle as Eve and I struggled to make dinner.

“Where’s the ramen?” I asked, she leaned over and poured the noodles into the sauce.

“Avery, someone wants to know when the full video will be out.”

I hummed and thought. “Hopefully next week– unless I get busy.” She set out bowls and we sat at the table. “Wanna tell em’ where we’re going next?” I asked

“Not particularly,” She mused with a wry smirk. “I have to finalize shit before we can announce it.”

I sighed and shook my head at the live. “I tried.”

She chuckled and looked through the chat. “Is Avery okay?”

I spread my arms wide and did a mini twirl. “I’m vibin’”

“Yeah, guy, that video was filmed a few weeks ago,” Eve told them. “We’re at the very end of editing before we can put it out.”

“Hopefully,” I crossed my fingers. “Andee and Callum wanted to go out while we’re here– tonight I think.”

Eve bobbed her head. “Oh we’re definitely going out while we’re in Vegas.”

I put my hands up and danced in my seat. “Paaaarty!”

“GET IN LOSERS WE’RE GOING OUT!” I shouted out the window of my car, Eve whooped and waved in the passenger side.

Andee walked out in all her glory with Callum on her arm; she had on a knitted shirt over a black crop top with a mini skirt; he was wearing jeans and a black long sleeve shirt; Eve was in a yellow crop top and a white skirt; and I had on a black mini dress and navy heels. The three of us girls had on various amounts of makeup and different hair styles– I had my hair curled (courtesy of Eve’s skills) with lip gloss.

Eve whistled slowly and got out to open the door for them. “Got everything?”

She nodded and they buckled, I put in the GPS and left their airbnb. “Is Cal driving home?”

“Yup,” He nodded. “I’m going on water the whole time,” He ended that with a heavy sigh.

We laughed at him and Andee peppered his check with kisses (but still giggled). “Where are we going again?” She asked.

“It’s called Mandy’s,” Eve said over her shoulder. “It sounded pretty chill.”

I huff a breathy laugh. “Your lack of information is so very reassuring.”

“It’s not,” Callum chimed in over his phone.

“It’s not,” I agree.

We watched as Eve had her torso thrown drunkenly over the counter to talk to the bartender. Andee was shaking her head while I cackled and filmed her to show her later.

“Should we stop her?” I mused once I had my blackmail.

Callum shrugged. “We’ll watch her.”

I shot them finger guns and stood up to go to the bar– opposite to where my idiot friend was. “Hey!” I shouted to the bartender over the loud ass music, the woman came over and leaned towards me. “Can I have another one of these?” I showed her my empty whiteclaw, she nodded and reached under the counter for the fridge.

I turned to walk back to my table and my head knocked right into someone’s collarbone.

Now listen.

I’ve never tried to be tall– because I’m not (5’4 gang can we get a whoop). But the split second before I was ashamed, I was trembling under this tree of a man.

“Shit!” I exclaimed, jerking back. And in slow motion I felt my foot catch on the bar stool and I began to slip.

The man yelped as well and quickly caught my shoulders to keep me up. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry!”

I straightened myself and waved my hands quickly. “You’re fine, my fault– completely.”

When I looked up to see what walking muscle man I’d stumbled upon, I was rendered speechless. “Oh my gods– you’re Colby Brock.”

For a moment something akin to panic flickered across his face before he rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. A smile on his face that didn’t seem to reach his eyes. “Hi, yeah, nice to meet you.”

“My friend is such a huge fan,” I told him. “She’s definitely out of commission right now but she’ll cry when I tell her about this tomorrow.”

He laughed and studied me with a smile that had slowly turned genuine. I moved out of the way so he could lean on the counter beside me. “You look so familiar.”

For a moment I was flattered then I remembered the video and common sense reminded me: ‘Well no shit the paranormal investigators have seen the viral video about the paranormal.’

“Oh I do some investigating with my friends,” I vaguely point to our booth, cracking open my can. “If we weren’t in a fuckin’ bar I’d talk shop but I don’t want to ruin your ni-”

“No no no,” He waved his hands in dismissal. “You can’t leave until I can remember where I know you from.”

I burst into bubbles of laughter. “Okay, do you want a hint?”

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at me. “Shit it’s so close– what’s your first name?”

“Avery,” I answered amused.

“Fuck!” He exclaimed, smacking the counter lightly . “From Miracle Chasers– Sam was talking about you the other day.”

I blinked and grinned. “Seriously? That’s wicked.”

He was still pouting. “I should have gotten that sooner, I’ve been tagged in your video a billion times.”

“It still makes my head spin,” I take a long sip of my drink. “But you guys are crazy awesome, Eve takes so much inspo from your editing style,” I gushed. “But you did give her the idea of the Conjuring house.”

He fake winced and told me. “Sensitive subject, man. I think it’s intense but definitely worth it,” Then he added on. “Just don’t go more than once– then it gets not worth it.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’ll send her with y’all on your next trip there.”

“I’m sure we could all do something,” He suggested. “We hear you’re a bit of a psychic.”

“Oh we could totally do something soon,” I agree. “I’m not so sure about my abilities,” I chuckle. “I have zero control over when they come.”

He huffed a laugh. “How about I go introduce you to Sam and we can exchange socials?”

“Sure,” I nod and glance at our booth where Andee and Callum were gawking at me, I shrug and give them a ‘wait there’ gesture.

He ordered a whiteclaw and we made a playful argument over the superior flavor until we were in front of a booth with a few people in it.

Sam looked up and saw Colby first. “What took so long, brother? I almost called you,” he laughed before looking at me.

“Well I ran into a new friend,” He introduced me to the table. “This is Celina, Kris, and Sam.”

I waved and smiled. “Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Avery.”

Sam had to do a triple take. “Well I know who you are,” He shook his head in shock. “Sit down,” He insisted. “This is so crazy I was literally just talking to Celina about your channel.”

I slid into the booth beside Kris and Colby sat beside me. “We were just passing through before heading to California.”

Celina laughed. “What a small world.”

“I was talking about maybe doing an investigation with her and maybe her team one of these days,” Colby told them. “Maybe two for both channels.”

I nodded. “We’d be down for sure.”

Kris sighed. “One of these days it’ll be Sam, Colby, Kris, and Celina on that youtube title,” She shook her fist ruefully.

We all chatted and joked around for a while before Callum came over to grab me. “Hey, we’ve gotta dip before Eve jumps the bartender’s bones,” He said to me, trying not to fanboy.

I laugh and rub my forehead. “Oh my gods of course she is.”

Colby stood up and let me get out. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too!” I smiled at him then the rest of the table. “Text me when you want to do something.”

Sam gave me the thumbs up and said goodbye.

I walked out with a shitfaced Eve on my shoulders. “Let's go out to the car before I give you the good news.”

Eve stayed quiet. “Repeat that again,” She said in an eerily hushed tone.

“I met Sam and Colby yesterday,” I said skeptically. “While you were drooling over the bartender.”

She looked off into the distance with a dead expression. “Did they see me?”

I shook my head. “Nah, I made sure of it.”

“I might cry,” She whispered as she started to cry. 

Callum was wheezing. “They traded socials.”

The tears that were streaming down her stoic face were almost comical. “You met Colby fucking Brock and got his number?”

“And Sam,” I added under my breath.

She brought her hands to her face and whimpered. “Oh my god.”

Andee sheepishly rubbed her back. “We can still investigate?”

“It's no use,” She whined. “How am I gonna become Eve Brock if he saw hot stuff over here before me?”

I facepalmed and shook my head slowly. “Girl-”

“Do not fraternize with the enemy,” Callum said in a faux military voice. “Sam and Colby are one of the leading channels centering on paranormal activity; do not let the nice abs lead you astray.”

Andee saluted and I looked at Eve. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna take your crush.”

“Long time no see,” I said into the camera.

Eve shifted the camera to show the two of us. “Welcome to the Miracle Chasers with Avery and I. Today I'm overjoyed to welcome Sam and Colby!”

The two boys jumped out on either side of us and started yelling enthusiastic greetings. “WHAT’S UP GUYS.”

We burst into laughter and they hooked their arms around my neck. Eve put the camera on the tripod to get all of us in the shot.

“We have been trying for weeks to make this happen,” Colby said, shaking my shoulders.

I threw up my hands. “Every time we were in America y'all were in Europe.”

Eve was standing with her weight on one hip. “This is our first time meeting,” She looked at the camera. “They met Ave at first but we’ve only talked over the phone.”

“But we’ve made time and now we’re in one of the most haunted museums in America,” I exclaimed.

We cut the cameras and began to pull out equipment while chatting and discussing plans for the summer. 

I sat on a bench with Colby as Eve spoke with the tour guide, with a deep breath I asked for my water.

“You good?” He asked, passing the bottle.

Clearing my throat, I nodded and said: “It's just so stuffy in here,” my eyes flicked over to Sam who was filming this. “I feel like there’s hundreds of people when it's just us– it's giving me a headache.”

“I have motrin in the car if you need it,” He told me as Eve walked over.

“We have like 10 minutes til they start the tour,” She said, tossing us our passes.

As we walked down the hall I looked at Colby’s shirt. “Is that our merch?”

“Yeah,” He affirmed, showing it off. “We bought it as soon as it came out.”

Eve beamed. “Avery designed this line.”

“Oh shit,” Sam said, checking out the print again. “Might have to pay you to do ours.”

I flush and wave away the compliments. “Thanks, but at the rate that you move around it will never reach you.”

“So this is a rem pod,” Eve explained to the camera before handing it off to Sam. “Anything within a two-ish foot radius will make it go off,” She tossed me and Colby a few cat balls to put around. “Cat balls– literally just cat toys Avery ordered off amazon,” She pulled out the ovilus. “This is our Ovilus, it takes words being spoken by spirits and spits it out for us,” She waved her hand at me. “And Avery but she’s just weird.”

I smack her on the back of the head. “Am not.”

Colby rested his elbow on my head. “Nah she’s right.”

“Shuddup,” I laugh, turning to help set up for the investigation.

And to hide the deep blush that had crawled up my cheeks.

Sam handed me an emf reader and we moved to the office to sit in a half circle. 

“1…2,” Eve sets up the camera and settles back into her spot. “...3– Now we have migrated into the office where the earliest owner of this hotel passed away due to unknown reasons.”

Colby poked my shoulder. “Unless Avery can figure it out tonight.”

I huffed a laugh. “No promises, my ‘abilities’ tend to come and go as they please.”

“And there’s not really any sort of training for psychics, is there?” Sam asks.

“Nope,” I shake my head. “I mean, I meditate and push myself when we go to these places; but there’s not much else we can really do.”

Eve turned on the rem pod and we took turns asking questions all went without answer.

“Was someone with you when you died?” I asked, rapping my fingers on the cold floor. “Your wife-?”

The rem pod lit up and beeped for a few seconds.

All three of my friends stare at me to which I shrug. 

“Did she kill you?” Eve asked.

The rem pod remained quiet.

“Anything?” Colby whispered to me.

I leaned back to whisper in his ear, and the smell of his cologne surrounded me. “I don’t think he wants to talk about what specifically happened.”

The rem pod beeped once and I groaned. 

Eve kicked my foot and stood up. “Should we try the hallway?”

“Suuuure,” I said, hopping to my feet and scooping up the rem pod. “Oh stop it,” I mumbled to the angry beeping and I walked into the hallway and set down the rem pod. I stepped back with the intention of grabbing something in the other room but noticed that the beeping hadn’t stopped. “Uhhhh guys?” Colby poked his head out and I pointed. “That’s not you.”

“That’s not me,” I agreed. “Get the camera.”

The moment Eve walked over with the camera, it stopped. I pursed my lips and shooed her back into the room.

It started up again,

She walked over and it stopped.

“It's messing with us,” Sam muses, kneeling next to the device to reset it.

I drop a few cat balls on the ground before rubbing my hands together and cackling dramatically. “Let's really start this investigation.”

“Yes I’ll have a large fry and a medium sprite– Eve get that shit out of my face–” I giggle, pushing the camera away. “Then two flurries and a 4 count meal.”

Colby elbowed me and whispered. “And a coke.”

I repeated this and confirmed the order. “McDonalds at 3am is not it for me,” I complained.

“Sam is asleep,” Eve whispered. “Be quiet.”

“I will honk this fucking horn,” I threaten jokingly. “Send me that video, I’mma post it on tiktok.” She hums and clicks away at her phone.

Colby yawns and puts his hand in my face, I giggle and push it away. “We’re staying at your place right?” He asks.

I nod. “Yeah Eve lives with a friend of ours and I’ve got a house,” She kicks the back of my seat and I snicker.

We pulled into the driveway of my house and Eve stretched. “Alright, that's my car,” She nodded to the jeep by the end of my driveway, before hopping out of my truck and getting her stuff from the back.

“Goodnight,” I told her, giving her a hug. “Tell Andee I’m still pissed she took my blanket home.”

She rolled her eyes and waved to Colby and also Sam but he was still barely awake.

“I have the last two rooms down the hall set up with new sheets,” I whisper quietly to Colby as I get my backpack and Sam’s bag. 

“Okay,” He says walking up the porch steps. I softly call out his name and toss him the keys as I walk over to Sam and poke him until he wakes up.

He groans and mumbles: “Are we at the hotel?”

I chuckle. “No we’re at my house, c’mon a bed has to be more comfortable than the seat.”

“I dunno, these seats are nice,” He stands up and follows me to the house.

 “There should be enough blankets,” I tell them. “The hall closet has a fuck ton if you get cold.”

Sam thanks me quietly before closing the door and seemingly going straight to sleep. Colby thanked me and took a blanket from the closet. “Are you sure you don’t want your bed?” He asks for the third time.

I shake my head. “Nah man, I usually fall asleep on the couch after investigations anyway.”

“But I feel bad,” He half whines.

“I’ll wake you up if I can’t sleep,” I tell him. “Good night.”

He sighed in amusement and waves slightly. “Goodnight Avery.”

I went to bed that night thinking about how I was going to break the news to Eve that I had a wee itty bitty crush on the guy she’s been dreaming of for months.

That morning I popped a tray of cinnamon rolls in the oven and began moving our camera footage to my laptop.

“G’morning,” An extremely tired voice grumbled.

“Morning,” I chirped to Colby, tapping away with my coffee in hand.

He walked into the kitchen. “Coffee?”

I nodded and pointed to the coffee maker. “There's creamer in the fridge.”

“Mmm,” He sighed, taking a deep sip of his coffee. “Whatcha doing?”

“Sending footage to Eve,” I tell him, using the back of my hand to push up my glasses. “Where are y’all going today?”

He shrugged and sat beside me. “I don’t think either of us want to do much today.”

My alexa starts going off with an alarm and I snatch up a kitchen towel to take out the hot pan. “Do you– shit!” I exclaim, dropping the pan on the countertop and shaking my hand frantically.

“Fuck did you burn yourself?” He asks, walking over to the freezer and walking back with an ice pack.

“Yeah, thanks,” I reply, looking at the angry red spot.

“Lemme see,” He says softly.

Without hesitation, I give him my hand to which he studies the quarter sized burn on my hand. We both go quiet as he cups my hand and squints at the mark. Once I had realized that he was holding the back of my hand oh-so gently, my breath stuttered and my ears burned with a flush.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Little bit,” I say softly. “Not as bad.”

He hums and lets go. “Do you need anything for it?”

“I don’t think so,” I chuckle. “I haven’t gotten burnt in awhile.”

Colby looks at the cinnamon rolls and shoos me back to my seat much to my protests. I watch– still reeling– as he opens a few drawers until he finds the silverware and grabs the knife for the glaze.

“No no,” I bat his hand away from it and drop it in the microwave. “15 seconds.”

“Why?” He asks, baffled.

“My mama always did it this way,” I explained. “I guess it just works better.”

He squints at me. “Are you from the south?”

I flush and laugh. “How did you know?”

“You said ‘mama’ with an accent,” He teases.

I amp up my accent and drawl. “Hey, pretty thang.”

“Pfft-”

“Don’t laugh,” I say through laughter.

“You’re laughing too!” He argues playfully, also laughing.

I trail off into a giggle. “You’re cute,” I commented offhandedly, turning to the microwave and taking out the glaze. 

From behind me, he looks away after a few seconds and clears his throat. “What time is it?” He asks, tapping my phone. “I’m gonna wake up Sam.”

“Okie dokie.”

“What are you doing awake?” I ask Colby at 10pm, feeling like a parent who just caught their child sneaking out of bed.

He shrugs and plops down beside me. “Can’t sleep.”

“Imagine how I feel,” I laugh under my breath. 

“Yeah,” He rubs his face. “We’re investigating a haunted hotel tomorrow and I can’t stop thinking about one of us getting hurt one of these days.”

I hum and nudge his arm with a warm smile. “I get it, I really do, after tonight I did have a serious thought of quitting,” I admit. “But then I thought of all the places I haven’t been to and all of the people who watch me for thrills like that. And it might not be the same for you as it is for me– but that’s what’s been keeping me on this course.”

He stares at me in what I thought was deep thought but instead- “God, you’re amazing.”

I flush furiously and stammer. “What?”

“I mean-”

“Thank you,” I amended quickly. “You’re amazing too.”

“Thank you,” He says quietly.

We sat in silence until I turned to him. “You don’t have a girlfriend right?”

He chokes on air and turns to me. “What?”

I immediately regret asking and backing up quickly. “Uhhhh-”

A gentle hand slides around my cheek and holds my head softly, I stiffen in surprise as I’m turned to look Colby in the eyes. “I don’t,” He answers me in a frail whisper. “Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah,” I whisper back.

The first kiss was feather light on my lips, just a soft brush that had me exhaling slowly and melting into his hand. I moved one of my hands to the one that was cupping my cheek, the other quickly found its place resting on his neck as I leaned forward for another one. The second one was more sure, confident, it brought butterflies into my stomach and shivers up my spine. He sighs happily and uses his other hand to angle my head to where he wanted it to be. I smiled into the kiss and softly twisted my fingers into the curl of his hair on the nape of his neck.

“Wow,” He comments softly as we break apart.

“Yeah,” I echo his surprise. “You’re so pretty,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He chuckles and rubs my face slowly with his thumb. “You ready for bed?”

I hum and slide off the couch to the pullout loveseat beside it. “C’mere,” I demand softly.

“Okay,” He agrees with zero hesitation.

And we fell asleep like that, not caring that Sam had an alarm set long before either of us were going to wake up. That is until he started sending the photos into the group chat with Eve.

I nibbled on the thumb anxiously and waited. “Hello?” A sleepy voice grumbled into the phone.

“Andee,” I sighed. “I kissed Colby.”

“Pfffft- you what?” She exclaimed, suddenly wide awake.

I groaned and dropped my head into the hand that didn’t have my phone. “Dude, what am I gonna tell Eve?”

“Don’t?” She responded helplessly.

“Can’t, Sam send a photo into our group chat,” I tell her. “She hasn’t said anything.”

Andee was momentarily speechless. “Are you two dating now?”

I sighed. “I don’t know, he just left with Sam for an investigation.”

“If you want to date him I say go for it,” She tells me. “Just because Eve likes him– its a celebrity crush by the way, she’ll live– but if she does care then fuck her.”

“Andee!”

“I’m serious,” She insists. “Dude, I love you both but if Eve is so caught up in her feelings that she can’t be happy for you then just don’t give a shit.”

I listen quietly and stare at my counter. “I really like him,” I say softly. 

“Then date him.”

“Hey how was it?” I ask, stirring a pot of soup.

Sam enters the house and promptly runs to the bathroom making me look at the door for Colby. He strolls in and sets down a duffel bag of equipment on the table.

“It was good,” He shrugs. “Honestly a little bit boring but better than nothing.”

I shrug. “Could have been worse.”

“Mhm,” He walks over to me and peeks over my shoulder. “Broccoli cheddar?”

My cheeks burn as he rests his head on my shoulder. “Yup.”

“Yum,” He said lowly, still staying in the same spot.

We stand silently until I ask a question. “What is this?”

“What’s what?” He looks around looking for the product of my inquiry.

I turn to him and gesture between us. “This.”

“What do you want it to be?” He asks.

“I-I don’t do flings,” I say carefully.

“Neither do it.”

“I like you a lot.”

“So do I.”

We both stay silent.

“I want to be your boyfriend,” He says simply, playing with my fingers at our side. “I know I have a lot of wild fans, and that we’ve both got a lot of shit going on all the time. But I really like you and I think this could work.”

I watch his eyes shift over my face as they search for a reaction. I smile. “Okay,” I whisper.

“Okay,” He agrees. “Can I-”

I curl my fingers into the front of his shirt and yank him towards my lips into a kiss.

“Hey, what are we doing for- Holy shit,” Sam deadpanned from the hallway, we broke apart and I peek over Colby’s shoulder. “In the kitchen, seriously?”

“It’s my house, I can kiss my boyfriend wherever I want,” I joke with a silly voice. 

Sam sits at the counter and plugs his camera into his laptop. “Finally, you two have been flirting in the group chat for months.”

“Hardy har,” I laugh. “Dinner’s ready.”

Colby and Sam walk to the stove to make bowls while I grab my phone from off its charger.

Evie Jelly Beanie: hey I saw the picture and Andee told me you were worried about me being upset and I just wanted you to know that no matter what you and him decide I’m totally chill with it I’m your sister not your mom I don't care who you date

Me: omg lol tysm we legit js made it official

Evie Jelly Beanie: yw ave be happy with ur bf

That night I tell Colby about Eve’s little crush on him. “But this was all before we had more than like 10,000 subscribers,” I assure. “She doesn’t care anymore.”

He chuckles and kisses the back of my hand. “That’s good, the next investigation we do together would have been real awkward if she did.”

I laughed and curled into his side. “Shit, Colby, to think this all happened because we were both in the same place at the same time. What are the odds?”

hey its me your friendly neighborhood fanfiction writer i dont be a ton of sam and colby fics so i dont do a taglist but I fs take requests plus check out my masterlist for more tell me what you thought!

[hypnautic-cereal]

I’ve shared about my Welcome Home au on Discord and TikTok, but not here yet

So, I introduce to you: the Wish Maker au!💫

A Welcome Home au of mine that spawned from a meme I thought of one time while I was in the shower. Essentially the WH crew in this au are able to grant different kinds of wishes, and strive to make any and all wishes come true for a more better earth

(Please note that I did each of these art pieces separately, so all the canon sizes are the ones up on this first one⬆️)

First of all, we have our Wally variant: Wally Starling💫

Wally is the newest neighbor to land on Planet Home, as he was recently born from the stardust of a recently died supernova. Wally is gifted the power to grant star wishes as well as a high/moon jump, and aspires to be Judy’s as great of a wish maker as his friends

Up next: Our spectacular star, Sally Starlet⭐️

Glowing wherever she goes, Sally Starlet is the leader and protector of Planet Home. Legends as true as wishes have told that a portion of Sally’s power was distributed among each of her friends. Who knows what power she could behold at full capacity?

Next on our list: Our lovable dog Barnaby B. Beagle🎤

It might not seem like it at first, but Barnaby B. Beagle is a dog of many cultures. Barnaby grew a swift and tight friendship with Wally Starling, even being the one who gave Wally his name when he first arrived on Planet Home! Inspired by 90s family game shows as a sign of his love for fun and friendship, Barnaby grants the wishes from different cultures (such as tanabata tags, and grapes from under the table on the new years countdown)

Next up, our dynamic duo: 🎂Julie Joyful and Frank Frankly📚

Always excited to celebrate any occasion, Julie is your girl to call for a party. Her partying expertise is always to serve for others happiness. With help from Poppy Partridge and Sally Starlet, there’s no party on Planet Home that won’t be ready on time. Once the birthday candles are blown, a dash of confetti from Julie’s hand will have the wish granted in no time

Although they’re always in a rush, Frank Frankly is the brightest/smartest neighbor on the wishful Planet Home. Any questions the neighbors have about anything, Frank is able to answer in various ways. His specialty lies in granted wishes found in nature (such as dandelion puffs or the first winter snow), as well as proofreading wishes to the wisher’s intent. With provided help from Julie Joyful and Eddie Dear, there’s no task to tough for our beloved brainiac

And last up: 🌙Poppy Partridge, Eddie Dear💌, and Howdy Pillar🐛

Looking over the dreams of those down on Earth, Poppy Partridge acts as a guide to those who don’t know what their hearts desire. A scent of lavender and lilac follow wherever she goes, as a sea of stars speckle her pillowy soft tail feathers. Her and Sally Starlet happily work side by side, making sure all goes right from day to night

Folk tales from the old west tell the tale of a person who retrieves the wishes that haven’t been granted so that they can be granted as soon as they can. That there is our confident yet clumsy and forgetful dreamer, Eddie Dear. With his Lasso of Limitless Length and Star of Time, there’s no limit to when and where ungranted wishes will be granted. He takes his job with pride, especially if Frank Frankly is by his side

Ever need that little bit of push when playing the lottery? Or need a wish from that coin you tossed into the well? Well, our terribly generous Howdy Pillar’s got your back. He’d be more than happy to grant you luck and fortune for whatever you might need for the day. He does seem to fall asleep quite often, even with all the energy he needs for the day, so he carries his pillow Benjamin in case he’s ever tuckered out (get it? Cause money…$100…Benjamin Franklin-). So, what Howdy’s Place deal are you looking for today?

JESUS OK FINALLY FINISHED WRITING ALL THIS😭

But yeah, I have a lot to share with you guys about this au, and I hope you all enjoy and stick around for all the stuff I wanna share for it! I even have a whole playlist for this au (as well as a discord server but that was made for the fun of it and doesn’t have any actual functionality lol)

[aristocratic-otter]

I haven't done one of these in a while! Thank you for the tags, @best--dress, @alexalexinii, @artsyunderstudy, @nausikaaa, @nightimedreamersghost, @iamamythologicalcreature, I'm so glad to see you're all able to get some words/art out at this incredibly busy time!

With no further ado, here's some snippets!

From Chapter 3/4 of The Heart In The Well:

I hear various grumbling and fidgeting sounds, and then I hear Snow slurping up more water from the sides of the well. I ignore it. My thirst for water is currently secondary to my thirst for blood, and it’s taking everything in me to rein in my need to pierce Snow’s flesh with my fangs. I don’t want to open my mouth for any reason right now. 

Until Simon says the stupidest thing of all. 

“You can have my blood if you need it.”

From Saving Simon Snow:

Before he can say or do anything else, there’s a thunder of footsteps on the stairs, and, a moment later, Simon skids around the corner, looking hunted. I snicker at how much more explosively Simon enters a room than Baz does, even now, when he’s got no magic. 

He looks wild. He’s wide-eyed and panting, and his curls are flying every which way. Thank Merlin Baz managed to wake him up from his swoon, or whatever it was. He seems unharmed, just scattered and anxious.

He fails to hide a flinch when he sees [redacted], and then he slinks over to the chair on the farthest side of the table from [redacted], not coincidentally partially behind Baz. The better to duck and cover, I think, amused. 

From Snow Fox

“Are you truly well, love?” he asks, looking into my eyes, his brow lowered in concern. “You’ve not caught the fevers rife in your camp?”

“I haven’t,” I sigh. “I’m just tired. Too many late nights, too many worries.”

“I wish I were there with you. I wish I could be more help,” he frets. 

“You’re where I need you,” I remind him.

From Stars, Flowers, and Children,

Someone’s shaking my shoulder roughly. Oh fuck, it’s Davy, he’s caught me! I sit up abruptly, shrieking with everything in me. It takes a moment for the voice to pierce through my panic. 

“Baz! Baz! It’s ok, it’s me! It’s just me, Simon!” My eyes manage to peel themselves open and I’m looking into bright blue eyes; Simon’s eyes.

For all that he’s trying to calm me down, his voice sounds nearly as panicky as I’m feeling. 

I do stop screaming, though it takes me a while to catch my breath. Finally, my chest still heaving, I gasp out, “Why’d you wake me?”

Simon looks nearly as unnerved as I feel. “Davy’s not back,” he says

From what I'm tentatively calling TikTok Dancer

“Come to San Diego with us!” I blurt. I can see his face close off immediately, so I bumble on hurriedly, hoping to avert the ‘no’ I sense coming. “You can share the bus with me. The girls live in the dorms during the school year. And we can film together. I can take you to visit [redacted] all the time. What do you say, Simon?” 

It’s the first time I’m using the stage name he gave himself and he notices. He looks up at me sharply. I’ve always been careful to address him by the name he gave me, Snow, because it’s only respectful to use a person’s real name. The girls call him Simon, but they don’t know any better. 

I’m calling him Simon now, because I’m making a point. Everything he’s built this summer, everything we’ve built together, is tied to his new name, his new identity. If he comes with me, he’s committing to a [redacted] life, where the [redacted] is a day trip, not his home. He’s committing to a completely new lifestyle. A new life. 

He’s committing himself to the dance.

Tagging a few friends; what y'all doin'?

@bookish-bogwitch, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @fatalfangirl, @facewithoutheart, @frjsti, @giishu, @hushed-chorus, @ic3-que3n, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @ileadacharmedlife, @j-nipper-95, @krisrix, @larkral, @letraspal, @moments-au-crayon22, @moodandmist, @prettylightsbigcity, @rimeswithpurple, @raenestee, @twokisses, @thehoneyedhufflepuff, @tea-brigade, @whogaveyoupermission, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @youarenevertooold

[bitbybitwrites]

Five fics under 500

Rules: 5 fic recommendations that are currently under 500 kudos. Let’s give these fics the love they deserve!

Thanks for the tag, @myheartalivewrites!

I'm gonna cheat a bit and do 5 fics each for the two main fandoms I'm currently very much in love with 😉 : RWRB and Klaine. Can't hurt to give more fics love, right?

Stories listed under the cut/pictures.

Tagging if you want to play: @gleefuldarrencrissfan, @rockitmans @1908jmd, @special-bc-ur-part-of-it, @forabeatofadrum, @daisyishedwig, @datshitrandom, @clottedcreamfudge, @welcometololaland, @madas-ahatters-world, @gleefulpoppet, @heartsmadeofbooks

RWRB fics:

the sadness you carry, it hangs like a ghost by @14carrotghoul

Summary:

“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you two. For anyone in our group, really.” She pauses as a quote comes to mind and continues, “’I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not in my nature.’” She sets the menu down and smiles at her Jane Austen buddy. “Thank you nonetheless… and I'm sorry you’re not handsome enough to tempt me,” he adds. AKA June and Henry's fake cafe date.

*****

Take me where I cannot stand by @clottedcreamfudge

Summary:

Henry blinks at him. “Galactapol?” “Yeah, you know – the Intergalactic Peace Force?” “Yes, I know them,” Henry says drily, “but you said—” “We don't have a lot of respect for them around here,” Alex informs him succinctly. “If that's the kind of line you wanna take, then maybe—” “No, no,” Henry says hurriedly, straightening up. “Galactapol. I like it. Catchy, even.” “Read the contract or don't, Fox,” Alex says firmly, pressing his own hand to the line of studs between the engine room and the lower corridor. “I can find another engineer if I need to, but you'll never – and I mean never – find a ship like this again in your life. Jackie's one of a kind.” * Space, smuggling, and a ship called Applejack. Everything's shiny.

****

You Make Every Day Feel Like It's Christmas by allmylovesatonce

Summary:

Burned out on work, Alex goes to visit June who is on assignment in a sleepy Vermont town called Snow's Landing. June is determined for him to see where she's been living for the last six months and to love it as much as she does. The most intriguing part of it all is June's best friend there, a man named Henry, that Alex believed was a jerk at first but is starting to discover a new side of as they spend more time together.

****

Help Me Hold On to You by affectionatelyrs

Summary:

“I can’t do this all the time, Alex,” Henry huffs out, arms crossed from the opposite end of the couch. “I’ve been more than happy to help, and I’ve been doing so as much as I can, but we need to talk about it. It’s been…a lot for me.” Too much. Henry doesn’t say it directly, but it’s the undercurrent of his words. Two words that Alex has heard many times in his life, over and over again until they became permanently pressed into his eyelids like a brand, reminding him of his state of being every time he so much as blinks. - Or, Henry isn't always able to give Alex the help he needs, which sends Alex into a spiral, but they'll always find a way to work things out together

****

Thin Ice (Series) by Nicolodeon

Alexander Claremont-Diaz, charismatic center for the NHL's Dallas Stars, is completely and utterly smitten with the posh British librarian he met by complete accident. Tonight is the night, and he's got a plan to completely woo Henry and get his man.

***********************

Klaine fics:

My Heart, It Pounds, Yeah You Got Me by nineofhearts, raimykeller

Summary:

Kurt gets drunk and records a TikTok entitled “Guys I Had A Crush On In High School”, in which he talks about, rates, and shows pictures of his various crushes— embarrassing, unrequited, and otherwise — thinking he set it to friends only or private. When he wakes up the next day, he has a flood of notifications that prove otherwise, a hangover, and a text from Blaine Anderson. The longest part of Kurt’s now viral video.

To Shake The Pride of Angels by @the-cimmerians

Summary:

AU, Kurt and Blaine have never met. Until they do.

When I Get You Alone by canarian

Summary:

AU in which Kurt never goes to spy on the Warblers before sectionals. Kurt and Blaine first meet when Cooper takes his younger brother to a strip club to celebrate his 18th birthday. That evening, a chance encounter leads both boys down a path that is more than they bargained for. But when trouble pops up in the form of a familiar face, it could all end before it ever really starts.

Pivot And Slip by alilactree

Summary:

Blaine is a former boxer still struggling with the demons of his past. Kurt is a yoga instructor who may be able to help Blaine with his pent up frustrations, and find the confidence to go after what he wants in the process.

Spotlight by AntarcticBird

Summary:

A small theater, an amazing internship and the opportunity of a lifetime. When things slowly start falling apart, clearly all that's missing is a complete stranger who just wants to make art and help people!

[thepikkebeanchronicles]

The Side Hustle Conundrum

As a penguin living in the chilly confines of Antarctica, life was a perpetual cycle of belly slides, fishing for my next meal and occasionally dodging the antics of the sneaky seagulls. But lately, I’ve been feeling the financial chill. My bank account was as barren as the frozen tundra, prompting me to embark on a quest for extra income. I mean, let’s face it, being a penguin doesn’t exactly come with a hefty paycheck. So, I decided to dip my flippers into the world of entrepreneurship and side hustles.

With dreams of financial freedom dancing in my head, I set out to start my own business. But what kind of business could a penguin possibly run in the icy depths of Antarctica? With my flippers and determination, I explored various side hustle opportunities. That’s when it hit me like a snowball to the beak: a print-on-demand online shop over at Redbubble!

I fired up my laptop and a Wi-Fi connection that was frostier than a polar bear’s stare and dove headfirst into the world of e-commerce. My designs were a mix of penguin puns and quirky illustrations, guaranteed to make even the grumpiest seal crack a smile. I spent hours perfecting my designs, carefully selecting the trendiest fonts and the most eye-catching colours.

With my designs ready to roll, it was time to set up shop. And let me tell you, navigating the world of e-commerce was no easy feat for a penguin. Typing with flippers? Not ideal. But after a few slipped keys and accidental orders for anchovy-flavoured ice cream, I finally got my store up and running.

But what good was a shop without customers? Determined to spread the word, I turned to the digital realm and launched my blog, aptly titled “The Pikkebean Chronicles.” At first, my efforts seemed fruitless. The seals just rolled their eyes and went back to sunbathing and the albatrosses simply squawked in confusion. But with each flipper tap on my ice-cool keyboard, I chronicled my journey with a blend of wit and charm, hoping to lure readers into the frosty embrace of my print-on-demand shop.

Yet, a blog alone wouldn’t suffice. I needed to harness the power of social media to amplify my message. Armed with hashtags and an unshakable resolve, I delved into the world of Instagram, Youtube and TikTok. My journey to social media stardom was a slippery slope. But hey, a penguin’s gotta hustle right? Antarctica wasn’t build in a day.

So, there you have it, the tale of how a humble penguin turned a crazy idea into a thriving online business. And as I sit here, sipping on a fish smoothie, I can’t help but feel grateful for the opportunity to prove that even a flightless bird can soar in the world of entrepreneurship.

If you ever find yourself in need of some frosty fashion or a cool custom creation, remember to look no further than Pikkebean. Just swing by my online shop, where the fish is always fresh, the designs are always delightful, and the laughter is always in abundance. After all, who better to bring a little Antarctic flair to your life than a penguin with a passion for print-on-demand?

[forskakenevergreen]

Lego Mandalorian Helmet review

So this is the first Lego set that I’ve ever built! I never had much interest in legos as a kid, I always kind of wrote them off as ‘nerdy’ and I was above that with my Bratz and Barbies. But recently, building Legos has been all over my TikTok FYP. Creator after creator, video after video, it was all about building Legos. I don’t know what's so satisfying about watching these random strangers all across the world build various Lego sets, maybe the asmar, the appeasing of watching the blocks click into one another or the voiceovers that had the tones of accomplishment but I was HOOKED. 

I always had the thought in the back of my head to start building legos, now that legos have evolved from much more than little sets for five-year-olds to construct. I was intimidated by the sheer variety that Lego has now. Of course, they have easy sets for kids, but they also have sets for many genres and ideas. Lego Star Wars, Lego Lord of the Rings, Lego Indiana Jones, there's Lego Piano, Lego Bowzer, Lego Hogwarts, Lego Atari, and Lego F1. Also, the cost of these Lego sets averages around $200 USD (for the larger sets) and the Lego Titanic costs over $600 USD! The price point was a very worrying feature; am I going to spend over $150 on legos that I might not be able to functionally do? I have a small weasel brain which makes me just not get common sense, so the fear of spending a ton of money on something that I wasn’t 100% confident that I could perfectly assemble scared me. 

But I forced myself to get over my anxieties and started browsing the Target Lego section where I found some reasonably priced legos that I felt like my brain was big enough to do. So during one of my breaks from work, I placed an order for the Lego Star Wars Mandalorian mask online so I could just go to Target and pick it up after work. Once I arrived at Target and went to the customer service center for my pick up, it turns out I placed my order for Grand Rapids, Michigan instead of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. whoops. I ended up just canceling my order and just buying the Lego set in-store and went on my mery little way home.

Opening it up I was very excited to get started. Looking through the book and doing a quick flip though, I felt less intimidated than I had originally thought I was going to be. I was still worried I was still somehow going to mess up this setup, or that maybe I just had grabbed a defaulted set and I wouldn’t be able to complete it because the legos I had pulled just happened to be the set with missing pieces. 

I confidently opened bag one and opened the mini pouch off the side, being careful to not mix the two, took a swing of my Mountain Dew, and got started. Building was surprisingly easy, each bag (with a mini bag inside each large bag) took me around 35 minutes to complete. I honestly had so much fun assembling the tiny mask! I found it very relaxing and fun to build! I put on some tunes (shout out to Orbit Culture, Avatar, Brand of Sacrifice) and got in the zone. I love crafts that are very tedious and have lots of finger work and it made me wish I started doing Legos a lot earlier! 

Building the Mandalorian mask was a very good build for beginner builders, the instruction booklet was very easy to follow and the five bags felt very accomplishable and not overwhelming. The only part I “struggled” with was the fronts of the mask, the part where you show the depths of the curve of the mask. I didn’t realize until I was building it, but certain Lego blocks were angled to one side and the other so when you build the mask you need to find the right block with the right angle for the right side. Once I realized that the other side was very easy to build. In total, I think it took me about 3 hours to build, but I would also build one bag go do some housework then go back to build another bag, etc. 

I'm gonna give the mask a 10/10, super affordable, super easy, and quick to assemble and I can’t wait to do more!

[a-captions-blog]

[Video description: Video by Macklemore’s official Instagram account showing the song. The video shows footage from various university protests interspersed with lyrics from the song. Long description follows.

Footage: A student waves a large Palestinian flag. A cop presses against a crowd. Cops walk through an uni encampment. Aerial view of ‘Free Palestine’ painted in red on uni steps.

Lyrics: The people they won’t leave

Footage: Students run for their tents.

Lyrics: what is threatening about divesting and wanting peace? The problem isn’t the protests

Footage: Cops grabbing at a student in a keffiyeh

Lyrics: It’s what they’re protesting, ‘cause it goes against what our country is funding

Footage: A shot of a tree lurches as a camera falls.

Lyrics: Block the barricade until Palestine is free

Footage: The Hind’s Hall banner from Columbia University in the U.S.

Lyrics: Block the barricade until Palestine is free.

Footage: Students lift a banner.

Lyrics: When I was 7 I learned a lesson from Cube and Eazy-E

Footage: Clip of two people talking.

Lyrics: What was it again? Oh yeah, fuck the police.

Footage: A police draws a baton. A police bus approaches on a road. Police in riot gear stride across a street at night.

Lyrics: Actors in badges protecting property and a system that was designed by white supremacy

Footage: Several quick shots of Palestinian flags. A zoom-out showing a protest in Ottawa.

Lyrics: But the people are in the streets. You can pay off Meta, you can’t pay off me.

Footage: Mitch McConnell from the U.S. government.

Lyrics: Politicians who serve by any means

Footage: George Latimer from the U.S. government.

Lyrics: AIPAC, CUFI, and all the companies

Footage: Someone walks out of a Starbucks. A McDonald’s against the sky. Three shots of US-American and Israeli politicians.

Lyrics: You see, we sell fear around the land of the free, but this generation here is about to cut the strings.

Footage: A group of students with keffiyehs and Palestinian flags stands behind gates with police and reporters on the other side.

Lyrics: You can ban TikTok take us out the algorithm, but it’s too late, we’ve seen the truth, we bear witness

Footage: Three Palestinian journalists talking to the camera.

Lyrics: We’ve seen the rubble, the buildings, the mothers and the children

Footage: A child being dug out of rubble. A bloody baby resting against their mother’s chest

Lyrics: And all the men that you murdered, and then we see how you spin it

Footage: Israeli soldiers forcing Palestinian men into large armoured vehicles.

Lyrics: Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance

Footage: Groups of fighters

Lyrics: Has always been about dollars

Footage: US currency

Lyrics: and the colour of your pigment, but white supremacy is finally on blast

Footage: A protest sign that says, ‘Your silence will not protect you.’

Lyrics: Screaming ‘free Palestine’ ‘till they’re home at last.

Footage: A man is carried on an improvised stretcher through a crowd.

Lyrics: We’ve seen the lies in them, claimin’ it’s antisemitic to be anti-Zionist

Footage: A protest sign that says, ‘Never again for anyone’ with a Palestinian flag

Lyrics: I’ve seen Jewish brothers and sisters out there and ridin’ in solidarity and screamin’ ‘free Palestine’ with them

Footage: A person in a shirt that says ‘Jews say ceasefire now’ being arrested. A line of people holding a sign that says, ‘Jewish Elders to Biden Stop the Genocide Ceasefire now.’

Lyrics: Organizing, unlearning

Footage: Soldiers pushing a person along a street

Lyrics: And finally cutting ties with a state that’s gotta rely on an apartheid system

Footage: Palestinians behind a gate.

Lyrics: To uphold an occupyin’ violent history been repeating for the last 75

Footage: Soldiers grab at a man.

Lyrics: The Nakba never ended, the colonizer lied, if students in tents posted on the lawn occupyin’ the quad is really against the law

Footage: A student encampment. A person in a shirt that says ‘Jews say ceasefire now’ being arrested.

Lyrics: And a reason to call the police and their squad, where does genocide land in your definition, huh?

Footage: Smoke billowing from an Israeli bombing in Gaza.

Lyrics: Destroying every college in Gaza and every mosque

Footage: People make their way through rubble.

Lyrics: Pushing everyone into Rafah and dropping bombs

Footage: A bomb hits a house and explodes. Attributed to Abu Kazeem.

Lyrics: The blood is on your hands, Biden, we can see it all, and fuck no, I’m not voting for you in the fall

Footage: Joe Biden’s face.

Lyrics: Undecided, you can’t twist the truth, the people out here united

Footage: A pro-Palestinian protest

Lyrics: Never be defeated when freedom’s on the horizon

Footage: A person in a keffiyeh at an encampment speaks into a megaphone.

Lyrics: Yet the music industry’s quiet, complicit in their platform of silence, what happened to the artist?

Footage: A person in a recording studio.

Lyrics: What do you got to say? If I was on a label, you could drop me today

Footage: Doubled footage of a person removing sunglasses.

Lyrics: and be fine with it ‘cause the heart fed my page, I want a ceasefire, fuck a response from Drake, what you willing to risk?

Footage: Students at an encampment.

Lyrics: What you willing to give?

Footage: A large banner being unfurled at a protest.

Lyrics: What if you were in Gaza? What if those were your kids?

Footage: A child with bandages on both legs. Attributed in Arabic to Amr Tabsh.

Lyrics: If the west was pretendin’ that you didn’t exist

Footage: Gazans congregated at the beach.

Lyrics: You’d want the world to stand up, and the students finally did

Footage: The words ‘students say free Palestine’ projected on the side of a building. A protest with Palestinian flags. \End description]

Rapper Macklemore posts on Instagram a song in support of Palestine called “HIND’S HALL” that will be on streaming platforms soon and all proceeds will go to UNRWA

[the-alconbury-chronicle]

Manipulation on Tiktok

Okay!

Today is a little different from my previous posts.

I am not talking about something silly.

I am not talking about something small and personal.

As I’m sure you’ve gathered from the title, I will be talking about emotional manipulation.

Specifically, I will be talking about two TikTok users I came across the other day: 

@mnpltd

And

 @winwithpsychology https://www.tiktok.com/@winwithpsychology/video/7236940462702234926

As one might expect, these accounts are centred around psychology. More specifically, they focus on the use of psychology to manipulate people into doing what you want or acting how you want them to.

Already, this doesn’t sound good, but it gets worse!

@winwithpsychology posted a video on May 24th about “dark manipulation tactics.”

In the video they suggest that, to “take over someone’s confidence,” you should bombard them with compliments to break down any barriers they might have put up.

If I’m being honest, I don’t exactly know what this tip is suggesting. It’s confusingly worded and the grammar is just awful.

The next tip, however, is far clearer in its meaning.

The next tip suggests love bombing someone, showing high levels of affection and interest in someone, only to do a complete 180 the next day and ignore them, acting like you want nothing to do with them.

The goal of this is almost certainly to make the unfortunate victim desperate to please you, doing anything if it means they regain your affection.

This is textbook emotional manipulation, used by abusers to maintain control over people.

I have been the victim of this kind of manipulation myself, as have many people I’ve known.

This kind of manipulation leaves wounds, scars that never truly heal.

I won’t mince words here. 

I will be completely transparent and say this: If you do this to someone, you are an abuser.

There is no scenario in which this is okay.

There is nothing you can say to justify it.

And @winwithpsychology? 

I think you know what you’re doing.

If you ever see this, and you have anything to say for yourself, be my guest.

Moving on to @mnpltd.

Their video that I first came across covers something called “The white knight technique.”

The technique boils down to secretly creating problems for people that you can then “fix” publicly for them, or even just offer them support.

The example given in the video is spreading rumours about a person before comforting them, essentially offering a shoulder to cry on about a problem you created.

Once again, this is unacceptable.

It’s disgusting, and if you do this intentionally, so are you.

I don’t care if that sounds harsh.

I don’t care if anyone thinks I’m overreacting.

I have seen people do this kind of thing to others.

I’ve experienced it myself.

I know what it does to someone to go through this.

It isn’t pretty.

Unsurprisingly, both of the people have links in their bios advertising books that supposedly golf the keys to their success.

This is the link in @winwithpsychology’s bio: https://www.winwithpsychology.com/psychmeup21

This is @mnpltd’s:

As I said, both of these advertise books on psychology tips to help people succeed, or manipulate people.

Interestingly though, @mnpltd’s link has two paid ebooks on it as well. One on “influencer secrets,” and the other on “side hustle secrets.”

@mnpltd also has options on their link to pay them to promote your account.

This illustrates a very interesting overlap with various social media “entrepreneurs.”

In fact, @winwithpsychology uses the tags #entrepreneur and #alphamale.

Because of course this person thinks they’re an alpha male!

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, right?

That’s about all I can take of these fuckers right now. I’ll update if anything comes of this.

That’s all for now,

Tyr

[chervbs]

safe space — s. harrington

pairings: steve harrington x fem!reader

word count: 1.8k

synopsis: steve begins to notice a little quirk that you possess only when you’re around him. while he was initially concerned, the reason behind it is sweeter than he could ever guess.

warnings: reader wears makeup and nail polish, very very brief implication of sex, reader is implied to eat chicken, near death experience??? (reader doesn’t look both ways before crossing the street), tooth rotting fluff, lmk if I missed any

a/n: my first steve fic! technically it’s not the first i’ve written (I have many wips) but it’s the first that’s going up on the blog. it’s a bit short but I wrote it in a day after seeing a tiktok of girls talking about this topic and I just had to write it for steve! let me know your feedback and send in your stranger things requests! gif isn’t mine.

Steve didn’t believe it until Robin and Nancy had pointed it out. At the time, he thought the notion was ridiculous. But then he started to take notice. 

He noticed the way you seemed to depend on him when he was around. How you never seemed to be able to find anything until he found it for you. 

“Babe?” You called out from the restroom. You’d taken to staying over at Steve’s on most days. His parents were hardly around and yours didn’t mind as long as they knew where you were. “Have you seen my mascara?” 

No reply came, but instead a series of footsteps lead Steve to the bathroom, the little trail of hair beneath his belly button catching your eyes for a split second as he pulled his shirt down the rest of the way. 

“What’d you say?” He asked, running a hand through his hair, fixing the strands that had been moved out of place by his polo. 

“My mascara.” You repeated, his eyes suddenly focusing in on the pile of makeup you had laid out on the sink. Your hand shuffled through the products with a huff. “I can’t find it anywhere.” 

Steve eyed the counter, skimming over the various items before landing on a shiny, bright pink tube, one he’d seen you handle a thousand times before. 

“Sweetheart,” He chuckled, grabbing the mascara. It seemed to have rolled across the counter, resting just next to the soap dispenser but clearly in eye view. “It’s right here, silly.” 

It’s then that he noticed your glasses on the counter as well, but he kept the puzzled comment on why you weren’t wearing them to himself. 

Your eyes lit up as if he’d just handed you a winning lottery ticket. “Oh! I must’ve missed it. Thanks, Stevie!” You giggled, toes stretching to wrap your arms around his neck, placing a dramatic kiss to his cheek, ‘mwah’ sound and all. 

“You’re the best.” You said in a softer tone, thumbing coming up to rub off the bit of lip gloss that transferred from your lips to his skin. 

This was the first instance he noticed, but that adoring look in your eyes had his knees week, and the thought was quick to leave his mind, replaced by only you.

-

The second time was more subtle, but much more alarming. If it hadn’t been for the pervious instance, he may not have thought much of it. 

The two of you walked hand in hand through Hawkins Square, the local shops booming with business after the fall of Starcourt. Your group of friends trailed along behind you, all in their own conversations. 

 There were no words exchanged between the two of you, comfortable enough to bask in each other’s presence. Steve didn’t detect anything wrong with you, but you were in your own little world. Being around Steve always filled you with so much warmth and serotonin that it made your brain fuzzy. So much so that any other coherent thoughts often left your mind. 

You remember briefly seeing the walk light blinking from the other side of the street at some point. So when your group to the crosswalk, you didn’t think twice before walking forward. 

You barely had time to blink before a car horn was blaring in your ears, Steve’s grip in tightening and tugging you back at the same time. The car in question sped away and it was only then that you saw the crosswalk sign, this time blinking a bright orange hand. 

As your mind refocused your eyes locked onto Steve, realizing his hands had made their way to your cheeks. 

“Are you okay? You gotta look both ways, sweetheart. What if I wasn’t here to pull you out of the way?” His words were scolding but his voice was light with concern. 

Mentally, you knew that this wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t around. However, no words escaped you mouth, especially after looking over your boyfriends shoulder to see your friends staring at you worriedly. 

Flushing under their gazes, you stuttered, “I’m sorry. Guess I just got distracted.” 

The furrow of Steve’s eyebrows faded as he pressed a kiss to your forehead, “That’s okay, baby. Just pay attention next time, okay?” 

You nodded and gave him a strained smile, lacing your fingers with his once again as the crosswalk gave you the signal to go. 

The look Steve shared with Robin and Nancy a moment later went unnoticed by you.

-

The local diner on a Friday evening was packed, to say the least. You and Steve were lucky another party had just left when you arrived, allowing you to a snag a table before anyone else could.

Not long after, Nancy and Jonathan arrived, shortly followed by Robin, Vickie. As much as you all loved the kids, it was nice to just spend time with other people your age for a change. The triple date had been Vickie’s idea, the sweet redhead being eager to get to know her girlfriends group of friends.

The waitress strolled over to your table after you all had been sat for a few minutes. She was middle aged, brunette hair with strands of silver highlighting the front. She smiled warmly at your group. “Evening, kids. What can I get for y’all?”

Everyone rattled off their orders, having skimmed the menus prior to the woman’s arrival. When it got to you and Steve, he easily gave her his order. “I’ll get a bacon cheeseburger and a coke, please.”

She jotted down his order before looking towards you. “And you, honey?”

You blinked at her silently, looking at Steve for help almost instinctively. He quickly realized that he never saw you look at the menu, and told her the first thing that came to his mind. “She’ll have the chicken strips with fries please. And a lemonade.” 

The woman smiled sweetly, unfazed by the behavior. “Alrighty then, i’ll have that right out for y’all.” 

You wordlessly leaned your head back against Steve’s shoulder, where it had been before the waitress came over. 

Steve felt the stares of Robin and Nancy on the two of you. He looked down at you, bringing up his arm to wrap around your shoulders, pulling you flush against his side. “You feeling okay?” He mumbled just loud enough for you to hear.

You lifted your head to look at him, grinning softly in a way that had his chest bursting with love. “Yeah, I’m okay, Stevie. Little tired.” You replied. 

“Yeah?” He smiled. Glancing up, he saw the rest of your friends had resumed their own conversations. “You gonna stay over tonight?”

Your hands had taken to messing with his that hung off your shoulder, pulling and bending his fingers. “Just gotta drop by kind to get some more clothes.” You were silent for a second, observing the tips of his fingers. “Can I paint your nails?”

Steve grinned. “Sure, baby. Whatever you want.” 

-

Later that same night, after you had departed from your friends with full bellies and aching cheeks, you and Steve had made it back to his house.

He’d stopped by your house, letting you run inside to quickly grab a change of clothes for work tomorrow. And also a couple of bottles of nail polish.

Like promised, he let you paint his nails. You were both sat up, his back against the headboard and yours against his chest. His arms reached around you, the length of them allowing you to hold his hands close enough to brush the lacquer on his nails. 

The room was silent apart from your soft breathing and his radio quietly playing. His right hand was splayed across your inner thigh, the emerald green color on his nails having long since dried. The heat of his touch reminded you of your previous excursions that took place almost the second you two got home. The thought brought a warmth to your cheeks.

“Baby?” 

You hummed know response, concentrated on keeping the polish on his nails and avoided the skin around them. 

“Rob and Nance pointed something out to me the other day,” His head sat on your shoulder, voice calm but tone curious. “I wanted to ask you about it.” 

The brush of the nail polish glided over his pinky nail once last time before you were satisfied with the opacity of the color. Capping the bottle, you blew lightly on his fingertips, urging the paint to dry. “Ask away.” You told him. 

Steve hesitated, as if he didn’t know how to put his question into words. “They told me they noticed that, when were together, you kinda…drift away?” He said it more like a question rather than a statement, like he was unsure. “Almost like you don’t think for yourself?”

Realizing how awful it sounded, Steve’s eyes widened. “N-not like that. That sounded bad. I don’t think that you don’t think for yourself. I-I mean, I think you’re one of the most head strong, independent women i’ve ever known, and I’m well aware you don’t need me to think for you but-“

“Steve!” His mouth clamped shut, his body behind you stiff. “It’s okay.” You assured. “I know what you mean.”

Those eyes would be the death of you, you just knew it. Steve stared at you, doe eyed with a hint of worry that he had offended you. “Really?” 

“Yeah.” You nodded with a grin. “They’re not wrong, I guess. I do kind of let my thoughts go when I’m around you.”

You felt his body relax, the hand on your thigh sliding up to your waist. “Is…is that a good thing.”

The giggle that left your lips was involuntary, but you just couldn’t help it. Your boyfriend was too cute. “‘Course its a good thing.” You took the chance to pull away from his body, turning around to face him. “As a girl, you know, I kind of always have to have my guard up. I never know when things could go south, and especially in Hawkins, I have more to worry about then just creepy guys.” 

Steve nodded along to your words, eyes never straying from your face. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that, when I’m with you, I don’t feel like I have to worry. I don’t have to be strong, I don’t have to be independent, because I have you. Because you’re my safe space.” 

Steve felt tears well up in his eyes, your sweet words feeling like a warm embrace to his heart. “Sweetheart…”

The rest of his sentence was lost as his lips met yours, the love and passion feeling like it was being transferred through his kiss. You only pulled away once your lungs began to beg for mercy, soft pants escaping as your foreheads rested against each other.

“I love you, you know that? You’re my safe space too.” He mumbled, matching grins lighting up both your faces. 

“I love you too.” You hummed, feeling like you could just combust with happiness. Your hands grasped onto his, pulling them up to your eye level. 

“Steve!” You gasped. “You smeared the nail polish!”

add yourself to my taglist!

[goodnightmemes]

TIKTOK SENTENCE STARTERS PART FIVE

some of these are quotes from tiktok creators, and some are from various other forms of media that were popular audios/trends on tiktok  

❛ My dad’s always asking me “what are you on?”...probably the spectrum. I don’t know man, I just act like this. ❜

❛ The smoke is just when I start the car. Don’t worry. It’ll go away soon. ❜

❛ It’s not gonna happen, but that seat has been fully ejected from the car a couple of times. So just make sure you’re locked in. Okay? ❜

❛ I don’t like watching normal sports where they throw the ball. I like watching sports where the car go really fast, and turns. IT’S SO FAST! And look it! He turns too! ❜

❛ Tacos and sushi! Tacos and sushi! Tachos and sushi and anti-depresants! ❜

❛ Saaaaay ten! …oh my god, Satan! ❜

❛ Action man? Who the hell is act- oh my god. No. It’s John Wick. ❜

❛ Open the door or I’m gonna throw rocks through your window you dumb whore. ❜

❛ Ma’am, this is an elevator. ❜

❛ Tis I! For when the hour of the midnight munch doth descend upon me, I must embark upon a noble quest to the 7th of the 11th. ❜

❛ If you ever have - if you’re ever having a bad day just…just…just remember that - just remember that there’s a, uhhh, a brighter side, uhh, it may not be that day or the next week or the next month or the next year or the next, it may, uh… ❜

❛ And look! Very nice box! For my trinkets. Another box for my trinkets! What’s going on? It’s trinketville! ❜

❛ Girlfriend really just came out here, came onto the field, she dug a ditch and then she buried the bar. Cause honestly, I could not have gone any lower. ❜

❛ Motherfucking, where is it?? Where is it?! I swear to god - you laughing? You trying to laugh? Is this funny? ❜

❛ The sign says ‘no weenies allowed’ and buddy I’m sniffing a weenie. Get out. ❜

❛ I’m over here dissociating and you want to walk over and say ‘hi’, and just remind a motherfucker that they exist? That is rude. How dare you perceive me, bitch. ❜

❛ Buy your own apple. I’m a peasant person. I don’t have any money. ❜

❛ The flame calls to me, not by its warmth or its pumpkin-spiced aroma, but by its desire for calamity and destruction. ❜

❛ The high ground means nothing. We are squabbling one v one on asphalt. ❜

❛ The dust is a part of the ambiance. ❜

❛ Oh shit! It’s fucking Mambo #5! ❜

❛ I’m on a benedryl and a red eye right now, which I like to call: the sober speedball. ❜

❛ So let’s get one thing straight and two things gay… ❜

❛ You’re supposed to wait an hour, some people wait more, if you’re not afraid of death come back in 20 minutes. ❜

❛ If my reputation in this town gets out that I’m woke then I will be ruined and I won’t be able to sell fire extinguishers! ❜

❛ They call me West Virginia because I’m always mountin’ mamas. ❜

❛ Everyone be careful because I just found a needle in my kids candy and also seven different sized allen wrenches. ❜

❛ We are not getting distracted by nonsense today, we are laser focused. Okay, that being said, I need more chicken knights. I’m forming an army! ❜

❛ I’ve got about 10 more minutes until 40 mili-vanilly-grams of this adderall kick in. Let me tell you something, I’m feeling pretty intelligent right now. ❜

❛ Good thing I’m wearing my safety crocs. ❜

[foolforharrry]

Where Were We?

Summary: Harry has been couped up in his office with meetings all day and you're craving attention

Word Count: 1.5k words

Warnings: Smut, oral sex (male receiving), teasing, orgasm denial

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And if you have any requests, I'd be more than happy to try and write them

Let me know if you want a part 2

Thank you to @harryistheonlyoneforme for the idea :)

Harry had been busy with meetings for the past four hours. Holed up in the office with his computer out as he was discussing various topics regarding his new album. Which he still won’t tell you the name of.

The little tease.

You’ve tried busying yourself with scrolling through tiktok. But that gold old pretty fast. Now the laundry is handled and you’ve run out of excuses to peak your head through the open door to get a sneak peak of what your husband is working on.

Harry had woken you up this morning with soft kisses all over your face before telling you that he had a lot of meetings he had to attend for his upcoming album.

Important meetings, he’d said.

After standing in the doorway for about three minutes, Harry finally notices your presence, smiling softly at you before redirecting his attention to the man he is talking to, snaping back in the conversation immediately.

His brown curls are pinned away from his forehead by one of the small clips he is always carrying around with him. His upper body covered in a knitted lilac sweater. But since the only thing in view is pretty much from his chest and up, he didn’t feel it necessary to put on anything other than a pair of black briefs.

His long, tan legs completely bare underneath the desk. His knees pointing outwards from how he is crossing his ankles.

The sight of his tiger tattoo inked across the powerful muscles gives you an idea.

The desk is pretty tall and lucky for you doesn’t have any drawers. So with Harry’s voice in your ears talking about things you don’t really understand, you make you way over to the edge of the desk before you drop to your knees.

You can practically feel Harry’s eyes bore into you when you crawl underneath the furniture. The carpet is definitely going to be uncomfortable against your bare knees, but you couldn’t give five fucks about it as you situate yourself on your knees right in front of him. His lap is at eye level with you.

Harry swallows audibly when you make eye contact with him, making you blink innocently at him.

When you lean the side of your face against the inside of his left thigh, he clears his throat, “I’ll mute myself for a second, mate.” You hear him push a button. Then another. Likely turning off his microphone and camera as you slide your hand from his knee and to the bottom of his briefs, lifting it up before letting it smack back against his thigh.

“Am I interrupting anything, my love?”, you ask. Knowing damn well that you are.

Harry tilts his head back, inhaling a deep, controlled breath before he suddenly grabs your wrist, pushing your hand away from his crotch. “What do you think you’re doing, y/n. I’m in a fucking meeting.” He hisses in an attempt to sound bothered. But the way his pupils are blown to the point where there is hardly any green left in his irises and his briefs are tightening significantly tells you that he is anything but.

Plus. The idea of getting caught has always been a major turn on for the both of you. Whether it’s having sex in the bathroom stall of a packed restaurant or Harry answering the phone and making you hold up a conversation while eating you out like his life depends on it.

“Do you want me to stop?” You kiss the soft skin on the inside of thigh, watching as the wheels turn in his head. “Cause I could get up and wait for you to finish. Or I can make you finish right here. Up to you.”

Harry smirks at you. That devious smirk that means you’re gonna be in big trouble. “You better get started then, princess. I’ve probably only got a couple minutes left before I can find an excuse to hang up.”

“Better get to work then, big boy.” Harry shakes his head at you, bending far enough to press his lips against yours, murmuring ‘I love you’ before straightening up. Without waiting for you to say it back, he clicks the buttons again.

“Sorry about that, Dean. My wife needed help with something. Where were we?”, he speaks effortlessly as he slips back into the conversation.

You give him almost a minute, not moving a muscle as you watch him discuss the track list for his new album. Gesturing with his hands as he talks the same way he always does. But when you do move, palming him over his briefs, you notice how he stops mid-sentence. His eyes flicking down to meet yours momentarily before he is able to collect himself again.

He is already rock hard, his cock straining against the cotton material of his underwear. The thought of you getting him off when one slip up would expose what you two are doing to his colleague had excited him more than you thought it would.

And you can’t lie and say that you’re not throbbing yourself.

“So you’re sure about switching out Sunny Dream for Cinema?”, Dean double checks something they seem to already have discussed. Harry nods, humming in agreement with a sly smile on his face.

He better not be planning some stunt to make you cry like a newborn baby the way he did when he was working on Fine Line.

You tap his hip, tugging on the waistband of his briefs to get him to lift them off the chair so you can get them off him. And he does, trying his best to be discrete about it changing positions entirely. He scoots the chair back just a little bit, folding his arms on his desk as you drag his brief down his legs. His erection hard and red at the tip from the blood flowing through the veins running along the sides of his dick.

You scoot further between his legs as you wrap your hand around his massive dick, barely putting any pressure. Swiping your thumb over his sensitive tip, you use it as lubricant when you start stroking him more firmly.

Harry struggles more and more to stay focused. His face starts to gain a more colour when you go from chaste kisses to the smooth skin on inside of his thigh to leaving small love bites for your eyes only.

With a smug grin on your face you lick a stripe from the base of his shaft, along the velvety skin before swirling your tongue around his tip.

Instead of taking him in your mouth immediately, you decide to tease him some more.

Fondling his balls in your small hands as you press light kiss from the head of his cock and back down the length of him again. You notice how Harry’s hands are starting to get more fidgety until they eventually drift into your hair to pull your head back up. His fingers pull at your hair hard enough for a delicious, sharp sting to travel from your scalp and down your spine.

You comply with what he wants you to do, wrapping your lips around his tip, relaxing your jaw as you slide your mouth further down his shaft.

The effect you have on Harry is making it difficult to not moan out loud, not wanting to make Dean aware of what’s happening just outside of the camera’s view.

Just Harry’s wife with her mouth on his dick. No biggie. No biggie at all.

After working him with your mouth for a couple of minutes, the words they’re speaking not registering in your mind, you pull off him, the string of saliva connecting you breaks after a few seconds.

The muscles in Harry’s thighs twitch as his free hand grabs your jaw to part your lips again, his fingers digging into the hollows of your cheeks.

You take that as a sign that he is starting to get frustrated with your teasing. Which means that he is exactly where you want him to be.

To rile him up even more, you completely retract your touch from his skin. Sitting back on your ankles so you can start crawling from out under the desk without a word.

Harry stops mid conversation, his hard stare burning into the back of your head as you saunter out of his office, making sure to sway your hips for him.

“Do you have everything you need?”, Harry asks Dean, a new sense of urgency in his tone that wasn’t there before.

The second he has the confirmation that he needed, Harry is saying his goodbyes and thank you faster than you’ve ever heard him speak before.

You slam the door shut behind you, your heart suddenly beating faster in your chest as the nerves start settling in. Quick footsteps down the stairs and for the front door, heavier, steady footsteps behind you.

Now why the fuck did you think this was a good idea?

You gasp when you’re being dragged backwards by your wrist. Your back collides with something solid as Harry’s hissing in your ear, “Where the fuck do you think you’re going, darling?”

-

[aristocratic-otter]

I'm determined to post this week, it feels like it's been so long since I did a WIP Wednesday! I've got lots of words to share, so many thanks to @larkral, @letraspal, @rimeswithpurple, @artsyunderstudy, @wellbelesbian, @confused-bi-queer, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, and @j-nipper-95 for the couple of weeks worth of tags!

With no further ado, the fics:

From Saving Simon Snow:

I wonder briefly if the fall might have shaken some sense into her. I push that thought away. It doesn’t matter. She needs to be contained, for Simon’s safety. And so I can get some fucking clothes on.

I fire off spells, one right after another. “Cat Got Your Tongue” prevents her from speaking any spells she may have at the ready without a wand, and “All Tied Up” pins her arms at her sides so that she can’t cast fire at us (which, like my mother and I, she can do wordlessly). Finally, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” sends her immobilised body careening out the door of our bedroom and around the corner. 

She’ll make me pay for the indignity of being gagged, trussed up and shoved out of sight, but I can’t care right now. 

From my Simon as a TikTok dancer fic:

Discovering YouTube and the world wide web cracked my world wide open. I spent hours every night learning the moves of various hip hop artists from my tiny screen. When I ran out of hip hop moves to try, I followed a breadcrumb trail of comments and recommendations to find other dancers in other styles (and learning human idiom and slang along the way). There’s so much to learn, I’ll never be done, I don’t think. Which is brilliant, because I want to do this forever. 

Then, after spending all night dancing, I’d spend all morning charging my phone at McDonalds. During that time, I’d spend the cash I’d starting earning from performing on the pier on piles of hamburgers, fries, shakes and pies. And while I chewed my way through mounds of food, I’d skim the net for more ideas, more dances to learn. 

From my CORB, The Heart In The Well

“Don’t move!”

“I’m trying, Snow! You’re not exactly a featherweight!”

My knees wobble and threaten to give out as I stand, balanced on Baz’s shoulders. I want to snipe that he’s got vampire strength so my twelve stones of body weight should feel like feathers to him. But I’m well aware of how he’d react to that remark, and I really don’t want to fall over six feet to the ground. 

From To Heal a Broken Mind (finished! Off to the beta, you should start seeing chapters soon!)

Simon

Baz’s eyes fall shut and he gasps, in relief I think. I watch his face. My thoughts aren’t really clear yet, but I don’t think that’s because of brain damage. I think I’ve just not completely shrugged off the effects of the anaesthesia. 

So, I’ve had my brain cut apart and come through the other side. And Baz is still here, and still loves me. He called me darling. There’s just one question left unanswered, and the open fear I saw on Baz’s face when I woke is the opposite of reassuring. Is he frightened because the news is bad? Or for some other reason?

From Stars, Flowers, and Children:

“What is it?” I ask him, when he takes the thing from me and turns it over in his hands. 

“‘Tis a stereoscope,” he says gruffly. “A picture viewer,” he explains, when I look at him blankly. “Were there cards with it?”

I pull a double handful of paper cards out of the handkerchief and pass them over to Davy. He flips through them swiftly. His eyes open wide at what he sees on several, and, in the end, he shuffles out a majority of the cards and stuffs them in his pocket. “Sinful shite,” he mutters, when I question him. “Not fit for young ‘uns to see.” 

And from Snow Fox (next chapter posting soon!):

I stand up and close my eyes at the popping sounds coming from my spine when I do. I’m too damn young for my body to be betraying me like this. But months of short rations and sleep on hard ground have left me feeling like an old man at times. I shake the stiffness out of my muscles and begin to pace. 

“The only known supply of salt and quinine are with the British,” I say, thinking aloud. “They’ve doubled their guard since our last raid, and I doubt we’d be able to sneak someone in, with half the camp down with illness.”

Penny stands and watches me, wringing her hands in front of her stomach. “I know you don’t want to put him in danger, but—”

I raise a hand to cut her off. Then I sigh. “I know. Baz may be the only person who’s got a chance of sweet talking the supplies we need from Tarleton. Fuck. I didn’t want to pull him in deeper…”

I'll tag a few folks for Sunday. I'd love to see what y'all are doing! @alexalexinii, @alleycat0306, @asocialpessimist, @bazzybelle, @bookish-bogwitch, @ic3-que3n, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @hushed-chorus, @fatalfangirl, @facewithoutheart, @gekkoinapeartree, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @ileadacharmedlife, @jbrrring, @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, @krisrix, @messofthejess, @moments-au-crayon22, @moodandmist, @frjsti, @nightimedreamersghost, @onepintobean, @prettylightsbigcity, @raenestee, @theearlgreymage, @tea-brigade, @technetiumai, @thehoneyedhufflepuff, @upuntil6am, @vampire-named-gampire, @whatevertheweather, and @yellobb-old