#and the effort too LIKE HE BASICALLY VOICED THE ENTIRE GAME AGAIN FOR ALL OF THE BUCKET ENDINGS WOAH KUDOS TO HIS VOCAL CORDS

[deadsetobsessions]

“I ate paint once,” Danny nonchalantly threw out in the middle of game night.

The entire table stopped. Heads whipped towards Danny.

“Yeah, me too. Cardamom yellow was my favorite. Ugly as hell but the chemicals just tasted right.” Tim replied, using the distraction to nab some of Bruce’s money. Monopoly money, that is. Everyone’s heads snapped towards Tim, only Cass and Danny (who was part of the scheme) caught him cheating.

“Really? I think mine was those spray can blue cosmos paint. But that might have been more my thing for space than the actual taste.”

“WHY WERE YOU EATING PAINT?!” Dick asked, looking like he wanted to lunge over the table and shake Danny until he puked out paint. Bruce looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

“Yeah, what the fuck, Tim?” Jason snickered.

“In my defense,” Danny grinned. “I was left unsupervised. Also, Steph, you owe me $24 in rent.”

“Ugh! I’m almost out of money! Can’t you loan me some, Alfred?”

“I am sorry, Miss Stephanie, you are not qualified for another loan. In fact, one of your properties is about to be confiscated as per the collateral agreement.”

“Noooo!” Stephanie made dramatic dying noises.

“What was your excuse, Timothy?” Damian asked, eyes glued to the board and determined to win the game.

“Hey, I was probably less supervised than Danny was.”

“Yeah,” Danny perked up. “My parents brought us down to their lab all of the time. Taught us a lot of stuff.”

“Really? Like what?” Duke asked, casually slapping away Tim’s sneaky hands.

“Oh, like what a rocket launcher sounded like up close! And how to build a laser gun! Oh! And what human organs looked like when they’re fresh!” Danny chirped, collecting his money from a stunned Stephanie’s hands. He looked up.

“Oh, don’t worry! I at least learned what not to do when it comes to lab safety. And we wore hazmat suits to protect ourselves from the radiation.” Danny smiled in a ditzy fashion as the table fell silent in a horrified manner. Cass tapped his arm amusedly, but allowed his bullshit to stand. After all, it’s not like he lied.

“Radiation?” Duck’s voice raised a couple of octaves. Oh yeah, Danny’s going to laugh about that pitch for a long while.

“Organs?!” Jason’s hands closed around the plastic house he was holding rather forcefully.

“Do you even know what basic lab safety practices are, Danny?” Damian demanded, finally looking up with brows furrowed. He rolled the dice and grabbed a mystery card. He gets $100 from Alfred.

“How old were you??” Duke asked.

“Like… 8, when they first brought me in?”

“Eight.” Bruce rumbled, slipping into a more Batman like persona. When Danny sent him a confused look, Bruce straightened back into his Bruce persona. “Wow, they must have trusted you a lot!”

“Sure?”

“What were their names again?” Stephanie asked sweetly, Cass nodding at him.

“Jack and Maddie Fenton.” Not that they’ll find them here, considering his parents are dead and in another universe.

“Cool, cool, cool!” Stephanie blinked, beaming as her hands formed lethal fists underneath the table.

Danny blinked and tilted his head in an unassuming way, pretending like he had no idea what Stephanie was thinking of. He sneakily handed over $600 to Cass in order to complete his monopoly on his side of the board.

Danny stood up and spread his hands out, one hand clutching his new found victory.

"Well, lady and gents, you've all been floundering against the inevitable tide of capitalism. I am here, as a reminder that you can never win against the hopelessness that will be your financial ruin! I, Danny Fenton, have obtained a quarter of the board and therefore have won against even your best efforts!" He cackled, holding up his fan of properties triumphantly. He shot a mischievous grin at Cass, who held up a solemn thumbs up in support for his monetary takeover.

"... Danny, are you... planning on a career in villainy?" Bruce asked, after a brief and total wave of shocked silence. Damian looked like he was having a conniption at having been bested, unknowingly. Yeah, Danny was disarming like that.

"Yeah, that was concerning." Tim piped up, nabbing a ten from a shell-shocked Damian.

"Hey! The Riddler gives surprisingly good monologues! And he's really loud, so it's hard not to pick up on things. Duke, your turn." Danny sat back down, pouting. The villainy comment was a little too close to his fears.

"Damn it." Duke, who had rolled, landed smack middle of Danny's territory. He handed over a sheaf of bills to a grinning Danny.

"Wait a minute! You have cheated!" Damian bolted upwards from his seat, finally done running through the purchases he remembered Danny making. "You acquired that property not within the games' rules!"

"Okay, first of all, the rule book is a suggestion, like lab safety rules," Danny saw the others open their mouths to protest, but he quickly shut it down. "Second, there's totally no rules about selling and buying places from a private owner so suck on it. And thirdly? Cass sold it to me, so you all can take it up with her."

"Diabolical!" Damian muttered indignantly.

"... Dammit." Dick sighed, falling back into the chair and balancing on its two legs. He couldn't say anything, considering his current of bankruptcy.

"Danny. Danny, I'll buy a property from you." Jason said, eyeing one of Danny's other properties near his own cluster.

"What do you have that would interest me?" Danny asked, falling back into his Vlad-like imitation.

"Ew, don't do that," Steph reached over to jab him in the arm.

"Yeah, Jason, what do you have?" Duke said, the lovely subtle instigator that he is.

"Red Hood's signature."

The others blue-screen, gaping at the actual audacity Jason had to offer up something that would take him no effort. Danny, prepared with a poker face that came with lying straight to Jazz's ever perceptive eyes about whether he nabbed the last of her ice cream or not, was prepared.

"Red Hood? The condom guy working out of the... um. Upper East Side?" Danny asked, pretending to hesitate. He knows where Jason operated. That doesn't mean he couldn't simply pretend otherwise. For science, of course.

...

...

...

The table howled with laughter, Jason's indignant spluttering unable to say anything against Danny's wide eyed look of innocence. Cass leaned against the table, chuckles falling out of her mouth and eyes crinkled in mirth. Dick had fallen out of his chair, helplessly wheezing on the floor. Duke is hiding his face in his hands, mirroring Bruce's pose as they both shake from silent laughter. Damian is smirking, wicked and sharp as he smugly stared at Jason. Stephanie and Tim are leaning against each other, repeating "the CONDOM GUY" in alternating and increasingly louder voices. Alfred had a smile on his face and a tight grip on the bills in front of him that betrayed his amusement.

"He's a crime lord!" Jason exclaimed, indignant.

"Uh, okay. Well, I mean, why would I want a crime lord's signature? I don't want to be on his radar. Or echolocation or whatever. He's... a Bat, right? That's what you guys call that group, yeah?"

"How do you know the Rogues better than the vigilantes?!" Jason glared at his unhelpful family. Those assholes better prepare for a load of rubber bullets the next time they're on patrol near Crime Alley.

"Hey, it's not my fault the vigilantes here are unsociable. Maybe if they monologued more, I'd know who they are."

"Wouldn't- wouldn't that make them more villain like?" Tim asked, stuttering from his laughter.

"I dunno?" Danny replied, enjoying his the family's unabashed joy. "I mean, they're pretty legit and they help people already so I guess they don't need to be sociable... but still I swear I haven't heard anything about Batman other than that he grunts and is mean towards criminals."

Is mean towards criminals, Duke mouthed at a recovering Dick who was in the process of heaving himself back up. It sent him careening back down to the floor with restrained giggles. Cass tapped Danny, reminding him to eat some food.

"Tt. Of course not. They're efficient at their jobs and have no need to be seen as welcoming to criminals." Damian puffed up.

"Yeah, but they've gotta feel safe, right?" Danny shrugged as he plucked a cookie from the cookie platter. "The... one with the sword, what was it?"

"Robin." Damian supplied, eyes narrowed and trained on him.

"Yeah, the baby bird. The kids think his swords are cool so they trust him. But like, the others? The flippy blue one? Not so much."

"Wait," Dick said from the floor. "They don't trust Nightwing?"

"Nah, they trust him to protect them, but he has a history of bringing the kids to the police, you know?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Danny shrugged. "ACAB. But also because everybody knows that half the guys in the GCPD and CPS are child traffickers."

"Wait, what?" Jason and Tim straightened.

Bruce piped in, the emotional whiplash of amusement to concern to amusement to concern visibly making itself known on the man's baffled face. "I thought Batman and Commissioner Gordon took care of that?"

"Sure, the obvious ones." Danny hesitated. Well, he's pretty sure they think he's a meta so... "There's... a meta trafficking ring that they're a part of. That's. That's kind of what I was running from."

Danny looked up pleadingly. Cass placed a hand on his arm in comfort, not knowing that he was fibbing about running from them.

Danny was on the streets helping his own Alley metas to run from them.

Danny is as feral as she was, and that meant he could hide just as much as she could read off of him. Cass was the best and he felt kind of bad about lying to her, successfully or not.

"Uh. Some people said you know Batman, Bruce. I know- uh, that might not be the case but if you do, could you ask him to look into it?" Danny made his eyes tear up. "And maybe he wouldn't care about me much, I mean, I know he doesn't really like metas but if he helps out, I could totally like, leave the city once the kids are safe, promise."

Ooh, Danny put a little too much sincerity into that. He could practically hear the hearts breaking in the game room as everyone glared at Bruce.

"You won't have to leave."

"... Promise?" And Danny's voice was a little too desperate, too hopeful, because Bruce's eyes tugged down in sadness.

"Promise." He rumbled, all Bruce Wayne and all Batman. Danny's core warmed. Danny also saw the rest of the family's faces darken in pure agreement. And partial wrath.

"Yeah! We'll kick Batman's ass if he even thought about kicking you out!" Stephanie proclaimed.

"He's far more proficient in combat than you are, Brown." Damian immediately leapt to Batman's defense and that was that.

Well, later, as Danny was "sleeping" and Phantom was hovering in the cave, invisible and intangible, he got confirmation that his Alley meta kids were going to be safe, soon.

After all, the entire Batclan was suiting up and baying for blood, with Oracle's all encompassing presence behind them, fingers reaching for their enemies' weak points.

[xx-blueboy-xx]

Oooooh Gabriel’s guide to Sam Winchester I must know 🥺

WIP Ask Game!

Sooo!!!

The title is a reference to "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" - and there is a reason for it!

Here is a little synopsis of the fic I have:

Gabriel, in a last ditch effort to save his life - goes careening through space and time. Searching for his one and only: Sam Winchester.

Sorta.

He really should have told the hunter about his feelings, before he went off and nearly died. Now, he is stuck jumping through universes and alternate-timelines, until he manages to discover the soul his own was anchored too.

So: basically, the plot is season-13 divergent where as Gabriel is being stabbed by Alt!Michael he tries and does his "fake death" trick but due to a lack of grace (and Alt!Michael's doing) something goes awry. Anddd, so, instead of ending back with OG!Sam in the bunker in the OG!Supernaturalverse he crash lands himself straight into an AU!

The fic follows him hopping between universes as he attempts to track down his Sam - meeting a bunch of AU!Sams along the way! And each chapter is titled realted to something he knows about Sam/learns what is different about the AU!Sams he meets! (and are numbered like a list)

I was planning on finishing it for GBB but, life happened and I didn't get around to it + had to drop out due to a lack of time. It is currently sitting at about 23k words with 4 complete chapters!!

Which are, because i genuinely love this fic and I will finish it someday (there is 2-3 more chapters I have planned and a lit of editing)

1. Sam Winchester is Not A Coward

- which is taking place in the world where Dean visted during his jinn dream! Lawyer!Sam who because of OG!Dean's visit entire timeline was set astray... (so the supernatural still exist in this world he just didn't know about it obv - because all the ppl they saved died)

2. Sam Would Die For Dean

- this is also taking place with Lawyer!Sam

3. Sam Likes Two Spoonful of Sugar in his Coffee

- in this one Gabriel meets a coffee-shop no real monsters Sam! Who is a huge fan of the books "Supernatural" (but they feature the Ghostfacers as the two brothers)

4. Sam Winchester is Warm

- Still with coffee-shop Sam! And it features Gabriel meeting his own alternative (who is basically just Richard Slieght)

5. Sam Winchester is Not An Evil Son of A Bitch

- the unstarted chapter but !! It's BoyKing!Sam :) and Gabriel meets his own alternative from this world too!

6. Sam Is Perfectly & Beautifully Human

- Gabe ends up in a Reverse!verse and meets angel!sam and hunter!gabe (unstarted only plotted)

7. Sam Is A Survivor

- Sam is dead. That's it. That's the world. (plotted only)

8. Sam Is Everything

- Gabe finally makes it home!!! 🎉 To his Sam!

I am like spoiling the whole thing but it has veen a while since I touched it so, jt's nice to explore it again/think about it once more. Life just got soooo busy when I was working on it.

Anyways! Have an excerpt because, well, I have a lack of self control!!

(From Chapter 4, the last few hundred words of the WIP)

“I don't owe a traitor anything. All you need to know, dearest little brother: is that you are never getting home. And that I am tired of being nice. I tried my best to give you a happy ending. But, perhaps, I should show you one of the bad endings, hm? Maybe that will make you appreciate my gifts more.”

“Bastard! You know over the millennia, you would think someone would have managed to remove that stick from your ass!” he screams at nothing hearing his own voice echo off the walls, and spiral down the staircase: his true voice is leaking through a bit as well. Ever since Asmodnoues he hasn’t had such good control over it as he used to. Having spent hundreds of years in a vessel had made him a master of control. He doesn’t receive an answer to his quip, feeling the world tilt before it swirls. Melting around him, the walls and ceiling dripping. Feeling as if he is being thrown by an invisible hand he finds himself stumbling into an entirely new environment. His vision swims and he feels his grace flare out around him defensively only for it to be - locked. Not gone. But locked inside of his body. He feels shackles around his wrists and his blazing golden eyes snap to them. There are Enochian runes carved into strange flickering-smokey bracelets. They vanish, but their effect is as strong as ever.

He has been bound. To what, or who, well that’s to be seen. Gabriel flares his wings out feeling them stir the air around him from their incorporeal state. He doesn’t fly. His shoulders slump in defeat and he finally starts to take in where he is. In some kind of grand throne room.. It looks nicer than it had in a long time, there is a strange familiar touch to the layout. Every ruler of Hell loved to reshape the place. Large black-marble columns, very Greek in style around him lining the long-hall. Beneath his feet a plush red carpet was rolled all the way to the base of a massive throne, carved from bone. Human skulls line the top of the throne, placed delicately upon spikes, hollow eye sockets glaring with small red-burning fires in them.

The archangel feels like he has lost the ability to process as his gaze first finds the shining black-dress shoes upon the man sitting in the throne. Gabriel’s eyes reveal the long-blue tail whipping behind him, deep-red spikes lining it, and he can see carefully folded leathery-wings behind his back, the spiked tips blood red while the wings themselves fade from black into a navy blue. Two long-horns protrude from the man’s head of wavy-brown locks spiraling straight up in spires. On earth, these kinds of things would be unseen on the vessel. But not in Hell. Blazing yellow eyes glow as they take in the sight of the archangel, who finally processes the face that bares the sharp-toothed grin being sent his way.

“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in?”

The Boy King, steps down from the throne of Hell.

[yannysif]

Sooo I know I disappeared for a bit again, but this time I was basically doing my own shonen protagonist training arc - been consuming a TON of tutorials and practicing in general, only a few of them are even remotely worth sharing, like this one! I'm not very happy with it, but at the same time, I put in too much effort to let it go to waste so I thought, why not attach a drabble with this because I need to practice my writing alongside my art too..

And so here's a short story of sorts that would take place in the prologue (it won't be exactly like this in-game since I'll have choices and variations to incorporate) hope you enjoy!

"Would you like to dance?"

You look at Lucien as if he's grown an extra head, as he extends his hand to you, waiting. The two of you were taking a stroll in his gardens after dinner, and you were in-between feeling at peace in the environment, and incredibly nervous as you were walking alongside Lucien Lockhart, trying to wrap your head around the fact that he was no longer just your favorite character beyond a screen, he was living, breathing, right next to you, you.

You were quietly taking in the foliage under the moonlight, reveling in the novelty of it, never having had the chance to see such a gorgeous garden at night (but really, everything was new when you were in an entirely different world) when he sprung the question on you.

You could feel his quiet amusement to your reaction, as you stare holes into the palm of his hand, wondering if it was worth taking it, to risk making a completely fool out of yourself in the process, in front of him, and so soon after meeting him? No, you couldn't-

"You are always welcome to say no, please don't feel pressured to do anything you don't want to."

Doesn't that just lay on the pressure even more!? But as you look at him and his gentle expression, like you could do no wrong, it felt easier to go along with it. And the moment you placed your hand in his, you felt it was the right choice seeing his face light up from that action alone.

He gently pulls you into position, one hand still holding yours, the other on your waist. He looked for all the world, content, as if it was enough for him just to hold you, have you near. He gives you one last questioning look, silently asking if it's alright to keep going. You can't back out now; you give him a nod, not trusting your voice.

It took all of 2 seconds to step on his foot. Oh this was a terrible idea what were you thinking-

You were brought out of your down-spiral by the sound of your name, prompting you to look up, at his face, his ever present smile when he's near you, immediately providing you with reassurance.

"Don't overthink it, just trust me."

Trust him.

Wasn't that a lot to ask from someone who's practically a stranger? But then again, maybe you weren't. After all, the two of you knew about the other this whole time, when you assumed it was a one-way street. In fact, you think he knows you better (knows you well, too well) than most of the people in your life. You could see it in all the little considerations he made for you in your short time together.

So you couldn't help but want to trust him.

You take a deep breath to ground yourself, and as you do, you could hear music drifting in the air, faint, but present. It was from the musicians Lucien had hired to play during dinner (to welcome you, he explained, when you said it was a bit too much fanfare for someone like you. He promises the next dinner onward would be simpler, for you. You couldn't help but feel a little wonder, at the assured promise of future dinners spent together, like it was only natural.)

So they were still playing, you hadn't noticed from your nervousness, but it made it feel a little less awkward to have some music to dance to.

You set your shoulders, resolute, as you gaze back at Lucien. He gives you a knowing smile, and begins to move again.

Trust him.

And so you do. You let yourself loosen up, trusting him to lead, to go where he pushed and pulled. It takes a moment, but soon the two of you fall into a rhythm, dancing to the music, and soon everything else fell away. You couldn't help the smile that tugged at your lips; you were doing it, you were dancing! And when Lucien smiles back at you, eyes filled with nothing but pride and admiration for you, you could feel happiness swell from within you.

"I'm going to spin you, ok?"

The next moment, he gently pulls your arm up and leads you in a twirl, and you couldn't help but feel a little silly(a little giddy) as you enact a scene you could only imagine before.

"Once more"

That was all the warning you get when this time, he lets go of your hand to instead place both on your waist. You couldn't help the gasp ripped out of you when he lifts you for a spin, impossibly stronger than he appeared, but soon devolved into delighted laughter as you grab his shoulders, weightless in the air.

You've never felt freer than you did at this moment.

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Comte’s Drama CD: Track One, Prologue

Since I got the Comte drama CD and there’s nobody around to stop me from inflicting that on everyone else, it’s time.

The premise of the entire recording is that MC and Comte spend a day together, so it’s basically Comte non-stop simping for nearly an hour. As you can imagine, I had an excellent time and I hope you will too.

I will say I did enjoy a few of the tracks more than others, only because he’s the most dramatic man alive and I love him. His head is empty and he’s the only one for me!!! More seriously though, there are also a lot of sweet moments that really speak to how vulnerable and real he is with her--and I’m always really drawn to that duality in him. Yes we all mask the true nature of who we are to a degree, but I think there is something to be said for the effort he makes to be honest with her; especially considering how deeply rooted that instinct to conceal is for him.

Without further ado, I will go through each track with little snippets of actual dialogue in the CD. Please note again, I am by no means a professional or a perfect translator; I’m just too obsessed to be stopped. 

The rest is under the cut to avoid spoilers, also because it’s long meta/squealing fest:

So the first track is called “Prologue” and as you can imagine it is exactly as it sounds. There really isn’t a whole lot to this one, as he basically recaps all the things we learn in his main story route. I do want to comment mostly on the beginning and the end of it though, since it’s exceedingly cute and makes me want to kiss him.

His spoken lines at the beginning are as follows:

So this is where you were. Were you looking at the moon from the balcony?

…Indeed, it’s true. It’s hard not to be captivated by such a beautiful crescent moon.

Usually it would be time to go to bed, but it’s such a lovely moonlit night. Let’s stay up a little late tonight.

We could have a glass of wine, or play a game? What would you prefer?

...huh? You want me to tell you a story?

Like. There are so many moving parts here, I don’t even know where to begin. The fact that he’s always seeking her presence (this can easily be corroborated by dozens of event stories). The way that he’s also drawn to the moon, the little silence there speaks to his thoughtfulness and musings of his own that are unknown to us. What does it evoke for him? Is he, too, reminded of the night they first met (hoping MC is thinking of the same)? Can you tell the thought alone is killing me?

The fact that he wants to spend that time with her, lingering beside her and unwilling to part. The way he always gives her a choice, always wants to know what she wants too. The audible surprise when he’s like ????? Storytime? And mind you I don’t think it’s because he thinks it’s immature, rather that he wasn’t expecting it. In a life surrounded by people--both purebloods and humans alike--that are entertained by so little, it’s heart-warming to be with someone who looks for something deeper, something closer to the soul. That, in a way, she’s asking for the gifts of his mind and voice, two things entirely unique to him.

I weep.

He goes on to say:

(his laughter SOBS) That’s a very sweet request…not at all, of course I don’t mind. 

I am neither a playwright, nor a novelist. I don’t know if I can tell a good story.

I hope I can fulfill my princess’ expectations.

…Hm, what should I talk about?

Well then…what about a man who lives forever?

So many things going on here, and no I will not remove my commentary because it’s essential to recreating the experience for the poor souls who will never hear the majesty of his seiyuu’s acting. Truly Horie-san exists to bring Comte to life and I hope he knows I owe him a blood debt.

ANYWHO so like. The way he’s delighted to indulge her (screaming and crying and throwing up why is he so cute??????). But not only that, the self-conscious bent of how he says “I don’t know if I can tell a good story.” I feel like it’s easy to forget that Comte is very much the type of person who prefers to blend into the background; he doesn’t seem to like or be in the habit of drawing a great deal of attention. He likes MC’s attention but I think that’s not really comparable, he’s very specific about who he shares himself with/seeks attention from.

Also I will say. I’ve never really been the type to like the term of endearment “princess” (he literally says hime in the CD) but. Because it is Comte and his adorable face that I want to squish between my hands, I will allow it. He’s a silly goose and he’s more than enough, I love him sm.

Following that he goes into his life up to that point, and because a lot of it is a bit repetitive I might leave bits and pieces out. I do want to highlight a few lines--mostly because they give insight into his character construction that might not have been as obvious in the main story.

A long time ago, so far away that even memories can grow dim…a man was born into a certain aristocratic family.

The family had a great secret. They weren’t human--they were pureblood vampires.

A person who was born with the promise of eternal life.

A person who had the capacity to pursue every pleasure in this world forever.

…But there are always two sides to everything.

…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.

To have met and parted countless times with his loved ones,

The man’s chest ached with loneliness, overwrought by the emptiness.

He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by in endless hours.

I think there is. Something so haunted and fascinating in the words “But there are always two sides to everything.” Even more so because in his literal main story, he openly says “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows”; always returning to this idea that all things in life are dual in nature. For all that you see one quality, the opposite exists as well. Interesting too because I feel like it explains a lot of his deep-seated anxieties about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where love exists, loss exists as well. Where joy exists, so does pain. Where fulfillment is possible, so is emptiness. I think it makes a lot of sense that, when you live in an endless expanse of time, perhaps the scariest aspect of it is the constant fluctuation and change. Life is fun when things are going well, but what happens when the painful parts stretch so long? How do you cope?

Just things that keep me up at night yk.

I also think it’s fascinating the way he speaks about his immortality. In Leonardo, we see him address it as something that is monstrous and unnatural. He feels it is an abomination, something to be rectified or removed, almost. Comte doesn’t seem to share that view entirely. He says “He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by.” The removal of agency here is something that I want to highlight. Leonardo sees immortality and his identity as something that has to be reviled; there is a self-retaliatory nature to it in my view. Since he can’t fight against it, he fights against himself. Comte’s words speak more to dissociative terror; to force disconnection from your own body/mind because the pain of your entrapment or the threat to your life is so great. And tbh it’s brilliantly tied back to his lifestyle.

Comte uses the repercussions of his trauma two-fold. To seek out parties and novelties on one level expertly cloaks him in the mien of someone who is a devil-may-care product of overwhelmingly sustained privilege. But on another, I think it’s reasonable to argue that he seeks these things out with two other motives in mind; protection and grounding. He openly tells MC that his greater motive in attending parties is to seek out information to understand who to support on the world stage. This tells us that he does operate on a political level, if only to ensure the safety of his family--but I suspect it is also his way of moving the tides of fate around him in more benevolent directions. Furthermore, keeping himself engaged in something ensures that he is not left alone with his thoughts for too long and keeps him rooted in the present moment, something he also admits to struggling with. (And is a core feature of more extreme dissociation, the endless struggle to live in the present moment.)

I suppose I’m just incredibly interested in the way Leonardo regards himself with such self-hatred and revulsion, where Comte just seems so…removed. Not that Comte is empty of self-contempt, only that it does not feel quite as charged as Leonardo’s. I guess for me it more evokes the image of a child locking himself in a secret hideaway. Where Leonardo lashes out, Comte is the opposite; he retreats/hides. The only time he chooses to fight is when he’s protecting someone else (screams and cries, pls don’t get me started on his righteous fury I could go on for years, every time I remember Jeanne’s rt I’m 👌🏼 close to sobbing).

I also still don’t know how to reconcile the fact that his room is deadass filled with hourglasses (bruh), yet he says “…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.” Like. Something something is his room considered the prison made of time ????? Because if that’s the case my god I’m throwing them all out. Then again it could be his attempt at controlling that which he fears, which I can respect considering I too delude myself into thinking I can control shit I can’t to face the impossibilities of the universe…

After that, Comte starts to explain the agreement he and Vlad made. Honestly it really is a summary for the most part, but there is a section I find worth discussing:

They wanted to create a person who would not die, and would continue to shine with their unique talents.

Without realizing how arrogant it was, they tried to find meaning in this life lived forever.

But…it didn’t go well.

Until there was a sizable rift between the old friends--and they parted ways.

They both loved humans, and worried about their future…they should have felt the same way.

…regardless, all that was left was a door that could cross time and space freely.

What I find interesting about all this is how Comte processes the conflict that transpired between them. Granted there is always the possibility that he’s not addressing everything he’s feeling (the man is REPRESSED) but there’s something that stands out to me when he says “they should have felt the same way.” I feel like when people have a fight with someone they tend to be pretty preoccupied that the other side was wrong; Vlad certainly is desperate to prove he was in the “right.” Comte doesn’t seem interested in that at all. He seems more confused, as if he simply doesn’t understand who Vlad is anymore. Like he doesn’t recognize the person who once cherished human life as much as he did (which I do have some contention with; I’m really not sure Vlad ever did love humanity the way Comte did. Perhaps Comte had believed it was so because he so deeply wished to have friend to comfort and understand him in his pain). I don’t think it’s that Vlad isn’t capable of caring about humans, more that--following the massacre of his clan at the very least--he has too great an interest in retaliation to be able to interact with them without power abuse happening.

I do say this fully understanding that Vlad probably saw some fked up shit, I’m just saying objectively the man sees humanity in an adversarial lens, an oppositional force. Comte tends to be more neutral/positive; he’s more interested in working to a common goal and identifies more closely with them psychologically speaking.

I also find it interesting he says their goal was “arrogant.” Recently I’ve been thinking about the complexities of arrogance. I think it can be easy to oversimplify it as shallow motives that are only focused on self-aggrandizement, but I think it can develop in even more complex situations--often with the best of intentions. I think Comte is trying to say that, while they wanted to preserve lives that were inspiring and uplifting to others, there is folly in the idea that only a few people can manage that. 

People and life in general are multi-faceted things; so many influences and variables act upon them. It is more sustainable to be a single unit of immovable, radical mindfulness and extend that outwards. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people working together to achieve that goal, only that the responsibility for changing the world can’t fall on a handful of shoulders. It requires everyone to care and think more critically about their behavior, with the help of the people around them (ideally). There is arrogance in the belief that they had control over the fate of the world--an arrogance Vlad will not relinquish, one that continues to get him into trouble and lost him his oldest friend.

Aight and because that’s enough of my brainworms, this track ends with:

And the door brought another important encounter…that’s you. :> 

Now, you know what I mean, don’t you? That’s right…that’s the story until you and I met each other in our destiny. 

But that was only the beginning…now, we move forward together.

Our very sweet, and happy love story.

I just…………like I know I say it over and over again, but the way he just fills me to bursting with uwus. Another important encounter, a life-changing one for him…that a new story is being written, one that they get to write together. That “we move forward together” in a “very sweet, and happy love story.” It’s nearly like a fairy tale but somehow it doesn’t feel contrived or hokey when he says it, it just fills me with warmth. I think I just love that, for all his initial hesitations, he really doesn’t waver when he’s decided on something he wants. And if MC is willing to bet on him, he’s ready to up the ante.

All right well that about sums up track 1, next one to come is track 2! Enjoy these musings until then~

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Rook, Leona: Look a Little Closer

BLESS TWST FOR THE PETTINESS, IT NEVER DISAPPOINTS 🙏 xjdvsjdnsksvs The way Leona is just. So done with this situation and wants to get out ASAP, but Rook is babbling and prolonging the conversation and making Leona deeply uncomfortable with it—

Rook has a lot of insightful things to say about art!! When you look at a work again, sometimes you’ll notice things that you didn’t before; I also understand the feeling of being so passionate about a work of art that you fixate on it, analyze it, and excitedly discuss it with others. That’s basically what I do for TWST 😂

P.S. Glad it only took 30 rolls for me to get Rook!! The lighting and the scattering petals in his Groovy are so gorgeous 😭 Oh, and it seems like the Groovy poses are based on what the boys do during various Flying lesson animations! No hands on the broom though… Rook, buddy. I don’t care if you’re trying to T-pose or do the Titanic. Your ass is going to come tumbling out of the sky—

A Boy in Bloom, and his Flowering Future.

“What do you do on your days off?”

“I often enjoy attending the theater or watching movies. Plays, musicals, dramas, films of all genres--I enjoy them all.” Rook’s eyes glinted with keen interest. “Why, quite recently--this last weekend, in fact--I rewatched one of my favorite dramas with Epel-kun!

“I must have already seen it 100 times by now, and yet it never fails to allure me.” He sighed lovingly, his gaze clouding with adoration.

“You are a man with refined tastes, Roi des Lions, so perhaps you’ve heard of this drama? It is a harrowing tale of a monster that seeks to be like man... Alas!! He is shunted at every opportunity. It truly begs of us, Is there humanity to be found in every beast, just as there is a beast to be found in every human?”

Leona’s face twisted into a scowl. “Okay, I’m going to stop you right there. I don’t need such another long-winded answer.”

We’ll never get done with this interview at the rate this is going.

“My, did I overstep my bounds?”

“That’s all you ever do,” Leona snorted.

To this, the birthday boy only chuckled. “Pardon, I wished to be more accommodating of you.”

“More what?”

“I noticed, Leona-kun, that you hesitated earlier when I assured you that it would be no trouble at all were you to request that I elaborate on my hobbies.” Rook’s half-smile was reminiscent of a semicircle of moon: half dark, half light, one hundred percent mystery. “Even the ever so fierce Leona-kun can have his moments of skittishness, left too shy to approach with his inquiries. I thought to consider those feelings and to move along the conversation myself!”

“Tch. I’m damned if I play your game, and I’m damned if I don’t. You just do and say whatever you want anyway.” There was a snideness set in Leona’s voice. “I think I’ve heard just about enough about what you do in your spare time. Staring at people, recreating things in creepily close detail, incessantly watching the same things over and over--”

Expecting different results. For a change of fate, a reward for all that effort.

The very definition of insanity.

“Fufu. There is bliss to be found in such simplicity, Roi des Lions.” Rook tenderly laid a hand upon his heart, extending the other to the sky above. “To observe is to glean new details with each pass of the eyes, to indulge in the senses until one is entirely entranced...!!"

“... You’re really something alright.” Leona placed a hand on his hip, eyes cut with suspicion. “You really think there’s that much fun to watch grass grow or watch paint dry--even if it’s faked?”

“Whether real or staged, it matters not. The emotions being conveyed are always genuine!”

“Now you’re just lying through your teeth. Putting on airs, lying, deception--”

He saw himself in a crown of crumpled cardboard. A harsh wind roared, sending it scattering as fine particles of sand. Another roar ravaged the sky as he desperately clawed to reclaim his crown.

The pathetic sound came from him.

Pretending to be something you’re not.

“--They’re all natural parts of life. How can you say those feelings, too, are ‘true’?”

“Oui. They are as true as the blood in my veins and the breath in my lungs. Art comes in many forms, you see. However, no matter what form it may be beholden to, art retains its novelty, and its power to move our hearts.

“When a work of art most resonates with us, that is when the truth is pulled from the lies, and when we feel the same pains and pleasures as the actors upon the stage--and... the actors that we see for ourselves in the mirror. Look closer, and you will find that there may be something there that wasn’t there before.

“But... I’m certain that you were already aware of that, Roi des Lions.” Rook’s lips stretched into a broad grin, a gleam of sunlight twinkling in his eyes. The kind of eyes that looked right through him. 

Unnerving, Leona thought, a chill causing his fur to stiffen.

“Of course, if you struggle to find that connection, I would be more than happy to recommend a few titles! I believe you would enjoy a number of historical films. We could have a whole movie watching party to ourselves! I would be ecstatic to discuss the intricacies of...”

“No thanks.”

“You needn’t refuse! No need to be shy! Come now, I wish to get to know my beloved classmate better~”

“What part of keep your nose out of other people’s business don’t you get?”

“... D’accord,” Rook agreed, playfully holding both of his hands up. “My business is hereby minded!”

A (relieved, annoyed?) sigh hissed out. “If only you stayed like this all of the time, my life would be so much easier.”

The corners of Rook’s mouth quivered with delight. “Ah, and there it is--your ‘truth’, Leona-kun. Elusive, but as beautiful as the dawn to a new day.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’ve run your mouth plenty enough as is. It’s about time you packed up and cleared out.”

“Oh...!!”

Leona practically chucked a broom at Rook, a flurry of white petals fluttering to the ground as the birthday boy seized it. Sturdy, with a good weight--the broom felt familiar in his hands, like a bird that had migrated home from the winter season. Soft as freshly fallen snow, petals as pale as the pages of an unwritten story.

“Beauté. This is a most wonderful bouquet. I am touched to be the recipient of such a dazzling arrangement!”

“Good for you. If you’re so excited, then best scram,” Leona urged him, “get out of here. Your birthday party’s waitin’ for you to appear and show off your flashy flowers.”

“Fufu, very well. The happiness of all the well wishes I’ve received shall propel me along the birthday road!” With a twirl, Rook easily mounted the broom. The flowers began to glitter, his feet smoothly lifting from the ground.

Leona managed a strained smirk. Finally, he’ll be out of my hair.

Then, a few feet into the air, Rook uttered something that made his stomach drop.

“I shall see you for that movie viewing party tomorrow!!” Rook called, plucking a flower from his broomhead and tossing it to Leona. (It landed on his face and limply fell off onto the sidewalk.) “1:00 pm, in the Savanaclaw lounge!”

“Oi, I don’t recall agreeing to that. And when did you decide those details?!”

But Rook (that bastard) was already too far away, too high up (though Leona knew for a fact that with his superhuman hearing the huntsman could hear him, he was just choosing to not respond). Gritting his teeth, the beastman bolted after Rook, shouting after him.

“Who the hell would show up to that?! I’m being serious, I’m NOT havin’ this…! If you show up, I’ll have the fresh meat toss you out, so you’d BETTER not!! Are you even listening to me?!

“LAY OFFFFFFF….!!”

Up in the air, Rook laughed to himself. “It’s good to see him in such high spirits!”

He peered up from the brim of his hat, lifting his head to the horizon.

The sun was up, touching everything in its path with a golden glow. Honey outlined tufts of cotton candy pink clouds, the sky pale cornflower blue. Pastel colors, soft shapes.

How beautiful.

He flung out his arms, embracing the day. Sunlight spilled over him, illuminating a face as bright as his character.

For as much danger as his precarious position posed, Rook Hunt was the only man capable of dancing with it.

[apple-pecan]

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (2024)

one day in 2007, while curious about the horrible zelda cd-i games, i searched for them on youtube and found a bunch of strange videos that for some reason, had me in tears laughing. this was my introduction to the world of youtube poops, and i couldnt get enough of them. watching them made me even more curious about these games though... what were they like to play?

in a word: BAD. these games are trainwrecks through and through, that are only salvageable though the unintentionally funny cutscenes. the worst part is, if these games had actual time and effort put into them, they COULD'VE been pretty good. they're basically spiritual successors to zelda 2, a game that, while flawed, i thought was pretty cool and interesting. a side scrolling action rpg/platformer in the usual zelda formula? i wonder why they never attempted anything like it again, even with the dozens of zelda spinoffs there are now...

and that leads us to this: an indie platformer/metroidvania deliberately trying to be like the zelda cd-i games, but, you know... actually good this time. did it succeed? hell yeah it did.

if anything, i'd compare this game more to monster world 4 or popful mail, mixed with a zelda or metroid game. you go along levels, helping unhinged NPCs and collecting various items that'll help you, like being able to double jump, shield yourself from projectiles, and even a fucking gun. once you find the right item for the job, you often have to go back to previously played levels to find places to use them.

they make this a bit less like a guessing game, as often an "!" will appear over a level in the world map if theres something new you can do there, but there is a bit of a problem; every time you go back to a level, you have to start from the beginning. there's no warp points where you can just go to the middle or the end; you HAVE to play through the whole level again. if your prudent about collecting items, this doesn't usually become a problem, but in my case during a later stage, i needed 3 sacred candles to open a boss gate, and only had 2. so i had to leave the level, find one more candle in another area, and then go ALL the way back through the level just to open that gate. it's a hard level too, so it took me a while to get where i was. stuff like that aside, the game is pretty solid and is proof that the zelda cd-i games could've actually been fun in more capable hands.

aesthetically, the music is also very good; emulating the kind of stuff you'd hear in 80's/early 90's cd games. i definitely got Ys vibes from some of the tracks, which is obviously a good thing. the cutscenes are deliberately deranged and uncomfortable, with wildly inconsistent art styles. there was one cutscene where it was blatantly rotoscoped and everyone animated really bizarrely and it really got under my skin. it's perfect.

the characters you meet are also very funny; there's a frog voiced by vinny vinesauce who wants "FINE DINING", and by that he means flies dipped in gold. the first boss is a horse who can't stop accidentally making horse puns, much to his dismay. there's a really fast little character who gives you shoes that increase your movement speed, saying "GOTTA GO FAST!" and then runs so fast he accidentally opens a portal to the ninth dimension and gets sucked inside. most of all though, there's a buff moose who forges you the ultimate weapon, but not before doing this game's version of the sideshow bob rake scene and hammers away on an anvil for nearly a whole entire minute before the sword is finished as arzette is bored out of her mind. to really hammer it in (hehe :3), this is the only cutscene in the game you can't skip. it's all really funny and worth playing just for these wacky cutscenes.

one thing i didn't expect was for the game to eventually have a bit more down to earth, serious narrative, complete with a character death that caught me by surprise. a theme of the game is to break the traditions we've known for ages and try to find newer, better ways to do things; don't just throw a book (that's made to orrrrderrrrr) at the evil bad guy and call it a day, cuz someday, he's just gonna escape and come back again. what if you found a way to vanquish the ultimate evil for GOOD? the ending was surprisingly sentimental for a wacky cd-i youtube poop game. one cutscene showing the defeat of a particularly irredeemably evil boss was also pretty cathartic; i'll let you watch that for yourself.

in short, this is a short but sweet little platformer that pays homage to a pair of the worst games ever made, but actually does things right this time. it's a parody of bad cd-i games sure, but in a way it also feels sincere, like an actual tribute to games that are so awful they're amazing. i'm very much excited at the prospect of a potential sequel, cuz this game was great and could be even better with some improvments, and i wanna see more of these characters and their unhinged shenanigans again. needless to say, dopply... YOU WON!

8/10

NOTE: there is an i.m. meen lookalike who works in a library. immediate game of the year

[thewhizzyhead]

also i find it really cool how kevan brighting aka the dude who plays the narrator in the stanley parable is quite interactive with the fanbase in contributing to their own works based off the stanley parable. like, he literally lent his voice to a short film inspired by TSP alongside other videos he starred in. that's really really cool

[ladyartemesia]

TEASER: Kim Seokjin and the Mean Omega

Pairing: Nerd Alpha Kim Seokjin x Popular Omega Reader

Genre: A/B/O • Enemies to Lovers • (Sorta) College AU • Best Friend's Brother AU (Who is surprised? No one?)

Teaser Word Count: 3.6K

Teaser Warnings: A/B/O sexual dynamics • suggestive content

Rating: Explicit (18+) (Teaser is PG-13)

Summary: In the modern world, alphas are almost unheard of so why even bother learning about them? After all, as a spoiled (but reasonably kind-hearted) omega who is used to getting whatever she wants, you have better things to do. However, when unexpected circumstances throw you in the path of (extremely) nerdy and (probably?) shy Kim Seokjin, you're shocked to discover that he won't be wrapped around your little finger as easily as all the rest. Bringing that infuriating geek to his knees quickly becomes your personal mission in life... But it turns out that Kim Seokjin is not what he appears to be and the mean omega who eats beta boys for breakfast is about to get way more than she bargained for...

Author’s Note: This story would not be here without the love, support and friendship of my incredible support system. You talk with me, you laugh with me, you listen when I’m crying, and you read my chaotic drafts when I am ready to pull my hair out of my head in frustration. I love you all. @ppersonna @xjoonchildx @untaemedqueen @lemonjoonah. ALSO thank you to each and every one of you who encouraged me to post this story. This fic is dedicated to all of you as a token of my love and appreciation. Your support keeps me writing. Never doubt that for a second.

“...due to discriminatory anti-alpha policies in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, alphas were nearly eliminated from the general population…”

You heaved a weary sigh and rolled your shoulders—stretching the buttons of your high-end Oxford shirt to their limit. The beta sophomore to your right whined audibly and you smirked.

“...despite efforts to restore the genetic balance of designations, alphas currently comprise less than one percent of the population…”

Your back arched slightly as you crossed your legs, letting the absurdly short hem of your skirt ride up even higher. The poor boy you were tormenting shifted miserably in his seat.

How was he supposed to focus on a Human Biology and Designation Studies lecture when the living breathing embodiment of every sweaty undergrad’s fantasies was twisting her fingers in her hair and wrapping her pretty pink tongue around a strawberry lollipop right there in the middle of class?

“...unlike betas and omegas, alphas possess enhanced strength and the ability to compel other designations with their voice. Unmated alphas especially were often baselessly feared and distrusted...”

You knew exactly how you affected boys like him. You were a shameless tease who relished their attention and the power it brought you. Who needed drugs when driving a man mad with desire was a rush more potent than any high?

“...and that’s all for today so please read pages 450-466 in the text over break and remember to turn in your essay on scent and consent in intimacy—”

That poor sophomore looked like he had finally worked up the courage to speak to you, but you were already out the door and tearing down the hall toward your beautiful (and entirely platonic) counterpart, Kim Taehyung.

“Do you think Professor Moore is unaware that class is over at 3:25 or is he just torturing us for science?”

Taehyung shrugged, falling into step beside you with practiced ease.

“I mean I would torture you for free so it’s hard to say.”

The corner of your mouth quirked up at his characteristic dry humor, but the irritation at being held in that sweltering lecture hall for an extra ten minutes had frayed your temper.

“It’s the last class before spring break, I’m sure he was on some sort of twisted power trip.” You dug around in your purse for some chapstick, ignoring Tae’s amused snorting, “Alphas barely exist anymore and none of us are likely to meet one. Why bother learning what they can do?”

Taehyung tilted his head in amusement.

“You might be surprised.”

The final party before the beginning of spring break was always a laid back affair.

Many people had already caught planes to their various destinations, but your flight was scheduled for early tomorrow morning—leaving you with some time to kill.

Taehyung pressed his newest experimental concoction into your hand within minutes of entering the house (a surprisingly neat bachelor pad owned by two seniors, Jung Hoseok and Min Yoongi) and then darted back to the kitchen to craft more questionable alcohol potions like a deranged party warlock.

You had just found a comfortable place on the couch and were contemplating whether sampling your best friend’s mad scientist elixir would be worth the probable damage to your body when—

“H-Hello...”

It was that sophomore from your Designations Studies class. What was his name again? Jungwoo? Jinwook?

“Jungkook,” you smiled, delighted to have remembered before it became awkward. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

You motioned to the empty cushion next to you and the man in question scrambled over like he’d won the lottery.

“I—I know we don’t know each other well, but I noticed you were absent during Professor Moore’s lecture on intimacy and scent consent so I—” he blushed deeply, “I wrote the essay for you—and I brought a copy on my flash drive if-if you want it.”

Your heart melted immediately.

“Oh my gosh Jungkook, that is so sweet of you!”

Your gaze darted over his muscular form and thick brown curls.

Sweet indeed.

“I don’t want to miss out on the learning though,” you pouted, placing a hand on his tattooed bicep. “Can you explain it to me?”

Jungkook nodded vigorously even as his wide eyes fell to where your fingers were sliding slowly over his chest.

Scent consent was a pretty basic and universally known concept, but you really were touched by the handsome sophomore's consideration.

Why not give him (and yourself) a little reward?

“Um so basically if two people are involved in...intimate activities—”

You leaned forward to nip his ear lightly and he whimpered.

“Like this?” you asked innocently.

“Y-Yes. Like that.” He gulped. “In an intimate situation consent or refusal can be smelled. The scent of refusal or reluctance in intimacy is strong, unmistakable, and has a high chemical potency.”

“Is that so?” you drawled, sliding over onto his lap. Jungkook’s eyes rolled back into his head and you bit back a grin.

He was adorable.

“Uh-huh—it—oh my gawd,” (you were nibbling on his ear again) “it can immediately block sexual arousal and performance in the other partner. Meaning, if consent is not present, then it becomes difficult or—ahh” (his voice began to waver under your continued attention) “—or even impossible to continue with intimate acts.”

Your hand slid up to his cheek, bringing him closer till your lips were almost touching.

“Then what does it mean if I’m still so turned on right now?”

“It means,” Jungkook shuddered—nearly delirious with your scent, “that I really really want you.”

Across the room, Park Jimin chuckled as he watched you seduce his enthusiastic friend.

Jeon Jungkook was such a sweet kid.

Hopefully he wouldn’t get too attached.

“Wow... Some people are genuinely born blessed I suppose.”

Jimin turned to see Jung Hoseok eyeing the dimly lit corner where you and the eager young sophomore were exploring each other.

It was a rather...provocative spectacle. Not quite raunchy (you weren’t truly an exhibitionist)—just insanely sexy.

Jimin’s gaze lingered on the smooth curve of your thigh where Jeon Jungkook was currently holding on for dear life.

Lucky bastard.

“Ah you know how she is,” he sighed. “That boy isn’t going to get any farther than anyone else.”

It was relatively common knowledge that you liked to mess around but rarely—if ever— fully hooked up with anyone.

Jimin asked you about it once during a drunken game of truth or dare and you had just shrugged, mumbling something along the lines of avoiding STDs (which—to be fair—was at least part of your motivation), but the truth was a little more complicated than that.

In terms of experience, you weren’t a virgin, but... you hadn’t actually had sex in years.

You loved the chase, the foreplay, the build-up—the game of cat-and-mouse between two people who were attracted to one another.

But the final consummation was always so…

Wildly unfulfilling.

Every encounter left you frustrated. Empty.

Grumpy—even.

So you stopped bothering with it all together. (That was what sex toys were for after all.)

At the end of the day you were perfectly content being labeled a tease—it meant that people tended to know what they were (or rather weren’t) getting into when they rolled the dice with you.

Besides…it hadn’t even put a dent in your throng of admirers.

You were sunny, spoiled, indulgent, almost universally adored—

And you loved every minute of it.

“You know…” Hoseok took a long sip of his drink. “I always thought she would end up with Taehyung, but it’s been three years.”

Like you, Kim Taehyung was a trust fund brat and it was only natural that two beautiful and absurdly privileged people would gravitate to one another. You met at a freshman pledge party and had been an inseparable (and formidable) dynamic duo ever since.

The undisputed king and queen of campus.

Yes—maybe the two of you were a little self-absorbed at times, but it was hardly your fault that people tended to instinctively cater to the force of your combined looks, wealth, and charisma.

And it didn’t hurt that neither of you were ever intentionally cruel or unkind.

Just... habitually thoughtless.

(Though not when it came to each other. If anything your friendship was one area where you were both a little more human.)

Jimin shook his head.

“Nah that’s never gonna happen.” He tapped his nose. “They’re scent-crossed.”

Hoseok’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Scent-crossed pairs didn’t smell sexually attractive to each other.

Like. At all.

No matter how physically or visually appealing an individual might be, it would be near impossible to form a sexual or romantic attachment to them if you were scent-crossed. Alphas, betas, and omegas were all subject to their noses first and foremost in the realm of attraction.

You and Taehyung smelled like comfort and home to one another...

But you were more turned on by a crisp cup of apple juice than you were his scent and the feeling was quite mutual.

He might as well have been your actual brother.

“That explains so much.” Hoseok snorted as he watched a drunken Taehyung do a flying leap on top of both you and Jungkook.

“Why is sunlight so offensive?” you croaked, dragging yourself and your luggage toward the boarding ramp next to an equally miserable Taehyung.

“The next time I book a flight before 9 AM, please shoot me,” he grunted.

Your parents were celebrating their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with a month-long European cruise so your best friend had graciously invited you to spend two glorious weeks of spring vacation at his family estate.

The invitation had actually come as somewhat of a surprise because—for all your closeness—Taehyung was uncharacteristically tight-lipped about his family.

Not that he was deliberately withholding information per se… It was just that he never really brought them up beyond an occasional passing comment.

The one time you did ask him about them directly he sighed and said—

“We’re very close, but… I suppose we’ve just gotten used to being very private.”

There was clearly more to the story, but you were confident that Tae would share it if and when he was ready.

“My parents are in Seoul opening a new branch of the company. They took my little sister with them and my older brother has his own house so it will be just us.” He snuggled deeper into the first class seat directly next to yours. “We’ll hang out by the pool and chill during the day, then hit up some of the new clubs or whatever at night.”

“So… No one from your family will be there?”

Perhaps the invitation was not so surprising after all.

“Nope. Just you and me and thirty acres of ocean front property.”

You grinned.

“Perfect.”

“Whose room is that?”

The two of you were lugging your bags down the main hall of Taehyung’s expansive mansion when a strange hint of...something caught you right by the nose.

Your friend turned to find you frozen and staring curiously at a familiar door near the balcony.

His eyes widened, but you were too preoccupied to notice his momentary concern.

“That’s just Jin’s room.”

A firm hand wrapped around your wrist and dragged you away, but your eyes stayed glued to the source of the mysterious scent until you were around the corner and out of sight.

Your suite for the next two weeks was right across the hall from Taehyung’s. There was a whirlpool, a full bath, a balcony, and an ocean view that would rival the cover spread of any travel magazine.

Tae headed for the shower (to ‘wash the airplane off’) immediately after showing you the room and you were thinking of doing the same except…

Your mind kept going back to that door and the hint of scent you detected.

There was something… different about it.

It was faint—and far from fresh (which made sense considering that one of the few things you did know about Kim Seokjin was that he hadn’t lived in this house for years).

But still…

The need to smell it again pressed insistently at the back of your mind.

Suddenly the sound of Taehyung singing raunchy lyrics in the shower carried over through the walls and you found your feet moving almost of their own accord.

What Tae doesn’t know won’t hurt him, you rationalized, making your way down the hall toward Jin’s door. Besides—it’s not as if I’m going to steal anything…

You just needed to find that scent again.

By the time your fingers closed over the knob every one of your nerves was strangely—acutely—alert but nothing could have prepared you for what was waiting behind the door.

Oh. My. Gosh.

“What a colossal nerd.”

The room was covered floor to ceiling in Nintendo memorabilia.

Bright primary colors assaulted your eyes from all directions in the form of action figures, posters, pillows, and every other conceivable merch variety known to man.

In the center of the suite stood a large king-sized bed covered in a custom black couture toile-style Mario-verse bed set (that looked every bit as expensive as it was geeky) and a mountain of high quality Nintendo character plush toys.

Everything was simultaneously luxe and nostalgic—a rare combination of sophisticated aesthetic balance and childlike indulgence.

And the scent was there.

It was faint and covered under layers of cleaner and air fresheners, but still lingering just below the surface—too weak for you to get a really good whiff, yet potent enough to torment you.

You moved forward unconsciously toward the strongest source of the hypnotic smell—the strangely inviting expanse of Kim Seokjin’s mattress.

Suddenly the urge to climb—no crawl—across the bed itself and roll around in it like a kitten in catnip gripped you out of nowhere.

“What the hell?” you muttered, rubbing absently over the mating gland at the base of your neck.

Something very odd was going on with your body.

Your restless gaze zeroed in on one of the stuffed toys piled atop his pillows. It was a cute little mushroom man your brain recognized as a Mario character named ‘Toad’.

Take it.

Your mouth dropped open in shock.

You need it.

“Am I going insane?” you wondered aloud.

You have to take it.

Muscles in your hand began to twitch involuntarily. You bit your lip.

Bring it back with you.

Several minutes later a freshly washed Taehyung wandered over to your room and found you sitting perfectly still on your bed while staring off into space.

His head tilted in curious concern.

“Everything ok?”

You started a bit at the sound of his voice, but recovered quickly.

“Never better!” you chirped—almost too brightly. “Let’s go get some dinner, I’m starving.”

Then you grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall toward the kitchen—shutting the door before he could catch a glimpse of his brother’s stuffed Toad doll stashed underneath your pillow

“...a critical water main rupture in the city’s New Market district early this morning has forced several residents out of their homes as flood water swelled up to nearly two feet. The governor declared a state of emergency and ordered hotels around the city to accommodate the displaced citizens. Crews are still clearing the water and assessing damages. We expect—

“Hey!” you shouted through a mouthful of cereal, after Your best friend switched off the television, “I was watching that!”

“And what you should be doing is getting ready for the pool.” Tae snatched your cereal bowl and dragged you by your shirt collar toward the stairs. “It is the first morning of our vacation. I’m not trying to waste any time. Now go.” He shoved you forward, smacking your ass for good measure.

You swatted back at him half-heartedly as jogged back up to the room where you enjoyed a surprisingly restful sleep last night.

Kim Seokjin’s door glared at you accusingly as you shuffled past—unable to let you forget that you had kidnapped it’s little mushroom man in an unexplained fit of kleptomania, but that was a problem for your future self.

The you of right now was going to zen out in the Kim family's premium glass-enclosed indoor pool (it was still a little chilly for the outdoor pool) with her best friend and bask in the simple joys of good company and no responsibility.

...Or not.

A few minutes later you bounced into the living room wearing a simple black tankini with a cute floral cover only to find Taehyung on the phone with his head in his hands.

“Yes, sir. I understand… I...I know this is my responsibility...”

That didn’t sound good.

After a few more tense moments, Tae hung up and collapsed backward into the couch with a heavy sigh.

“That water main break you heard about on TV this morning was the last straw between the province and its current contractor. They called an emergency meeting for new bids.”

Your heart dropped as you sank down beside him.

“Your dad wants you to go...doesn’t he.”

Taehyung nodded miserably.

“He can’t leave the Seoul opening on such short notice and managing government construction contracts is part of what I’ve been training for. This could be huge for our company.”

“Well...why doesn’t your brother go?”

“Jin is the brains behind most of our patented gaming and tech innovations. He wouldn’t even know where to begin with this sort of thing. Besides,” his lips quirked up in a rueful grin, “my brother doesn’t have the patience to stroke entitled geriatric egos for hours on end—which is likely what I’m going to have to do.”

The two of you headed back to Taehyung’s room where you helped him pack some suits and toiletries for his trip.

Naturally you were disappointed but...this was a great opportunity for your best friend to prove himself in his chosen field and you both knew it. In fact, he was already starting to brighten a bit.

“The meeting is about a hundred miles north of here. My dad’s secretary already handled the flight and hotel room.” His eyes darted around the suite to see if he was forgetting anything.

It was clear he was nervous, though you were sure he didn’t need to be. Kim Taehyung was a trust fund brat, but he was also talented and deeply passionate about his family’s company.

Someday this would be the norm. The two of you were stealing time in college, determined to live a little before the expectations of your powerful families transferred fully onto your shoulders.

It was becoming more and more clear, however, that your carefree time was slowly running out.

Mother had already spoken to you about potential marriage alliances and your father expected you to intern with his Vice President this summer just as your elder sister had...

Taehyung’s voice suddenly interrupted your bittersweet introspection and you couldn’t help but smile at how grown-up he looked in his suit and briefcase ensemble.

Everything was going to change, but not quite yet.

“They estimate negotiations should take around a week or so…” He walked over and pulled you into a tight hug. “There should still be some vacation left for us when I get back.”

“Hurry back then,” you mumbled grumpily into his chest and he chuckled.

“I will.”

Taehyung had been gone for less than twenty minutes when you decided that the best use of your time would be to eat more snacks.

The last thing you expected when you skipped merrily into the kitchen was to find it occupied by a shaggy-haired homeless man in glasses.

Your first instinct was to scream which caused the homeless man to drop the apple he was biting right onto the floor where it rolled around for a small eternity before coming to rest at his ankles.

Your second instinct was to grab a butcher’s cleaver from the nearby knife block and wave it chaotically at the intruder while shouting something along the lines of—

“You’ve made a huge mistake! My boyfriend is the biggest, meanest mafia boss in Seoul! Leave now and he might let you live!”

The homeless man continued to stare at you with a mixture of confusion and shock, but made no move to run away in terror like you were hoping.

So you tried again.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?! The last man who touched me drinks his steak through a straw now! Do the smart thing and leave before my boyfriend comes down those stairs and it’s too late!”

Infuriatingly, the homeless man was still not fleeing for his life and frankly you were starting to get frustrated. You drew in a deep cleansing breath and were prepared to issue another grandiose threat when he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, miss. I... think there’s been some sort of mistake. Who is your boyfriend?”

There was no rational explanation for what came out of your mouth next, but it rolled off your tongue so smoothly and you didn’t even flinch.

“Kim Seokjin.”

For the first time in your entire exchange, the intruder looked truly alarmed.

Now that’s more like it.

“You’ve heard of him I see. He’s a dangerous man and my body belongs to him.” You slammed the cleaver down onto the countertop with a (hopefully) menacing slash. “Kim Seokjin doesn’t like when other men put their hands on what belongs to him.”

There was a long, unpardonably tense moment of silence…Then the stranger slowly reached forward and picked up a mobile phone from the table in front of him.

His eyes remained locked with yours as he pressed a quick series of buttons, brought the phone to his ear, waited a few seconds and said—

“Taehyung… Would you mind telling me why there is a half-naked, knife-wielding omega in our kitchen claiming to be my girlfriend?”

Hello! Please comment on this post if you would like to be added to the taglist!

You guys were all so wonderful, and encouraging, and excited that I literally got this teaser out in three days! If you like what you read so far, please let me know! I cannot put into words how meaningful and valuable feedback is to me. I truly treasure it! It fuels my creativity and keeps me writing. I would love to hear from you!

[sardonic-the-writer]

━"A Dangerous Game"

━Simpbur

━Notes: This was a special celebratory 250 followers chapter. Thanks for getting me so far you guys! And as a reward I wrote some Simpbur stuff. I have brainrot what can I say {*shrugs with an evil smile*]

━Song: "Romance Is Boring" By Los Campionsheiuekjjfv-I-forgot-their-last-name

"Come on Quin, I am not downloading that game!"

A whine emerged from (Y/n)'s computer speakers, making them wince and turn the volume down. The young adult's friend of five years on the other side of the world continued to complain to (Y/n) loudly at their offer being unceremoniously turned down.

Currently (Y/n) was resting in their grey-ish blue gamer chair (or "gay"mer chair as they liked to call it) while in a call with one of their high-school buddies from forever ago. They both had been on call for so long, neither of them even knew how they had gotten there in the first place. The topic would change so frequently it was hard to keep up with.

"But come on (Y/n)! I know you love the SMP! Plus, I already played it and it seemed fine." Quin pleaded, dragging out the e in his sentence as if that would make it more appealing; his loud words causing his discord profile picture to light up with a ring of green light.

(Y/n) could practically see his face making that little pout that he does when convincing people to do something. Or at least trying to.

They pinched the bridge of their nose, leaning back in their desk chair to sigh and rub their temples. From all around them, the contents of their messy apartment seemed to stare holes in the back of their head as if daring them to clean up. Stray articles of clothing, dirtied paper plates, stained tea mugs and so much more sat untouched in various nooks and crannies. That's part of the reason (Y/n) had not turned on the cam when Quin called. They didn't want him to see how much of a mess their life had gotten these past few months.

"Yes, I do like the SMP." (Y/n) grit their teeth, leaning closer to their mic so Quin would hear them. "But that game has gotten some pretty scary reviews man. I don't know if I'm willing to sacrifice my entire computer to a website that's probably crawling with hackers and viruses."

From the other end of the line, their best friend sputtered like a fish out of water.

"Are you really going to believe those reviews over me? Your absolute favorite person?" Quin put on a sugary voice that made (Y/n) want to laugh. But instead they cleared their throat and kept on a glare (although the effort was a bit more forced now.)

"I already told you dude, this is a game about real people and streamers. They already get sexualized enough, so do I really even need to explain why playing a love simulator with them in it isn't my preferred activity?" (Y/n) sighed, bringing up a good point.

"But you see my dear friend-" Quin paused his sentence to frantically type something on his computer. (Y/n) heard his mouse click a couple times before he continued. "-it's not about the content creators. On the contrary, it's about the server. A sort of player insert if you will." He said carefully. (Y/n) could practically hear his sly smile through the words.

They leaned forward a bit, subconsciously propping their elbow up on their desk top.

"Okay. I'm listening."

Quin did a silent fist pump to himself before clearing his throat and continuing.

"When I played the game, it basically dropped you into a minecraft world. But more enhanced yet pixel-y at the same time. Does that make sense?"

"I think so."

"Okay good. And then basically, well I don't want to spoil it too much, but you end up meeting a few people before making decisions and blah blah blah. Basic love simulator stuff, but with the Dream SMP!"

(Y/n) squinted at Quins profile picture (which just so happened to be a meme of Quackity beating his chair. What else of course).

"And you're absolutely sure that this does not include the content creators?" They prodded again in a more serious tone. Quin sucked at his teeth for a second while nodding and then remembering that they couldn't see him.

"Positive. I played the whole thing beginning to end. That fucker took me five hours to complete too." He mumbled the last part, closing his eyes in embarrassment.

"Fucking simp!" (Y/n) laughed, eyes being blown wide and a smile practically splitting their face in half. "You played it for Dream didn't you?!"

"Hey! Its not my fault I'm a raging homosexual!" He yelled at them, the bare hint of a smile forming in the corners of his mouth. (Y/n) slapped a hand to their mouth trying to contain their laughter.

"Whatever you say Quin." They snorted, falling into a desperate fit of laughter. He rolled his eyes with a scoff, but smiled at his goofy friends' antics all the same.

"Shut up (Y/n). I'm not the one who reads self insert fanfiction about Revivebur.'' He chided, ignoring the distant 'hey!' that followed his words. More clicking sounds came from his mic before a discord notif and its iconic little bell popped up out of nowhere on (Y/n)'s screen.

"There. I sent you the link to the game. I couldn't find the webpage I played it on, so it's a different link than the original. But I checked out the first five minutes and it's the exact same thing." Quin explained in a more casual tone. (Y/n) could picture him leaning back in his desk chair with his hands behind his head.

They sighed and glanced at the clock in the far corner of their computer screen while not answering. Dull white numbers projected the time "2:11 am" back at them.

"Hey Q, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep. I know it's the afternoon for you and all over there, but I need to try and rest before my weekend runs out." They sighed, disappointed that they'd have to end the call so suddenly.

"Its okay (Y/n). You have a good rest and think about that game, okay?" Quin reassured them with a soft smile. (Y/n) exhaled out of their mouth tiredly.

"Okay. G'Night Quin. I'll text you when I get up." They said sincerely, hand moving closer to the mouse. A small goodbye was tossed out from the man as a repercussion to their own.

And with that (Y/n) ended the call. Their discord icon disappeared from their computer screen with an echoing click that vibrated through their head like a sad mantra.

They ran a hand down their face slowly, letting out a groan as they flopped back in their seat.

Different thoughts ran rampant in their head as they debated on what to do next. As the enticing feeling of drowsiness sank farther and farther into their bones the longer they sat in their messy room, the more appealing the idea of sleeping became.

But after peeking open one eye to look at the link Quin had sent them, (Y/n) relented with a defeated sigh.

"What's the harm?" They grumbled, in disbelief with themself that they were even considering it. "I mean, it can't be worse than some of the smut I've seen..."

Despite their bitter protest and grimacing face, they still ended up sitting poorly in their chair to click the blueish link that Quin had sent them. It immediately switched tabs from discord to a brand-new website, a basic loading circle popping up. The rotating orb reflected in (Y/n)'s tired and blood-shot eyes; as if taunting her for not getting enough sleep.

While the (h/c) adult waited impatiently for the screen to load, they tossed around questions about what the game could be like in their head as if it were a casual game of ball. Would it be well modeled and smooth with movements, or full of clunky dialogue and chunky pixels? But based on the vague description that Quin had given them, (Y/n) could only assume.

Eventually the grey screen loaded up into a small boxed in frame filled with yet another loading symbol. Except for this time instead of multiple rotating dots, it was white mask with an engraved smiley face spinning.

(Y/n) cocked an eyebrow, but otherwise remained expressionless. As far as first impressions went, this wasn't the absolute worst. They were intrigued to see how the rest of it would play out.

Just as (Y/n) had stopped paying attention to the screen however, a screech ripped through her speakers and stabbed at her eardrums. They jumped in fear and shock before looking back at the screen while slamming their hands over the sides of their head.

As soon as they glanced back at the darkly illuminated device, the noise stopped. But that wasn't the only difference.

Instead of Dreams mask (at least, what they assumed used to be Dream mask) portraying the boot up, a lovesick face had taken its place. Only it wasn't moving in a circle motion anymore.

Frowning slightly and slowly removing her hands from their ears, (Y/n) squinted her eyes and leaned forward slightly to get a better view.

The head that had taken the place of Dream had strangely realistic features. Curly brown hair with a perfectly drawn beanie (Look! The game designers had even got the wrinkles in the cloth accurate) and an old band aid resting on his nose struck (Y/n) as vastly advanced. With little pink hearts for pupils and light blue drool spilling from their mouth, it got more realistic as they looked at it. As if she could reach out and touch him...

This isn't anyone from the DSMP. At least, not somebody that (Y/n) could recognize. Yet at the same time, a familiar feeling of knowing them itched at the back of their brain like a scab.

But as soon as it came, the icon disappeared. The game finally emerged ready and raring to go.

Just as Quin had described, the loading screen looked the absolute same as the login to Minecraft. Only if you took the time to stop and look at it would you notice the carefully picked and placed differences.

It wasn't the same old neather or overworld scene playing behind the login and sign up options; as it normally is in the block game. This time an invisible camera was panning across a messy and dark apartment. Monster cans, stray pieces of clothing, dirty dishes, and a trashed guitar were only one of the many immaculate details that (Y/n) could pick out before a pop up blocked their vision.

"Really?" They mumbled annoyed. Going to click the very tiny x up in the corner (and missing it a few hundred times), the irritable ad for an anime game disappeared into nothing more than a forgettable binary code.

And from out behind it popped the same guy as before.

(Y/n) made a confused sound as soon as they had clicked away the ad. From underneath it appeared a brand new addition to the login screen. It was the man with curly hair and a beanie, as stated before. Only this time he wasn't just a head. Now he had the rest of his body attached, which allowed (Y/n) to get a good gauge on how tall he was.

Along with the strangely acute facial details, he had on a black hoodie with long sleeved undershirt that was ridden with black and white stripes. Baggy grey sweatpants clung to his long legs like a life saver. He looked cozy, but broke. Like a college student.

The character was stuck in what seemed like a loop, waving their arms up and down in a gesture that seemed to say "notice me!!!"

(Y/n) once again was blown away by the amount of detail being put into this game. She almost couldn't tell that he was made of pixels, but then again every once in a while a small glitch around his eyes would remind them that this was a simulator.

"Seems different from what Q said..." They mumbled with a small chuckle. Despite their words, the gamer was not at all disappointed. In fact, they were rather exhilarated. No video game had this much dedication poured into it. At least, not that she had seen.

So with a hearty click and drag of their mouse, (Y/n) went to start.

Unbenownce to the adult, the moment that they clicked on the button they had sealed their fate.

---

After inserting their preferred pronouns, customization, and name into the game ( (Y/n) had almost put their gamer tag, but something in the back of their brain told them to put their real name) they jumped right into the simulation.

It slowly opened up into the same setting as the login screen. A dark apartment with messy surroundings, the same items thrown around aimlessly. As if somebody had been playing darts with random objects and losing miserably.

(Y/n) glanced over their shoulder behind them to do a quick sweep of their own room. Yup. Looked about the same.

Breathing out of their nose in a small laugh, she looked back at the screen. With a few taps on the arrows of her keyboard, they made the character stand up from the couch that they were, presumably, sitting on.

At the bottom of her screen, a speech bubble popped up for her player.

"Wow. I sure aṁ̶̡̘̳̫̰̫̻̤̭̜̔͘ ̸̞̥͙͋͗̄̄̽͆̇̋͠t̷̥͍̞͑͒̎̔̑̈́͒͐́i̶̡͖̳̪̐̿͋̊́̑̏̎̾͘r̷̰͓̯̺̹̩͑̃͊̂́͋̚e̸̯̺̰͕͚͊̂̍̀̾͋d̸͕͈̰̯͉̝̝̀̌͐͝"

(Y/n) rubbed at her eyes swiftly before opening again. Yeah, she saw it right the first time. The damn game was glitching again.

With a tired groan, they began mindlessly clicking their mouse over the reload button at the top of the tab. I mean, sure. A game as detailed and visually pleasing as this must come with repercussions, one of them being how glitchy and slow it was. But still! Couldn't the developers do something about this?

The more and more (Y/n) thought about it, the stranger the innocent seeming game began to seem. Didn't Quin say it dropped you in a minecraft world? With pixels? And what was up with this new character she had never seen before. Something just wasn't adding u-

With a ding, her mind was (Y/n) was being pulled back to the game once more. No longer was the dialogue twitching with jagged letters and symbols. In fact, there wasn't any dialogue. Just the POV.

"HELLO THERE!"

The same exact guy as from the beginning ran into the frame. He had a toothy smile on, his heart pupil eyes pulsating in his irises. Gauzed hands fussing over his appearance, smoothing down his staticky hair and clothes, managed to successfully captivate (Y/n) for a moment.

They leaned back a little after taking in the strange character for a third time that day, surprised that the game was speaking and not just spelling out the dialogue before her with conveniently timed closed captioning. She just kept getting surprised every time they turned a corner in this game, it seemed.

"Uhm, hello?" They tentatively spoke out loud after waiting a lengthy period of time for something to happen. When nothing did, that's when they had decided to say something.

"Hi there (Y/n)! I'm Wilbur! Nice for you to finally meet me!" A long and lanky arm waved largely, white pearls still smiling brightly up at her.

Blanching slightly at his name, (Y/n) furrowed their brows. This wasn't Wilbur. He lived in a drug van at a currently being built country (as sad as that sounded); not a cheap looking apartment with a sticky pool of aged soda on their kitchen counter.

"But you can call me Simpbur if you'd like." He added on after a small silence. After his words came the dawning realization of recognition in (Y/n)'s brain. They could practically hear their own gears turning; creaking and snapping into place as the shade of Wilbur's brown eyes resonated something within them.

"Oh!" They switched tabs for a second, going into personal files before pulling up one titled Fanart. Inside it were multiple pictures of different DSMP members, some more than others.

After scrolling with long strides for a second or two, (Y/n) found the picture that they had been looking for. Inside the boxed in digital frame was a piece of fanart that they had found long ago, quickly forgetting about the work of art in their whirlwind of a life.

Digging up more memories, they remembered a period in their life a few months ago where they had read every Simpbur fanfiction that possibly existed (even the, ahem, 18+ things dare I say...); and saving every fanart that had ever been drawn. But the phase hadn't lasted very long, only stretching a week or two at most. I guess it was the lack of Simpbur content that had sucked (Y/n) dry of any passion for the pathetic man.

Flipping back to her original tab where Wilbur was patiently waiting for her with fidgeting fingers, (Y/n) cleared her throat with little effort to speak once more.

"Well, hey to you too Wilbur." The end of their statement seemed to go up in pitch. Almost as if it were a question. They still had no idea how this speech recognition worked. "It's nice to meet you as well."

His smile widened, if that's even possible. It had more of a dreamy quality to it now than the friendly and general one that was plastered over his monster stained lips before. But (Y/n) brushed it off. After all, this was a dating simulator. The characters were probably supposed to act smitten in certain ways.

But they couldn't help but wonder where everyone else was...

"You have no idea how long I've waited to finally talk to you!" Wilbur giggled nervously. He bounced up and down on his heels with hands clasped tightly. (Y/n) looked to the side, breathing out softly as a laugh.

"We certainly haven't known each other long, that's for sure. And I'm positive that later in the game after I meet other people we can talk again." They joked while trying to make small talk with him. But he seemed to freeze in place, eyes wide with a more strained smile.

"Haha, what other people?" Wilbur's eye ticked, and a small growl came from his throat. (Y/n) checked behind her computer, thinking it was a piece of machinery acting up. Again.

"I really need to get this piece of crap fixed." They murmured before turning back to what their new companion had said before.

"What do you mean Wilbur?" (Y/n) asked. "The other people...in your, uh, town."

"Oh it's just us for now!" He said nothing more after that, only taking a step forward to the screen. But she didn't notice, too busy taking in how surreal this whole experience was.

(Y/n) hummed and went to inconspicuously switch tabs. The discord home screen popped up again, her DM's with Quin coming into view.

They typed a quick, "hey dude, this game is hella weird and not at all what you said. hope you didn't spend money. i think it might be an advanced ripoff, as weird as that sounds :/" before going right back to Wilbur once more.

"Sorry about that Wilbur, had to-"

"Why do you keep doing that (Y/n)?" He interrupted, hands no longer interwoven tightly with each other. (Y/n) paused, blinking twice while observing his new potion. Wilbur seemed to be much closer to the screen now. His eyebags that (Y/n) had somehow missed before cast shadows on his face. And a smile had no longer appeared on his lips.

He now was staring- no that isn't the right word. Boreing holes into her face with a stony expression. As if waiting for an explanation. Like an owner trying shaking his head at a puppy for making a mess in the house.

"Doing what." They asked carefully. This time (Y/n) certainly noticed how the corners of his mouth twitched and hand flexed dangerously.

"Switching tabs. Am I not good enough for you?" He asked with a newfound pout, a small crack forming down the shape on the inside of his heart pupils. (Y/n) gaped, mouth opening and closing at random intervals.

"W-w- how did, no of course not!?" She sputtered incredulously. "But how did you know about that!?"

A more severe glitch than ever before spread across the screen. (Y/n) watched helpless and with eyes wide as saucers as the screen changed from the game, to pure white, a mess of binary code, back to the game, white again-

They sat there terrified as in between every switch on the screen, the only constant interval was Wilbur, standing there with glowing pink eyes and drool dripping down his chin from a crazed and dare I say loveing smile.

"Have I ever told you that I LOVE you (Y/n)...?" Wilbur cooed with a staticky voice, walking closer and closer to the screen.

"Have I ever told you that you're mine?" He asked again, still walking towards (Y/n) with a lovesick and wobbly grin. She pushed herself into her gaming chair, telling their mind that this was just a hallucination and that they needed to go to sleep.

"And that you're only mine."

Then nothing

---

Quin bit his finger nails anxiously as he typed yet another message to (Y/n)

It had been almost seven hours since he had gotten her last message. Normally the internet addicted pair would respond within mere minutes of receiving a text from the other. But like I said, it had been seven hours and no sign of Quins other half.

With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair, draping arm over his baggy and bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sure they're okay.." He mumbled, not sounding convinced in the slightest.

"I'm sure of it..."

WOOOOO ITS FINALLY DONE! THIS MF TOOK FOREVER BUT I AM IN LOVE WITH IT <333

Also, I would like to give a shoutout to my avian today. I absolutely love you King and cant wait to give you a big fucking hug. I wouldn't be here without you <3

Thoughts on Quin? I think he's a fucking bad ass bitch in my opinion

3738 words

-WayToSarcastic

[onlyswan]

meet me behind the mall | jjk

→ pairing: jungkook x f!reader

→ genre: smut sigh, fluff kinda

→ warnings: exhibitionism, public sex, dirty talk, slight ? degredation, calls her a slut once, fingering, handjob, oral (m. and f. receiving), choking, spitting, cum eating / swallowing, unprotected sex, facial (this term is so 😭) lmk if i miss anything plz

→ word count: 3.3k

summary: jungkook makes you live for the thrill of it all.

note: this was an impulsive write idk what possessed me today frends but have at it >_> semi proofread it’s 5am goodbyr

—

it’s one of the things you first learned about him. jungkook loves taking photos. he loves capturing moments with a simple click of a camera. he finds an unexplainable comfort and bittersweet nostalgia in finding old photographs in his drawer, in his pockets, tucked in between the pages of his textbooks. it’s like finding little treasures all over the place, you can hear his voice in your head, can see the pretty twinkles of passion and fondness in his pretty doe eyes.

so when he told you all about the new photobooth at the arcade, followed by a text that simply said meet me behind the mall, you didn’t particularly imagine that you would end up in this position. you can see the shutter going off even though your eyelids are closed as jungkook’s tongue is basically shoved down your throat. your panties is pulled to the side and two of his fingers are thrusting in and out of your cunt, curling deliciously to stimulate your sweet spot that has your thighs shaking uncontrollably every fucking time.

how naive of you to think that your boyfriend spontaneously texted you at eight in the evening to meet up and simply take cute couple pictures in film. of course, you do have a fair share of scandalous photos, but they’re all conveniently stored and locked away in your phones. this is something entirely new and as embarrassing it is to admit, thrilling. yourself from one year ago never would’ve guessed what her future self is doing right now. how the desires in you can easily be fueled to life just by the trailing of jungkook’s fingers on the smoothness of your thighs, his lips nipping at your neck, or even the simple thought of having his cock filling you up to the brim.

you can’t help but to giggle against his mouth. all of your senses are heightened at this moment, your heart beating aggressively in your chest. he pulls away slightly but his gaze stays on your pink and swollen parted lips, drunk eyes taking in your disheveled state.

“what’s going in that pretty little mind of yours?” he smirks, thumb sneakily rubbing your clit. you try your best to hold out your moan but a broken whine comes out, your head throwing back against the wall of the limited space you’re both squeezed into. only a black curtain and an ‘occupied’ sign in red bold and capital letters separated you from the world outside, where games are being played by people of all ages; loud sound effects and songs from the 2000’s and 2010’s mixing into an ear numbing noise that can only be recognized from an arcade center; and tickets gathered are being exchanged for cute stationary items and trinkets.

“you’re so, so dirty.” you say to him, eyes rolling back as his fingers never let up on their toe curling pace, only making you lose your inhibitions and self-control more than anything else. you clench around them involuntarily, drenching his hand with your juices. “was this your plan all along?”

your eyes widen in shock when the sound of his palm slapping your bare cunt filled the booth, the stinging pain registering in your mind next. “are you fucking crazy? someone might hear!” you whisper angrily at him, but his dark and blown out eyes made you shrink back in your seat. his intimidating, and almost condescending, expression have you gushing against his hand that is now petting your pussy to soothe the pain he inflicted.

“watch your mouth. you and this fucking skimpy dress are the only ones dirty here. you know what this shit does to me.” he smiles at you sweetly. “are you sure this was my plan? are we playing mind games here, baby girl?” his hand comes down from your face to play with the cloth of your blue dress, the other thrusting two of his fingers in you again, then adding another. the stretch has you gripping tightly on his shirt, not having anything else to hold on to.

“fuck, ahhh- jungkook. don’t stop.” god, you are dripping all over, your wetness staining your seat. it makes your cheeks flush in shame.

“just wanted to look pretty for you, i-is all.” you mewl at him, blinking innocently. the camera is not forgotten by jungkook. in fact, it’s one of the things getting him more riled up. the almost blinding light of the flash shines on your soft skin, and the sweat that has formed on your temples and your neck. your pupils are blown and eyelids drooping caused by the pleasure he is giving you. it’s visible how difficult it is for you to keep in all your noises from the people outside the damn curtain when you’re so lost in the feeling of his fingers inside of you. all because of him. your fucked out state got jungkook gritting his teeth, his dick twitching inside his pants. jesus christ, you get him so fucking turned on and desperate for it without even trying. your beauty is seductive and enchanting and effortless. there is no point in hiding how crazy he is for you.

“my pretty girl. you dressed yourself all nice for me?” he presses a chaste kiss on your lips, before he wraps his hand around your throat, pressing at the right places just enough to make your mind all fuzzy. “i’m such a lucky man. i love you so much.”

your eyes roll back at the back of your head at the all consuming feeling taking over senses. you don’t think you can answer correctly if ever someone asks for your name or the colors of the goddamn traffic signs. “y-yeah, for you, of course. love you so much.”

he gives you a satisfied hum, moving down to squeeze one of your breasts with his large hand before pinching your nipple from outside the cotton of your dress. “mhmm, holy fuck. you’re always so sensitive. so easy to please. am i making you feel good?” you don’t know how he can act so casual while you’re basically falling apart in his hands, but for some sick reason, it stirs up the arousal in your belly even more.

“y-yes, kook, i’m so close, please, please, please,” you cry out desperately, tears forming at the corner of your eyes as you squeeze his fingers with your walls uncontrollably. “wait, ohhh, stop. stop. i can’t cum here. i- it’s gonna be a mess, this is so embar- fuck, jungkook!” your squeal dies down in your throat when your boyfriend kneels on the ground and starts sucking your clit in his mouth as his fingers inside of you became more aggressive, hitting all the right places that makes you see stars behind your eyelids. you cover your mouth with your hand to muffle your desperate and whiny sounds, suddenly becoming aware of where the two of you are right now.

you grip his hair with your hands to steady yourself and unconsciously grind your cunt against his face, his eager tongue doing very sinful things for the sole purpose of making you come undone. he pulls you closer to the edge with his strong arm so he can have better access, eating you out like a man feasting on the divine food of the gods. divine. that’s one perfect word to describe you.

he flicks your clit teasingly before wrapping his pink and plump lips around it again. the overwhelming sight almost makes you want to burst into tears. “hmm, cum for me, baby.” your body jerks in his hold, his words of permission acting as the trigger for your orgasm. he drinks you up greedily, his tongue replacing his fingers’ place in fucking into you, letting you ride out your high.

he comes up to kiss you, making you taste yourself in his mouth. you can even feel his wet chin. you moan against him when two fingers dip inside you again, and then he’s having you suck on them almost too enthusiastically. you’re still in a daze from your release, and with jungkook, you’re basically down for anything and everything. you open your eyes to meet his, and if you aren’t already fucked out with his fingers choking you, his hooded eyes will have reduced you into a blabbering mess.

“you’re always so good to me.” he says with a raspy voice. he takes out his fingers and wipes it on his shirt before pulling you in for another kiss. “let’s get out of here so i can fuck you properly like my girl deserves, okay?” you nod meekly, trying to hide your excitement. he fixes you up to make you look presentable enough to walk in public, combing your hair with his fingers and straightening out your dress.

“can’t forget these. don’t want anyone else seeing you like this. it’s for my eyes only.” he gathers all the developed films from the booth, facing you with a teasing smile.

“for your eyes only.” you agree, looking up at him. you open the small backpack you brought along with you and he stuffs them all inside mindlessly, his cock still straining painfully in his pants and he might just lose his mind if he’s still not inside of your pussy in the next five minutes.

“can’t walk properly,” you whine out once you step out of the booth, your boyfriend supporting you by the waist.

“sorry, baby.” he presses an apologetic kiss on your temple. “but i’m not done with you yet.” he really doesn’t give a fuck if anyone heard the both of you at all, but he knows that you’re starting to worry, so he makes sure that you keep your eyes on him as you walk your way out of the place.

“are we going to your place? or mine?” you ask once you get out, the cool air of the mall embracing you. you shiver lightly. your boyfriend doesn’t respond, but when he starts dragging you towards the movie theater that is just beside the arcade, you realize the answer to your question.

“jungkook, really?” you hiss at him, but don’t make any efforts to stop him as he leads you to the restrooms.

“i’m so fucking hard right now, babe. i can’t wait anymore.” they’re about to close up in an hour, so the place is basically deserted. but still, you can’t believe what you’re about to do right now. he peeks in the women’s and once he made sure it’s clear, you go in to the farthest cubicle.

“damn woman,” his throaty chuckle makes your center throb again as you immediately pull down his sweatpants along with his boxers, his big cock slapping against his stomach. you lick a stripe from his balls up to his tip, then gathering saliva in your mouth and letting it drip down his length. his breathing gets heavier at the sight of doing such a filthy action without him asking you to. he strokes your cheek as you jack him off and give his head kitten licks, your spit acting as an effective lube.

“put it in your mouth now, baby.” he says softly, grasping your hair to guide your mouth on his cock. “choke on it, yeah?” you hum in submission to his request, relaxing your throat to take in as much of him as you can. you start to bob your head up and down to get used to the feeling, your hand still wrapped around the few inches left.

“fuck, you look so pretty like this. i’ve been thinking about it all day.” his confession made you all warm inside. you’ve always wondered how you managed to become his girlfriend. sometimes, it feels to good to be true. knowing the effect you have on him even when you’re not around made you even more determined to blow his damn mind. to be the only star of his wildest dreams.

you go down on him until your nose reach his pubic area, carefully breathing out through it. “oh my god, that’s my girl.” he thrusts his hip forward and holds your head down in place, making you choke on him like he wanted to. his moans sends tingles to your pussy and you rub your thighs together in a pitiful attempt to relieve yourself of some pressure. he lets you breathe in some air before you take him in your mouth again, swallowing around his length as you move your head up and down.

“ohhh, fuck. your mouth is s-so warm. you like this huh? sucking me off outside our rooms for the first time?” he can’t help but to move his hips as well, instinctively following your mouth. your moans vibrate on his dick, and he hisses at the added sensation. “and you called me what? so, so dirty? turns out you’re just as fucking filthy, baby.” and there it is again, the mischievous smile on his face that makes your knees (that you’re sure will be bruising soon enough) weak. you know that he’s right. you can’t help but to whimper around him when you feel wetness drip from your hole. you want to touch yourself so bad but your hands on your boyfriend’s flexing muscular thighs are what’s keeping you steady and grounded.

“ohh- ah, fuck fuck fuck! are you fucking kidding me?” his body jerks when you take all of him and stay still, contracting your throat around him and massaging his balls in your small and soft hand. his brain goes on a frenzy at the waves of pleasure rippling in his body, sweat rolling down his temples and abdomen working hard to stop himself from cumming down your throat. “s-shit, stop it, stop it, stop, i’m gonna blow my load.”

you pull him out with a pop, hand gripping his base to keep his orgasm at bay. his glassy eyes meet your own, and you give him a wink. “are you gonna fuck me now?”

a shiver runs up jungkook’s spine. “you’re so fucking hot. come here.” he helps you get up and snakes his tongue in your mouth, pinning you on the other side of the cubicle. his hand sneaks in under your dress to cup your center, groaning against your mouth when he felt how wet you are. “shit, you’re soaking. did you get this turned on by sucking my dick?”

“really turned on. i love blowing you.” you twirl a strand of his hair around your finger, blinking up at him with a smile.

“you’re actually killing me here.” he chuckles, squeezing your ass and pulling you close to grind himself on you. he drags down your panties until you step out of them, throwing it on top of your backpack. he tucks your hair behind your ear and whispers. “jump.” you obey, wrapping your legs around his waist.

he pumps his cock a few times before teasingly running the tip along your wet folds, a nudge on your clif making you moan quietly. “put it in, please. jungkook? i’ve been good, right?”

“shhh, i got you.”

you hold on to his neck tightly as you let yourself succumb to the pleasure. it’s amazing how you can feel so stretched out from the very beginning, only his tip yet breaching your walls. you never really got used to it. “you’re so big, kook.” you cry out against his shoulder as he sinks his entire length into you. your praise inflates his ego. he lets you adjust for a moment, peppering kisses along your neck and shoulder.

when you gave him the signal, he begins thrusting into you, gradually picking up to a rough and unforgiving pace he knows you like. the lewd squelching sounds of your connected sex filled the empty room.

“sh-should’ve done this sooner. ahh fuck, why does this feel so good?” you’re out of your mind. you can’t remember a time you felt this horny. and to be brutally honest, he’s fucking you dumb right now. you can feel every ridge of his cock in you, can feel his tip furiously and consistently stimulating the spot in you that has you writhing in his arms, that along with his pelvis grinding against your clit each time he fucks back into you.

“jesus, are you hearing yourself right now? you like doing it outside with me, baby?”

“yes, yes! oh, harder, please. m-more, i’m close again.” you sob out, biting on his shoulder to cover your cries.

“can’t believe i got myself a filthy little slut here.” he shakes his head in mock disbelief, adjusting his hold on you and fucking you with a much fiercer drive to make you cream on his cock this time. “f-fuck, you’re squeezing me so tight.” he breathes out a laugh followed by a broken moan, your soft walls enveloping him in your wamth. “cum when you need to, hmm? you’ve been so good to me.”

you mutter countless thank you’s mixed with your moans and whimpers, the pleasure getting too much to bear. you throw your head back as you orgasm on your boyfriend’s cock, clenching around him uncontrollably as he fucks you through it, desperate to reach his own high. your juices drip down to his balls, and it makes him crazier. he takes the opportunity create marks on your neck, sucking and biting red and purple on your skin.

it’s not long before overstimulation takes place, but you don’t complain, not when it feels this good. another orgasm hits you, not as intense as the first two, but it still got you seeing stars and your body shaking against the wall.

“did you just cum again? oh god, fucking shit. i’m there- so fucking close. you feel so- oh, so good. love you. love you a lot.”

“i want to swallow your cum.” your voice is barely there, but jungkook hears you just fine. he almost chokes on his own spit upon registering your words in his brain. without wasting any time, he sets you down on the floor and you kneel infront of him, mouth open and tongue out.

he jacks himself off while you generously lick at his frenulum, looking up at him expectantly. the sight of you all eager and impatient for his cum finally triggers his release, aiming for your tongue but some still landing on your cheeks and chin as he’s too overwhelmed and shaken to see straight. you swallow happily, licking the rest from your fingers.

“god, i love you.” he says quietly, pulling you up from the floor and embracing you, but you wiggle out of his grasp.

“love you too but gross, gross, gross. i need to go home and shower.” you whine out, twirling as you try and fix your appearance again.

“not you acting like a brat once you got what you wanted.” he pinches your waist jokingly. he takes tissue from the dispenser to clean up the wetness that dripped down all the way to your thighs, being the loving boyfriend that he is.

“i don’t know what you’re talking about.” you pout at him. “i’m so tired and gross. i hate you.”

“are you asking for it again?”

“no, i swear to god. you owe me a bubble bath and a massage.”

“okay, fine. my place then.” he gives up, shaking his head with a laugh at your change of mood. “i love you. can i get a kiss then?”

you tiptoe to reach him, slightly pulling him down by the collar of his shirt to give him a smooch. “i love youuu.”

once you both make yourself presentable (again) to the best of your abilities, you head out of the restroom first. you notice the cashier at the popcorn place eyeing you suspiciously, especially when jungkook comes out to meet you a few minutes later. you hide yourself behind him in shame.

you walk out of the mall with his hand over your shoulder, yours on his waist. you look at him questioningly when he covers your neck with more of your hair. “maybe i made a little too much.” he winces apologetically.

“we are never doing that again.” you sigh, your legs still feeling weak but you will yourself to make it all the way to the parking lot.

“what? you said you liked it!”

“it was during the moment. i was delirious.”

jungkook rolls his eyes. “you’re lying. let’s see, because that’s also what you said the first time we tried choking.”

“jungkook! shut up!”

—

note: i never know how to finish these runs and hides

[thefanficmonster]

Let Them Talk

Corpse Husband x Reader (Female) ft. Sykkuno

Warnings: Swearing, Jealousy

Genre: Fluff, a bit of Angst

Summary: We can all agree Among Us is a fun game on its own but what makes it ten times better is playing it with the right company. Y/N could agree 100% Being a streamer herself, she loves playing with the streamer gang that includes her boyfriend and best friend. But, what happens when her boyfriend starts doubting her feelings for him due to her close relationship with her best friend.

Requested by @cheetoscat . Thank you so much for your request! Sorry it took so long to write, I hope the final product is worth the wait. Enjoy! Love, Vy ❤

Y/AU/N - Your Among Us Name

I settle in my gaming chair, adjusting my webcam one last time before joining the Among Us lobby with my friends. 

“Hi everyone!“ I say into the mic, a smile plastering itself on my face. Discord is a magical thing, man. It’s so easy to forget that the people you are talking to aren’t around you or within arm’s reach. You could be separated by miles and miles of land or - in our case - oceans as well. Distance becomes negligible when you hear your friends’ voices, their laughter; when you have a good time together despite being each behind a screen, often times alone.

Well, I’m one of those lucky ones that isn’t alone. No one knows that, though. Everyone thinks I’m a single, self-employed girl that’s straight out of college. And they are 90% right. Only thing is - I’m not single. That would be a shocker in and of itself, but revealing who’s changed my relationship status would be a bomb with a whole new intensity.

Speaking of my significant other who shall remain unnamed - just kidding, it’s Corpse - his form materializes in the doorway of my recording room. I give him a hand signal the camera isn’t able to capture, alerting him of the fact that my mic is on. He replies by blowing me a kiss and walking off down the hall to his recording room where he’ll be stationed for the next three or so hours.

I owe this relationship to my best friend Sykkuno. I’m a pretty new and not very well known on the platform, however, thanks to him I haven’t only obtained a boyfriend, but a following of a little over million subscribers as well. 

It all started with an invitation to fill a spot in the Among Us lobby him and his friends had created. It took him quite a bit to convince me to join, but I eventually caved and agreed. Suddenly, there I was. In a Discord call, in an Among Us lobby with some of the most well-known names on this platform. I’m talking YouTube legends. I was that puppy playing with the big dogs. The newbie tagging along with the big leagues. Or at least that’s how I felt until we all started vibing - talking and teasing each other as though we’ve known each other for years and not minutes.

When I joined the call, Corpse wasn’t present. After everyone else introduced themselves, Sykkuno informed me that we were waiting for Corpse to return. The name sounded really cool to me and I was genuinely very excited to meet this Corpse guy.

And then, out of the blue - no prep, no warning...

“Did you get someone to fill the spot? Oh- Hello, Y/AU/N.“ 

…he started talking and he had me star-struck. Apparently, he also had me a blabbering mess cause I remember blurting out: “Whoa, who’s this guy speaking in bold and underlined at the same time?”

The entire lobby, including Corpse, laughed. Sean, or Jack like they called him most often, answered my question, “That is the voice of God, Y/N. Its source is named Corpse, though.”

Heat spread from the bottom of my neck to the tips of my ears. I was mortified by my own stupidity. I was well aware they couldn’t see me and I was incredibly thankful for that, but I simply could not get myself to open my eyes. “I’m so sorry.” I said through nervous laughter.

“No, no, I like that description. Bold and underlined at the same time, huh?“ His voice sounded even more pleasant when it had that teasing, mischievous note to it. That thought popping up in my head only made things worse for my self-esteem and only made me more embarrassed, causing me to hide my face in my hands. “You sure it’s not in Italics as well?“ 

His question got a weak laugh out of me. “Nope, definitely not. Nothing Italic about it.“

Yes, I don’t even know how some terrible jokes about MS Word fonts got me as far as a romantic relationship, but they did! We’ve been living together for quite some time now, dating for even longer - hiding it just as long. It’s not that we have been actively trying to hide it or something, we just wanted to see how long it would take someone to become sus of us. When we realized no one would notice, we decided that if any rumors about us started, or even fans shipping us, we’d come clean. That hasn’t happened either, so we haven’t had the proper chance to address our relationship and neither of us minds.

At this point, I’m honestly afraid of revealing it to the gaming squad. Sykkuno especially. He’s my best friend, after all. I can see him being hurt by the fact that I kept a secret so big even from him. The last thing I wanna do is hurt my best friend but it’s already too late for that, it’s inevitable.

“Y/N have you looked at Twitter today?“ Rae, another streamer I’ve become close with over the months, says urgently.

Overlooking the tension in her words, I answer: “Nope, haven’t had the time. Why? What’s up?“

Before Rae can say anything else, Sykkuno joins the conversation, his voice somehow even more urgent than Rae’s. “It’s nothing, Y/N. If you see it, just don’t let it bother you, ok?”

Hearing such a tone from Rae isn’t unusual, but hearing it from Sykkuno is completely different and a lot more worrisome. “Well if it has the potential of bothering me it can’t be nothing. What’s going on?”

Just then, my phone dings with two notifications. I check to see they are messages from Rae.

“I sent you screenshots. Sorry, Sykkuno. She has to know in order to address it and defuse it as well. I know better than anyone how fast these rumors can spread, especially if no one reacts to them.“ She says, her tone barely apologetic at all.

I open the screenshots she has sent me and I find myself frozen in shock. Some old pictures of Sykkuno and I have been posted on Twitter by some random user. These pictures have started an entire thread of suspicions surrounding our relationship.

The pictures in question are from a New Year’s Eve party a mutual friend of ours held two years ago. Sure, in the pictures we are a lot closer than what would be considered a platonic proximity. And yes one of the pictures is of me kissing his cheek. Yes we were both a bit tipsy. I acknowledge all those things and yet none of them are concrete reasons for these rumors to have started piling. 

“This is silly.“ I finally say after maybe five minutes of silence on my end. ”This is absolutely ridiculous! And why are people so serious about it as well? Actual, important matters get discussed more nonchalantly than the potential relationship between two online personalities! What is this world we live in?“ I know I shouldn’t let these rumors get to me like this, especially not on camera. Still, I can’t help it. I feel it’s so unfair to Corpse. He has to put up with this as well and it’s by no means easy for him. I’ve been shipped with people from our group in the past and he always took those rumors to heart despite acting like he didn’t care. Neither of us should get worked up, but him getting upset about them creates a domino effect with my emotions - causing me to be hit just as hard as him, in some cases harder.

Rumors of the past aside, this one is the worst by far. Mostly cause even Corpse himself suspected something between Sykkuno and I at the very beginning, when we were still acquaintances, barely crossing into the realm of friends.

I pull up Twitter to look for the whole thread, barely sparing my stream chat a glance in the process. It seems pretty split - those who agree with me and those who think Sykkuno and I make ‘such an adorable couple’. The thread is ridiculously long, and if we take into account that it was only started approximately five hours ago, you can either view it as impressive, amusing or sad. Why sad? Because someone has dedicated so much time and effort into fueling the fire of a weakly supported theory.

I love Sykkuno with all my heart. Everyone knows that - fandom, streamer squad, Corpse and Sykkuno included. I love too much and too platonically to ever even dream of having a romantic connection with him. I thought that was more than obvious, but people are either blind here, or just grasping at straws. One thing’s for certain - they’re stepping on a nerve.

“Hey where’s Corpse? Did he disconnect?” Felix asks, gaining my full attention. My eyes dart to the monitor, searching through the little avatars in a desperate search for the one of my boyfriend. It’s nowhere to be found.

“He just messaged me saying his connection is unstable but he might join us later.“ Rae says, “You guys can invite someone to fill...“

“Bathroom break.“ I interrupt, not waiting for a response before shutting my mic off, putting the ‘BRB‘ graphic on my stream and yanking the headset off. I basically run down the hall to Corpse’s recording room, my heart pounding like a bass drum.

“Corpse?!“ I call out to him, one hand already on the doorknob. When five seconds pass by without a response, I barge in. 

Inside, I find his usual spot on the gaming chair empty and his slumped figure seated on his bed.

“Corpse?“ I try again, watching for even the tiniest change of body language. He remains still as a statue, not bothering to look up at me either. 

His hands are gripping the edge of the mattress, his head hanging low. His eyes are covered by the short curtain of his dark messy curls. I can’t gauge much. Is he angry? Is he sad? Both? How should I approach the situation?

Before I find the answer to any of those questions, I am kneeling in front of him, our height difference eliminated. I gently pry his hands off the mattress and take them in mine, holding them firmly but tenderly. With one hand I reach up to tilt his head so his eyes can meet mine. He complies, his tear-filled brown orbs meeting mine. Those tears have the same effect on me as fifty sharp knives stabbing into my chest. These tears focus their attack straight on my heart, tearing it to pieces.

“Baby....“

He cuts me off, “Why is it always someone else, huh? Do they deem me not worthy of being with you? Do they think you deserve better?” His voice wavers, “Well, they might be right. They are correct and there’s little I can do to prove them wrong. They mean you well, Y/N - pairing you with guys better than me. Those are some loyal fans you’ve got. They only want what’s best for you. And so do I. If ‘best’ is being with someone else then...”

It’s my turn to cut him off. I put an end to his nonsense ramble that’s slowly killing me by pressing my finger against his lips. The sternness of my gaze is beyond me as I get up and walk over to his computer setup. I put on his headset and hop into the call as well as the lobby with his avatar.

“Hey Corpse’s back!” Toast says, “Good to have you back buddy.”

“No, not Corpse.” I say in a casual, nonchalant voice.

“Wait, wha-“ Sean’s voice shows just how confused he is, representing the confusion of the entire lobby actually.

“I know all of you are streaming so this message will be heard by several different audiences so I’m gonna make myself perfectly clear.“ I take a deep breath, “Sykkuno and I aren’t dating. He’s a lovely guy and he deserves to find a girl who will treat him right. That girl isn’t and won’t be me though. I am already treating someone right. Someone who treats me more than right as well. An amazing person. A man-child with a heart of gold. You know him, to a certain extent. He goes by the name of Corpse Husband, but I prefer to call him ‘Love of my life’. Thank you for your time and attention, goodbye.“

I exit the call and turn around to find a stunned Copse looking at me.

“That was meant for you just as much.“ I say with a fake strict attitude, one hand on my hip the other rested on his desk behind me, “Were you listening?“

Within milliseconds, he’s on his feet standing directly in front of me, his lips inches away from mine. “I heard and memorized every word. But...” he pauses for a moment, “I think you have no idea how big of a chaos you just created.”

I smile mischievously, “We’ll worry about that later. For now...” I close the gap between us, connecting our lips in a sweet and passionate kiss. 

@susceptible-but-siriusexual  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @hacker-ghost  @itsminniekat  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams  @the-fuck-up-of-today  @slashersdream  @chiefwombathoagiepizza  @solowheein @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01

[charming-charlie]

The Compliment Game

Title // The Compliment Game

Pairing // Evan Buckley x Reader

Warnings // Light amount of cussing. Some cute fluff and a bit of spice at the end.

Summary // Buck poses as your fake boyfriend at a friend’s birthday party.

Word Count // 3k

You stared at the invitation before you, trying to hold back a laugh. Having just got the mail, you found a pink envelope mixed in with your bills. The envelope had elegant script and for a moment, you thought you were invited to a wedding. Upon opening the envelope and pulling out the card, your suspicions still stood in place. Glitter fell to the floor and the invitation was written in such a beautiful script, except it was not for a wedding at all. It was for a birthday party. Your childhood friend Viola’s birthday party.

The invitation included a dress code, which basically stated prom attire. Yeah, fat chance of that happening. There was also a list on the back of the invitation with appropriate albeit expensive gifts to buy for the birthday girl. Cool, so money it is!

The invite was definitely in line with Viola’s personality. The two of you were supposedly childhood best friends, and as you grew up, you realized that Viola was a bit of an embellisher. She told the most insane stories, some you knew to be completely fake since you were there when certain events happened. It was like she always had this need to one up everyone she met.

The two of you barely talk now since you distanced yourself from her, but honestly, she was still your friend. However, since Viola liked to embellish, who says you couldn’t either? Why not one up the birthday girl at her own birthday? Maybe she needed a healthy dose of her own medicine.

The wheels were turning as you grabbed your phone and scrolled through your contacts before landing on Evan Buckley’s name. He was, in all honestly, the hottest man you knew. While he was only a recent friend, he was the best option for what you had in mind.

You called him, hearing the phone ring a few times.

“What a coincidence,” Buck said when he answered the phone, “I was just talking about you.”

You were surprised that you were on his mind, especially in the middle of the day. You were sure he was at work too, which only seemed to excite the butterflies in your stomach.

“Hey,” you said, unable to hide your growing smile, “I got an invite to a birthday party. Want to go with me as my fake boyfriend?”

“Whoa,” you heard Buck say on the other line and you could just sense the confused expression he had on his face, “wait, what?”

You stared at the invitation, knowing full well that this would be the perfect event to have a little fun and maybe put Viola in her place. However, you took what few precious minutes you had on the phone with Buck to explain everything. You talked about your friendship with your friend, and how she just continued to make up her entire life story in order to appear interesting. It was either that or for attention, you weren’t sure which one.

“Basically, I just want to show off the hottest guy I know, so are you in or what?” you finished. You were out of breath from rambling quickly to share your story. You never knew when the alarm bell was going to go off because of a fire or something.

“And you thought of me? I’m touched. Sure, I’ll do it. But you owe me a beer,” Buck said. You could practically hear him grinning on the other side of the phone. “I’ll pick you up after my shift. Say, eight?”

You agreed and the two of you hung up.

This was perfect. Now the party would be very interesting. Who knew what was going to happen?

The hours ticked by and you were dressed. You texted Buck your address and waited for him to show up. He knocked on the door and you truly felt giddy and nearly pranced to the door in excitement. You weren’t looking forward to the party at first, but spending time with Buck? That was clearly a game changer.

Having relayed the dress code to the firefighter beforehand, you were in awe of his outfit choice. Buck was sporting a casual black suit. It wasn’t the fanciest of outfits but that didn’t matter. He looked like a stunner. It was nice seeing him out of his usual fire uniform or regular t-shirts. You could tell he put effort into his appearance for the night.

You, on the other hand, took a page right out of Princess Diana’s playbook. You wore a black dress, your favorite LBD, with some strappy heels. It was your own revenge dress, and you knew it wouldn’t exactly fit in line with the dress code of the night, but did you really care?

You were only going to support your childhood friend and nothing else. You had a card for her with some cash and that was it. You were going to make nice and leave when the cake was cut. That was called being a good friend, you at least showed up to the events you were invited to.

Viola’s parents owned a ranch and she lived in a house on her parent’s property. The drive was smooth, with you and Buck jamming to 80’s tunes and timing the red lights. He was such a charmer, just like he was the day you met him.

There were a few cars when you arrived, and Buck easily parked along the rocky path. Both of you got out and made your way to the front door. Being polite, you knocked.

The door opened instantly, almost like someone was literally waiting on the other side.

Viola appeared and your eyes almost popped out of your head. Apparently the “elegant prom” theme was still ongoing, since she wore a floor-length white gown. It looked like a cross between a prom dress and a wedding dress. Your eyes caught Buck’s, who was standing next to you. He looked horrified. Perhaps he was just now realizing your over exaggerations were not over exaggerations.

His mouth fell to the floor, not from awe, but from shock. The birthday girl cascaded along the floor. Her hair was done up in an elaborate bun and she wore a crown. Not a cute little tiara, but a full blown one thousand gems kind of crown. The kind of crown that was obviously from a costume store, since you knew Viola wasn’t fabulously wealthy like she pretended to be and there was no way she would be able to afford the same jewels as Queen Elizabeth.

“Oh, who is this?” Viola asked you when she saw Buck. No hello. No how are you. She just immediately noticed the eye candy on your arm with absolutely no regard for you, her supposed best friend.

You had to give the firefighter some credit. He cleaned up very well. He sported a business casual suit, not at all falling in line with whatever prom theme that was happening. Then again, you did not either with your little black dress.

“This is Evan Buckley,” you said, trying to put on the best sincere smile that you could muster, “my boyfriend. Happy birthday, Viola.”

Your best friend (although, let us be honest, that is a bit of a stretch at this point), did not seem convinced nor did she thank you for the nice birthday message. Instead, she turned her sights onto the man next to you, and you felt a small hole in your heart forming. If Viola went after Buck… it would not be pretty.

“Boyfriend, huh? What do you do?” Viola asked as she extended out a hand, and you cringed when you saw the white corsage that sat on her wrist.

Buck, being as polite as ever, shook her hand and kept his smile. “I’m a firefighter with the LAFD.”

“What a coincidence!” Viola said with a smile, “My boyfriend works for the LAPD. Maybe you know each other.”

Buck was catching on and there was a sort of twinkle in his eyes as he looked at the birthday girl. “I have friends in the LAPD. What’s his name? Maybe I know him.”

The fact that Buck was pressing for more information caught Viola off guard. She acted busy, acted like someone was calling her name, but you didn’t hear anyone. “Oh, that’s for me. I’ll talk to you guys later, yeah?” she sauntered off quickly, almost like she was rushing away as fast as she could so that you didn’t have a chance to call her back.

Buck turned to look at you with a quizzical expression as if to say, what the hell was that? You only shrugged your shoulders and whispered that Viola doesn’t have a boyfriend, ending the statement with a blatantly obvious eye roll.

The two of you made your way into the house where the party was in swing. No one else looked like Viola, no one else sported fancy gowns or black tie suits. In fact, a few of the party guests were wearing jeans. That must’ve been a highlight in the tea drinking gossip Viola was probably spewing in the corner with some other friends. Is it time to leave yet?

You led Buck outside to the fenced in backyard. There were a few guests here and there, but it wasn’t a massive turnout. Both of you sat on a wrought iron garden bench, away from most of the crowd. It was kind of nice to be there at the party but not really participating or engaging in small talk with the other guests.

“You know,” Buck broke the silence with a smile, “being your fake boyfriend is a lot of work.”

You rolled your eyes and turned to look at him, returning the smile. “You only agreed once I said you were the hottest person I know.”

“Listen, that’s a compliment I don’t hear often,” Buck sat back along the bench, keeping his eyes on you.

“Should I keep them coming?” you asked, and it surprised you that there was a little bit of a tease to your voice. You never noticed that before.

“How about this? You compliment me, I compliment you. I feel that is only fair,” Buck responded.

It took a moment for you to forget that you were actually at a birthday party for someone else. In this moment, on this bench, everything around you seemed to fade into the background.

“I like your suit.”

“I like your dress.”

Okay, starting out kind of simple here but it did make you smile. You thought you wore the dress to impress Viola. Maybe you wore the dress to impress him? Did your subconscious plan that?

“You are very good at your job,” you responded.

His eyes were alight and there was that twinkle again. You could stare into his eyes forever, they were stunning, just like everything else about him.

“Not exactly a compliment, you haven’t seen what I can do,” Buck said with a smirk. That was when he pulled the move. The fake-stretch put-an-arm-around-you move. What in the fresh hell was that? Because, and this is what shocked you the most, it actually worked on you.

“You’re beautiful,” Buck said.

Fuck, he won the compliment game. Your face flushed, fast and hard, creeping down to your neck and down your spine. You had to look away from him, and you heard him laugh when you did.

You didn’t get to enjoy the moment for long because you heard Viola approaching the two of you, with some minions behind her. You looked at her. Her white dress was absolutely blinding in the fading sunlight and you squinted just to see straight.

Buck stood up to greet her and you did the same, smiling politely at her.

“Sorry about that. Being the birthday girl means never ending attention. Anyway, Y/N didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend. How did you two meet?” Viola said. There was a sudden look in her eyes, and you knew. You knew she was catching on, pulling on loose threads to see what would unravel.

You felt Buck slip his hand in your own and he didn’t miss a beat. “Y/N locked her keys in her car. I just happened to be driving by.”

That was the truth. That was literally how the two of you met. If fate were a thing, you would swear that was how you guys met, through some act of divine fate. But you remained quiet.

“Forgive me, but I’m having a hard time believing this. If you are really Y/N’s boyfriend, then kiss her,” Viola said. She seemed to be smirking, like she trapped you and Buck in a corner, like it was a big reveal that your relationship with Buck was fake.

Buck inhaled deeply, like he needed to calm down a bit. His hand gripped yours tightly, but you could feel that it was tensing up. Thank god for that, because you didn’t know how he would react if you didn’t keep him grounded and firmly planted next to you.

“Y/N,” Buck said, and your head snapped to his attention. He was looking at you. Once your eyes fell into his line of sight, he swooped in. His free hand went to the side of your face, caressing the soft skin of your cheek. His lips landed on yours, moving delicately, gently. You were not in control of your body as you felt yourself pushing into Buck’s muscular physique. When he pulled away, your lips quite literally pulled down into a frown. You didn’t want the kiss to end, and it showed.

Once the environment came back into view and you were aware of your surroundings, you quickly fixed your expression and turned to look at Viola, who looked slumped and defeated in her white gown. Perhaps she truly felt she was going to win the game you and Buck were playing, and she wasn’t prepared for the outcome.

“Is that enough proof or do you need more?” Buck quickly looked at Viola, and he didn’t look very happy. Viola got the hint. She disappeared as fast as she arrived, with her entourage scattering in different directions. Once she and her friends were gone, Buck turned to you and said, “I don’t like that girl.”

You were still in a bit of a fog from the kiss, and you could feel your lips tingling for more. The sensation would not go away.

Eventually, much to your chagrin, it hit you. The moment was over, you proved your point. No need in keeping things going. You did your job, made your appearance with a devilishly delicious man on your arm, and now you can go home and leave Buck alone. He probably was not thrilled with the outcome of events, given the look on his face.

“I think it’s time to put an end to the fake boyfriend thing,” you said with a frown as you looked at him.

There was something new to his expression, an unconvinced look as he shook his head. “Maybe I want to be the real thing someday.”

Was this playful banter or was he serious?

“That would require going on a real date,” you said. You grabbed him by the arm, keeping up with appearances as the two of you walked to the gate in the fence. You unlatched the opening and watched the gate swing open.

“So ask me.”

You stared at him in confusion as the two of you slowly walked toward the car. It was starting to get interesting again.

“Ask you what?” you replied.

“Ask me out,” he said suddenly, not missing a moment.

Your heart was erratic at this point, and you let go of his arm now that the two of you were away from the party.

“Dearest Evan Buckley, would you do me the absolute pleasure of going on a date with me?” you said sarcastically.

He wasn’t playing games anymore. Without a warning, he had you pinned against the car, leaving very little wiggle room. Your body pressed along the passenger side door, and you felt his hands rub against your waist. You were facing him, and you wished you weren’t. Looking at that incredibly handsome face was becoming a weakness. Your knees shook as you tried to steady yourself.

He leaned in and whispered in a soft voice. “Try again.”

You felt his hot breath against your ear as he kissed the sensitive spot under your earlobe. An explosion of tingles erupted throughout your body as his lips brushed against your weak spot.

“What are you doing?” you asked quietly. Any louder and you were afraid how shaky and trembling your voice would sound. First, he won the compliment game, now he was winning whatever this was.

“Ask again,” Buck whispered in your ear.

One of your arms ran up his, and fuck, that was a mistake. The bulging muscles were almost too much for you to bare.

“Will you go out with me?” you whispered.

You felt his lips leave a trail from your neck, across your jawline, ending with a sweet peck against your lips as he smiled.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he said as he opened the car door behind you, “Let’s go get that beer.”

It was easy to slide into the car since you were already a puddle of goo. Your whole body was on fire just from his touch. Buck walked around the car and entered the driver’s side. He turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. His hand reached for yours and you accepted it instantly.

How in the world did the evening turn out like this? And where in the world was it going to go? You could only wonder as Buck began driving. Inviting him to a party as your fake boyfriend was the best decision you ever made, and you couldn’t wait to see what else was in store tonight.

[yesimwriting]

Hi!!! I was wondering if you could do like a short story post or something I wonder how Our General Kirigan would react to a shy reader? Would he tease her? Be frustrated with her? And how would she react? Idk maybe just a thought 😅 I asked you because i really like your writing and I feel like you would really do a good job and I like the way you portray the General. 😊

a/n i have been crying/feeling shitty for the past two days for no reason!! so i thought it might make me feel better to try writing headcanons! i have SO MANY half done requests/fics but as of recently i hate everything that i write!! so i thought i'd work on this request that lends itself to headcanons

also im glad you like my writing :))

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General Kirigan with a shy! reader headcanons:

- First things first, I think how he interacts with someone shy that he sees as a (potential) romantic interest varies per situation. Like generally, he finds the timidness kind of soft which is so different from what he's used to that he finds that aspect kind of endearing.

- He'd never admit that at the beginning, but the more time you spend with him the clearer it becomes to you because of how he acts when you're alone together

- At first, he'd hold onto his usual stoic disposition, but after realizing that at the end of the day your shyness is genuine and not an attempt to seem meek in order to trick people/him he'd begin to tease you about it when you two are alone.

- The first time he makes a comment that's just a little,, kinda-almost suggestive (a comment about how he wonders what it'd be like to be a Heartrender so that he could hear the change in your heartbeat every time you shied away from something) you're too confused to be embarrassed for like two seconds.

- You're basically that meme that's like did I hear that shit righttt??

- So you meet his gaze, and there's absolutely nothing but warm confidence there and you realize that he had in fact,,, said that.

- You hold his gaze for a moment out of protest (which is an incredible feat) and then you have to drop your eyes to the floor. You mumble some comment about how his ability to summon shadows isn't exactly a boring skill.

- Your reaction is so soft,, Kirigan can't help but be endeared even further. Something he wasn't exactly expecting and isn't too thrilled about. He doesn't think being shy makes you weak,, but he's extremely wary about how you're perceived and how people may treat you because of it.

- He doesn't doubt his ability to protect you, but he doesn't want to be distracted,, not with all he has to do.

- Still, he can't help mumble comments whenever there's a brief pause and you two are alone

- Meanwhile, you're starting to notice that now more situations keep coming up when you're left alone with Kirigan?? like he's always in the library when you are, he's always walking in to assess training when you're training and he just so happens to linger until you leave and then he just so happens needs to walk in the same hallway.

- It's a little strange at first,, but you're more horrified by the fact that you're not mad about it than the fact that it's happening. Especially since you know how much joy he gets from getting you flustered. You can see that in that slightly cocky uptilt to his lips whenever you're left gaping at him.

- Why doesn't it bother you?? You try to rationalize it and the only conclusion you can come to is the fact that he's attractive and powerful and even though your face gets hot whenever he talks to you,, there's appeal in those qualities. There's appeal in getting the infamous General to smile.

- Even if it costs you the bit of pride you have.

- You don't get why you're the one he seems to be going out of his way to speak to (maybe when your life is as stressful as his is,, at the end of the day you just want something easy and if he's in the mood to be flirty, you're easy) but you're not mad. You just have to constantly remind yourself to not be foolish enough to think you're the only one he goes out of his way to talk to.

- And as time progresses, you get a little more comfortable with his banter. You stop shying away completely,, which only encourages him to get bolder with his comments.

- Nothing insane,, not yet, just a little more direct.

- It kind of becomes a little game to him,, to see how flustered he can get you with the minimal amount of effort. Every once in awhile, you manage to act normally, but he's quick to shut that down by upping his game just slightly.

- After awhile, it starts to become a game for you too, to see how much of your instincts you can suppress just to take away some of his satisfaction. Only when he's getting a little too smug.

- But that's when y'all are alone...

- When you're surrounded by others, sometimes it feels like you don't even exist to each other. Sometimes that's a lonely feeling for both of you, but each of you is convinced that they're the only one that feels the absence.

- In your defense, you're much more entitled to those feelings because he can literally do whatever he wants. You can't just walk up to the General and do what?? ask him why he hasn't made any suggestive comment in the last couple of hours??

- please that embarrassing!! even if you weren't shy, that would be out of POCKET

- Meanwhile Kirigan is just like being angsty and debating the implications of seeking you out in an environment with so many important people. He could probably manage a minute or two by your side without making anyone suspicious, but the danger in that is that he won't be able to bring himself to leave after those minutes pass him.

- Worse,, he may even find an excuse for both of you to step out into the hall so that he can make his comments and take in your reactions in private.

- It's especially difficult when you have that one strand of hair just slightly out of place,, presenting the perfect excuse for him to just fix it and then drop his hand slowly so that his fingertips can brush the side of your cheek.

- And you're growing tired of the crowds of people you're not comfortable with and you're starting to feel more and more stupid for letting something that was so clearly just a playful distraction mean anything to you.

- But before either of you can succumb to your angsty pinning (cough, cough,, simps) his eyes will find yours from across the room and that's EVERYTHING

- At first, you want to be stiff and look away because it's probably not intentional, but then he gives you that little smirk. And then you feel stupid for ever doubting that you two at least have some kind of friendship. (maybe more,, but you're too scared to let yourself think that,, ;))

- And then you give him this shy smile,, and that's it. He's done--that one look undoes him entirely.

- So he starts shifting towards you as casually as possible, because if he can't be with you right now, surely being near you is good enough for now.

- You're unaware of this,, and when the moment ends you find yourself longing for more, but relatively satisfied. You don't expect anything from him, he's important and you're you.

- And being around people drains you because you genuinely want to stay out of any situation that would have too much attention on you at once. So once Kirigan moves and you can't find him in the crowd, you decide now is as good a time as any to step out and get some air, especially since no one currently needs you for anything.

- So you disappear into the corridor, planning to be gone only for a few minutes. But the second you're about two steps into the hallway, you hear another's footsteps.

- The hopeful part of you is like 'maybe it's him!!' but you don't really think that. There's something about the atmosphere that feels too tense,, too wrong for you to believe it's him.

- A moment later, your suspicions are confirmed. A grisha known for his impulsiveness is calling out to you, asking you where you're going.

- You explain that you just wanted to get some air and that you'd be returning in a minute. You try to sound dismissive, clearly establishing that you'd like your minute to yourself.

- It's clear that he understands the hint, but he doesn't move. He just keeps asking you questions.

- Your answers get shorter and shorter, the nerves your feeling tensing with each word as he begins to venture from falsely casual conversation to more flirtatious words. Being shy can leave you speaking too much, spluttering out words in hopes of saying the right thing to let you escape, but this is a different type of nervousness. Something feels wrong.

- And he just keeps saying things, things that even Kirigan wouldn't be able to get away with.

- All the while, you're desperate to escape, but they're persistent.

- And just when you're losing hope, and his advances get so bold he has you literally backed into a corner--a familiar voice comes to you like a lifeline.

- Kirigan, with all the authority of the general, questions what's going on. The guy that was so relentlessly hitting on you moves back like suddenly you're fire and begins to back away. He tries to explain himself but Kirigan is not having it.

- As soon as the stranger leaves, you feel like you can breathe again, but your nerves are still on edge. Kirigan's looking at you in a way you've never seen before. Sharp and almost--almost angry?

- You try to mumble a quick thanks, intending to disappear back to where you're supposed to be, but Kirigan's gaze keeps you planted against the wall.

- His gaze is so intense you ask him if he's alright.

- The question cracks something in him because of course you'd ask him if he's okay after something happened to you. His expression softens slightly, which you think is a good thing but then he speaks,, and his voice is not calm at all

- He's mad at the person that did that and the irrational part of him makes it seem like he's a little mad at you for letting that situation happen, but it's only because he's worried about what would have happened if he hadn't gotten there in time.

- And you're kind of confused because like?? what does he want from you? you made it clear you were uncomfortable and you were trying to get away?

- But after a quick snap and the fact that you're okay settles in,, he does feel a little bad. So he comes close to apologizing,, but that's basically just him saying he's glad that you're okay.

- You don't really ease, so he decides to make a partial joke about how maybe he needs to be around you more,, just to be safe,, you know

- And you smile slightly, and you're like 'y'know i'm not completely helpless.'

- and he's like 'pity,, i would've liked the excuse'

- your face instantly feels extremely warm and you're not sure what you could even, plausibly say to that. But you can't let him have the last word,, not like that. So you're overcompensating, rambling, but then at the end...you say something about how he doesn't really need an excuse to stay near you.

- When you realize what you've said, fight or flight kicks in,, but you can't move. And there's no casual way to escape, so you decide that maybe you'll cut your losses for today because that might have been your most significant reply to him ever, and you feel like an idiot because he was probably joking. And you just had to say that and make it weird.

- So you allow exactly one second of unfortunate silence, your eyes glued to the ground. And then you make some excuse about needing to get back to where you were.

- But Kirigan stops you, and you think about how you can't avoid looking him in the eyes forever, so you just kind of barely dare to glance upwards.

- And he's smiling broader than usual, the look is so warm it melts away all the bad feelings from earlier. You have absolutely no idea what it means, but you know it's not...bad.

- And then he shifts slightly, and that's when you realize he's never been this close before.

- He then asks if you're sure, voice much lower than earlier.

- You can't speak,, too trapped on a line you don't understand.

- But as he leans forward, the only answer he needs is the instinctual part of your lips as his warm breath reaches your cheek.

- And with that he turns his head just a fraction of an inch,, and his lips meet yours.

- It's just a quick brush of lips,, a soft test. And when you don't protest, he moves to let the contact be a little more assured, yet still teasing.

- Something in you grows impatient, and you move a little in hopes that he'll take the hint.

- But that's all it takes for him to pull away, expression bright and teasing before playfully chiding you for being so eager.

- He then turns, leaving you more flustered than ever.

[areus-in-a-little-cave]

Hi bestie, do you happen to have any emerald duo longfic recs for me?

Please im going insane i need to read

Hi Ember I do not read enough emerald duo fics But I have searched some up soo here are a few, some I have not read and some I know by reputation. These are all completed as well and over 50k words

agnosthesia by ambibii and TearsOfAStarling - 111k words, High Fantasy AU, Creator chose not to use archive warnings

agnosthesia n. the state of not knowing how you really feel about something, which forces you to sift through clues hidden in your behavior, as if you were some other person—noticing a twist of acid in your voice, an obscene amount of effort put into something trifling, or an inexplicable weight on your shoulders that makes it difficult to get out of bed.

Philza Minecraft was the exiled prince of the Kingdom of Heart Cove, a darkness plaguing his heart. Technoblade was his loyal knight, is a pledged Blade since birth. Then Technoblade met a necromancer named Dream, who dragged the both of them to therapy and taught them about the magic of friendship along the way. Oh, and some actual magic too.

Don't know this one, looks like it has a lot of rivalsduo and doomsdaytrio but a decent amount of emerald duo

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The Next Great Adventure by Pathfinder - 114k words, Fantasy AU, Graphic depictions of violence

Philza is closed-off, hardened from centuries without aging while watching his friends turn to dust, taking jobs under the moniker Angel of Death to try and feel something again.

Technoblade is a brute of a piglin with more scars than unbroken skin and a penchant for uncovering trouble, hot on the trail of… something. He’s exactly the sort of routine job that should consume a few weeks of Phil’s endless time, before he’s forced to find something else to waste away doing.

(Such a shame, then, that the Angel of Death should meet his match.)

Or: A fanfiction in which an elaborate AU is crafted as an excuse to focus entirely on Technoblade and Philza's relationship.

Only has Emerald duo and Phil/Kristin tagged so I'm guessing it's just them!

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oh dear, can you see me? by findingkairos - 70k words, Antarctic Empire Age Swap AU, No archive warnings apply

Philza Minecraft is the youngest person ever to beat a Hardcore world and earn his wings. It makes him a target.

For an enterprising faction fighting in a server-wide war, it makes him a weapon.

(Age Swap!AU where Technoblade is a legendary warrior who's been having fun scaring newbies and occasionally conquering realms on behalf of Hypixel, Philza is a young player who's been guilt tripped into choosing the losing side, and things get worse before they get better.)

this one is actually on my tbr, looks like it's just emerald duo :]

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Orphan's Path by aenor_llelo, Alderous, Anarchy-Schmanarchy (Murder_Schmurder), BattleBlaze, ConcoctionsFromHell, Falrisesi, fluxphage, izziel_galaxy, Otakuforlife19, and Rocket999 - 686k words, Canon compliant/additional, Warnings vary by fic

Since this one is a series, I don't have a summary for it, but it's basically a retelling of canon from mostly Phil or Techno's POV with tons of additional backstory and headcanons and etc. Technically this one is not done since the series is on-going but there's, y'know, 686k words already

Also on my tbr, and it mostly seems to be emerald duo with some other people thrown in every now and again

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A collection of dust by SwordSoup - 78k words, Hunger Games AU, Graphic depictions of violence and Major character death

Phil's name is scrawled on 27 individual pieces of paper. Wilbur's is only written on one. Yet somehow, the younger boy is the one who is selected to join the Hunger Games, forced to die on television for the entertainment of the ravenous elite. Phil won't allow it. He volunteers, and then a man he has only spoken to once is called to the platform, and Technoblade's eyes are an eerie shade of red, and then he's being taken away, and-

And then suddenly, Phil is dragged into a bloody and gruesome struggle for power against a country that only wants to watch him die. But he'll fight, no matter how little the odds favor him.

okay I really want to read this one now oop don't mind me. Phil and Techno's relationship tag and Phil and Wilbur's are the only ones on the fic so despite the other character tags I'm guessing it's about them mostly

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bones in the ocean by bunflower - 86k words, Pirate AU, Graphic depictions of violence

“The Angel of Death, the ferryman of the Styx, the terror of the western seas. One of the most feared captains ever to sail, and yet, I have to wonder… how did a man like you end up all on his own? We searched the area where you were found—not another soul in sight. So,” He fixes him with a long look, allowing the silence to hover like a dark cloud, the words rolling off of his tongue with all the venom and smugness he can muster, “—tell me, Philza. Where is your crew?”

—

OR: Technoblade is a naval captain, and Phil his unwilling prisoner. Somehow, they manage to come out of it as friends in the end.

yeah so unlike the others I actually know this one because it's very popular and I know Bun is a great emerald duo author so I'm guessing it's quite good

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i wanna hear it's alright by bunflower - 114k words, Canon-divergent, Graphic depictions of violence and Major character death

“T’ the gates of hell…”

“Go to hell, then.”

“I’ll see you there.”

—

A Phil-centric whump!fic that grew into a story of friendship, love, betrayal, and loss. A series of interconnected one-shots focusing on the nature and complexity of Phil and Technoblade’s friendship over the centuries.

one day when I am strong enough and won't cry I will read this

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Anyways that's it for fics BUT I have three authors here that I know write a lot of emerald duo even if they don't have completed long fics for them

Anarchy_and_Piglins - Most popular and longest fic is About Phantom Pains of Dying, an ongoing collection of Techno-centric oneshots, 88k words and no archive warnings.

h_mellohi - Most popular fic is feathers laden with dust and stone, a season one OSMP angel duo oneshot, 5k words and no archive warnings. Longest fic is red eggs and ham, a finished peerpressureduo eggpire fic, 94k words and creator chose not to use archive warnings.

bunflower - Most popular fic is Bones in the ocean, same as above. Longest fic is i wanna hear it's alright, same as above. Just here because they have a lot of other emerald duo fics

[village-for-rambles]

Hey bestys I can't sleep I have stuff to do tomorrow and I finished an anime today that I have been rbing abouts soo I might as well give some context about what bofuri actually is huh.

The next season is coming out sometime this year and I highly encourage you guys to watch it if you're looking for something silly !! :] the full title is BOFURI: I Don't Want To Get Hurt So I'll Max Out My Defense. And it is long. And basically explains the entire concept of the anime <3

In short a girl (Kaede but she goes by maple in-game and that's the main focus of the whole thing) plays a vr game as requested by her friend (Risa but she goes by Sally in-game !! In the first few episodes she's grounded so she couldn't play with Kaede) and she has like never played a video game in her life so she's not familiar with mechanics . She is also very clumsy and a Nitwit (affectionate) so she decides to put literally all of her status points throughout the show into defense. So she is slow and weak but she's a tank for sure!!!! She's insanely overpowered because she finds a lot of special skills on accident by completely defying the game's normal logic (she eats a hydra and a demon and gains its powers <33)

However she has no idea how weird that actually is to other players and is confused and embarrassed when she zooms through the ranks in the first event she participates in as she's like level 6 by then but literally invincible <3 the admins nerf her abilities so it's not entirely impossible to beat her but with the power of Weird And Stupid And Encouraged (once again, affectionate) she earns even more skills that basically counter the admin efforts until they basically give up because she's attracting new players anyway and if everyone thinks it's fun then meh

It can get a little insane and maybe annoying how op she is but she's sweet to literally everyone even after going on a massacre rampage and her friends she makes in-game and their dynamics are wonderful :] there's no real danger and though the stakes can seem high from time to time a majority of it is just silly and fun. The voice acting is awesome and the character design is cute!! If you haven't noticed I particularly enjoy kanade because wtf. He fits my criteria!!!! Not my blorbo criteria but just. Like. Another one I have not named yet

I've rambled long enough about this but yeah if you're into video gamey animes (I'm not usually but I'll make an exception for this one) and you're lookin for something just a little bit ridiculous then I'd recommend bofuri :]] may or may not continue to ramble about this tomorrow

I am also finishing ANOTHER first season of an anime with my sister tomorrow so be prepared for a paragraph about that one too <3

[triptuckers]

Taking care of you - Jesper Fahey

Request: yes! “Omg I got so happy when I saw that your requests were open because I looooove your writing 🥰 Is it okay if I request a Jesper one where the reader, his gf, goes out partying with Nina after a job for the Dregs so she returns to the Slat in the middle of the night a little drunk so Jesper has to make sure she gets in their bed okay and how he takes care of her in the morning. Just some domestic, fluff with Mr. Fahey 💛💛 Thanks in advance!!!” Pairing:  Jesper Fahey x reader Summary:  Jesper takes care of you after you come home drunk after a night out Warnings: none Word count:  1.5K A/N: MORE SOFT JESPER !!!! I am a sucker for sweet, caring, lovable boyfriend Jesper. thank you so much for requesting this, enjoy reading! :)

Every once in a while, you allowed yourself to blow off some steam. Your favorite way to do so, was to go out with Nina. Going out with Nina was always fun. 

You’d go to a bar, get a few drinks in, and happily gossip away. And if you really needed to let go, you’d dance with her, even though most of the bars didn’t even have live music. Somehow Nina always found someone who could take care of the music. 

Tonight, after a successful job, all it took was one glance for you to loop your arm through Nina’s, and you were on your way. 

Of course, Jesper had promised to wait up for you. Even though you told him he shouldn’t, that you could tell he was tired and he deserved some rest. He’d refused to go to bed before you got home. 

And he keeps his promise. He’s sitting at one of the tables with Kaz, when the door opens.

You and Nina walk in. Or rather, Nina walks in, while you’re heavily leaning onto her shoulder. 

‘Hi guys!’ you say happily, when you notice Jesper and Kaz. Your heels dangle from your hand as you wave at them. 

‘I guess you two had fun, huh?’ says Jesper, already amused by your happy and bubbly state.

‘It was amazing. I beat Nina.’ you say as Jesper walks over to the two of you. He looks at Nina, silently asking for an explanation.

‘Shots competition.’ she says, sounding surprisingly sober. ‘But it takes a lot more drink to get me drunk. Y/N’s only got a few, but she already claims she can rob the entire Merchant council on her own.’

‘I can!’ you say, sounding offended.

Jesper chuckles. ‘Thanks for getting her home, I'll take her upstairs.’ he says.

‘Oh thank god.’ says Nina, removing your arm from her shoulders and handing you over to your boyfriend.

‘Nina, don’t go, the night’s still young!’ you say. 

‘Night’s not young, Y/N.’ says Nina as she walks over to join Kaz. ‘And you’re Jesper’s problem now!’ she calls over her shoulder. 

You turn to look at Jesper. ‘I’m always your problem.’ you say, grinning at him.

‘Luckily, you’re a delight to have around.’ says Jesper, wrapping an arm around your waist and starting to guide you to the stairs.

‘How many drinks did you have?’ he asks you.

‘A few.’ you say, trying to sound convincing. Jesper raises an eyebrow at you. ‘A few more than that?’ you say in question and he chuckles. 

‘Do you think you can walk the stairs?’ asks Jesper.

‘No!’ calls Nina from the other side of the room. ‘I basically had to drag her back here. Do not let her walk those stairs, she’s gonna trip and end up with a broken neck.’

‘Alright then.’ says Jesper, moving to stand in front of you. He takes your arms and puts both of them around his neck, but he dodges you when you try to kiss him. You look up at him and pout your lips.

‘Not when you’re drunk, darling.’ he says. ‘And I need to be able to see the stairs when I'm walking. I don’t want to trip and have both of us end up piled on the floor.’

‘I would love to have you piled up on top of me.’ you murmur. 

Jesper laughs softly and hooks his arms around you. He lifts you and you wrap your legs around his waist as he starts to walk up the stairs. You bury your face in his neck and feel sleep slowly getting to you. After laughing and dancing with Nina, and the journey back to the Slat, you couldn’t ignore how tired your legs felt.

When he arrives at his floor, Jesper keeps one hand on your back as he opens the door to his room with the other. 

Once he gets to the bed, he carefully sets you down. You look up at him and smile tiredly. His heart absolutely melts at the sight of you. Clearly tired, but you still got that happy energy of a night out buzzing around you.

Jesper closes the door and walks back to you, offering his hand. You take it and allow him to pull you to your feet. He turns you around and starts loosening up the corset on the back of your dress.

‘I thought you didn’t want to do anything.’ you say teasingly, though your voice sounds tired.

‘We’re not going to do anything, darling, I told you. Not when you’re drunk.’ says Jesper.

‘Tomorrow?’ you say.

‘If your headache isn’t killing you tomorrow morning, then sure.’ he says, helping you out of your dress. 

He gets a shirt out of his closet and holds it up for you to slide your arms in. Your eyes study his face as he buttons up the shirt.

‘Jesper?’ you say.

‘Yes, love?’ he says, fastening the last button.

‘I love you. You know that right?’ you say.

Jesper chuckles. ‘Yes, love, I know. I love you too.’ he says. ‘But now it’s time for you to get some sleep.’

‘I’m not that tired.’ you say, suppressing a yawn.

‘Sure you aren’t.’ says Jesper, gently pushing you toward the bed. You lay down and pull the covers up, already feeling your tired body shutting down. 

‘Sweet dreams, darling.’ says Jesper and you feel him kiss your cheek before you fall asleep.

The first thing you notice when you wake up the next morning is a pounding headache. You squeeze your eyes shut and press your palms to your eyes.

Going out with Nina was always fun. Except for the part where you claimed you could drink her under the table. You never could. 

You turn over, reaching out for Jesper, but he isn’t there. You open your eyes and frown. He’s always next to you when you wake up. You always wake up at least an hour or two before he does. So it’s strange he’s not next to you.

When you roll over again to look out the window, you notice it’s not morning. The sun is high in the sky, and you can hear the sounds of people talking in the street below.

Then the door opens slowly and Jesper pokes his head around the corner. He smiles when he sees you.

‘You’re awake!’ he says, opening the door further and stepping into the room.

‘Room’s bright.’ you grumble, closing your eyes again.

‘I’m sure every room is bright to you, given that you got very drunk last night. You must have a killer hangover.’ says Jesper.

‘How bad was it?’ you ask him.

‘Oh, it wasn’t that bad. Just the usual. You lost a drinking game to Nina and couldn’t keep your hands off of me. I’m used to that last part though.’ he says.

‘Did you get me coffee?’ you say.

‘Even better.’ he says. ‘Coffee and waffles form the place near the docks you love so much.’

Upon hearing his words, you open your eyes immediately. Jesper is standing next to the bed, looking down at you. It’s only then you notice the small bag and steaming mug in his hands.

‘Did I mention I love you?’ you say, sitting up and taking the bag from his hands.

‘You tell me that several times a day, so yes.’ says Jesper and he sets the mug of coffee down on the bedside table. ‘How’s the headache?’

‘Not as bad as the last time.’ you say.

‘You mean when you threw a pillow at my face when I said “good morning” to you?’ says Jesper. 

You narrow your eyes at him. Last time you got hungover, every sound was loud, including Jesper’s voice. You were frustrated and irritable and had indeed thrown a pillow at his face. He’s never going to let you forget about it.

‘Watch it, despite the fact my head feels too heavy for my neck, I can still aim very well.’ you say, making Jesper chuckle.

‘I asked Kaz if he can skip you today if he needs to get things done.’ says Jesper.

You meant to say ‘thank you’, but through a mouth of waffles it’s hard to form any words. You swallow it and smile.

‘You’re an angel.’ you say.

‘I know, I'm the best.’ says Jesper. ‘I'm off to do all the little annoying jobs he usually makes you do because you don’t mind all the running around. And as for you, stay here, I'll come check in occasionally with a new delivery of the latest gossip, along with limitless kisses.’

You smile again. ‘What would I do without you, Jesper?’ you say.

‘Fall into the dark pit that is called life, without any sunshine in human form, like me, to cheer you up.’ says Jesper making you laugh. 

Being hungover wasn’t that bad. Especially when Jesper Fahey was around.

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Marit