#but yenno less so than in the past

[dreamkenn]

my exams are over & i wanna do social interactions again but it’s also been at least over a month since i spoke to anyone outside of valo and small brain has convinced me they’ve all forgotten i exist </3

[drunk-on-dk]

With Somebody Else | Kim Mingyu (m)

✦pairing: fwb!Mingyu x fem!reader

✦genre: SMUT (minors DNI) fluff? angst? fwb feels yenno

✦wc: ~3.0 and some change

✦summary: No longer being able to go back and forth with Mingyu, you decide to seek out somebody else.

NSFW warnings under the cut, minors do not read, 18+ only

✦warnings: no specific pronouns used, but reader has female anatomy; pet names (baby); switch?Mingyu; switch?reader; unprotected sex (safety first pls); gyu has a big dick; grinding; mingyu loves praise; a bit of tears; mentions of alcohol

✦a/n: this was a quick lil thing i wrote up because somebody else by the 1975 has resurfaced in my life and that song is what led me to this. I hope you all enjoy! I tried a lil bit of a different writing style, so I'm hoping it still paces ok. As always I appreciate all feedback, likes, comments, and reblogs <3

Mingyu should have been relieved when he found out you were seeing somebody else for the first time. In fact, he thought it was a lie when Seungcheol filled him in on the details that you’ve been dating someone for the past couple of weeks. However, something ached deep down in Mingyu’s chest upon hearing the news, a fake smile falling onto his features and watching the amber liquid swirl around half-melted ice cubes.

Seungcheol’s knowing gaze was enough to break down Mingyu’s walls. “I just can’t picture Y/N with somebody else.”

Meanwhile, you were desperate to break the string that tied you to Mingyu like a tetherball. Unfortunately, it was like a slow tear, with you fraying away at the other end of the string, and finally cutting yourself loose. It was too complicated, Mingyu didn’t want to pursue dating for fear that it would ruin the dynamic of the friend group, but you honestly couldn’t handle anything less than dating at this point. Mingyu was a kind, loving guy, but his lack of commitment frightened you, thus leading you to finally cut your ties as friends with benefits.

It was difficult, at least to say, as you were stuck with Mingyu regardless of how hard you tried to distance yourself. You saw him at Seungcheol’s pre-games, heard about how he made the final kill shot on the video game Seokmin was playing, scrolled past his recent Instagram post, and he just generally clouded your mind, remembering sweet things he’s done for you all these years as a friend.

You knew what you had to do, you had to start seeing other people, and you could no longer go to Mingyu with wishful thinking that you both were something more than just friends with benefits.

Mingyu didn’t believe you when you declared that you couldn’t see him like this again for the first time. He didn’t believe you when you said you two could only be friends. Not when he had you like this, legs wrapped tightly around his waist and cock nuzzled deep inside you.

He refused to believe you, not at all, continuing to thrust slowly into you and nibbling on your tender skin. “You don’t mean that one bit, baby. I know you love this cock.”

You weren’t sure you believed your words either, but Mingyu’s words hit you right where it hurts. You did love his cock, but you weren’t sure that was just it. Suddenly, friends with benefits became way too complicated and overwhelming for you. Hot tears streamed down your cheeks, Mingyu being sure to kiss them away as he repeatedly hit that one spot deep inside of you that had you clenching tightly around him.

“Fuck, I do love your cock,” you moan out, admitting the very least for now, and trying to make the best of what you assume will be the last.

Mingyu’s lips capture yours, tasting slightly salty from the way he picked up your tears with gentle kisses. Mingyu groans into you as your nails dig into his skin, losing himself in the way your walls throb around him as he picks up his pace. He can’t stop kissing you, relentlessly fucking into you as your walls suck him in deeper, loving the way you whimper and moan into his mouth.

He knows you’re close, he knows your body better than anyone else does or ever will, and he’s confident of that. This is exactly why he doesn’t believe you, not believing that you two could ever go back to just being friends. Not when you both make each other feel this good.

Mingyu is calculated, a large hand running down your body until it finds its way to your clit and his rough thumb rubbing at your swollen clit. He knows you’ll finish like this, pulling away from the kiss to watch your face twist in pleasure, taking note of your slightly raw cheeks from your crying. You're still so beautiful, even when you're a mess beneath him.

He’s correct that you were nearing your finish, watching you come undone underneath him as he follows suit, releasing his hot cum inside of you as you both moan and groan in ecstasy.

You both fell asleep in each other’s arms that night, but Mingyu didn’t wake up with you beside him in the morning like he normally does. Maybe there was some truth in your words, but Mingyu didn’t believe you had it in you to hold out for long. Mingyu knew you’d come back to him eventually.

It was annoying – infuriating actually – how you hadn’t looked up once from your phone, Mingyu wanted to wipe that stupid, cute smile off your face. He wondered if it annoyed your friends as well, how immersed you were with your phone that you couldn’t even enjoy the conversations taking place around you.

He realized it didn’t bother anyone except him, especially when Seokmin cooed upon noticing how flustered you seemed from a text message, “Looks like Y/N has the hots for someone finally.”

Mingyu had to suppress the jealously that bubbled up from deep down inside of him, hating the way his heart stammered at the adorable blush and shy smile that adorned your features.

Why couldn’t he do that? Why didn’t he make you that flustered? Why were you sticking to your words? Why were you seeing other people? And why is he just a friend to you again? Was it that simple for you?

Mingyu found himself kicking you gently underneath the table, yearning to touch you somehow as he has been missing it for quite some time now. You looked up from your phone for the first time in a while, your sparkling eyes catching his with a small smile that slowly became a scowl.

“What do you want, Gyu?” You mouthed from across the table, stubbornly taking a sip of your drink to avoid his gaze and knowing that you need to avoid him at all costs.

“Come get some air outside with me,” he’s pouting, and you can’t help but oblige. Even though you’re weak for him, you can’t ignore him since he is still technically one of your best friends.

You should have known that following him outside would have been a bad idea. The second Mingyu had you pressed up against the cool brick wall, whispering sweet nothings with his gentle tone should have had you running back inside the bar to your friends.

“Mingyu,” you pant out, his hot breath leaving a trail of goosebumps down your neck and his hands begin to gently roam your waist. “We can’t do this, I told you we can’t be anything more than friends.”

“You know that’s not true,” he breathes out after pressing an open-mouthed kiss to your jaw. “You can’t tell me you don’t want me as bad as I want you.”

He’s right, you can’t deny the way your hips keen into his, but you also can’t deny that your date is supposed to be picking you up from this bar any minute now. “Mingyu, I can’t, the person I’ve been seeing is on their way to come to get me, and you just have to respect my choices.”

Mingyu is like a kicked puppy, pulling away from you instantly with a look of betrayal, “You’re seriously seeing somebody else?”

“Yes, Gyu,” you sigh out, running a hand through your hair, not feeling prepared at all to have another conversation about lacking the commitment you need from him. “You know exactly why I’m seeing someone else.”

Those words stung Mingyu for the rest of the night. He did know why; he hated that he couldn’t give you what you wanted in the first place and hated that he couldn’t give you the sense of security that you needed. Mingyu didn’t understand why he couldn’t in the first place, he’d love to date you and would love to treat you the way you deserve. Nothing stung more than your words than watching you leave the bar after bidding everyone goodbye, giddy to be picked up by your date. Mingyu couldn’t help the way his hand lingered on your waist a little too long, and you yourself seemed a bit hesitant to leave Mingyu’s grasp as you left.

Mingyu absolutely disliked seeing you around with your new fling. He hated when you’d bring them with to game nights or when you’d simply post a story at a café with them.

He absolutely despised when he had to sit around you two, listening to your melodious giggles and watching you lean in to whisper in their ear. Mingyu just wished he could tell you to never bring them around again because seriously, in comparison to him, he could 100% treat you better and he’d prove it if he could now.

Mingyu would attempt to sneak you away, his charm always winning you over, and he was usually successful in his attempts. He didn’t care if he looked like a dick to your date, he only cared about having you alone and being the one who made you smile.

Sometimes things would feel like they were back to normal, and you two would end up shamelessly flirting, which was always in the background of your friendship even before you two started hooking up. He’d find himself leaning into you, and he could swear that you’d lean towards him too, your lips almost like magnets as you’re pulled towards one another.

However, that moment would be ruined when you’d be swept away by your date once again. All Mingyu could do was watch you disappear into the crowd, feeling like he’s lost all chances at ever truly having you.

Mingyu wasn’t sure what he was expecting when you showed up at his door late one night, storming right past him and welcoming yourself into his apartment before he could even question why you were there.

He couldn’t even get a word out, your hands had already grabbed the sides of his face and you wasted no time pulling him into a hungry kiss, full of passion and desire that you’d been suppressing for God knows how long.

No one fucked you the way Mingyu could. No one knew you the way Mingyu could. No one treated you the way Mingyu could.

Mingyu melted into you, arms wrapping greedily around you as if he never wanted to let you go ever again. In all honesty, he had started losing hope, truly starting to believe that you would stay true to your word of staying just friends.

However, tonight proved him none the wiser, you seemed desperate for him, pushing his tall frame that towered over you all the way to his bedroom. Frantically undressing yourself, Mingyu followed along and pulled off his own clothing as you stripped down to the bare minimum.

Mingyu released a sigh at seeing you in your full glory again, hands reaching out to caress your curves, but pouting when you shove his hands away.

“You’re going to take what I give you,” you command, pinning down his hands and straddling his thighs on his bed, “and you’re not going to complain once, or I’ll take my ass to someone else.”

Mingyu nods desperately, hips grinding up so that his erection can rub against your hot cunt. He almost lets out a whine, immediately noticing how wet you are already, and needing to feel the inside of you as soon as possible, or else he might burst. Tsking at him, you rise slightly as if to warn him, but you quickly drop back down on him, running his length through your folds and letting out a moan from the pleasure of having him this close to you again.

“God, Gyu,” you coo, holding his hands above his head and feeling dizzy at the way he bites down on his lip, your slick gliding against him as you grind down on his length, jumping slightly as the tip of his head brushes your clit. “You were right, I fucking love your cock, and I need it so bad.”

“You can have it, baby,” Mingyu groans, muscles tensing as you restrain him and needily grind against him. He could easily overpower you, but he loves when you lead like this. “Use me, make yourself cum on my cock.”

Your body shivers on top of him, and Mingyu can’t restrain himself from latching his lips on your pebbled nipples, basking in the way you writhe above him, and how your wetness makes you glide so easily over him.

You can’t wait any longer, one hand reaching down as another hand travels to his chest to balance yourself. You guide his length into your folds, your walls taking in his familiar length, even though he’s still too big to take in one go.

Mingyu lets you take your time, his hands tightly grip your hips, loving the way the plump flesh ripples from how harshly his fingers dig into your skin.  Simultaneously, you both let out a moan when you take him in completely, the tip of his head nuzzled deep inside of you as your walls pulse around him.

He attempts to buck up into you, but you hold him down, reminding him what you said earlier, “you’ll take what I give you, Gyu.”

Mingyu obeys, even when you begin to tease him with your hands running up his chest, cheeky fingers pinching at his nipples, and your tongue leaving a hot trail up to his neck. You do all this while rolling your hips against him, letting your walls adjust to his size as you nip and kiss at his skin until your lips finally reattach to his.

Mingyu can no longer keep his hands to himself, taking fistfuls of your ass, squeezing the muscle, and guiding you as you ride him. As much as you’d like to stay in control, you love the slight twinge of pain from his tight grip on you, and the pleasure that comes along with the friction of his length moving in and out of your tight pussy.

The kiss is messy as you continue to ride him, his teeth biting at your bottom lip and moaning when he grazes that spot inside of you that only he can reach. “Fuck, only you can fuck me like this, love everything about you.”

It’s a slight confession that you’ll regret in hindsight, but you don’t miss the way he matches your movements as you ride him, starry eyes staring up at you as you begin to lean back. Mingyu is convinced he’s in love himself, but he couldn’t admit that just now. In the meantime, he soaks in the way you lean back, chest on display for him as you hold onto his knees and continue to ride him expertly.

He swears you’re beautiful just like this (even though you’re beautiful all the time, admittedly). He would have never imagined that his best friend could take him so well, fuck him so well, and make his stomach flutter and head rush like how you do.

Mingyu almost loses it when you pull his body up to yours, the push of your chest against his and the feeling of your skin making him impossibly harder inside of you. You use his shoulders as support, bouncing up and down on his cock and letting his lips work at your skin.

You can tell he’s close, from the bead of sweat that runs down his chest, from the way he throbs inside of you, and from the pathetic whiney moan that escapes his lips. His hands become desperate, palming at your skin wherever he can grab and make you moan. You continue to breathe out praises to him, letting him know that you couldn’t ever get enough of his cock, that it’s perfect for you, and that he’s such a good toy.

Mingyu cums inside of you from all the praise, unable to hold back the hot ropes that fill you as your walls clench impossibly tighter around him. Watching and hearing him lose himself so pathetically beneath you has you finishing with him, your body shaking with his as he fills you deep inside. You both shiver upon lifting from him, watching the cum drip from your folds as you hold yourself above him, Mingyu dropping a finger down to your core to collect himself and pump it back in between your swollen folds.

Mingyu doesn’t let you go that night, hands roaming your body and lips constantly reconnecting with yours until you both fall asleep in each other’s arms.

That next morning Mingyu was relieved to find you next to him. Mingyu couldn’t hide the smirk on his face when you rolled over to cuddle closer to him, knowing that you couldn’t ever hold out from him no matter what.

Seungcheol had kept a close eye on you two these past couple of months, knowing exactly when you and Mingyu had started hooking up, knowing exactly when things got weird (hence the dating), and exactly when you two were back at it. He was sick of you two skirting around everyone, eyeing you both suspiciously as Mingyu shyly flirted with you at the bar.

Seungcheol almost felt bad for the poor guy, knowing he just needed the push to ask you out for real, and knowing that Mingyu was helplessly head over heels for you. Mingyu was alarmed when Seungcheol firmly placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from you for the first time that night.

Leaning toward Mingyu, Seungcheol whispered a warning in his ear, “I swear to god, if you don’t ask Y/N out by next weekend, I’ll beat your ass for making it weird for all of us here.”

Mingyu couldn’t stop the toothy smile that took over his features, sending a wink Seungcheol’s way, “believe me, I’m working on it. There will be no more ‘somebody else’ by next weekend.”

Making sure to stick to his word, Mingyu no longer let anybody else into your heart other than him.

[barzzal]

between halls and thin walls → part two

summary: friends who fool around almost never work. almost.

↳ pairing: mathew barzal x you

↳ warnings: swearing, sex toys, masturbation, sexual/suggestive themes, and yenno, mathew :(

↳ genre: angst, smut, roommates au, best friend’s best friend, friends with benefits, 18+ minors dni*

↳ length: series; part one, part two (5.9k), part three, part four, part five, part six

↳ masterlist: the barn

↳ track: listened to a lot of beyoncé for this one !!

note: part two’s here!! and i know it’s late for an update but i just wanna thank everyone for commenting on the first part 🥺 really glad that you guys liked it. reading your tags are everything to me it means a lot! happy reading <3 (gif used: mine)

You come out of your bedroom dressed and ready for work. Your handbag was slung over the depth of your forearm as you headed for the kitchen and the other, scrolling past emails on your phone, admittedly bracing yourself for the mess you know will eventually greet you.

To your surprise, what you see instead were Mat Barzal’s guns rippling through the jet black sweater he had worn last night. A memory that sent your mind to less than eight hours ago, before eventually landing on what happened shortly when the two of you had woken up.

“Thank god you haven’t burnt the house down.” you kid, placing your handbag atop the island.

Mat spares you a quick glance, rolling his eyes whilst he lets you watch him whisk some eggs for breakfast.

“Like it?” he cocks, pertaining to how your eyes were pinned hard on his biceps that he was, for the most part, effortlessly sporting. It’s true, though. He didn’t need to flex because it was just there.

“Coffee or Juice?” he asks, as the kind friend and roommate that he is. 

Anthony, as surprising as it was, takes incredibly long showers. If people hadn’t known him well, they’d easily think he’s abusing himself there. But you’ve got to admit that not having him around felt nice for you didn’t have to feel so seen with Mathew.

‘Course, there’s nothing more, like a fix-in on the side, to your set up. You just appreciate the feeling of not having to lie to Beau about all the ugly concealed underneath all the innocent gazes you and Mathew exchange.

“Coffee.” you answer shortly, realizing that you forgot the material you need for today’s meeting.

“Where are you going?” Mat asks when he catches you receding out into the hallway. You didn’t bother looking back, “Forgot something!”

He gets back to whisking the eggs when a chime comes off his phone. He takes it from the counter, placed just before the plates he left to dry last night, absent-mindedly putting the bowl he was holding onto the island, toppling over the green juice he has prepared for himself. 

“Shit.” he curses as soon as he sees it for it was already spilling all over the place, making the mess you’ve been secretly anticipating the moment Mathew said he’d make breakfast.

Panicking at how you’d see he’s successfully screwed such a no-brainer task, Mat grabs the first thing he sees on the marbled surface and uses it to clean the mess he’d made.

“Huh.” he muses to himself, realizing that the silk fabric didn’t do much in helping him clean up. He tosses it over the sink carelessly and grabs a few napkin rolls from one of the cupboards. 

So much for making an effort to feed Anthony Beauvillier. 

“Now, that was fast.” you say with a smirk once you’ve entered the kitchen, startling Mathew as he continued cleaning up after his mess. 

“Ha-ha. Very funny.” he sarcastically laughs, discarding the paper towels onto the sink along with the used ones. 

Thankfully, your stuff was at the other side of the island so it was very much safe from all the chaos happening at the other end of the marbled surface. However, your laugh dies down the second you realize that your handkerchief was no longer where you’ve last put it.

“Hey,” you call on Mathew, “What’s up?”

“Have you seen my handkerchief? I know I left it somewhere.” you anxiously ask, eyeing every corner of the room hoping to see Nana’s handkerchief, the one she gave to you on your 18th birthday.

“What does it look like?” Mat asks, now holding a pan in his hand as he prepares breakfast.

You proceeded to describe your grandma’s handkerchief in the most specific and perhaps excruciating detail Mathew has ever heard someone talk about something as mind-numbing as a handkerchief.

Despite that, Mat lights up the moment it hits him, not realizing the bigger mess he’s about to walk into. He rejoices at how he knew exactly what you were looking for, “Oh! You mean this?” 

With clueless eyes, you watch Mat go over the sink after he wipes his hands dry, fishing out an all too familiar fabric from the sink. Once your eyes land onto the cream colored silk handkerchief, with details carefully sewn by hand, drenching in what seems to be Mat’s morning drink, your heart falls to the pit of your stomach. 

“What did you do??” The sudden rise in your voice startles an unsuspecting Mathew. You eagerly went over to his side and hastily snatched the smooth fabric off his hands, “It’s ruined!”

“What? I didn’t know it was yours!” Mat’s eyes are wild with confusion. Puzzled at how you were so fixated on the useless fabric. It didn’t help him anyway. There’s nothing much left to do but to throw it. It’s garbage. 

“You ruined it!” you lash out, letting Mat get eaten up by the sudden anger bubbling inside your guts but he was rather quick in defending himself, “I didn’t know it was yours since I grabbed the first thing I could find. Why are you getting upset over a shit-ass handkerchief?” 

Your mouth falls and you shake your head, finding his defensiveness quite appalling. “You’re an ass.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was yours.” he explains, “Come on, it’s just a stupid handkerchief I’ll just buy you a new one.” he tries to laugh the tension off, sporting his signature grin.

Mat take shots of the stunned expression on your face, “Stupid?” you repeat what he said, your eyes already starting to sting with tears. Clearly, you were far too overwhelmed to even acknowledge Mathew’s half-assed apology.

“You’re a fucking asshole.” your words bite and that’s when things took a turn for the worse. 

“I said I was fucking sorry! What the hell do you want from me? Shit a fucking hanky?” he rans a hand through his hair, “Do you realize how childish you’re being right now?”

Outraged, and perhaps disappointed by how he was too high up his horse, your voice takes up a higher tone, entering what seems to be an early screaming match between you and Mathew.

“Could you just–” you breathe, “for one second– stop being so goddamn stupid and get over yourself!?” were words that welcomed Anthony the moment he stepped into the kitchen, towel wrapped around his waist, a grin on his face visible as he poured himself a glass of water, inviting himself in the screaming match you and Mathew have exclusively put forth for him.

“Stupid is not when you’ve already apologized a hundred times! Stupid is being such a crybaby and a bitch about it!” Mathew retorts, gaining his better end of the argument.

“What a beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Anthony chimes in, a hand resting on his chin, adoring his two best friends upon getting used to the best worst duo he’s ever known in his life. 

“Shut up, Beau.” you say, throwing him a glare.

“Well, beautiful is definitely not in Y/N’s dictionary.” Mathew chides with a smirk, enough to earn himself a scoff from you. 

“You know what? I don’t have the time for this bullshit.” you cuss, finally retreating, your already heavy heart taking a better hold on your thoughts, blocking your ability to even come up with a clever remark to come back at Mathew.

You throw the delicate, yet already ruined piece of fabric towards his way as hard as you could before marching out of the kitchen and head off for work.

“Fucking unbelievable.” Mathew curses under his breath once he catches the silk linen, shaking his head as he turns his attention back to the morning task at hand. 

You were fucking unbelievable.

Once the boys were left alone, Tito raises a brow, briefly looking back after your footsteps, “What happened here, anyway?” he asks, having realized what must’ve caused such a heated argument so early in the morning. 

“I used this handkerchief to wipe the whole thing off and she just went ape shit! I mean–” Anthony cuts Mathew the moment he recognizes the thin cloth he was holding.

“Woah, woah. Wait a minute, you used this?” he muses, stressing on the possibility of what might have been Mathew’s biggest mistake of the day, his eyes darting between him and the fabric.

With furrowed brows, admittedly weirded by how Anthony reacted almost the same way you did a while ago. “It’s just a handkerchief, man. I can go buy her a bunch if that’s what she wants.” he says defensively.

Anthony shakes his head wildly, his irises now dilated as he examined the stain already sitting on the material. “No no. Oh god no.” He says, snatching Mathew’s phone from the counter to google quick remedies that might remove the said stain from the already ruined cloth. 

“What do you mean no? You guys spend way too much time together, you’re beginning to be as weird as her.” He scoffs, sipping on a glass of water. 

“No, you dumbass. This was her grandma’s!” Anthony says, eyes fixated on the delicate handkerchief. Remembering how you’d told him how long it has been in your family that having Nana give it to you after all the years you’ve spent admiring it from afar meant so much to you than anything anyone could have possibly given you.

“So?” Mat casually replies, closing his arms to his chest before adding, “Is she dead or something? Didn’t you guys visit her for the Holidays?” 

“What?? Why would you even say that?– You’re such a jerk.” Tito shakes his head, appalled by how Mathew easily shrugged the matter off when he knew full well how sentimental he himself could be.

“Well, how am I supposed to know?? If that thing’s so important I wouldn’t leave it on top of some random shit lying around!” He counters, defending himself for reaching for the nearest cloth he could find when he did whatever he does best when he’s in the kitchen.

Tito clicks his tongue and looks at Mathew exasperatedly, “Tell me, where did you find this exactly?”, to which Mathew only answered with a quiet voice, “It may or may not have been placed on top of her purse…” he avoids Tito’s gaze, finally catching on how he was the one in the wrong. 

“See? Jerk. Now, go figure out how you’ll take the stain off.” Anthony demands, his voice embraced by a definitive tone. One that made Mathew know he wouldn’t be able to persuade him into letting this go. 

Tito takes one good look at Mat’s catastrophic attempt to feed the house, striding his way out of the kitchen, “And make sure you apologize!” he adds, footsteps receding into the hallway, leaving Mathew scratching the back of his head out of guilt and frustration.

You have spent the following days either avoiding Mathew or ignoring his existence completely. Anthony talked to you the night that incident happened and assured you that he would do his best to have it fixed. You didn’t want to bother him nor take time off his already busy schedule, but you were just so bummed to even say a word.

That night, you spent the entire evening in your room, facetiming your mother, saying how much you’re missing home. You can’t bring yourself to tell her about the handkerchief. For some people, and that people being Mathew, it might’ve been just some silly thing but Tito knew how much that small piece of cloth meant to you. 

Mathew, on the one hand, was for sure guilty to his bones. He didn’t see you that night nor the nights that followed. He didn’t think much of it but when he found himself searching for that same handkerchief in the hopes of replacing it only to find out that it was nowhere to be found in the market, was when he did realize that ruining the one thing that held you closer to home was the last push your non-existent relationship with him had to have for you to finally lose any ounce of amour nor civility you once had for him. 

Anthony wasn’t a stranger for said changes either. He began waking up to a still apartment enveloped by a wall you profusely built between you and Mathew. You even unknowingly shut Tito out in the process as well. It was like you were grieving. Like, it was a whole different kind of heartbreak he knew he can’t get you out of that easily. 

You tried making it up for your best friend of course. Knowing that you haven’t been yourself since that day. You thought about the possibility of having taken the whole thing too seriously that you might’ve overreacted a bit. Nonetheless, no matter how much you try to push it in the back of your head, Mathew’s mere presence began irking you in ways it never did back when you used to enjoy the bickering you exchange with him, especially in bed.

“Thanks for dinner, belle.” Anthony politely says, earning a smile from you so effortlessly upon hearing the pet name he uses for you. Something Mat only shrugged off, trying to piece out the same gratitude, “Thanks, y/n.” he genuinely adds. But as expected, he had nothing.

You pick up all the empty plates, including Mathew’s, who was sitting in front of you while Anthony sat at the end of the table. Tito hurriedly wipes his mouth with a napkin and takes the plate from you, “Let me help you with that.” he says with the same kind eyes that has never failed to win you over. 

“Yeah. Okay, sure.” you shortly answer, leading the way towards the kitchen, leaving one Mathew Barzal feeling small and alone at the dining table. 

𖥸

If there was one thing you’d gladly acknowledge after all the years of watching people kiss Mathew’s ass was that he was is really good. He’s fast and he can do unimaginable damage on the ice. There’s no denying that he deserves to be the face of the New York Islanders. But we know you don’t care about any of that. The only thing you care about was how unbelievably good he is at everything he does that not even you or your pink rubber toy could suffice. 

He was just that damn good. 

As your eyes shut whilst you mount your pleasures on your own, biting your lips to choke in your own moans, Mathew handling you was what circled your mind since you started defiling yourself in the bathroom. You let your arousal be washed away by the warm water trickling down your skin, envisioning Mat’s rough hands grazing your body, touching your core like his hands were meant to do nothing else but that. 

It was wrong and pathetic, but you couldn’t think about anything else. You and Mathew have been avoiding each other for days. The dynamic went so much worse than when you weren’t sleeping together and you know that Tito was bound to notice it soon. Thankfully, the boys were on another roadie for a week so you had quite some time to think things through about your current sitch with Mathew. You didn’t like any of it because it felt like you gave a fuck (which obviously, you didn’t). You just feel obligated to sort things out with the biggest ass that ever lived because you didn’t want to involve Tito into the mess you’ve wrongfully made yourself. 

You hop off the shower feeling unsatisfied. You haven’t gotten laid since the last time you were with Mat. Which is sad, not just for you but also for her. You’d think considering the boys aren’t around you’d bring someone home, maybe even one or two. But just thinking about going on bars alone so you could find a potential bone-mate is already far too tedious and you weren’t in the right state to do so. You had so much going on at work, anyway. And you can always use a wand to scratch an itch. Neither would satisfy you more than how someone-who-will-not-be-named could, but you might as well be pathetic without having to hook up with some random dude whose name you’ll eventually forget in the morning. 

You opted to wear an old pull-over you borrowed (took) from Tito years and years ago and partnered it with some leggings so you’d be comfortable enough for the rest of the night. You have nothing else to do and you are already fed up with your workload that watching a crappy movie off of Netflix doesn’t sound like a bad idea. 

With a giant bowl of popcorn and two bottles of beer in your hands, you march your way into the living room, ready to spend the night binge watching romantic comedies, crying and laughing in between. Or maybe just fall asleep on the couch while your comfort TV series is on. 

The boys won three games out of the four that they had during the trip and you only saw the ones they won so you were thankful that you didn’t have to sit at home alone watching their faces fall after that OT lost against the Flyers. Anthony phoned you that night and you can just feel the relief in his voice that you didn’t have the time to see it. They weren’t playing like they should. Thankfully, they were able to bounce back. 

Your eyes were beginning to grow tired halfway into the movie when you hear the front door open, followed by luggages dragged into the house tirelessly. 

“Y/N?” Anthony calls out.

You hit the movie on pause and hurriedly make your way towards the hallway. “You’re home already?”

They were already taking their coats off when you met them halfway, Tito was putting his away while Mat had just taken off his toque and was running his hands through his hair, unconsciously meeting your eyes upon hearing your voice. 

You quickly break it off when you give Tito a quick embrace and plant a small kiss on his cheeks, “I texted you.” he says, eyebrows quirked, surprised that you didn’t know. 

In an effort to avert any more of his questions you immediately point towards the movie you had on, “Haven’t checked my messages, sorry.” 

“So, you guys ate dinner?” you ask, passing Mat a quick look. One that came as a surprise because he wasn’t even hoping to hear a word from you given the way you two left things a little too on the edge, screwing with the whole thing even more. 

Mat avoids your irises and faintly nods. 

“Big win tonight huh? Told you, you can do it.” you say with a beaming smile, nudging Tito with your hips as you get back to watching your film. “You gotta do what you gotta do, babe.” he winks, lugging his stuff around towards his bedroom. 

“Barz, don’t stay up, Trotz needs us first thing in the morning.” he looks back, reminding Mat who was already standing in front of his door, “Yeah. Sure.” he replies shortly with a tired voice. 

You and Anthony bid your own goodnights whilst Mat mutters a quiet “Night.” when you nodded his way, clearly not enjoying any of the first awkward encounters he’s yet to have with you. Seven days is quite a reasonable time for your anger to dissipate, a short yet seemingly long period of time that’s just enough to kill off whatever guilt Mat had initially felt before you parted ways.

𖥸

“Alright, I’m off.” Tito casually declares, putting on his watch. “There’s food in the fridge, and tell Mat to go easy on my beers.” he gives you a knowing look as he bends down to give you a kiss on the cheek. 

Tito had been seeing some mystery girl for quite some time now. He hasn’t told you anything spicy in particular but by the looks of it, you could already tell that she has him towed. 

“Good luck, loverboy.” you say, swatting his hand away and pushing him out to the door. The two of you cringe at what you said, sharing one last laugh before you watch him disappear out into the hallway.

The apartment was cramped the whole day because Anthony and Mat had the day off. Tito had plans for the night, obviously. As per you, you had plans lounging in the living room, switching through channels in the hopes of stumbling on a show that isn’t half as bad than the rest. 

Thankfully, a Sandra Bullock film was on HBO.

The Proposal, to be exact.

You decide to dive in the film with a cold bottle of beer on your hand. There was no way you’d be washing down the effects of a naked Ryan Reynolds with a glass of water. You haven’t gone mad. 

The film was already at the part where Sandra was proposing to Ryan when you hear Mathew’s door open. You haven’t talked since the night they came back home other than the small nods you exchange upon passing by each other. All of which are mind-numbing and impossible to swallow. The awkwardness has not dissipated completely unlike what you presumed. You were just grateful Tito was always around that you didn’t need to be alone together. 

Alarmed by another impending awkward encounter, you clear your throat and turn up the volume a little to remain focused on the film, investing your sole attention to it even if you have seen the movie countless times. 

Mathew, in his sweats and a gray shirt on, carefully makes his way out the hallway and into the common area after snatching a glass of water from the kitchen. You see him move further into the room but you make sure that he knows you weren’t paying attention. You take that he must’ve been thirsty and needed a drink but you don’t see him move further in the corner of your eye like he was making his way back in his room. It almost seemed like he was actually waiting for you to look his way.

Hesitantly, you follow your gut feel and see him standing a few feet away from you. “Yes?” you ask when you catch him staring. 

Mat blinks a few times, “Hi.” he takes a deep breath, trying to shake off the awkwardness circling the two of you.

When the only thing he gets from you is a tight lipped smile, he shakes his head and proceeds to walk where you were seated. 

“Mind if I join you?” he asks, his voice deep and clear enough to send your mind elsewhere. 

Regardless, you contain yourself and return a polite smile, “No. Not at all.”

“So, what are we watching?” he sits once you gestured onto the other end of the couch. 

“The Proposal.” you answer before throwing a question yourself, “Aren’t you supposed to be resting now?” you shake your head, absentmindedly chuckling. Not intending to make him feel that you’ve forgotten about what he’d done weeks ago. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” he props his back and lets himself sink in the cloud couch, his legs spread wide eating up most of the space left for the two of you to share. “Oh. I only like him when he’s Deadpool” he points out, cringing at how you were watching another one of your romantic comedy films.

You roll your eyes, admiring how he’s trying to break the tension between the two of you despite his unsolicited sentiments, “I like it when we were on not-speaking terms.” 

Mat mocks you for a while but decides to watch the movie so you let him be and get back to the film, letting a giggle slip every now and then. Something you thought Mat wouldn’t notice.

Watching the remainder of the film went with ease. ‘Course, Mat would steal a few glances here and there (ones he thought had gone unnoticed), but overall the quietude between the two of you was bearable. Almost like it was just two buddies hanging out. 

Although, not long after, your eyes were torn away from the huge flat screen when Mat spoke, “By the way,” he looks at you and calls your attention. 

Puzzled, you watch him take something from his pocket, “Here.” 

Once you see what he has in his hands your heart froze. Mat carefully hands you the cloth with an apologetic smile; his eyes soft with a hint of hope as he watches your reaction. 

“What�� How?” you ask in bewilderment, failing to comprehend how he was able to fix the handkerchief. It looked the same as before. All of its details were in place, it was good as new. You were holding Nana’s handkerchief. 

Mathew didn’t bother to dance around and just offered you a quiet chuckle, evidently enjoying the wide smile painted on your lips. “Don’t worry about it. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.” he apologizes, shielding you from all the strings he had to pull just to get that cloth fixed up.

You hold the smooth and delicate piece in your hands as you look at Mat, letting your feelings get a better hold of you, “Thank you.” you say, unknowingly reaching out, your arms wrapped around his neck as you give him a quick peck on the cheek. 

Mathew’s hand instinctively finds your back to support you, startling himself in the process. Nonetheless, the thought was easily shrugged off by how close your faces were, your smiles fading once you meet each other’s gaze. You feel the same rush you felt the night you and Mat got involved for the first time. Your hand was placed rather endearingly on his cheek, your faces, just like all the other times, unreasonably close to each other. Mat then clears his throat and only looks you in the eye. 

Afraid that the innocent hug would lead to something more, perhaps another mistake to be jotted down on the board, you breathe a laugh and break away, “Uh, thanks again. It really means a lot.” 

Mat must’ve sensed that you were being cautious so he puts his guards up and returns a chuckle, “So… we good?” he asks, reaching out a hand your way. 

Your fingers slide into his, gliding its way perfectly, your hands fitted well with his despite the obvious difference in proportion. His grip tightens in the most comfortable way possible. 

A smile breaks off his lips once he hears you answer, “We’re good.”

“I should probably get some sleep.” Mat tells you the moment you pull your hand away.

“Are you gonna be okay here?” he adds.

You looked at him, not wanting him to be obligated to keep you company, “Oh, yeah. I’m a big girl.” you say, making Mathew grin, shaking his head.

“Alright. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

Not picking up on whatever sloppy insinuation Mat has thrown out carelessly into thin air, he hears a simple “Mkay.” 

Thus far, letting him know that his subtle invitation was far from being RSVP’d.

𖥸

“You’ll be in your room?” Mat scoffs, staring at the ceiling while he lays on his bed, “The fuck was that, Mat?” he scolds himself for always coming up with the worst things to say. 

Mathew would be lying if he’d say he hasn’t thought about you (or doing you) for the past week of not being around home. But he definitely wouldn’t deny that the roadie kind of made things easier for him because then he didn’t have to stomach seeing you walk around the flat looking like the hot piece of ass that you were in his eyes. 

Mat knows he needs to pull his shit together. He wasn’t some 13 year-old boy raging with hormones. He needs to control himself around you and he could only do that once he learns how to push this whole thing between the two of you behind him. 

What happened with you and Mathew shouldn’t have happened at all. It was just a moment of weakness, and he hated that he’d let his dick (and apparently, him being one) ruin the relationship he once had with you. 

Before that night, seeing you do yoga and work out on the terrace was just seeing you drenched in sweat, and in your work out clothes looking icky and constipated. Something he’ll later on tease you about and he’ll end up catching the water bottle you throw in his face. But now, after all that fucking, seeing you sweaty and all worked out in the same yoga pants is just like walking into a porn commercial. Like the ones they show before the actual porn. In fact, he doesn’t even have to watch any of it. Tents and Boners were pretty much sponsored by you from then on. It’s sick, and he knows it. 

However, the tension he feels with you is palpable that he’s even certain that you feel it too. But how can he be wrong? He sees how your eyes blink a few times when he’s fresh out the shower, he sees you follow his trance when you thought he wasn’t paying attention, and you never fail to slide him shadowed hints with every touch you “accidentally” pass at him. The kind that’s short enough to remain innocent but not so much as to keep him at bay. Mat hated everything about it. He hated that he wanted you– and he hated that he thinks he might be right about you wanting him too.

All that self-loathing aside, did he regret it? 

That was one of the things he feels bad about. Because as much as he wants to lie and push it aside, he didn’t regret any of it. He didn’t like you that way and just thought about you sexually but he just wishes that you could push past this and just be friends. He was still sexually attracted to you, yes. But he knows he’d eventually get over it and be back on his game. That is if he can ever find someone who’d be as good as how you were the last three times you’ve let him be with you because it would really help him a lot if he could stop picturing your mouth getting stretched by his cock every time he hops into the shower.

Mat was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door. The shy banging sound made his heart beat rapidly in an instant, knowing full well that the two of you were alone in the house and that Tito was, in no way, going to be home for another hour or two.

A faint knock follows the first one before he gets to the door. 

“Hi.” you greet him, a moment unfolding like it was déjà-vu.

“Hi.” 

“Did I wake you?” you sheepishly ask, your hands balled into fists before eventually settling down to hug your own build, unsure of where to put your hands exactly.

Mat quickly shakes his head, “No. I couldn’t sleep myself.”

You offer him a smile, acknowledging how he’s been nothing but good to you ever since they got home. Of course you wanted to get your hands on him being that you were completely dry and horny ever since you’ve ignored him completely, but you haven’t gone mad and you weren’t a complete neanderthal. You can keep your hands to yourself and act like a decent human being. 

“I’m sorry for making things weird between us.” you say, your eyes heavy with guilt. “But I’m only apologizing for being so unreasonable for the last couple of weeks.” you reiterated.

To which he only answers with, “You shouldn’t be. You have every right to be unreasonable– and I know that I’ve been a giant prick that day. It’s what I deserve.” he bites his lower lip, scratching his brow as he continues, “That’s why if there’s someone who owes someone an apology, it should be me. What I did was pretty crappy, so… I’m sorry.”

Like all the other times, Mathew towers over you wearing the same confidence he does when you’re around. Your bodies were reasonably apart from each other but close enough to mean something else if someone had walked by. Mathew was still in his room while you were out in the hallway, separated by the thin line made by the door frame. 

You feel Mat’s steady breathing and everything went still. He looks down at you, pretty eyes drowning yours. His messed up bed hair ridiculously makes up for how dressed down he was. No, actually, he looks fine even when he is. And all of that sight instantly makes your throat dry as you feel something curl in your belly, enough to make your hands sweaty as the thought of tasting his lips again cruised your mind entirely.

Mathew was no stranger to the said feeling either. He watched you punish him more at how plump and inviting your lips were. Or how your hand brushed on your clothes as you remain uncomposed under his gaze. 

Mat was becoming accustomed to how the two of you meet. Same time, same place, only this time, a different hallway. He steps further and crosses the line that divides the two of you, making you take a deep breath as his scent floors every nerve in your body. Waking what has been awake ever since that moment you shared back in the living room even more. 

“Yeah, okay.” you gather yourself, “I– I should probably head back.” 

Just by how his shoulders dropped, you knew you had said the wrong thing. And you hated that you did. Mat clears his voice and swallows, breaking off his gaze, “You probably should.” 

“Good night, Mat.” you smile, trying to regain yourself. 

“Good night.” he replies as he watches you turn your back before finally closing the door behind him. 

Frustrated for he was already starting to feel things more than just being “sorry”, Mat leans against the door and runs a hand through his hair. He takes a deep breath and tries to get you out of his head. 

He was about to walk away from the door and sleep off his frustration when he hears your faint footsteps on the other side of the door. He rests his head back on the wooden surface and sighs, “You’re still out there, aren’t you?”

There was a total silence for a moment, devoid of the knowledge of how you had your fist, ready to knock yet again, suspended in mid-air. 

Mathew hears you deny sheepishly, “No.” 

You hear him let out a small laugh, knowing that he was trying to contain himself. 

The door sprung open again, and for a second you thought how what you’re about to walk into will start another mess for you and Mathew. But how could you possibly think about it that way when you have nothing else but this man standing at the other end? 

A friend that took no seconds to waste as he finally lets his thirst and perhaps foolishness, get the better hold of him once he cages your heated face in his hands, crashing into your lips as fast as he’d taken you to his end of that thin gray line that has once irkingly parted him from you. A gray line you’re both willing to cross if that meant sharing another night in between halls and thin walls.

[dibidibidisn]

hi there, this is maybe a somewhat strange ask, but I've been out of the loop with shinee for a while and I really want to jump back since I miss them so much :,) could you maybe update me with what new changes have happened with them in the past year? thank you so much :)

Hello there. Let’s see, I’m not sure if I’m the best to ask because I can miss a lot of points of what has been happening with SHINee so I’ll do my best. I really have a bad memory so Imma do this by months I do remember, so I’ll skip the ones I’m forgetting.March:OT5 continued with their SWCV on the 19th in Toronto (It was amazing), 21st in Vancouver, 24th in Dallas, and 26th in Los Angeles.April:Jonghyun started getting tattoos that have valuable meaning to him and from what I’ve been seeing he’s got less than 10 but he could’ve gotten more in the last few months.Jonghyun also released a new album ‘The Collection “Op.2”’ with the title song being ‘Lonely’ featuring SNSD’s Taeyeon.May:4th, Jinki was able to be a part of the SM Station with Rocoberry, the song being ‘Lullaby’.On the 26th, Jonghyun began his ‘The Letter’ concerts and added 8 more additional dates I believe.13th: SHILLA Duty Free fan festival with OT5June:Minho and Jinki went to Maldives for a magazine shoot that slayed everyone because visuals yennoJuly:1st to 2nd, Taemin had his very first solo concert in Japan at Budokan.18th, Taemin’s ‘Flame of Love’ was released.Smtown Concerts, 8th Seoul, 15th and 16th Osaka, 27th and 28th Tokyo.Also, it was said that Taemin would release a new album called ‘Offsick’ but it never happened, SM did confirm that he will be in October.(These next few months are the ones I really do remember because this is when I finally got to focus on them, however I may miss some stuff)August:This was an upsetting month and stuff happened that disappointed many shawols. Jinki gotten into a scandal that I believe was a misunderstanding (honestly tho, if you want my opinion on this, dm me), this happened on the 12th. We haven’t seen him since. He also asked to be pulled from the drama he was in and didn’t attended to concerts of the next month.28th, Minho’s web drama ‘Somehow 18’ began airing on Naver TV Cast, however it is said that it will be broadcast on some other sites too because of popularity (not sure about this one)September:7th, Taemin’s first episode of his reality show airs on vlive+ which means you gotta buy it to watch it8th, Taemin’s drama ‘Final Life: Even if You Disappear Tomorrow’ began airing, it is an Amazon Original Series, so you also gotta pay to watch this but I heard you could get a free trial, not sure tho21st, Minho attended the Indonesian TV awards and won the ‘Special Indonesian Television Award 2017’They also ended their SWCV with only four membersJonghyun and Kibum begins to have what shawols likes to call “an Instagram battle” when one would post right after the other or do lives.Jonghyun has been doing lives for days in a row, (of course I always miss it but I’m sure there are copies of it somewhere).Kibum really loves Harry Potter (of course I missed his live of talking about it too)Taemin was also confirmed to be a mentor of the show ‘The Unit’Okay so I had this done a long time ago and was going to add more info later on but college got in the way so I’m leaving it at this. You should check fyjjong or fytaem for some updates, that’s where I usually go to when I’m missing out. I know I’m lacking out on Kibum and Minho’s schedules (actually I’m lacking with all the members), I was doing them by members but yeahSorry about that but I hoped this gave you a bit of what you were hoping?

[krsextonart]

Hey all! I wanted to make a quick blog post about a question I receive A LOT.

Do you need a following before opening an Etsy shop?

The answer: Technically, no. I didn’t really start with one.

Keep in mind I cannot speak for other shops, everyone’s journey is different but I can tell you a little about how I’ve gained my “following”, honestly I don’t even consider myself having much of a following…but yenno, whatever.

I started posting my art on Facebook and Instagram in 2012 (or maybe sooner) when I started studying Art at Cal State Fullerton. I was an Animation major taking beginning drawing courses and beginning animation courses. As a complete beginner, my art wasn’t good, but I still posted anyway and received minimal response (lol). I switched over to illustration in 2013 and continued posting artwork I made for my classes. The only people seeing this artwork were my family, friends, and classmates. I didn’t have a large following, maybe 500 followers or less on Instagram and I’d say 90% of the people following me were friends or acquaintances who didn’t really care about my art, they just wanted to see what I was up to.

During my time at CSUF, I was heavily involved in the Animation/Illustration club called the Pencil Mileage Club (PMC). I started out as a member one year, then became the photographer for the club, the event coordinator specialist for the club, then vice president, then president. I met a ton of people through this club and the PMC became my family. A lot of people go back and forth with whether art school is worth it, for me, it was. I built friendships with some of the most talented, hardworking, passionate people I’ve ever known. Getting a little sidetracked here, but these are the kinds of people you want beside you. They will support you, be your shoulder to cry on when things get tough, you’ll be their shoulder, they’ll help you with Photoshop problems, they’re your rocks. These are the people you want following your work. These are the people who will lend you a hand when you need it and you’ll return the favor because there’s a mutual respect. These are the “fans” you want. I definitely, no questions asked, did not see them as numbers on Instagram if they followed me.

Me with reddish/brown hair at a PMC art show.

Leading a meeting with Kevin Lam, the President of the PMC at the time.

Cafe Sketching event at Downtown Disney.

Myself, making a stop motion animation for the first time.

Helping lead another PMC meeting.

So in college, I made the best of my time. I spent countless hours sketching, exploring what I wanted to do after college with art, I had an internship with Billabong one semester, I helped lead events with PMC, and I did my best with my classes all while posting on Instagram and Facebook. Those were really the only 2 social media platforms that I posted art on. A month before I graduated college in May 2015, I had my own solo exhibition show on campus which displayed 26 original pieces, my CSUF friends were there on opening night to cheer me on. I love them for that. I gained a few more followers from having that art show for a week, not a ton, but a bit. When graduating college, I had maybe 600 followers on Instagram and like I said, they were mostly non-art friends or acquaintances who didn’t care for my art.

* You didn’t go to college for your artwork? That’s okay too! There are loads of online art communities that will connect you with other artists with interests like yours! Figure out what you like to do, then do some google searching to try and find the right online communities for you. Having a great support system will help you with the tough times (we’ll all have them).

When graduating college, I needed time off from school and work. I overworked myself in college trying to absorb everything I could while throwing myself at every opportunity I could with the PMC and other art events. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, all I knew was that I needed a break. So my boyfriend, cat, and I packed up our 1 bedroom apartment and moved back to my hometown in the San Francisco bay area to live with my Mom, the plan was to stay for the summer.

Over the summer, we attended some art fairs and I fantasized about selling my artwork at them (I always have). Then I decided it was time to open my own shop, something I’d been dreaming about since I started drawing in 2012. I did a ton of research, blah blah blah then opened my shop in September 2015. I announced it via Instagram and Facebook. My first sale was from my Mom and I panicked. Had NO idea what I was doing. Experimented with packaging. I had a few sales follow, mostly from friends I think. In October I discovered Twitch Creative, a live streaming service for artists. I had streamed video games a bit in college through Twitch but didn’t know they had a section for art. I immediately started streaming. I did some figure drawing on stream, pen and ink illustrations, traditionally sculpting, stamp carving and more while also watching other streamers. I slowly, sloooooowly gained a “following” on there. Some of them followed me to Twitter and Instagram, and some made purchases. I streamed 3 days a week for 2 months then started streaming less and less when my anxiety disorder took hold. Chris and I moved back down to So Cal in Feb. 2016 and I continued selling my work on Etsy while advertising on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and having occasional streams on Twitch. I decided shortly after to make a new Instagram dedicated to only artwork. So I went from 600 followers on Instagram to 0, and from there slowly climbed. Not too many people followed this new account from my old account so I really started from the bottom.

I gained more followers using hashtags on Instagram. They look sooooo dumb, but guys, that’s how people will find you. Having followers on Instagram really doesn’t do TOO much for your shop, yes it’ll help advertise new listings and whatnot but some people can have thousands of followers but barely any sales in their shop. Some people want to buy an item from you, but they don’t really care to see your art Instagram everyday, and that’s totally fine. So your numbers on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook/Whatever kindaaaaa don’t matter? Ever hear that saying that goes something like “Its better to have a few real friends than a thousand fake ones.” I think that’s kinda true when it comes to having a “following”. The people who follow when you don’t look that cool and you don’t have many followers, those are the sort of people who will support you because they love your work. Those are some badass fans. Those are the fans that will tell other people about your work. Those are the good ones. I love those ones.

Summer of 2016 I was inspired by Frannerd to start making YouTube videos again (I had made them in the past) and that connected me with a whole new audience. I’m slowly gaining a following there as well, but honestly has it brought in a ton of new sales? Not really. Doesn’t seem that way. But I’m meeting more people and spreading the word about my artwork.

So what has worked for me? – Facebook (friends, family, people who know you) – Instagram (visual based platform, good for artwork to be seen quickly) – Twitch (very supportive community, lots of amazing people) – Twitter (I think it goes hand in hand with my Twitch community) – YouTube (getting my name out there) – Etsy SEO (Etsy keywords help get my listings found, trial and error)

ALSO! SUPPORT OTHER ARTISTS. Artists help other artists. Don’t be a greedy butthole. If you can’t support financially, support them in other ways. If you like an artist, let them know, connect with them. Help them if they need help. Be a good friend. This road isn’t an easy one, you’re going to need help at some point or another. Don’t just pop in when you need something. Devote time into giving back to the art community. Don’t force it, just be interested in other things besides yourself and your art business. Stay inspired.

I have a ton of room to grow, guys. Just doing my best. I’m not an expert. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I just like to be open with you all and tell you what has and hasn’t worked for me. I hope this clears up some of your questions.

If you’d like to share, what has worked for you with advertising your shop? Thanks for reading!

K.R.

Shop Instagram YouTube Twitter Twitch Channel

How I gained my “following” Hey all! I wanted to make a quick blog post about a question I receive A LOT.

[imsarabum]

Responses to Part 12 I Won’t Stop You, Jeon Jungkook, Vampire!AU asks~

Please ‘Keep Reading’ to find my response to your ask ^^ As always, I have copied and pasted all asks into this post in regards to last night’s chapter to avoid clogging up people’s dashboards and to avoid spoilers for those who may still wish to read the chapter. Thank you ^^ 

Anonymous said: YES SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER OF I WONT STOP YOU I just cannot figure out what jk meant with the getting wet thing I FEEL SO STUPID I NEED TO KNOW

Hopefully this chapter helped you to catch on to the wet thing ;) hehe~ I hope you enjoyed it if you read it my darling! ^^

Anonymous said: I KEEP REFRESHING OMGHG

AHH I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!

Anonymous said: I literally screamed when I got the notification that you posted Part 12 of I Won't Stop!!! Your writing is amazing!!!

Ahhh thank you so much babe! I really hope you enjoyed the new chapter ^^

@kawaiipotato75 said: You....you....I WONT STOP YOU IS SO GOOD IM DYING WHYYYYYYYYYYY(got so hyped for smut when, when it was a TO BE CONTINUED 😭😭😭😭😭😭) its so good omg i cant wait flr mext tuesday but omg my soul meeds help😭😭  ❤~

heheheheh~ I feel so evil ohmygod haha^^ BUT NEXT CHAPTER IS TO BE CONTINUED...so, can you guess what the next chapter will be 100% dedicated to? ;) Thank you so much for reading ^^

Anonymous said: It's so incredibly cute that Jungkook stocks his fridge purely for a sense of normalcy

I think so too ^^ It’s the part of him that desires to be human in the end. Even though he is a Vampire, he has always been curious and slightly envious of humans.

Anonymous said: YOU DID IT THANK YOU SO MUCH

I DON’T KNOW WHAT I DID BUT YOU’RE WELCOME AND THANK YOU SO MUCH D:

Anonymous said: aye its 2 am and iwsy part 12 is here tURN UP!!! -daisy

MISS DAISY GET UR CUTE BUTT TO BED~~~

@ashrvyera said: Holy frickityfrack I've never wanted a week to pass so quickly. IM DYING FOR THE DEETS OF IWSY PART 12

Don’t worry~ Chapter 13 will be even juicier ;) Thank you so much for reading!

@animeimmortal said: ARE YOU FUCKIN KIDDIN ME? OH MA LAWD. How? Why? I AM SO THIRSTY FOR MORE YOU DONT EVEN KNOW for the lOve oF LORD JESUS CHRIST AND EVERY OTHER VISHNU OUT THERE I don't even knoW ANYMORE WHY DO YOU MAKE US SUFFER in sorryy I love you WHYYYYYY

I am an evil person and I admit to this. a 100% tease and I love to play c: But don’t worry, the next chapter will hopefully quench your thirst ;3 I love you too! Thank you babe ^^

@what-just-happened-help said: Eek!! New chapter of I Won't Stop You was so amazing!! But what was with that cruel cliffhanger?! I'm honestly dying over here~ On another note, I'm really interested in how the story will continue, because you seem to have big things planned plot wise!! I'll be happily awaiting next tuesday, keep up the good work and don't stress! Love you~

Thank you thinking it was amazing! And, I do apologise for the cruel cliffhanger - but to make up for it, the whole next chapter will be dedicated to what you’ve been denied in this chapter :3 And yes! I have a lot of big things planned...I hope it will be shocking, surprising and exciting! Thank you for reading my love, and I’ll keep working hard to write good stories! I love you more :D

@seokjinaf said: I WON'T STOP IS SO GOOD I LOVE OT SO MUCH YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD WRITER ❤😭 (cont.) I won't stop you* oops lol

Thank you so much baby! I’m so happy you like it ❤ ❤ ❤

@mahirookumura sadi: YOU CAN'T END IT LIKE THIS!!!! MAAANNN I'M THIRSTY AS NOW FOR JEONGKOOK!!!!!!!!

Don’t worry! Things will continue right where they left off in Chapter 13~ ;) GOOD, IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO KNOW YOU’RE THIRSTY ASF NOW c:

Anonymous said: I HAVE BEEN AWOKEN BY THE CLIFFHANGER GOODNESS I DONT KNOW IF I CAN SLEEP STRAIGHT THINKING ABOUT THE NEXT CHAPTER LIKE... OH SNAP JUNGKOOK'S GONNA SHOW HIS DING DONG NEXT WEEK.... or will he? 🤔 -daisy

JUNGKOOK’S GONNA SHOW HIS DING DONG. DAISY. I’m fuCKING CRYING OH MY GOD I LAUGHED SO MUCH AT THAT HAHAHA~~ I hope you managed to get back to sleep my love >< Thank you so much for reading it and I hope you’ll enjoy the next ;)

@minty--suga said: i am,,in love with the last chapter of i wont stop you,,,,thank u for blessing us

Thank you so much my love! I’m glad I could make you happy with it! ^^

Anonymous said: Ahhhh you cant leave me like that ughh i fucking love this whole serie 😍😍😍 So its obvious that the next chapter is also a smut chapter ;)) Btw you are an amazing writer so keep writing!! :)

You’re not wrong ;) Thank you so much my love, I really appreciate that! Have a wonderful day!

@jaypark5 said: To be continued..... I cry 😢😢😢😢😢 From joy and sadness that I have to wait 😢

Don’t cry my love! This chapter was just a teaser for the main event in the next one ;) Thank you for reading!

@audreymv said: You're such a tease man. Like boi I lOVE IT. Jungkook is about to get it on and it is my favorite thing. I am just falling for this story even more. Like I love Smut and you write it well. Like this Fanfic is going to kill me

You’re right, I am an absolute tease~ I hope to make the next chapter as intense and detailed as possible :3 Thank you so much for reading it dear! ^^

Anonymous said: WE NEED MORE OF THAT SEXY STUFF NOT JUST THAT AHHHHH BUT THANK YOU FOR WRITING SUCH AWESOME STUFF FOR US AHHHH I LOVED THE CHAPTER!!! ❤❤

More sexy stuff will continue in the next one c: That was just a little snippet of what is to come! Thank you so much my love :) I hope you have a great day!

@darkmoonmary said: *having difficulties with breathing, the cause being I Won't Stop You Part 12*

*resuscitates you* stay strong for the next chapter! I think you might like it~ Well, I hope you will anyway :3 Thank you for reading!

Anonymous said: Why just why did you have to nd it like that 😭 You're such a tease,now I have to wait for another week for the next part.I can't wait to see what happens next😏Anyway thank you and congrats on getting more that 1,000 notes for the previous part😚

I apologise for the amount of teasing I love to do~ heh ^^ Thank you for reading it my love, and I hope you’ll enjoy the next part! And thank you for telling me, I had no idea! I knew that my first chapter of this series hit 1k so that made me really happy because it let’s me know that you are all enjoying it ^^ Thank you so much! :D

Anonymous said: OH MY GOD OH MY GOD IM SO DEAD. IM LITERALLY SCREAMING INSIDE! I WONT STOP U 12 IM DEAD. WHY DO U DO DIS TO ME T-T! Anxiously waiting for 13 IWST smut, ehehe *smirks* BUT DAMN GIRL IM SO DEAD! IM SO INTO THIS FIC TYSM! Have a good week! Xoxo <3 ~Yuno

Hello Yuno! I’m so glad to know that you’re liking the series my dear ^^ It makes me really happy!! I hope you’ll enjoy more sexy stuff next week c: I hope you have a great week too lovely! ^^

Anonymous said: Damn woman, that girl needs some lovin asap - wedding anon

I need some lovin WHUT YOU TALKING ABOUT *whispers incoherent words about being so fucking sexually frustrated* tHANK YOU FOR READING my lovely wedding anon~

Anonymous said: I'm really glad you've built up y/n's and jungkook's relationship in i won't stop you instead of just being like "yeah, these people are just gonna fuck" like most writers would do

Thank you so much for appreciating the time I’ve taken to build up a backstory and their relationship! I personally don’t mind when people jump straight into the whole smut thing - but this is more my style. Especially when writing a story and creating characters for people to hopefully relate to in some way!

Anonymous said:    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I WAS ON THE TRAIN WHEN I READ THIE AND STARTED SCREAMING! MY OTP YES THIS WAS SO GREAT ILY  - panda anon

AAAAAAAA I’m so glad it could make you scream heh~ Thank you for reading it despite screaming on the train :3 I hpoe you’ll enjoy the next chapter too, panda anon!

Anonymous said: OMG IM JUST I...I...I IM JUST SO LIKE....*dies*

It’s okay, I feel your pain *hugs*

Anonymous said: I ABSOLUTELY LOVE "I WONT STOP YOU" I LITERALLY FELL APART READING PART 12. I CANT WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK ASDFGHJKL

Thank you so much my love ^^ I’m so happy you enjoyed it!

Anonymous said: "[...]you were extremely thirsty." Ahahaha wellp. We probably all are with this cliffhanger. Omg sara, what is happening?? XD love the story as usual! Excited for the next part for no special reason at all. Hahaha <3 -unnianon

Hello unnianon! Thank you for picking up on the double meaning to that sentence ;) And yes! For no reason at all...*wiggles eyebrows* heh ^^ Thank you so much for reading my dear!

Anonymous said: OMG THIS UPDATE HAS ME SCREAMING  I LOVE YOUR STORIES GIRL KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK👌👌

I’m so happy you enjoyed it :3 I’ll keep working hard and thank you for reading!

Anonymous said: FUCJSHADBDHSOSUDCTVSOAHA SARA WHY YOU LEFT IT HANGING LIKE THAT! I swear 'I Won't Stop You' will be the death me! Jungkook isn't even my bias and I feel so wrecked right now..... good job by the way

Because I just wanted to get you all riled up in preparation for next week’s chapter c: Thank you so much for reading dear! ^^

THAT NEW CHAPTER WAS SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOD. I'm so happy Jungkook and her finally stepped it up 💕💕 great work as usual

Thank you my darling :3 I’m really happy that you’re enjoying it ^^ And yes! Finally they are accepting their feelings for each other and showing it in the process :3

Anonymous said: BRUH. CAN IT BE NEXT TUESDAY ALREADY OMG. I cannot express in words, how much I FREAKING love this story! I feel like in a way, the girl relates so much to my personality, that when I read I Won't Stop You, it feels even more like it's me T.T cuz yenno sometimes when you read fics, it doesn't totally feel natural cuz the character may do things differently than yourself. BUT DAMN. This girl is TOTALLY ME LOL. I've been trying to read less smut (lol) but wooo IM SO READY FOR THEM TO GET IT ON AHA

I’m so glad she’s very relatable to you. Honestly, when I write stories - I do often project myself into them with all the characters involved. The things Y/N does are things that would be close to how I would do or react to in real life ^^ So we must be very similar heh~ I’m really happy you’re enjoying it, and I hope you enjoy the future chapters too :3 Thank you!

Anonymous said: i DiEd fOR goodNesSSSs sakE... Can't wait for next week's chapter :)

Please don’t die, that would make me very sad :c Thank you my love!

Anonymous said: SHDHSKDGKCODVDIDBF W H Y!!!! DEAR JESUS I WON'T STOP YOU SERIES WILL BE THE DEATH OF MEEEE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH MMM

NO DYING IS ALLOWED BUT SCREAMS OF PAIN AND PLEASURE ARE WELCOME~ lol thank you so much for reading it and enjoying it :3

Anonymous said: I usually don't like Vampire Stories and avoid fanfics BUT YOUR WRITING is *so* good I can't even. I wish I could put my thoughts on your writing skills in such beautiful words like you do it but all I can say is UGH. Everything is so detailed and well described so that I can see a clear picture in my head but with enough space to add my own things.You're honestly just amazing. You should become an author or sth like that.. (IWSY IS MY NEW LIFE AND I HATE THE CLIFFHANGER IN PT.12)

I’ve had a few people say to me that they usually don’t like Vampire Fanfics, so for you guys to read mine despite them not usually being your cup of tea makes me feel so amazing, you have no idea :) I appreciate that you notice the detail I put in! I want to create an entire scene in your head of the world I have imagined - with like you said, enough room for you to imagine smaller details too. Maybe one day when I am even older and even more bitter (if that’s possible) I will become an author :P heh~ Thank you so much for reading my love! I hope you’ll enjoy all the sexy stuff in the next chapter, too ;3

Anonymous said: GIRL YOU CANNOT JUST LEAVE US HANGING LIKE THAT 😫😫😭 We need the Jungkook sexy time

I give you my oath that in the next chapter, Jungkook sexy time will be delivered~ Heh^^ Thank you for reading!

@coppertopging said: I need a drink... do you have any holy water available?

*gives you an entire bucket of holy water* only if you share with me~ c:

Anonymous said: aaaa ive been waiting for p 12 of the vampire au :(

I posted it last night! If you have already read it, I hope you enjoyed it my love! ^^

Anonymous said: WHY? WHY R U DOING THIS TO ME? I WON'T STOP YOU IS MAKING ME FEEL SO MANY THINGS THAT I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN sorry for yelling but OH MY GOD I JUST AHJDDYJSOXHEHDBSKHDIEHEHD (this is me dying)

DON’T BE SORRY FOR YELLING C: I’m glad it’s making you feel a lot of things :3 Thank you for reading it and I hope you’ll enjoy next week’s chapter too! ;)

Anonymous said: Don't u have to, like, stop writing i won't stop you for a while just to breath or something cause GURLLLLL that last part was sexy af

Hmm, usually I just imagine it all in my head and write furiously :P I really live in the moment when I write it and write accordingly to what’s happening in my mind! The problem occurs when I read it back and I feel my cheeks burning or I feel some type of way if you catch my drift haha~ Thank you my love for reading it! ^^

Anonymous said: SUCH A CLIFFHANGER!! I HATE IT. Just kidding. I LOVE IT I LOVED IT SO MUCH I LOVED THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH. I CANT WAIT AHHH ITS SO GOOD

I’m so sorry for the cliffhangerrrrrrr ahh :( But truth be told, it WAS running on too long for a single chapter. And the smut I have planned is very detailed. And I figured it needs a whole chapter of its own :3 I hope you’ll enjoy it! And thank you for reading this chapter, too :D

Anonymous said: SARA WHAT THE FUCK. I CANT BELIEVE YOU DID THAT TO ME. OMFG I'M SO I CANT EVEN WHY DID I KNOW YOU WOULD TEASE THE FUCK OUT OF ME THEN STOP. YOU'RE SO UNBELIEVABLE. I CANT EVEN. (really Ily and you're so good at writing) I HATE THIS SO MUCH MAKE IT TUESDAY NOW. I NEED MORE. IM GONNA RIP MY HAIR OUT

If there is one thing you should know about me, I am a hellish tease. Always have been, always will be. In every aspect of my life :3 I hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite being denied :P But next chapter will hopefully satisfy your needs! hehe~ Thank you for reading my dear :)

@lucas-is-mine said: (1)Jungkook,Yoongi,Tae said she special and here comes my theories :p Maybe bc she has some connection with vampires, possibly her parents death was caused by them,she likes to bite,maybe she's not human and doesnt know yet. I like to guess (2)what you mean behind some senteces that you wrote. About the last chapter i was screaming when it finished like that but i can survive another week and im really excited for the next part. Thanks for your effort! :)

Ooooh look at you with all your theories :3 I actually love it when people tell me what they think will happen! But of course, I’ll never say whether you are wrong or right :3 Thank you so much for reading and I really hope you’ll like the next chapter ^^ There is still a lot more to unfold in the story, so I hope it will make you keep guessing! ^^

Anonymous said: ITS 4AM HERE AND IM LOSING MY MIND ON THE ENDING OF I WONT STOP YOU ! LIKE HOW DARE U OML IM DYING AND I WANNA CRY ! NOW I HAVE TO WAIT A WHOLE WEEK YET AGAIN BUT THATS OK CUZ ITS SO WORTH IT I LOVE YOUR WRITING AND OMF FML I CANT ! I LIVE FOR THIS FANFIC I STG IT GIVES ME LIFE AND MY EMOTIONS R EVERYWHERE AFTER READING 😭😭

I’M SO SORRY I APOLOGISE c: But hopefully you enjoyed it despite the denial :3 I promise you that you will get what you want next week with the next chapter that I post! :3 Thank you so much for reading my love :)

Anonymous said: ya kno the moment i saw the warning you put in the beginning i knew shits bout to go down I WENT LIKE AYYYEEEE MY BOY FINALLY GOING IT AFTER HUNDRED OF YEARS BOY GET IT (same for the oc like GET THAT DICK GIRL) before clicking BUT I WAS WRONGJSDFSBGJBHNA WHAT DID I DO TO MY PAST LIFE TO DESERVE THIS LETS SKIP WEEKENDS AND GO STRAIGHT AHEAD like seriously this fic makes me excited for tuesday actually nO TUESDAY IS MY FAVE DAY OF THE WEEK NOWGHJFSBGKJSG

GET THAT DICK GIRL LMFAO I’M SCREAMING RIGHT NOW! I’m sorry for teasing you terribly~ But, next chapter will hopefully make up for it :3 I’m so happy to know that I can make you look forward to Tuesdays! Thank you for reading my series and I hope you have an awesome day darling!

Anonymous said: I HAS BEEN WAITING FOR SMUT SINCE PART 1. CLIFFHANGERS ARE THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE. Y U DO DIS?

Good things come to those who wait, you little vixen! Hehe~ I hope you’ll enjoy all the sexy stuff :3

@kpop-everythings said: 9-10pm on Tuesdays UK time automatically means Wednesdays in Australia. Wednesdays are the magical days in which I am blessed with Vamp!kook

Ahh yes because you are 12 (?) hours ahead of UK time, right? I’m glad I can bless you with VampKook :3 Thank you so much for reading my series darling! ^^

Anonymous said: Holy shit. I won't stop you. Is this it? Finally? The smut we've been waiting for?! Ohmfjgosh!

It’s the beginning of the smut that will happen throughout the next chapter! There will ALSO be more smut scenes in future chapters too~ Don’t worry my love - I plan on feeding you well :3

Anonymous said: THE SMUT HAS ARRIVED! *WINK WINK*

IT HAS ARRIVED AND I HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY IT :3 Thank you so much for reading lovely :)

@jeonjowaaan said: OH MY FREAKING GOD I WILL NOT GONNA CHANGE TO ANONYMOUS CAUSE IM NOT ASHAMED TO TELL YOU THAT IM ONE OF YOUR FAN I REALLY LOVE YOUR STORIES SPEACIALLY I WONT STOP YOU 😭 I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR UPDATE CAUSE GOD KNOWS HOW YOU RELIEF MY STRESS 💕

I’m glad you came off anonymous to tell me! :) heh~ I’m so happy you love the series so far my dear ^^ I hope you look forward to the next chapter! ^^

Anonymous said: Hiiiii omgggg I've been following your Jungkook fic obsessively and I have to say your latest update had me on edge! Can't wait to see what comes next. You are doing work of the gods please keep it up <3

Hello dear! Thank you for reading it since the beginning ^^ It makes me so happy that you are enjoying it! Work of the gods heh~ I don’t think so! But I’ll keep trying to do my best :3 Have a great day babe!

@callmessam said: 'Over, and over again.'   This cliffhanger though! I need answers. What is your expression when you wrote this whole chapter, not to mention the cliffhanger? Cos I can imagine you smiling evilly, knowing this is a torture for us 😍

You’ll just have to wait for next week to find out those answers :3 But I hope you won’t be disappointed! I DID kind of have an evil smile on my face when I ended it with that cliffhanger :3 I apologise for all the teasing! But hopefully its pleasured torture in the end~ heh^^

@eatjinma said: I just want to say that I won't stop you is genuinely the best fic I have read. I'm so in love with it. KEEP SLAYING GURL ;) kisses from England

Ahh thank you so much my love! Thank you for reading it and enjoying it :3 I’m also from England yay! ^^

@bangtangurlarmy said: I HATE YOU BUT I LOVE YOU MORE FOR PART 12. YOU'RE JUST AWESOME AND IT'S HORRIBLE HOW YOU ENDED IT JUST LIKE THAT. DO YOU NOT CARE FOR US? OMG IM DYING. I LOVE YOU

Don’t worry my little dear~ I will feed you all very well next week! :3 Heh~ Thank you so much for reading it! I hope you enjoyed it ^^