#creative carats back at it again

[ethereal-engene]

day six: when you became a carat

[eoieopda]

[visual content blog recommendations]

we see fic recs all the time, but i don’t think i’ve ever seen rec lists for visual content (gif/art/gfx/etc.) creators! they’ve been dealing with a bunch of shit lately between reposts, tumblr garbage, etc., so i wanna shout-out some favorites. thank you for keeping us fed!!

disclaimer: this is not an exhaustive list!! if you have recommendations of your own, please feel free to expand on this yourself and/or drop some of your faves in the replies for others to see. self-promo is always welcome here, too ✨ p.s. some of these are recent finds for me, so pls expect to see more of them on my blog. eta: i will be adding more as i go!!

[bts]

@yooboobies — réka’s gif sets are *chef’s kiss* and the ART? omg. the talent!!! 😭 we simply have to simp.

@cordiallyfuturedwight — apart from being one of the coolest/funniest people i’ve found on army tumblr, i am a kayla stan because the niche themes for her gif sets (ex. bangtan turtlenecks series) feel like they’re made 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 me 👏🏻 even though they absolutely aren’t, lmao.

@hopeinthebox — the bts as reductress headline + incorrect bangtan series are probably my favorite pieces of content on the entire internet??? also, lizzy is absolutely gd hilarious. tags are 11/10. a blessing upon my dash.

@kimtaegis — i’m not visually artistic enough to say this in a way that makes sense, but annie’s gifs are just… stunning? like, the colors? idk about the process that goes into that, but i imagine it takes a lot of time/finesse to be this vivid.

@kithtaehyung — ryen is the renaissance man of army tumblr, fr. not only can she write (like!!!) but she’s multi-faceted and insanely creative with her graphic design. i want her to tutor me, lmao.

@raplinenthusiasts — ooohhhhh my god. the coloring of their gifs makes my brain go brrrrtttt. this bts x the office set is on my “always reblog” list; i’ll share it every time i come across it.

@heybaetae — this set in particular is on my “always reblog” list, no matter how many times i’ve done so already. also, idk how to describe this, but kelli’s gifs are just…. crispy 🤌🏻 like, so satisfying with the…. texture? filtering? contrast? i’m an idiot re: editing terms, but go peep them and you’ll know what i’m trying to say.

@kth1 — literally who could ever forget maggie’s 100 days of (member) series??? the amount of work that had to go into that? unfathomable.

@jeurias — i want to wallpaper my house and office with their gfx. i’m deadass.

@jinstronaut — emmeline has been doing her “a jin a day while he’s away” series for OVER 250 DAYS NOW. i have never been nor will i ever be able to commit to anything to this level.

[multi/skz/atz/svt/etc.]

@starryoong — do not get me started on starry’s paintings, sketches, etc. because i will never shut up. ever. j’adore 🫠 is also a five-star human being.

@irlvernon — my queue is probably 80% max gifs at any given time. god-tier, fr. a must-follow for carats, as far as i’m concerned.

@vcrnons — incredible gifs, lovely human, and also the writer of some of my favorite svt fics??? we stan.

@yelhsaart — i don’t have any words for how much i love their art so please imagine guttural screaming instead. asdfghjkl!!!

@hizuillu — ……breathtaking. legitimately stunning skz art. like…… i have heart palpitations.

@snug-gyu — THE USE OF COLORS. i’m always a simp for pantone-inspired sets; they just scratch an itch in the back of my brain, and BOY HOWDY, is my brain satisfied 😵‍💫

@yunwooz — again, i have no idea what i’m talking about when it comes to the gif-making process, but the colors!!! the COLORS!!! like, taking a mv that’s not super vivid/is fairly greyscale and bringing it to life? ya know????

@booskwan — you want incredible gifs? they’ve got em. you want stunning gfx? they’ve got em. seriously, idk what to tell you except “pause right here and go follow immediately”.

@haechannabelle — listen……. annabelle’s art style is 😗🤌🏻 (that’s a chef’s kiss). the use of color, and the technique, and and and — ! ALSO, i must mention that she took, like, 50 hours to compile a boycott-friendly k-pop playlist. their vibes are simply impeccable.

rev. 4/10/24

[honeyhotteoks]

hi everyone ♡ a little about where i've been and why i'm not posting....

so... it's no secret that i fell off the face of the earth when it comes to writing, and for that i just want to apologize. i know a lot of you have been waiting for the next chapter of tnt, further aurora updates, or just looking forward to some smutty kinktober one-shots...... but to be completely honest i haven't written in a little while.

i've been trying to but i keep coming up short, and i've been avoiding this blog ever since because i just feel bad for not being able to give you guys the stories you're waiting for. for that reason, i essentially took a creative break and decided not to respond to any messages about writing. i know that kind of sucks, but i know myself and i didn't want to promise "soon" when i knew that wasn't true.

i'm starting slowly to work on things again, and i really hope i'll be able to share some of that work with you soon, but genuinely i just needed space from working on fic and to be honest..... from the fandom. i love being an atiny, but there was a swell of negativity on twitter for a while and i've been feeling a little uninspired with the past year of content and endless touring and it all combined into me putting things off.

i'm also................................ much more of a multi now.... which i really never thought would happen but here we are. i have no idea if i'll actually start writing for any of those groups, but if i do, i hope some of you also enjoy those groups and you stick with me. a little blurb about my new biases and the groups i'm now following, etc. is at the bottom of this post.

as far as what's going on with my ateez work? here's a quick recap:

this night together: still in progress, i have ~4 chapters finished, but chap ten and some of the time skips have me a little stuck. once i iron that out and finish out the last 2-3 chapters after the arc that's written, i'll get back to posting. at this point i'd like to have it done so i can release it confidently and as a complete story. into the aurora: i have about half of book one edited, which will include some new scenes / cleaned up scenes, but nothing crazy. i'd like to start updating old chapters once everything is finalized. book two is.... slow going. i'm hoping a breath of fresh air will help, but it's still my goal to come back to these characters. one-shots: i have about 4-5 ateez one-shots that are half written. my plan is to finish these and release them as inspiration strikes to wrap them up.

thank you all for your patience, and all of your kind messages. so many people have checked in on me both anon and not, and even if i haven't responded it's meant so much as i work on coming back to writing. i may not be able to respond to all the messages since so many of them are in my inbox, but slowly i may chip away at them

i'll see you all very soon~

(so chai multi era.... in a whirlwind of discovering other kpop groups..... i've ended up a carat, a stay, a moa, and a hidden kard. again, no idea if i'll ever write for any of these groups, but.... my biases are below so who knows)

seventeen - s.coups (regularly wrecked by hip hop line + dino) stray kids - lee know + hyunjin txt - soobin (are we surprised tho) kard - bm + jiwoo (but also like basically ot4 let's be real here)

♡

[everything-is-as-it-was]

Jems found in an old Phil video

So I watched "My mum is a lobster" because I'm going through all of his videos chronologically, right, and I was like- you know what? I'm going to scroll down the comments. There's over 2,000, which isn't as much as others so why the hell not?

And GUYS. The way I could literally see the internet changing from 2024 to 2008 was FASCINATING. Genuinely the coolest thing I've seen all week. The content of the comments was one thing: from people commenting about how young Phil is, how this was just under a year from when he met Dan, to people in 2016 going on about... whatever they were talking about in 2016 yk

But then when you get down to the bottom do you see the real good stuff. There's no replies, since Youtube was structured differently I guess, and a lot of the comments don't make sense I think because they were replying to other comments- but I digress.

The use of :D, lolz, the two carats (^^), the xD, the :S, all relics at this point tbh. Obv some people use them still but see their abundance!

See here again - allll the ellipses, much more than we usually see today, =D, ;[ - man ppl were way more creative back then huh

Just the way people spoke on the internet - obviosuly, again, I'm making generalizations. There are still people who speak like this, of course. But the "random xD" comments really hitting full force

Just laughing here at the last comment concerned about Phil's inbox being bombarded... if only they knew a couple years later lmao

@vampirechibiofreno wanted to be a surgeon mouse for Halloween in '09 I wonder if they ever did

I saw a lot more of people just sharing little inconsequential things about their lives here, too. Seems like in YT comments these days ppl are vying for the funniest comment, whereas people here didn't give af they just wanted Phil to know they had the same shirt

I can just imagine young Phil reading the first post and it motivating him, idk. Just the fact that back then people still said "wow, you're funny, keep it up!" Whereas if someone said that now we'd all be like "uh, we been knew? Where ya been?"

Just some more examples of comments with very '08 energy to them lmao they make me smile

And HERE are some Phil comments!

Again, I'm sure he's responding to people here but since YT has changed so much the original posts were jumbled around. It was so weird to see a comment of his with only one or two likes- felt like I found a rare penny or something lmao

Anywho SORRY for the long post! I just thought this was all absolutely fascinating :)

[gabessquishytum]

oh my GOD yes please like. dream eventually lets hob go and he feels awful and guilty about the whole thing and it hurts to let hob go but he does, he tweaks enough people's memories to just think that hob was away on sabbatical and it's fine, he can drop back into his old life. and he does, for the most part. he goes back to teaching and occasionally tending bar at the new inn and gets to repurpose a few old lives of his to fill in some stories about what he was up to while he was away.

and then dream comes by to apologize again. he stops by the inn, hob leads him up to his apartment, and before dream can say anything hob's stripping off his clothes to show him all the pretty little piercings he's gotten. they've all got little rubies. he explains that it took a little creativity to get chastity piercings on a cock but he did his best. he hasn't come since dream let him go and he's kept himself all plugged every day, he's happy to be back in the waking but he's been good, he promises, won't dream please use him again?

-🐈‍⬛

YELLING because you know that Dream would nearly fucking explode because he just. Doesn’t get it?? He came to apologise because the guilt has been eating him alive and he’s been trying to be a better “person” and yet. Here’s Hob. Begging. And yes he’s talking about ground rules and safe words and how really Dream needs to talk about his issues but. While he’s talking he’s unfastening Dream’s jeans so he can suck his cock - he wants to show Dream how good he is with this cute little tongue piercing he has now. Dream is going to have an aneurysm, but only after he’s seen the (real) 5 carat ruby jewel plug in Hob’s arse.

[history-of-heidi]

this artistic room of ours.

It was a year full of work and hectic schedules. I was happy to continue working hard as an artist and being a representative and member of our group, SEVENTEEN. After our world tour concert, we were able to take a break for a few days to spend day-offs with family and take a rest as well. The members were not able to spend the Holidays with their loved ones due to our schedules but we still celebrated and enjoyed Christmas and New Year together as a group and with our beloved CARATs. I was on hiatus to rest and take care of myself after my ankle surgery and I’m doing very well today, keeping myself healthy. Since we were given time to rest, the members visited their families and some went to travel countries while the others had their time for themselves to rest. I went to Jeju Island with my family to spend our time together on a trip. I have also visited this place together with Dokyeom and Seungkwan who grew up in this hometown and toured us around the island. This is where the iconic fight behind a lovely selca took place. HA-HA-HA! It was really funny and memorable. However, I was happy to pay a visit once again, now with my family. Here are some pictures I took while we were at Arario Museum Tapdong Cinema in Jeju. Exquisite artwork from a variety of artists, such as Andy Warhol, Ugo Rondinone, Kohei Nawa, and others, is on show throughout the art gallery. a museum of modern art housed in an abandoned structure in Tap-dong, Jeju’s historic city. As the structure has undergone few restorations, the museum features sentimental remnants of the original neighborhood in addition to its collection of modern artistic creations. A physical medium, such as sculpture, painting, film, dance, writing, photography, or theater, is used to portray ideas and feelings. You might dedicate your entire life to painting if you enjoy the creative process. It is the capacity to appreciate beauty in art and discern the message conveyed by the creator. It entails studying the fundamentals and aspects of art as well as the cultural and historical settings in which artistic creations were made. CARAT-deul! Make sure to lend time for your families during your break or day-offs, you could also take them on a trip or dinner outside. Please create memories with them as possible. That’s all for today, I will be back on my schedule as soon as possible. I missed you, CARATs! Hannie-hae! ♡

[horanghaechan]

ok, alright, we ARE in love

first of all, nice to meet you, i'm marie!

and i totally agree with you! when i got into kpop (back in 2011) i thought it'd be like western pop music... i was so shocked to see they mixed lots of genres (for ex, my first kpop song was u-kiss' 3:30. then, i found out abt 2ne1 and infinite. then girls generation... then exo and bigbang. before i knew, i was obsessed with a lot of groups). honestly, it ruined me for western pop (tho i still adore some artists and stan them).

I CANT BELIEVE ANSWER WAS NOT N1 THO omgggggg it was my first ateez song. my sister literally BEGGED me to listen to them (she recently came back to her kpop stan self) and i was like "i dont fuck with groups that debuted after 2016" (for instance, im 27yo so yeah u can imagine how ancient i feel in this new kpop scene).... lmao i was SO wrong... so fucking wrong.

(the gif is me to myself after "accidentally" getting into 3 new groups lmao)

which brings me to answering ur tag... i was originally only a carat and nctzen (i stopped stanning a lot of groups between 2017-2018. i still listened to some of them occasionally, however i didnt engage with them anymore). but ateez won my heart last october (TWO MONTHS AFTER THEY CAME TO BRAZIL WHICH ANNOYS ME SO MUCH BC I LITERALLY MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY OUT OF STUBBORNNESS)... and in january my friend convinced me to give txt a try... now sometimes i get sad at night thinking abt soobin and taehyun (i sUFFER bc im 5/6 years older than him). and then my sister talked so much abt skz bc of lalalala (and it sounds like a brazilian funk i like called automotivo bibi fogosa) also mama 2022 maniac!felix... i mean, she sent me some skz stages of songs she liked and when i saw him there i was like "shit, here we go again"

so now im still a caratzen, but also a not so baby atiny (i literally binged much of their content in the span of two months lol), and a baby moa and baby stay... life is SO sad

so how abt u??? why did u decide to have a music tumblr? i find it so creative bc i love music but im not organised and smart enough to run a blog like yours.... also gonna check ur other polls so i can vote lol

just reaching back to talk some more abt the ateez poll: i just love the versatility of ateez songs! they really explore some different genres and it's so nice to see them creating bangers thanks to that... i mean, i go completely insane listening to precious and i dont even know if it can be considered edm music or just pop lmao

that being said, it's impossible to choose bc they fit in so many of my moods. for example, normally i blast songs like matz/the leaders while driving to the gym (i work out around 6:30 in the morning), and when im doing my skincare routine at night, i like to listen to stuff like treasure/take me home... but sometimes, i'll scream mist at the top of my lungs during my way to the gym, and have some relaxing time with guerrilla at night. it's like, although take me home is OBVIOUSLY a different style from matz, they're weirdly the same bc they're perfect in their own way and they bring me so much joy and comfort when i need..............

making me choose between bouncy and halazia is like making me choose between my parents and my sister... CRUEL!

I am in love with you

Lol to be real for a second THANK YOU for coming back to talk to me about music (and specifically ateez)♥️💓💘💝💞❣️💘💗💝!!!!!! I totally 100% agree!!! I always tell people kpop isn't really a genre word at all because different groups have such different genres and some groups explore tons of genres and styles (such as ateez!).

Also I totally get relaxing to guerilla lol!! Sometimes I get hyped for my day with hard bangers and sometimes I get hyped with soft ballads 😌

ALSO!!!! We crowd source our brackets! I love seeing the tags (particularly in round one haha) of people saying how dare we put this song against this song, because we put out a form to rank all the songs and go with that for the bracket. Plus BOUNCY was actually kind of a huge upset! BOUNCY ranked 8th! Answer was #1 and was anticipated to go against #2 Halazia, but BOUNCY pulled through against answer somehow!! (I'm sure my sister (admin suji @belovedbinnieboy ) will talk about the upsets in her stats post coming after the end of the bracket)

Anyway thanks for stopping by !!! I love chatting and talking about music <3

[kpopco]

Good den, fellow carats!

It’s almost Seventeen’s anniversary and as usual, to make the celebration even more festive, #17daysof17 is coming back! This year, KPOPCO is excited to co-host 17 days of 17 !

We appreciate all of the works that have been displayed every year and we can’t wait to see them again. 

This year, we have more interesting prompts that are different from the last one to give variation and challenges for you. Also, we are so happy to see more interactions among caratblr that will surely enliven the fandom so, make sure you join the fun! Dating apps find you a gf/bf but maybe, #17daysof17 will find you a soulmate 😏

So, how do we join this? 

This is an open event, meaning all caratblrs can join without having to register or do any administration stuff. Super easy and hassle-free 👌🏼

When will this event be held? 

This event will be held from May 9 to May 25.

What should I do during the event?

We will provide different prompts for each day and you can create contents (yes, plural) according to the prompt. Don’t forget to tag your creations with #17daysof17 too, so other carats can track and appreciate them!

Okay then! What type of content can we post?

Both graphic contents such as gfx, gif, digital or hand drawn fanarts, moodboards, etc. and creative writing such as fanfictions, drabbles, etc. can be submitted.

And… the don’ts?

Since this is an inclusive, open event for all carats from all age categories, NSFW works will be restricted. Keep the content SFW for we want more carats to freely interact and appreciate your creations.

We also highly restrict and do not condone these activities:

Reposting work whether from Tumblr or other platforms

Reposting fantaken photos or using them as the material for your gfx without the owner’s permission

Re-editing edited photos/works from fansites or other accounts from Tumble or other platforms

[!!!] If anyone finds any indication of these activities happening during the event or finds creations that violate some and/or all of these rules, report to admins immediately.

Roger that. Now, what if we want to post multiple contents/sets for a certain day’s theme. Is that allowed?

Absolutely yes. There are no limits to the content/set you want to post for that date’s theme. Squeeze out all your creative juice, no one's stopping you, king!

But what if the case is we forget/miss to post content for a certain date, meanwhile the next date’s theme is already different. What should we do?

Actually, you can skip one or two days because irl things can be so hectic that you can barely make time for Tumblr. It is completely fine and we suggest prioritizing them. As for the content, you can always post later in the next convenient time despite the different theme/prompt. Be careful to caption them correctly so you won’t confuse them with the current theme’s content.

What if we miss more than one or two days, say three days?

You can always combine contents from those three missing dates (or n missing dates) into one post and upload them on any day!

Can we just post them before the day then to avoid missing a day?

Ah, “the” question, finally. You probably don’t filter the “___ spoiler” tag on your account, right? 😃

No spoiler, buddy. We want to make surprises every day, jazzing up the fandom a little by building excitement, day by day, until Seventeen’s anniversary. It’s gonna be more fun if each day you have something you expect to see too. Even if we provide all the prompts in one go, the purpose is to give you time to plan out your contents. Please refrain yourself from posting content prior to its theme day

THE PROMPTS

That makes sense… Alright, so far we have understood the general rules. But if we have more inquiries later, to whom should we ask?

You can reach out to us admins, @wonublr (lee), @leedinos (zai), or @beyoonce (ann) if you have doubts and need more information. 

Please do not contact kpopco or any kpopco admins for questions since they just help us co-hosting this event. All questions must be delivered only to the three admins.

Hope the guideline help you figure out what to do for #17daysof17 as well as providing general information. We’ll see you on the boarding day and, have fun, caratblr!

[delicatewerewolfsoul]

i painted the sunset in your eyes

pairing: minghao x reader

genre: art students, fluff, strangers to lovers

word count: 2k

a/n: hi @moonsolie! this is your secret carat admirer, hope you enjoy my attempt of a cute fic heh ❤

Once upon a time, in a big building full of college students, a story began, where two of the most famous students met, under the orange color of the sunset hitting on the windows, where one's admiration turned to love, and the other's curiosity to deep affection. That's how Minghao tells you he'll tell your story to people that ask, like a fairytale, where something that seemed too good to be true, finally happened and brought some sweetness into your lifes.

You are both ever the artists, you lived for romance and exciting adventures, deep emotions and meaningful glances. Minghao sighs as he looks at the board, theory classes when the most boring, even tho he was curious about learning, sometimes time didn't pass as quickly as he wanted, and whenever the teacher said the same stuff over and over again, he felt as if he was stuck on a loop, and that he would never get away from the circle, but as the teacher repeated the theories, time to finish was near, and then after everything, the bell rang, and he got out of the classroom excited, ready to go to the workshop, the place where he could get creative, away from the world, in his own, the one he created on the canvas.

His university was a huge building where all people minded their own business. Minghao on the other hand liked to observe, since every student had their own style, their own color and minghao was always fascinated by it, he was always interested in how every style showcased and highlighted each person’s personality. From colorful goths that were too bright for the world, to the coffee addicts with the office style that would easily be great in architecture, everything was fascinating to him, worth studying on it, taking time to understand it, take it in and then maybe paint about it. Maybe that was what made him popular, the quiet kid that didn’t talk much and no one knew much, but still had a strong presence and apparently knew everyone around him, better than they thought people did.

As he exits his class and heads towards the workshop, he notices you. Your back was against the wall and you were laughing at whatever your friend Jun was saying, you were completely glowing he thought as he observed you. Minghao was fascinated by you, for one specific reason, he couldn’t figure you out. Your aura, your expressions and your style were all pretty soft, gentle and sweet, yet your art style was powerful, sometimes even intimidating, a style that seems to have been made to shake the world. He remembers the first time he saw an art piece of yours. It had a bright shade on and thick outlines made of black and deep blue, it looked like it was made to get everyone’s attention on it. The message was bold, it made him understand how much emotions you might have put in it, yet it still shocked him. Many works of yours later and one thing stayed the same, the bold, dark colors with strong outlines. And he wanted to figure it out.

“Oh, so you finally decided to appear,” Joshua announces as Minghao enters the workshop. “What happened, did that famous student catch your eye again?” He continues as he pokes Minghao with his elbow and the second sighs, as this happened every time he was a little late. Not many people could read Minghao and Joshua was one of the only ones with that gift and Minghao really disliked it. “Anyways, a teacher of yours passed by some time ago and he said he had some kind of project for you, something he needed your help or something i don’t know, he said he’ll pass by again”. Minghao knew what was coming, he would have to use his talent, where he understood and helped other students find the spark for painting once again. He was used to this, yet it kind of annoyed himi as well, it wasn’t as fun to actually be made to use it, that using it on his own, the way he thought it was fun. “You don’t seem to like it that much,” says Joshua more softly, trying to help his friend share his thoughts. “Cause it isn’t.” answers Minghao, “it feels more like a job, and I don’t really enjoy it, I would love some challenge” he finishes and goes to finish his latest painting.

The teacher arrives some time later, just as Joshua finished for the day. He enters the room and Minghao is already prepared to hear the same thing again, but what the teacher says surprises him. “Minghao, I have something for you today. Some time later, another student will come here, but your project will be to prepare portraits of each other. I feel like you both need a small change, so I arranged that as your monthly project so make sure you both have a great time, okay? I’m expecting those in a month, have a good day”. Minghao was stunned. He actually wasn’t expecting something like that, but it sounded interesting, he couldn’t wait to see who was partnered with.

Minghao’s favorite time of the day would have to be the time when the sun was setting down. The time when everything changed color according to the color of the sunset. Everyday a different color, from a bright yellow or orange color to a bright purple. And everything around him had a similar shade to that and it was so satisfying for him, that it made him always try to paint during that time. Today there was a lot of humidity in the air and that signaled that he maybe would finally be able to see again a purple sunset that he loved. And that time he feels a soft tap on his shoulder and he sees you, a bag around your shoulder and a soft smile, as the sunset colored you peachy, a sweet lovely color that he would swear fits exactly your vibe. “Hello, the teacher said I’ll find the person I’m assigned with in this room, is this supposed to be you?” you answer softly and Minghao nobs at you. He was stunned, he definitely wasn’t expecting you. It was definitely a challenge, because he had no clue how to draw you, which was a first for him. Well then, he had to get to know you first.

The first thing that Minghao learned about you, was that you enjoyed reading books and that long walks at night to get inspiration. That would kind of explain the deep colors you used but not the strong, intimidating feel he got from it. “You might ask why my works are so strong” you say to him and his eyebrows shoot up. That had to be the first time someone had somehow read his mind and it gave him chills, but at the same time he didn’t hate it. For the first time he welcomed it. You were something different, and he felt like he wanted to be something important to you and he didn’t know what to do with that feeling. “That must be from the need I have to make a difference, to point out to the people ‘look, this is important’ and make them think.” you say and then sip your coffee from the coffee shop you and Minghao agreed to meet with you once a week after classes to discuss and learn more about one another. One meeting turned to two and then to three and that resulted in meeting even more to discuss even more ideas, yet you felt like you knew too little about him. But he let out too little about him, the meetings felt more like classes than friendly meetings. The most important thing you knew, was that he enjoyed the sunset and fragrant tea, that he liked cats and to experiment with fashion. You felt like you knew only the top layer of his complicated personality and you wanted him to trust you, you wanted him too open up to you, and after that maybe you could express that tang you felt in your heart whenever you met it, or the warmth on your cheeks when he smiled at you.

It’s been almost three weeks since the project started and you both didn’t exactly know how to put everything you felt for each other on the canvas. Minghao had too many complicated feelings about you and was confused about what he actually was feeling. You on the hand were still trying to figure him out. He was more definitely affectionate and open to you from when you first met him, but still mysterious, like he was keeping something to himself, like he was trying to keep a safe distance from you. Him not being that open didn’t really help you, instead it was making it more difficult for you to put his true colors on the paper. “Another ruined try?” Jun says as he peeks in your room as he hears a displeased grunt leave your mouth for the second time this week. “Just paint him on a pink cloud with some hearts around him and get done with it. You have a crush on him right? It’s almost valentines anyway” he says and you look at him shocked with a little annoyance in it. “Are you kidding me? I… might do, but still, this guy is a big question mark and he confuses me. I try to ask him stuff and his answers are so vague, I feel like I get nothing… Even though I enjoy spending time with him, I’m not going to lie.” you sign, letting your head fall back. “Minghao vague? How bizarre, this guy usually is very specific with his answers, even his answers are short, at least that is what Joshua said to me” he says and that makes you think, what made him act like that? Was he flustered?

“Was someone flustered when meeting with their crush yesterday?” Joshua teases when Minghao enters the room the next day. Minghao sighs, but can’t deny that he actually did have feelings for you, it was obvious anyway. But he passed the stage of realizing it, and into the stage where he wanted to say it. “I will confess” he says suddenly and that stuns Joshua, not used to his friend acting like that, but glad he made that choice “cause I think I finally found that answer”.

It was the day before you had to show your works to your teacher and you were heading to the workshop, to show Minghao what you had actually come up with and for you to see what Minghao’s painting finally looked like. You step into the room and your heart is about to burst from excitement. Your hands have a strong hold on the painting and for a moment you’re hesitant to show it to him, afraid he might not like it, but as he shows you a smile, all your worries fade away. You place your painting next to his and you reveal both at the same time. Minghao gasps at your painting, light shades of blue and pink with details that made it look like he was underwater, he was stunned, this was so different from what he was used to see from you, so pretty and delicate. “It’s so pretty, it reminds me of jellyfishes” he laughs and you laugh along with him, “this is so different from your usual style”, he continues admiring the painting and you smile, glad he liked it. Then you take a look at his. Different shades or orange and pink, sweet peach color and a light in your eyes that seemed real. You were stunned. “You might already know what this means, but this is how you looked the first time you entered this room. I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass this month, it probably seemed like I didn’t like you, but I in fact liked you more than I thought I would so…” he takes a deep breath to ease his nerves and relax, before continuing “would you be my valentine… maybe?” he tilts his head and you laugh, before nobbing and hugging him.

[wannabegwenstacy]

About Me: Eden!

⇣Below cut⇣

Name: Eden Quinn (you can refer to me as just "eden".)

Age: 24

Line: 99' baby

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Pronouns: She/Her

My timezone: EST/EDT (i will be going off that time zone w/ my updates.)

Q: What groups do you stan?

A: Stan? Well, I started stanning BTS on July 6, 2020. They are really the ones that got me into Kpop. I used to write for them, but have decided I most likely won’t in the future. I started stanning Seventeen at the beginning of February 2023, Ateez at the beginning of June 2023, and The Boyz at the beginning of September 2023. I have looked into P1Harmony, ZB1, and TXT but right now I'm just a casual fan of them. I do closely follow some western artist though. I follow...Megan Thee Stallion, Doechii, Reneé Rapp, Flo, and Sabrina Carpenter currently.

.

Q: SVT Bias Line?

A: Scoups, Mingyu, Dino & Dokyeom. also I am OT13

.

Q: Ateez Bias Line?

A: Hongjoong, Wooyoung, & Yunho. you know it...OT8

.

Q: TBZ Bias Line?

A: Kevin, Eric, & Jacob..definitely OT11

.

Q: Fav Ship?

A: Tbh..them all? I love all the pairings. Outside of fan FICTION I do see them platonically though.

.

Q: Ult of all Ults Bias?

A: Jacob Bae - i’m past down bad at this point

Q: What's your Big 3 in your chart? (Astrology)

A: Sun - Scorpio, Moon - Libra, Rising - Cancer

.

Q: MBTI?

A: I switch between ENFP and INFP

.

Q: Enneagram?

A: 4w3

.

Q: Are you a Student?

A: I went to Uni for 3 years where I studied Visual Arts and Psychology but I dropped out during the pandemic. I still love to create but mostly this blog lets me get that pint up creative energy out. (update: I am officially a college student again)

.

Q: Do you work?

A: Yes! I do have a full time job irl aside from writing, creating, and just keeping up with seventeen, ateez, & the boyz.

Q: New to Tumblr?

A: No, I have been on tumblr since..maybe 2013? I have had a few different accounts over the years. This account was originally a Marvel Stan Account. I have gotten into a number of things over the years also, so please don't scroll too deep.

.

Q: Have you written fics before?

A: Not like this no. I have written little concepts and drafts before when I was younger but never posted them (thank god). I started posting on here because when I was messing around w/ my army friends I would write these drabbles/rants and they weren't bad. So I decided I would actually start posting some of them here? I honestly haven't posted any of my good stuff because I keep going back and adding to them or redrafting.

.

Q: Do you have an A03 account?

A: Yes! but I currently haven't uploaded there yet. If my posts go well over here on tumblr I might start uploading on A03. BUT that will probably be more AUs and Full Fledged Fics rather than drabbles.

.

Q: Main social media you use?

A: 20+ Adult Carat/Atiny/Deobi Twitter. I range from semi-active to basically only interacting with moots. Somedays I just like tweets, others I tweet a good bit but overall I don't really use other social media consistently.

[serenityseventeen]

Jeon Wonwoo (전원우):

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

"Left"

You and Wonwoo are drunk and have small arguments, and because you were drunk, you became a bit of a brat. Wonwoo after hearing enough of your talk he left you alone on the street. You became anxious and was about to look for him when...

drunk!wonwoo x drunk!reader

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

The street was filled with bright and retro like lights. You had just left a massive party held by your best friend.

Your vision wasn't good and your world became dizzy. The only person beside you that you recognized was Wonwoo.

"Ugh why did you have to drink so much?" You muttered while drunk.

"You're the one who drank too much." Wonwoo replied in his deep voice.

"How am I supposed to get homeee???" You whined while drunk, still not sober. Wonwoo wasn't sober either and he was experiencing the same symptoms as you.

You couldn't walk straight and then suddenly, Wonwoo crashed into you because he couldn't walk straight either. You were pushed to the side.

"Hey!! Wonwoo! Watch where you're going!" You shouted. If you were sober, it wouldn't have actually made you angry.

"Sorry, okay?" Wonwoo replied, stabilizing himself with his hand on the streetlamp.

"Gosh you're so annoying.." you muttered, sitting down on the side of the road, your feet was laid out in the road but far away enough from the cars that zoomed by.

"Are you an idiot? Do you want your feet crushed??" Wonwoo walked sloppily toward you.

"It's fine. I don't even know where I am."

"I know the way, just follow me." Wonwoo didn't actually know the way well but part of his brain was actually sober and he did remember some parts of the way.

"As if! You're just a dumb..a dumb Wonwoo!"

Wonwoo licked his lips. "Then.. then you can stay here if you don't want to go to somewhere and sleep. I'm tired." Wonwoo started walking away with a drunk smile even though he was annoyed. The thought of sleep made his drunk mind feel refreshed.

You after finally realizing that Wonwoo walked off, you turned around to look for him. His figure was no where to be seen.

"Wonwoo?" Your vision was blurred and all you could see was the blurry lights of the brightly lit city buildings. "Hey! Wonwoo!!! You jerk!!" You shouted and some people stared at you, none of them had the face and tall figure of Wonwoo.

You let out a sigh and staring at the ground, your walked toward the crosswalk. The bright lights made you dizzy.

"Did he cross the street?"

You stepped into the crosswalk only to be pulled back by a warm and firm hand. The sudden action made your heartbeat spike.

His pull turned your body against his and immediately, you knew who it was. Your head was on his chest, his hand held your wrist and the other was around your waist, helping you stay stable. You heard Wonwoo's deep sigh along with his beating heart that was beating rapidly in your ears.

"Says the person who told me to watch where I was going..." Your hands then slid around him and you charged at him even though you two were already against each other, hugging him tightly.

"You jerk! You really left me alone!?"

Wonwoo just patted the back of your head, he was slowly getting sober, his other hand fit around your waist. "I honestly don't know."

His face turned smiley again and he rested his head on top of yours and he closed his eyes, feeling relieved he came back.

He was still drunk but knew in his half sober mind that that smile was indeed, genuine.

He would never leave you alone.

Wonwoo also knew you were just being annoying and kind of like a brat because you were drunk.

"I'll take you home, you little drunky."

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

-serenityseventeen

I'm still crying over the <IN-COMPLETE> performances... Each one was so unique... My favorites were Do Re Mi, Hey Buddy!, and Snap Shoot. Those ones were so fun and cute but overall I think I like Hey Buddy! The best. The set is so creative and the stage just made me go WOWOOWOWOWOW. Also when carats were singing us, again was also one of my favorite performances though it was just audio.. I liked Light A FLAME(it was so nice and sexily slow lol)too and Ah!Love and BRING IT- oh boy, I like all of them!

[hayuryu]

Seventeen 1st Mini Album "17 Carat"

Yuhuu~

I'm back again

Today I'll post about Seventeen 1st Mini Album

It's their Debut album

17 Carat

This album actually only have 1 version but they have 2 versions of photocard (they call it photocard but it's actually as big as postcard)

I have both version of photocard, it's White and Black version

This the cover

You can see double triangle in the cover. It's actually hole

If you take out the album you can see that holes

The album itself is really really really fragile (I'm serious) but I can say that it's creative

It's only have big poster with their photo and lyrics and shaped it like ddakji, korean traditional folded paper game (Idk how the correct writing, is it ddakji or ttakji?)

For me once I opened and shaped it in place again I won't open it again. Why?

Because it's troublesome to make it pretty again hahahaa

I have 2 albums. And 1 is really worn out. I just opened it like 3 or 4 times and it's not that pretty anymore

This is back

It doesn't have any track list on it because the track list is inside the album

White version

It's like cute version of seventeen

They look so young

If you ask me why it's 4 of them in 1st photo. Well they're my favorite hahahaa

It's all white version photocard

They really looks so young

For white version there's seventeen logo in middle bottom of the photocard

They also give sign and comments behind the photocard

Black version

This black version

They acted cool hahahaa

Actually I'm glad the debut with Adore U

Because it's give us fresh song in the middle of dark/sexy concept for new boy group

And it made impact hahahaa (well it's for me)

This is the full members

You can see there's no seventeen logo in the black version. Idk why though, you can ask pledis yourself hahahaa

If you ask me which version I like

I'll answer both. Why? Because Joshua looks good in both white and black version (as long as Joshua looks good I'm happy, well and if he got a lot singing part)

Okay, that's all for 17 Carat album

I'll back tomorrow with 17 Hits (it's taiwan version)

I haven't take pictures of Heng:garae hahahaaa

It's really takes time to peel off the sticker

I just need to post 2 of them and I'll go hiatus

And I'll back when my hitorijanai albums and going magazine come

See you~

[lesbiancarat]

Haha its fine! Im book anon for a reason so take all the time you need! Before I start, I wanna apologize for the possible asks you got about the merch and hybe in general. I didn't intend to cause stress and need to be careful bdjahdsj so slap me with a fish!

Onto the ask! But agreed, I mean before the big kpop boom we saw, this was very common. Build a decent fanbase and then move to Japan or China. (Of course sometimes you see INSTANT movement in other countries but that depends on the company and such but you know what I mean) but since we do have the more global kpop era, we may see more companies do America which isn't a bad thing. It makes sense buisness wise so they will jump on it after debut or something. Thus I don't see it a bad thing for kpop groups to promote in America because hey, if in Korea they do sell western artist music who also tour there, kpop groups can also do the same ya know?

Now onto the hybe comment, I will try not to speak too much on it so I will try to summarize. I think my theory is due with merch from their main artist, they think maybe it could work with svt which maybe could but svt has a different fanbase so throwing on random merch won't make fans really want to buy (not saying some won't which kudos to you! As a fan you are allowed to consume what you please except not be a bad apple about it) so thus like the infamous water bottles which was done for bts, they thought why not do it for svt because bts fans sold it out apparently for a 2nd wave of it being sold again. (Which to this day idk why someone in the hybe team thought this was smart. Like...this is just in bad taste imo) I do wanna agree that it appears that hybe doesn't seem to have a proper art team for svt because while sometimes wild, I do know for their main artist they do have thoughtful merch based around say an album concept I recall. Kf course they will make mistakes i.e. the water bottles. I do wish it can improve because even though it is capitalism, I think fans do want decent merch. We have seen interesting ideas like svt making their own magazine and selling it lol. Of course it is hard to please because some fans want subtle merch ideas while others don't mind the vibrant pastel colors we got or some want wild ideas like svt figurines or something. Overall I hope I didn't drag this too much as I just wanted to respond back to you, I agree with many points you said so yeah cx I say let's also wait as this is barely what, a year or even less of svt being under hybe properly. Especially when hybe had its rebranding and expanding so things are being changed, I know fans are worried about this which is valid but let's not panic just yet. Let's come back in a year to this and see what has improved and what hasn't. (OK but peldis sold the boys rings!? :o since when!? I haven't heard of this actually, when did this happen if I may ask?)

Oof yeah sadly with streaming, many view "oh you don't stream it means you aren't a fan" when isn't the case (which is why I personally don't like when certain companies also do "listening parties" which seems a bit ???) I do remember this popped up big in 2017 but many fans called it out so it quiet down a bit. Like we didn't see it so often where fans were causing problems over it so idk why this returned nor what the cause of it was.

But thank you!! It really was a nice closing chapter, I think when I have personal stuff settled I will try maybe get a new bunny? And oohh congrats on the album! (Note to hybe or pledis. Please make the us store a more common thing, it makes things so much easier! Am happy it was at your place quick so kudos to the us store. Oohh wonderful choices! I think for many fans anyone or heaven's cloud seems to be the popular picks? For me, I may have to say game boi or heaven's cloud as well! Those songs make me just so happy? Like game boy is just so creative with the way it was made. As a video game nerd, it is perfection. I could make an essay about this song lol and heaven's cloud is just...wow. I feel so at ease with the song, comfortable and soothed. Like you are on a cloud lol. Also that is totally fine! Rtl was a grower for me (I blame the mv, it didn't do the song jusitice) but it is a bop and can't stop humming the chorus at random moments. Overall a great summer album. Just imagine any of these songs performed live ndjansns

lol don't feel too bad about it! honestly they weren't that bad + i can always delete asks if i really don't want to answer them, i just always get a bit paranoid that things will get out of hand so i may end up getting more serious in those situations OTL

and yeah i agree! i don't think it's a bad thing for groups to promote in the US, as you said, it's similar to groups expanding their fanbase by promoting in china or Japan or other asian counties, it makes sense from a business standpoint and there's nothing wrong with promoting in different countries. i just wish that some kpop stans understood that western and/or global popularity is a bonus and not a requirement for success. while they do have a global appeal, at the end of the day kpop's main audience is korea, and groups that achieve popularity in Korea have already achieved what they set out to do. but there's unfortunately a decent chunk of international fans that prioritize western popularity over anything and can't fathom that a group can be successful without being popular in the US. or they just talk as if their groups western achievements are more valuable than their Korean ones and to me that starts to look like xenophobia... (sorry if I'm repeating anything i said before in regards to this, i feel like i am but I'm too lazy to go back and check OTL)

since you sent this ask hybe released the caratland merch which was actually really nice, and today they also announced that there will be birthday merch for cheol (and presumably all members from here on out). we don't know what the bday merch is yet but some carats are already a bit miffed that hybe is even thinking to capitalize off the boys' birthdays... i bring both of these up bc i feel like the caratland merch proves your point that hybe is capable of designing good and thoughtful merch, and honestly this does reassure me a bit. but on the other hand them trying to capitalize off the boys' birthdays also proves that they still don't fully understand carats wants and priorities as a fanbase. which, if the future of seventeens merch is gonna be quality merch with some shitty cash grabs in between, i can live with that. I'm not gonna like the shitty cash grabs and i think it would be in our best interest as a fandom to not go crazy buying those shitty cash grabs, because if we don't then hybe will hopefully stop wasting their time and put more effort into /quality/. but if we get quality merch for important events like concerts and fanmeetings, i can live with it. as you said too, it can take time for these things to change, and we should all recognize that. but at the same time merch specifically is market driven, so i don't think it's a bad thing if people like @ hybe on twt about any bad merch that comes out in order to drive that change dhfkfj

but also on a maybe more fun note in regards to the merch... with some carats being upset about the bday merch i was thinking about what hybe could do for merch instead that would fill the niche of being at intervals throughout the year that could still be limited time drops but that carats wouldn't be mad at them capitalizing on and then i was like duh! they could literally just make merch off of going seventeen! honestly I'm surprised they haven't yet. maybe not merch for every episode, but they could have a line of permanent gose merch w a basic logo or something and then release limited time merch themed around some of the more popular episodes at various points during the year. I'm actually kind of obsessed with this idea now and for once I'm like hybe/pledis please capitalize off of this!! dhfkgjg

they never actually sold them, but for seventeens 3rd anniversary, pledis planned to sell replicas of seventeens rings. after it was announced carats were understandably upset since the boys worked so hard for those. luckily pledis heard carats concerns and put out an apology and didn't manufacture them in the end. I'm glad that at least they listened to carats even though it would have been better if they had never considered the idea in the first place :(

oh yeah listening parties are definitely just another marketing technique to boost streams. i think like with a lot of marketing techniques, it just depends on the execution. imo if they're done well it can be a good way for fans to connect while listening to an artists music, which is mutually beneficial for the company, but i can totally see a situation where companies get greedy and push it too hard. i don't know anything about what happened with them back in the day, but if you're curious why SVT had listening parties leading up to your choice, they were set up by UMG, the American distributor that SVT worked with for this cb. in this case the listening parties weren't just for boosting streams, but also likely for UMG to gauge interest. SVT isn't officially signed to a US label yet, but UMG's data from the listening parties could be used to show US labels whether or not there's enough interest for them to be signed. which if that happens we'd almost definitely see a more permanent US shop!

ahh yes, once you're ready I'm sure it would be great to have another bunny companion 🥺

yes! heavens cloud and gam3 bo1 are both such feel good songs! my sister actually added heavens cloud to their Spotify after i made them listen to the album in the car dhfkf it's now one of 6 kpop songs they have saved (4 of which are SVT... my influence 💅 DHFJFH) I'm certain we'll see some of the songs from your choice at caratland this year, hopefully it's all of them but I'd especially like to see heavens cloud and wave 👀 I'm also still crossing my fingers for an i wish live performance bc i can't believe my favorite SVT b-side is one of the TWO tracks they haven't performed live not including the new album (the other one being network love, which i would also like to see live!)

[juunshua]

Junnie shining in Debate Night once more! He is the true MVP, I love him so much.

oh yeah!! once again!! he says a few lines but those few lines are so impactful always;; he's also really creative ? the way his brain was able to make the connection between how caramel is spelled + carat AND used it as a way to make a point that the other team could not refute (try as jeonghan did LMAO good to see woozi back junnie up tho) genius things only

[sincerelyella]

All In My Head Part 8

Book: The Royal Romance (AU)

Pairings: Liam x MC (Ella)

Characters belong to Pixelberry; MC Ella Brooks belongs to me.

Song Inspiration: All In My Head by Tori Kelly

A/N: This is the first mini series I’ve ever written and I am so nervous about it! This is set in book 2 chapter 1, after the mess at the coronation takes place. MC has been stuck at Ramsford doing her daily lessons with the Beaumont brothers. Some cannon but mostly went left with this! Liam’s social season lasted about five months. He and MC had been carrying on their relationship since the beginning, they just had to do this in secret.

Thank you @burnsoslow​ for prereading and letting me bounce ideas off of your brilliant mind!

Warnings: Fluff

Words: 1369

Liam led Ella out the door of his quarters, down the stairs and out towards the hedge maze.

“What are we doing out here?”

He looked down at the love of his life and smiled. “You’ll see.”

“Liam, I’m hungry,” she whined. “My apple pie is upstairs and waiting for me!”

Liam chuckled and pulled her into the hedge maze. As they walked together, Ella had an idea. She turned to him and smacked him on the shoulder, “You’re it,” and ran around a corner as quickly as her short legs could carry her.

“Cheater!” Liam yelled and took off after her. All he could hear was her echoing laughter in the maze. Finally he made it to the middle of the courtyard and he saw Ella standing there with her back to him. He smiled wide and walked slowly towards her.

“Ella.”

She whirled around to face him, tears already falling down her cheeks. “W-what is this Liam?” She already knew what this was, she just wanted to hear him say it.

The entire area was illuminated with white lights, all of the hedges had lights draped on them and the tree in the back was wrapped in lights all the way up to the long branches up top. Right in the middle was a bench where letters were lit up with small candles surrounding the large lettering.

“Ella, I’ve loved you since the second I laid eyes on you. I was going to do this even before we found out you were pregnant,” he smiled nervously down at her. “I was actually going to do this the day you fainted,” they both giggled.

Liam reached into his pocket, pulled out the red velvet box and got down on one knee in front of her. Ella started crying harder and put her hand over her mouth. “I’ve waited all my life for you. I’ve always wanted to marry for love and not for an alliance or some kind of political gain. When I became the Crown Prince,” he paused, trying to get his emotions in check. “It was difficult for me to marry for love. I knew I had to marry as a duty to the crown and country. But then you came along, ” he smiled, opened the box with the ring and took her left hand in his. “You came along and there was no doubt in my mind that I could have it all with you.”

Liam’s eyes glistened as he stared up at her. “Ella Marie Brooks, will you marry me?”

Ella sucked a breath in, grinned and nodded, unable to form words since she was crying so hard.

“Is … that a yes?”

Ella laughed and composed herself long enough to yell out, “Yes! A million times yes!” Liam grinned and slid the six carat princess cut diamond ring on her finger. “Oh my God,” she croaked out. “It’s so beautiful, Liam!” She started to sob again looking at her finger.

Liam chuckled as he stood from the ground, pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “It was my mother’s diamond from her engagement ring and I put it in a new setting for you.”

“I absolutely love it,” she whispered. “Are we going to have a big wedding?”

“It’ll be a big event, my love. The first royal wedding since my father married Regina all those years ago. We can do this as soon as you want.”

“I’d marry you tonight, right here, right now. Although, I’d like to do the royal wedding thing sooner rather than later, because later I won’t be able to fit into a wedding dress.”

Liam leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. “Sounds like a plan, my queen,” he whispered.

She looked around and admired all the lights. “This is amazingly beautiful, and so very creative,” she smirked at him. “Did you get our friends to help you set this up?”

Liam tried to look offended, “What makes you think I got help … hmmm? You don’t think I can set all this up myself?” Ella continued to look at him with her brow arched. Liam let out a breath. “Okay so the staff set up the lights, Drake and Maxwell set up the candles and the letters.”

Ella laughed and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I knew it!”

“I wanted to do a simple proposal, nothing too over-the-top. Because you’re not over-the-top, and that’s what I love about you,” he kissed her hard on the lips, it was a lingering, passionate kiss that made her dizzy. “Let’s finish what we started earlier,” he murmured against her lips.

“But ... what about … my pie?” she asked in between kisses.

Liam laughed, tugged her hand through the hedge maze, into the palace and up to their quarters. “You can have your dessert … after I have mine.”

**

The royal wedding was scheduled in a month’s time, and the palace staff was running around trying to get things ready. Hana was designing Ella’s wedding dress as well as her own maid of honor dress. In the midst of all the wedding planning and chaos, Ella had her 12 week checkup with her obstetrician the day before the event. She opted to go to her doctor’s office at the capitol since she had been cooped up in the palace for the last month. Liam went with her and called a car to take them to Ella’s appointment.

The couple was taken through the back entrance of the clinic to avoid any press; the public only knew about the royal wedding and not the pregnancy. Ella and Liam sat in the exam room waiting for the doctor to arrive.

A brisk knock at the door startled both of them. A woman with a white coat on came in and curtsied. “Hello, Your Majesty, Ms. Brooks, my name is Dr. Davis. How has pregnancy been treating you?”

“The last month I’ve actually been feeling better. I was having a lot of nausea and vomiting in the beginning. Now I’m just always hungry.”

Dr. Davis chuckled, “Well that’s completely normal I’d say. Are you ready to find out what the sex of the babies are?” The couple nodded eagerly and the doctor smiled. “Alright, the gel might be a little bit cold,” she assembled all the items needed and turned to Ella. “Go ahead and lift up your shirt just so we can see your abdomen.

Ella lifted her shirt and shivered when the gel touched her skin. The doctor placed the probe onto her abdomen and moved it around gently until she could see fuzzy white fluffs on the screen.

“They’re moving around a lot,” she paused and continued to study the screen. After a couple minutes had passed she finally broke the silence. “Well well well, it looks like you have two healthy … princes in there,” Dr. Davis smiled and looked at the couple with a wide grin.

Ella grinned wide and looked at Liam who was sitting there staring at the computer screen with a shocked look on his face. I have two sons.

“Everything looks great, Ms. Brooks. I know your wedding is tomorrow but since you’re having twins I’d still like to see you sooner than usual. Maybe in about a week or so. Just to make sure you’re doing well. I can come to the palace if that’s easier for you,” she looked at the couple and saw the concern on their faces. “More babies, more check ups is what I always tell my patients.”

Ella nodded, “We understand doctor, thank you so much.”

The couple left the clinic and headed back to the palace. “My queen, did you want to make a statement before or after the wedding about our princes?”

Ella softly stroked her growing abdomen, “I think maybe after the wedding. We have so much to do beforehand that I’d rather deal with it afterwards.”

Liam nodded, “I agree. Let’s get home and get married.”

[txemrn]

Catalyst

a Prequel to the Nanny Affair

Chapter 1: Acquiesce

Before she ever noticed his alluring dark eyes...

Before he ever caressed her dangerous curves...

Before she ever tasted his intoxicating lips...

Before he ever nibbled on her delicate skin...

Before she became the nanny to his family...

Before he fell in love with her...

Brynn Schuyler was struggling to dust herself clean from her recent fall from glory when she finds herself in the prestigious office of the CMO at Dalton Enterprises. // Sam Dalton was slowly losing his grip of the control in his life-- all in the name money-- when an interview for a nanny threatened to change his life forever.

What happens next is your choice to make; but for now, I choose to share what possibly could have happened before 'The Nanny Affair'.

***Some of the characters, plots, and dialogue in the story are not mine, but rather the property of Pixelberry; this is not their vision of how the story unfolds, rather a creative interpretation between the sheets... I mean, scenes. Chances are that I will accidentally deviate from the original canon; I will edit when absolutely necessary. Please enjoy!

Rating: 18+ (Mature audiences only)

Word count: 1023

Warning: language

Catalyst Masterlist

"Sam," she clears her throat, finally breaking the silence, "I--I just think this is for the best. For us both... For all of us--" she delicately places her petite hand on his arm, attempting to add more sentiment to her words.  "--even our boys!" spills out of her crimson-stained lips like a bad punch-line.

The best? For 'our boys'? Is she taking this decision seriously?

He barely twitches the sides of his mouth into a smile, but his dimples are always ready to entertain. His chestnut eyes have flecks of amber that boast the power to melt even the coldest of hearts--possibly his secret weapon for his monstrous success as the chief marketing officer at Dalton Enterprises. Yet tonight they possess a mourning as they stare at the newly-introduced elephant in the room: a 5.5 carat emerald-cut Harry Winston diamond ring. Discarded, lacking luster.

Do I pick it up? Do I insist that it's hers for keeps?

"Maybe we should prepare a statement," She revs up again. He raises an eyebrow with curiosity. "Before the press catches wind of this, you know? Have the upper hand." Sam remains quiet, mindlessly nudging a wayward caper with a fork on his empty dinner plate.

As conflicted as he is mentally about the recent update to their relationship status, she has a valid point.  Sam was fast-tracked to the public eye back in 2017 when he was voted as one of the 'Top 35 to Watch Under 35" in Forbes Magazine. He was initially proud to receive the national recognition for his hard work in growing his father's company. But, having his chiseled, handsome physique along with several indiscretions committed by close friends and family, the tabloids were incessant. Paparazzi had become a normal part of life.

He bobs his head slowly in agreement before his gaze fixates on her beauty. He inadvertently chews on his bottom lip, carefully discerning his words as to not cause another argument over this arrangement. He exhales a long, drawn-out sigh, making the candlelight furiously dance.

He clears his throat: "I think--"

"Oh!" she exclaims, clapping her hands in glee. "Did you see Daddy's email with the numbers?"

Are you kidding me right now?

He rakes his hands across his face; a grunt escapes deep in his throat.

Please. Not here.

That doesn't stop her. "With the merger? If you reallocate 25% of the assets to marketing with the given trend, the revenue after one year--" she dramatically pauses, scoffing with dollar signs in her eyes.

Yes, we know. We know. It's more money than we made in the past 4 years. Why is it about money again? Always about the fucking money… This is more than a business transaction--we are more than a business transaction.

Her father, the president and CEO of his own multi-billion-dollar company, is a boisterous, ornery man; but then again, when your specialty is making the Benjamin's--and Paolo was damn good at it--you can act like a complete jerk, and it's called being a 'good businessman'.  Impossible to please, impossible to impress; he might actually lack the facial structure to express any type of emotion. He was a real treasure to the business world, but an absolute abusive nightmare behind closed doors.

Sam had a difficult time considering a marriage with her family; he already had enough demons reminding him he wasn't good enough. But somehow, Sam charmed 'Daddy' with his work ethic and ability to create and deliver money-making deals.

With only one immature, trouble-maker for a son, a self-proclaimed 'playboy,' naturally, everyone assumed that Paolo would leave the company to his oldest child--his daughter. But her marriage to Sam complicated his choice, not to mention Paolo's ancient, chauvinistic worldviews of women working outside of the home. The fate of his company teetered between matters of the heart--and that which mattered to his heart: money.

If he still wants this merger-- shit, if I still want this merger… is it worth my marriage? My heart? My friend?

"Do you think we should talk about, you know? Relocating your belongings? Our housing situation?"  Her words are suffocating.

Is it getting warm in here? The heater. Surely someone has turned on the heater--Jesus, Sam. Get. A. Grip. She is only talking about your home that you built--Oh God, water.

"The sooner we have a decision and a time frame--" She trails off. Maybe she was nervous; maybe she finally took notice to him panicking. She quickly downs the rest of her vintage Pontet-Canet as she watches a rosy-cheeked Sam pour water from a nearby glass carafe.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

The intense, awkward interaction is interrupted by his phone. It was normally turned off during dinner, but with the boys at home with the new nanny and the company being on the cusps of the Martindale agreement, his bluetooth earpiece wisely became a new appendage to his body

She pretends to inspect the diamond ring she had ejected onto the table earlier in the evening, but he knows better. She shifts her eyes, straining to see his caller ID. He sees the eyeroll, the hair flip. He hears the obvious sigh of annoyance when he answers the call.

"Hey, Kelli. Is everything okay? Whoa, whoa, whoa--slow down. He did--He did what now?"

Damnit, Mickey.

Sam pinches the bridge of nose, the exchange continuing. "Yes. Yes. I understand--completely understand. I don't know how to get chocolate out of cashmere either. Oh! Present from your grandmother--oh. Your dead grandmother."

She crunches up her eyebrows with shocking disgust and a large sigh as she begins to call Carter, the family driver. The evening was already over--truth be told, they should have left when she gave him the ring back.

After ending the call, Sam stands, extending his hand to assist her back onto her Louboutin stilts. A smile crawls across his face when he notices that she has taken the ring back; that is the most he could hope for right now. Maybe one day, hopefully someday soon, she would be proud to wear it.

Maybe she would even love him. He hopes he can learn to love again, too.

@choicesficwriterscreations