#can't believe it's been nearly a year since I started writing this fic

[akawifeyy]

MIC CHECK | smau & fic (LN4)

description: lando norris is the host of one of the most critically acclaimed podcasts. so when he contacts you, asking if you'd like a spot on the show, you're dumbstruck.

tropes: secretly in love, happy ending, age gap (22 and 25), podcast host!lando au, lead singer!reader

face claim: ayra starr

trigger warnings: suggestive content, swearing

| note: i actually would love to see lando host a podcast or a talk show, i think he'd be wonderful!

It was a universal fact believed by every celebrity phenomenon that being selected for one of the exclusive spots on Lando Norris’s podcast was an honor. Once a week, the infamous Formula One driver would host an audio show, interviewing other popular figures with his signature charming wit and humor. He had been doing it for over a year, finding enough spare time in his busy racing schedule to compose, edit, and publish some of the best comedic episodes of the modern era. His show had even been nominated and won an iHeartRadio Podcast Award.

Lando’s show was beloved by all audiences, even those who were unfamiliar with motorsports. They came because of the hype and stayed for the easy laughter and fun times. 

So when you, the lead singer of the Cherry Soda girl band, found a bolded, urgent email lurking on the top of your page, titled: Season 2, Episode 5 of Lights Out with Lando Norris, you were in shock.

Your jaw dropped, fingers shaking as you clicked to read more. This had to be a joke. There was no way the Lando Norris would have selected you of all people for one of these coveted episodes.

Yes, your band was popular – you had recently sold out the Caesar’s Superdome for a one-night-only concert – but still! A Grand Prix-winning sensation knew of your existence, and wanted to talk to you!

You skimmed through the page, soaking in each word, your heart pounding faster as everything registered in your mind.

Dear Y/N L/N, 

You have been chosen to co-host Season 2, Episode 5 of Lights Out with Lando Norris, filming next Wednesday (Feb. 14) at 12:00 GMT. Please register below, as the link given will grant you access to the Zoom meeting room where the interview will be conducted.

Thank you.

It was short and sweet, but it seemed utterly surreal. For the rest of the day, you could not focus on anything else, your attention consistently tugged back to the email gleaming bright in your inbox. As soon as the day ended, and you wrapped up the rest of your work (writing out some plans for your next gig and scribbling down some lyrics), you registered.

Another email popped up soon after, thanking you once again for your quick reply. When you left the office, you nearly stumbled down the front steps in your dream-like haze. Even by midnight, hours past your usual bedtime, you were still mesmerized by the events of the day, surprised at the magnetic pull you must have had in order to garner such attention.

Marketing Poster for "Lights Out with Lando Norris", featuring Y/N L/N (2025):

Across the continent, Lando Norris was equally, if not more, distracted. He'd finally secured an episode on his show for you, something he'd been aiming to do since its foundation. Every time he thought he'd be able to, someone suggested an alternate celebrity, one that would generate better press and higher profits. It's not like Lando needed more money (he was nearly drowning in it), but he didn't want to be awkward or rude to his fans, who supported him so fervently.

But! After ages and ages, Lando had convinced the powers that be to let you on the show, and it had worked. Just a handful of days remained until he'd be able to talk to you, someone he'd admired since the start of your career.

Oscar and Max had teased him about it endlessly, telling him not to be a muppet, and Lando had prayed that he wouldn't be.

Then, the day had arrived.

Lando woke up that morning in a cold sweat, his body tense and hands shaking.

My nervous system really can't tell the difference between being held at gunpoint and talking to a woman I like, huh?, he thought to himself, annoyed, as he shaved his beard in the mirror and nearly dropped the razor.

He ate a few bites of his oatmeal, but couldn't finish it, his stomach was roiling so badly. It was ridiculous how worried he was. He'd conducted almost thirty interviews by this point, but yours was the one he was tripped up over.

Well, of course he was. You were funny, smart, and not to mention, absolutely stunning. There was no way he wasn't going to stutter and make a fool of himself.

Lando sat down in front of his laptop, the mic poised right in front of him. Two minutes until noon. He took a deep breath and clicked to start the recording.

Here goes nothing.

Snippets from the Interview:

Lando Norris: Tell me about your newest hit, "The Outside", and its backstory.

Y/N L/N: Basically, I am part of a larger group known as the Cherry Soda girl band. It's me, my guitarist Lanie, my saxophonist and bassist Amina, my pianist Izzy, and my drummer Aiko. We are all members of the BIPOC community. We are all people of color. And this song is our anthem, talking about the discrimination we have faced. Prejudice still is very evident, very prominent in society, and this song takes the point of view of someone who deals with it every day.

Lando Norris: That's incredible. Did you write it all on your own?

Y/N L/N: No, definitely not! (laughs) I had a lot of input from the other Cherry Soda girls, and I also talked to other people in my community. I'm currently in the process of creating a version of the song that has other people's voices in it. It takes inspiration from Paris Paloma's song "LABOUR", which does something very similar, and I'm going to credit her. Her work is incredible.

Lando Norris: So, why did you decide to form the Cherry Soda band?

Y/N L/N: And why did you decide to become a Formula One driver? Because it was my destiny, I knew that this was the path I am supposed to follow. Since I was little, I've been crafting songs and performing at talent shows. I've known the other girls since my days in secondary school, and we've always had this dream. It took a lot of hard work to make it a reality, but here we are.

Lando Norris: Cheeky.

Y/N L/N: Sorry! I didn't mean to be rude. (giggles)

Email from Lando Norris to Y/N (2025):

Two Weeks Later:

Interviewer: Your last episode with Y/N L/N on "Lights Out" was a hit! Will she be returning to the show?

Lando Norris: Unfortunately, she can't for the foreseeable future. She's going on tour, so she'll be very busy.

Interviewer: What a shame.

Poster for the "Fairytale" Tour, featuring Y/N L/N (2025):

Lando entered the Ticketmaster queue, his fingers crossed as he waited to purchase tickets for your tour in Los Angeles. If it didn't work out, he was screwed.

"You could just ask her directly," Oscar had pointed out unhelpfully. It was the epitome of embarrassing if Lando contacted you again and begged for tickets. No, he'd get it the normal way, and surprise you.

You are number 190 in line.

Lando breathed a sigh of relief, sinking in his chair. The arena had over 15000 seats, so he would absolutely be able to grab seats for him, Oscar, and Max.

When the screen reloaded to show available spots, Lando frantically tapped to select three tickets in the VIP section of the lower bowl. He didn't even look at the cost.

None of it mattered, if it meant he'd be able to see you again.

@ cherrysodagirls.updates: Opening night ✓

tagged: @ cherrysodagirls, @ yourusername, & 4 others

comments (10452):

@ user1: HAD THE BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE!!!!

@ user2: hearing "the outside" live was a life-altering moment 🙏🏻

@ user3: So indebted to this band, I survived 2023 because of them

-> @ user4: they helped me get through a rough patch too. it's comforting to know how much music heals people ❤️‍🩹

@ landonorris: Awesome performance! Can't wait to see the rest of your tour and what you accomplish!

-> @ user5: we love men supporting women <3

-> @ user6: He wants her so bad omg

A Month Later

@ ln4lore: Pictures from @ yourusername and the Cherry Soda band's recent event at the SoFi Stadium, where Lando Norris was in attendance!

tagged: @ landonorris, @ yourusername, @ cherrysodagirls

comments (8371):

@ user7: AWEEE

@ user8: Slide 3 is hilarious omg, I can't stop laughing 😂

-> @ user5: THE UPSIDE DOWN GLASSES ARE SOOO SILLY

@ user9: Oh they together frrrr

You exited the backstage, your hair pulled up in a tight ponytail as sweat beaded on your skin. Another completed night full of raucous laughter and chorus singing, and you were exhausted.

As much as you were grateful for the opportunity to perform in front of an audience of thousands of people, you couldn't deny the fact that it sucked up all your energy.

You held the support bar as you walked down the stairs, your eyes scanning for the exit, where your limousine was waiting for you. The other girls had left almost as soon as the show was over, but you'd opted to stay behind and help with the clean-up process. It was the least you could do after the show you'd put on. All the confetti was a janitor's nightmare.

Your eyes snagged on a familiar figure, his head held high as he waited for you to walk over. Lando Norris.

Rumors had spread that he was in attendance tonight, but you'd chosen not to linger on it. He was extremely cute and interested in you, and exactly what you wanted in a boyfriend. If you were to have one, of course.

Lando grinned at you. "Congratulations, your show was amazing," he gushed, cheeks turning pink. "Your voice is like an angel."

"Thanks," you responded, smiling back shyly.

He tilted his head down, averting his eyes, suddenly embarrassed. "I really like you, Y/N. You're unbelievable."

"The feelings are mutual."

Lando's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Really?"

You nodded. "You're funny, and you went through the effort to surprise me by attending one of my concerts. And you waited another two hours afterwards. That's very kind of you."

"Can I take you home, then?" he inquired bashfully.

You pretended to mull over it, not wanting to seem overeager, and inclined your head.

"You may."

The rest of that night, Lando showed you just how proud he was of you, worshiping every inch of your body like a mortal kneeling at the altar of a goddess.

─── ୨୧ ─── THE END ─── ୨୧ ───

[im-a-king-baby]

Hiii!

I loved ELYN so much! And one scene I would love you to comment on is in chapter 14 when they're out by the lake, and they talk about their futures and their public personas, and I guess they both help each other get to thinking about their options in new ways:

“The first thing you ever said to me was that you weren’t allowed to talk about politics.” Simon bends down to pick a rock up from the grass, turning it over between his fingers. “I guess I’m just saying if this debate is live and there’s no script then this is your chance to tell people your story. To show them what kind of king you’re going to be.” He tosses the stone once in his palm, then throws it into the lake."

I really loved how this got Wilhelm thinking about what he wanted, and how he could go about to get it.

Thanks a lot 💜

No, thank YOU a lot <3 <3.

(This meme is bonus content for ELYN/Everybody Loves You Now which you can read on AO3 here. This post below the cut will contain spoilers.)

So the VERY FIRST line of YR fanfiction I ever wrote was: ‘The first thing Wilhelm ever said to Simon was, "I’m not allowed to talk about politics." It was a wake-up call, a reminder, that Wilhelm will always belong to Sweden first.’ It was originally for a different fic, then I stole it for a Simon POV ELYN-scene which I might post someday (snippet below), but that sense of responsibility is definitely one of the core parts of this kind of contemporary royalty story that is interesting to me. So the beginning of that quote is definitely something that was in my mind from the very beginning.

And it’s interesting to talk about this scene (and chapters 13/14 in general) and that progression to Wilhelm’s decision because it was hardly in draft 1, which jumped from Candace to the debate with very little in between. And then I kept expanding it, and rewriting it a million times (and then my beta was like ‘this isn’t working’ about some parts and I rewrote them several more times.) and these chapters more than a lot of the others I had to step back and really be like ‘what am I trying to achieve here, what are my character arcs, how do I balance that?’

The most important part of ELYN (to me) was that losing the vote had to be a Choice that Wilhelm made. I’ve seen some debates about whether people want an ending where Wilhelm abdicates or where the monarchy is abolished and I always think it misses the nuance that if monarchy is abolished it should be because Wilhelm abolishes it. To me, that’s what makes it an empowered narrative, rather than a story about society rejecting a queer king. And in ELYN, the other key plotline is this reconnection between Wilhelm and Simon and how that pushes them both to break out of these boxes they’re stuck in. On Simon’s side, Wilhelm is a reminder of his past and a wake-up call to how not-okay Simon is now. Pre the writing of 13/14 Wilhelm did had some influence from Simon, breaking the rules and pushing back on his mother and Minou, but I wanted there to be a clear character beat that tied Simon's return to Wilhelm’s making the decision to call for a 'no' vote.

Then it was a case of reflecting on the parallels of their lives, which was mostly this theme of being voiceless. Simon not being able to sing his own songs, vs. Wilhelm being handed speeches to read out and having to stick to the Official Story. And this is where Simon is kind of ahead of Wilhelm, in that he’s already had his ‘fuck it, they can’t stop me’ moment singing at the concert, so he gets to take the advice-giving role, which is nice to balance out their interactions a bit more so it’s not Wilhelm helping Simon all the time.

(In case you’re interested, this is one of the notes I sent my beta with the final rewrite (which kind of shows how I was approaching this transition from a character development perspective): ‘I’ve tried to make the split more clear so that in 13 his action is avoiding the debate (passive) and in 14 he switches to actively using the debate to change the vote.���)

Bonus snippet, here is the line from paragraph one in the Simon hotel scene:

The wind is bitingly cold. “Thanks, tack, love you all,” he calls down. “Have a good night!” He shuts the window, draws the curtains like maybe they’ll leave if they can’t see him. They won’t leave. They were there this morning when he went to an interview, then a doctor about the scratch in his throat, then an outfit fitting for the charity show. The numbers fluctuate but they’re never gone. He wonders how Wilhelm got past them. There must be another entrance, one that someone has decided Simme isn’t allowed to use, because they want to reward the loyalty of the fans freezing their fucking toes off to get a glimpse of him. Wilhelm wouldn’t risk being seen by them. Wilhelm knows how important is is to maintain his image. The first thing Wilhelm ever said to Simon was, ‘I’m not supposed to talk about politics.’ A wake up call. A reminder. That Wilhelm will always belong to Sweden first. And now Simon knows a little of how that feels, to have the expectations of thousands of strangers resting on his shoulders. Fortunately Simme’s image is much easier to maintain. A bit of smoky eye, a smile that promises sex, a never ending stream of photoshoots where the clothes are more or less optional. It all comes naturally: start at the neck of the bottle and work down.

[ismyteadoneyet]

How fortunate am I to have so many Things to love and be excited about, to appreciate and look forward to?

Things I feel so strongly about that they stumble into my mind, univited, at random times of the day? Things that spill into my speech and vocabulary without me noticing? Things that impact my vision to the point where everywhere I look, everywhere I go, I see ghosts of them?

How lucky am I to have so many Things I love and cherish enough for them to reshape my very person, change my beliefs and make me grow? Things that make my own loved ones see the Things out in the wild, and go out of their way to make sure I see them too?

How wonderful is it that I have Things that I love so much that the very act is deemed and dubbed "not normal", making my love for them seem like it's more than they are supposed to recieve? An out-of-the-ordinary and above-the-norm appreciation for the Things that make the people around me shake their heads, call me "silly".

My dear, beloved Things, may I always stay silly for you ❤️

[perexcri]

happy one year to her and one of my better opening lines for a fic <3

now, because i'm curious:

[beneathsilverstars]

My @isat-secretsanta-2024 gift for @pillowspace!! They said they’re fascinated by secret research lab AUs, and, in a case of incredible serendipity, that’s been my favorite trope since I was like 8 years old. So I may have gotten possessed and spent three weeks straight worldbuilding a whole entire thing.

So! This comic is my gift for Pillow, but I’m planning to write a fic set in the same AU eventually, titled Desperate Measures. It will take place in a modern day Vaugarde and focus on Odile, Loop, and Siffrin, alongside other more-or-less-familiar faces. And by “eventually” I mean this is now my highest priority project, but it’s big enough that it may be a couple months till I have anything else to show!

Journal transcript under the cut:

wavelength of 690nm, which means it would activate L cones nearly exclusively. If we're correct in our mapping of wavelength combinations to color terms in historical documents, then this would be considered a shade of "red".

I still don't know if I believe it. It seems fantastical, like I've become a character in a children's story, chosen to leave behind the world of the mundane and enter a realm of magic. Or like this is all a dream, and as soon as I'm about to see the shade my brain will realize it doesn't actually know how to show me something I've never seen before, so it'll put me in front of a full auditorium instead; and then I'll forget how to speak Vaugardian, or realize I'm not wearing any pants, or both, and then I'll wake with a start back in Ka Bue.

But however strange it seems, I can't think of any reason they'd have to lie about it. Why else all the NDAs? Why else contact me? So I must assume that it's true. That after years of trying to solve humanity's loss of color vision — a project that began long before I joined it, and that I expected to continue long past my time — I am about to simply be shown a perceivable color. That's the strangest part, really; that this breakthrough isn't related to the mechanisms of sight, but rather, the thing seen.

14/1/29

I thought perhaps they'd synthesized it somehow. Stumbled upon the correct combination of chemicals by accident. Maybe even invented a new sort of craft.

I didn't expect their source of red to be alive.

[samynnad102687]

"If anybody would like to send me some asks with microfic prompts, I'd appreciate it. 🥰"

how about james as a swim coach and sirius forces reg to get lessons from james, not knowing reg has had the hugest crush on his big brother's best friend. so shirtless james + swimming = flustered reg.

I asked for a 'micro fic' prompt, just to turn around and write a 2500-word one-shot. Clearly, I can't write anything short.

Thanks for the prompt.

Here is swim coach James teaching Regulus how to swim while Regulus tries not to die from the close contact.

Swimming Lessons

“I don’t want to go!” Regulus nearly shouted as he tried to pull his arm out of Sirius’ hold. 

Sirius had asked if he wanted to go somewhere and Regulus stupidly didn’t ask where he wanted to go. He assumed he wanted to go shopping since Sirius had been mentioning that he needed some new boots to go with his leather jacket for the last week. When they pulled up to the aquatic centre, Regulus started to regret his decision to come along. 

“Oh, come on, Reggie. It’s not going to be that bad,” Sirius replied, dragging him across the lawn towards the front door. “You need to learn to swim.”

“Why?” he asked defiantly. “I have no intention of ever going in the water.”

“Because it’s a life skill that everyone should know. Besides, James is a great instructor.”

Regulus screeched to a halt, yanking his arm out of Sirius’ grip. He crossed his arms as Sirius turned towards him with a confused expression. Regulus already didn’t want to learn how to swim, he hated the water. Even if he did, there was no way he would learn anything if James was the instructor. Regulus has had a minor crush on his brother’s best friend since he came back from a sports summer camp three years ago. 

“What? Do you hate James now or something?” Sirius quirked an eyebrow in question. 

“No,” Regulus scoffed. “I just don’t want to learn how to swim. I told you that.”

They stood in the middle of the walkway, glaring at each other before Sirius sighed and the corner of his lip twitched. Great. He’s gonna try to bribe me. It’s not going to work.

“What if I buy you those new Doc Martens you’ve been eyeing for the past three months?”

Fuck! He had been eyeing them and he was trying to save up for them but since being disowned and losing his inheritance, it was hard to keep up with his bills let alone indulge in something for himself. 

Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Fine, but if I drown it’s your fault.”

“Ha, you’re not going to drown. James won’t let you,” Sirius chuckled, grabbing his arm again and dragging him through the door. 

Regulus resigned himself to being in close contact with his crush for the next however long. At least he wouldn’t be the only one. Sirius stopped at the receptionist's desk, talked for a few minutes in a quiet tone so Regulus couldn’t hear him then laughed loudly and grabbed the swim trunks from the blonde.

“Here you go,” he said, holding out the bright red shorts. “You can change in the bathroom over there.”

Regulus glared at him again before snatching them and stalking off the restroom and taking his time changing. He knew he was delaying the inevitable but he figured Sirius might forget about him if he took too long. 

Or not.

“Let’s go, Reggie,” Sirius shouted from the door. “Or I’ll throw you in the pool in your clothes.”

Regulus poked his head out of the stall, “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me, little brother,” Sirius smirked before crossing his arms over his chest and cocking a challenging eyebrow.

“Ugh.”

Of course, Sirius would. He finished quickly and sauntered out into the hallway, leading to the pool. He glanced at the door leading outside before sighing and following Sirius inside, the chlorine smell assaulting his sense of smell as soon as they opened the door. Regulus took a deep breath. He could do this. He just had to keep telling himself that he could and then he might believe it. 

Once they were inside, Regulus looked around. There was a large pool and three diving boards at the end at varying heights, as well as some bleachers off to the side. What he didn’t see, was James or anybody else aside from Sirius, who was standing next to him. 

“Where is everybody?” Regulus asked dumbly. “I thought this was a–”

He cut himself off as someone jumped off the diving board with a splash and swam to the edge. Regulus had to will his breathing to get under control as he watched James, clad in a pair of tight, barely there shorts, pulling himself out of the water and shaking his hair before running his hand through it. The water glistened off his golden six-pack as it dripped down to his toned v-line. Regulus felt his heart rate pick up as the back of his neck started to burn from the blush he was sure was there. 

“Pads!” James exclaimed when he noticed them standing there. He walked over to them and pulled Sirius in for a hug.

“Ugh, Prongs, not the jacket!” Sirius shrieked, pushing him off and James laughed loudly. 

Regulus’ knees nearly buckled from the sound. He tried to take a subtle breath, willing his heart to get back to normal as James turned towards him. It didn’t work.

“Hey, Reg. I’m surprised Sirius got you here.”

“I had to bribe him… after I kidnapped him,” Sirius chuckled when Regulus didn’t say anything.

James shoved Sirius in the shoulder and Sirius pushed him back, nearly pushing him back in the pool. When they were done messing around, James turned back to Regulus.

“Sorry,” he said sincerely. “He told me you agreed to come last week.”

What? Oh, he was going to kill his brother. 

“Of course, I didn’t believe him,” James chuckled before speaking softer, “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“It’s-” Regulus cleared his throat, hoping the blush went away when they goofing off. “It’s fine. I should probably learn anyway, considering there is a high probability of Sirius throwing me in if I disagreed.”

“Are you sure?” James asked with a gentle smile. 

“Yeah. I just thought there would be more people here when I found out what we were actually doing.”

“Oh.” Regulus was confused. He was going to ask him what he meant by ‘oh’ but James wasn’t looking at him anymore. He was staring at Sirius, who had an expression that screamed he was innocent. “You didn’t tell him it was a private lesson?”

“Hey, I was barely able to get him here,” Sirius remarked, putting his hands up in surrender.

James pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a heavy sigh. “Go back to the lobby and bug Marlene. You’re not allowed in here anymore.”

“But-” Sirius started before looking at James and Regulus had never seen that expression on James’ face. Granted, the only expressions he had really seen were smiles and gentleness. “Fine.”

James turned back to Regulus after the door closed. “I’ll ask again. Are you sure you want to learn? I’m not going to make you do anything that you don’t want to do, like your idiot brother,” he said, raising his voice on the last part so Sirius could hear.

“Umm…” Regulus’ eyes darted everywhere except at the toned chest in front of him. “I- I-” he cleared his throat, forcing himself to focus on James’ face inside of his water covered abs, “I guess I could try, since I’m already here,” he said as nonchalantly as he could manage.

Oh, that smile is going to be the death of me. Regulus willed the blush to disappear as much as he could, averting his eyes to the pool. 

“Okay. I promise nothing’s going to happen. I’ll make sure of it,” James responded, reassuringly.

“O- okay.”

James led him over to the shallow end of the pool and jumped in before holding his hand out for Regulus to take if he wanted to. Regulus stood there nervously as he looked from the water to James and back again repeatedly. 

“Don’t worry,” James said with a gentle smile. “It’s only three feet deep right here.”

He stood up completely so the water only came up to his waist to prove his point. Regulus sighed again, forcing himself to focus on the water and not James. He stepped towards the edge of the pool and dipped his toe in, testing the water’s temperature. It was warm and he hated that he couldn’t use it as an excuse to run out of the aquatic centre. 

“What exactly are we going to do?” Regulus asked as he grabbed the railing of the ladder.

James smiled and Regulus was glad he had something to hold onto as his knees wobbled slightly. 

“Well, since I can tell you’re nervous, I figured we could start with getting used to the water and maybe work on floating today,” James remarked as he stepped closer to the edge. “If you want to continue after that, then we can do some more or set up another time to work on it.”

Regulus hated that that sounded logically. He had hoped James was planning on throwing him into the deep end then he could have bailed without worrying about hurting anybody’s feelings. He sighed and sat on the edge, letting his legs dangle over the ladder and held his hand out for James to take to guide him into the water. 

James did before putting one of his hands on Regulus’ hip gently, waiting for him to scoot farther into the water. It took some time but Regulus managed to get all the way into the water and moved away from the edge towards the center with James’ guiding hand on his lower back. Regulus took a subtle deep breath to calm his racing heart at having his crush so close to him. It was a good thing they were in the water. He never would have been able to stay standing if he was still on land. 

“Okay,” James started, coming around to the front to face Regulus. “Now that you’re in the water, how do you feel?”

Regulus thought about it for a few seconds before locking eyes with James. That was a mistake as he saw the gentleness in the hazel irises and he hoped James couldn’t tell he was flustered. 

“G- umm, good. I think I’m good,” Regulus managed to get out when he looked back at the water, composing himself again. 

“Great. You’re doing so good already,” James beamed and Regulus’ heart skipped a beat at the praise. “Do you want to try floating or is this enough for the day?”

“Uhh… I think we could try floating. I’m not going to go under the water, right?”

“No, no of course not. I’ll keep you up the whole time,” James said quickly.

Regulus hated that he was so accomodating. It made him fall for James even more than he already was. Pretty soon, other people might notice his infatuation and start to tease him about it. Especially if Sirius figured it out. 

“Okay,” he replied, nodding his head before the word was out of his mouth. 

“Great,” James smiled gently. “Okay, I’m going to put my hand on your lower back and will gingerly move your legs up so you’re on your back. Is that alright?”

Regulus took a second to think about what that would feel like and figured this was probably the only way he was going to have James’ hands on him. He also forgot that he was in the water as James stood in front of him with the sweetest smile he had ever seen. At least until the water moved around them. 

James took a step closer and held his hand out, waiting for Regulus to turn around so he could place it on his back. Regulus did so and shivered when James placed his hand there. James guided him onto his back and Regulus made a point to not freak out as his hair touched the water when his legs were up. He was so focused on the feeling of James’ hand on his back that he didn’t notice he was floating by himself until James beamed at him from above. 

“What?” he asked with a little bite at the obvious amusement on James’ face. 

“You’re floating… by yourself,” he replied, showing Regulus his hands to prove his point. 

It took him a few seconds to register what was happening before he started flailing and James grabbed his hips before he went under the water. Once Regulus was standing back on the bottom of the pool, he smacked James in the chest, sucking in his breath when he made contact with his solid upper body. 

“You said you weren’t going to let go,” Regulus whisper-shouted. He didn’t want his brother coming in and asking what was going on. 

“No,” James smirked, “I said I would keep you up and I did. You didn’t go under the water, did you?”

Regulus glared at him for a few seconds before making his way to the ladder and hoped his heart didn’t make him do something stupid. James chuckled behind him but didn’t stop him. They got out of the pool and Regulus stalked towards the door. He needed to get out of there. He pushed the door open, grabbed his clothes from Sirius and made his way to the restroom to change back into his dry clothes again. 

He took his time changing, mostly to calm his heart down and will the blush off his pale cheeks before returning to his brother and most likely James. When he finally came out of the bathroom, James was talking to Sirius and the blonde receptionist jovially. 

“You good?” Sirius asked when he emerged. 

“Fine. Let’s go. You owe me a new pair of Docs,” Regulus grumbled. 

Sirius chuckled and when Regulus turned towards them, James was standing there with a sweet smile. 

“You did really well today, Regulus,” he said easily taking a step towards him. “Would you like to try another day? Maybe get you actually swimming next time.”

Regulus stumbled over his own feet as he took a step back from James’ closeness. James reached out, grabbing his arm so he didn’t fall on his ass. Everything seemed to stop as Regulus looked up into James’ golden irises. His breath stuttered as his arm heated up with where James was holding him up. 

“I’d really love to see you again, love,” James whispered, causing Regulus to suck in a breath and he nodded subtly. James smiled before straightening up and turning towards Sirius. “And Pads…”

“Yeah?”

“No more kidnapping your brother.”

“Regulus..”

“Hmm?”

“I can give you my number and you can text me when you want to set up another lesson.”

“Okay.” Regulus nodded, pulling his phone out without thinking about it. 

James entered his number before winking and handing it back. Regulus looked at the phone in his hand, noticing there was a new note open on it. He snapped his eyes up to look at James but he was already saying goodbye to Sirius and talking to the receptionist. 

He clicked on the note without thinking. 

Text me anytime. Even if it’s not about swimming lessons.

James

Regulus was sufficiently freaking out now. There was no way that James was flirting with him right now, especially in front of Sirius. But he really hoped he was.

[babydollmarauders]

YOU’RE LOSING ME — JACK HUGHES

jack hughes x fem!reader

summary: in which y/n is struggling to grasp the fact that she and jack have grown apart amongst his newfound nhl stardom

warnings: angst, neglectful jack, dying relationship, long intro (so sorry), alcohol

specific lyrics: “remember lookin' at this room, we loved it 'cause of the light. now, i just sit in the dark and wonder if it's time” and “how can you say that you love someone you can't tell is dyin'?” and “how long could we be a sad song 'til we were too far gone to bring back to life? i gave you all my best me's, my endless empathy and all i did was bleed as i tried to be the bravest soldier. fighting in only your army, frontlines, don't you ignore me. i'm the best thing at this party (you're losin' me). and i wouldn't marry me either; a pathological people pleaser who only wanted you to see her. and I'm fadin', thinkin' "do something, babe, say something" "lose something, babe, risk something" "choose something, babe, i got nothing" (i got nothing) "to believe, unless you're choosin' me"”

notes: idk how i feel about this. it’s been awhile since i’ve written an actual fic so i think my writing is a little rusty. there will be no part 2 to this one! i know y’all love when i make part 2’s to my angsty fics, but some fics i just wanna keep as angst and this is one of them <3

maybe we were naïve. young and innocent in thinking our love would last forever. that we could withstand everything the universe had to throw at us.

i could give us this; we did last past Jack’s rookie year. but maybe that’s when things started breaking. i couldn’t tell you for certain.

when we moved to New Jersey, we were going on three years into our relationship. we thought that milestone of three years meant we would be together forever.

we went apartment hunting, i opted to go into online schooling rather than on campus classes, late night whispers consisted of marriage and future children.

now, the last time i even brought up marriage, he told me he wasn’t ready for that. that he was at the peak of his career and didn’t want to spend time that could be used bettering his skills, to plan a wedding.

i spend most nights in an empty bed, the cold sheets serving as a harsh reminder that my boyfriend would rather go out with his teammates than spend time with me.

rather than the past early mornings of soft loving stares and cuddling on his bare chest, i now spend my mornings glaring towards my boyfriends sleeping figure; trying to calculate when he may have gotten home after i had already fallen asleep.

seven years. one-third of my life, spent with Jack.

no one ever said love would be easy; but no one ever told me it would be this hard either.

the mug in my hands is at risk of breaking from my grip, the coffee inside having gone cold. a cruel euphemism to how our relationship has cooled. the burning fire that it once was, now fizzling to dying sparks. but i still hold onto what’s left, because i’m not sure i know how to live a life without him anymore.

i sit curled up on the sofa, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the New Jersey skyline. i still remember the day that Jack and i decided on this apartment, this room was a deciding factor. we loved the lighting, the way the sun shone through the windows and cast a golden haze over the rest of the apartment.

now i sit in the darkness nearly every night, wondering if this was the end of our relationship; if it’s time.

the worst part is that we keep going on. keep playing house. pretending that our relationship is still as happy as it once was.

‘i love you’s never became a rarity, still uttered past our lips multiple times a day. but i know his words only hold an empty promise now.

how can he say he loves me when he can’t tell that this relationship is killing me?

that this dynamic of our relationship becoming a chore has slowly broken me down?

our life is robotic now. we wake up, he leaves for practice, i stay home, i do school, he comes home for a pre-game nap, he leaves for a game, i still stay home, i go to bed, he comes home, repeat.

even worse when he’s away. what once started as facetime calls whenever he was free on a roadie, slowly died until it’s nothing but a few measly unsubstantial texts.

at first i thought maybe we were just going through a rough patch, that we would get through this, but now i fear we won’t.

***

my eyes track my boyfriend at the crowded rooftop bar as i nod my head, only half paying attention to what Ryleigh says.

Nico’s surprise party has been a success. for Nico, at least.

i, selfishly, thought i would use this party as an opportunity to grasp Jack’s attention. i wore the dress that he used to say was his favorite, but not once did he mention it. i curled my hair because i knew how much he loved it, but he didn’t compliment it how he usually does. i dolled myself up in hopes that it would glue him to my side. maybe even spark that possessiveness he used to hold for me.

but instead, all i got was a measly and empty ‘hey babe, you look nice.’ when i arrived, before he chased Dawson down to discuss some new bar he wanted to check out after their next win.

i spent the next hour following him around like a lost puppy, standing by his side as he spoke to his teammates. if he hadn’t had his hand resting on my lower back, i would’ve thought he forgot i was there. but somehow being forgotten would’ve felt better than being ignored.

i’m the best thing at this party, or at least i should be to him, and he barely spared me a second glance.

eventually, i saltily left to find the other wives and girlfriends. for the past three hours now, i sit with Ryleigh and Darya. Ryleigh is currently recounting she and Dawson’s date night last night.

the party has been dwindling down, our group of people among the bar slowly dispersing, giving their final birthday wishes to Nico and going home.

“what about you and Jack?”

“hmm?” i perk up at the mention of my boyfriend, dragging my line of sight away from said boy and back towards my friends.

“i asked about you and Jack. when was your guys’ last date night? how was it?” Ryleigh is only trying to be polite, i know that. but she’s only reminded me that Jack and i haven’t gone on a date in what has to be at least six months.

“honestly? i couldn’t tell you.” i confess. “i don’t even remember the last time we went on a date.”

“well, that’s not right! we should do a double date soon! i’ll have Dawson set it up.” she smiles. “ooh triple date! you and Yegor should come!”

“we’d love that!” Darya chimes in. i let out a polite smile, but i know it won’t happen. i’ve tried too many times to set up a date night and nothing ever comes from it.

“hey, baby. you ready to go?” Dawson saunters over, planting a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek. Ryleigh nods, bidding Darya and i goodbye.

“hey, y/n? i think Jack was looking for you.” Yegor tells me as he comes over next, gathering his wife to leave for the night.

“he was?” my voice is filled with a pathetic hope, an excitement over even the thought of my boyfriend seeking me out. but when i look back to where i last saw him, he still stands next to his captain, laughing over something one of them said. “thanks, Shara.”

he smiles, the both of them now saying their goodbyes. and then there was one.

i sit by myself, lazily chewing the straw in my drink as i watch my boyfriend and his friend.

i quickly lose track of how long i sit there, ordering drink after drink. eventually, i stop watching Jack, opting for mindlessly scrolling through instagram instead.

“hey.” my head snaps up at Jack’s voice, watching as he finally joins me. my heart thumps in my chest, like i’m a teenager again, at the thought of spending time with him. “i think i’m ready to head home.”

my mood deflates, my shoulders slumping, but i nod, gathering my purse as Jack sets some cash on the bar top to cover my drinks from the night.

i wobble slightly as i stand, Jack’s hand coming up to hold onto my arm, making sure i don’t fall. heat spreads from the site of the touch, shivers racking my body.

“you okay, babe?” he chuckles, pulling me into his side as we walk to the elevator, pressing the down button and waiting for it to arrive. “how much did you drink?”

“i don’t know. maybe three? i lost count after the first hour alone.” i shrug, my words are slurred, a product of my tipsy state. “i started off with sprite, but i switched to gin and tonics once Darya left.”

Jack is silent as we get into the elevator, his brows furrowed and him seemingly in deep thought. the whole ride home is quiet, the air charged. i spend the whole drive with my head turned to look out the window. but as soon as we reach the parking deck of our apartment, getting out of his Range Rover, he speaks up again.

“you could’ve come and found me? i was just with Nico.” i’m silent for a moment, picking up my pace to try and reach apartment faster.

“i didn’t feel like being ignored again.” i shrug as we step through the door, the alcohol giving me obvious courage that i never had before.

“what do you mean ‘again’? i haven’t ignored you.” Jack follows behind me into our bedroom, his eyes tracking me as i sit on the bed and begin unfastening my heels.

“stop.” i sigh.

“stop what? y/n/n, when have i ignored you?” his genuine obliviousness hurts more than i thought it could. the fact that he didn’t even realize he was ignoring me; that it was just a subconscious reaction for him to push me aside.

“every day.” i tell him. my eyes start stinging with tears, finally ready to have the fight that i’ve so desperately been avoiding. but it’s obvious that Jack doesn’t feel the same.

“i’m sorry you felt that way.” he tells me, barely sparing another glance my way before he starts grabbing pajamas out of the dresser.

“you’re losing me.” my words are choked out in a whisper, but i know he hears them because i watch as he stiffens, slowly turning around.

“what?”

“Jack, this doesn’t feel like a relationship anymore. it feels like a job. a chore.” i confess. “it doesn’t feel like you love me anymore and i need you to just say it. because i love you too much to keep going on like this.”

“y/n-”

“we barely talk, Jack.” i cut him off. “when we do, we’re struggling through empty small talk. you’re barely home, and when you are, you don’t try and spend time with me. i sit in this house, alone, even when you’re here.”

“what are you talking about? y/n, we’ve been together for almost seven years. we’ve been through so much together.” his words are harsh, defensive.

“exactly! i gave you all my best me’s- i gave you my teenage years, i gave you all of my best years! i gave you all my empathy when you were being called a bust. when you were struggling in your rookie year and at your lowest. i sat here and comforted you after every loss! i stayed here and cried and tried to be brave every time you were gone. i defended you to everyone!”

tears roll freely down my cheeks, my nose becoming stuffy and my throat tightening. i’ve risen from the bed now, still keeping my distance from him though.

“and what do i have to show for it? an empty apartment? an empty relationship? we used to spend hours talking about marriage and our future. now, the last time i tried to bring that up, you all but told me you didn’t want to marry me.” i scoff. “and i can’t blame you, i wouldn’t marry me either; a pathological people pleaser.”

“don’t say that, please.” he whispers.

“but all i wanted was for you to see me, Jack! i’m here! i have feelings! i know it’s hard to believe, but i’m a person too! i need love! not whatever this has been.” my words fade off at the end, breaking off into sobs.

Jack’s eyes are red, tears of his own slowly descending as we stand in silence.

“do something, please. say something.” i plead, furiously wiping at my tears. i swallow a lump in the throat as he finally takes a step forward.

“i’m sorry.” his voice is shaky, breaking midst sentence. “i’m so sorry i didn’t know you were feeling this way. i’ve been so wrapped up in hockey and the team that i haven’t been here. not fully, at least.

“i took you for granted. i guess you’ve been this dependable force in my life for so long that eventually i forgot that you need more than just my presence.

“i do love you, y/n. i can’t imagine my life without you. i’ll be better, i promise. just, please, don’t leave.” he begs.

Jack steps forward, closing the distance between us and taking my face in his hands.

“i need you. i’ll always choose you.” his hands shake on my cheeks as he pulls me into a kiss. he pulls away, heaving out a broken mix between a sigh and a sob. “i’m so so sorry.”

“we can fix us. i believe that. but please, don’t put me through this again.” i beg, laying my forehead against his.

“never.”

[sister-of-sin-666]

Music Of The Night🥀

Ghost X Phantom of The Opera

MNDI please 18+ only

Terzo X F! Reader

Summery: (A phantom of the opera AU! with Terzo as the Phantom) After opening night of the opera, you find a gift from you unseen angel what will you do when he finally reveals himself to you.

A/N: Hello Everyone! This is my first ever ghost fic, and i've been HUNTING down a fic of Terzo as Phantom from Phantom Of The Opera and i decided to write it myself lol I really hope you guys enjoy it, this is Part One, i'm currently writing part two! hopefully it will be out very soon!

Story Warnings: Mentions of a father passing , mostly tension building in this chapter, more warnings will be listed as each chapter progresses

Chapter One: I Feel Your Presence Amongst Us

Opening night, I’m still in shock at how quickly everything that came to be. My first performance as a lead in the Opera and I'm still not sure how to fully wrap my brain around it. Backstage is buzzing with stagehands who can barely stand with how much liquor they've consumed, actors who are more concerned with their affairs than the characters they are supposed to be portraying, then there's me, too nervous to even move a muscle. Every time I breathe my breath hitches in the back of my throat and I think how can I even perform when I can't even catch my breath. I can hear the audience start to settle into their seats through the thick red velvet curtains that separate me from them. I can already feel their gaze piercing right through me. It's at that moment I feel a light but firm tap on my right shoulder that nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I turn to find Madam Imperator with a warm and gentle smile to meet my weary and vacant stare.  “Chin up child, I would not have suggested you for this part if I knew you weren't born to do it, while it can be scary just remember there is an angel watching and listening to every word you sing and he’ll be nothing but proud of you”. The words she spoke nearly brought me to tears right then and there. I felt so much riding on my performance, not for the fact of what the audience, the actors, or the owners of the opera house would think but what he would think. My Angel. He's coached me, trained me, helped me find my voice and I can't let him down… I won't. “Thank you, I need to make him proud, it's the only thing that matters.” and I shoot her a meek smile as the band begins to warm up and the curtains begin to open, let the opera begin. 

I belt out the final note and with that the opera is over, and a standing ovation begins. I can't believe I actually did it! I peer out into the audience taking in everything and I see in Box 5 a familiar face. Dual toned eyes piercing through my soul, with a sense of familiarity to it. “It can't be” I say to myself and try to focus through the bright lights to make sure it's him.. But I can't be sure. The curtain falls and I search for Madam Imperator. As soon as I spot her she answers my question without me saying a word, as if she knew what I was about to say. “Yes he's here, I'll take you to him now.”  She takes my hand and guides me through the chaos that is backstage to a small hallway located right near my room, and there he is, waiting looking the exact same as he did all of those years ago, with a touch more silver in his hair in all this passed time. “y/n is it really you?”  “Copia, I can't believe you're here!”  He runs and we embrace in a hug that feels like it healed all the wounds in both our lifetimes. “I can't believe this, what are you doing here?”I said with bewilderment. “My mother.. She told me, I had no idea you were here at the opera house?”  His mother? How would his mother know me to tell him? “Oh? Your mother? Interesting, well I've been here ever since father passed . Madam Imperator took me into the opera house and helped me keep my fathers voice alive through me, well that's what she says at least.” I said with a slight chuckle at the absurdity of that statement, since no voice could ever compare to that of my fathers, but I'll take anything to keep me close to him and his spirit alive. “Well, I think your performance calls for a celebration! I'm going to go bring the carriage around while you get changed” Copia says as he takes my hand softly and kisses my knuckles and vanishes just as quickly as he appeared.

 You enter your dressing room, which has been littered with dozens and dozens of bouquets, a very strong contrast to earlier this evening when it was just your belongings, considering your dressing room was also your personal bedroom since you've lived at the opera house. You glance around at all of the beautiful arrangements of flowers but one single flower catches your eyes. A simple black rose laid right on your bed. You gently bring the flower up to your nose and breathe in its fragrant smell, when you notice a small piece or parchment laying below it. 

“ The voice of an angel shall be cherished and rewarded, you made me so ever proud” You gasped as tears started to form in your eyes. “It can't be him… can it?” The angel your angel, you hadn't seen him, merely heard him in the late  hours of the night bringing you comfort in those moments you had nothing but yourself. You felt anxious but yet so relieved that he approved of your performance. You set the rose in a simple crystal vase and headed into the bathroom to ready yourself for your celebration tonight. 

You come back into your bedroom after your bath and head to start to change when with a simple gust of wind all of the candles in the room snuff out. Your breath hitches in your throat as you try to adjust to the darkness, when you start to see a faint glow from the gold ornate mirror that hangs on your wall, and a low tune begins to hum out to you, as if the air surrounding you were simply vibrations. “Can’t you see that you're lost, can’t you see that you’re lost without me?” You jump and start to look around, the voice barely above a whisper. “ Can’t you see that you’re lost?” The voice says a bit louder and more assertive like it demands an answer. “Angel? Angel is that you?” i say with a slight quiver in my voice. “ Il mio bellissimo fiore, How can you even question if it's me?” You gasp as tears start rolling down your cheek, desperately looking around to see if he's there or if his voice has come to haunt you again.  “Angel, where are you? Please, I need to see you.” you said almost pleading with the unseen person.  “Amore mio, look in the mirror. I'm here, I always have been.” You nervously rise from your bed, head spinning and not sure if this is even reality at this point. You hesitantly make your way from your bed to the mirror in the corner of the room. As you begin to approach the mirror you hear rumbling from the other side of your door. Copia he must be here. As you begin to look over at the door the rumbling in the room begins to grow louder as if to snuff out any outside noise. Your head snaps back to the mirror and you continue to approach as though you were in a trance-like state. You start to notice a silhouette in the mirror that stood in place of your own, though you can't make out any features  except for one, a white eye piercing into your soul, eyes not so different from Copia yet you knew it couldn't be him considering he was banging on the door but those eyes felt so comforting to you. The angel placed out his hand, you looked at it knowing that if you accepted his hand it had to be real, he had to be real. You delicately placed your hand in his and his grasp tightened onto it, as if now that he physically had you, he was to never let go.

[mjanelupinblack]

starving creatures | chapter one 🖤

pairing: xu minghao x reader // jun x reader (mainly lol)

description: starving creatures have arrived at your homeland in forks. little do you know, they not only intend to drain the blood out of you... they'll also to break your heart in two.

genres: slowburn (please bare with me), fluff, angst, vampire!au

warnings: blood drinking, lot of blood related themes, repressed emotions, family issues, miscommunication, kinda toxic friendship with cheol? blood and smut will be mixed. emotionally and physically starved vampires oops. did i mentioned blood?

minors dni!!!

fic playlist 🖤

w/c: 3.2k

a/n: like i said, slowburn as f*ck. you'll have to wait to have fun with jun and hao but it'll be worth it if you bare with me. also i am having so much fun writing this omg ^_^ english isn't my first language and i don't have beta readers so kind feedback is welcome <3

CHAPTER 1

Joshua Hong had been the first for many things in his life: the firstborn, the first brother to complete his education, the first student among his classmates to perform a solo surgery, and one of the first doctors to try chloroform for his medical procedures, as anesthesia wasn't nearly as developed as it is now.

He was also the first one to be turned.

No other outcome could have been expected. People like him - young, enthusiastic, seemingly blessed by the gods - had to have some divine punishment waiting for them. Josh's penance would be to live forever with his luck... and to have it slowly fade into misfortune.

As a doctor, he never thought life could be eternal. He had witnessed all types of miracles at Paris Salpêtrière, but no soul had ever gotten to escape the sweet lullabies of death. At first, he felt terrible about it. Doctor Pierre had told him to get used to it, as God only gives special treatment to his friends. Little did he know, Pierre was a close friend of Him. He didn't notice it until he found himself digging a blade into his tutor's jugular vein.

No pulse could be found, but Pierre's breaths were still steady.

"Let's go, Josh! Everything's packed!" Vernon shouted as he got into the driver's seat.

"Do we really have to go through this again?" Jun complained, as if it would change anything. For the last time, he stared at the California house that had been their home for the past ten years.

He always got too attached.

"C'mon, man, you know it's better this way," Vernon replied.

From the passenger seat, Joshua looked at them. Minghao rubbed his brother's back and gently pushed him into the car despite his deep and frustrated sighs. This might be the worst part. But upon reflection, the worst part might also involve the one where locals started noticing their lack of aging, leading him to search for a new town.

"Jun, you can't be mad..." Vernon tried.

"Hum, yes, I can be mad," Jun countered. "And I can't believe you all think it's possible to move from California to this nowhere town."

"This 'nowhere town' is called Forks, alright? And it's your new home, so you better get used to it."

Nowhere Town. That's a good name, as it reflected all the peace Joshua had been praying for since Junhui and Minghao joined his and Vernon's odd nomadic, supernatural-like lifestyle.

"It's always cloudy there. You'll get to hang out more often with your friends."

"Sorry, what friends?" Jun asked sarcastically.

"You'll make friends eventually, Jun. Stop whining," Minghao said.

You didn't believe Forks was the best town in the world either. The landscape, always covered by mist and the ground sticky wet from the most recent storm, looked exactly as it did when you were born. You finished cleaning the house an hour before the awaited arrival. The large windows were all cleaned, not a single stain preventing passersby from catching a glimpse inside.

The house was empty for now, as it had been since the heartbreaking death of the previous inhabitants. You sat by the porch, trying to catch your breath and wondering what the new family looked like. Were they old? Were they nice? Certainly, they wouldn't want anyone to disturb them, otherwise, they would have chosen to live closer to the town center.

Surrounded by trees and animals, your aunt's house was known for attracting people who appreciated solitude.

That's the first thing you learned about Minghao.

There is a van approaching from a distance. The new renters arrived half an hour earlier than you planned. You stand up quickly, shaking the dirt off your pants when, for the first time, you see his face.

You won’t be able to forget that face.

"Y/N, right? We talked on the phone yesterday," one of the guys says. There are four of them now. By his introduction, you supposed you are talking to Mr. Chwe.

"Yes! It's so nice to meet you all, Mr. Chwe."

You shake his hand, surprised to find Mr. Chwe, a doctor, looks more like a student who just pulled an all-nighter.

He also has the temperature of an old man.

"Just Vernon, please," he said.

You had a speech planned, but right now you're having trouble remembering what you were going to say. There's a man behind Vernon who looks at you with tender and compassionate eyes. You assume he's Joshua, the one who responded to your emails.

"I'm so sorry my aunt couldn't make it today. As I told you, she's been sick. It would be difficult for her to climb all the way up here. I'll give you the tour, if you're comfortable with it."

Vernon shows his understanding. The same goes for Joshua, who breaks into a sincere smile and thanks you for being so attentive. It's almost as if they're acting like parents. And then, there are the kids...

"Actually, I'm tired. I'm sure we can figure out the house ourselves."

"I could really use some sleep."

"We've stayed in bigger houses anyway."

"Jun, Hao... Enough of that."

Jun and Hao; you're not sure which one takes your breath away more. With their silky, white, shoulder-length hair, they stand in the woods like fairies in a fairytale.

But you imagined fairies to be... more polite, perhaps.

"It's okay. It must have been a long ride for them. I'll leave you to rest." You tranquillize Mr. Chwe with a smile, but think, Morons, in your head.

Almost as if he heard what you said, Jun's face contorts in a gesture that appears both surprised and offended.

"Do you all see that little house right there?" you ask, pointing down into the distance past the trees. "That's where I live. Just call me if you need anything. We're the only neighbors you have around, besides the Boo Family. Oh, and I almost forgot. They asked me to leave you a present since they won't be able to come and say hello today. I left it inside."

"A present?" Minghao asks, his forehead furrowed and a fucked up temper. It's as if you'd just left a bomb or something in their kitchen.

You feel small under his gaze.

"Yes... it's just a beautiful mirror."

•••

Vernon was the second one to get turned.

He graduated from uni, having already killed a man. He tasted his blood, vomited to stop feeling sick, but then got the imperious need to drink from him again.

“Who the hell is this Boo Family?” Jun asks once they get to the house. The mirror is still covered in the living room. There’s no use in unwrapping it as they can’t use it anyways.

“Some old friends.” Vernon answers, face paler than usual.

He made a vow to never to steal a life again. No matter how hungry he was, no matter how weak he could get, he had a strong set of values he planned to spend the rest of his non-desired eternity with, even if people told him it wasn’t the natural thing to do.

“Explain yourself.”

“No explanation needed… Just go to your room, Jun.”

“Are you grounding me or something? I thought we were over with all this weird family shit.”

“I could be your grandfather, how is that weird to…”

“Boo Seungkwan is the man who brought Vernon into this life, okay?” Joshua explains.

Josh had been his mentor. Studying hard for his degree, Vernon was only seven years younger than him and had a mind full of dreams. One of them was to become a doctor as brilliant as Joshua, which, after a lot of sacrifice, he did. But he never thought his desire to be like Joshua would put him into a world so dark and twisted. When he said he wanted to be like Joshua, he never imagined… this.

“There’s your answer.” Vernon says.

He wouldn’t have endured sane this long without Joshua as a friend.

“Don’t worry, mate, we are leaving this place.”

The house is big. Of course, they lived in much larger houses than your auntie’s, as Jun said. But this house… There is wood covering the walls and enormous trees blocking the sunlight from the windows.

Vernon asks himself, is it always going to be like this?

Will Josh and he finally be able to take daytime shifts? Will they be able to walk around town without having to worry about deadly eruptions on their skins?

Sunglasses and long sleeves, then they are ready to go. The offer is tempting.

“There’s no need.”

“What do you mean?” Joshua asks in disbelief.

“I mean… We already paid the girl.”

“And she can keep the money. We’re leaving.”

Jun seems thrilled. What will their new location be? Bahamas? Maybe France? Oh, he loves pain au chocolat! Now it is gonna be great.

“I want to give it a try, Josh,” Vernon says, much to Jun’s disgrace. “Yejin is dead. And there’s no other reason for the Boo family to attack me again.”

“Yejin? Like your ex-friend Yejin?” Minghao asks.

“More like the maniac, out-of-her-mind-obsessed-with-Vernon, Yejin.” Joshua corrects.

“How did you know about her, Hao?”

“I might have stumbled upon your diaries once. But then we moved, and I don’t know where you hide them anymore. So I’m kinda stuck in the middle of the tale.

“Well, well, well… Looks like we know very little of each other to be part of the same family, Mr. Chew. Or should I call you Doctor?”

Jun disappears from the room, not caring for Joshua, who wants to say something to him. Even if he couldn’t move at this dazzling speed, he would’ve been able to escape the situation with equal grace.

That’s the way he is.

“Welcome to Forks, then.”

•••

“So… the new renters are a piece of shit.” your friend Cheol says. It's nice to catch up after a whole summer apart, not seeing or hearing anything from him.

Your ankles ache from the cold wind that bites as you walk the last stretch to school.

“That’s not what I said,” you explain. “The doctors were very nice to me. But the young ones… This guy Jun was in a terrible mood and treated everyone like shit. The other brother was…”

Threatening? But gut-wrenchingly beautiful? Eyes so deep like sinking ships after crashing with an iceberg?

“…a bit serious, I don’t know. When the doctors asked me if there was a highschool nearby, I thought I'd get to make some friends.”

“Are you saying I’m not enough of a friend?”

Okay, that was a low blow and you need to respond to it.

“The whole summer you went missing. So yes, at some point your friendship felt short for me.”

Many years of friendship taught you that you can open up with Cheol whenever you feel sad or lonely. You arrive at school and identify some of the friends he spent the whole summer with. A sight escapes your mouth. You love the guys, but you kinda wish your alone time with Cheol would have lasted longer.

And he notices.

“We can hang out later. Just you and me,” he promises, grabbing both of your hands. “We can sneak and spy on this jackasses’ house. Then you’ll watch them nose-picking and realize they’re not that big of a deal.”

“Voyeurism? That 's the date?”

Cheol pinches your nose in between his fingers and smiles playfully. Same old smile. Same old gesture that makes you feel safe. Even after a whole summer of not knowing what the hell is going on in his head.

“I know you. Don’t act like you don’t like to get into other people’s lives.”

Touché. You admit there’s a certain rush of adrenaline growing in your veins whenever you think about getting into your new renters’ intimacy. There's a certain power that comes with knowing about other people's secrets. Even when you don’t plan to use any of those against them.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I take it as a yes.”

“Take it as a maybe I'd rather go grab some coffee and not do such creepy things!”

You hit your friend in the arm playfully. When they see you coming, the gang welcomes you with a hug and some cheering. Hoshi tells you about how your best friend drank his blood’s weight in beer and none of the parties were near as entertaining as when you are there to join them.

You don’t believe him. You know he’s only saying this to make you feel better. But you have nothing against white lies when they serve their purpose.

“Maybe invite me next time?” you say, knowing that you are asking for the impossible.

Soonyoung looks at Dino, who answers without saying a word. Cheol pulls you closer to him. Silent and almost surrounding you with his arms.

“I really don’t think you’d like it,” Soonyoung says. “Plus you’ve been busy training, from what I heard.”

Of course. Training. You are not sure what Soonyoung must have heard about it, or who he must have heard it from. But this summer, you have been leaving your house at five in the morning everyday with the intention of running your sacred five miles before seven a.m—or whatever number of miles you could do before starting to feel like you’re about to pass out. It has been awesome; wind whipping your skin and not a single thought crossing your head. Just a pleasant sensation of hurt that would leave your legs shaking and your mind blank.

After that, you’d return home just in time to give your auntie her meds.

And then you’d like to run away again.

“Are you getting into a competition or something?” Dino asks.

“Nah. I was just doing it to clear my mind. But who knows… I’m fast.”

“Maybe I could help your train then”

Around the corners, or maybe even a couple of blocks away, there’s a soul with the extramundane ability of hearing your thoughts and sayings with just the gaze of your silhouette.

“Hum… who the hell are you?” Seungcheol asks him.

He wasn't there just minutes ago. You must have been too lost in your own thoughts as the sight of your neighbor makes your heart skip a beat.

Maybe he wants you to introduce him?

“Guys, this is Jun. My auntie rented the house to his family, so he and his brother are new here.”

“Great way to introduce yourself, mate. You’re an asshole, from what I heard?”

You step over your friend’s foot, hoping to subtly silent him. Damn, Seungcheol has a big mouth.

“Actually, I’m here to apologize,” Jun says, much to your surprise. And then he looks at you like no one else is there. “My manners weren’t the best. We had a long trip from California so I’m sure you’ll understand.”

“California? You’re a ghost, man.”

Ignoring Soonyoung’s comment, your neighbor continues trying to apologize.

“I just wanted to let you know that whatever neighborly thing you need, you can count on my family and me.”

Just by the way they’re silent, analyzing every bit of him but actually finding nothing, you can tell that the guys already hate Jun without even knowing him.

And for that, you feel relieved.

“Thank you, Jun. I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure.”

•••

You live in a place so different than Mr. Chwe and Mr Hong’s new house. It only has a few rooms; none of them fancy and only spacious enough for you to sleep and change in there. The little wooden cabin remains hidden in between the trees, all of them prominent enough to prevent your house from being in plain sight. Rain has to make an effort to fall in between thick leaves. And if it wasn’t because of the oscillating movement of your auntie’s chair, Joshua would´t have found it.

He has always been a good neighbor. It’s a signature part of the made up story he tells about himself every time his life changes. So there he is, standing on the porch of your house with a basket of freshly baked cookies in hand. He expects to find you there and maybe ask you a couple of questions about the Boo family and your relationship with them.

“You didn’t have to” you say, receiving the basket in your hands with guilt wrinkling your eyebrows. “Really. I feel terrible. I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

“You’ve given more than enough. This is just a thank you. To you and your aunt.”

Some persistent raindrops have started to pierce through the trees.

“Come in, I insist” you say, opening the door fully even though it’s kinda messy inside. You haven’t found the time to clean up and embarrassment shows in the crimson red of your plumpy cheeks. “You won’t make it to the lodge before the rain. And I was about to make some coffee to warm up anyways.”

Joshua knows perfectly that he will be able to reach the lodge even before the next drop of rain. Despite that, he decides to enter your house and take a seat at your table, waiting for the cloudburst to stop, like any normal person. In front of him, there’s a cup of coffee. He asked for it without sugar or milk because he wouldn’t be able to enjoy those flavors if you put them in there anyways. Of course, the story he tells is different. It’s easier to explain he’s grown accustomed to preparing his coffee bitter in the rush of his night guards.

“So, California…”

Your friend Hoshi’s observation over Jun had been rude but sharp. California’s sun had rejected Joshua’s family in an inexplicable way.

“Yes, we stayed there for a short time,” he answers. For him, that is not a lie. Ten years really is a short time. “We have a condition. It makes us sensitive to the sun. So long term wasn’t an option.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for that...”

“It's okay. We just have to be careful. Forks seems like the perfect place for that.”

“Trust me. Forks can give you a lot of trouble but sunny days won’t be one.”

Joshua takes a sip of his coffee. It doesn’t taste like anything, but it’s reassuring to see you enjoy the cookies he baked but can’t taste.

“A lot of trouble?” He asks, eyes full of curiosity. “What do you mean by that?”

Coming from California and —from what Vernon told you— previously New York, you imagine your neighbor has no idea of the consequences of living in a place like Forks.

“Well, a small town can be a vast hell if you don’t keep things to yourself,” you explain. “Forks is amazing. But there’s only a few habitants and they all get bored easily, so rumors fly.”

Joshua’s well aware of how deadly rumors can be. Especially when truth revolves around them.

“Do you have secrets to entertain us with, Mr. Hong?” you mock him, feeling a little more comfortable around your neighbor who’s not only a kind person but also a great baker.

His eyes get all wrinkly when he smiles.

“I’m afraid we’re gonna bore you all,” he answers “And please don’t call me Mr. Hong.”

“Fair enough.” You say, while cleaning leftover cookies from the corner of your mouth.

“What about you, do you have secrets?”

You laugh at the question. Maybe it’s because you know the answer damn well.

“Of course. We all do.”

masterlist | next chapter

[inkedtae]

ᥫ᭡bee's tumblr wrapped (2024)ᥫ᭡

it took me embarrassingly long to make this banner.... anyway a special thanks to dia ( @yoonia ) for tagging me to do this ! i didn't do much writing this year but i wanna do this so imma do it lol

this year kinda fucked me sideways multiple times. it took months of therapy and lots of courage to sit myself down and reconnect with not only my writing, but myself. i have been feeling so lost but diving back into passions like writing has given me the confidence i needed to find my direction again. i still have no idea where i am supposed to be or what i am meant to do. but, right now, it feels like at least i know which way i am going, and that's forward.

thank you so much to everyone who has continued to read, comment, reblog, like, and interact with me and my work. i don't think i deserve any of it and it's incredibly surreal that i still got asks about my fics and series. i can't believe that a lot of these fics were not only read once, but twice. like that's fucking insane to me. so thank you so much. and thank you to everyone behind the scene who has supported me from banners to reading things over. jen ( @anobodyslove ) is the most wonderful, sweet, beautiful person i have ever had the pleasure of connecting with. from late night editing to long walks talking about every and any thing, you are my favourite human and i love you!

okay, okay, enough sappiness!! let's dive in!

₊˚✧ OVERALL STATS ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ fics published: 9 : ̗̀➛ series completed: 1 : ̗̀➛ series ongoing: 4 : ̗̀➛ words written: 122,258 : ̗̀➛ fics to be published: 24 (i don't wanna talk about it...)

‎‧₊˚✧ FIRST FIC OF 2024 | published : february 17 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ xi. rotten angelcake ⇾ kth. | s2l, ceo au, sugar daddy au | 16.5k

retrospection: ahh my first attempt at returning to tumblr after a long unplanned hiatus. if you were ever curious on what kind of headspace i was in, this fic is the perfect explanation. the rotten angelcake series has been my form of self-indulgence and journaling since the very first chapter. however, i completely threw myself into this chapter of the series. all my anger, frustration, regret, confusion, sadness was poured into this chapter. it's so emotionally charged and personal, i almost didn't post it. i haven't even looked at it again before this moment and that was just to retrieve the link lol it's just carrying a very dark part of my life that i have been trying to pull myself out of. but, while it does hold so much for me, i do not regret writing or publishing it. it's all part of the self-healing process ૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ♡

‎‧₊˚✧ LONGEST FIC OF 2024 | published : october 3 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ the underground ⇾ bgc. | strangers to lovers, boxer au, dark themes | 29.1 k |

retrospection: oof this fic! so i wrote this for channie's b-day and one of my favourite chantober rituals, especially for his b-day, is to write the most unhinged, dark story. i have never been able to get the idea of boxer, mafia boss!chan ruining me in front of his friends out of my head, so i wrote about it. i lowkey wish i could make it a series or add an epilogue but i vowed to finish my ongoing series first before starting another one. it's just such a fun fic with a lot of grittiness. i don't think the nearly 30k words was enough either tbh but it will have to do for now ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

‎‧₊˚✧ PERSONAL FAVOURITE FIC OF 2024 | published : october 17 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ between roar and whisper ⇾ bgc. | hogwarts au, pwp, e2l | 9.4k |

retrospection: this was probably the easiest to write because there was very little worldbuilding required and i got to focus on the sexual tension between these two "enemies". it was short, sweet, to the point, and the smut was so fucking hot—ugh! i need slytherin!chan to make me cockdumb too! i don't think i will ever be over this fic and i kinda wanna write an epilogue for it too but i will stop myself because i am already overcommitted ˚ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆

‎‧₊˚✧ LAST FIC OF 2024 | published : december 31 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ marked by krampus ⇾ kth. | twisted christmas au, monster kink, s2l | 11.1k |

retrospection: okay i just finished this fic yesterday so i don't know how much real introspection i can truly muster but i will do my best. as the last fic of taecember, as well as the year, i decided to indulge in my very big, very embarrassing monster kink. i was kind of focused on that which meant that the worldbuilding for this fic was not my best. i could have done better...anyway! this may be the final fic for 2024 but it will not be the final monster au i write ᡣ • . • 𐭩 ♡

‎‧₊˚✧ HONOURABLE MENTION | published : november 1 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ elixir of the damned ⇾ bgc. | vampire au, s2l | 19.5k |

retrospection: this fic was written as the last fic of chantober, but it had been in my drafts for about two years. now i obviously do not know bang chan in real life, but he seems to wear his heart on his sleeve and is very forthcoming about his struggles on camera. so this fic was heavily inspired but the sentiments of sadness and wistfulness, about missing his family in australia. i remembered this v-live where he was back home and he was doing his chan's room (which omg i miss so much) in his old room. and the room had become his little brothers. and i just couldn't stop thinking about what that must feel like. just imagine walking back into a familiar room and it looks the same, like the layout is exactly how you left it, but all the stuff in there does not belong to you. how uncanny must that have felt? to tiptoe around a room that was once yours? idk it just inspired his character in this fic and i hope that i was able to capture that well enough ૮₍´˶• . • ⑅ ₎ა

‧₊˚✧ SPECIAL EVENTS OF 2024 | published : november 1 ✧˚₊‧

: ̗̀➛ chantober 2024 & taecember 2024

retrospection: god, i love bias months so much—even though they wreck me by the end. being able to fully express my love and devotion to my biases just makes me feel so full and happy. it's like even if my day might be shitty, it's okay because i have something to work towards and look forward to. i also have the chance to celebrate both chan, and taehyung with you, which is always so exciting and fun! i literally cannot wait to do it all over again in 2025 ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

‧₊˚✧ TOP TRACKS OF 2024 ✧˚₊‧

𐙚 hurt — newjeans 𐙚 espresso — sabrina carpenter 𐙚 i like it — stray kids 𐙚 red lights (bang chan, hyunjin) — stray kids 𐙚 venus fly trap — marina 𐙚 work — ateez 𐙚 perfect night — le sserafim 𐙚 chk chk boom — stray kids 𐙚 mon amour — gemini 𐙚 na — hwasa

‧₊˚✧ GOALS FOR 2025 ✧˚₊‧

𐙚 stick to my posting schedule !! (writing two fics a month) 𐙚 properly plan ahead for bias months (i'm literally the worst at this) 𐙚 finish the rotten angelcake series 𐙚 breathe... (sometimes i forget that i just need to take a minute and breathe)

many thanks again to dia for tagging me, this was really fun ♡︎ i wanna tag jen ( @anobodyslove ) , dee (@awrkives ) , ghost ( @ghxstwrites ) , lixie ( @bunnliix ) , minerva ( @yourlocaljonghoe ) , and stardust ( @skzdust ). there's no pressure to do this !!

♡¸.•' happy new year lovelies '•.¸♡

[k-s-morgan]

Hi Morgan,

Are you doing okay?

Haven't heard from you in a while, hoping you're safe.

Another ask: How are you doing lately? 💐💗

-----

Thank you both for worrying and caring! Unfortunately, this month started very, very badly for me - some problems I anticipated, others not so much.

The health of my pigeon (the one I saved from a cat) took a turn for the worse. She nearly died. The latest Russian missile attack caught me in a vulnerable building and it was terrifying, especially since it happened after we were told that the attack was probably over. First the lights began to flicker and then the explosions began.

And to top it all, that very day, before I recovered from the attack, I got news that the department at the company where I'm working is shutting down. Just like this. No warning, no time to prepare for anything - one second, and I'm out of job. I can't convey the degree of my shock and horror. Forgetting the fact that I've been working here for 6 years, that I dedicated a lot of my soul to it, to find myself without the means of survival so suddenly in the middle of the war sent me straight into the abyss.

For the first days, I couldn't do anything. I felt sick, I couldn't eat or read or write. It's tragic to be reminded once again of how enslaved I am by the system. Without my job, I can't support my family, I can't take care of my pets, I can't help pigeons recover, etc. I haven't felt this weak, scared, and vulnerable for a long, long time.

It was six days ago. Today, I finally felt a little better. My pigeon seems to be recovering tiny bit by tiny bit, and I have a job interview ahead. That said, if you can support me on Patreon or PayPal (emberlynn48@gmail.com), I'd really appreciate it - and my huge thanks to those who are already helping me! Even if the interview is successful and I find the job quickly, I'm still obviously losing a chunk of my would-be salary because of the time lost in between. It's not downright catastrophic, my mother still has her job, so we'll survive, but it's tough. Much tougher than usual.

As for writing, I didn't touch anything for the past week, but since I saw some vague light at the end of the tunnel again, I'm gradually getting a grip on myself and diving back into my fics. I can't believe that Those Gentle Slopes final chapter is still ongoing, lol. This arc seems to be endless.

[sechsviciado]

when doves cry

reaperken/touka ; written circa nov/dec 2022

no warnings or ratings really?

-

so after my slight reaperken/touka rambling yesterday i figured that i really have nothing to lose from posting this small snippet of a fic (oneshot??) thats been sitting in my google drafts for nearly the past two years; if this is crappy i can always just delete it but ive wanted to contribute a bit more to keep tokyo ghoul tumblr alive so i figure why not?

i felt so smart when i came up with the title since ken was a dove during that entire reaper arc until the events of cochlea. i didnt really pay attention to prince's lyrics in the song but looking back at it now i guess some apply? not really any inspiration was gained from it though, i just grew up with music from the 60s-90s so the title kind of came to my mind and it happened to be a prince reference. not really any ratings or warnings yet?? its nowhere near finished and im not sure if ill even finish it because i feel my writing heavily lacks.

anyway, without further ado

how many months had it been?

it had been months — years — since he recalled feeling this exact way. of course, haise had felt this way too, but it would never compare to the feelings he had for her before that brief period of time where he had lost recognition of everything and everyone who once meant something to him. ironically, it's when he felt most at peace with the butterflies in his stomach, beating against his rib cage and the cage surrounding the longing which could never be released. he’s regained his memories now, but he knew something was different within him even when he laid his glassy eyes on her again on that first visit to :re as sasaki haise. why did he feel so entrapped and yet so wrongly distant even when he had no recollection of her prior on that first visit to the cafe?

it would never be the same.

it would never compare to the feeling of falling in love with her and the realization that came with it. the realization that left him in a state of both a mix of surprise and agitation for days and with a feeling that could only be described as his heart skipping a beat and yet crumbling at the same time. it would never happen, would it? he had chosen to face that reality when he was still his old self, naive and too ashamed of his actions to actually face her after all the pain he caused her as a result of the pain which engulfed his entire life, too. too ashamed to accept his new reality, hiding behind his eyepatch — too ashamed to admit he had fallen in love so easily. he wasn't any different now.

haise may have fallen in love with her through the lens of a reborn figure with a fresh start and no boundaries to stand behind (apart from his obvious shyness and the weird sense of familiarity), but it just occurred by fate. the same fate that had snatched him from her years prior had found a way to bring him back into her arms and make him belong to her once again. he can't help but believe that maybe there was some future destined between them; the embittered part of his heart and soul makes him realize even that destiny would probably be cursed or filled with further strife.

though he supposed that didn't matter now.

not when he was even more distant from her than when he was an amnesiac with no recollection of her apart from the same old feeling of confusing comfort and longing. it's humorous and yet painful to think about how low he'd fallen in this aspect, not even being able to face her once again. despite his older age, he was still just a boy when it came to this same ancient rush, wasn't he? it doesn't matter. she surely didn't want anything to do with him anyways, especially not after everything that he's done. he's betrayed her and everyone who was once a part of him once again, and he’s chosen to accept that painful reality ever since he vowed to stop dreaming and flung tsukiyama off that building. facades all break down eventually.

though he supposed that didn't matter now, either.

he’d be disposed of soon enough before any of this could matter at all — before hinami was to be the one to disappear from the purgatory that was life as a ghoul. there was no heaven and there was no hell; there was no afterlife. heaven was bliss and safety on earth while hell was anguish and pain.

it was selfish of him to hope touka would feel any sort of pain after all of the grief and rage he's put her through time and time again, but he hoped he'd at least be remembered by the person he felt he loved most in this lifetime — the one who hadn't thrown him aside but who had instead built a nest for him as if though her life depended on it. he can't help but wonder… he’s had everyone he's ever known and cared for snatched from his hands by the same twisted fate that led him to await his upcoming death, he doesn't know if the puddle of both coldness and warmth in his stomach is either fear or love.

he'd truly cherish any memory he had of her before he’d be killed.

he vaguely remembers telling her, years ago, that he'd be sad if she died; he just hopes she would be saddened at his death, too.

[starsarefire824]

Fic Recs

In honor of things being shitty in the tag right now and everyone in their depression era, I'm offering a few fic recs in these trying times. Hope you discover something new, friends. 🖤

the comforts that make us feel numb by passerine_in_jade.

“No, but really. If I were a girl,” Mike presses on, looking up at Will with red-rimmed eyes through dark lashes. Leaning in. Somehow, fully unaware that this line of questioning has Will's heart climbing up to his throat. “Would you want to kiss me?”

or, Will and Mike get high in the desert.

Well written, almost dreamy quality to it. Author to watch for me! Can't believe I only just discovered their writing.

A Wish For Something More by @waroftheposes

Seven year old Will didn't have a problem with kissing his best friend on a dare. Seventeen year old Will, however, would not do it if someone held his hand over a fire.

Or: Truth or dare at seven and truth or dare at seventeen.

They're silly and sweet and oh so confused. The writing is lovely as well. Great if you're in the mood for fluff.

On the Same Frequency by @oldfashionedmorphine

Ever since his best friend Will Byers was murdered back in 1985, Mike Wheeler wanted nothing more than to leave his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana and never look back—only each and every year he’s forced to make an exception when it comes to the holidays. And when Mike visits for Christmas in 1995, his mom asks him to help clear out some junk in his room and down in the basement before he returns home to Indianapolis. But when he comes across an old trunk containing his Supercom walkie-talkie and ham radio, he discovers something strange that has the potential to change everything…

(or an AU inspired by the movie “Frequency” from 2000)

I'm only just starting this, but Frequency au?? Hell yes.

Fleeting by olliecoddle. @souverian-are-we

Mike liked Will’s art shows, albeit slightly less the higher class they had gotten. Little paintings in the corner of a cafe morphed into white walls and rich spectators poised with champagne and well-mannered criticism. Still, he had been looking forward to it. He wanted to go. But now, walking up to the glass doors, he had to admit he felt jittery.

or, Will's new paintings are a little too personal

This is one of my absolute favorites ever. The writing of course, it's ollie. But the descriptions, the entire buildup of Mike's reaction in the art gallery, the content of the painting? The entire concept is beautiful. And be sure to look up the painting Will's was inspired by. It will tell you everything.

any semblance of touch by anonymous.

“Nothing,” Will says, right into Mike’s ear. “Still feeling good?”

So good. Mike makes sure to not say it aloud this time. “I think,” Mike says slowly, heart pounding, “I need” — Will pulls back just a little, just enough for their noses to bump against each other, clumsy, and Mike bites the bullet — “one more.”

Will is still in Mike’s lap, which is maybe not very platonic of him, and the joint has smoldered its way down to the end, nearly over, all eaten up by the fire. Will swallows thickly, then leans closer, a perfect imitation of their positions from earlier. Mike isn’t sure how long it’s been, but fire has been eating away at him too, this whole time, leaving him on the brink of going up in smoke, slow and burning and so good.“Yeah?” Will murmurs, realization dawning on him, eyes wide. “One more?”

or: Mike’s still new to this whole smoking thing. Will has a few ideas.

Utterly depressing this is anonymous because the writing is phenomenal. So alive and vivid. Not sure where this fic was hiding, but I'm glad I found it. Highlights: Mike’s inner dialogue, the playfulness between them, the lowered inhibitions finally letting them relax into the moment.

nosebleeds from epiphanies (i took full in the face) by wheelersboy @karenchildress.

Hawkins, Montana, June 1988. When Lonnie Byers catches his youngest son in the arms of another boy, he calls in that favor owed to him by rancher Jim Hopper in Lenora: Will must work as an unpaid ranch hand and learn to "man up." Mike Wheeler follows him to the creepy ranch with electrical problems, like any best friend would.

jo's writing is always fantastic. he has such a unique voice and mike's struggle in this just does things for me.

When The Sun Runs Out by olliecoddle @souverian-are-we

On a dreary day in March, 1989 the population of Hawkins, Indiana dropped to four. Will Byers watched as the final family left, the bed of their truck packed to the brim and tied down with a tarp. Furniture stuck out at odd angles, and the corner flap flailed in the breeze as they turned onto the highway. Will followed the vehicle with his eyes until it disappeared as a dot on the long stretch of pavement. Then, he got in his car and went home.

Or, Will is burning out, and Mike is mesmerized by the flame.

This was sexy as hell and all I'm gonna say is tattoos. I really enjoyed this little rougher around the edges, let down by life, closed off Will after being left in Hawkins alone with El, Hopper, and Joyce to wait for the end of the world that never seems to come.

dirty rain by henrycreel

mike wheeler is an average alpha teenage boy working on keeping tight control of his raging hormones in the wake of being seventeen years old, unmated, and a virgin who's never spent his rut with anyone before. when one of his teachers makes an innocent request of him, he finds himself spiraling almost right away. the omega sitting next to him in class is going to be his omega one way or another even if it means employing some traditional and unconventional means to show him who he belongs to.

will byers is an omega with a tendency toward anxiety and outright fear, marked by years of abuse at the hands of his father. high school should be a chance to open a new chapter for himself, but he only truly finds comfort sitting next to mike, an alpha whose presence seems to keep the usual mocking and bullying at bay. but when mike starts to cross the line from friendly classmate into so much more, will has no time to decide if he's ready to move on to a relationship of his own, to finding a mate to settle down with like his big brother already has.

mike is making the decision for both of them.

A solid Omegaverse fic! <3

[tigers1o1]

Sit with me for a moment while I talk about writing, and growth. (And if you're a beginner to any creative hobby, I urge you to listen)

A few years ago, at the start of my fanfiction writing journey, I joined a discord server that was for fans of a specific fairly popular fanfiction. There were many writers in the server, not just the one that created the server. I didn't really write fanfiction upon joining this server, but it only took a month and a half for them to encourage and convince me to start writing. This was almost 4 years ago and I've been writing fic ever since (I've been writing for much longer, though)

One of the things I most vividly remember from my time on this server was when I was talking to the creator about how she was writing this absolutely massive fic (i believe its currently at 500k words, but at the time of this conversation it was still around 80k). And I remember asking her, "How do you write such long fics? No matter how hard I try, I can only barely manage to pass 10k." and she said,

"I don't know. One day I just did it, and now I can't stop writing long fics."

For 2 and a half years, I never really understood. I didn't get how a switch could just flip and suddenly you can do it. That is until November of last year, when I started writing a silly little modern au that suddenly surpassed 10k. And I was 2/5 chapters done. And then the third chapter alone was 12k. And the 4th? 16k on its own. The fic ended up being 47k words total. I have no idea how I did it, and I'm not here to brag, but it's also one of my proudest works.

What I am here to talk about is how it happened just like how my old friend described it. One day, the fucking spirit of little gay boys possessed me and I wrote way more than I ever had previously. And now? I'm currently writing my 4th planned longfic. It just surpassed 10k, but I'm expecting it to be 60k. And after this, I'm going to finish another long fic that's already my favorite thing I've ever written (it's about half finished at the moment). I haven't written anything under 10k in a while.

And something very similar happened with my art. I've been drawing for nearly 10 years. And one day, I drew something that suddenly, after years of what I thought was shit, I was proud of. And sure, I've made shitty drawings since then and my skill has regressed at times, but I woke up one day with the ability to make something I was proud of.

I'm not trying to give you the impression that one day you'll just magically have the ability to do what you're dreaming of. However, if you work at something and you don't stop, even when it sucks and you can only write a few hundred words, one day, you'll be able to look at your work and see something you're proud of. And you'll think, "Now how did that happen?" because at some point you stopped trying to get to your goal, and you just started enjoying the process.

That 47k fic was born of a pairing I loved, and it was written for someone I loved. And I started enjoying the process of creation, rather than thinking about how good I wished I was.

If I leave you with nothing else, I hope that one day you'll wake up and find that you are capable of the things you want to achieve.

[bookwyrminspiration]

lowkey why do i kinda miss pre stellarlune tumblr. like, the random keepblr trends were my fav era (totally not biased because i left the fandom and returned post unraveled…)

i remember there was someone - can’t recall who (maybe a blog called lady-cadence-talle?) - who compiled a list of trends each month. ooh, the eye-switching one where we swapped out everybody’s eyes with everybody else’s. hooty vackers. i’m pretty sure someone actually started writing the amsterdam book.

i even miss the 2021-era bloggers. as far as i remember, some we don’t have in the fandom anymore (or people who aren’t as active maybe?) are nova, juline-dizznee (or was it jolie-reuwen? something like that), i remember someone named mellie? and of course, the leader of the sokeefe fics, the unmapped star (nattie) who is still active in the fandom i believe.

i remember the chaos after shannon’s first child’s birth, there was also an era where everyone drew the characters in the strawberry dress, and how can i forget… pink haired fitz. oh how i miss pink haired fitz. there was also a time where everyone made posts about how keeper characters would react if the roles were changed and they were real people and we were the book characters. who they would like the most, who they would ship, etc.

might be silly since it’s been barely 2 years, but i miss that keepblr. (lockdown keepblr, perhaps?) nostalgia seems to be hitting hard since i’m going to go to college this year LOL

You're not the only one. Keepblr is quite transient; people constantly come and go, meaning the environment, trends, and the like are different practically every year. There's always lots to enjoy, but there's also lots to miss

I've seen people missing how prevalent queer headcanons/works used to be. We still have them, but not as many. I've seen people who preferred the time before sokeefe was quite so present. It's always been here, but the last year or so it's really stepped up. And a while back, I, myself, was reminiscing on keepblr lockdown with Ink (soryasongsaa) and Tater (a-lonely-tatertot).

There's also lots of people to miss. cadence-talle did the chaos wrap-ups, but Lynn's not really around anymore and we aren't nearly chaotic enough for wrap-ups anymore. Nova's still here (cogaytes), though most people call them Avi (unless you meant someone else). Not sure about juline-dizznee. Mellie occasionally still does art (lemontarto). And Nattie drops in from time to time. But there's also so many people who have moved on, and so many people who have started to distance themselves. The tag is made up of almost completely different people--though there's also that steady handful who've been here for an eternity

We can't go back and we'll never recreate what was, but we can make the most of what we do have. And make something else to look back on fondly.

So I guess the moral of this story is we need to go feral and start causing more chaos again <3

[secretlywritingstories]

Ten years passes faster than you realise. I started watching YouTube properly from summer of 2013 and one of the very first YouTubers I found was Connor Franta. Then 1,5 years later, he came out as gay. That's exactly ten years ago today.

He made a video to remark on that decade past where he talked about how he hardly recognised himself in his old videos. And emphasised how much he appreciated being gay because of the perspective that it gives him.

Connor was arguably my first YouTuber "crush" because I thought that he was cute and funny and I found his videos drawing me in. He sparked my interest for the whole vlogger thing, which lead me to following a whole hoard of vloggers pretty consistently from 2013-2018.

I didn't know that he was gay when I first started watching. I didn't know I was queer when I started watching him (which is the important part). Throughout 2014, I started to wonder if he might be gay, but I still remember the elated feeling in my chest when the coming out video hit my inbox.

It fit, for the lack of a better world. A filter flicked off as he addressed us. It felt right. Even as he'd made himself into being this boy next door who talked about relationship stuff and girls a lot. And his content has changed a lot in the following decade, but it also didn't. I still watch all his videos because I enjoy his perspective. If anything, I enjoy it so much more because he's also queer.

Him reflecting on that time in his life, a decade ago when he decided to upload that coming out video, without knowing the ripple effects it could cause for him and his audience, pulled me right into self-reflection alongside him.

I watched the coming out video ten years younger, still merely believing myself an ally to the LBGTQ+ community. I was about halfway through my bachelor and I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had only just started posting fic on Wattpad mere months before.

And now I'm here and queer. Having gone through micro labels that helped me feel belonging, only to mostly embrace umbrella terms now. Gender as funky as my sexuality. I've finished my masters five years ago and I've been working at my current job for 3,5 years. I've got a decade of fics under my belt and nearly 200 works and 4 million words to show for it.

I still don't know what the fuck I'm doing with my life but I'm embracing all of the good things in it. My family, my friends (many that I've made through getting into YouTubers and subsequently Dan and Phil), my pets, my interests and my writing.

And there's still so much life ahead of me. I'm not someone to think 5 or 10 years ahead because that's frankly terrifying as fuck, but looking back gives me hope for the future. And I'm thankful I've always let myself dive nose-first into my interests because they've always brought so much love. I can't imagine what my life would be like without discovering those early Connor Franta videos and all the domino effect that's followed since then.

I didn't know either of us was gay when I found him, but maybe life works in strange ways. Maybe my queer heart resonated with his gay one. I'm proud of him. I'm proud of me. And while I don't like looking too closely to the future, I shall still leave this: May the next decade be kind to both of us!