#have you considered that you experimented with not reading this author for a couple of months

[onlycosmere]

Cosmere/Magic the Gathering

'What IP do you most want to see in Magic the Gathering?' Thunderwoodd: Stormlight Archive!

thyfoolish1: Brandon said they reached out to him and he was excited and ready to go but they haven't gotten back to him. I think this was Dragonsteel last year. So there is hope.

Egi_: Even after the shitshow with the free book he gave them on the condition it wouldn't be commercialized and then WotC commercialized it?

Brandon Sanderson: I knew what I was getting into working with a big corporation. Like the proverbial frog giving a ride to a scorpion, I don't see justification for complaint regarding the eventual sting. I love the game, and the designers, so that's really my metric. As a note, everyone I worked with on the narrative team was wonderful.

I don't want a passing secret lair of five cards; I am interested in a full-blown set, so with that constraint, I wouldn't foresee a Stormlight or Mistborn crossover until one of several things happens:

1) They burn through the bigger properties that match MTG's vibe like LOTR did. Fantasy, or science fantasy, properties that feel legit as a big expansions. As mentioned in this thread alone, there is a pretty deep mine there. Dune, Witcher, Elder Scrolls, Arcane/LoL, Westeros (if they're feeling spicy.) A hobbit set is all but inevitable as well.

Considering they'd be unwise to put these sorts of things out too quickly, and should really give them time to breathe, we're looking at ten years easily before they're out of larger fish to fry. Stormlight is big for a book series, but without any shows/films/games, I'd suspect it doesn't have the casual word-of-mouth reach their marketing team looks for to justify the extra expense of licensing fees.

2) Said bigger properties decide they aren't interested, leaving things popular but without media representation. If they ever decided to experiment with a book-only series, I suspect I'd be very high on the list to approach.

3) Cosmere gets one of said media properties, something I'm actively trying to accomplish--but it is slow going, as I'm in the fortunate position of being able to be very picky about partners, and prefer to take my time.

I've made it clear to them that if a large-scale set were in the, ahem, cards, I'd be willing to make frequent trips to Seattle to be part of the design team on said set.

awakenedjunkofigure: If any author deserves the pick of the litter for production companies, it's absolutely you. Can't wait to see what your books would look like on-screen!!

Brandon Sanderson: Well, the answer to what they'd look like on screen is "Expensive," which a part of the problem...

schloopers: Any large consideration in your mind for spoilers versus fully representing a world or story?

Stormlight you’d of course want all 10 Orders, so spoilers are far as those are concerned are a given.

But maybe a legendary creature “Iron Eyes” instead of any spoiler specific proper names?

I ask because I have so far gotten one friend in the playgroup to start reading, and a couple full sets would for sure help in garnering interest, but I would worry for the story beats getting too greatly revealed out of context.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just unavoidable. I’ve had several Dr. Who episodes “spoiled” for me through that set.

Brandon Sanderson:  This is something I haven't given a lot of thought toward, but I perhaps should be mulling it over. You make a good point.

Thunderwoodd: Woah! Can’t believe you responded. Huge fan! And I loved your commander cube! Saw it on Game Knights right after I finished Rhythm of War.

Curious, do you think the Radiant orders could correspond to guilds or color wedges?

Brandon Sanderson: Yes, I've done thought experiments on that, and think guilds could actively work for them without too much trouble. Problem is, would we want a Stormlight set or just a Knights Radiant set, because ten guilds for ten orders is already a high demand. It might be better to make a wedge set, but the problem there is that the Radiants are actively all colors, so it would be hard to cut out any save black. (Willshaper individuality and artistic expression could be green red instead of red black, for example.) So maybe five four-color wedges? I think the lore could support this, and be something that MTG has had trouble conveying without the expansive worldbuilding an entire book series could provide.

Radiants and sapient spren (all but black, to indicate the inherent selfless Radiant cause)

Human Nations (all but green, to indicate triumph over nature, which is an antagonist on Roshar.)

Singers (All but blue, to indicate the lack of ability to plan for the future, dearth of scholars, and onset of madness in the fused.)

Non-sapient Spren and wildlife (All but white, to indicate lack of overriding societal structures.)

Secret Societies (All but red, indicting the deliberate and conscious planning of these groups.)

Four color signpost uncommons would be WILD, even with hybrid mana. So I can see the design team balking. This (four color guild set) is almost certainly something they've explored and specifically decided not to do.

mediocreattbest: It’s crazy coming onto this post to say “any cosmere set!” And then see you actually replying. Out of curiosity, would you prefer just a stormlight set or a cosmere-wide set? I’d love to see characters through their stories (like we had with the LotR set)

Brandon Sanderson: I'd prefer Stormlight or Mistborn alone, as the planets themselves are so much a part of the stories.

[not-poignant]

Pia! I need some advice. There's a writer on ao3 whose fics I really like (well, 'love' would probably be a better word) but I've just found out they are a TERF 😭

I had no idea because they don't post anything personal or political on their main tumblr and they don't write fics that reflect these views but I found their side blog and its full of terf and redfem stuff

Now I'm feeling guilty for enjoying their work and also sad because a part of me just wants to keep reading their works despite this because they really are a good writer and have kept their personal views out of their stories but...... UGGHHHHH TERF 😭😭😭

What should I do? Should I stop reading? Should I block them? Or should I separate the artist from the art and just enjoy the fics?

I am not cis btw so I feel really selfish for just wanting to ignore that stuff and keep reading.

Hi anon,

I'm sorry you've found yourself in this situation. There's no point feeling guilty about something that you could never have possibly known until this moment, though I understand that the guilt still happens, it's not like you can be expected to know this stuff when you're just trying to enjoy fics on the internet, y'know? The main thing is you know now. Guilt is a good feeling for getting us to stop and pay attention, and now you're doing that.

As for what happens next, I can't really answer this for you, but I can talk around a few points which might be worth considering re: continuing to read the fic/s or not.

Separating the 'artist from the art' is almost always hugely misinterpreted, and it often doesn't mean 'pretend the artist doesn't matter so I can keep enjoying their content.' Ultimately you have to decide for yourself what you will or won't accept, and that will be down to your personal ethics or values, and how you express those ethics or values.

If my favourite fanfic author was suddenly revealed to be a TERF (unlikely as they're trans, but y'know, it could happen), I personally couldn't enjoy their writing anymore. I wouldn't be able to escape into their stories or characters, knowing the person who wrote this thing I love doesn't believe in my right to exist as I am, and wants to constantly debate my human rights. I can't suspend my disbelief that much.

But then, on the other hand, I can still watch the films of Harvey Weinstein, a horrible fucking human being and scum on earth, and justify this by knowing that many of the people who made that film are not horrible fucking human beings and he is not the only person to consider. Some people would disagree with my choice. Others will understand.

That's me, but everyone is different on matters like that, and so then it comes down to how you show support. If you continue to read this author but never give them a platform, never like their fic, comment on the chapters, interact with them in any way, rec it to another person (not without 'you should also know they're a rabid transphobe'), be a 'silent consumer' etc. and consider this the way that you demonstrate that you don't support this person's beliefs/views, that's also valid. You still express your values by lending nothing to this person that they can then benefit from. This is how some trans people still consume the works of JKR - making sure she never sees a single cent or benefit under the proud flag of piracy - for example. There are going to be other trans people who disapprove of this, or don't like this, who even make good arguments against it, and tbh, I'm on the fence about it myself, I can just understand why people come to this place with it.

Some of those expressions of our values can be problematic - paying for the work of someone who is transphobic (which you're obviously not doing in the case of fic) directly benefits a transphobe who is publicly transphobic. That's just...straight up harmful. That doesn't really express your values. In fact it may express opposite values. Reccing the fics of this author for example, knowing other trans readers might find the side blog one day and feel deeply wounded and betrayed, expresses opposite values - this would be problematic.

You might be someone who sends them a message anonymously or similar, to let them know that their views are hurtful/hateful and ask how they feel knowing that trans people are reading their stories, and see if they respond to you. Maybe they've never thought about it before. But you don't owe them that kind of labour. You may also want to consider naming/shaming them, to at least do fellow folks in your community the courtesy of avoiding a transphobe. The fact that you've gone out of your way to protect their identity even in this anon, is not something you owe them.

There are going to be different ways you make peace with this situation anon, and don't be surprised if they change over time, depending on how you feel about it. People can only tell you what they would do based on their values, and you must sit down with your own values and decide which actions support your values, and which go against them. We don't all express these things in exactly the same way. As long as you're not expressing harmful or opposite values, you're generally going to be okay, and there is sometimes room in that to still enjoy the fic, if that is something you're able to do.

(Please see the tags since I address this in a bit more detail - although the tl;dr there is - have you considered that instead of continuing to be entertained by the works of a transphobe, maybe if you stopped reading them, you'd find someone you liked just as much, if not more, who will replace them? Sometimes the harm we do is simply in giving our time and energy to someone who wishes we didn't exist, and is actively protesting against our existence - when we could look for others to entertain us who don't expect horrible ethical quandaries from us just to enjoy what they're creating).

(Also, for the record re: other folks reading (I kind of wish I hadn't been forced to respond to this publicly lmao and I'm still in two minds re: whether I'll keep it up), I'm also trans, so I feel like I can talk about the grey area more in this specific issue. I am not advising or advocating for example that white people actively read and engage in the fanfiction of known racists. This is very much - I am talking about this one thing, from a trans person to a trans person, about transphobia in the community and in the works of creators we might enjoy - and I very much want to stay focused on that).

[penultimate-step]

Lately, I've been thinking about the effect of real-world time on perception of media. Or, wait, let me start from the beginning.

When I was 11, I read the book Ender's Game for some school assignment or another. I don't remember ever considering Ender a relatable character, but certainly my understanding of the events was shaped by being of an age to see the protagonist not so much as a young child but as someone of my peer group, someone who could have been slotted amongst my classmates without anybody batting an eye.

Over a decade later, I read the sequel, Speaker for the Dead; it takes place many years later, when Ender is in his thirties, and my feelings about the in-universe time skip were undeniably shaped by the real life time gap between my reading of the novels. Reading the first book back then and then the second book now created a feeling where it's almost like, I'm browsing the facebook page of someone I had known in middle school but lost contact with, checking up on how they're doing today. The real-time factor caused me to perceive it less like a timeskip, and more like a reunion - the feelings were closer to "oh wow, that's my boy! I haven't seen him in years! Wonder what he's up to?" Which in turn gave me a better position to appreciate the parts of the narrative about him struggling to find a place in his adulthood than I would have been had I perceived it more strictly as a quick skip from 11 to 20 to 36.

While musing about this, I considered a VN I played a few years back, which took place over three in-game days - except at the end of one in-game day, the game would lock you out from progressing for 24 hours real time. So that as the in-game investigator protagonist was ruminating on the information that had been discovered that day, the player would be forced to do the same. In this example, by forcing the player to experience the same timeframe as the in-game characters, the sense of it being an in-depth and extensive investigation increases, even though without the forced pauses the game would be short enough to blow through in a handful of hours real-time.

Which brings to mind how time effects things in long-running serial works. It's well known that an audience which watches an episode or reads a chapter week by week has a very different experience than one binging through whole seasons or volumes at a time, but I wonder if the real time relative to the in-universe time makes that effect stand out more? Fight scenes, for instance, have been known to take up several chapters in certain manga or webnovels. What does it do to the reader's perception, if from their point a view a fight takes a whole month, while for the characters they read about it's only been a couple hours? Readers might feel that the situation is more stressful, since the pressure of the fight has been ongoing for a long time for them, while in-universe it was a rough afternoon but no more than that. Contrastingly, when a series skips ahead or otherwise has long periods of time for characters that feel short for readers, it can feel like no time has passed and everything is still the same, unless the author really stresses the differences in world-state that occurred offscreen. Because the reader hasn't changed at all.

No conclusion here exactly, I just think it's interesting how often an audience's response to a work, the emotions felt, are more closely tied to their real-life timescale, something almost completely out of the author's control, as opposed to in-universe time, which can be intentionally shifted or played with for the sake of the narrative.

[bitchlessdino]

i just read fuck marry kill and it was sooooooo good gah i love it , idk if its rude to ask thos but can u make a mingyu wonu and seungcheol version of it too? they are my baises and i would love something like that !! u can alternate the setting if u please :>

tysm 💘

-💫

Pairing: fem!reader x ex!mingyu x seungcheol x wonwoo

Genre: smut

Word count: 5.6k

tags: poly, exhibitionism, voyeurism, degradation, pet names (princess), unprotected sex (except cheol), praise kink, spanking, clit slapping, fingering, oral (rec. and giving), u, pussy slapping, ass play, triple penetration

Summary: one dumb party game makes a comeback.

author note: tbh i initally wondered how someone could ask to replace some of the members in the original, but then I realized how grateful that it got the attention it did that another version was requested. these were honestly really fun to write and I'm glad to have found a way to tie in the last version and this one to make a spinoff!

“Fuck Cheol, obvious because he has the experience. Marry Wonwoo because he just seems like he knows how to treat someone well. And duh, kill Mingyu because he’s Mingyu.”

“You’re such a bitch.”

You glance back at the man you hypothetically killed, now giving you a cold dead stare, making you grin smugly before taking a swig from your beer. “Takes one to know one.”

He raises a brow, now leering at you, “I hope you’re alone forever.” 

You slightly slam your empty bottle on the coffee table, “And I can already tell you’re halfway there.”

He scoffs, crossing his arms, “Oh yeah, remind me again who approached who?”

“Remind me again who also dumped who?”

Mingyu was baffled. It had been months since you both had broken up and you still used that to pull over his head. You had your reasons for ending things, he knew that but had hoped to salvage some of the good left in your relationship with him. Once it was over, you mutually agreed on being friends, willing to forget about all that’s happened because you were friends first, but he knew that better than anyone, that shit was never easy.

“Uh, guys?”

Wonwoo’s voice, despite being as timid as it was, asserted attention with two words alone. Mingyu and you look at Wonwoo, still angry at one another, but melt at their friend’s concern, putting aside their petty disagreement. You exhale in an attempt of calming your heart rate and pat Wonwoo’s hand reassuringly, “We’re good. Just how we are. Mingyu gets it.”

Wonwoo was never one for conflict. He was the glue to hold this entire group together. If it wasn’t for him, the terror couple would've never made up the way they did.

“Yeah, we’re just horsing around, but that does remind me,” Mingyu is quick to turn the attention to Seungcheol, a cheeky smile bright on the younger man’s face, “You promised to discuss the details of what happened after the birthday party.”

The eldest arches a brow, amused by Mingyu’s statement, and decides to entertain the idea, “When the hell did I promise that?”

“You didn’t, but you might as well after I caught that group chat,” Mingyu scoots closer to him,  “Go on, tell us all about you having to share with three other dicks.”

Seungcheol clicks his tongue, already scolding him. “There were two other dicks, first of all. Secondly, it just happened. You can’t really plan a foursome.”

You peer over at him intrigued. “You technically can, but considering you just did it out of nowhere, I don’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed. I thought you’d be way more responsible and boring than that.”

His eyes shoot back at your assumption. “I am not fucking boring and you can be responsible in an orgy! We all knew what were doing, we all consented, and we were all clean–”

“Boring…get on to the part where three of your dicks were in her at once.” A flying head smack makes its destination to the back of Mingyu’s head and instantly he’s offended, glaring back at his assailant. “Hey!”

“Don’t talk about anything you’re uncomfortable with Cheol. It’s your dick, it’s your sex life,” You reassure.

“Well, it’s not just my story to tell so I’ll leave it at this.” All ears perk in his direction, even Wonwoo, who was quietly observing, couldn’t help but ponder on the rare experience Seungcheol had at that birthday party. “There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a pussy so full. I kid you not, I would do it over and over again just to see the look on her face.”

Not a dry eye in his audience. You hold your hand over your mouth in shock, Mingyu’s howling like the moon had just come out, and even Wonwoo was stunned at such an obscene statement, blinking into the distance like he’s in The Office. Seungcheol, filled with pride, picks himself off from the ground and dusts any dirt off. “I’ll be back. Too much beer. No one kill anybody.”

He ambles off to the restroom, closing the door behind him.

“Ah,” Wonwoo claps his sweater paws together, “there’s a game I was waiting to buy. I still have some time before then. Need to be first in line.”

He hurriedly gets up from the floor and rushes to his room, “I’ll be back! 20–30 minutes tops!”

You two are left alone and awkward silence fills the air. Things were never really the same since your relationship ended, but things weren’t ever really it when you were together either.

“Foursome huh?” You ponder. “Didn’t seem like his kind of activity but if he enjoys it.”

Mingyu scoffs, ready to start smth again. “What? Jealous he’s getting more action than you?”

“Not jealous, just worried. How can a human body take that much cock and still walk around all normally? Happy birthday to them,” you snicker.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to worry about that many dicks wanting to be inside you.”

You glare at him, your teeth grinding behind your fake smile. “You sure talk a lot for someone as bitchless as you are.”

“Excuse you, I am fucking stacked with pussy right now, speak when you have your facts right, ‘mmkay?”

You let out a curt guffaw, “Please, you are so fucking lucky you had me when you did. No damn way in hell you could’ve gotten laid without me.”

Mingyu slouches, drawing his jaw open. “Wow. I get it now”

“Get what? How big of a loser you are?”

He shakes his head. “No...You miss my dick so bad.”

You make a show of yourself laughing, even physically doubling over. “In your fucking dreams, you human pandemic.”

“Admit it. You miss our sex. It’s why you’re such a fucking a bitch to me. To throw my game off.”

“Oh honey, you don’t need my help doing that.”

“Please! You got this territorial thing because we were each other’s first. You’re obsessed with me. I see that now.”

“Right, you’re drunk,” you pick yourself up from the ground this time and saunter off to the kitchen, “I couldn’t care less about who you sleep with. As long as it doesn’t involve me.”

“You’re such a liar,” he insults as he gets up to follow.

He positions himself by your side as you distract yourself in the kitchen, mindlessly looking for, well, anything. Why was every cupboard empty? You really have to remember to go grocery shopping with Wonwoo later.

“Am not,” You insist, no finding haven in the fridge, which also happened to be barren of things except half a dozen eggs, a carton of milk, and for some reason a box of m&ms.

“You can’t even look me in the eyes right now. Say it while looking at me.”

You scoff without looking, “I don’t have to prove myself.”

“Why? Because you can’t? Admit it.” His hand trails over your backside as you stall at the fridge, trailing underneath your shirt and sending chills.

You can practically count his breaths as his lips ghost over your ears, smiling against your skin. You almost let out a gasp at the close proximity of his hips pressed into your back, your heartbeat heightening, but immediately close your mouth shut, not giving him the satisfaction. That didn’t bother him though, your body language was enough. You were frozen under pressure, unable to fight back, let alone talk back, similar to how you used to get in the past only minutes before he gets you cum like the mess you were. 

His hand slides over your bare stomach, feeling you tense it up as a result. “You loved when I ate out your dirty little pussy. You begged for it. Remember?”

You shudder at his touch, gripping the handle of the fridge for safety, “Mingyu—“

“Don’t think I forgot how you moaned my name either,” he finds the top button of your pants with ease, unbuttoning it and pulling the metal zipper down, “Tell me to stop. Otherwise, I’ll just keep going.”

When you grow silent, he takes it as a sign to keep going. He presses his lips to the back of your ear, hand falling to your thigh and cupping over your clothed cunt. You dip into the fridge’s cold, taming the heat in your body, while Mingyu makes that difficult to resist. Your back arch, fitting seamlessly to Mingyu’s figure, soft, yet desperate, sighs escaping from your lips.

“Mingyu please…”

“Mmh, just like that…” he nibbles against your ear, slowly and cautiously he sinks his hand down your pants and finds your arousal, a thin film of it already coating his fingers, “your voice was pretty just like that. Whining about how you need my dick inside of you or begging to let you cum on my fingers. You were such a sweet little slut for me. Tell me you don’t miss that.”

You’re shaking so much, you could feel your legs seconds away from giving out. You shut the refrigerator close and turn to face him, leveraging yourself against the appliance’s cool exterior. He pins himself against you, sliding his digits between your slit, making contact with the clit, and pinching it between his thumb and index. You can’t help but crack a small moan, only loud enough for him to hear, and he just chuckles. “There you are. Old habits die hard don’t they?”

He does his best in reminding you of the old times, even rubbing your pussy how he used to, getting your sweat pilling on your forehead, or your voice getting raspy as if you were left to die in a desert. Fuck him for still having that effect on you. 

“Please…you’ll get us caught.” You plead weakly.

“You say that like you actually want us to get caught.”

He pulls out his fingers from your pants, sticking them in his mouth before sucking your juices from them. You watch in a hypnotized state, mouth gaping in envy, desperate to have his lips wrapped around you, your lips, your cunt, anywhere as long as it's your body. “Sweet. Just like how I remember.”

You gulp hard, staring back into his carnal gaze, and observe as he slowly pulls out his fingers and rests them against your cheek, parting your lips back with his thumb. 

“Am I interrupting something?”

As an impulse, you push Mingyu several feet away from you, hiding your undone pants behind a kitchen counter. The taller man can’t help but suppress his boisterous laughter threatening to seep out and only glances back at his friend’s sudden appearance in amusement, feeling like the victor in the situation. Meanwhile, you made yourself physically small, tucking away in the corner of the kitchen where he can’t see you panic while fixing your pants but inevitably fail. “S-Seungcheol.”

Mingyu lets his smugness show. “I don’t know. Is he, Y/n? Is he interrupting something?”

“No, of course not. Just caught me a…rough spot.”

Seungcheol rolls his eyes. “Look, if you guys are going to have sex and get back together. No one is stopping you.”

“Excuse me,” you feel rather insulted at his assumption, it was condescending entirely.

“Come on, it was bound to happen eventually. Save us, the tittering and whatever.”

You push past Mingyu to walk straight to Seungcheol, shoving his heavy build. “What I do with my body and my life is not up to Mingyu or you, Choi Seungcheol. Fuck you.”

He leers down at you. “Don’t get mad at me because you know I’m right, you brat.”

“Oh, because you fuck with a few extra people, you think you know everything, don’t you?”

“More than your ‘only Mingyu having ass’,” he taunts.

If Mingyu was the ex, and Wonwoo’s the innocent bystander, Seungcheol, in your case, was a shit stirrer. He pushes your buttons about the same as Mingyu some of the time. He was supposed to be your closest friend, your longest friend. Somewhere that had changed. You used to tell each other everything and now he was getting into threesomes? 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, fuck you.” You push him back onto the couch behind him, having him collapse seamlessly against it before you’re straddling him.

Your lips latch onto him assertively, tugging and, no doubt, stretching his plain tee. If Seungcheol minded, he didn't seem to show it, and instead kisses you back, matching your aggression. Although initially startled, it doesn’t take him long to adjust to your pace. He handles your body as if he belongs to him, gripping you by the back of your neck as his other hand tucks around the shape of your ass, firmly squeezing it.

“You’re so, mmh, f-frustrating sometimes.” You manage to comment between your moans.

He snickers under his breath, hand running through your hair and pulling at its strands, tugging your head back, “And you can be a real bitch.”

Your blossoming attraction for him only made it all the more frustrating. You always did notice that he behaves a more particular way around you over the past few years. Somewhere between distant and insensitive. Whatever it was, you were gonna take it out on him, and maybe that’s what he wanted.

Scoffing, you grind against his bulge, harshly brushing it against your cunt. “I’ll show you a bitch.”

He grunts beneath your efforts, quickly returning your offense. His hands travel underneath your shirt, pressing into your flesh. His teeth bite down, pulling on your bottom lip, and you can sweet his smile as he does it. He thrusts up into you, rocking back at your core, waiting to fill out what you’ve been dying to entrust him with. The thought itself made you wet (as if you weren’t already from that little incident with Mingyu).

The man that previously had been watched was now the one watching. It was all face paced but it was like he watching in slow motion. He observes the placement of Seungcheol’s hands, and how they grabbed you possessively, even hearing the growl under the elder’s breath. Your moans grow louder when the man’s lips are suctioned around your neck, your nails noticeably digging as his hands slide lower to feel the bare ass beneath your jeans.

Mingyu sucks in his breath, repositioning the spot in his jeans. He impulsively licks his licks, unable to look away. “Didn’t expect that.”

“Me neither.”

Startled, Mingyu cups his erection as his eyes shoot up alert, finally noticing his four-eyed friend has emerged from his bedroom without so much as making a single wood board squeak. “The fuck? Did you come back from the shadow realm?”

Wonwoo shrugs nonchalantly. “The deed is done, and this is a thing now, I guess.”

Wonwoo just how Mingyu felt about you over the years despite the flaming misalignments with your personalities. He couldn’t imagine the thoughts running in his best friend's head right now.

He turns Mingyu in concern, seeing the man’s eyes glisten in the scene's direction. “You okay?”

Was he? He’s looking at one of his best friends furiously getting it on with his ex, neither of them giving a damn who watches and he should be furious. He should be enraged. He should be at least bothered by what’s happening, but no. Only one thing was furious.

“No,” Mingyu answers, “I’m horny.”

He leaves Wonwoo’s company to join you and Seungcheol on the couch, immediately taking your head back in a hungry kiss as Seungcheol finds solace back on your neck, finding weak weak points in mere seconds, and you can’t help but moan in Mingyu’s liplock. Wonwoo is at first confused about what to do, only able to watch at first until his curiosity piques.

In the midst of his observation, you’ve gone pantless, quickly followed by Seungcheol and Mingyu, and has quickly adjusted to double the attention. Seungcheol manages to pull out a few spare condoms from his wallet all too conveniently, handing one off to Mingyu, who was ready to whip his angry erection out any second. He then lays his eyes on Wonwoo, staring off in his direction, still suckling on your neck. He gestures to him to take the extra condom, nonverbally inviting him into the spontaneous mix.

The bystander hesitates, staring back at the silver wrapper as if it was a foreign object, unsure if he was really offered to join or had this situation become a common courtesy for a latecomer such as him.

“Take the condom, Woo. You’re gonna need it with what we’re about to do,” Seughcheol ushers against your flaming skin.

Wonwoo inches closer in baby steps, hand stretching out and grasping the plastic, and at the same time, you pull away from either man from the couch, turning your whole attention to Wonwoo. You grab him by his collar and smash against his lips. It’s strange, almost wrong at most, you were already occupying someone else’s lap, but in a strange way, empowering. His hand crawls up the side of your face to deepen the kiss, feeling your tongue explore his mouth just as you did the other two, while they were only able to watch. 

Exhibitionism, let alone orgy, was never on his bingo card. Sex for him wasn’t even that regular an occurrence for him, but he could see now the taste of what Seungcheol was talking about. There was something satisfyingly carnal about sharing someone. You play into their hands as if your life depended on it, but felt all that same arousal anyone else in that group did.

With that thought in mind, it invoked something in Wonwoo. Shivers ran down his spine the moment your hand goes to cup the bulge of his track pants, feeling him grow bigger in size when you slip past the waistband and slid beneath his briefs. His eyes fluttered at the soft sensation of your fingertips, teasing the precum squeezing out of the head.

“You feel so big, Woo,” you gasp out as your grasp travels down his length, “let me suck on it, please.”

The man shifts in his seat, delirious to the point of being mute, only able to nod triumphantly as you begin tugging the pants and underwear off, collecting the fabric at his ankles.

“Princess,” Seungcheol beckons, “why don’t you lay your stomach on my lap to get closer to Wonwoo’s cock.”

You nod obediently, satisfied with your new pet name, getting off of Seungcheol’s lap to place yourself back on again, this time your ass in view for Seungcheol and Mingyu to appreciate. Mingyu’s teeth catch his bottom lip, groping himself through his briefs. “Fuck.”

He can’t help but land a full-handed spank against your cheek, causing you to flinch after your grip wrapped around the base of Wonwoo’s cock and he feels a tight squeeze around his girth and he throws back his head from the sensitivity, “Gyu, for god’s sake.”

“Sorry, dude, couldn’t help myself,” the younger man chuckles, “but she likes that. You like all our attention on you, don’t you?”

You let out a light chuckle, a smug grin stretching over your face. “Yes, yes I do.”

Seungcheol couldn’t help fixating on your ass pulling your waistband down to the curve and sliding a dry finger up your wet slit, groaning at simply how gloriously wet you were. “Shit. You’re fucking soaked. You can take my fingers right, princess?”

“Mmh, yes, Cheol. Give it to me…”

As you’re spitting into your hand, stroking handfuls of Wonwoo in your hand, you can feel Seungcheol fitting two digits in your moisture and hooking them in place. He goes easy on you, mildly prepping you, while you drop your head and wrap your lips around the tip of Wonwoo’s length, swirling circles on to lap up the bit of his precum, your soft giggles vibrating against the spectacled man.

His gaze softens at you, petting your hair and caressing your cheek. “So…pretty…”

“Thank you,” you reply, taking half his size in your mouth, and feel how he hugs your cheeks.

Wonwoo lets outs hushed whimpers, exhaling out of his nose, his fingers impulsively finger through your hair and take grip. Through his shut eyes, he can feel the nodding of your head, the vigor of your tongue, and finally the head of his cock hitting your uvula, bobbing back and forth. “S-shit, like that, yeah…”

He can feel himself physically shuddering, glancing back at the lure of your eyes as your mouth collects every inch, every vein, and moan that escapes his lips. His hand guides you, pushing you deeper around his cock and the sounds of your efforts were euphoric, especially how they were followed by Seungcheol’s work, who found himself slamming his fingers back into you like a jackhammer. You slightly jump, vibrating around Wonwoo as you cried out obscenities.

“Mmph, more, please,” you beg, bringing a smile to both Seungcheol and Mingyu’s faces.

Seungcheol used another hand to give spanks on either one of your cheeks, playing with you like a set of drums. They get tender in his grasp, making them more fun to squeeze and there’s that pleasant way your backside jerks towards him, knowing he’s doing everything right.

It was then Mingyu had an idea. While his other friends handled you their way, he had no choice but to find his own choice of sport. He pulls himself up from the couch, excited to spring back into action, and goes on to grab something from your room. He disappears as quickly as he returns, a familiar transparent squeeze bottle in his hand. He goes on a knee to your side, squeezing the cold sticky substance on your unpreoccupied hole, squirting circles around your quivering rim.

“Remember when you thought we wouldn’t use this again? Looks like now’s the time. Are you ready for that?” He asks with a Cheshire smile as he closes the cap and puts the bottle aside.

You moan a confirmation, nodding your head complacently. His chuckles are sickly sweet as he draws his lips close to your ear, teasing his digit from entering. The moment it enters you mentally prepare yourself for the sensation, know damn well you could never get used to that. Mingyu groans at how you swallow his middle digit as he churns it inside you, another hand coming against your tender cheeks. “Fucking slut. Like us filling all your holes, hmm?”

There is no way you can physically answer as you feel yourself gag as you reach your limit with Wonwoo, who at this point doesn’t hear others and uses your mouth with only the thought of getting off down your throat. You finally croak out a yes before two of Wonwoo’s hands grip your head and slam you down the base when you least expected him to. Tears run down your eyes, your cheeks hot, feeling yourself suffocated, you dig your nails into Wonwoo’s thighs, white crescents appearing on his skin. 

He groans long and loud, jerking his hips as he’s dumping some of his load down your throat but pulls out from the overstimulation, having the rest shoot on your face. The translucent thick ribbons stain your cheeks and drip off your chin down to his thigh. Red face and a hot sweat beading from his forehead. Wonwoo finally collects himself enough to look back at you apologetically, visibly embarrassed.

“I’m so, so sorry, Y/n.”

Instead of letting him feel sorry for himself and you, you take Wonwoo’s hand and use it like a napkin, swiping his cum on his fingers. He’s stunned when he sees it, a quarry of your actions stuck and stopped at his throat until you take that hand and enter it in your mouth, your tongue catching his release. The man’s abdomen tense, letting your hand suck his fingers off clean and you hold them in there, filling your mouth with another body part of Wonwoo that day.

“Goddamnit, Y/n. You really can’t help yourself.” He comments blatantly lost in awe.

Your body curled up in Seungcheol’s lap helplessly, trembling, slick moisture seeping out of you at their mercy. The others can hear the anguish in your muffled voice, how close you get with fingers thrust inside you with only every passing second, only to have that ecstasy slip away as their fingers pull out. You whine in retaliation, their collective chuckles mocking you, even Wonwoo couldn’t help but find the scene amusing. 

“Can’t have you cum that quickly, can we?” Seungcheol taunts.

He roughly tugs up your body until your back is toward his chest, feeling your perspiration against his torso. He shrugs off his briefs and your underwear is quick to follow, the tips of his fingers now rubbing your arousal all around your entrance, adding the slick substance to your already lubed up rim. You mewl at his fingers, your hands gripping against his forearm but lacking the willpower to have an effect. His teeth graze your eye, pulling you by the cartilage. “We’re gonna fill you out so nice, you’ll beg for more…perfect little holes for us to use…tell us what you want, princess.”

You let out a shallow breath, “I want…to feel full. I want you inside me.”

His hand lands on his cock, hard and naturally aligned at your rim, before testing Mingyu's prep work, “Good girl…feeling so perfectly tight…”

Seungcheol can’t forget how it closed around him while he takes a long gradual stroke inside. He groans loudly, filling you until your moans give out. His hands plant against the backside of your thighs to lift them and fold them against you, pushing his length in. Your eyes rapidly shake, the white of them visibly, and you welcome Seungcheol’s cock with his name on your tongue. “F-fuck yes…more Seungcheol…”

Wonwon doesn’t know what gets over him when he finds himself staring back at your glistening folds, looking at your pulsing clit like it was the last m&m. His flaccid cock now twitching upright in his lap, he licks his lips, not taking his eyes away from you. “Seungcheol spread her legs out more.”

The elder man gave a knowing smile and did as requested, and your pussy stretches open, your clit more evident than before. Soon Wonwoo has mustered the strength to put his face up to your entrance and suck on the bulging nub like a straw, watching your toes curling as soon as he does. You can feel his subtle smiles against your arousal, the curve of it pulling at your folds.

“Shit,” you whisper, throwing your head back against Seungcheol’s shoulder, panting against the man’s cheek.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Seungcheol teases, “You haven’t gotten enough just yet.”

Mingyu gets up from where he sits, stroking his cock in his hand. He comes to your side, the tip of his length angles at your lips, and you look up at him in anticipation. He mocks you, tapping himself against your lips. “Beg for it. Go on. Whore.”

You sigh defeatedly, “Please, Mingyu…I need your cock in my mouth…”

“Isn’t that nice? You can shut up.” He chuckles to himself.

He takes hold of your head, prodding your lips apart with the head of his cock inside, and sees how easily it slides in your mouth. You moan around his girth, as the jerk of his hips pushed himself deeper inside you. It's almost how fast it happens just as you don’t remember how it began. All you knew was it felt amazing nothing like you ever felt. You never knew you could want this–no, you never knew how much you needed this.

“Want to fuck you, Y/n? Can I?” Wonwoo asks politely against your core.

You nod with your mouth full, coughing out Mingyu’s cock given the opportunity. “Yes, Wonwoo, I want you…I want all of you…please fuck me full…”

Saying that out loud was enough of a motive to flip the script. Seungcheol, still inside, lays flat against the couch, head propped against the couch arm. Wonwoo gives Mingyu a knowing look, letting his friend go first. Mingyu scoffs, “I’m coming for you, Y/n.”

“Not yet, you are,” You retort.

“And you said I’d never get be inside you again. Things can happen.”

Mingyu lets his cock slip around your arousal before he’s reunited with your fluttering walls, a nostalgic hum leaving his lips. “Fuck, that’s good.”

“Mingyu—You both—ah fuck, feels so g-good…”

Mingyu and Seungcheol carry a mismatched pace, their uneven breaths fill the air as you take it, take them. Your voice sounds of agony but rather the opposite, you couldn’t feel more bliss. Wonwoo mentally and physically readies himself, his cock almost back to full power. He joins the party when he feels the fire in him, thanking himself for getting a big enough couch, and hovering on top of you.

You hadn’t noticed it before but something was missing from the man joining, and not his clothing. “Your g-glasses…”

“Ah,” he smiles, “put them aside, didn’t want them to break.”

“Hmm, it’s n-nice looking you in the e-eyes for o-once.”

“I’ll make sure to make it happen more often…Tell me if I’m hurting you. If any of us do.”

You hum a yes, finding his lips reattach to yours soon after. Wonwoo gives himself one last stroke before its mere centimeters away from Mingyu’s, finding the right angle to join his friend. It’s not an easy feat sharing space, but he finds a way, pushing through to stretch you wide and open, collective moans coming from all ends.

“Holy shit,” you screech, “so many c-cocks…”

“You’re taking us so too, Princess. I knew you could do it,” Seungcheol exclaims.

Mingyu was getting a thrill out of this, “Of course she can, Y/n is a bigger dirty slut than she makes herself out to be. She enjoys it, hmm? Say it.”

“I en—love it. I love the cocks in me so much…”

“Shit, you’re so pretty for that,” Wonwoo claims on your neck, pounding now faster, “say that again for us please.”

“I love your cocks fucking me…fucking my pussy and ass…”

Mingyu missed how you gave your everything during sex, groaning louder and louder the tighter you try to clench, how closer he realizes he’s getting. “She’ll say anything to cum…don’t let her.”

Mingyu’s hand comes up from behind Wonwoo to slap your clit, pinching to hear you whine. “You cum too soon, we’ll just fuck you over and over again. I want white to cover every inch of your body, clear?”

“Y-yes…sir…”

“Perfect little whore.”

You feel the rutting in and out of you like clockwork, overwhelmed by all the different energies your body accepts. Your moans, your screams, or your tears could never tell the full story of the euphoria of your feeling. Your arms embrace Wonwoo, latching on his hair and face, kissing him on his swollen lips, and feeling hot to the point you could confuse it for inferno, or that you were part of inferno yourself.

Seungcheol swallows back his drool, blind in ecstasy flowing through him and now reaching up to the surface. His fingers dig deeper into your thighs and the sounds of skin slapping drown out his moans. Seungcheol clutches you against him as he whispers, “you okay with me cumming in your ass princess, hmm, is that what you want?”

“Yes,” You answer in a hushed tone, “please I want you to cum in my ass…”

You feel his relieved sighs on your neck, slamming his body into you harder. You’re stretched like elastic, wearing down at their rough touch, until Seungcheol does as promised, squeezing his load and shooting it up in gradually staggering pumps until he’s empty and drops his rubber covered cock out to drip back onto the fabric of the couch.

That had been your final straw, feeling your climax erupt only immediately after Seungcheol. “I’m cumming, I’m cumming, I’m cumming…”

Wonwoo kisses your cheek in response but doesn’t stop. Mingyu on the other hand slaps against your clit harder repeatedly, reveling in the wretched noise you make. “Cum all you want…we'll take it…like you’re gonna keep taking us.”

Wonwoo grunts alone by himself, Holding you against him like it's the last, helping Mingyu keep his word and fuck you senseless. He was a good friend, he was good at helping his friends. That friendly nature makes you weak to the sensitivity after, whining under their touch, shaking on top of Seungcheol, as he tenderly fondles your breasts in his rest. It feels endless, not like you’re complaining, but a somewhat bit of relief is obvious when both of the remaining men cum in you simultaneously.  Friends that cum together, stay together, you guess.

“You gonna take our cum?” Mingyu pokes, his cock ruts in you like a man with no control.

“Y-yes.” You choke out.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, yes, I can take your cum, please. Please. Cum in my pussy, I need your loads in me.”

“Wait condoms? You guys aren’t wearing any?” Seungcheol voiced out.

Wonwoo shakes his head as Mingyu aguishly blurts out a “no.”

“Aw, fuck you guys.”

“Mmp, mmph,” that was the sound of Wonwoo biting into your shoulder, his sweet white dispersing into you perfectly with Mingyu to follow. Ther loads meshed well together like they do, becoming one with your climax, dripping out of your brim like oozing honey: sweet, creamy, sticky. The perfect symphony to showcase the perfect vessel, capable of catching their cum.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit—”

Mingyu moans out his climax just as you remember, just as voluminous and rich. He’d laugh if he knew how much you would think about hearing it again. Your tired bodies part from each other, panting loudly inches away from each other, staring mindlessly into the space in front of them. You were the particularly spent and Wonwoo, the first to notice and care, picks up by your knees and carries you, fulfilling his duties as your designated roommate. “You’re okay, right?”

“Mm, I’m good, Woo.” you softly respond in his arms, you turn to the other two men fatigued on the couch, “I’m taking a shower first, assholes. Only Wonwoo can join.”

Wonwoo smiles with a blush on his cheeks, while the others roll their eyes.

“What? Why only Wonwoo?” Seungcheol questions.

“He treated me nicer. Think about it the next time we all fuck.”

Wonwoo looks back at you with a surprised look before taking you away to the bathroom. You leave Mingyu and Seungcheol to look back at each other, pondering on your response, taking all the world, space, and time to process your words.

Simultaneously. “Next time?”

[borninwinter81]

William Blake - an introduction for Good Omens fans

I have sent @neil-gaiman an ask regarding his feelings toward the poet/artist William Blake a couple of times, but no doubt due to the size of the poor man's inbox I haven't received a response. So I did a Google search to see if he's spoken about Blake before, and it did indeed come up with a fair few hits. I think you might enjoy seeing this Twitter post if you haven't already, the painting is from William Blake's illustrations to Paradise Lost.

It's not surprising that an author like Neil Gaiman might have an interest in Blake. A visionary from a young age, his imagination was such that he was surrounded by angels made visible in his mind's eye, and he interpreted these visions through poetry, painting and engraving, and self-printed and published many of his own works. This gave him complete freedom to say exactly what he wanted.

Though he had a passionate faith in God, he also had a deep distrust of the church as an institution, and disliked the use of religion as a means of control. This poem from "Songs of Experience" perhaps summarises his feelings best:

"I went to the Garden of Love,

And saw what I never had seen:

A Chapel was built in the midst,

Where I used to play on the green.

And the gates of this Chapel were shut,

And 'Thou shalt not' writ over the door;

So I turn'd to the Garden of Love,

That so many sweet flowers bore. 

And I saw it was filled with graves,

And tomb-stones where flowers should be:

And Priests in black gowns, were walking their rounds,

And binding with briars, my joys & desires."

In his poetry there is often an incongruity with the generally accepted religious ideas of what is good and evil, Angel and Demon. In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (there's a title that should make any GO fan sit up and pay attention) he tells us that "in the book of Job, Milton's Messiah is called Satan", signifying that he feels it is Lucifer/the devil who is the true Messiah of Paradise Lost.

He gives us The Voice of the Devil and Proverbs of Hell, and has Angels being transformed into Demons through enlightenment. He tells us that Jesus broke all of the 10 commandments, yet was still virtuous because he acted according to his own morality rather than rules.

The god-figure of his later works, Urizen, generally comes across as malevolent, seeking to bind and control, whilst Los, the Satan/Messiah figure represents freedom, imagination and creativity.

"Restraining desire" and acting contrary to your own nature seem to be the only real evils for Blake.

He expressed his faith through a love of the world and the beauty in it, summed up in this quote:

"When the Sun rises do you not see a round Disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea? O no no I see an innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty".

He saw "God" in everything, in all the wonders we have around us, and considered writers/poets and religious prophets as essentially the same, since they both have a connection to the divine, and express it through stories.

It's quite ironic that probably his most famous poem, Jerusalem (the one that starts "and did those feet in ancient times walk upon England's mountains green"), was made into a very popular church hymn, yet it is supposed to be satirical in nature. The poem recounts the myth that Jesus may have visited England in his boyhood, and Blake is expressing his disbelief at that notion and the unworthiness of England.

Did I have a point to all this? Mostly to show my hand as a massive Blake nerd, but also to hopefully demonstrate that there's a lot of common ground between his ideas and those expressed in a show/book like Good Omens, and hopefully to inspire some of you who may not be familiar with Blake to seek him out. In particular I'd recommend The Marriage of Heaven and Hell to any and all.

EDIT: I should have thought to include this, here's Michael Sheen reading a Blake poem. I have the CD this is from, he reads several by Blake, as well as other poets I love ❤️ 😍

[starsandsuch]

Astro Observations

Part 10 I think ! I lost count 😂

1. You’ll notice many astrologers w Saturn prominent in the chart. Saturn represents time, and astrology is the keeping of time.

2. People obsessed w astrology have a strong connection w the 8th house in their chart. Especially Jupiter, rahu, ketu, saturn, mars or their Atmakaraka in the 8th house.

3. Krittika is connected to farming and agriculture , especially the Aries portion of it.

4. Opposition Nakshatras experience similar themes

5. For example Ashlesha opposes Dhanishta (Capricorn portion) they both deal with the perils of abuse in early life and the perils of fame too. Both have challenging connection w mother figure.

6. Saturn is metal, Saturnians have this robotic coldness ab them. With Saturnian nakshatras especially uttarabhadrapada and anuradha they can appear very still and controlled to others, where ppl find them a but off-putting bc of this.

7. The only ppl that loosen Saturnian’s coldness is the luminaries, sun and moon. Saturnians will be mean to everyone but have a soft spot for solarians and lunar influenced ppl.

8. Saturnians also love venusians since Saturn exalts in a Venusian sign

9. Then martians loosen mercurials. This is especially prominent with the tightly wound Ashlesha where they are loosened by mars naks especially Mrigashira and Dhanishta.

10. You’ll see that Mrigashira and Ashlesha is found in the charts of many couples.

11. The 5th house is “the king’s favorite” so for example if a boss, teacher, authority figure etc will have 5th house synastry with their “favorite” student, employee etc

12. This is why Leo’s are considered lucky. 5th house - is connected to Leo- it’s the 5th sign. Leo natives often experience luck in life bc they are favored by higher forces, which is connected to the 9th house , houses 1/5/9 form a trine. They are chosen as the “favorites” when it matters most.

13. Think about in Harry Potter, (the actor is a Leo IRL). In the movie he’s always chosen as the favorite, by hagrid , by Dumbledore , even though he had enemies, was in danger, and was in poverty at first, he was always protected and taken care of by otherworldly forces.

14. Same applies to dating, people date their 5th house sign bc out of all the suitors you attract , 5th house is the favorites out of everyone.

15. Houses 1/5/9 all are related to royalty , 1st house are like the princess (daughter of a king) the 5th house is the children of the princess, and 9th house is the king himself, or the grandfather.

16. Aries-1st house, Leo- 5th house , Sagittarius 9th house

17. That’s why Ketu Nakshatras -Ashwini(Aries) , Magha (Leo) , Mula (Sagittarius), are often seen in the charts of royalty IRL.

18. Princess Diana had Magha lagnesh and Rahu, her son Prince William has Mula Ascendant , Queen Elizabeth was Ashwini Sun.

19. Ppl think only Leo is royalty but it also extends to the Signs that trine Leo - Aries & Sag

20. Your 4th and 9th house are people who are genetically related to you. 4th house is mother, grandmother and female ancestors, 9th house is father, grandfather and male ancestors

21. 8th house is your in laws and how they receive you. 8th house in Leo, your in laws adore you, 8th house in aquarius they can reject you and not accept you at first. Etc

22. Sometimes 4th house synastry can create discomfort btwn ppl. Where 4th house is ur innermost self. So when’s someone’s personal planets are in ur 4th house , you feel like they can read your mind or know u too well.

23. Couples w 4th house synastry find it hard to break up permanently they usually always get back together.

-starsandsuch ✌️💕

[gabrielleragusi]

For Artists: My Experience with Commission Platforms and Illustration Agencies

Hi there! I’ve been wanting to compile a list of commission platforms that I’ve personally used for the longest time, and I finally did it! I’ve highlighted the still-active commission platforms in bold and struck those that don't exist anymore so you can jump to the sections that interest you without needing to read my entire story.

Let me start by briefly introducing myself.

I’m Gabrielle, a fantasy illustrator. Since 2014, I’ve been working on book covers and illustrations for publishers, authors, and book subscription boxes. Early on, work wasn’t as frequent as it is now. I had to search for opportunities myself, and even small private commissions were important for building my portfolio and earning some money, which I’d spend on materials, books, and online courses. Like many other artists, I started out by trying my luck with the biggest art community available at the time.

DeviantArt

2009-2018

Once upon a time, there was a virtual haven called DeviantArt. To my teenage self, it was a magical place. I signed up in 2009 and thought I’d never leave!

At first, I created an account just to share my work and learn. I didn’t even think about commissions for four or five years. But when that first inquiry finally landed in my inbox, things took off! My mum swears she remembers my excitement when I got my first commission, but for some reason, I’ve completely forgotten about it. I can't remember what it was or how much it paid. It might have been a portrait of a fantasy character.

Commissions on DeviantArt were fairly frequent, especially considering my cheap prices at the time. I used to offer discounts and post my rates in my DeviantArt journal, or in Commission groups that featured artists either monthly or weekly. After checking out my profile, a client could simply send me a private message and from there, we’d discuss payment, deadlines, and other details, and the platform didn’t take any fees, much like how ArtStation works today. Everything happened through private messages or email, with direct contact between artist and client.

The downside of this process was that there was no dispute resolution system on the platform. I had to handle all issues myself, and unfortunately, problems did arise sometimes: there were clients changing their minds about commissions, asking for refunds after work was delivered, refusing to pay, or just ghosting me. These issues didn’t happen because clients were evil, but rather because I was inexperienced and allowed some to take advantage of my naivety.

However, all that frustration helped me develop my commission process through trial and error (mostly error). And despite the challenges, I can say with satisfaction that most of the commissions I received through my DeviantArt profile were positive experiences.

DeviantArt eventually introduced a commission feature for Core (Premium) users, which came with a platform fee, but I didn’t use it much, and I’m not sure if it still exists.

The real beauty of dA, though, was the connections I made. I was able to meet people, both artists and clients, that I’m still in contact with today, and some of whom I still collaborate with.

I closed my account in 2018 or 2019, but by that time, I hadn’t really used it for a couple of years. The new user interface was a bit of a turn-off for me. I had always loved the geeky, and dare I say cozy, look of the old green and grey aesthetic, with its customisable panels that you could move around and personalise with HTML code... But I digress.

Artists and Clients

2013-2016

While taking small commissions on DeviantArt, I discovered Artists & Clients. It was a nice platform for clients to get things like their D&D characters or groups illustrated for relatively cheap. I think my highest price was $50 for a single character portrait, with the platform taking a 15% cut. I used it for about two or three years before the platform started to change.

As more artists with hentai art styles flooded in, the homepage shifted, and so did the clientele. There’s nothing wrong with drawing naked anime girls, of course, but you can understand that if a client is looking for a fantasy, semi-realistic painting of their female orc character, or a realistic portrait of their spouse, it's more than likely that they won't bother sifting through a sea of anime girls to find the style they want, imagining it isn't here. Let's just say that, at the time, the website took a definite direction that wasn't in line with my genre, but this direction didn't make the different, more realistic art styles stand out either.

Soon, commissions slowed down for me, so I closed my account, but by then I was already working elsewhere.

That said, this platform could still be a useful tool if you’re looking to take on smaller commissions.

DreamUp

2014-2015

DreamUp wasn’t an AI generator back then. It was actually a subsidiary of DeviantArt, where clients could post projects and artists could apply. It was a competitive platform that offered well-paid work–very well-paid. I remember seeing jobs posted that ranged from $300 to $1,200. DreamUp was a very professional platform for clients with a mid to high budget.

I believe I landed my very first book cover commission through this website when I was in my last year of high school. I remember getting the job and going to school the next morning, excited to share the news with my classmates. Everyone was super thrilled for me (we were a really close-knit class!), and I felt like I was walking on air.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, that book was never released, but it didn’t matter because I was moving forward, and fast.

I’m not sure when DreamUp was shut down, but I do know that DeviantArt held onto the copyrighted name, assigning it to something so anti-old DreamUp that it still boggles my mind.

ArtCorgi

Now Artistree

2014-2019

When I received an invitation to join ArtCorgi from its founder, I already had a somewhat consistent portfolio. I was painting portraits and fantasy illustrations, and the clients on this platform were looking for both–your typical wedding and pet portraits, as well as book covers, which were what really interested me. To get to the latter, I had to do the former. Over the years, I’ve painted so many realistic portraits that now I have a strict rule for my own sanity not to do them any more. I have great respect for portrait artists, but it’s just not me.

When I first submitted my prices to the person I was in contact with, she kindly suggested that I raise them... a lot. That was a major step forward in my professional career. I went from charging $50 to $100/$200 overnight. And to my surprise, people actually wanted to commission me at those prices!

From 2014 to 2019, I took nearly every commission that came my way. I never spoke directly with the clients; all instructions and feedback went through my point of contact, which helped maintain a level of professionalism, although now that I’m used to working directly with clients, I’m not sure I’d want to go back to having an intermediary.

Sadly, as with all good things, this chapter came to an end. My point of contact eventually left communication in the hands of someone else, and shortly after, the commission fee changed to, I believe, 30%.

Simply put, 30% is an unrealistic cut for a website like this. For an agent that gets you all kinds of big work in the publishing industry, sure, but since this was not the case I had to stop taking commissions. Despite that, my overall experience with ArtCorgi was very positive.

Today, ArtCorgi joined another platform, Artistree. As far as I can tell, Artistree doesn’t take any fees from artists, with clients covering a small cost instead.

Sketchmob (?)

2016-2020

This was probably the platform I used the most. I’ve lost count of how many commissions I received through Sketchmob. Many. Enough to generate a steady income at the time. With reasonable fees and a variety of art styles available, clients contacted me almost daily. Communication was direct between artists and clients, and payments could be split. The review system also worked very well… for a while.

Once I raised my prices, requests became fewer and farther apart. But by then, I was already working with my own clients.

Is this platform still active? Who knows. The website is still up and the chat feature works, but I’ve seen users complain that money available for withdrawal never arrived via PayPal (the only payment method the platform accepted, if I remember correctly). Personally, I wouldn’t risk completing a job through Sketchmob right now, at least not until they release an update.

If you’ve used the platform recently and successfully received payment within the last six months, please let me know, and I’d be happy to update this section!

Upwork

2017-2019

In 2017, I was determined to break into the book publishing industry. After trying out Fiverr and Freelancer.com with no success (the competition was too fierce for someone just starting out), I decided to give Upwork a shot. The platform looked very professional, and while the process sounded a bit complicated, I wanted to land the interesting projects I saw featured in my category. I really wanted to work with a big client… but big clients didn’t seem to want me, despite having the Rising Talent badge.

In two years of bidding for jobs and submitting proposals, I only landed two projects: a small commission from a private client who actually reached out to me, and another project that I bid on.

Don’t get me wrong, I was ecstatic at the time and truly appreciated every opportunity that came my way. But looking back, I can see why Upwork didn’t work out for me. The platform just wasn’t the right fit for my style and niche, which is fantasy illustration. Graphic design, however, was (and still is) in much higher demand.

The commission process on Upwork wasn’t as simple as on other platforms. For instance, at the time, costs were calculated hourly, which was a challenge for someone like me who prefers working with flat fees (having already calculated my average hours spent on an illustration). From what I’ve seen, this has since changed.

One positive aspect of Upwork is its current 10% cut on what artists earn. I don’t recall if this has changed over the years, but 10% is quite reasonable in my experience. Of course, 0% would be even better, but for a platform as large as Upwork, 10% is fair.

Illustration Agency

2019-2021

By 2019, I had built a solid, consistent portfolio thanks to my personal work and commissions. I had a simple website in place, my Instagram following was growing… I was steadily working toward my goal of illustrating covers for big publishers (which didn't happen until two years ago).

So, when an illustration agency reached out to me one day, I was over the moon. I had always heard that artists were the ones who had to approach agencies, not the other way around.

Well, that should have been my first red flag.

I won’t name this agency because, unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say about it. In fact, the word “nothing” perfectly describes my involvement with them. Nothing came of this barely there experience.

The agency invited me to sign up, not on an exclusive basis, but they assured me they’d get me work. That work never came. Once in a while, I’d receive messages saying they were trying to pitch my portfolio to a French publisher or another client, but... nothing.

Please understand that meanwhile I was already working directly with shops and authors, so I don’t believe my portfolio was the problem. The real issue was something I didn’t realise at the time: some agencies do this. They feature talented artists in their catalogue without having actual clients lined up, just to appear more professional and credible to potential clients. Did this strategy work for them? Maybe. I’ll never know.

In 2021, I politely asked them to remove my portfolio from their website, and that was the end of it.

After that, I never actively sought out an agent again. By the time my portfolio was strong enough to approach a serious agency, I just didn’t need representation anymore.

Hireillo

2019-2022

My experience with Hire an Illustrator, or Hireillo, is mixed. At the time, Hireillo was a platform that hosted artists' portfolios, featured artist-submitted news, provided useful articles, resources, and directories of artists and agents. I joined the site hoping to catch the eye of publishers, but I was mostly contacted by authors and one fellow artist for a graphic novel.

Unfortunately, most inquiries didn’t go beyond the first couple of messages due to budget constraints. I did, however, have fun sharing news about my painting process and projects I landed on my own, which were often featured by the website. Additionally, if I had questions about 'complicated' things like copyright, or just needed advice, I could ask the website’s owner and that was incredibly helpful.

Despite these benefits, I didn’t see any real results, which was a little disappointing. The subscription fee was also... odd, for lack of a better word. $5 per week. In the end I just couldn’t justify the cost, so I stopped using the website altogether.

Reedsy

2019-2022

Finally, we come to the turning point.

I remember stumbling upon Reedsy randomly. It wasn’t very well known at the time, and I think it still isn’t. I was nervous when I submitted my portfolio because their catalogue features the best of the best: designers who’ve created covers for bestsellers, THE bestsellers, people who’ve worked on Stephen King covers, or George R.R. Martin's. Designers, editors, and marketers who are veterans. I didn’t have high hopes for my application. So, I was in shock when it got accepted.

I had an introductory Skype call with a representative from Reedsy, who explained how everything worked. Before the call ended, I remember asking if there was a good chance I’d get work through the platform. The rep laughed and said, “Yes.”

A few weeks in, I understood that laugh.

Reedsy has an overwhelming demand for book covers and commercial projects. For every designer there are many more clients. In peak seasons, I was getting requests almost every day. I’m not exaggerating.

Reedsy transformed my portfolio and my pricing structure. Thanks to the income I earned through the platform, I was finally able not to take everything that came my way but be selective and choose only the projects that really interested me.

The commission process is simple: artists pretty much decide how to split payments, what to include in agreements, and the best part, the most beautiful and helpful feature of all, they can request and adjust deadlines. For someone like me who's terrible with deadlines, this feature was a lifesaver. The admins are also very kind and responsive, available via email or chat.

Unfortunately (this is my last 'unfortunately', I promise), my time on Reedsy came to an end for personal reasons. I’ll explain since it’s no secret.

All my images on Reedsy were watermarked with my signature (my full name), which apparently violated the platform’s rules. Why? Because if a client saw my last name, they could contact me directly and bypass Reedsy, which meant the platform lost potential fees. I’ll admit this did happen a few times, but I had the good sense to redirect the client back to Reedsy.

After three years, an admin finally noticed and asked me to remove my full name from the watermark and any text on my profile. It was a simple and reasonable request, but here’s where the problem started. Profiles on Reedsy are public, and images appear in search engines like Google Images, meaning anyone could download my work and use it without permission. Sure, watermarks can be removed, but uploading my work without one in the first place felt like a bad idea. Btw, not only do I use watermarks, but I also use Glaze to protect my illustrations before sharing them online.

Anyway, for this reason, and also because I couldn’t get over the fact that full names were public at the time, something I won’t get into because, believe me, I tried over email, and my reasons went into the void (now, last names are just initialised, like Gabrielle R. Okay. Sure.), I had to close my account–they would have done it anyway because it was already 'flagged'.

Overall, if you’re willing to overlook the last name conundrum, I can’t recommend Reedsy enough. If you have a killer, solid portfolio and a love for books and editorial projects, go for it!

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

I hope you'll find this useful! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask (: Oh, and here's an old article I wrote in 2020, titled:

Tips to freelance illustrators to avoid being screwed over

Who knows, maybe I'll write another 'article' post in four years!

Instagram  - ArtStation - Website - Inprnt - Etsy - TikTok

[tsumtsumrry]

Film Bro

WC: 3.6k

warning(s): afab descriptions and she/her pronouns, language, sexual content (dry humping, somno (so dubcon just to be safe; please only read what you're comfortable with!!)

“And that’s why I fully believe that movies are better than books.” Harry finishes his lengthy tangent with a deep breath. He looks over at your bored face and a beat passes before you both burst into laughter at how he’s managed to turn such a frivolous topic into such a serious and longwinded rant. 

“You’re ridiculous and wrong.” You shoot back, offering him a close-lipped grin to soften the blow. 

You and Harry have always had differing opinions, but somehow, you’ve still managed to become really close friends. You’re always bickering and getting into little spats over stupid things, but you still love him. He makes you laugh and he makes you feel loved and warm, everything you’d want in a friend. And you know what they say, opposites do attract. 

His arm is slung around you, and both of you are sat down on his cozy couch as he tries to offer up a rebuttal to your rebuttal and all you do is roll your eyes and pretend to tune him out. 

“You’ve got to understand, love. With books, you read it, yeah? And if you’ve got no imagination, what does that do for you? With movies, you can see, feel, hear everything. It’s so much more immersive and touching when you can see everything happening right in front of you.” His arms leave your shoulder so he can use his hands to talk, animatedly explaining to you why he believes you’re so wrong. He looks at your face for a second, when your features start to soften he smirks and points at you excitedly, “See I’m converting you! And you know I’m right.” He leans back with a smug grin. 

You just shrug, “You can think whatever you want, film bro. But I know that books are the most immersive experience on earth. There is nothing like reading words on a page and feeling them hit you with every letter. The good part about books is that even if that author doesn’t completely spell it out for you, you can create a piece of that world yourself, something that’ll always be yours to have and to cherish. Nobody else’s.” 

He looks up to the ceiling in thought, twisting his lips like he’s considering it. You think you’ve got him until he suddenly perks up and opens his mouth to speak, “Ah, but like I said, the imagination thing. Can’t do any of that if I’ve got a shit imagination.” That smug smirk is back on his face and you roll your eyes. Guess he can win this round. You’re so incredibly tired from work anyway and you just shrug which causes him to let out a small sound of victory. 

“And I am right again…as always.” He flashes you his signature smirk and you grab a pillow from behind you and smack him hard with it. 

“Dickwad.” you murmur. 

“Hey!” he chokes out a laugh, grabbing the pillow from your hands and placing it behind him instead, “You’ve lost your privileges, sweet girl.” He chuckles softly because he knows you hate when he calls you that. 

He brings his hand out to motion to the TV in front of you and then swings his arm right back around your shoulder, “see. Look at this.” He instructs. You’ve almost forgotten a movie was playing with how into the debate you’ve gotten with him. The scene on the TV flashes in your eyes, a couple making out hungrily and desperately. 

The male actor is pawing at every piece of his co-star’s skin that he can find, and with every touch, her breath hitches and her leg hikes higher up on his waist. They kiss like this is the last time they’ll be able to. The soft moans and grunts coming from the scene make your pupils blow out and your chest tighten. Your thighs push together softly and you curse your body’s inability to stay in control. 

Harry raises his eyebrows and gives you a slow once over with an amused smirk on his lips, “a book ever make you feel like that? This fast?” You know he’s only teasing you, but you’re so immersed in the scene that you can’t even find it in you to care when you shake your head. 

“This is exactly what I mean. A book might describe a touch, but actually seeing it, seeing him touch her like that, seeing how she’s enjoying it, how she reacts to it, that’s just cinema. Can’t find that feeling anywhere else.”

His voice has lowered in volume and timbre to match the intimacy of the scene you’re both watching, and you’re suddenly hyper-aware of how close he’s gotten to you and how ridiculously loud those moans are. And if you weren’t a little turned on and a lot confused, you would laugh at it. 

You become even more hyper-aware of his fingers on your shoulder, caressing softly, the slightest touch, and you have no idea why it’s making you feel hot. His calloused fingers somehow feel light and gentle as a feather when he traces his index finger on your shoulder. And he just keeps going. As if it’s nothing. As if it’s not driving you crazy. 

You wonder if he knows what he’s doing. You’ve always known Harry to be touchy, but right now? It feels different, or maybe you’re feeling different. You don’t know, but it’s currently driving you a little crazy. That imagination you were so keen on before is really coming back to bite you in the ass when you start imagining the female lead to be you and the male lead to be…Harry.  

And what even brought this on? He’s always been attractive, yes, but these thoughts racing through your head, that’s more than an acknowledgment of attractiveness. 

He says your name softly, looking down at you curiously. You look up at him and latch on to the concerned look in his eyes, “you’re so quiet. What’s the matter? Mad I won again?” You can’t even fight the smile that graces your face and he mirrors you with a smile of his own. 

“Haha.” you deadpan. “You literally wish.” A soft chuckle leaves him followed by a sigh. He knows you like the back of his hand. And he knows that you’re both kind of turned on and very exhausted, so he expertly takes control of the situation and pats your shoulder softly, “you sleeping over tonight?” 

You nod softly, and he grunts as he tries to maneuver you up off of the couch, “come on. That’s it.” You really play into the damsel in distress bit (like you always do when he offers to take you to bed) and you let him lead your tired body to his bedroom. 

He sets you down on his bed and snorts when you let your body flop onto the mattress. “I’m gonna have a shower. I know you’re gonna be passed out by the time I get back, so goodnight. Dream of really nice sex scenes. Like the one that’s got you so turned on right now—” He can barely finish his sentence before another pillow is being hurled at him. 

“Okay! Okay, I’m sorry, Jesus. Gotta tie your hands together or something.” he speaks through a laugh. You just shoot him a bored look and he rolls his eyes and leans down to press a delicate kiss to your forehead. 

“Night, sweet girl.” 

You don’t even remember falling asleep, but you remember Harry getting into bed. The world-class cuddler’s arms were immediately wrapped around you after he got comfortable. 

You figure it’s been about two hours when you start to stir. That’s always been a thing with you, waking up in the middle of the night and falling right back asleep. Harry usually lulls you back to sleep with a gentle forehead kiss and a tighter cuddle. You sleep much better when you stay over at his place. All feels right in the world when you’re in Harry’s arms. Something about him makes anyone he touches immediately feel at home. You cuddle up closer to him innocently, and he mumbles out your name. 

You figure he must just be trying to coax you back to sleep, so you nod, barely awake, and drift back off into the comfortable safe haven that is sleeping next to a human angel. 

Harry, on the other hand, is also in heaven. Just a different kind. 

He’s fully immersed in a dream where you’re the object of all his desires, standing in front of him in a get-up that’s so sinful and alluring it’s got him begging for you to let him touch the masterpiece that is your body. 

You tease him and torture him until he can’t take it anymore, trailing your hands across his soft skin, kissing his neck and his jaw, leaving marks that he knows will give him flashbacks of how you ruined him when he sees them tomorrow. 

“God, please, sweet girl. Let me have you.” he’s begging. And Harry is definitely not one to beg, you’ve reduced him to a puddle of need, grasping at any part of you that he can get. 

“Wouldn’t be much of a punishment if I did though, right?” You pout at him with faux sympathy dripping from your voice and expression like venom. He groans deeply again when you palm his clothed bulge, rubbing the slightest bit to where he gets stimulation, but not what he needs. 

His breath hitches as you press harder for a moment before letting off, and then bringing your hand back to his bulge. He chokes out a soft groan, willing himself to endure your cruel punishment so he can have what he craves so badly.

“I’ve been s’good for you, baby. Don’t fuckin’ deserve this,” he whines out his words, desperate to the point that he has no shame in losing himself for you, in you. “I’ll do anything for you, sweet girl. Please.” His heart pounds, his eyes frantically searching yours for any sign of mercy. 

His hips start to thrust up in tandem with your soft rubbing, frankly unable to control himself with how absolutely ruined you’ve got him. His voice starts to shatter when he speaks and his eyes squeeze shut when you swing your legs around his hips and sit comfortably on his lap. 

He looks up at you with that fucked out, ruined expression and you pout at him again, tangling your fingers in his hair and tugging just the way that he likes. Your hips move slowly against him like you’re testing the waters, and he immediately copies your movements, taking anything he can get from you, whining deeply in the back of his throat. He knows he’s leaking in his boxers and it would take nothing for him to explode right now. 

You’re just so fucking sexy. Everything about you is like a tease to him. Your voice, your soft touch, that expression you make when you beat him in a debate, the expression you’re making right now as you take what’s rightfully yours. His cheeks flame a rosy pink as he looks up at you, his pupils blown and his cock throbbing with need.

His head rolls back as your hips start to meet faster, eyes heavy-lidded. He looks back up at you with a plead swimming in his irises, his hands balled into fists to avoid doing something he knows he shouldn’t. Your hips move faster and faster and faster….

He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it, his hips rutting needily, but slowly against your ass. His arms are still wrapped around you as he pulls you closer into him, his abs flexing as he uses your body to relieve the deep pressure in his gut. 

Small moans and whimpers leave his lips, occasionally your name. Both of you are still fast asleep as he works himself into an absolute frenzy, his face is buried in your neck, shaky puffs of breath hitting your skin. Images of him worshipping your body and the feeling of that delicious friction on his throbbing cock are all that his brain can register right now. 

The feeling of your soft cotton shorts and your supple ass consumes him as he trembles gently with every thrust, his cock sensitive from the slow teasing game his body is inflicting on him. What was once soft sighs, turn to slightly louder, more needy sounds. He mumbles and slurs out incoherent words through his bliss, probably some variation of what he’s saying to you in his dream.

It’s not even the movement that wakes you, it’s those sounds, those unabashed needy little noises that he’s making. Your eyes fly open and a small gasp rips through your throat and you register three things at once. 

Harry’s the one making those sounds. 

Harry’s arms are wrapped tightly around you as he rubs himself against your ass. 

And your thighs are sticky and warm with your arousal. 

Your first instinct is to freak out a little, considering you’ve just woken up to one of your closest friends getting themselves off on you. But then you turn your head around the slightest bit and you realize, he’s still asleep. 

The poor baby’s worked himself up somehow and doesn’t even realize what he’s doing, doesn’t realize how needy he is. His face wears a tortured expression, his eyebrows arched and pushed tightly together. The desperate soft sounds continue to leave his slightly parted lips and all you can think about in this moment is how much you want to kiss his lips, soft and bitten. 

Honestly, you’re at a loss of what to do in this situation. Do you wake him? Do you let him keep going until he ruins his pants? Do you just will yourself to go back to sleep and pretend this never happened? You know that last one’s definitely not going to work considering how ridiculously turned on you are. With every thrust against your ass, an onslaught of butterflies assault your stomach and you feel the pool in your underwear only getting wetter. 

You don’t want to stop him. 

“S..sweet girl.” He’s dreaming about you. Your entire body melts into a puddle when he mumbles out that petname that you pretend to hate.

Being the good friend you are, you figure you could at least help him along. 

Your arm manages to break free from his hold and you use it as leverage to get your body to turn around to face him, once he loses his friction, a deep sound of disappointed leaves him and his brows fall, a pout gracing his face. His hips move in frustration as he tries to gain back the friction and you can’t help but feel bad for him. 

“Harry.” you take ahold of his shoulder and shake him gently, “Harry.” 

His body twitches a little in response to you rousing him and you smile gently, “Harry.” 

His eyes flutter open and when he’s met with your eyes staring into his, for a moment he only looks disoriented, a little confused and grumpy that he’s being woken up. But then his eyes widen and you swear if it wasn’t so dark in his room you’d see every bit of pigment drain from his face. 

“Shit. Oh my god.” It doesn’t take him long to figure out why you’ve woken him up. He’s so hard, sensitive, and it feels like he could come at any moment. And you’re looking at him like that. 

“I’m so sorry. Holy shit I’m really really—I didn’t know what I was—” you don’t let him slur out anything else before you pull his lips into yours, kissing him with the same desperation that you can feel radiating off of his body. 

You pull away from his lips with a soft click and his expression when you’re eye to eye again is one you know you’re going to commit to memory. He’s looking at you like you hung the moon and stars. You can still see that subtle frustration in his eyes though, you know he’s fighting to keep his hips under control. You hike your leg up so it rests over his hip and inhale deeply once your crotches are pressed together, “keep going. It’s okay.” You reassure him. 

He stares at you for a moment as if he’s unsure, and you nod, scooting closer to him and encouraging him to put his hands back on you, “it’s okay, baby.” 

Your soothing, yet sensual whisper of that name is what breaks him. His hips roll one slow thrust against your core and his jaw falls open in a deep groan. Your breath hitches at the feeling, you didn’t realize how sensitive you were until you felt him move against you, and fuck, you’re really sensitive. 

His breathing gets heavier as he continues to fuck himself against your cunt, maintaining eye contact with you as he loses himself in the white hot pleasure that’s tormenting every part of his body. It feels so much deeper than normal, it feels like you’re everywhere all at once, and he’s not even inside you. You guys are merely dry humping on his bed but it somehow feels like the most intense thing that he’s ever experienced. 

He says your name and you hum to let him know you’re listening, “you feel so fucking good. How do you feel this good?” he sounds out of his mind with pleasure. You can’t even find the words to respond to him so you just nod quickly and lean into to capture his lips with yours again. He moans into the kiss and his hands shoot to your hips to urge you faster against him and pull you closer.  

It feels like he can’t get enough of you, like he can’t get close enough. His hands reach for every sliver of skin he can find, his lips attack your jaw and neck, leaving marks on you just like you did to him in his dream. Every kiss he leaves is frantic, like he’s afraid you’ll disappear. Continuous praises leave his lips, like he has to show you how grateful he is. 

“You’re so beautiful.”

“Feel so soft.”

“So much fucking better than my dreams.”

“Fucking perfect.” 

“Can’t believe you’re this wet from me using you like that. Filthy fucking thing.” he’s losing his restraint and you can absolutely tell, the way he’s talking to you, looking at you, thrusting against you, he’s letting go in the best way. He’s just doing what he knows will feel best for the both of you. 

“Such a good girl. Taking me like this, fuck.” 

You whimper softly as the tip of his cock bumps against your sensitive mound through the confines of your clothes. Originally you just wanted to get him off, but you find yourself chasing that release to, and it’s building faster than you thought. He feels amazing. With every deep grind against your cunt he drives you further and further into a pleasure induced oblivion. You should be embarrassed at the sounds leaving you and how you’re already so close, but it just feels too damn good to care. 

“Harry…fuck.” you grip tightly onto his pajama shirt, grasping at whatever you can to ground yourself with the way you feel like you’re floating off the ground right now. 

“Love the way you say my fucking name.” the words fall out of his mouth in a desperate whine, his hips move faster and needier and he buries his face in your neck to cope with all the sensations. He lifts his head up the slightest bit so his mouth is positioned right next to your ear and a full body shiver wracks through your body when he speaks, “need you to come for me, sweet girl. Can you do that for me? Know you’re close.” 

“So close, baby please.” you babble out, your hips moving together in a frantic rhythm to reach your climax. He encourages you with desperate words that sound more like whimpers and uses his firm grip on your hips to drive you harder against him. 

It builds and builds until everything in you draws up taut like a bow, you shudder through the release and Harry can’t keep his eyes off of your expression as he gently pushes you through it. 

“Gonna make me make a mess in my fuckin’ pants, fuck.” You fight through the painful pleasure of overstimulation as he chases his release, focusing in on the way he almost looks pained as he works himself against you so desperately.

A rushed whisper of, “m’coming” leaves him before his thrusts grow sloppier and rougher. His mouth falls open as needy, filthy noises leave his lips. He practically sings your praises as he makes a mess on the both of you, leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck to ground himself as he works through a powerful release. 

“Sweet girl.” he whispers after a moment of silence, bringing his face out of your neck to look at you. His hands come up to caress your cheek, blowing out a breath from his mouth like he’s in awe of you. 

“Hi.” you whisper back, “that was….” 

“Yeah.” he finishes. A small chuckle leaving his lips at how awkward you two are making this. 

You’re unsure what to say for a moment and you look away, but his fingers grab your chin, “don’t do that. I like looking at you.” 

You look away again in pure shyness and he laughs and forces your eye contact again, “don’t!” he speaks through his laugh. 

He leans down to kiss you and a pleased hum leaves both of your lips, he barely disconnects from you before he starts to speak, “you believe me now, right?” 

“What do you mean?” you whisper. 

“Movies are better than books.”

[trippinsorrows]

looking through your eyes + three

authors note: wow! omg, thank you all so much for the kind words of support for this story! it really does mean a lot to me, cause i know the content is pretty heavy.

also, if anyone has read the acotar series, i imagine the dynamic between roman and the twins to be a bit similar to the bat boys. and yes, we'll def see more of the twins moving forward.

in addition, if you want to be tagged, you have to explicitly ask as such. the last thing i want to do is tag someone i thought wanted to be tagged and didn't, and they end up triggered. :(

if any cw/tw’s are missed, please let me know, and i will add them!

cw/tw: language, violence against women, trauma responses (nightmares/night terrors), hints at suicidal thoughts, references to traumatic past

song inspo: 'looking through your eyes’ by leann rimes

words: 9k

Roman doesn’t come back until the wee hours of the morning, and he’s out the house again before the sun is even up.

Solana knows all of this because she doesn’t sleep that night.

It’s not for lack of trying. She spends nearly two hours twisting and turning before finally accepting that sleep isn’t in the cards for her. She instead finds herself sitting on the floor of her bathroom, door locked, writing away in her journal. No letter to mom this time, just pure word vomit, all of her thoughts and feelings about everything that’s transpired. 

There’s as many tears as there are words, and like always post–writing, she feels a tad bit better. The best and only release she ever has is in her written word, all of the things she could never say aloud, melted from her head and sealed into paper.

When she’s done writing, Solana opts to read a book in her Kindle Library. Doing so makes her realize that she still doesn’t have her stuff from back home. It’s not that she has a lot, but the items she was told to pack just for the first few nights will only last just that—for a few days.

But, Solana doesn’t think it’s a good idea to ask Roman about that. She doesn’t think it’s a good idea to ask him for anything, not after she’s clearly and understandably upset him. She’ll just….she’ll just have to make do until it's noticed she's essentially living out of a suitcase. 

And Solana has a thought, an idea, that getting up early to fix him breakfast could be a good thing, something to tame his anger toward her. It’s the least that she can do.

But one look around Roman’s massive kitchen indicates he’s every bit the stereotypical bachelor. There’s only a couple of ingredients, not enough of anything to make an actual meal. There’s also a lot of “meal prep” meals, which makes sense. She can imagine he’s insanely strict with his diet and fitness. One can’t look like Roman Reigns without an intense amount of focus and dedication.

It makes her wonder just what kind of dietary restrictions and preferences she’ll have to learn about him to make meals that he can actually consume. Another question she needs to ask but doesn’t know how or when considering he already has very little to no interest in having anything to do with her.

It’s another thing she knows she’ll have to figure out but tries her best to focus on anything else besides the fact that she’s now married to a man who can’t stand her, the same man her family wants her to somehow assassinate.

Yes…..other things is a much better seat filler.

Solana briefly wonders how she’s going to get to work considering her car is still back at her dad’s house, but just when she’s considering calling an Uber, she’s met in the living room of Roman’s massive estate by none other than his right hand man and cousin.

Solo Sikoa 

All he says is, “ready?” And she realizes that this is how she’s to get to work, that he is to escort her. Him and another set of large men, guards as she realizes. A separate set of guards, not the ones who roam and patrol Roman’s mansion. 

Being around so many men….it’s a different kind of experience. Leaning more on the side of uncomfortable than anything. 

But, she’s at least a bit more at ease when Solo only opens the door to the back of the SUV and doesn’t join in, instead sitting in the passenger seat.

She's grateful for that.

Solo is almost the same exact person as his cousin. Large, strong, stoic and scary as hell. The only difference is that she’s not sure Solo is capable of sentences that include more than 1 to 3 words.

It’s obvious he’s not thrilled about being assigned as her personal guard, and she can’t blame him. There can’t be anything exciting about watching her boring life and making sure nothing happens to her during said boring life.

But Solana can’t deny there’s a small part of her that feels a small sense of comfort at having someone to look out for her. Even if she partially questions his loyalty to said job. Something happening to her wouldn’t do anything to anybody. At all. 

She’d just….cease to exist.

And lately….that hasn’t seemed like the worst thing ever. 

But, it’s when she arrives at work, goes into her office to start to prepare for the work day only to find her brother already waiting that that comfort is obliterated.

“Sis.” Wes' smile is tight and inauthentic, his eyes darting between her and Solo. “Sorry to scare you. I was just hoping we could talk.”

Talk….

Wes never wants to talk to her, not unless it’s him berating and screaming while he beats the shit out of her. 

“Alone.” He gives Solo a faux sympathetic expression. “Family things….you understand, I’m sure.”

Solana doesn’t know if Solo understands or he doesn’t, but she does know that Wes' kind and friendly tone is all smoke and mirrors. She knows he’s pissed that he didn’t catch her off-guard, didn’t catch her alone, that he couldn’t corner her like he always does.

And for a second, Solana believes she’s safe, knows that Solo won’t let Wes lay a hand on her. It’s….it’s his job to keep her safe, right?

But just as that hope is present, it’s extinguished by the reality she knows is inescapable. Solo won’t be with her 24/7. She won’t be protected forever. She’ll eventually be around both Wes and her father alone. And the price she’ll have to pay for denying him in this moment….

It’s not worth it. 

Roman’s words to her father about not touching her are nice in theory, but she knows better. Xavier Miller does what he wants, regardless of what’s said and by who.

“O–of course,” Solana mumbles, fingers dancing at the side of her pants. She turns to Solo. “Please….give us a few minutes.”

For the first time since she’s met him, Solo actually shows some type of emotion. It still stems from anger, maybe a branch of irritation, but it's still something different. “Tribal Chief said I’m supposed to watch you, so that’s what I do.”

She swallows. This is going to require a level of assertiveness that’s almost foreign if not non-existent. “I–I understand, but….Wes is my brother. He—” It’s almost impossible for her to even get the words out. “He would never hurt me.”

Solana almost immediately wants to vomit. That’s all this man has ever done. 

At least since the murder of their mother. 

Solo is struggling but wavering, she can see as much, so she continues. “It’s okay,” she assures, even mustering up a small smile. “Please….just a couple minutes. I won’t—I won’t say anything to Roman.”

Solo still looks torn but eventually agrees, leaving her alone with one of two men who hate her most on this earth. 

The door is barely closed when Wes has her pinned against the wall, hand slapped over her mouth, a knife pressed to the base of her throat.

“You stupid bitch, don’t think for one second that being married to Reigns changes shit,” he snarls. “He doesn’t give a fuck about you. He just doesn’t like people messing with his possessions.”

Solana knows all of this, knows that anything Roman may do that seems to be for her benefit is just him asserting his dominance. She doesn’t need to be reminded of this. 

“Wes, you’re hurting me.” She suddenly feels so stupid saying that, telling him what he already knows. Of course, he is. That’s the whole point. Still, she stupidly believes she can plead to whatever humanity is left in him. If any. “P–please.”

“Shut up,” he hisses, shoving her head against the wall. Solana winces quietly, mindful of Solo who stands outside the door because of her. Because she told him to, because she welcomed this violence onto herself.

“Reigns told dad you won’t be available for a couple weeks, so I suggest you start doing what you need to do to change that. We need to be able to communicate with you.”

This startles her. Why would Roman say that? Did Roman say that? Wes is a master manipulator, and she doesn’t put it past him to be playing mind games.

“I—I don’t know what you want me to do.” And it’s true. Solana has no idea what to do in any of this, how she’s supposed to kill a man who’s more or less impossible to kill, how she’s supposed to win his favor when it’s obvious she already annoys him. It’s all so confusing and overwhelming.

“Did you fuck him last night?”

It’s a question she hoped no one would ask, didn’t believe would be asked because there’s no one who would care enough except for Roman himself.

And while Solana knows being dishonest with her brother won’t turn out well, in this moment, she doesn’t know how he’ll respond if she tells the truth.

So, she lies. She lies to live to see another day, for what reason, she doesn't know. It’s not as if any other day will provide her some sense of solace or security. But, it’s just what she does. 

“Y–yes.”

Wes looks understandably pleased. “Good.” She gaps in fear when he drags his knife against her skin, gently trailing it across, just light enough to avoid drawing blood. “That’s all you’ve ever been good for us for anyway.”

A frown falls upon her face. What….what does that mean?

“Just keep contact open, you understand?” No, she doesn’t, but she has no choice but to pretend that she does. Nodding, Wes shoves her into the wall one more time at an angle that causes her shoulder to take the impact. Wincing, she holds onto it as he releases her and walks out the door. “Don’t fuck this up, Solana.”

Easier said than done. Much easier said than done. 

It’s when he leaves her alone that the tears pool in her eyes. But, it’s when Solo walks in, studying her that she sniffles and wipes at her eyes. “I–I’m fine.”

She’s not.

She’s far from fine. 

————

The day ends up slightly, maybe even moderately, improving. It’s to be slightly expected though as it’s Monday, the day that Solana runs her reading club with the younger kids. It’s always a highlight to see their bright, smiling faces, answering all of their fifty million questions.

It’s a break from a very bleak reality that is her life, immersing herself in their world of pretend and minimal worries.

Sometimes, she finds herself a bit jealous. Jealous that they still have their innocence, that their view of the world hasn’t been painted in red and blood like hers.

But, it’s when Solana is in the back taking her break, journaling, that that improvement takes a deep dive. Because a single knock on the door is followed by the large intimidating frame of her husband entering her space. 

Naturally, her stomach knots. She hasn’t seen Roman since last night, since he helped and scolded her in the same brief timespan. She understands it though and doesn't entirely disagree with what he said.

She’s far from the perfect picture of mental stability. 

Swallowing, Solana stands up and opens her mouth to address him when his eyes go from her face to her wrist. Following his line of vision, she sees why. There’s a blueish/greenish obvious bruise starting to form, beyond that initial point of formation really. It's just a straight up, fully developed bruise.

Roman slowly walks over to her and reaches for her arm. Solana naturally tenses. He hesitates for a second but still takes her wrist, lifting it so that it's at her eye level but still close enough for him to assess. 

She closes her eyes and acts quickly to think of an excuse. “I—umm—”

“Who?”

His voice is quieter than she anticipated and as much as she wishes she doesn't know what he means, Solana knows exactly what he’s asking. She just doesn’t answer. 

“I’m only going to ask you this one time and one time only.” His brown eyes are burning into her as he perfectly enunciates each word. “Who fucking touched you?”

Solana winces at his tone but eventually answers. “Wes....”

Roman drops her hand, and Solana brings her arms to her chest, head dropped. 

He’s pissed. 

That seems to be the only emotion he experiences around her, because of her.

His nostrils are flared as he demands. “Where was Solo?” 

Making him wait for a response is clearly something that sets him off even more, so Solana does her best to answer in a timely manner. “I—I asked him to leave. Wes….Wes didn’t want him in the room.”

“Of course, he fucking didn’t. Why would you—” Roman pinches his nose. A day. It’s been less than 48 hours, only a day in, and this marriage shit already has him fucking stressed out. Being married to this damn girl is like having a fucking child to look after. “From now on, I don’t give a fuck what your idiot brother and poor excuse of a father tell you, you’re not to be alone with them.” Roman’s command is a lot easier said than done. Denying her father or brother has never done her any favors. Solana isn’t sure how to verbalize this to the man in front of her who’s already six different shades of annoyed. “I thought I made that clear to them at the wedding, but obviously, they need a reminder.”

Solana feels every bit the scolded child, murmuring a quiet, “I’m sorry…”

Roman looks at her, and for a slither of a second, maybe even less than that, he feels bad for her. Feels bad because it’s clearly not her fault that she’s so fucked up. With a dad and brother like Xavier and Wes, what chance did she have?

He then briefly wonders about her mother, wonders what the dynamic was like there. But that’s a short lived trail because his mind then goes to his own mother. 

And Roman can’t have that, can’t go down that road for a variety of reasons, reasons that may not be that different from Solana’s. 

“Send me your work schedule.” Redirection is always a good strategy. That and fucking. Obviously, only one is an option for the woman in front of him. 

Panic builds in Solana’s stomach. Why does he want that? Her mind starts to race, arriving at only negative conclusions. Does he want her to quit? That thought kills her. 

Working at the library is the highlight, the only highlight, of her days. She doesn’t know what she would do without that outlet. 

“It won’t get in the way of my duties to you.” Solana typically isn’t the one to advocate for herself. Ever. But this….she can’t lose this, and it scares her to think of what mental decline could happen if she does. Nothing good. That’s for certain. “I—I can get up early and–and make your breakfast and meal prep lunch. A–and I’ll make sure your dinner is ready too by the time you come home—”

Rubbing his temple, exasperated, Roman asks, “what are you talking about?”

She’s not above begging. In a pleading tone, she begs, “please don’t make me quit my job.”

Roman isn’t quite sure what to make of the fact that the most words he’s heard leave Solana’s mouth are practically her begging to keep her job. He can understand it though. He would bet that her only time away from her family was when she was at work. “You can work as little or as much as you want. I don’t care about that.”

His words create instant relief. “Oh–I’m sorry, I thought—”

Roman runs his hand over his face. “You don’t have to apologize for everything.”

“Sor—” Solana drops her head as he exhales. Loudly. It’s not even noon, and he’s already over and done with this damn day.

“What time do you get off today?”

Solana licks her lips, answering. “Three.”

“I’ll meet you then.”

He can see she wants to ask but has decided against it, most likely recognizing his irritation. “We need to get your stuff from that house.” 

And in the midst of her anxiety in this conversation, she finds a glimmer of hope. She’s thankful that this isn’t something she had to initiate to ask him about.  

Something tells her Roman doesn’t like being questioned a lot.

Or at all.

“O–okay.” Is the answer she finally settles on, not wanting to say too much, vowing, “I’ll make sure I’m done by 3pm sharp.”

On one hand, Roman enjoys and respects punctuality, but something tells him Solana’s is based more on fear than anything. “Whenever is fine.”

Nodding and pushing her hair behind her ear, Solana watches Roman walk over to the door, preparing to leave when he asks, “is your brother right handed or left handed?”

His question takes her off guard, and she doesn’t quite know why he’s asking this in the first place. “W-what?”

Roman clearly doesn’t like repeating himself, because his tone takes on an edge. “Is he right handed or left handed?”

Solana swallows. She’s made him mad. Again. “R–right.”

Without another question, he leaves. And once the door shuts, he snaps at Solo, demanding, “why the fuck did you leave her alone with him? I told you to watch her!”

Roman knows his cousin well enough to know that Solo is doing a brilliant job masking his embarrassment at his failure. “She said—”

“I don’t care what she says. You don’t answer to her. You answer to me. Understood?”

Solo keeps his head high, acknowledging, “yes, my Tribal Chief.” Roman wastes no time in exiting the library and entering the SUV waiting for him, slamming the door shut. He pulls out his phone, selecting one of his most recent contacts, hitting dial. 

Jey answers on the third ring, but he’s immediately yelling to someone else, “slam my door one more fucking time, Nicki, and see what happens!” Roman’s jaw clenches, another new source of irritation being presented to him. “Ayo, Uce, now’s not a good time—”

“I don’t care.” Roman’s hot headed cousin and his equally hot headed wife arguing is nothing special. The fight. They fuck. They make up. And do it all over again. It’s not pressing news or even news at all at this point. “The Miller boy. Send him a message. A clear message.”

“I’ve got—”

“Did you hear what I just said?” There must be something in the air or the water, because Roman having to repeat himself is fucking asinine. He speaks once, and everyone should jump immediately. The fact that that isn’t happening is only pissing him off more. “And his right hand…make sure it’s broken.”

Jey sighs on the other end of the phone. “Aight. Me and Jimmy will have it done by the end of the day.”

Roman ends the phone call before his cousin can feed him any more excuses. Head tilted back against the headrest, he tries to settle himself. This day so far has been nothing but inconvenience after inconvenience. 

There’s nothing that pisses him off more than having to repeat himself, having conversations extend longer than they should, and that’s all this day has been thus far. He’s had to over explain and reiterate himself more than Roman feels necessary. 

And the day isn’t even halfway over. 

He needs an outlet.

Roman switches apps, finding one of his more recent contacts and sending out a message. 

Roman: Come over tonight. 

As expected, her reply comes almost right away. 

Samantha: Lol. That didn’t take long.

Samantha: See you then.

————

Solana always struggles with a level of anxiety when entering the home she grew up in. For a myriad of reasons. Most, if not all, being completely valid. Nothing good has ever happened for her in that place. And more often than not, she’d barely be in the house for more than a couple of minutes before she was either being berated or beaten.

Usually both.

But this…..this is different. A lot different, because she’s not walking into hell alone, she’s walking along (behind) Bloodline guards and the 6’3, pure muscled leader of said Bloodline. 

Roman Reigns.

Who also happens to be her husband.

Playing around with the wedding ring on her finger, Solana tries again to remind herself that this is real, that she’s married, that she’s married to Roman Reigns of all people. 

The reality definitely hasn’t set in.

Roman is about to knock on the door again when it swings open. Solana naturally steps back, something Roman takes notice of.

Xavier looks pissed, his fiery gaze landing on her first, but just as quickly as it was present, it's gone, settling into an almost pleasant smile. Directed at Roman, of course.

“Tribal Chief,” he greets. Solana’s gaze is on the ground now, focused on her painted toes instead of the man before her who she’s certain would be unleashing hell on her if not for the multitude of much larger, much stronger men surrounding her. “I wasn’t expecting—”

“I don’t care,” Roman interrupts, voice reeking of indifference. “She needs to go get her stuff.”

“Oh.” Solana can only imagine the difficulty her father is having in not throwing a fit. “Well, we can arrange for it to be delivered—”

“No.”

She means more to think it than to say it, but that intention falls short, because she definitely says it aloud.

And most of her regrets it, but there’s a small slither that doesn’t.

Solana knows her father. She knows him very well. 

Roman has done nothing but piss him off from the very beginning of this whole ordeal, pushing and pushing him. And Solana has always been the object of her father’s anger, but Roman seems intent on making sure that doesn’t happen. 

That means he’ll have to get creative with his punishments.

If he can’t hurt her, he’ll go after the things she loves. 

The few items in that home that she holds near and dear, items that belonged to her mother.

She knows he would dispose of them all so that all that would be retrieved by the movers would be clothes.

And the thought of the only things she has of her mother being discarded like trash makes her sick to her stomach.

She can’t give him that opportunity. 

Looking up, she’s met with two sets of eyes on her. One indicating irritation and the other, curiosity. Swallowing, she stutters, “I’m sorry. I—”

“No.” Roman’s interruption is stark and to the point. “We’re already here. She gets it now.”

“But—”

“Move.”

Xavier’s jaw ticks, but he does as such, stepping to the side. Roman looks back at Solana, motioning for her to walk in. 

Instantly, she’s going to the key holder. She has to make sure she gets her mother’s stuff before anything. But, the key to the attic, the key that’s sat in the same spot since she was a girl, is suddenly missing.

Her stomach drops. 

Without hesitation, she turns to her dad, asking, “wh—where’s the key to the attic?”

Solana knows before he even says anything that she’s not going to like his answer. She just doesn't realize just how much she’s not going to like his answer.

“Oh, I put it in your old room on the dresser.” Solana’s chest is immediately tight, her stomach dropping. Xavier gives that sly smile and little shrug. “Figured there’d be some things you’d want to grab as well.”

It’s hard for Solana to not start crying right then and there, standing between her father and her husband. Two men who dislike her for very different reasons. 

And maybe dislike isn’t a strong enough word to describe the feeling her father has toward her. Because one has to have an inhuman level of vitriol toward another individual to put her in the situation he just did.

That room….Solana hasn’t been in that room in years and planned to never enter it again for as long as she lived. And he knows that. Knows that there’s nothing in there she wants. Knows that she’d rather walk on burning coal barefoot than enter that space of horrific memories and unspeakable horrors. 

“I–I—”

“Is something wrong?”

Roman, watching this whole exchange closely, is instantly annoyed. It’s obvious something is wrong, there’s some story with this old room of hers, because she looks just as terrified as she did last night. And something about this pisses him off all over again, because this man is still trying to defy his orders, still trying to find ways to inflict his torture without lifting a finger. 

“Where’s the room?” 

Solana doesn't expect that question to leave Roman’s mouth, but it instantly brings on another layer of dread. He doesn’t know why she can’t go in that room, and he can never know, but that not knowing is probably going to result in him pushing her to hurry up so they can get the hell out of here.

But, that doesn’t happen. He steps towards her dad and repeats in a calm voice. “Show me.” It’s then she realizes that he’s asking so he can retrieve this key for her.

And that confuses the mess out of her because why? He doesn't have to, doesn’t need to. It doesn’t benefit him in the slightest. 

So why?

But for Roman, it’s simple. He’ll take any opportunity presented to piss off this son of a bitch, and undermining every attempt Miller takes to mess with Solana presents an opportunity for Roman to assert his dominance. 

And it’s obvious by the pure terror that crosses Solana’s face that, for whatever reason, she has zero desire or even ability to enter this room. It does cross him a bit strange that she would have such a reaction to her childhood bedroom, something that typically holds special memories for people.

Until he enters said room. 

Immediately, there’s a darkness about the aura, something heavy and unsettling that he can’t necessarily describe but most definitely feels. It’s a stark contrast to the design and decoration, lots of pink and girly shit, a couple of stuffed animals sitting on the top of the dresser. It’s on the dresser he notices a shattered picture frame that in picking up he sees a photo of a young woman, dark curly hair, beautiful, light eyes and a breathtaking smile. There’s something about her that reminds him of Solana. Her mother. This has to be her mother.

For reasons Roman doesn’t quite understand, there’s something suddenly uncomfortable by looking at this photo, a ghost, someone from the past. A person cruelly and violently ripped away from her family.

It….it hits too close to him.

Laying the broken photo frame down, Roman continues to assess the room and suddenly notices scratches on the door and the wall that holds the door. But, they’re not scratches that come from furniture being moved or kids being rough, they’re clearly nail marks. As if someone was dragged and the scratches a testament of their fight against whatever attack they were facing.

Snatching the key off the dresser, he then redirects his attention to the poorly cleaned splashes of dried blood on the carpet near the bed. He’s suddenly frowning of sorts. 

There’s a story here. A story that paints a dark, grim picture. One that makes Roman slightly curious about just what the hell this girl has really been through in this hellhole?

Not wanting to stay in that creepy ass room any longer than necessary, he walks back out into the living room and ignores Miller’s obvious irritation to reach Solana the key.

Accepting it, she offers the first smile he’s probably seen on her since their first meeting. “Thank you.” Her voice is the usual mixture of soft and quiet but also….grateful. She’s probably the only person in history to ever be so happy at being given something as simple as a key. But Roman isn’t stupid. He recognizes the deeper meaning. 

Nodding, he motions for a few of his men to follow her as she heads for wherever the attic door is located. 

That leaves Roman alone with his least favorite person in the world.

“She can’t take everything, you know.” Xavier shares. He reminds, “she has a brother. My son and I deserve to have something of my late wife to—”

“I don’t care.” And he doesn’t. He honestly, truly doesn’t. “She can take whatever she wants.”

“I understand that she’s your wife, but she was my daughter long before she became your wife. And you’re standing in my house.” Xavier doesn’t skip a beat to contend. “I think you should also remember that, Tribal Chief.”

To be fair, Roman would like to think he’s done a half decent job all day managing his temper. He’s yet to maim or kill anyone which is commendable for him, in and of itself. But something about Xavier pisses him the fuck off to the point where he doesn’t give a damn about controlling his temper. 

And that’s exactly what happens. 

In a matter of seconds, Roman has Xavier by the throat, pinned against the wall, squeezing so tightly he can practically feel the man's bones pressing against his fingertips. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” Xavier’s eyes are nearly bugging out of his head as he helplessly grasps at Roman's grip, which only makes the Tribal Chief squeeze harder. “Don’t ever fucking forget who runs this. I run it all!” As much as Roman enjoys playing the long game with this bastard, there’s only so much he can put up with. Miller needs to know Roman is not his daughter, but he damn sure will dictate that any interactions with said daughter go through him. “You see Solana when I say you can see her. You talk to her when I say you can talk to her.” Intensifying his grip, Roman notices the color draining from Xavier’s face. And it’s probably the best thing he’s seen all day. “You live because I allow it. You’re still fucking breathing because I will it.” Recognizing Miller is at the door of unconsciousness, he finally lets the man go, enjoying the sight of him coughing violently, nearly laying on the floor. “Don’t you ever fucking forget that shit.”

Xavier, wisely, doesn't say much after that. And neither does Roman, who simply makes sure his men help Solana gather all she needs, which isn’t that much outside of clothes. He starts to ask her about her car, but something tells him it’s under Xavier’s name, which is why he decides against it.

He’ll just get her another one. 

Roman doesn’t want her to have shit to do with this family, largely because he doesn’t want shit to do with this family.

And he knows what the first step toward initiating that separation will be.

—--------

The Warehouse has always been Roman’s escape.

17,000 square feet of escape, completely revamped and redone by him in his early twenties. It’s a massive compound that serves as both a place to train and compete. The former of which being why he’s present and needing to speak to the one person who he has in charge of all the day to day workings of the Warehouse. 

But, that’s all she’s interested in outside of competing herself and only training those with some fire to them.

It’s why he’s not surprised when Nia takes one look at him, then Solana, and with a snort and roll of her eyes, simply says, “no.”

Roman isn’t an idiot. He knew his cousin would immediately decline, would know what he wanted to ask before it could even leave his mouth.

If only he cared about her objection. 

“Wait here,” he mutters to Solana who only nods, hugging the jacket around her body. Solo remains nearly inches away from her. She looks so out of place, a small part of him can’t blame Nia for declining.

Nia continues to walk the balcony, eyes clearly checking in on the various sets of people training. Roman does as well, just not nearly with the same amount of focus and attention. That’s what he has Nia for.

His blood cousin and close friend since they were kids, there’s few people in this world that Roman trusts, and Nia is grouped in that category. She’s a worthy member of the bloodline and a hell of a person to have alongside you in a fight. 

It’s why she's the perfect person for this task.

“Nia.”

“I said no, Roman.” She turns to him, smirking, taunting him in a way only she and his close family can. "You know, that word that you hate?”

It actually makes him chuckle, a speckle of amusement in a day full of anything but. “If you know I hate it, why are you saying it?”

“Because unlike the rest of the world, I’m not your bitch.”

It’s partially true. Nia has never been one to shy away from being completely and, often, ruthlessly honest with her cousin. It’s something Roman sometimes appreciates, enjoying the occasional challenge and differing perspective.

This isn’t one of those times though. 

He again reiterates. “She needs to be trained.” 

It’s abundantly clear that Solana has no backbone, and he can’t entirely fault her for that because it’s also clear that she’s never really had the chance to develop one. But, that’s no longer the case, because while he can deal with the stammering and quietness, her fragility has to go. 

She has to learn to stand up for herself.

She needs to learn how to fight back.

Nia turns around with a sarcastic chuckle. “You really think that girl can be trained? I saw her at the wedding. She looked terrified the entire time. You breathe too hard in her direction, and she’ll probably have a fucking panic attack.” Roman is briefly taken back to last night. Nia hasn’t the slightest clue how true her words are. “She’s not built for this life.”

Roman doesn’t entirely disagree. If there was ever a person who’d do well and significantly better in something cookie cutter, white picket fence type shit, it’s Solana. But she’s here now, this is her life, so they need to make the best of it. She needs to learn how to survive in this life. and he expresses as such. “Regardless, she needs to learn to defend herself to some extent.”

Nia shrugs, leaning back against the railing and crossing her arms. “So teach her.”

“I don’t have the time. Or the patience.” It’s almost entirely true. There are already so many hats that Roman has to wear. Adding on another one that includes teaching a traumatized young woman how to fight is not an option. Even more, something tells him that Solana would do better training with a woman. She seems most skittish around men.

Nia scoffs, pointing to herself. “And you think I do?”

“Nia….” As much as he enjoys sparring with his cousin from time to time, his patience has grown thin. His tone darkens. “I’m not asking you.”

While tempted to continue to push back, Nia isn’t a stupid woman. She can recognize when Roman is about to lose his cool. “Fucking hell….” With a heavy sigh and shrug of defeat, she accepts. “Fine. I’ll do it, but don’t expect me to like her.”

“I never expect you to like anyone.” He chuckles, adding. “And Nia…..take it easy on her at first.”

Nia curses, instantly accusing, “You think coddling her will help?”

“I know being too rough with her won’t.”

A hard exterior is built from experience and tolerance. Roman fully believes that. However, something tells him his new wife has had enough experiences that anything more could push her closer to breaking point. So approaching it almost gingerly would probably wield the best outcome. 

Nia is, justifiably, vexed. “Whatever. I don’t have time for your weak ass wife. I’ll have Naomi teach her the basics, and once she learns how to actually throw a punch without crying, I’ll take over her training.” 

Roman has no issue with this. Solana seemed to be fine around Naomi at the wedding, so it might actually be a good match. “Fine. Just keep me updated with her progress.” Roman adds, starting to walk away.

“Do I have a choice?”

Instantly, he answers. “Nope.”

Nia’s laughter behind him brings a small smile to his face. 

Rejoining the group, he finds Solana looking just as nervous as he left her. “Let’s go.”

He turns and so does Solo, Roman deciding he’ll talk with Solana about starting training back at the house. But, her small voice calling his name, the first time he’s heard her say as such draws his attention.

Turning around, he asks, “yeah?”

She swallows and starts that damn stammering. It’s hard for him to not snap at her to just get it out. He hates that beating around the bush bullshit. “Umm, can we—uhh, stop somewhere?” Roman does his best to hide his irritation. Where the fuck does she need to go? “I just—-I noticed you don’t have a lot of ingredients at the house, and—and I need some things so I can cook.”

Initially, Roman’s first reaction is to tell her no, that she doesn’t need to cook. He doesn’t need her to cook for him. He does just fine on his own, but that’s the thing that makes him pause. He’s not on his own anymore. She needs to eat too.

So, he agrees, “fine.”

“Ayo, uce!”

Jesus Christ.

Roman needs a vacation. A week long vacation, because the way the past 24hrs has drained him more than anything he’s experienced in the past year is criminal.

The twins jog over, exchanging what is an undeniably awkward acknowledgement to Solana. And he doesn't blame them. She’s so damn docile that they probably don't know how to interact with her.

“Let us catch that ride with you.”

Roman shuts his eyes. “Why?”

Jimmy is the one to answer. “You wanted us to debrief you on that thing from earlier, remember?”

Roman realizes they’re referring to the message he had them send Solana’s brother, which he does want to hear about but not necessarily now.

“She needs to stop at the store before we head back to the house,” Roman informs, hoping the twins will just take a car back to the house to meet him their to debrief.

But that’s too much like right, because they end up in the same SUV as him and Solana, seated in the back, while he sits in the middle with her. And it’s not missed upon him how she’s practically tucked in the corner of the SUV, notebook out as she writes away while his idiotic cousins go on and on in the back about whatever.

The old lady from the library wasn’t kidding. This damn girl is always writing. 

When they arrive at the grocery store, Roman reaches for his wallet, sliding out his black card and handing it to her. “Here. Use this.” 

Roman hadn’t thought about this until just now, thought about the need to make his money available to her. He makes a mental note to have his accountant add Solana to all of his accounts and have cards mailed out with her name. In the meantime, she’ll have to deal with using his.

“Thank you.” She accepts the card, quickly asking, “what’s my limit?”

“What limit?”

Her cheeks redden as she explains. “Like….like how much I can spend?"

“There is none,” he answers with a shrug. “Just get what you need.”

Jey suddenly leans forward, tapping Roman on the shoulder. “Ayo, Big Dog, lemme run this by you.”

“No.”

Of course, the word goes in one ear and out the other. “So, I’m trying to explain to her that it’s not what she thinks. I don’t even care about that bitch, but she’s not trying to hear me. Going on and go about how I ain’t shit, I don’t treat her right—you know, the usual—-and so finally, I just snap on her ass cause who the fuck you think you talking to—”

Jimmy agrees. “She acting like you ain’t got no options.”

Jey sucks his teeth, “man, that’s what I’m saying. Like, I ain’t gotta put up with that shit!”

“Hell naw!”

The idea of grocery shopping doesn’t appeal to Roman in the slightest, but neither does listening to his dumbass cousin complain about his marriage problems to his equally dumbass brother. So, it’s the lesser of two evils, really. 

“Fuck it,” he mutters, unbuckling his seatbelt, and opening the door. Solo and Solana’s eyes fall on him as they’d yet to enter the store. “I’ll go with her.”

Solana looks expectedly surprised as Solo simply nods and gets back in the passenger seat.

“I’ll make it quick.”

Roman says nothing, walking alongside her, still providing enough distance to not make her uncomfortable. 

As long as the twins are harping on and on about stupid shit, she can take as long as she wants.

Once in the store, Solana pushing the cart, Roman realizes she was writing down a grocery list that she uses to track the needed items as they peruse what feels like endless aisles. Granted, he hasn’t been inside an actual grocery store in probably close to two decades, if not longer, so maybe this is normal for a grocery store. 

It’s when they reach the produce section that she seems a bit stumped, chewing on her bottom lip, clearly perplexed.

He starts to ask her what’s wrong, but she walks over to one of the workers and takes him slightly by surprise when she starts speaking in a different language. Spanish, he eventually settles on. It’s also the first time he thinks he’s ever seen her smile. Outside of when he gave her the key And laugh. That one is definitely a first. Both small and quiet, but still, a first. She seems to know or at least be familiar with the worker who digs around the produce and reaches over a packaged bag of whatever produce it is. 

It’s when she returns to place the produce in the basket, continuing to walk, that he asks, “you speak Spanish?”

She looks up at him, but not for too long, as if doing so is forbidden, explaining. “My—my mom taught me. She was originally from Mexico.”

Roman figured as such from the picture he saw in her room that Solana’s mom was Hispanic or had some type of Central American ancestry. He’s also surprised by her answering with more than just 3 to 5 words, providing more information than he asked. 

It’s not something he necessarily cares about, but it doesn’t annoy him like it typically does when people give him a longer answer than what’s necessary. 

“Are—are your cousins always like….like that?” Again, she takes him by surprise, up until the point where she immediately goes into apologizing. “I–I don’t mean it in a bad way. I would never—”

“Yes,” he cuts off her rambling. It’s unnecessary because the answer is simple. “They are.” With a mutter, he adds, “they never shut the fuck up.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees it. That smile smile, this time conjoined with a small laugh that she does a decent job trying to suppress. And it’s like she catches herself, changing the subject as she asks, “umm, are you—like—allergic to anything? Or is there something you don’t like? I can learn—”

“I can eat anything.” It’s a simple, truthful answer. It also seems like something she’d been wanting to ask but only built the courage to do so at the end of their current conversation, even if brief as hell.

Solana doesn’t say much after that, and it confuses Roman when she tries to grab items on shelves much higher than what exceeds her reach. It confuses him because it would be significantly easier for her to just ask him to reach it. Granted, something tells him just her asking to be taken to the grocery store seems to be her daily quota for requests.

So he takes it upon himself, hand on the small of her back, ignoring how she tenses at his touch, to tell her to step aside as he easily retrieves the item. With a tuck of her hair behind her ear and a small “thank you,” she continue shopping but this time actually, still with that same irksome gentleness, asks him to reach items that she cannot. It’s not a lot, just a couple.

And it’s not long before she’s done, checking out with his card that she makes sure to give back to him immediately. He gets the sense that that’s something she thinks is important to him.

It’s not.

The worst he can see her doing is going crazy at fucking Barnes and Nobles.

Roman has his men load the trunk for her, something that also seems to take her off guard. Like she’s not used to the assistance.

And she probably isn’t. 

————

Samantha Irvin has been on Roman’s revolving roster of women since he was in his teens. The longevity being that It’s always been the easiest with her. Sexually, at least. Their compatibility in that one area, the only one he really (only) cares about, is astronomical. But lately, more in the past few months than anything, she’s dropped a comment here and there about wanting more. 

He’s ignored them everytime. 

Roman has never promised Samantha anything more than what they currently are: fuck buddies. She knows this, just like she knows she’s not the only woman he’s fucking. Nothing about that should indicate him wanting more with anyone, including her.

Well, other than the wedding band now on his finger.

Samantha’s gaze falls on that wedding band, a bitter chuckle leaving her mouth. “I still can’t believe you actually did it.”

“Yeah,” he mutters. Discussing his shitshow of a marriage is the last thing he wants to do and far from the reason he left Solana in the middle of the night to come see her, to come work off his frustrations.

The same reason he invited her over tonight. 

Last night was a dumpster fuck, without a doubt. But today with Solana was….decent. Not amazing. Not awful. Just some strange space in between. Even as they arrived back at the estate and she went straight into cooking, creating something he can’t pronounce but can honestly say was delicious, a meal she delivered to him in his office. There was something manageable about that, this level of she does her thing, he does his, and if their paths cross in the process, he can deal with that.

The intimacy though….that’s something he’ll have to figure out, have to navigate, just not now. Not tonight. 

Right now, he just needs Samantha’s talented mouth on him.

She moves her hands up his chest, biting on her bottom lip. “She’s just a little girl, baby. You need a woman who knows how to please you.” Roman knows the other side of what she’s saying or rather what she’s not saying. Another subtle, or not so subtle depending on how you look at it, hint that she’s the one he should settle down with.

In all honesty, he has, or had, zero desire to settle down with anyone.

Especially not with Sam. She’s the kind of woman that’s good for fucking and nothing else. As much as Solana’s extreme passivity annoys the shit out of him, he’d pick that over the bitching Sam would do. He just knows she’d be on his ass about stupid shit like fucking other woman and not paying her enough attention. Like she’d think she’s somehow above him doing who and what the fuck he wants just cause he put a ring on her finger.

Way too needy.

But at least he can actually fucking touch Sam.

Kinda hard to make a baby with someone who has literal fucking panic attacks just from being touched.

It builds up his frustration again, hence Roman grabbing Samantha by the back of her head, forcing it back. She hisses, both from pain and pleasure. It’s another thing he does actually enjoy about her. She lets him be as rough as he wants and needs.

“Why are you still talking?” There may be a slight dim in her eyes at his question, but she hides it well. “I don’t give a fuck what you think.” He releases his grip and shoves her to her knees. “Put that mouth to actual good use.”

If she’s hurt by his brusque tone, she doesn’t show it, simply bringing her hands to unbuckle his pants. “I got you, daddy…” 

She gets his zipper down when a scream sounds throughout the house, causing her to freeze in her motions as she shoots Roman a confused look.

“What the hell?” Samantha’s obvious irritation is the last thing he hears before adjusting himself as he heads out the room and down the hall.

For some reason, Roman already knows what to expect before he even reaches Solana’s room. Opting against knocking, he opens the door and finds her twisting and turning in the bed, eyes shut, chest moving up and down, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead.

Yeah….just as he expected. 

Sighing, he walks over to the bed, sitting on the side. “Solana.”

“No.....” she’s crying in her sleep, clearly in the midst of a nightmare. Or night terror. “Mom, please…don’t leave me.”

Roman tenses. Immediately, he knows exactly what her nightmare is. He brings hands to her shoulder, shaking her. “Solana, wake up.”

“No…..”

He says her name again, a bit louder, firmer, “Solana, wake up.”

“No!” She screams again, shooting up from the bed, immediately fighting and pushing against his body. “Leave me alone!” She’s crying, clearly fighting against the demons one faces once in life but forever battles, even when they’re gone. 

It’s a permanent scar on the soul.

“Solana,” he says again, still stern, but somehow gentle. “You’re fine. You’re safe.” It’s the ‘safe’ word that seems to trigger something for her, mouth still ajar, painting heavily but no longer struggling against him. “It was just a bad dream.”

There’s a fleeting thought he has about pushing some of the flyaway hairs out of her face, but it’s gone before he can really process let alone act on said thought.

Solana looks at his hands on her forearm and immediately tugs them back to her body, hugging herself. She drops her head, eyes closing, “I’m—I’m sorry.”

His eyes take her in, studying her, “it’s fine.”

“I—I need some air.” She kicks the blankets off her body and swings her legs over the bed, hurriedly grabbing a notebook off the dresser and rushing out of the room past a smirking Samantha.

Roman shuts his eyes and runs his hand over his face, ignoring the strange array of emotions, or something like that, he’s experiencing.

He hasn’t been this exposed to this kind of behavior in years.

This may be more complicated than he realized. 

And it’s as he stands up from the bed, walking near the door that Samantha smirks. “Did she seriously say mom?”  His eyes snap to her as she runs her hands up and down his chest. “What a fucking child.”

Her words take him back, reframe things so that it’s not Solana the child crying for her mother not to be taken from her. It’s a young boy. Burned, bloody, and beat, fading in and out consciousness, the gaze of fiery flames in his peripheral vision, the smell of burning flesh invading his nostrils, the sound of wails and sirens all mingling together from the shock of it all. 

Roman catches himself, forcing those buried memories back where they belong in the very back of his mind. He then looks at Sam for a good five seconds before demanding, “get the fuck out.”

She pauses and then asks with an uncomfortable laugh, “what?”

“Get the fuck out of my house,” he repeats, shoving her hands off him. 

“What did I sa—”

“Get out!” Roman snaps, volume and tone making her jump. He probably scared her. He also doesn’t care. He just wants her gone. And she does as such, walking away without another word of protest. 

Left alone, he tries to gather himself, moving back to his room.

So much for a fucking distraction.

 —----- 

Roman finds her out back on the patio. 

He needed to clear his head, get back into his tunnel vision focus, and the gym he had included when he built the house is the perfect place to do that. Two hours later, recentered and showered, he readies to call it a night. But, he realizes he probably shouldn’t do as such until he makes sure Solana is at least partially stable enough to be left alone. 

And she is. 

She’s laid out, sleeping on the rattan lounge chair, a closed notebook tucked into her side. Roman recognizes it as the same one she was writing in that day at the library as well as the one she used for her grocery list just earlier in the day. 

He settles down on the chair next to her, studying her. Even in her sleep, she looks….sad. And for the first time in the midst of all these strange experiences with her, Roman understands. He understands her sadness, understands her difficulty, understands the memories that clearly haunt her.

The same way they used to haunt him. 

His hand goes to his tatted arm, intricate tribal tattoo hiding permanent remnants of that night of hell. The night that he once had the same kind of night terrors about. 

Noticing the breeze, he walks back into the house, grabbing one of the throw blankets on the sofa. Roman is careful to not directly touch her as he lays it over her body. A part of him is tempted to carry her back to her room, but he remembers these kinds of nights. The kind where it’s a challenge to escape the memories, let alone find a place and mental space to turn your brain off enough to just sleep.

So he leaves her alone, allowing her to enjoy the only escape she clearly has in this life.

[verysium]

ACT 1, SCENE 3: blue lock headcanons

sae is into skincare: lotions, serums, the whole set. he and rin used to have self-care nights as children during which they would sit in bed with matching face masks and watch cartoons on the family tablet. if they were in a good mood, they would let you join.

barou listens to classical while working out. no joke. this man is so insanely focused he will shoot goals and play paganini at the same time. his work ethic is low-key why you were attracted to him the first place.

nagi is lazy to the point he will deliberately buy five pairs of the same exact pants just to save himself the trouble of having to choose an outfit in the morning. thank god for reo otherwise nagi would still be dressing like he just crawled out of bed. he still can't do much about his bedhead though.

rin desperately wanted to join sae in the deeper end of the community pool; however, he was deathly afraid of drowning. his only logical solution was to cover himself in pool floaties while he dipped a single toe into the water. even to this day, he still has traumatic memories of that experience. you need to hold his hand every time.

kaiser acts like his football prowess comes entirely from natural talent. in reality, he trains to an obsessive degree behind the scenes. you could come home at midnight, and he would still be there replaying every single highlight of his recent game. he is the type to keep detailed notes about all the players he went up against.

isagi likes to walk around his hometown of saitama and just observe the snapshots of life around him. whether it's a street vendor, children playing on a grass patch, or a couple in the sunset, he secretly enjoys these little vignettes of human experience. he would become sentimental when it comes to you. sometimes you have to pull his head out of the clouds.

nagi has parents who work overseas, so the most he sees of them is through video calls or holiday presents. occasionally, he also gets a birthday card shipped through international mail. when you threw him his first surprise party, he secretly felt touched because his family was never big on physical celebrations.

sae is ridiculously good at anything that involves data and calculations. he participated in a math competition one time in junior high, and he would have made it to the national level had he not been entirely focused on football. refused to tutor rin in algebra though because apparently his little brother has to figure out everything for himself. if it were you though, he would begrudgingly agree.

bachira holds the world record in procrastination. his notebook, pencil, and eraser are still as untouched and pristine as they were on the first day of the academic school year. he does not know what a book is, nor has he read one. he only studied because you refused to cuddle with him otherwise.

ego eats so many cups of instant ramen noodles that his glasses begin to fog up from time to time. anri has to clean the frames and lenses weekly just to make sure his myopic self can even see. at this point, she's the real MVP of the entire series.

barou likes to open the windows right after it rains because he enjoys the sweet smell of petrichor. his ideal day would be spent lounging on a couch with some tea and a novel. it would be even more perfect if you snuggled under the blankets with him.

niko sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, immensely insecure about his forehead. he thinks it looks giant though it really isn't. you have to brush his fringe back and pepper kisses down his face and remind him that a big forehead means a big, sexy brain, so it really isn't that bad. he believes you and goes back to sleep.

shidou would make fun of boomers. in fact, he'd ridicule every single person he considers past their prime. he does not believe in any form of authority, nor does he like being told what to do. if he had his way, he would have turned the entire world into anarchy a long time ago. the only reason why he doesn't wake up and make himself everyone's problem is because he doesn't want to upset you.

kaiser knows he is very well-endowed physically, so he purposefully walks around your apartment shirtless. if he catches you eyeing him, he will make a big deal out of it. tries to not-so-subtly flex his biceps every time he reaches for the milk carton.

reo loves cocktail dresses, especially in the wine red shade. something about the accentuated figure and natural curves gives him goosebumps. his favorite part of you is when your tummy slightly protrudes after you've eaten too much. you might think it's embarrassing, but he thinks it's adorable.

rin only uses shower gel, mostly because he learned his lesson after using the locker room shower stalls. never use bar soap, always use bottled. he's also the type to always have shower shoes. sae taught him that.

bachira is the type of student to completely misread the question and still not feel bad after the teacher points it out. oh no, he was actually supposed to solve for x, not just circle it? he'll shrug it off like nothing ever happened. at least he tried. the teacher should be grateful for his effort.

sae says he does not understand the sentiments behind cute couple traditions but then proceeds to get upset when you show up to his game without wearing his jersey. would definitely get you matching bracelets for your anniversary.

aiku has a high spice tolerance. he would definitely drown his food either in sriracha or buldak sauce. if you can't handle spicy though, he would set aside a separate plate just for you and manually spoon out the food just to make sure you have something to eat too.

aryu never has dry cuticles. he is always trimming and filing to perfection. sometimes he has beef with your nail tech because he thinks he could have done so much better on your acrylics. refuses to let you go to a salon because he already has all the tools and expertise necessary.

sae does not know how to cook. his manager has always ordered take-out for him. the one time he tried to use a microwave, he completely misread the package instructions and nearly burned the entire building down. called you up with the straightest face afterwards to tell you that the smoke alarms were not shutting off.

barou unconsciously caves into peer pressure. every single new trend makes him rethink his personal style. however, he views it all with an old man mentality. like what are these youngsters doing these days? dying their hair every possible color of the rainbow? he has to do that too. proceeds to call aryu to add red streaks into his own hair. sometimes you have to remind him that external opinion should always taken with a grain of salt.

chigiri has a major sweet tooth. if you so much as bake him one single treat, he will have made plans to put a ring on your finger before he even finishes the damn pastry. his ideal partner is someone mature and understanding who can take care of him well. definitely likes the homemaker type.

gagamaru is the seeing friend in your relationship. no matter how many trips he makes to the optometrist, he will always come back with perfect 20/20 vision. definitely a nature enthusiast, and he loves hiking. even if you're blind as a bat, he will always be there to hold your hand in the dark.

© verysium 2023 / please do not translate, repost, or plagiarize any of my works

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 21 (2024)

By Marjorie, Axelle, Noi. Brij, Dion and Bex

Now Available!

Itch.io. - Keep Reading below

If you read the zine, consider liking the post: it helps us see how many people sees it! And sharing is caring! <3

~ EDITORIAL ~

Still looking for members!

To ensure the zine has a bright future, we are still looking for free hands with a couple of hours to kill, and minds, looking to make a little difference in the community! Our team might have grown, but there is space for more kind souls!

If you too would like to help us out in a more official capacity, we have some key positions available in our roster. So shoot us a message!

~

This week, we had a very special guest on Small Talk... XYZZY winner, surrealist author, multimedia creator and Tumblr sensation...

Kit Riemer (@adz)!

We dove into their strange worlds, talked about their impactful games, and learned some pretty interesting stuff about making games!

Check out our interview with Kit Riemer on Small Talk...

We hope you enjoy

this new issue!

MARJORIE, AXELLE, NOI, BRIJ, DION, BEX

~ BE PART OF THE ZINE ~

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? HAS EXPANDED!

Since the release of issue #14, we've enacted some changes with the zine. It is now expanded with interviews of creators from all around the IF world, as well as direct contributions from you, our readers!

THIS ZINE ONLY HAPPENS WITH YOU!

Want to write 1-2 pages about a neat topic, or deep-dive into a game and review it in details? Share personal experiences or get all academic?

WRITE FOR THE COLUMN!

Prefer to be more low-key but still have something to share? Send us a Zine Letter or share a game title for Highlight on…!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Excited as we are about next week's interview and have questions for our guest? Or want to see a certain author answer questions next? Message us!

SMALL TALK... IS WAITING!

Came across something interesting? Know a release or an update announced? Saw an event happening? Whether it's a game, an article, a podcast… Add any IF-related content to our mini-database!

EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS!

Contact us through Tumblr asks, Forum DMs, or even by email! And thank you for your help!!

~ EVENT SPOTLIGHT : IFCOMP ~

The Superbowl of Interactive Fiction

The Interactive Fiction Competition (or IFComp) is one of the major yearly IF events, since 1995. It may be even the longest still-recurring yearly game making event!

Started by Kevin Wilson in the IF Usenet Forum rec.arts.int-fiction, submitted games were limited to 2h playtime before being judged and ranked by players.

Throughout the years, the IFComp evolved, seeing a couple dozens of parser entries to a wide and diverse range of IF forms. Still, after ballooning during Covid, with recurring 70+ entries, the event continues to be a key avenue for IF creation

As the submission period ended just this week, the IFComp is now moving to its Voting Period, which will last for 1-1/2 month (until October 15). Starting this Sunday, judges will be able to play and rate entries (minimum of 5 to count).

At the end of the event, if participants rank high enough, they are eligible for prizes and part of the Colossal Fund pie! @ifcomp They are still looking for donations!

Looking for great games to play? Want your voice make a difference? Go create an account and vote!

~ ENDED ~

IntroComp officially ended this week. Though there was only one courageous entry this year, congratulations to the winner! Maybe we'll see Good Bones completed within the year!

The campfire ashes of the Tales to Thrill jam have expired. But there are still 10 thrilling entries to check out!

While you can't eat them, you will find three Confiture de Parser entries to play! New and veteran parser creators spent the summer making some fun games (in French)!

As for the SuNoFes Jam, they broke all their records in submissions! Go check out some really cool entries!

The Review-a-thon also ended last week, helping add over a hundred reviews to willing games, and raising money in the process!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

Voting has now started for IFComp! Until Oct 15, you can play and rate at least 5 of the 67 entries! Yup, only just 5 games to be an official judge!

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

Only this weekend left to submit for the Bitsy Jam 83! This edition's theme is “temporary”!

The Bring Out Your Ghost jam of remembering old WIPs is coming to an end this weekend. This will be your last chance to show off your ghosts (or attempt to finish them)! @neointeractives

If you are looking to create something but can't do a whole game, the Game Mockup Jam might be for you! Returning this year, the jam is looking for 1-4 screenshots of a game that doesn't exist! @romanhyacinths

Running until Halloween, the Phantasia Jam is a three months game jam to create a fantasy narrative game, with the theme of “Hidden Magic”. It accepts both VN and IF.

On the CoG Forum, Halloween is already there! Until Oct 31st, submit to the Halloween Jam - it has funky themes!

Do you understand or write Ukrainian? Until the end of the year, the Ukrainian IF Festival is happening on itch.io!

~ OTHER ~

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is still running! If you have completed an IF piece this year, consider submitting it! It is happening only on itch!

~ SMALL TALK… ~

WITH KIT RIEMER (@adz)

~ Joining us this week is surrealist author, multimedia creator and Tumblr sensation: Kit Riemer ~ Author of “Computerfriend”, “Verses, and more! ~

Due to Tumblr's link limit, this transcription does not include any links. Download the zine on itch for the complete list.

⟶ Hello Kit! Welcome to Small Talk…

Thanks for having me!

⟶ Please, tell us a bit more about yourself and how you landed in the Interactive Fiction community.

When I was young, I was a big fan of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. The Goosebumps ones were okay, but I found a few pulp scifi ones from the '80s/'90s that were gorier and weirder, and I loved them... at my dad's recommendation, I fooled around with a few parser games like Zork in high school, but didn't realize there was an extant community for that kind of game until much later, when I published consciousness hologram. I originally wrote it as a series of HTML webpages for a hybrid poetics class I took in college, and my friend Brett convinced me to drop it into Twine and build in more interactivity. Then I found my way onto the Intfiction forum and never looked back.

⟶ Let's start with consciousness hologram, which you published in 2018, which was clearly inspired visually by early Twine games. What drove this specific formatting of the game?

It's funny you say that, cuz I wasn't really aware of other Twine games when I made it... I think it looks that way because I was just learning how to use Twine (and write basic HTML), and the styling/coding I did was extremely rudimentary and mostly based on the o.g. HTML webpage version of the story. I like the plainness of old Geocities sites and was trying to recreate that vibe, and I actually think the webpage version of the story was more visually appealing, but I quickly got addicted to the branching choice format. consciousness hologram is my most deliberately interactive game, with customizable name/pronouns and a bunch of little optional choices and branches. For future games, I had to learn to pare down...

⟶ Yet, this styling has not completely disappeared in your subsequent projects, especially in the Computerfriend series. Were those a deliberate choice?

The styling did become more deliberate in Computerfriend. That game was very carefully styled; especially the Hyperpages section, which was a reskinned version of ripped code from a Geocities forum. I spent a long time experimenting with different graphics and recreating old operating system layouts (it was originally supposed to look like Windows 95).

⟶ Is there a particular section/scene of consciousness hologram that you like the most? or one you regret?

I haven't played it in such a long time, but I have fond memories of James's integration section. His voice was a blast to write; a kind of friendly/malevolent ghost hanging around in the background of everything that happens. I'm sure if I played it now I'd cringe at most of it, but so much time has passed that it doesn't particularly feel like my game. When I (very occasionally) get comments about it, it comes as a surprise to me

⟶ Universal Hologram was your entry into IF competitions, resulting in the 23rd rank at the famed IFComp. What was your experience with the biggest IF competition? Were you stressed at all as a first time entrant?

I didn't really understand the prestige of IFComp when I joined, so I wasn't that stressed. The private author's channel was also great for relieving some of that nervousness by commiserating with everyone else. I did get a bit more self-aware as I learned about the community and received real, good, critical reviews. Not all the feedback I got was positive, but it was thoughtful and useful, and I liked that the reviewers stuck to their guns and expressed themselves clearly. During the competition, I finally started playing more IF and began to understand what was expected of a serious piece of IF.

⟶ There were a couple of years between consciousness hologram and Universal Hologram. Was there something about this game that took a while to do?

After finishing consciousness hologram, I still wasn't really involved with the IF scene, and I spent the next couple years writing a weird little novel called North Alter. While working on it, I got sick, and was spending a lot of time seeing different doctors and dealing with symptoms that made it difficult to be productive (this lasted from around 2019-2022). At one point, I listed consciousness hologram on IFDB and thought it would be funny if my friends review-bombed it so it was the lowest-rated thing on the site. I didn't realize there was a serious community there, and on my sorry-for-being-an-idiot tour I met a bunch of folks who were super smart, funny, and kind. I also got some legitimate feedback on my work, and it made me want to take another crack at Twine, so I started work on a sequel to consciousness hologram.

⟶ What is your favorite moment in Universal Hologram? What about your least favorite?

Universal Hologram is a fundamentally silly game, and most of the things I dislike about it now are related to tone. Its philosophical themes (like negative utilitarianism) have an inherent humor, at least to me, but the super casual character dialogue I wrote for it was criticized, rightfully I think, for not seeming to take itself seriously and leaning too hard on slang & swearing. The tonal shift at the end threw some players, too, but I think that's my favorite moment — whichever branch you take, I tried to make the final act of the game feel high stakes. I love the novel The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester and the paradigm shifting sequence at its end, where each earlier part is put into perspective and the reader (or at least this reader) thinks "oh damn, this is bold, he's actually doing X," so I wanted to try to pull off something similar.

⟶ Universal Hologram (and in a small section Computerfriend) includes AI-generated images. AI is currently a hot-topic in the IF-scene. What was the reaction of players regarding these images? Has your view on AI changed since?

When I was working on Universal Hologram, AI image generation tools were in a fairly early state. They were being written, trained, and published mostly by researchers and students, and it felt exciting to take advantage of them and experiment, especially in the context of a game like Universal Hologram, which deals with issues like the moral weight of an artificial intelligence. It was before the training data was poisoned by recursive AI garbage, so the result of my prompts was often inhuman, grotesque, and unique in a way I found appealing. You had to make choices like selecting the training database and setting how many iterations of an image the program would create, starting from a purplish blob and solidifying (hopefully) into something vaguely resembling the prompt. I especially enjoyed creating GIFs of the images resolving over the course of 300 or so iterations, forcing the program to gradually improve on an alien task it would never understand.

Like most people, I soured on generative AI pretty quickly. Businesses with access to massive (dubiously acquired) user data archives used them to train programs that became more and more predictable. I educated myself about the ethics and the growing environmental impact of tools like ChatGPT, but I also began seeing them used to create petabytes of SEO-optimized spam webpages and Facebook ragebait and samey & terrible stories, games, and images that began to overwhelm the small creative communities I frequented. So even though nobody ever criticized my use of AI (that I know of), I abandoned it, because today's generative AI tools seem antithetical to the things I love about art: individuality, creativity, making something out of nothing.

⟶ You didn't just participate in the IFComp, following up 6 months later with the release of Computerfriend at the SpringThing. Did you notice differences in the vibes between the two events?

Computerfriend was not meant to be a widely accessible or likable game, and I happened to finish it around the time that Spring Thing was occurring, so it seemed like a good match - I think of Spring Thing as a bit friendlier, less qualitative, & more open to odd stuff. (My favorite games that year, Manifest No and Phenomena, were both entered in the Back Garden section.) I do think Spring Thing reviews are a little less critical. Festival vs. competition.

⟶ Can you tell us a bit more about Computerfriend? And how came you up with it?

I plotted out Computerfriend while still quite sick, depressed, and isolated, and I wanted the game to reflect that isolation. I was in therapy at the time, and something that came up often was my feeling that my emotional state was actually completely normal given the circumstances — like, I had been a physically healthy & productive adult, and then I became unable to leave my house or work or see friends, and my reaction to that was, if anything, indicative of a healthy mind. And I began to imagine this character undergoing a similar existence, with personal and environmental factors that made their life hellish, and how frustrating it would be to be told that the way they felt (rather than their miserable material circumstances) was the problem. Then I researched a bunch of different therapeutic techniques to determine how they'd be used to treat someone like this.

⟶ Computerfriend won an IFDB and XYZZY Award, as well as being placed in the Top 50 IF Games of All Time. Did you expect the game to get such a following?

The response to Computerfriend was overwhelmingly positive in comparison to anything else I’ve released. I received some very kind and passionate reviews (which I go back and read occasionally when I need motivation) from intfic writers for whom I have a great deal of respect. It was a big surprise to me that folks enjoyed the game; I had written it from a very bleak & depressed perspective, but there's also some humor, and I heard from a number of players that it was a more pleasant experience than I'd expected, or really intended. Even being nominated for those awards (among brilliant authors like Autumn Chen and Jim Nelson) was hugely flattering.

⟶ Do you have a review that struck you the most?

I think a lot about Kaemi's review of Computerfriend. Kaemi writes such beautiful, intricate, strange prose, and the review is freewheeling but very specific and insightful. Sometimes I'll read a review of something I've written and it'll describe a theme or rationalize the presence of some metaphor/concept in my work, and I'll think "oh, that's why I did that." The people who closely read my stories often have better insight than I do.

⟶ Is there a scene or passage in Computerfriend that you hold dearly?

My favorite scenes in Computerfriend were when I was able to go full Gibsonian sci-fi and invent neologisms, cults, gory window dressing, stuff like that. The parts drawn from my life were not so much fun to write, but it was enjoyable mixing them with way over-the-top genre fiction details. And probably kind of therapeutic, too.

⟶ While Computerfriend was a complete entry, you did write a short sequel for it. Can you tell us a bit more about that?

After publishing Computerfriend I received some (mostly facetious) comments saying I should make a dating sim with the title character, and I thought it was a funny idea, but didn't seriously consider it until my friends in the Neointeractives group threw Smoochie Jam. I'd been plugging away at Verses for a couple years and I needed a break, so I dumped the Computerfriend stylesheet into a new file and wrote Familiar over the course of a few days. Although it was initially kind of a joke, I ended up writing it in a more serious voice. It's a very short, inessential game, a little postface for players who didn't get the closure they needed from Computerfriend.

⟶ What did you enjoy the most while writing Familiar?

I like Godfield, and returning for a little while was nice. When I work on a single project for too long, I enter its world completely, and it’s isolating to throw days, weeks, months, even years of energy into this void that no one else can see. Then, when I publish, the fugue ends so abruptly that by the time the work receives attention and comments, I’m somewhere else entirely. Familiar was less a creative exercise and more a check-in with an older version of myself - how bleak is this place, really? Can anything of value be found there? It didn’t get a lot of attention, but I enjoyed working on it.

⟶ From a more dystopian sci-fi setting, you moved towards bi-lingual works, starting with piele. What was the reason behind this form of translating interactivity?

piele is a prototype for the translation mechanic in Verses (which I just published as part of IFComp). I wanted to build a natural-feeling system to understand both literal and metaphorical/contextual meaning in poetic translation, and piele was my first attempt. I normally wouldn't have published it, but the Neo-Twiny Jam (also from the Neointeractives) was running at the time, and I wanted to show people this little toy I'd made.

⟶ Was there a particular reason for using Romanian as the translated language?

I have Romanian ancestors, and the poetry translation was an exercise to build better cultural knowledge of their place of origin. I don’t speak Romanian, nor do any of my living family members, so it required a lot of consultation with various resources and, ultimately, a lot of assumptions and guesswork. The result is probably not close to the original meaning, but can a translation ever be completely accurate?

⟶ Is there a specific Romanian sentence/saying you discovered through this research that stuck with you?

Romanian is a fascinating language, especially for someone like me who has a rudimentary understanding of some Latin roots - it's a Romance language, of course, so it shares quite a bit with languages like Spanish and Italian, but many of its words also come from other Indo-European sources like Slavic or Dacian. I don't speak it, but I still recognize quite a bit - for example, "blood" in Romanian is "sânge," which I recognized because of the Spanish word “sangre.” The translation process was often frustrating but also filled with moments like this where something suddenly and intuitively made sense. And funny moments, too: lots of old Dacian words described swamps, which makes sense if you look at the geography of the area where the language originated.

A phrase I liked from a book of Romanian folktales: instead of "and they lived happier ever after," the final sentence reads " If they haven't died, they are living still."

⟶ From the short piele concept, you followed up with your IFComp entry Verses. Can you tell us a bit more about it?

Verses has been my project for the last three or so years (I was plotting it out long before publishing Computerfriend, in fact). It's hard to describe, but in short, you play as someone who analyzes objects and phrases to try to determine truth. It's set in Romania in the village where my grandmother grew up, and I've included sections where you translate actual poetry from Romanian, although these sections of the game are mostly optional.

⟶ Were these projects, piele and Verses created as a way to (re)connect to that ancestry?

piele was just a proof of concept, but Verses is in part an attempt to better understand my family's history. My Romanian grandparents died when I was young, and my life is full of their anecdotes and phrases, but I know there's so much I missed, too. Most of what I read about Romanian history while working on Verses was totally new to me. The country's history is politically fraught, and getting a straight story about (e.g.) the Soviet occupation and Romanian holocaust during World War II is very difficult.

⟶ Verses is your second time entering the IFComp. How do you feel about it? Have there been lessons you took from entering Universal Hologram that you applied to Verses?

I like the seriousness of IFComp. Most of the participants (authors, players, reviewers) have higher standards than they would for something like a game jam. That said, no matter how technically proficient you are, not everyone will like what you do. Don't try to please everyone. Your game should work, it should be bug-free, it should be polished, you should be proud of it. But you shouldn't aim for universal acclaim. "Likable" is not a compelling trait for a work of art. Something that appeals strongly to a smaller group, something that upends expectations, even being described as "polarizing" is good.

⟶ What kind of feeling/message do you hope players will take after player Verses?

There's a lot going on in the game, and since its release a few days ago I've seen some discussion around different themes players noticed. I agree with Nabokov when he talks about his distaste for "moral stories;" I want my work to be open ended and provoke questions rather than having a single clear point or argument (if that were the case, I'd write an essay). That said, Verses is a story that's hugely concerned with morality and complicity. I want players to consider their distance from acts committed by their ancestors in the name of the future, and from extant atrocities like the current genocide in Palestine. A gun fires and a living person dies. Then, a thousand miles away, a story is told, a history is written, and not only the death but the life is erased.

⟶ Just before the release of Computerfriend you released Let Me Tell You Who You Are, as an homage to uquiz. How did you manage balancing making this game and your entry to the Spring Thing?

Let Me Tell You Who You Are was a super quick project; I thought it up and wrote the whole thing within a day or two. Uquiz is endlessly funny to me. The limited cultural reach of the quizzes is kind of a joke to people on Tumblr, where the entirety of human experience sits on a spectrum somewhere between Taylor Swift and Hozier, and I thought it would be a good bit to have one of these cheerfully myopic questionnaires that occasionally dips into horror and antiquated verse.

⟶ I am the Mom Friend (too fitting for me...). How did you define each result of the quiz?

The reason I was able to get the quiz done so quickly is that there's actually very little variety... in fact, if I remember correctly, everyone is the Mom Friend :)

⟶ Is there a genre or theme you'd like to explore in future projects?

After Verses, I don’t know what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll record an album. I do have a couple ideas for stories in a more surreal, less sci-fi mode, but I don’t know if they’ll end up as games or something else.

⟶ Your work is universally based on Twine, particularly the Harlowe format. What about it attracted you?

Twine is extremely simple, based stylistically on CSS and HTML (I had some familiarity with these already), and most importantly free. Free to use and free to publish under whatever license you choose. I've tried to learn programs with more use cases (and honestly saleability) like Godot, but I have no background in actual programmatic coding, so I found it too difficult. I might try again at some point, but right now I want to create and publish (not learn new tools) with what little money and time I have. What I love about Twine is that a single person can learn enough in a few days or weeks and make something remarkable without having a wide set of skills (besides writing). And if you do have other skills, like audio engineering or digital art, you can apply them very easily.

⟶ Is there a thing you wished you had known about Twine or IF in general before starting making games?

Learning the conventions of your genre (so you can adhere to or subvert them) by playing can be useful, but there’s nothing you need to know before making a game. Just make something, evaluate, and then make something better.

⟶ You don't just create games, you are a multimedia creator (writing fiction and doing photography). What about those mediums interest you?

Every medium is more or less the same to me in terms of the scope of potential accomplishment (does that sentence make any sense?). I collect ideas and metaphors and themes, and they gradually cohere into a project that fits better into some mediums than others. The more things you know how to do, the more options you have to explore and combine these interests. Film photography does have a special place in my heart, though. There’s something very mystical about it.

I used my (heavily edited) photos in North Alter, and I'd like to do something similar again. I've been focused on text for a while now, and I'm starting to miss the more collage-y stuff I used to do...

⟶ Your photography and stories have also been published. Is there a publication you are particularly proud of?

I'm not especially proud of anything I've made being published/shared widely. I think about Ocean Vuong's interview with The Creative Independent where he talks about awards and competitions: "If you must use that construct, you use it the way one uses public transport. Get on, then get off at your stop and find your people." The attention is a means to an end for me.

⟶ Your work is often centered around the surreal, weirdness, and mysticism. What influences contributed to this?

Life is full of moments of surrealty or unreality. I mistake my dreams for reality all the time, and vice versa. I try to be careful and methodical and thorough when I work, but I don't know anything, and I don't like guessing. I'm comfortable not knowing. And then at the same time, I'm fascinated by people who do have answers. That's something that feels truly surreal to me: positioning yourself as someone with a serious understanding of life's complexity. I like to try to get into these peoples' heads.

I was raised in a conservative religious home. As a child, beginning to pick holes in what's supposed to be the absolute nature of the universe is frightening. It feels like the ground's falling out from under you. I've had to make peace with this, too. I love my parents very much, and I think I understand them pretty well, but there will always be things they believe that I find mystical and strange. It's a life-long process for me to learn as much as I can and, simultaneously, to accept that most things will remain a mystery.

⟶ Are there works that inspire you to create?

Right now, I'm inspired by Kate Zambreno's and Han Kang's books, Marc Horowitz' painting Old traps disappear and new ones emerge, Ville Kallio's game Cruelty Squad, and the album "Grieftopia" by Ministry of Interior Spaces.

⟶ Do you have any IF recommendations for our readers?

Here are some IF games that are worth playing:

The Archivist and The Revolution by Autumn Chen

Repeat the Ending by Drew Cook

the shape you make when you want your bones to be closest to the surface by Porpentine Charity Heartscape

Victim Doll by communistsister (mind the CWs)

Photopia by Adam Cadre

Manifest No by Kaemi Velatet

⟶ You hold multiple usernames over the internet. What's the story behind adz and slugzuki?

I’ve had my Tumblr account for over a decade & was there many years ago when the site deleted a ton of unused blogs - I was obsessed with the album “The Age of Adz” by Sufjan Stevens at the time, so I snatched up the URL :)

“Slugzuki” doesn’t really mean anything, it’s just a username I came up with that’s typically available on every website.

⟶ How do you cope with seeing your posts blow up on Tumblr? And then appear on Twitter/Reddit?

Haha, it's never the posts I expect (or want) that blow up. My friends like sending me screenshots from Instagram or wherever someone's reposted me. It's just the nature of the internet; I'm at peace with it.

⟶ Since you just released something, we won't ask you to divulge what next secret project is in the works. But where can we follow your progress and/or releases?

If you want to keep track of what I release, you can follow me on Tumblr (@adz) or sign up for my email list here: https://buttondown.com/slugzuki.

Now, go play some IFComp (@ifcomp) games and write reviews or comments if the spirit moves you! The authors will be grateful :)

Huge thanks to Kit Riemer for Letting us send so many questions this week and telling us so much… and more!

~ NEW RELEASE ~

No notable new independent release.

As always, don't forget to check out the submitted entries to the events mentioned in the previous pages. They deserve some love too!

~ NEW RELEASE (WIP) ~

Love and Leases (Twine) is a slice-of-life project where you play as a newly single person, trying to get their life back together. @loveandleases

The Ancient Tombs of Time (CScript) is a fantasy project, in which you play as god, sealed away for decades until recently freed. @theancienttombsoftime

The FANTASTIC Clash (CScript) is a modern drama project, where you play as a contestant on a reality TV show.

Immortal (Twine) is a supernatural project, following you as a private investigator, plagued by mysterious dreams. @immortal-if

~ UPDATES ~

After Dark (CScript) updated the Patreon demo with extra content.

Dragon Kin (CScript) added Chapter 5 to the demo.

Drink your Villian Juice! (CScript) Chapter 7 Part 1 is now available to all. @drinkyourvillainjuice

Football Glory (CScript) completed Prologue and Chapter 1 rewrite.

Era of the Archdemons (CScript) added half of Chapter 3.

Grey Swan - Birds of a Rose (CScript) started rewriting the demo, now new and updated. @reinekes-fox

Legend of the Dragoon (CScript) added part of Chapter 1 to the demo.

Sense and Sorcery (CScript) updated the demo with extra content.

The One Chosen (CScript) added new chapter to the Patreon demo. @parrotwatcher

The People's House (CScript)'s complete demo in now live for public beta.

Jolly Good: Tea and Scones (CScript) added a new path to Chapter 7.

Crown of Ashes and Flames (Twine) made Chapter 4 available for all. @coeluvr

Crown of Exile (Twine) updated the Patreon demo with a new chapter. @ramonag-if

Of Crowns and Echoes (Twine) added Chapter 2 to the demo. @of-crowns-and-echoes

Valiant (Twine) completed a major re-write of the demo and routes. @valiant-if

Path of Martial Arts (CScript) updated Patreon demo with extra content. @nicky-if

Specters of the Deep (CScript) added Chapter 7 to demo.

Weeping Gods (CScript) added new content and for the noble origin path. @jcollinswrites

Virtue’s End (CScript) updated the Patreon demo. @virtues-end

Club Oblivion (Twine) completed Malygos’s route. @ramonag-if

The Good People (Na Doine Maithe) (Ren’Py) updated the demo with new sprites. @moiraimyths

Scarlet Sorceress (CScript) released a side chapter called “The Mystery of Castle Alaire’.

Surge, Spire, and Sea (CScript) is the new title of Gigantea: Age of Rot, and added two new chapters.

Bridging the gap (CScript) added extra content to the demo. @astralfortune

Our Life: Now & Forever (Ren’Py) updated the Patreon Beta build. @gb-patch

Fields of Asphodel (CScript) has been officially released under Hosted Game and is available for purchase on Steam and other platforms. @chrysanthemumgames

Dragon of Steelthorne (CScript) has added two chapters to the released game, giving a 40% discount for new players.

~ OTHER ~

Fate Unwritten (Twine) is looking for beta-testers for the upcoming update. @fateunwritten-if

When Twilight Strikes (Twine) is looking for beta-testers for the upcoming chapter. @evertidings

Magehunter: Phoenix Flame (CScript) is looking for official beat-testers for their final version of the game.

The new issue of the Amare Fortnightly Bulletin is out! Check it out here! @amaregames

Also released this week was the new issue of the Indiepocalypse, which includes a couple of IF games! Get it here! @pizzapranks

Polygon interviewed Julia Minamata, author of The Crimson Diamond, a retro parser recently released on Steam.

Brian Rushton (@mathbrush) released his book about a slice of IF History. You can download it for free here.

~

As always, we apologize in advance for missing any update or release from the past week. We are only volunteers using their limited free time to find as much as we can - but sometimes things pass through the cracks.

If you think something should have been included in this week's zine but did not appear, please shoot us a message! We'll do our best to add it next week! And if you know oncoming news, add it here!

~ MAYBE YOU NEXT? ~

We did not get a submission this week. But if you have an idea for a short essay, or would like a special space to share your thoughts about IF and the community...

Shoot us an email!

~ HIGHLIGHT ON ~

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserves some highlighting?

An old or recent game that wowed you so much you spam it to everyone?

Tell us about it! And it might appear here!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL! WHETHER IT'S GOOD OR BAD, OR EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN...

That was an amazing interview, with Jacqueline. I knew the IF community had been here for a while, but I didn't understand until now how long it was... And those answers! Is it weird I wished you has asked more questions? - anon

Have something to say? Send us a message titled: Zine Letter!

As we end this issue, we would like to thank:

the very cool and very helpful anonymous users!

For sending news, interview questions, helpful tips, cool links, filled form, written Sheet line, even emails... all these help us so much to make this Zine possible!

And as always, huge thanks to all you readers who liked, shared, and commented on last week's issue! What might be tiny actions are huge support and motivators to us! Thank you for cheering us on this journey!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

While we usually announce our next interviewee in this section, this won't be the case this week. We'll actually be taking a short breaks from our interview series. Don't worry! It will come back in a few issues!

In the meantime, go cheer your favorite author for us!

And see you again next week!

MARJORIE, AXELLE, NOI, BRIJ, DION, BEX

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 21

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

Something I never hear anyone talk about in the 'why are Young Adults (late teens to early 30s) reading so much Young Adult (teens) fiction These Days' discussion is how surprisingly difficult it can be to transition from kids books to adult fiction.

And I don't mean in terms of content. Forget themes, characters, plots, etc. I'm talking pure practicality.

As a kid, most of the books you read are calibrated to you exactly. Your local library likely has a 'children's' section, and that section is likely split into smaller sub-sections based on age group. 0-5, 5-8, 8-12, teen. A lot of your interests and experiences are pretty easy to guess at based on average developmental stages (eg. most 16-18 year olds will relate to Coming Of Age stories), so it's probably pretty easy for you to walk into a bookshop or library and find a book aimed at you specifically.

But get to 18 (or younger) and start straying into the 'adult' section, and suddenly nothing is calibrated anymore. When people complain that all 'grownup fiction' is about white middle class heterosexual couples going through angsty divorces in their mid-forties, this is what they're complaining about. They can't find books they can personally relate to, or that are about topics that they are interested in.

And yeah, sure, books shouldn't have to be relatable to be good or enjoyable. But there's also nothing wrong with wanting to read a book about young people, when you're young. Or queer people, if you're queer. Or people from your particular culture, religion, or ethnicity.

Even if we ignore the relatability aspect entirely, there's also nothing wrong with wanting to read a fantasy book that isn't just 'Tolkien but drearier' or a sci-fi that wasn't written by some guy in the 1960s who thought that women were just another kind of alien.

The problem is, fundamentally, that finding the books you like amid the haystack is a skill that most people are not being taught.

As a result, when they get past YA and try using the old tricks of just picking up whatever is on the bestseller list at the moment, or whatever their local library is currently touting as their 'book of the week', they frequently end up with something that isn't suited to their tastes.

And maybe they love it and it opens up a whole new genre that they'd never considered, but more often they hate it but feel obliged to slog through because this is a 'grownup book' and they have decided they want to be a 'grownup reader'.

A few times being burned like this, and they come to the conclusion that all adult fiction is boring, and that the people who read it are all either mature geniuses of the type they could only hope to be, or slogging through like they were and only pretending to like it.

Thus they run back to the familiarity of YA—which is fine, to be clear, there's nothing actually wrong with reading YA as an adult— but there's every chance that somewhere on the bookshelves is a potential favourite author of theirs that they will now never know because they were never taught how to find them.

[yoonieper]

Chronicles of My Witchy GF | JJK

We made our own magic.

✵ Pairing: Jungkook x witch!Reader 

✵ Genre: fluff, smut, crack

✵ Rated: W for Which Witch?

✵ Warnings: little bit of weed smoking, lots of cheesy lines (babies in love), Jungkook accidentally eats something he shouldn’t (twice), lots of crying (in the good way), this shit gets nasty, mentions of food play, masturbation (m), dry humping, thigh fucking(?), pillow fucking, tiny bit of breed kink (it’ll make sense later lol), accidental facial, oral (m + f recieving), throat fucking, face sitting, lots of cum (a lot!), unprotected sex (be smart y’all <3)

✵ Word Count: 31.8k (get snacks :’D)

✵ Summary: Just Jungkook and a few cute tales about his witchy girlfriend~

✵ Now Playing…: Freaky Deaky by Tyga & Doja Cat, Lay it Down by Steelix, Under the Influence by Chris Brown 

✵ Betas: Thank you so much to the amazing @jessikahathaway and @xxxanimangxxx for looking over this monster fic so quickly <3!

✵ Author’s Note: This fic is so unserious yall, I don’t know how I ended up writing this 😭 I had plans for a Jimin fic, but I started this hoping to get it done quickly, but this turned out a lot longer than I thought it would be :’) Anyway, I thought I would experiment a little with this type of formatting for this fic~ Hope y’all enjoy, and Happy Halloween! This couple is so cute and has so much drabble potential (I got ideas~)! P.S. Made the banner myself and I’m tryna get better, hope y’all like 😅

No reposting, modifying. Translating is not allowed unless given explicit permission. Thank you so much :D

Hello to the random person who decided to click on this post! I know the title of this might sound a little strange and no one reading this will believe anything I say, but I was just hoping to rant to the void with the high probable fact that this message will most likely be buried under many other users’ posts. I can’t talk to anyone in my life about this. My friends and family have not even heard these stories to their true entirety, as they include secrets that aren’t mine to tell. For once I wanted someone to hear the tales that have somehow become my life. 

I’m Jungkook (pronounced Jeong-guk) and a few years ago I found myself dating a witch (yep, you read that right). We had recently gone out shopping together and I had made up the excuse that I was going to check out another store. In actuality, I was really interested in going to this jewelry place. 

A couple weeks ago on a late night I ended up on their website looking through the array of their jewelry for a birthday present, but I found myself up all night scrolling through the engagement rings page. I had wanted to see a few of them in person. 

We haven’t been dating too long (6 years isn’t that long right?) and we’re both still young with dreams and aspirations that have yet to be achieved in their entirety. That step has always been something I thought should be saved at a later point when things have gotten less hectic, but I found myself looking at this one ring in particular that I couldn’t stop imagining on her finger. All this has just made me reminisce and think about our future. 

My emotions are a mess right now, but for some reason I found myself here wanting to share with a faceless crowd how weird my girlfriend is and how much I love her. 

*All stories were shared with her permission, she’s helping me write this :3*

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

**Bold words are in Korean**

The way he had come to know you had been purely coincidental. Jungkook had always been the type to try his best in his classes. His grades were pretty good considering the notoriously hard courses he was required to take and his gpa managed to show for his efforts. In high school he never cared too much about that type of thing, but after managing to graduate with a 4.1, he was determined to keep it up. 

It had been the fall semester in his 3rd year that he found himself stupidly enrolled in an Ancient History class after his friend Namjoon talked him into it. He was a numbers guy and the class focused on reading a lot of text that he could hardly understand. He tried to pay attention in class but the only reason he was able to absorb any of the course material was listening to Namjoon happily rant about how interesting the story of Gilgamesh was. 

The first few quizzes and even the exam he had a few weeks after, Jungkook found himself stunned at how terribly he was doing. The assessments were hard on their own, but no matter how much he tried to talk with Namjoon about the meaning behind Gilgamesh’s third dream in the story he still found a 65% popping up once he submitted his exam. 

His heart sank, because he knew if he didn’t do well on the next upcoming unit he was sure to fail the class and he could kiss that 4.0+ goodbye. 

With even more help from Namjoon plus a few of his history loving friends Jungkook managed to float at a 70% for all his quizzes but once the midterm was approaching he knew he had to pass this in order to have any chance at getting above a C. 

But as he submitted his very last quiz before the midterm and that 69% popped up he found himself a little desperate for a solution. Somehow his frustrations ended up being received by Taehyung, his roommate and a good friend of both him and Namjoon. He was an Art Major who always seemed to have a little too much time on his hands and enough weed stashed away to make Jungkook momentarily forget about his problems. 

“I can already see it now, all A’s then that one fucking D…” Jungkook sighed, leaning back in his bean bag chair. After that last quiz his overall grade had now reached a spectacular… drumroll please… 68%. It was bad, really, really bad. 

“Hehe D…” Taehyung quietly giggled to himself.

“I haven't had a D on my transcript since elementary school…” Jungkook thought back. “It’ll be so obvious, my parents will see it immediately.” He feared what they might say, the look of disappointment on their faces… the thought alone made Jungkook want to implode.

“Like BAM… right there, just a big fucking D—” 

Jungkook was hardly able to finish before Taehyung burst out laughing. It took way too much time for him to figure out what was so funny. He just rolled his eyes at his friend’s childish sense of humor when he was trying to have a serious talk. 

Taehyung picked up on the vibes and stared at him. 

“Jungkook, I have no idea why you’re thinking about that class right now. Is this weed not good or something?” He genuinely wondered, despite how out of it he felt. 

“I feel like it’s made it worse.” Jungkook groaned, the only thing his mind could focus on was that one D that was probably going to ruin his perfect transcript and– Hehe, it was actually pretty fun– No! No it wasn’t, he was seriously about to fail this class! 

Jungkook sighed and took another hit from his blunt, hoping that would somehow make all his problems disappear. 

“Ok ok ok… how desperate are you to pass this test?” Taehyung eventually asked.

“Hyung, if this is some weird way for you to say I should sleep with the TA again because I swear—“ Jungkook sighed, knowing where this was going.

“No! No… but you really should consider it— I’ve heard she’s pretty hot and maybe that can be your way to pass the class!” Tae tried to reason.

“Hyung, what did I say?!”

“Plus, when was the last time you got laid?” Taehyung suddenly questioned.

“What do you mean? I slept well last night.” Jungkook said seriously, but he just got a hard slap on the back from his hyung at his joke.

“Jungkook, be serious! You don’t come to any of the parties Jimin invites us to, you’re always crammed up in your room. I don’t know, that TA might be a good option for you…”

“Oh my god.” Jungkook suddenly didn’t know the man beside him,

“You both can like read each other lines from the Iliad as dirty talk.” Taehyung laughed but he was actually being serious. Jungkook’s face flushed, both annoyed that this was still a conversation they were having, but he was also embarrassed his hyung wasn’t even exaggerating. 

It had been since freshman year that he had last gotten down and dirty. The only reason he had done in the first place was to check off that stupid virginity box that didn’t really exist in the first place and his sad attempt to fit in with the rest of his peers. He quickly figured out though he wasn’t cut out for the quick party sex. Handjobs in a pantry, blowjobs in a car, fucking in a bush behind the person’s house was not at all his style. Some may call him sappy but he wanted the rose petals on the bed, the picnic blanket under the stars, the shit that makes you cry in movies— all of that was something he knew would probably happen only in a relationship. 

The realization made him basically avoid every party his friends tried to bring him to and Jungkook couldn’t flirt to save his life in the “real world” so as sad as it may sound… everything Taehyung was saying was pretty much true. 

Jungkook took a long hit from his blunt, somehow this whole conversation just made him feel even worse. 

“Anyway though, that’s not really what I was going to mention.” Taehyung circled back.

“What… are you gonna say I should sleep with the professor next?” Jungkook was joking, but he was truly worried about what bizarre thing Taehyung might say next.

“You said it, not me.” 

“Alright then… What could possibly save me from failing this class?” Jungkook stared up at the ceiling, his eyes trained on the spinning fan above. 

“I know this girl who runs this shop downtown, she actually goes here at our school. I’ve been over there before I had big tests and didn’t really get to study, every time I’ve somehow managed to pass using this stuff she gave me.” 

For a while Jungkook didn’t say anything, too focused on the way the fan seemed to slow down if he paid attention to one of the blades. Then it hit him suddenly at what his hyung was saying and sat up to face him. 

“That’s your solution?” He was in disbelief that he was even suggesting this bullshit. 

“I know it sounds crazy, I thought it was too but I promise every time I’ve been over there I’ve somehow managed to pass my test against all odds. Her stuff is pretty expensive so I can’t go over there all the time, but I guarantee everything she sells works.” Taehyung sounded like a spokesperson for the shop. 

“Hyung…” 

“It’s perfect for desperate situations like the one you’re in now.” Taehyung smiled, satisfied with his marketing. 

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think you got scammed.” Jungkook put it plainly, going back to staring at the fan. 

“I’m telling you it works! It was worth every penny.” 

“It’s a scam.” 

“All you need to do is go over and tell her what you need help with, she’ll probably give you the same stuff she gave me. You take it home and you can either eat it or smoke it. I usually prefer the latter—“

“Hyung…” 

“Come on Jungkook, think of it as a last resort. I promise to pay you back on whatever you end up spending if you end up doing badly on your midterm!” The suggestion was serious and Jungkook was confused on how this scam had his hyung confident enough to pay him back.

In the end Jungkook promised he’d think about it before he went to get goldfish to snack on. 

As the days passed, what he never thought he would find himself even considering, started to seem like his only hope. Jungkook still didn’t understand a single line of the Iliad and his other classes were taking up all his time so he couldn’t try and ask Namjoon or any of his friends for help. 

When the exam was two days away and after a couple of breakdowns Jungkook found himself in his room, tears staining his textbooks, absolutely mentally drained from taking a test earlier that day. The only thing he could think about was that midterm that was coming up in a few days and the offer his hyung had suggested. 

It was probably a scam, it was 100% a scam, but he had nothing to lose at this point. Even if it was merely a coincidence that Taehyung managed to pass his exams, or maybe it was just the placebo effect at play, he needed whatever luck he could get. 

That’s how he somehow ended up driving himself downtown to the address Taehyung had texted him the day after he told him about the place. 

Jungkook could hardly believe his eyes when he saw the sign so unironically displayed ‘The Magic Shop’ above the door. It just made him feel even more crazy when he got out of his car and pushed open the door, a pleasant bell greeting him. 

He didn’t know exactly what he was expecting going into a place called ‘The Magic Shop’ but he was immediately hit with the pleasant scents of cinnamon and a few other spices he couldn’t remember the name of. Displayed along the shelves were mainly jars with golden labels with words he couldn’t understand along with a couple of funny looking knick knacks in between.

The place was also appropriately decorated for Halloween, or rather much of it was just tasteful fall decor with a tiny skeleton and ghost sprinkled in between. Part of him wondered if this was because of the holiday or did this place look like this all the time. 

“Hello, I’m over here!” Jungkook suddenly heard a voice call out, making him nearly jump. He quickly tried to calm himself before making his way through the aisles over to where he heard the voice. 

“Over here!” He turned his attention over to the counter. 

On his ride over he wondered what kind of girl could possibly be the type to run such a place. A lot of the time he would picture this weird old lady who had way too many cats, colorful scarves, and who was always found hunched over a cauldron brewing up something evil. Any guesses he would have always flew out the window the minute he remembered Taehyung told him that she went to their school. 

Whatever he was thinking was nowhere near the reality. He didn’t expect to be nearly knocked breathless the minute you looked up at him through your big round glasses. You were absolutely adorable and Jungkook was literally rendered speechless as he watched you carefully weigh spices on your little, gold scale by the register. 

Suddenly Jungkook did not know how to be a human being. 

“Are you just going to stare?” You asked, examining the spices up close. 

Jungkook finally snapped out of his daze and made his way over to you. 

“I–I’m sorry…” Were the first ever words he said to you and immediately he regretted it. 

“You’re fine, no need to apologize. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you at the door. I have a big order I need to finish so…” Jungkook found himself staring at your lips as you talked, all he could think about was what it would feel like to kiss them. 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized again “I didn’t realize you were so busy.” 

“It’s fine, this time of the year always brings more than my regulars and I’m a major procrastinator so I always end up pretty swapped with work. What brings you to The Magic Shop?” Jungkook wondered if he should bring up why he came here considering how busy you were, but knew it would be weird if he didn’t mention it.

“My friend Taehyung suggested I come here–”

“You’re friends with Taehyung?”

“You know him?”

“Yeah, he comes over here often begging me to give him discounts.”

Jungkook suddenly wanted to take it back, the embarrassment making him want to disown him.

“I have a midterm coming up in a class that I just don’t understand. He told me you might be able to help me somehow?” Jungkook felt his face heating up, a terrible sense of shame creeping up at the need to come to you for help. What if you thought he was dumb? 

You stopped what you were doing and stared at him. He couldn’t stop his palms starting to clam up at the weight of your gaze. You probably did think he was dumb.

“I–I’m normally not like this, but my friend made me take the class and the professor’s horrible and I’ve just been so stressed I–” Jungkook suddenly spilled his whole story hoping that would make you think differently but as soon as he started he regretted it.

“Hey woah woah, calm down. No judgment here.” You giggled and somehow Jungkook’s face got warmer as he played with the ends of his blue hoodie.

“Things happen, life gets in the way, people suck. It’s all good.” You reached under the counter and grabbed a sign reading ‘Payment can vary dramatically, all costs go to the ingredients in the remedy.’ in a very spooky font.

“People tend to get shocked when I tell them the price, so I just wanted to brace you.” You said now turning your attention to typing away on the register. 

Taehyung had warned him before coming here that it was expensive, but the ominous warning made him slightly nervous. 

“So when’s your test?”

“Huh?”

“Just some basic info I need to account for pricing and to make sure it works the most effectively. So when’s the test?”

“Ummm two days from now.”

“This thursday?”

“Yep.”

You typed away.

“Height and weight...” You gently smiled as you trailed off but never asked. 

“No major health concerns?”

“None that I know of.”

“Good.” 

It was silent for a while. Jungkook, as much as he tried not to stare, you made it hard not too at the way you cutely concentrated on the screen. What was wrong with him? Maybe his conversation with Taehyung made him finally realize how alone he felt, maybe he was right and he really did need to get laid again, but the way Jungkook’s heart was pounding in his chest made him know that wasn’t it.  

“Soooooooo, do you really own this place?” Jungkook asked in a desperate attempt to talk (flirt) to you. Immediately though he realized how weird that sounded. “Not that–”

“You’re fine. Yes this place is mine– well mostly mine, my grandma technically owns the building and does all the boring paperwork for it, but I’m The Magic Shop’s one and only employee.” 

“Do you just run it for fun?” Jungkook tried to rack his brain at how this arrangement could be possible. 

“Haha, not in that way. She used to work here and then my mom did then me. We used to all work together. This place has become more like a family heirloom of sorts. My grandma eventually got too tired to come here everyday and my mom got busy with her job so it’s just me now.” You didn’t seem affected at all by this.

“You never thought about hiring anyone else?” He asked as you turned to the shelves behind you and started grabbing a couple of the small jars.

“Most don’t qualify and if they do they probably have their own shop already. I don’t mind it just being me though, I’ve been managing just fine by myself over the years. Plus saves more money to buy more high quality products.” Jungkook felt his heart nearly rip in half seeing you struggle to reach up to grab one of the jars on the highest self. You were absolutely adorable. 

“Even with classes?” At this you turned around to face Jungkook, a shocked expression on your face. “Uh– Taehyung told me you go to the same school as us!” What if you thought he was some stalker?!

“Ahhh I see, of course he did… I mean it’s hard on some days but I love my job so I don’t mind the extra work.” You smiled at him before grabbing the last jar and bringing it back over to the register. You opened them all and he was immediately hit with surprisingly pleasant scents that had a smile enveloping his face. It also hit him suddenly that he had really no idea what he was buying.

“Soooo, what’s your major?” He decided to ask instead. 

“Alternative medicine is what they officially call it.” You reached under the counter and grabbed golden measuring spoons and carefully started weighing the ingredients on your scale. “It’s basically me learning about what I kind of do already.” Jungkook nodded, the detail honestly making so much sense. 

“What about you?” You asked eventually.

“Engineering…” While most would consider this something to boast about considering at their college the program was notoriously hard to get into, all he hoped in this moment was that his very logic based major was something you didn’t detest.  

“You really are a smartie then… Alright, I’m impressed.” You smiled pushing your round glasses further up the bridge of your nose. Jungkook’s received many compliments about getting into the engineering program, hell his parents even threw a whole party when he got his acceptance letter, but your words for some reason never made him feel so proud. 

You had managed to weigh all the ingredients and put them on a cloth that you gathered.

You started to type on the register. “Ok that’ll be $50.97.” You smiled at him and Jungkook couldn’t hide the look of shock on his face. Realistically he pictured expensive being at most $20 but even he thought that was unlikely. 

You seemed to pick up on this and pointed up at a sign on the wall that read ‘All products guaranteed to work!’ also in a very spooky font.

If this was any other situation he would have just left because he didn’t want to spend 50 bucks for a scam, but he was reminded that Taehyung was paying for all this if it fails. It didn’t take much to also remember this was a case he was in fact really desperate, and well…you were just hard to say no to.

That’s how, despite his brain telling him this was such a dumb idea, he still found himself pulling out his wallet and handing you his card. 

“Alright cutie, I’ll be right back, this usually takes only 15 minutes.” You said after handing him his receipt but Jungkook stopped listening the minute you called him cute. Either you seemingly didn’t notice your words or it was something you said to everyone.

At first he was about to chalk it up to the latter and this quick crush he formed for you was his reason for looking at it like that, but as you turned around he saw you stop in your tracks before hastily making your way to the back room. 

Maybe he wasn’t reaching?

As the door opened his quick glance into the room showed him a completely different vibe then the rest of the shop. Instead of the cute small town hallmark shop that he was greeted with when he walked in, he’s almost sure he saw a room that almost looked like a dungeon. Stones lined the wall, the lighting was almost non-existent, and right before the door shut behind you he’s almost sure he spotted an actual cauldron, but he just figured that to be a Halloween decoration you never put out in the shop. 

What has he gotten himself into?

While you worked in the backroom Jungkook let himself wander around the aisles of your shop, examining the jars closely and wondering what they possibly could be used for. 

As promised it wasn’t too long before you re-emerged from the backroom and came out with a little bag and handed it to him. 

“So you can either eat it with something or smoke it if you do that type of thing. They’re not any different from each other really and take the same amount of time to come into effect. Take it later tonight and you should do well on your exam— this doesn’t work though if you know absolutely nothing, make sure to look at the material once more and you should do well Jungkook.” You smiled at him and he wanted to say something. He completely missed the fact that he never told you his name. 

“We should hang out sometime?” The words were on the tip of his tongue but all he found himself saying was a simple thank you before he was making his way back to his car. 

As soon as he left he kept cursing himself for at least not asking for your number. Was he really that out of practice at flirting? 

He possibly even had the go ahead to make a move at the way you called him cute… As soon as he was alone in his car he could have squealed at the thought, but he was immediately just filled with embarrassment. 

What if that really was your go ahead? What if he just missed his chance? 

Jungkook’s lack in game was once again so obvious and all he wondered was how he was somehow able to successfully flirt with people at a party back when he was a freshman and managed to get them to sleep with him was a mystery to him as well. Maybe it was the alcohol? 

Slightly dejected Jungkook drove back to the apartment and immediately went to open the little bag you gave him. Inside was another tiny bag that had a ribbon wrapped around it along with a card attached:

‘Good luck with your exam cutie ;)’ 

Oh.

Oh.

Jungkook felt his face flush. So he really was an idiot then?

He untied the ribbon and was again met with the scents of cinnamon. In the bag itself was a black powdery substance and he couldn’t help but wonder how this was going to help him pass his exam. Despite his doubts he decided to make himself an early dinner and sprinkled some of the magical black stuff on his chicken alfredo microwave meal.

It didn’t taste like anything but he couldn’t deny that he felt tingles through his body, but he didn’t think that it meant anything. 

Right after he went straight to his copy of the Iliad hoping whatever you gave him wouldn’t kill him and somehow his test scores would improve. 

Two days later he sat staring at the submit button for longer than he wanted to double— triple… he checked over his answers seven times before he finally felt even the slightest bit comfortable clicking submit. He probably would have kept going if the one minute warning didn’t pop up and he closed his eyes as he finally clicked the button.

Jungkook waited a solid minute. His peers that were left in the classroom were already packing up their stuff and leaving the lecture hall, but he waited, praying to every possible deity he could before he finally opened his eyes. 

He could hardly believe his eyes. 

98%

Jungkook could have cried at that very moment, he almost did but he was already getting concerned glances from his peers. 

He left the hall to Namjoon standing outside the hall waiting for him and he couldn’t help boasting to his hyung about his unbelievable score. 

When he got back to the apartment he got a lot of “I told you so”s from Taehyung which he didn’t mind but it did make him wonder what your role might have been. He couldn’t lie, the minute after he ate whatever you gave him and went back to the Iliad, a lot of the lines made a lot more sense and he could remember the countless characters in the story. 

Maybe he just had a good study day or maybe… 

It was a few days later that Jungkook finally managed to muster up the courage and return to your little shop downtown. He was running solely off of adrenaline as he made his way inside to see you. You were behind the counter like you were the first time he met you and you barely got to say hello before he was saying the words he wanted to say since he left. 

“Doyouwanttohangoutsometime?” He said it too fast and as the silence hung in the air and your confused expression seemed to grow even more bewildered that adrenaline he had when coming in started to fade. 

Did he already mess this up? 

“You want to hang out with me?” You repeated back and Jungkook was honestly confused on how you understood him. He pulled himself together and pulled out the card you had given him and tried to put back on his confident face. 

“I think you’re cute too.” Jungkook cringed at his words, quickly realizing he sounded like some middle schooler. 

“I— I ummm I wanted to ask you out on a date… or it doesn’t have to be! We could always just hang out if that’s what you prefer.” Jungkook’s face was growing warm again, embarrassed to the point he feared he may explode. 

Jungkook didn’t really know what you might say but he started turning red when you started laughing. 

“Did your exam go well?” You asked. 

“98%… I could hardly believe it…” He tried to join in on whatever the joke was but he was confused and flustered, worried he fucked this up. 

“Mmmm I’m glad… it seems like it still hasn’t worn off, you were so nervous last time. Alright, where are you taking me?” You smiled at him. 

Jungkook had no way of knowing what that could have meant at the time but all he could focus on was that somehow you agreed to go out with him despite the shitstorm his attempt was at trying to ask you out. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

If you’re curious I finished the course with an 83%, a B, not an A like I was hoping for, but it was certainly better than what I was expecting. Y/n helped me a lot understanding our last two units and I did a lot better overall after the midterm :)

Our first date was at this cute cafe that was decorated with these beautiful plants growing everywhere we turned. Y/n said it was a bit cheesy but she ended up spending the whole time gushing about all the different plants around the cafe. We ended up spending an extra thirty minutes there going around to every catus, succulent, fern, and taking pictures so she could add them to her collection at home. It's still one of our favorite places to visit every now and again.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit we went on more “dates” than I can count. We were more like friends for a while despite being pretty obvious with our feelings. We hung out a lot after class, I helped her a lot with some of her homework, she met my friends and we would all hang out pretty often (I quickly learned she didn’t have very many, but Y/n would always make the excuse and say the people I hung with were just much cooler). 

She steadily started to work her way into my life and finally one day I mustered up the courage to make it official. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Jungkook and you had been hanging out at the park that day. You always said it gave you inspiration so you both tended to frequent there after your last class. You both weren’t saying too much, just admiring the view.

“Would you leave me if you were a bird?” You asked him randomly as you both were looking at the lake, a flock of birds flying over catching your attention. 

Jungkook turned to you a little confused. One of the reasons he liked you so much was simply put… you were weird, sometimes even weirder than he was and many of his friends would agree that was a bar they never thought could have been passed. 

“Mmmm no, I would just be like one of those birds pirates have. I’d live on your shoulder.” He smiled at you but your attention was still on the water in front of you both. “Why’d you ask?” 

“I don’t know… you don’t think you would feel trapped being on my shoulder? I mean you could be out flying and seeing the world, but you’re stuck being my… pet.” This was a weird question, something not entirely out of the ordinary for you to ask, but he could immediately tell by your tone you seemed a little down which was more strange.

“I’m not your pet!” Jungkook giggled, hoping to make you smile, but was still concerned about your somber mood. “I’m just a bird on your shoulder. I could fly away at any time but I like being by your side. You’re fun.” He smiled. 

“You don’t think I’m weird?” 

“No— well, maybe a little…” 

“Jungkook! That was your cue to say something romantic like ‘No Y/n you’re perfect~’” You clasped your hands together and batted your eyelashes imagining how much your heart would have melted. Gone was the sadness from your voice, but this was again just one of those cues that Jungkook had a habit of missing.

“You asked!” He tried to defend, but a gentle slap on his arm was sent his way anyway. 

“I’m trying to help you out Jungkook, we’ve been just ‘hanging out’ for months…” You sighed kicking around the dirt underneath the bench. 

It took him a minute to realize what you were implying, but as soon as he did he felt his face light up again. Things really had been on a stand still since he asked you out last semester…

Deciding not to overthink things Jungkook rested his hand on top of yours and interlaced your fingers. “Is this romantic enough for you?” He chuckled, but he was blushing. 

“No.” You said so suddenly, making his attention turn back to you. “I want to skip all the in between. This slow burn has been going on for long enough, I want you to kiss me.” Jungkook was waiting for you to start laughing but he searched your eyes and you seemed genuine, so genuine it almost hurt. 

Jungkook was operating on autopilot at that point and he started to lean in but your finger came over his lips and stopped him. 

“What if I really am too weird? What if you get scared and run away?” It was a cry that almost seemed like he wasn’t supposed to hear, a thought that had been bouncing around in your head so much you finally had to ask. Of course at the time Jungkook had no idea what you were talking about, but no matter what this ‘dark secret’ was that you were keeping from him he really didn’t care. 

This excruciating slow burn that has been happening for the last few months have been some of the best he could have experienced. He finally had a reason to come out of his room, only in a matter of a few months you had become the first thing he thinks about when he wakes up, and the very thing he falls asleep to. He loved the way you’d text him at odd hours in the night and how you’d FaceTime him to fall asleep. He loved being near you and only wanted to pull you closer anytime you were together. 

In that moment nothing you could have said would have stopped him as he wrapped his arms around you pulling you into a hug. 

“You’re my weirdo. Let’s stop playing this game… I want you.” His eyes were trained on your lips and he slowly started to lean in again. 

“Where’d this confidence come from?” You smirked and he could have exploded the minute you glanced down at his lips, the tingles running through his body could have powered a whole city. 

“I told you, I want you.” His tone was low and all he wanted to do was kiss you. 

“Is this what I think it means?” 

Jungkook was going to tell you yes, yes he wanted you to be his girlfriend but he couldn’t stand it any longer and finally closed the distance between you two. 

It was like something you would see in a movie. The setting sun in front of you, as you kissed in front of the little pond. Your lips were so soft as they moved against his own. His heart was pounding but he felt so comforted in your arms, you were so sweet, so his. 

Jungkook had no idea how it happened but somehow you found yourselves bursting through your front door of your apartment, not allowing a moment of separation. Maybe it was his fault… it probably was his fault considering how long it’s been since he’d been with someone like that, or the fact he’s never felt like that before, but in the dark he ended up tripping over your couch. You both laughed and you seized the moment, taking a seat on his lap and rode his cock till he cried. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Our relationship was “normal'' for about a month before I started to notice things. I had noticed things the minute we started hanging out but now that we were official, it started to become a little hard to hide them.

One of the first things I picked up was the fact she knew things I knew I had never told her before. Unlike what happened the first day we met, I would notice there would be times we were talking and she would bring up details of stories I hadn’t mentioned yet, or thoughts I had yet to tell her. At first I figured it was just me forgetting (it’s what I kept telling myself until she finally told me what was going on) but even I started to question myself when it kept happening. 

A specific incident was this one time Taehyung, Jimin, Namjoon, Y/n, and I went out to karaoke. We had played a drinking game and the loser was dared to sing at this bar we knew was hosting Karaoke night. 

Y/n was the one that had lost, we all were prepared to go up there and sing eventually but she was going to be first. None of us, but me especially, was not prepared at all when she got up to do her cover of Ariana Grande’s song Greedy, for her to sound so magical. She seemed so shy, even needing to start over because she ended up laughing, but the minute the song started a second time she blew everyone in the bar away with her voice. 

I was so consumed with trying to process the situation, figuring out a way to convince Jimin to go next because her performance made me a little too excited, and also trying to figure out the quickest way to get us out of there and back to her apartment, that I practically dismissed someone in the background telling everyone to look out the windows. I had looked and noticed that a bunch of pigeons, cats, dogs, rats, and for some reason a deer had seemingly gathered to watch her performance, but I paid it no mind when she made it back to the table because she looked so amazing up there and I enjoyed it way too much when I pulled her into my lap to let everyone in the bar know that this was my girlfriend. 

To be honest, the reason she was able to hide it for so long had a lot to do with my ignorance, a bunch of situations going over my head that might have seemed obvious to someone else.  

There was one time Y/n ended up sick. I decided to stay over at her apartment, despite her protest because I wanted to be a good boyfriend and take care of her.

Well it was weird, but everytime she sneezed this painting she kept on the wall would move completely off center. I had questioned it, but she would always say that it was the wind. It wasn’t a bad excuse because the window was open and it had been pretty windy that day. I’d move it back each time, but everytime she sneezed (I didn’t notice the pattern till later) it would move a good 70 degrees to the left. 

What was even stranger was when I went out to make her some soup I came back to find everything in complete disarray, that painting was upside down, the clothes in her drawer had flown out across the room, and the pile of stuffed animals that sat neatly on a chair in the corner had seemingly been thrown around everywhere. 

You would think I would question it but when she said it was the wind I simply closed the window and went to work trying to fix everything.

Y/n told me eventually that it got to a point where she started to feel guilty about this big secret she had yet to tell me. It was something she felt would be the deal breaker for our relationship that as time passed the harder it seemed to tell me. 

It was at the one and a half month mark of our relationship that the secret finally boiled over. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

You and Jungkook walked hand in hand back to your apartment after a night out in the town. You both decided to head out to celebrate the school year being over and made a little date out of it. 

Jungkook just wanted to take you out to a fancy restaurant but when you both were on your way back to your apartment you passed an arcade and ended up spending way too much time and money trying to beat each other at all the games. In the end he had won and in reconciliation he tried to win you this giant stuffed bear that he noticed you had been eyeing all night. 

In one hand was Jungkook’s and the other was the bear that he worked so hard to get you. He was beaming ear to ear remembering his cool boyfriend move, the way he handed you the bear and how your eyes lit up when you snuggled it in your arms. 

That night was just so romantic. You both had walked along the path that was right by the river, the water gently washed by and the moonlight was beautifully reflecting off the water, the moon had been full and bathed you both in its soft light. Jungkook had told you that he was taking you someplace nice so he had dressed up in a suit for the occasion and you had taken hours dolling yourself up, your plum-colored, sparkly dress was immaculate, the back hanging low and a glorious slit coming up all the way to your thigh. The dress tightly hugged your curves in a way that had Jungkook constantly fantasizing about what he might do to you once you got back to your place. 

As the both of you walked and got closer to your apartment Jungkook had still been riding on the high of the date, but he started to notice how quiet you had gotten and the way you started to drag behind him. While he was holding your hand still, it almost looked like he was pulling you along instead of walking with him as you started to get slower. 

At first he wondered if you were just tired from all the walking you ended up doing, already thinking about how you would react if he offered to carry you back, but one glance behind him was enough to see your dazed and almost pained expression on your features. 

Immediately Jungkook stopped and turned to face you, extremely concerned. 

“Are you ok?” He asked gently. 

Silence passed for a little while and each second he started to become more concerned.

“No.” You mumbled. Jungkook noticed the quivering in your voice and immediately he started to panic. At that point he had never seen you cry like this before. 

What could have possibly made you so upset on what he thought was one of the greatest nights you’ve shared? He tried to rack his brain on what he might have done to make you so upset but everything he thought of just resulted in a big ERROR which made him panic even more. 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He tried to stay as calm as possible, but his words finally made the tears in your eyes spill over and he immediately felt his eyes welling up. 

You broke down right there, your sobs made him feel like he might as well have been cut in half seeing you like that. He hastily pulled you into his arms and gently caressed your hair, trying his best to soothe you but your sobs easily got to him and the tears were quick to start rolling down his cheeks as well. 

Your arms wrapped around him tightly almost as if you were pleading him not to leave you alone and hugged you tighter to hopefully let you know he would never. 

You both were standing there for a good few minutes, Jungkook trying his best to console you and you just poured out all the emotion that you had kept bottled up inside. 

Eventually you finally pulled away and looked up at him, your tear streaked face and sniffles had all new tears spilling from his eyes. 

“Ba— Y/n… please, what’s going on— what-what’s made you so upset?” He looked you in your eyes, pleading for you to tell him. Just the thought of it possibly being something he did… 

“Did—did I do something?” He finally asked.

You seemed to panic at this. “No! No Jungkook, it’s nothing that you did.” 

“What happened then?” There was a sense of relief knowing he didn’t miss up tonight, but he couldn’t hide the confusion in his voice knowing how that opened up a whole new can of worms.

“Nothing happened… or well— it’s me I guess, I happened.” You looked down at the ground, seemingly ashamed. 

“What do you mean you happened? Y/n you can tell me anything, you know that right?” He grabbed onto your hands and gently rubbed his thumb over your digits. 

“No I can’t…” You said softly, a tear occasionally running down your cheek. 

“Wha—“ 

“I have a secret that I’ve been keeping since we met… I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but I just… I don’t think you’ll look at me the same way and—“ You hurried out, looking up at him with watery eyes. 

“Y/n what do you mean?” 

“Jungkook I really… really, really, really like you and I’ve never told someone this before and I’m just scared… scared you’ll be scared of me.” You sobbed and Jungkook was just puzzled. 

He grabbed onto your shoulders making you look up at him again. “Y/n is this the part where you tell me you’re a serial killer with twenty victims and are about to make me the twenty first?” 

He could have melted when he saw the way you cracked a smile at the joke. 

“No I’m not.” 

“No victims?”

“No.” You smiled slightly.

“Well then what you’re about to say can’t be that bad!” He reached up and caressed your cheek softly, wiping away your tears. 

“You don’t know that… I just… I don’t want you to leave me once you find out.” You gripped tightly onto his suit jacket, scared if you let go he might go running. 

“I promise I’m not leaving you because of this.”

“But you might—“ 

“Y/n please tell me so I can prove you wrong. I feel like you’re building this up too much. I’m not leaving okay? You can tell me.” He sent you a reassuring smile. 

You looked up at him, knowing you had to do this at this point. You couldn’t keep this from him any longer and you hated lying to him. 

With a deep breath you grabbed onto his hand and speedily led the both of you back to The Magic Shop. You didn’t live too far from where you both stopped so it was only a 10 minute speed walk until you were crossing the street to head into the shop.  

You hurriedly pulled out your keys and grabbed onto the golden, almost cartoonishly fancy one and pushed it into the keyhole unlocking the door and pulling you both in. 

Jungkook was confused on what this secret had to do with The Magic Shop but he still followed you as you led him to the door that went behind the counter and further back to the door that went to the back room.

At this he was honestly intrigued. Despite knowing each other for months he had never been into the back room before. Most of the time he would hang out with you in front of the counter, but occasionally especially when he came over to tutor you, you would let him sit behind the counter as you both worked through your calculus problems. 

The only inkling of what was back there was when he saw you go back there the day you both met and from what he remembers it was… interesting.��

You didn’t glance behind you as you pushed open the door to reveal the room. 

Just like he had seen that day, stone lined the walls with another door on each wall, the room was dimly lit, boxes stacked against the walls and right in the center of the room was that same golden cauldron he had sworn he had seen before the door closed behind you that day. 

“What’s this?” He asked as you brushed past it. 

“Oh, I got it for the shop for Halloween two years ago but it was too big for me to put it anywhere. I’ve been meaning to put it away but it’s heavy and I’m lazy.” You said turning around to face him and he awed realizing his first assumption was right. 

“What’s behind that door?” He pointed to the left. The door on his right clearly had a bathroom sign and you were standing by the door in front of him. 

“Oh, it’s just a storage closet, plus where I keep inventory for the shop.” He nodded. He was mainly asking questions wondering how any of this could be a hint at the big secret that made you break down like that, but he was just confused. 

He moved so he was standing with you in front of the door. 

“I’m assuming this is where the big secret is?” He asked and you nodded. You moved so you were facing him. Jungkook noticed your grip on the bear he won for you was extra tight. 

“Promise not to freak out?” You asked. 

“I promise, I’m not running away.” He smiled at you trying best to calm you down, sensing you were nervous. 

You took a deep breath before opening the door. Jungkook really didn’t know what he was expecting but a small closet with a couple of mops, brooms, and cleaning supplies was not what he was expecting was going to be the big reveal. 

He looked at you a little confused. “This is it?” He questioned. 

You shook your head.

You closed the door. “Open it again.” You commanded and moved so you were standing beside him again. 

Jungkook was confused by this but when he felt your hand snake into his and grab onto him tightly, he hurriedly did as you asked. 

Instead of the utility closet he saw before, was a room he couldn’t even recognize belonged to the same building. Jungkook slowly stepped in and tried to take in everything in the room. 

It seemed like something out of a fairytale. The room was huge, a second floor somehow fit along the side of the room, the entire wall being covered with books. A light pink cauldron with flowers covering it sat in the center of the room along with a pedestal and what seemed like a fancy book sitting on top of it. On the wall furthest to where he stood were shelves of vials filled with brightly colored liquids. 

The room was also covered in scarves, the fabrics draping along the walls, hanging from the ceiling and was wrapped around the banister on the second floor. Giant windows sat in the wall opposite to the bookshelves, the light outside so bright you couldn’t see out of them, but casted the entire room in this ethereal, heavenly glow. The room had an elegance he couldn’t quite comprehend, the regal furniture that decorated the room, the paintings as well seemed like something straight out of the renaissance. What really made this room stand out was the sparkles that shone in the sunlight and the countless amount of books and vials that were seemingly floating around the room. 

The room didn’t seem real and Jungkook’s logical brain tried to wrack how any of this was possible, how he even got here in the first place. A tad bit overwhelmed, he turned around to face you.

The sparkles that were in the air crowded around you and your soft gaze made his heart melt. You were absolutely stunning and why his brain was desperate for a why and how all he could focus on was you. This, all this, for some reason felt like he was seeing you truly for the first time. 

Jungkook walked back over to you. 

“Y/n…” His voice was soft, truly at a loss for words. 

“I’mawitch.” You hurried before you lost your confidence. 

He didn’t react the way you expected. Anytime you ever thought of bringing someone back here it always resulted in them running out here, ready to burn you on the stake, but he looked at you with so much adoration you didn’t really know what to say. 

He looked around the room, now that he was facing you, he could also see the countless amounts of brooms that lined the walls as well, but his attention quickly went back down to your eyes. 

“Are you scared?” You finally asked after he didn’t say anything. 

“This is all… it’s magic…” He asked, glancing around the room. 

You nodded slowly. “I know this might be a lot to take in right now and you probably have so many questions and I’m happy to answer any one you might—“ You didn’t get to finish before Jungkook pulled you close and kissed your lips. He was so soft and gentle and you could have screamed at how much he gave you butterflies. 

When Jungkook slowly pulled away he was shocked to find the sparkles in the room had formed together to create small butterflies flying across the room. 

“Did you…?” He looked at you. 

You nodded once again. “That kinda happens in this room… you give me butterflies.” You chuckled nervously and you felt his grip on your waist tighten. 

“Y/n I have no idea what’s going on right now and I probably will have a billion questions about this later but… this is so beautiful, seeing you like this is so beautiful.” You looked like a goddess to him with the sparkles around you and this dress shinning even more in the light. “You’re so beautiful, my mind is blanking and all I want to do is take you over there on your fancy fainting couch and—“ 

He finally stopped and let himself breathe for a second as he pulled you closer to him. “Y/n I need you so bad right now it hurts…” He could have cried, he felt the tears wanting to come up but he didn’t let them, instead he kissed you softly and peered into your eyes. 

“You’re not scared?” This was definitely not the response you were expecting. 

“Not at all, just confused and horny.” He moved down to your neck and started kissing it gently. 

Part of you wanted to cry, all your life you had expected the worst if you ever got to this stage with someone. Your mother and grandma would always tell you the only human that was allowed in your special room was the person you felt you were going to marry. Your whole life you feared people getting close and finding out this side of you, the first person outside of your family to see you truly and to see it had this type of effect on him… Jungkook, the man who gave you butterflies…

You hurriedly threw the bear you were holding onto a chair and wrapped your arms around him as he started sucking lightly on the soft skin. The room was suddenly shrouded in red and all the candles that sat around the room lit up. Jungkook noticed this and he nearly whined as he hurriedly picked you up and over to your dramatic fainting couch. He quickly got on top of you and started kissing you once more. 

“Oh my gosh you’re so fucking hot.” He couldn’t stop the whine this time as his hand felt the skin between the slit of your dress, his desperate hands squeezing your thigh. 

“I didn’t know magic would get to you like this…” You giggled as he started hiking up your dress. 

“Are you kidding? I had the biggest crush on Sailor Moon when I was younger…” Jungkook recounted as he pulled you to the edge of the couch and got off the couch and moved you so your thighs rested on his shoulders.

He wasn’t lying either, her posters were sprinkled in between all his comic book posters back in his parents house. 

He was a major fucking nerd and his nerdiest of nerd dreams was a superhero or one of the sailor moon characters swooping into his room and bringing him along on their journies as they fall in love. 

You were a dream he didn’t know was possible, come true. 

He wanted to ask so many questions, he probably was going the minute he could stop thinking with his dick for one second, but you were so cool and hot and—

He tugged down the soaked thong you were wearing, nearly tearing it off in the process. 

“I love you so much…” He confessed right then in there before he hurriedly dove in to ravage your soaking pussy.

This is the night you wholeheartedly admit to crying. You cried as he gave you more orgasms then you could remember, you cried when he came up and fucked you on your couch, you cried in his arms afterward as he was asking you about every possible detail of your life as a witch. 

It was all so… it was honestly the most magical night you ever had. 

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

I won’t tell you everything she told me but I learned a lot that night. All witches are women (this was also the time how she went on a tangent about how The Magic Shop won’t have another employee unless she had a daughter one day— making my love sick ass immediately start fantasizing about the possibility) who just have more abilities than the average human. She assured me that she wasn’t evil and only practices magic in order to help people around the world. She also explained the way she practices magic. 

Most of the time she only uses her abilities to ‘enchant’ people’s orders. It was through a combination of different ingredients and her magical touch was, as she put it, the “secret sauce” to bring it to life. But Y/n also has a lot of other fun abilities. She took this time to explain a lot of weird things that have been happening in our relationship. One time when I stayed the night at her place and she was showering, she didn’t notice me sneaking in and I ended up scaring her pretty badly— well right in that moment a pipe burst. I laughed at the horrid timing but apparently that had been magic at play and I was just horrible. 

After that day in her special room we became closer than ever. Our last year of college passed and we ended up moving in together. At that point I was hardly at the apartment anymore anyway. The only times I went over there was to hang and occasionally smoke with Taehyung (but she usually came with me during those times), or to get something to bring over to her apartment so the switch wasn’t all too dramatic. 

She had ended up surprising me with a key to her place at the graduation “party” we had with our friends. I had been mainly using the spare key she had, but it was my own fancy key that was similar to The Magic Shop’s. 

I moved all my stuff out over that summer and was pretty quick settling into everything. 

The whole situation was perfect timing as the apartment she lived in was in the space right above the shop. The downtown part of our town is pretty expensive to live in but since her family owned the whole building it worked out for the better. 

I got a job a few weeks later at a software engineering company that wasn’t too far, campus also wasn’t too far and I ended up going back to school to get my masters so it was great for my schedule. 

Y/n began opening the shop Monday-Friday and it became her full time job, she wanted to take some time to establish the shop a little more before she would go back to school to begin her long journey at getting her doctorate. 

The years we’ve been living together have all been amazing, but I just wanted to conclude this post with a couple of funny anecdotes because living with a witch has been an… interesting experience. 

(He’s loved it >:D)

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Jungkook had come home a little earlier than usual. After getting off of work he checked his phone to see that his class had been canceled and headed straight home. He was excited because his weekend was finally starting after a long week and he had been missing you all day. 

You had woken him up with breakfast in bed because earlier he had called in about coming into work a little later after the fact he’d gone to bed with a bad fever. You came in there looking like an angel as you handed him pancakes and oj, saying it contained your special touch. You checked his fever and it had gone down a little in his sleep but the minute he started eating the breakfast he instantly felt a billion times better. 

He was tempted to just call in sick for work that day because after he finished you both cuddled (something he claimed was the last touch to make him feel better) and the last thing he wanted was to tear himself away from your warmth. He hated when the alarm went off to tell him to get ready but he had an important class to go to after work and he knew he wouldn’t go out later if he stayed. 

In the end he found himself at his desk for a few less hours than normal as he spent the day texting you occasionally to tell you how much he missed you. 

That important class that forced him out of bed earlier ended up canceled and as much as he would have enjoyed that free day he could have had, he was also happy to still have that sick day. 

So he went home after stopping to grab a little desert for you both at that plant cafe.

As Jungkook opened the door he was a tad bit disappointed to not find you anywhere, but he quickly figured you must be in your special room. 

He had learned soon after you told him about this secret side of yourself that there was actually a door you used to get to the room upstairs in your apartment. It had been a door you kept locked and beforehand always just told him it led to a storage room, but he was quick to learn that it was a way to get there without going downstairs to the shop. Ever since Jungkook moved in you always kept the door ‘unlocked’ so he could come in at any time. 

Jungkook knocked slightly before pushing open the door. Usually you would be there working on some type of order for your clients, who typically were other witches or firm believers in alternative medicine. 

Sometimes he was a little shocked at how many clients you would typically get considering if they weren’t a witch no one would know that your products really work the way they say they do. 

The Magic Shop had made a name for itself though, after your grandma founded the business and your mother ran the shop for a little while, the name had spread across town. There were apparently a lot more witches in the town than he originally thought and the shop had a loyal fan base of people who preferred alternative medicine and a bunch of curious people who would stop by to check out the place. Not to mention all of the witches who would stop by for ingredients or ready-made enchantments. As a result you sometimes seemed more swamped with work than he was. Considering he had a full time job and still went to school, Jungkook would often come home to find you busy preparing orders long after he was ready to turn in for the night. 

He was expecting to see you with your big round glasses looking into that fancy book with the cauldron glowing like he usually might, what he didn’t expect was a sight straight out of a horror movie.  

The typical bright room was dark and your cauldron was spilling this ominous red smoke that settled at the bottom of the room. If that wasn’t bad, right in front of him was a glowing symbol on the floor and right in the middle of it was you, hovering in the center of it. Your pupils were gone and you had this terrifying ghostly appearance that Jungkook had never seen before that had him instantly reacting. 

“Y/n!” He practically screamed, fully believing something went wrong and something bad was happening. 

At his voice you quite dramatically dropped to the floor, all the eerie ambience being sucked back into your cauldron. 

Jungkook quickly ran over to you, terrified at what might have happened. 

He picked you up and his panic only got worse when he saw your eyes were closed. 

“Y/n! Y/n wake up please!” He was so panicked and almost on the verge of tears but your eyes started to flutter open.

“Ow…” You groaned, your back sore from the fall. 

“Y/n, are you ok?” He asked, concerned. What he didn’t expect though was your annoyed glare at him. 

“Jungkook, why'd you need to scream? I was almost done with the ritual too…” you sighed. 

He looked at you confused and it was only then that you realized how surprised he probably was at the sight. You were still annoyed though, that took you nearly all day to do. 

“I was doing a ritual… I wasn’t possessed or anything. I was trying to increase our chances at winning tonight’s lottery, the prize reached 500 million dollars.” You could still taste the margarita you were gonna have on your private island if you and Jungkook won. 

Jungkook awed and almost looked like a kicked puppy when he realized he interrupted you doing something important. 

“I’m sorry…” He whispered and you hated seeing him so sad. 

“It’s alright… no need to panic though next time you walk in to see something like this. Rituals are a bit… strange but I’m fine, don’t worry baby.” You grabbed ahold of his hand and smiled at him. 

“Can I make it up to you?” He asked, and you could tell he still felt bad. “I don’t have 500 million to give you but—“

“Gimme a daughter, at least maybe with an extra set of hands I can retire to that private island quicker.” You were both joking and being completely serious. You expected him to laugh with you, but you noticed his face getting red. 

“For now though you can just give me a massage. I hurt my back when I fell.” He pepped up at your request and grabbed your hand to lead you both back to the bedroom. 

“Y/n…” Jungkook called you as you closed the door to your special room behind you.

“Yesss?” 

He suddenly turned around to face you. “I promise you won’t have to work as hard some day… I’ll make sure of it.” His words were sweet but there was a fire in his eyes that made a shiver run down your spine. 

You knew exactly what he meant by that.

◎══════ ❈ ══════◎

Jungkook was hanging out with you in your special room on a Saturday he had no work to do. Normally, he liked to give you your privacy whenever you worked here, but he was bored and you said it was fine to watch. 

Not too much had happened while he was there, you had mostly been reading in your fancy book— you explained earlier that most of the time you’re just researching and experimenting with different spells and enchantments. Your cauldron glowed slightly as you stirred the mysterious liquid inside, each time you tossed in a new ingredient small little fireworks would shoot out. 

The whole process you feared would bore him, telling Jungkook occasionally that he could leave whenever he got bored, but he continued to sit on one of your fancy bar stools by the cauldron, entranced and completely fascinated by your work. 

A while ago, soon after you showed him the room he finally asked you where all your fancy furniture came from, to which you explained that it had always been here. Apparently the room is tied with your abilities. 

You told him that witches undergo a special ceremony when they turn 13 that allows them to open their own room, which then unlocks a majority of their magical abilities, young witches only are able to do so much until they are ready to open their room. The room was created around you essentially and it’s looked like this ever since you opened it for the first time, besides a majority of the books you had bought over the years along with the brooms you’ve collected. 

Jungkook just stared at you as you worked, finding this whole thing still a bit unreal that he was dating you. He couldn’t help reminding you every few minutes on how cool you were whenever you would toss in a new ingredient or when you emptied a beaker you would toss it up and it would float back over to your shelf, and how sexy it was to watch you work. The sparkles that shined around the room flocked to you and made you shine so prettily and your look of concentration was incredibly endearing to watch. You made his heart melt without even doing much. 

The fact you liked him back was something he found a little hard to believe at times, seeing how extraordinary your world was and then looking at his own… extremely ordinary world. 

To make matters worse he knew that you were a hot topic in the community, a young witch as pretty as you were who ran a successful shop by herself was something all the witches would talk about, especially the families who had warlocks in their family. Yes, they exist, it is pretty rare to have a guy get passed down the spark that witches would have, but it happens very very occasionally under special conditions that no one has managed to figure out yet and two apparently lived in your little town. 

One Jungkook had never met before and you never really talked about too much, but the other, his twin, was someone Jungkook knew frequented the shop often. He’s seen it first hand, even when he was standing right beside you helping you out downstairs, Victor (ew >.<) would just walk in and hit on you. Jungkook even knew there were others outside the town who knew about you and would come by hoping to come by and win your heart. 

You had also told him that a lot of people would have jumped on the opportunity to date a warlock, they were rare, powerful, had a lot of influence, and your future kids together would be extremely powerful with both magical parents. Victor wasn’t a bad looking guy, he’s someone a lot of your witchy friends often swooned over. He was just a little older than you both, him and his brother graduating the same year as Taehyung did, the three of them somehow knowing each other (Taehyung not sensing drama, made sure to add when Jungkook was ranting to him that he “loved those guys” and “that they threw awesome parties”). His family was also pretty well off owning another successful magic shop. 

Victor wasn’t even a bad guy, he was just very adamant about dating you. You’ve told him he’s someone who's highly respected in the community. 

All of these details made him so confused on how, despite the opportunity, you still picked him. He tried not to think about it too much because he knew that mentality would make him incredibly insecure and jealous, that being a clear recipe for disaster in a relationship, but watching you here right now made him think about it sometimes. 

What if you were better off with Victor? (I want Jungkookie >:O)

Jungkook’s eyes widened when he suddenly felt your arms wrap around his shoulders. You lightly kissed his neck. 

“You okay? I’m sensing a whole lot of negative energy over here…” You chuckled lightly, but you seemed worried. 

Jungkook didn’t say anything and spun around in his barstool so he was facing you. He rested his hands on your waist and pulled you close so he could kiss you. You were a little surprised, but happily melted into it, enjoying the way his lips moved against yours. When he pulled away he pulled you close once more into a hug and rested his head on your shoulder. 

“Thinking things I don’t want to…” He sighed. 

“Wanna talk about it?” You asked, now really concerned.

“No— it's not that big of a deal, feel better already hugging you like this.” He really did, holding you like this made any of those silly thoughts go away. You picked him at the end of the day and he wanted you to keep picking him everyday. Just the thought of not being able to be with you like this was enough to fuel him into wanting to go over to Victor’s fancy ass mansion and punch him in the face the minute he opened the door and tell him to actually fuck off. 

You loved him, your family loved him, his family loved you, all the people whose opinions really matter approved of your relationship. Who fucking cares about stupid Victor?

“You sure?” You reaffirmed. 

“Yeah, sorry for disturbing you.” He apologized when he looked back over at the bubbling mixture in your cauldron. 

“It’s fine, things weren’t going well anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I can’t figure out how to make it not result in someone spontaneously combusting— I think I put too much Yvetris in it or—“ You rambled.

“Wait what?” 

“Don’t worry about it, I was just going to ask if you wanted to take a break?” You smiled at him, a little tired of working. 

Oh?

Jungkook eagerly nodded already a few ideas about what to do during this break, the main one involved you bent over one of these tables, naked and screaming his name, because fuck Victor. 

You smiled but then your attention turned behind him and he turned around to see you were looking at your wall full of brooms. Your eyes lit up at an idea. 

You ran past him and over to the wall. 

“Do you actually ride those?” He questioned, always a little unsure of what they were up there for. 

“What did you think I did with them?” You laughed, searching for the right one. 

“I don’t know, I thought they were all replacements for that broom.” He pointed over to the one that was sweeping beside him and it swiftly came up and hit him. 

“Ow!” He groaned, rubbing his head as the broom almost sassily went back to sweeping. 

“Now you offended him!” You sighed, turning around and looking at them both. You knew your broom did not forgive easily. 

“Sorry…” He looked back at the broom as it flew up to sweep on the second floor. 

“You didn’t know— but no, he’s a different kind of broom.” You chuckled, going back to looking through your collection. 

He honestly should have figured, the broom that would always sweep around your special room was a lot more plain compared to the brooms that lined your wall. The handle being made of a ridgid dark wood, and the gray bristles was something he always pictured a witch’s broom to look like. The ones on your walls came in all kinds of varieties, they all seemed to sparkle the same way you did in here, some were made of white wood, dark wood, some sparkled of gold, and the engravings into them were unreal. 

“Which one?” You turned back and asked. 

Jungkook pointed at the one that he deemed a classic, a beautiful dark wood with light strips running through it and golden bristles coming out the back. The engravings are what made him love it, the indicate swirls and patterns completed it so well, he always found himself staring at that one in particular whenever he was in here.  

You smiled at him and he watched as the broom flew down into your hand. 

“Where’d you get all of them?” Jungkook asked as you walked back over to him. 

“I pretty much bought most of them. I’m a big fan of collecting brooms as you can probably tell. I used to compete in tournaments when I was in high school and the prizes often were these really cool brooms and it kinda inspired me to start collecting them.” You giggled. 

“Wait… tournaments?” 

“Yeah there’s this team that we have here and we compete against other nearby towns, sometimes even on a national scale, and there was once we made it to the world league. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty good and won a lot.” You pointed over to the corner where you kept all your trophies and medals, sitting on top of the case was your bear that he won you a few years ago. 

“Why does my girlfriend keep getting cooler and cooler?” Jungkook wanted to say something about Quidditch, but he couldn’t think about his joke anymore… 

“Stoopppp, now, cmon, let’s go for a late night ride~” You turned the broom to the side and Jungkook watched as handlebars and a long bench appeared on top. 

“Holy shit…” Jungkook awed as he got up from the bar stool. He felt like he was dreaming, high, or maybe even both. Then again, he’s felt this way ever since you showed him this part of your life. 

You hopped on top so you were straddling the bench and grabbed onto the handles. You ushered him over and told him to hold on tight. It was only when he sat down did he realize you were already floating. 

You smiled back at him before the broom started flying up to the circular, stained glass window that was at the top of the wall of windows. Jungkook held onto you tight like you advised, laughing and cheering as he watched you both rise higher off the ground. 

Jungkook then turned his attention to the circular window and how it disappeared before you both quickly flew through, sparkles coming flying out with you. Jungkook had no idea what he thought the outside of this room led to, but he was shocked to see you both flying high above in the sky, the clouds far down below and the moon, full, big, and beautiful shining over your little town. 

Jungkook just stared down and around at the amazing view, unable to believe what he was seeing. 

This had to be a dream. 

“No one can see us! I’ll fly us a little lower!” You yelled over the wind quickly rushing past. Jungkook hardly had any time to prepare before you both were soaring downward straight for the town down below, all he could do was hold on and watch as the ground got closer. 

He was screaming, was he terrified? A little, but he loved things like this and he was excited because he trusted you. 

The buildings steadily got closer till he could make out the cars and which buildings were which. Over there was the river you both walked along the day you told him you were a witch, he could also see downtown, and way in the distance the park he had finally asked you to be his. Jungkook was so into admiring everything he hardly realized that you were still heading straight for the ground. 

It was only when the buildings started getting a little too close did he start noticing the ground was right there. Jungkook felt his life flash before his eyes when you finally pulled up and started zooming past the cars rushing by. 

You turned around and chuckled at the look on his face and he was quick to join in, now too caught up at how cool this was. You flew them through traffic, through a tunnel, and you were beating the speeds of the train that was beside you. It was an unreal experience and even though he nearly had a couple of heart attacks, the whole experience was bewildering as you flew across the little town. 

After the initial excitement you both flew over places that took you down memory lane, you essentially gave Jungkook a glorified tour of the town since he didn’t grow up here and didn’t go to too many places when he was in college. You flew him over the spots you would frequent when you were younger and showed him some of the prettiest sights he had ever seen as you both went over the woods and the lake he didn’t even know existed. 

It was also then that Jungkook noticed a few other witches riding by on their brooms, soaring just a little over all of the buildings. 

It was amazing. 

You both were now back over the clouds, cruising along as Jungkook held onto you tightly. Not out of fear, or the fact that he was supposed to, but he just didn’t want to let you go. 

He really didn’t. He never would. 

“Y/n…” Jungkook mumbled into your shirt. 

“Mhmmm~” 

“I love you so much…” He confessed and he felt the tears welling up slightly in his eyes. “Don’t leave me okay?” He tried to laugh it off. 

In an instant your broom stopped. Jungkook looked around a little confused, until you flipped around so you were facing him. 

“I should be saying that to you idiot…” You looked at him a little concerned. “Like it’s you who’s the one walking around with that pretty face, and who looks a little too good in the suits you wear all the time for work. You have all these girls drooling over you every time we go out, or should I mention Vanessa from work who always calls you even on the weekends. What if you think one day I’m too weird or something and leave me. You have so many better options…” You pouted and Jungkook could hardly believe what he was hearing. 

“Weird? Y/n you’re the coolest person I know, no one could ever compare to you. Sometimes I think you’ll find me too boring and run away with Victor, or his brother, or one of the other warlocks who keep coming to the shop… How could I ever think you’re weird– like with who else could I do this with–” 

“Well–”

“Just you ok, and fuck Vanessa and fuck Victor and everyone else who made us think like this.” Jungkook smiled at you and you hurriedly pulled him into your arms. 

Yep, he was yours and you were his.

“Not to ruin the moment or anything, but I think I heard you call me pretty and say I look really nice in suits.” He cheesed, thinking back to it. You simply nodded as you buried your face in his shirt, already regretting confessing one of your deepest darkest secrets.

“You’re cute~” He laughed, feeling all fuzzy inside seeing you like this. All in the moment, once again, his insecurities were washed away. You really were his. 

“By the way, I think you’re prettier.” He smiled and immediately you lifted your head, taking offense to that. 

“Jungko–” Before you could finish, he pulled you close as he pressed his lips onto yours once more, not wanting this to turn into a long debate, because to him, there was none. He was right.

◎══════ ❈ ══════◎

Back in college, when people would first meet Jungkook there were only two ways first impressions went for him. One, he’s been told that they thought he was probably some arrogant frat boy jock (always soccer for some reason) because they would always see him at the gym. Two, the minute they talked to him they would quickly get that he’s just this quiet nerd who could talk about why Spider-Man was the best superhero for 5 hours straight (really longer if you didn’t stop him). 

For some reason that impression came with the image of being a goody two shoes and whenever he told people he lived with Taehyung they could hardly believe it. ‘You guys are just so different’ was something they would say that always confused him. Jungkook was strange, he knew that, but his hyung and him always got along so well. They were weird in their own ways, but their personalities contrasted each other perfectly. 

Jungkook was just someone who spent way too much time studying and reading comic books all day, basically locking himself in his room, and Taehyung was just… Taehyung was someone everyone seemed drawn to. 

Jungkook was the slightly awkward guy who hung out on the sidelines and made sure to keep his hyung in check and Taehyung would always be there to bring him out of his shell and give him advice when needed.

It was this same idea that whenever Taehyung brought people over to smoke at their apartment that when Jungkook asked to join them, he would always get quite a few shocked looks. You were also on the list of people who were surprised when he brought you over for the first time to find his bong covered with Marvel stickers, sitting on top of one of his shelves.

It wasn’t like he smoked often, he really only did it when he was stressed, but he was in college and an engineer major so that might seem a little contradictory. After he graduated though and moved out from the apartment he pretty much quit cold turkey. Taehyung didn’t live in the same town anymore and he was way too busy (and a little lazy) to try and go out and get it himself. That really wasn’t it though, he was literally dating someone who had a stash of it for the shop downstairs. He more so just considered that phase of his life pretty much over, adulting duties were more so a priority. 

But sometimes… on rare occasions when work and classes were just too much he found himself asking you for help and you’d let him take a bit from your stash downstairs. 

It was one of those occasions that day. Jungkook had been taking hits from his bong and was just laid out on the couch playing some music. It was the weekend and he had a pretty big assignment due on Monday. It was the first time in the past two weeks that he just relaxed and stopped thinking about the deadline. The assignment was done, he just needed to look it over a couple more times before submitting. 

Well, whenever Jungkook smoked he would always suffer from a horrible case of the munchies and so eventually he found the energy to roll himself off the couch and head to the fridge. 

You were downstairs busy running the shop and Jungkook was way too high to notice he grabbed something off the top shelf. You had told him when he started coming over often that you used the top shelf for in progress orders or ones that would require refrigerating. In this case it was neither, rather something you were trying out for the shop. 

Jungkook learned the hard way never to go in the fridge while he was high because after he heated up the tasty looking muffins and took a bite he experienced something he could only describe as the most embarrassing day of his life. 

You had come back upstairs later that evening and you were shocked to not find your boyfriend inside, and the lights were all off. You convinced yourself he just stepped out for a moment, seeing that his bong and lighter were still on the coffee table in the living room, but the minute you went behind the counter of your kitchen you knew immediately something had happened. You were quick to find out what. 

His clothes were strewn around the floor and an opened container with a top you recognized was for the shop was at the scene of the crime. Nearly scaring you to death was a voice coming from above you. You looked up and screamed, shocked… or rather not shocked at all to find your boyfriend on the ceiling staring down at you. 

“Y/n look!” Jungkook exclaimed as he started to climb around on the ceiling. 

Oh great…

“Jungkook what–”

“Y/n, look, I think– I think I’m spiderman!” He beamed as he crawled into the corner. You couldn’t stop the dumbfounded look on your face at his words. 

“Baby, you ate my–”

“I was but a humble guy living in a small college town when a radioactive spider came one night and bit me in my sleep. I woke up with–”

“Jungkook, get down from there!” You interrupted knowing he was about to give you a weird rendition of spider man's origin story. You know, you’ve heard it only a million times. 

“Y/n, I’m spiderman now I gotta go protect the world I can’t come down!” He tried to defend and you were tempted to laugh but decided against it. You would definitely bring this up in the future. 

“No you're not, you ate my enchanted muffins I didn’t perfect yet.” You called out as he started climbing across your walls. In truth the only thing your muffins did at that point was make him able to stick to the walls. You could tell from his eyes alone he was still very high.

High, naked, and on enchanted muffins was a horrible combination.

“I’m spiderman Y/n, look at my suit.” You had no idea what he was seeing, all you saw was a naked man with his dick hanging over your head three feet above you, climbing around on your walls. 

“Jungkook get down here!” You sighed.

“Y/n my suit–”

“If you’re talking about that birthday suit, then yeah I see that. Now come down here.” You crossed your arm.

“The Green Goblin is coming! I gotta save the world!” He was not at all listening to you. 

There was nothing you could do about this. He was just really high and because this was an intermediate stage on an enchantment you didn’t have the “cure” researched already. Besides, with work in progress spells they all wear off by midnight and it was 9:37. 

In the end you ended up spending two hours and twenty-three minutes running around your apartment, picking up all the shit he was knocking down and making sure he didn’t hurt himself. 

When midnight hit you luckily was able to guide him so he was over the couch when he fell down quite dramatically on the cushiony surface. Somehow you were able to guide him to the bed a little later. 

Let’s just say, when he woke up the next morning, he was confused, embarrassed, and you had enough pictures and videos to haunt him for a lifetime.

Safe to say Jungkook learned to be more cautious when picking things from the fridge.

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

I feel like as I wrote this, it turned more so into our love story essentially. I have so many other stories I could have told, but these were just a few that came to mind first. I hope you all enjoyed reading! You can make up your mind whether any of this is real or not. For all you know I could be a guy living in his parents basement with way too much of an imagination or by the end of this you might be fully convinced my girlfriend’s sitting beside me right now helping me write this post. 

Whatever you believe this was made for fun and for your entertainment. 

Anyway, that’s it from me! 

JK

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

You glanced over his shoulder as he typed the end of the post. “You’re not gonna do the other story?” You couldn’t help the giggle as you watched his face turn red.

“No, why would I write about that…” He said bashfully, already knowing what story you were referring to. It followed up the third little story, and all he could think back to was how embarrassing it was. It was definitely not appropriate for a post like this.

“Mmmm good idea… you were a mess but… even you yourself said that it was kinda hot.” You recounted back to his words.

“I mean…” It was hot, extremely. Jungkook was embarrassed about that day in particular because it was no exaggeration… he was a mess, but the event encouraged you to make a modified version and you both would bring it out on special occasions. 

It was the day you finally decided to get another fridge.

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Jungkook never thought he’d be one of those guys who’d own one of those big comfy chairs. He’d always picture guys in their 40s with too many stains on their wife beaters who would just never get up from them. 

You both had been out shopping for a new couch when you passed by a little nursery model room and you stopped to admire how the pretty oak set was. Jungkook wanted to take a seat on the rocking chair that came with it just to imagine what it might feel like one day, but ended up nearly falling asleep right then and there as you went off and looked at the other model rooms. 

You had shaken him awake eventually and that’s pretty much the moment he fell in love with comfy chairs. You finally made it to where the couches were and as you both were trying to deliberate on which one you’d buy Jungkook took a seat on a cloud— or at least he thought it was one. The soft fabric made it perfect and it had that right amount of squishy to hard softness that made it so he never wanted to get up again. It was almost like finding the perfect mattress. It somehow got better when he found out there was a massage feature. 

Jungkook had gone on about the quality of the chair with no intention of buying it. You both came for a couch anyway, but it was only two months later on his birthday that Jungkook came home to find the same chair in your living room with a big bow on top. 

Every time he would come home and sit down in his little slice of heaven, suddenly his increasing age became even more obvious, at the ripe old age of 25 he felt ancient at this point. Maybe he was just having a quarter life crisis, but he felt like an old man anytime he would recline his feet up and fall asleep to a random channel on the tv. He was happy though. 

It was this coziness that had him falling asleep in the chair after he came back home from a long day of work. He remembered you vaguely trying to wake him up and get him to come to bed, but ultimately your attempts were in vain. He was just too tired and the chair was too cozy. Instead you gently draped a blanket on top of him and he was out for the rest of the night.  

Jungkook got up that morning, confused, and with sleep still weighing on him heavily. He should have learned the first time never to go in the fridge when he’s out of it, but the minute he woke up he found himself craving waffles like his life depended on it. 

Before he went to work yesterday you had been in the kitchen, humming along beautifully to your favorite song, as you were testing out your new waffle maker. If Jungkook wasn’t in a rush he would have stayed for breakfast, they smelled so good and he was hungry. He had been thinking about them ever since he left that morning, even dreaming about you… the waffles… and a lot of whipped cream. 

Jungkook just hoped and prayed there were leftovers still and low and behold, there were some. He was too sleepy and hellbent on eating the waffles that he once again ignored that they were on the top shelf. To be fair, waffles had never been something you did for the shop and the other shelves were crowded, so he just tried to convince himself that you had set them there because of the lack of room. 

In the moment before it all went… wrong… Jungkook fucked up them waffles. They were as delicious as he had been thinking, which wasn’t a surprise, everything you made was absolutely amazing. Maybe if he hadn't slathered them up with syrup, whipped cream, and an assortment of different fruits, he would have noticed the magical tingling that came with eating your enchanted foods. Maybe he did all along but just chose to ignore it because those waffles were so damn good. 

Jungkook even ended up making a few more for himself and for you when you woke up. As the sun started to rise, the better Jungkook started to feel. It was a glorious Saturday. 

You had come out right as he was taking out the last waffle, looking absolutely beautiful. Jungkook felt his heart swell as you walked over to him, taking a minute to appreciate how amazing his life was. 

“What’s all this?” You smiled at him as you wrapped your arms around his waist. 

“I really wanted waffles.” He giggled. “I made you some as well~” He pointed over to the plate. 

You squeezed him a little tighter.  “Someone’s in a good mood today~” You lightly pressed kisses on his neck and he shivered. Suddenly all he could think about was the way you were covered in whipped cream in his dream. 

Jungkook nearly whined when you pulled away, tempted to ruin this peaceful Saturday morning by licking whipped cream off your titties. 

You turned around and opened up the fridge to get the oj. He was really going to ask you but the reality came crashing down of what he had just done. 

“Hey, Y/n how do feel about whipped cream—“ 

“Jungkook… wait, where did the waffles go that were in here?” You asked concerned, distinctly remembering they were there last night, right on the top shelf. 

“Oh those? I ate the leftovers from yesterday first— I know mine won’t be as good as yours but I thought—“ 

“Jungkook…” You sighed, immediately knowing this was going to be bad. You looked at him and he seemed confused and you wondered how this could happen again, especially after what happened the last time he ate something from the top shelf.

“Jungkook, that was an order for a client. I thought we’ve been through this, the top shelf is for the shop.” You were both a little frustrated you would have to make the order again and a little concerned with the fact he ate all of them… 

You saw the weight of your words hit him in the face and any ill feelings you had disappeared for a moment because you knew he genuinely didn’t know. 

“I ate them about an hour ago…. nothing’s happened.” He looked at you with pleading eyes that this wasn’t going to turn out like what happened the last time. 

“You can relax, you won’t go all Spider-Man this time.” 

“Don’t tell me I’m going to turn into like a goldfish or something…” You couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not but you laughed anyway. 

“No, you won’t turn into anything— glad you didn’t eat the quesadilla beside it because we might be having a whole other conversation—“ 

“Y/n, what’s going to happen?” He exclaimed. You looked at him sensing the panic and took a deep breath because this was going to be a weird conversation. 

“It’s nothing too bad um… The order was for a guy and his wife who are trying to have a baby. They came to the shop hoping for some fertility help so um…” You stared at him knowing this was about to get awkward. 

“You might feel extra horny is the main thing it does, just don’t cum because it’s going to make it even worse. So if you can make it to midnight without any touching or anything it won’t be too bad.” You tried to smile at him, but you couldn’t because of one glaring detail. 

There were three waffles you made for the order. You had designed them so both the guy and his wife would take one each and possibly split the last one for another time. You hadn’t researched what might happen if one person ate all three.

“Then again Jungkook, things might not be as manageable since you ate all three of them. Just take it easy today, ok baby.” You ushered him over to his comfy chair and took up serving for the both of you. 

Jungkook tried to pay attention to his food, but as soon as you told him that the waffles he ate earlier were enchanted it was as if all the effects started hitting him all at once. 

When you came over to bring his plate he couldn’t tear his attention away from your legs. You were wearing a baggy shirt, something he knew was the only thing you were wearing. Maybe he was just thinking about it too much but he couldn’t stop staring at you, even when you went back over to the dining table. 

He tried to turn back around but even when he started eating all he could picture was your legs and covering your body with whipped cream. How nice would it to lick it off your body. He thought about the look on your face and all those pretty sounds you’d make, you’d be so sweet for him… so, so sweet. 

There was no denying he was hot… but as the minutes ticked away and you both ate, the more that normal level of need seemed to spiral. 

It got almost unbearable so quickly, he was sweating and had every urge to do the one thing that you said not to. He wanted to get up and take you right there on the dining table. As much as he wanted to play with the whipped cream that would have to wait for another time because he wanted you so badly. 

“Hey Jungkook, you ok?” He heard your voice cut through the fog. He wanted to hear what you would sound like with his cock inside you. 

“Erm— um, just getting a bit hot.” Jungkook tried to chuckle, but he was very much trying to downplay it. All he could think about was finally giving you the daughter you always wanted.

“I don’t know… are you sure? You seem a bit shaky over there…” You asked, a little concerned. He knew you’d feel so nice, you always feel so nice for him. So nice and all his.

It was starting to hurt.

“Y/n, can you put the whipped cream away…” Jungkook asked as calmly as he could.

“Whhyyy?” You questioned his odd request. 

“It’s making me think things—“ His voice was straining just even mentioning the white, fluffy substance. 

You got up and hurriedly put it away. “Jungkook you got this, ok? All you gotta do is make it to midnight tonight.” Your words were meant to be comforting but he could have burst into tears.

He had to manage this until tonight and it was— 10:38 in the morning?! It already hurt so much, how was he going to not do anything till then??!!!

It was probably only about 10 minutes later that it got to the point of being unbearable. He hurriedly slipped away and headed straight for the bathroom, a little ashamed for you to see him like this.

As soon as the door closed behind him he took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to do. Jungkook hardly managed to withstand an hour of the waffles effects. Usually he was so much better at restraining himself, but, but, but—

Before he could think about it anymore Jungkook slipped his thumbs underneath the waistband of his pajama pants and slowly pulled them down until his cock popped out, hissing at the way it slapped his stomach.

Immediately his mind thought back to all the times you were on your knees for him, the way you always knew how to make him a mess for you. Jungkook thought back to that time he was in this exact position, his back against the bathroom door and you on your knees pleasing him so well. 

The minute his hand wrapped around his aching length, a sigh of relief slipped passed his lips at the instant satisfaction he felt. Jungkook hadn’t touched himself like this since before you started dating, it’s been so long but it’s never felt this good before. 

The minute his hand started to move, the more the relief came and again he so desperately wished you were here in front of him. He got back to the routine that kept him sane throughout his sex drought in college. 

He thought about your legs again and how easy it would be to take off that shirt and have you bare and needy for him. 

“Fuck…” He sighed into the echoey bathroom. What he would do if you were here.

The thought alone had his hand speeding up and a feeling he knew he had to stay away from settling in the pit of his stomach. 

All he needed to do was not cum. That’s all he had to do.

He kept telling himself that but it just felt so good, he couldn’t stop despite the fact he was going to cum soon.

The way you look up at him when you’re on his knees, like you wanted him just as much of a mess as he is now.

“No, no, no…” Jungkook cried. It pained him, but he slowed his pace to something a little more comfortable so he wouldn’t explode. He shouldn’t give in that easily. 

Jungkook hurriedly scrambled to think of the most unsexy thing possible. Normally he would have a go-to thing for times he feared cumming too quickly, but maybe it was the enchantment, his mind was blank besides the most unholy thoughts on what he wanted to do with you.

The way you would do this…

He imagined your hands in place the way you would stroke him before focusing on the tip, something that would always have him crying out and closer than he wanted to admit. Jungkook matched your movements and he wasn’t surprised to notice the amount of pre-cum leaking from the tip. You were making him such a mess and you weren’t even here.  

“Ennggg— fuck, Y/n…” He moaned out softly as his thumb rubbed over the the slit, just like the way you would do it. Just like when you’re in front of him, Jungkook quickly felt himself heading straight for the edge. 

He was just so sensitive, this fucking enchantment, why did this have to happen today of all days? He already woke up eager to play with you today, and his fucking whipped cream plans had to be canceled. 

Jungkook already had a plan of convincing you. He would have grabbed the can after he told you he was interested and sprayed it in the spot on your neck he knew made you weak for him and licked it right off of you. In his dream earlier this morning you were intrigued and somehow he convinced you to let him lick it off of you… everywhere.

Just the fact that you were here made it hard to resist going out there and asking you to help him. He wanted you so bad. 

That was apparently the last straw because his hurried pace returned and he was so so fucking close. 

In his mind he quickly tried to go through the mental gymnastics to justify giving in and cumming now, but he knew you said it would only get worse if he did. As tempted as he was, and he was so close, he still found himself letting go, despite how much he wanted to. 

How was he going to make it through this day? 

After a little while the feeling dissipated and Jungkook felt considerably more hot and bothered than before and he couldn’t stop his hand wrapping around his length once more.

There wasn’t any way he could do this…

•─────✧─────•

It took a little while for you to realize that Jungkook was gone for so long. You had been still enjoying your waffles and got lost in thought thinking about some of the things you needed to do at the shop today. It really wasn’t much, just a few clients coming in to pick up their orders and you needed to check inventory. Well, that’s all you would have to do if Jungkook hadn’t eaten the waffles, you have to redo the order. Luckily the couple wouldn’t be coming till tomorrow, but this was something you wanted done and in the shop since they were picking up their stuff early in the morning.

You sighed getting up and going ahead and doing the dishes from your waffle feast. You also decided to try and be a little productive and go ahead and get a head start on working on the enchantment again so you can head to the shop downstairs. 

You headed over to your bedroom and that’s when it finally hit you that Jungkook had disappeared for a while. You wouldn’t think much of it, thinking he might have maybe been in the shower and he liked to take long showers for some reason, but all it took was a second of you standing still to hear the watering wasn’t running, but the sound of a soft moan from the other side. 

Your whole body lit ablaze at the thought, knowing the sight on the other side of the door would be absolutely otherworldly, but you reminded yourself of the situation. 

You went over and knocked on the door. “Jungkook…” You called out. 

“Ughhh—— yes…” His voice was soft but you could hear the strain. 

“Jungkook, what are you doing?” You asked, but you knew. 

“Y/n… it hurts… wanna cum so bad—“ He whined and once again you wished you were on the other side of this door.

“I told you that’s not gonna help. It’ll make things worse and it seems like it’s pretty bad already.” You tried to reassure, but you knew that wouldn’t help. Jungkook’s usually pretty good at not giving into temptation, the fact that the effects of the waffles has him a mess this much already made you a little concerned. This was bad. 

Silence passed for a while, but through the door you could hear his labored breaths on the other side. 

“Y/n, I want you so bad— fuck…” He moaned, almost like an invitation for you to open the door. “Please… please… I’m not gonna make it till midnight.” He begged and it took everything for you not to open the door. 

“You know we can’t do that… I promise at midnight if you want to, we can have some fun.” You tried to give him hope, but once again you knew you probably weren’t helping. 

Silence passed again, except his moans were a little louder this time. 

“Hey Jungkook…” 

“Ye— yeah?” 

“Why are you in there? It’s just me out here, you know?” You chuckled lightly, but you were curious. 

“I’m a mess, this is so embarrassing…” He sighed and you could hardly believe he thought that. 

“What do you mean embarrassing? You sound so hot just here from the other side of the door.” You smirked, oh what you would have paid to watch. 

“You wanna watch me?” He almost sounded baffled at the idea and you could have laughed. 

“So badly baby, I bet you look so pretty. I’ve never seen you touch yourself, wanna see how you do it.” You were hot, and you thought he would tease you for it but suddenly on the other side you heard his moans get more pained and desperate. 

“Y/n, stop-stop talking! Fuck, you’re gonna make me—“ He cried.

“But you won't, right?” You quickly interjected and you heard him cry out before he started to calm down. Oh, he’s so hot.

“You didn’t cum right?” You asked eventually. 

“No, but I almost did— we really shouldn’t be talking like this…” Jungkook sighed.

“Yeah, you’re right…” Stupid fucking waffles… 

“Did you need to come in here, sorry if I—“ 

“No! You’re fine, just was about to change so I can head to the shop in a bit.” You almost forgot why you were even in here. 

“Yeah… we can’t keep talking, oh my gosh—“ At his words you finally realized the implications of your own. 

“Just the thought of me naked makes—“ 

“Y/n! Please…” He pleaded, you were getting him so riled up so easily. This wasn’t good at all. 

“Sorryyy~” You chuckled, finding a little too much amusement at the situation. “Anyway, I’ll be in and out. Don’t pay me any mind and again… try not to do anything. Don’t give into the temptation, alright~” 

“You make it sound so easy, but alright please be quick.” 

“Promise, I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me!” 

You kept your promise and you were in and out of the room quickly. Your brain was a little scrambled from what happened, but you remembered you had another order to reprepare so you got yourself to focus and started back on it. 

You went straight to work, taking some of the elements out of your special room and preparing the ingredients for later. Typical fertility enchantments didn’t take too long but you always wanted the best experience for your customers and the guy and his wife were high payers. You made sure to throw in everything that would guarantee that after they ate the waffles they would finally get that positive test plus have a great time doing it. 

E. Pasos— was a powerful ingredient that really helped increase sexual desire so they would have the urge to do it more = higher chances of it working. 

L. Umtra— was the nasty ingredient that was really biting Jungkook’s ass right now. It added a little more onto this effect, making it so each “round” would only increase the desire, the passion, added once again to increase activity = higher chances of it working. 

F. Earo— is typically the most popular ingredient when making fertility enchantments. It’s a general ingredient that makes their bodies more suitable for conception, the effects are most easily seen in males— increasing sperm count and producing healthier sperm. 

P. Omer— was a fun one you threw in, it increases sensitivity and pleasure felt during the experience. So many times have you heard couples who’ve been trying for kids forever does sex start to become a chore, and your heart was soft for the pleading couple after they told you they had been trying for 4 years, so you threw in some extra spice to make the day they try this out a wonderful experience. 

U. Haqo— was another fun one you threw in that increased oragasm quality.

There was also a bunch of base ingredients for enchantments and others that were a little more technical that essentially go into the enchantment actually working. All the ingredients took a while to prepare and make sure they were perfect before you could add your special touch, that brought the enchantment to life, turning the ingredients from well… ingredients into the magic that you would cook into the waffles again, a request from the clients themselves. 

Some find the process incredibly tedious, your mom did when she worked at the shop, but you found it all calming. Work stressed you out more often than not, but you loved it so much. 

You were happily humming along to that song that’s been stuck in your head for the last week as you plucked off the leaves of R. Tinbi, one of those base ingredients for the enchantment. You had managed to get most of the ingredients prepared, now only left with the simple ones, when suddenly you heard footsteps. 

You didn’t even look up to know Jungkook had finally made his way out of the bathroom and was making his way over to you at the island. You really didn’t think much of it, almost forgetting about the whole predicament once again, but when he finally came into your peripheral you were instantly reminded. 

You finally turned your head to see him hunched over the countertop, his baggy short sleeved shirt that had a picture of Iron Man on it was long gone, and his red, plaid pajama pants haphazardly clung onto his tiny waist. That very prominent v-line that always made your mouth water was on display and suddenly you forgot what you were doing. 

You tried not to stare though, not wanting to make things any harder for him. You went back to plucking off the leaves. 

“P-Please tell me you’re working on a way to fix this…” He sighed, leaning over the counter a little more. It was also then that you realized his hair was a little wet and you noticed the shininess to his skin. 

“Baby you know if there was any way to fix this other than letting it take its course then I would help you… it would take longer than the time left to research—“ You suddenly heard his hand hit the counter before you saw him walk over to you from around the island. 

You watched as he got closer till he was standing right in front of you, you stared at him wide eyed, confused about what he was doing. 

He looked down at you with pleading eyes, his hand coming up and grabbing onto your waist, and you knew what he wanted. You wanted to tell him this wasn’t a good idea, but you couldn’t deny him when you felt him lift you onto the counter, you didn’t want to either. 

Jungkook looked at you with so much need, you could feel it too, how much pain this enchantment has caused and how much you wanted to help him. You felt tingles run through your entire body when his hand came up and caressed your bare thigh, making you instantly open your legs wider so he could be even closer. 

No time left was spared as Jungkook hastily pulled you close smashing his lips onto yours. He was hungry, desperate and he made sure you could feel it, kissing you with such ferocity you could hardly keep up. His hand had snaked up to cup your cheek to keep you close, even taking a second to breathe seemed hard. 

You were also sent the painful reminder that your boyfriend never wore underwear when he was home. Jungkook eagerly chased your hips, you both falling into a clumsy rhythm that made your whole body burn each time he whined softly into your mouth. 

You felt his hands hurriedly reach in between you and he fumbled with the button before he hurriedly pulled the zipper down on your shorts. Your hands ran up his toned arms, feeling the ink that over the years started to decorate his right arm, running up over his shoulder to tangle in his long dark hair. You tugged on that lightly, knowing how much he normally enjoys that and you were rewarded with a beautiful moan that was swallowed into the kiss. 

It was then that you started to feel the tug on your shorts. The angle was awkward since you were sitting on the countertop, it made them hard to pull down without separating long enough for you to try and wiggle out of them. 

At the challenge Jungkook broke away, clearly frustrated at the stupid barrier. 

“Why shorts, why did you have to wear fucking shorts…” He whined, still trying to feel you the best he could and he found it so difficult to stop long enough to make more of an effort to try and get your shorts off. 

The moment apart finally gave you that clarity you needed to realize what you both were about to do. 

“Jungkook, wait, we can’t do this…” You were sad, and you wanted so much to have him like this, but you knew things would only get worse if you continued. You didn’t want to see him in any more pain. 

“No… please… please Y/n, I feel like I’m going to explode.” The desperation in his voice made it harder to deny him. “I can’t make it to midnight, I can’t, I can’t—“ 

“But you’ll just end up feeling worse, plus I have things I need to do—“ You suddenly felt his hand move from your waist and reach between you both once again as he buried his head in your shoulder. 

You looked between you both and a whole new wave of tingles spread through your body as you watched your boyfriend tug down his pajama pants slightly and pull out his cock. 

Oh my g—

“You said you wanted to watch…” He shakily breathed out as his hand wrapped around his length, pumping himself slowly. 

It felt almost wrong to bear witness to such a glorious sight. Even with your shadows in the way you were reminded how beautiful your boyfriends cock was, the tip red and angry, that vein that you loved to lick ran along the side, and pre-cum was just oozing from the tip. To see that along with his pretty ass tattooed hand wrapped around was almost too much.

“Mmmm, oh— fuck, wanna cum so bad.” He said moaning into your skin. 

Knowing you could have a guy as beautiful as Jungkook such a mess and all for you made you want to give in so bad. 

You relished in his soft curses, the way he would moan, and the shaky breathes he would let out each time he would make it to the tip. The scene was lewd, and so much hotter than you could have ever imagined. 

You were in a trance at the sight until you felt his lips on your skin, kissing lightly until he reached that spot. You sighed and pulled him closer. Was this enchantment contagious? Maybe it was your boyfriend working his own magic like he always finds a way to? Whatever it was, was working on you too well. Oh, you wanted him so bad. 

You wrapped your legs around his waist and wrapped your arms around his neck, easily grabbing onto his hair and pulling it just the way he likes. He whined and rutted into you, so sensitive. 

You tilted his head so your lips were right by his ear. 

“Is this what you want?” You whispered softly and you got the most glorious moan out of him.

“Oh g—“ You didn’t give him time at all to finish before you were sucking hard on his neck. You felt his hand come up on your waist, both trying to pull your shorts down and pulling you closer to him, while he rocked his hips into you. 

“Close— Y/n please I’m so close—“ He whined, getting even more desperate at tugging at your shorts. You certainly felt it too, his quickened pace and started to get a little more inconsistent, desperate. 

You took the opportunity and pushed him away slightly. 

“N-No, please please!” He cried as you hopped off the countertop but you were quick at pushing him so he hit the counter across from where you were. He watched you wide eyed as you slowly walked over to him till you were standing only inches away. 

You took a moment to admire the view, giving him a once over at how much of a mess he truly had become. His skin glistened even more, his lips were shiny, and his hair was all frazzled and in his face. Oh how much you wish you could absolutely devour him. 

“You seriously don’t think you can make it to midnight?” You tried to look him in the eyes but his cock was right there. 

He shook his head. “I can take anything, your pussy, your mouth, fuck, I’ll be good if you let me squeeze your boob at this point.” You couldn’t help but giggle at that last part. 

“You don’t care that it might come back even worse?” You asked again, getting a little closer. 

“All I care about is now and you standing right in front of me, I could give a fuck about what happens 5 minutes from now.” Jungkook grabbed onto your waist hoping you won’t leave him. 

“Wellll…” You backed away and turned back to the island, grabbing onto the R. Tinbi leaves. “Someone ate my order today so I’m a little busy but—“ You leaned against the counter and arched your back in a way you knew made your ass look great. 

Jungkook quickly took the hint and grabbed onto your waist already rubbing himself against the rough fabric. 

“You’re perfect…” he sighed, grabbing a fistful of your ass and using his other hand to pull your hips back against his. You moaned lightly trying to focus on the leaves, but Jungkook was quick at making that task impossible. 

“You should see yourself, so fucking hot and mine.” His voice was already shaky again. He was so right, you knew deep down in your heart from the moment he first saw your special room there would be no one else, no one could make you feel as good as he did. 

Dazed and with your attention still on the leaves you felt his hand snake around and slipped down your panties, quickly finding your clit. 

“Oh fuck! Jungkook—“ You whined when he started rubbing your clit. You really weren’t expecting him to touch you at all, but leave it to your boyfriend, even in a state like this, to still try to make sure you felt good too. 

“Shit, you’re so wet for me baby… You like seeing me like this?” Jungkook was trying to tease you but he was so fucking turned on right now saying it out loud just made things worse. He had been so worried about embarrassing himself in front of you, but hearing, feeling you were turned on by his situation was more than he could take. 

Your moans were enough to make rational thinking seem impossible, suddenly the goal of getting your shorts down your legs seemed like it would take too much time and his brain just wasn’t working anymore. 

In a haste Jungkook did the most highschool thing he probably could have done in that moment, lining himself up before pushing himself right between your thighs. Jungkook’s face burned from how embarrassing this was, but he could care less right now. 

“I’m— so sorry, I can’t— I’m sorry—“ He moaned as he started literally fucking your thighs, his pace not holding back at all. 

You were a little confused by what was happening but while his hips were quick so were his fingers, speeding up so fast any questions or witty remarks you had left your brain in an instant. 

“Oh— fuck, fuck!” You moaned.

“So good, you feel so good Y/n!” You could tell just by his voice he was getting close. Part of you was tempted to ask him once again if this was really worth it, but you felt repeating it was redundant at this point. He had already made up his mind. Instead you just squeezed your thighs a little tighter together, hoping that might help.

“Ennnggg, oh-oh my gosh—“ Jungkook hurried his head in your neck, so close he could practically taste it at this point. His pace started to falter. 

“It’s ok, it’s ok…” You tried to reassure, sensing he was holding back. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m—“ Jungkook didn’t know what he was expecting if he came, the build up was just too much he knew he would feel better if only for a little while. What he wasn’t expecting, never would have expected was, as the ropes of cum started to shoot out, the most earth shattering orgasm he had ever experienced. 

As that wave of pleasure washed over him, he swore he transcended to the 10th dimension. He couldn’t speak, scream, moan, the pleasure too much, it was as if time stopped for a few seconds. The sensations were so intense, it felt like it lasted forever, a forever of bliss he couldn’t describe. It was better than a high he had experienced, a better high than he knew other drugs were capable of. It only seemed to get better as the seconds ticked away.

Part of Jungkook thought he had died, that he had transcended to a plane somewhere else, somewhere far beyond this earth. He swore he could see colors that never existed, 7:00 was purple, October was roast beef, Jupiter was a quarter. 

You were at first a little confused about what happened, he had suddenly gone almost silent except a few whimpers you felt in your skin as he steadily continued to rock his hips and how the hand gripping your waist was shaky. It was then that you remembered the U. Haqo and knew that whatever it was, was probably good. 

It was a solid few minutes before he finally came down, as the pleasure slowly faded, Jungkook was hit with another satisfying sensation, the feeling of complete normalcy.

You suddenly felt his weight shift on you completely. 

“Woah, are you ok?” You chuckled as you finally asked. 

“No… so good, feel better, but tired…” Complete sentences seemed impossible right now, that oragasm turning his brain into mush. You were luckily able to pick up on what he was trying to say.

“I bet, you ate all 3 of those—“ You had been so focused on Jungkook you had yet to actually look down, your attention finally drifting downwards when you felt something running down your leg. You weren’t prepared for the sight. What was going down your leg was the least of your worries, right there running down your island was an obvious white stream you knew wasn’t there before. 

“Holy shit, Jungkook…” You were stunned but once again you realized this was another ingredient to the enchantment at work. 

“Mmmmm?” He groaned lazily, still trying to still come back from that orgasm. 

“You came all over our island.” You laughed. 

This was enough to finally get him to lift his head and he was met with the same sight you were. Jungkook could feel the embarrassment creeping up, but his post-nut bliss was enough to keep him from freaking out about it too much. He knew this would make him scream into a pillow later though. 

“Sorry…” He sighed, gently caressing the skin where your shirt had come up slightly. 

Even with your limited Korean knowledge, you knew he had apologized. “It’s fine, it's another thing from the enchantment. I’ll worry about this, you go head to the bed. I’ll come back soon so I can put you to sleep before it comes back, hopefully you can sleep this off till midnight.” 

He nodded and slowly wobbled himself back over to your bedroom. 

You were quick to get to work knowing time was of the essence. You grabbed a towel and wiped the cum off your leg and the island, and headed straight to your room where Jungkook had already snuggled up in the blankets. 

Part of you wondered if he might go to sleep on his own, but as you got closer you noticed the pained look on his face. 

“Is it already back?” You questioned.

“Not yet, but I feel it coming.” He looked up at you. 

“Alright, hopefully this will keep you asleep till midnight, but since it’s magic vs magic, I can’t make any promises. You’ll at least be able to have a few hours with some peace.” You sat down on the bed and ran your fingers through his hair. Jungkook nodded, sleepily. 

“Wish you could stay, wanna cuddle…” He pouted and you were this close to throwing away all your responsibilities for the day away just so you could snuggle with him. 

“I do too, I’ll hop into bed with you as soon as I come back from the shop I promise.” You smiled and he did as well. It was then that you leaned down and softly kissed his cheek, you watched as his smile started to fade as his eyes quickly fluttered closed.

Oh you were so tempted. 

But nevertheless you hopped up and headed straight for the shower, even though you already took one earlier this morning, you figured you needed another after your time with Jungkook. 

You were out quickly and went back to work on getting the enchantment made as quickly as you could. You knew your clients would be coming in soon to pick up their orders and the couple called you when you got out of the shower and asked if they could pick up their order early because of a schedule change. 

Luckily most had already been done before Jungkook came in. You finally finished plucking the leaves and got the two remaining ingredients ready and carried them all into your special room for mixing. It was a good thirty minutes before the sparkly white powder was created and ready to be mixed in with the waffles. 

In no time at all (you did have a little help from your magic utensils helping you out) three hot and ready waffles were on the plate and you took them back to your special room. You closed the door behind you, waited for a second, before opening the door back up to the back room of The Magic Shop. 

It wasn’t long after you got there did you hear a knock on the door and you were delighted to see the couple peeking in through the door. You happily guided them back over to the register where you showed them the waffles wrapped up. 

“Thank you so much for doing this— this is one of our last chances at trying to do this the natural way.” The wife smiled at you. 

“I’m so glad I could help you both, hold up let me just—“ You quietly snapped your fingers making sure the waffles would stay warm until they both decided to eat them and then handed them over to them. 

“Let’s hope this works…” The husband looked over at his wife and squeezed her hand a little tighter, but then turned to you. “We have high hopes though, we heard amazing things about this place so we’re really hoping for the best.”

They were one of your many clients who knew nothing about what was actually the secret behind all of your products working so well. Part of you wished you could tell them so they would be reassured. 

“Really hoping for you both as well, I wish you guys luck.” The couple thanked you before heading back outside. 

As soon as they left you went back to your special room and started bringing out all of the other orders of people you were expecting today. You sighed looking at them all knowing you would probably be down here for a while, hoping that Jungkook would be ok upstairs. 

•─────✧─────•

The first thing Jungkook felt when he came to was pain, it didn’t hurt necessarily but there was no other word that he could describe it with. A need so desperate it almost was painful. The sun had gone down outside, a dark blue hue filling the room, and the clock on his nightstand read 8:34 when he finally looked over. 

You were right, it was so much worse. 

Jungkook was tempted to just make himself cum right now, unable to fathom how he would be able to make it nearly 4 hours. 

He couldn’t. 

This still didn’t stop him from trying his best. Jungkook gripped the blankets and shut his eyes hard, hoping maybe he could make himself go to sleep again. Only after 5 seconds he knew that wasn’t going to happen. 

He was just so— so…

Jungkook shifted his hips slightly and the fabric of his pajama pants was enough to make him lose his mind. 

Gosh, where were you? Jungkook hoped when he woke up it would be midnight (or at least close to it) and you were cuddled up in his arms like you promised. At least if he was going to fail, he’d rather do it inside you this time. 

Jungkook groaned softly thinking back to what went down in the kitchen, how nice your body felt against his, how wet you had gotten at his flustered state. If only he had enough sense to have gotten your shorts down, what he would have done if he did... 

He was tempted to run downstairs and beg you to let him fuck you, he was tempted and honestly he would have done it if he didn’t know the fact you were still downstairs meant you were working. He didn’t want to be any more of a pain than the mess he’s already caused for you. 

He really should have fucking known those waffles were for The Magic Shop, there really was no excuse for his actions other than he was hungry and didn’t care enough to realize what he was doing. 

Fuck— but he just missed you so much. He wished so badly he had opened his eyes and felt your arms wrapped around him, that when he had turned over he could have seen your smile. He would have kissed you and—

“Oh g—“ the moan got caught in his throat when he slid his hand under the waistband of his pants and hurriedly started pumping his cock. Jungkook was not at all prepared for the sensation, so intense, so fucking good he could already feel himself spiraling over the edge once again. 

In a rush he had to let go, knowing in that moment if he didn’t stop he would reach the point of no return already. 

Jungkook sat there for a second staring up at the darkened ceiling, just wondering how the hell he was going to somehow make it to midnight. If you were you— no if you were here, he would have cum already. 

He contemplated once again, heading downstairs, desperate to be inside you at this point, but being a good, respectful boyfriend mattered more no matter how horny he was. Jungkook flipped around anxiously, wondering how he was possibly going to get through this, when in the darkness your empty side made him focus on your pillow. 

No.

No. 

Jungkook, you're better than that— is what he tried to tell himself, he was screaming at himself that he was better than that, but he wasn’t, not when he felt like this. 

He finally kicked off his pajama pants and flipped over, staring at his pillow with so much shame, but that didn’t stop him as he slowly pushed the pillow further down. As soon as it was close enough, he steadily started rocking into it. 

Jungkook immediately thought of you again, when you would be here underneath him like this. Jungkook would always watch your pretty face as he thrusted into and— oh fuck, when you would moan his name and tell him how good he was making you feel. 

He hurriedly picked up the pace. “G—g, oh my g—“ 

You would always take him so well, you were so fucking perfect. He wanted to be inside you so bad right now. He missed feeling the way your walls would embrace him, you were always so fucking tight, and wet, and warm, and—

He was absolutely delusional at this point. He could see you underneath him, feel you underneath him, he could hear your moans and the way you pleaded for him to go faster. 

Gosh, he wanted to fill you up so fucking bad. 

It nearly hit him in the face when he felt himself hastily getting way too close, he had to quickly get off the pillow. 

His whole body cried and contorted, trying to get the feeling to pass. Jungkook nearly thought he was going to cum anyway, but he steadily calmed himself down. 

How the fuck is he going to make this? He knew he should stop, he knew that it would be better to wait it out than keep putting himself through this torture but he wasn’t thinking clearly at all. All he cared about was chasing that high as close as he can, until finally midnight rolled around and he could finally fucking cum. 

Jungkook got back over the pillow and rocked his hips a little slower. Maybe this might help, if he goes slow he can get the best of both worlds. A little bit of pleasure but also so he wouldn’t risk going too far. 

Jungkook moaned lightly at the feeling. This will be fine. He can go this, he can do this.

•─────✧─────•

It wasn’t until a little after 11:00 that you were finally making your way back up to the apartment. You were annoyed as hell because you pretty much worked an entire extra shift and of course today had to be the day that this happens. You had a couple of people who were picking up orders call and say they would be late, and late turned into two whole hours later, before you were finally closing the shop for good. Taking inventory also turned into a whole mess, the site where you normally get your ingredients from acted up and you were basically on the phone for a good three hours getting your order straight. And then you ended up spending an extra hour getting the shop ready for Monday, knowing you had absolutely no plans on coming in tomorrow. 

In turn, you were stuck downstairs almost all day thinking about your boyfriend upstairs. You kept hoping that the enchantment was strong enough and that he was still asleep, but like you feared as soon as you opened up the door of your special room once again you could immediately hear muffled moans. 

You hastily made your way down the hall and you honestly didn’t know what you were expecting when you rounded the corner, but you still found yourself shocked when you finally realized what you were looking at. 

The bed had basically been deconstructed, all the pillows and blankets had been thrown to the floor and the sheets were barely staying on. On your side of the bed was your boyfriend, his pajama pants were now gone. In one hand was your purple vibrator you typically kept in your nightstand, the could hear the slow, light buzzing as he slowly ran it along his cock. In the other hand he gripped hard, what you could only assume was your pillow, tightly over his face, making you instantly rush over because what the hell was he doing?! 

“Jungkook?!” You cried, ripping the pillow away. You heard him whine as you pulled it out of his hand. You were met with his wet face. You would have just chalked it up to be sweat, but noticing that his cheeks were noticeably damp making you realize he had likely been crying. 

He blinked up at you a little confused. 

“Y/n, is that really you?” His voice was a little horse. It was then that you also realized one of your lingerie sets bottoms was beside him.

You got down on your knees. “Yeah it’s me baby, I’m sorry I’m late…” You reached over and stroked his cheek. 

“Please tell me it’s 11:59…” He whined, a noticeable tear rolling down his cheek and onto your hand. 

“Almost it’s…” you looked over at the clock “11:21.” You reassured thinking that might be some sort of good news, but he just groaned and more tears spilled from his eyes. 

“How am I going to…” He quietly trailed off, not even bothering to finish. 

“Jungkook, what were you doing with a pillow on your face?” You asked, a little concerned. 

“Your pillow smells like you, missed you so much, I’m sorry.” He softly apologized and you felt instant relief knowing it wasn’t what you thought was happening. “Where were you? Thought you were gonna be here when I woke up…” He pouted. 

“I’m sorry, things kept holding me up downstairs, took me forever to make it back up. A lot’s happened though since I left.” You chuckled, pointing out how disheveled the room was. 

“It’s been so hard, you don’t even wanna know…” He sighed and it was also then that you realized he never turned your vibrator off. 

“You didn’t cum, did you?” You asked, not tearing your attention away from the way he gripped his dick with one hand and the way he ran the vibrator along it, how he shook every time he reached the tip. 

“Ennnggg— once— it was on accident, I had just woken up and… I don’t know what happened, but I ended up cumming on my pillow and—“ 

“Wait… how would you…?” Your imagination had immediately started running wild. 

“I missed you, and it’s embarrassing…” 

Jungkook had reached some of his lowest of lows today. He had fucked the crease between his girlfriend’s thighs because he couldn’t get her shorts off, and then he ended up fucking a pillow. 

It was right after he convinced himself that he was going to be able to do this. He had gotten caught up in imagining the pillow was you and he still was so sensitive from how he almost came earlier from his last attempt, but he really wasn’t ready for that wave to hit him like that. Jungkook didn’t even get a chance to try and stop it, his cum all of a sudden all over his pillow case and the shame, pleasure, and relief he felt in that moment for another earth-shattering orgasm. 

Shakily he wobbled over to the laundry room to toss it into the washer and he almost ran back to the shower and turned it on the coldest possible setting he could before hopping in, hoping it might cool him down a bit before the feeling came back. That didn’t help at all, magic being difficult like that, and that’s how he ended up stumbling out of the shower, grabbed the first thing he saw in your underwear drawer, along with your vibrator and had been here since trying his best to make it till you finally made it back. 

He’s nearly come more times than he could count at this point and just seeing you standing here next to him finally had started making things harder than ever before. 

“What time did you wake up?” You asked. 

“8:30– I’ve been edging for nearly 4 hours… feel like I’m gonna explode.” He couldn’t laugh at that anymore, because he really did feel like he actually might explode at this point— on you, fuck, he wanted you so bad. 

Your hand along his cheek sent a fire in him and this unbearable, unquenchable lust that he’s felt all day, was starting to reach a pinnacle that made his skin burn hotter than any fire. Gosh, a lust enchantment and he hasn’t been able to fuck you all day? 

To make matters worse even before the enchantment he was feeling extra needy, work this week for the both of you keeping you apart and he was looking forward to this Saturday to make up for all the lost time. 

You started noticing the look of distress on his face the more you looked at him. “Baby, you ok?”

“No—fuck, no I’m not ok. Can you leave? I don’t mean to be rude but you right beside me is making me think things, I fucking want you so… so, so, so fucking bad right now and I feel like if you stand here any longer touching my face I’m gonna cum and— it’s already so bad I don’t know if I can do this again—“ 

“What if you did?” You were still dazed staring at his pretty cock and your vibrator. 

“What?!” He sounded pissed, he was pissed, here he was begging you—

“I mean Jungkook there’s only a little over 30 minutes left of the day~ What if we take advantage of this enchantment and you can fuck my brains out or something till midnight hits.” You finally turned back to his face to see him staring at you.

“Take it as an apology for making you feel so miserable all day and… I swear watching you all day has made me so wet, so maybe we call it even and we have a little fun.” You smiled, hoping he might say yes.

He continued to just stare at you.

“We don’t have to if you’re not up for it, I know things have been hard and you might just wanna make it throu—“

“Shut up if you don’t fucking mean it.” He suddenly said, sitting up on the bed. You were a little taken aback by his harsh words, but then you realized what’s going on. 

At the position change you reached up and ran your hands over his toned thighs. “I fucking mean it baby.” You smirked up at him and you heard your boyfriend literally whimper. 

“G—god I swear I’m gonna cum if you keep talking, please— fuck, please do something, anything, I just fucking want you.” He cried and you couldn’t have been happier. 

You were about to have so much fun. 

You watched him throw your vibrator across the room and scoot to the edge of the bed. You didn’t even try and tease as you ran your hands further up his thighs. 

You watched his eyes flutter closed as you made your way closer to where he wanted you. You watched his face intently as your fingers finally wrapped around the base. 

“Mmphh— yesyesyesyes, don’t stop please.” He gasped and this fueled you to push further. 

You slowly brought your hand up closer to the tip and enjoyed the way he whimpered under your touch as precum kept leaking from the tip. 

“Does it feel good?” You laughed slightly, seeing how much he struggled to keep it together. 

“Feel like I’m gonna explode…” His brain was just spaghetti at this point, not even realizing he switched over to Korean. 

Jungkook leaned back so he couldn’t watch you, the sight was too much already and you barely had started. Instead he gripped the crumpled up sheets tight as he felt your hands run over his length. It was just so good, he wanted to cum so bad—

As much fun as this was, seeing your boyfriend like this made you so eager to please and you quickly decided it was finally time to put him out of his misery. 

After working him a little further you brought your hand up to eagerly rub over the slit as you leaned down ready to take him in your mouth. 

“Oh—fuuu—“ He was not prepared, neither were you when his orgasm hit him so suddenly. You couldn’t help but stare as you watched the bliss wash over him, the way his face cutely scrunched up, the sheets were tight in his hands, and just like what happened earlier in the kitchen, you only heard him whimper quietly, the pleasure seemingly being too much. You were so entranced, you didn’t even realize some of it landed on your face.

It took a few minutes for it to finally wash over him, and just as he was starting to come back he let go of the sheets and put his hands over his face.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” You chuckled. 

“I’m sorry— that was— I’m so confused, fucking embarrassed, but ughh that was so hot.” He finally looked down at you, seeing the white streaks on your face. 

“Oh my g— so fucking hot— Y/n please don’t stop—“ He whined impatiently. 

“You sure? You just c—“ 

“I don’t care, don’t stop…” he pleaded, needing to feel you. This night was not ending without him being inside you at least once.

You chuckled as you grabbed a tissue and cleaned your face and hand. You didn’t waste anymore time and happily took him into your mouth. 

Jungkook was not at all prepared to feel your mouth around him— for 13 hours straight he had simply made do with the best he could, his hand, your thighs, a pillow, your vibrator on the lowest setting possible— they were fine and some even managed to push him over the edge. Maybe it had been so long since he felt your touch or this enchantment was absolutely insane because the minute you wrapped your pretty lips around his cock and started taking him… he was not at all prepared. You would have thought he had never been touched before in his life at how quickly he felt he could cum again, that feeling returning instantaneously.

His hand quickly went down to tangle in your hair as you pushed down as much as you could. He made the awful mistake of sitting up, wanting to look at you, but it just made things so much worse, seeing the way you were staring up at him as you took him so well. 

“You’re so good to me…” He sighed and he didn’t realize he said that out loud until he noticed you giggle as you came off him. 

“Is it that good? I’ve barely done anything yet.” You chuckled. 

“Mhmmm, go slow, don’t wanna cum too soon.” He pleaded. He wanted to savor every moment of this and this enchantment made it so all he wanted to do was cum down your throat.

Not yet though.

You nodded before going back down and swirling your tongue around the tip. You went slow like you promised and this was enough to get a frustrated whine from him. 

“Y/n— don’t do this to me please.” He looked down at you and you couldn’t help that wave of need travel through your body, making you squeeze your thighs together. Maybe on another day you would have teased him for longer, but you finally took him in your mouth as far as you could go. 

As you pulled back and went back down again, you enjoyed his soft sighs of pleasure he would let out occasionally, and by the look on his face you could tell you were doing well.

You brought your hand up to softly run over his thigh before wrapping around his length as stroking what you couldn’t take. At the combo, you relished in the moan he let out as his grip in your hair tightened. He looked so pretty like this, all you wanted to do was please him, so you steadily sped up your pace anticipating seeing that look of just pure euphoria wash over him once more. 

You were hellbent on getting him to cum in your mouth and you knew he was close, you could tell by his moans getting more desperate, and how he subtly held your head down making sure you wouldn’t leave. You were waiting for the moment, so close, but as you were sure he was right about to cum suddenly you felt him pull you off. 

You looked up at him confused as you saw him try and calm himself down. What was going on? Isn’t this what he wanted? 

You were not left confused for long as Jungkook shakily got up, you at eye level with his cock, shiny from your antics as precum leaked from the tip. You felt his hand cup your chin forcing you to look up at him. 

Jungkook was staring down at you, his lip tucked between his teeth as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip. 

“So fucking pretty…” He sighed as he looked at your delicate features staring up at him. So fucking pretty and you were all his. He wanted to absolutely ruin you.

“Wanna fuck your mouth baby~” He said so softly, his tone almost not matching at all with what he was asking. You felt his thumb reach into your mouth slightly to open your mouth a little wider. 

Your attention went back down to his cock right in front of your face, the way his tattooed hand came up and started stroking it slowly as he moved a little closer to your mouth. Your whole body ached with need, wanting this man inside you immediately. 

“Is that ok?” He shakily asked. 

Instead of responding, you nodded your head slowly leaning in a little closer so your lips brushed against the tip. You enjoyed the whimper you got out of him as a result. 

“Eeeehh— Open your mouth— I mean open your mouth please, fuck!” Jungkook moaned and you instantly followed his command and he moved his hand so it was resting on your head and he guided you straight to his cock as you slowly took him. 

“Ohhhh, yes, yes, yes…” He sighed the minute he saw the last inch disappear into your mouth. You could feel his hand on your head start to shake lightly, and you could only figure he must be close.

Jungkook slowly pulled his hips back before shakily thrusting back in. He was trying to be gentle but your mouth and this fucking enchantment made that almost impossible. 

You felt so good around him and the way you were looking at him as he stared down into your eyes… he was so close. 

He sped up slightly. 

That sensation quickly returned, the overwhelming feeling quickly boiled over into a blinding white light, so so good. He had to force his eyes to stay open as he watched himself cum in your mouth. He wanted to see. 

You let him recover before pulling off eventually. 

Jungkook didn’t let the peace carry on for long before he was pulling you onto your feet and even quicker were you pressed against the dresser behind you as Jungkook kissed you hungrily. 

“You— you sure you want to keep going?” You asked in between his kisses. You were honestly baffled he hadn’t collapsed yet, but that enchantment was all to thank for that. 

“Yes— can’t stop.” He really couldn’t, this enchantment already having that craving back faster than ever and with an intensity that he couldn’t imagine as somehow worse. Jungkook wasn’t done yet with you at all, this was still just the beginning. 

He made the point clear by pulling you back with him so you both fell back on the bed. Jungkook didn’t waste any time as he wrapped your legs around his waist and he was hurriedly leaning over so he could kiss you. 

You wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him even closer. You wanted him and you knew you were just on the cusp of feeling him inside you. You got even more excited when you felt him tugging on your shorts. 

“Are you serious?!” Jungkook exclaimed as he struggled to get them down once again. They were just comfy shorts you threw on, hoping these might be a little easier to deal with than your jean shorts from earlier, but it seems you thought wrong.

Jungkook got frustrated and instead focused on pulling up your shirt and helped you get it over your head and you unclipped your bra and threw it across the room. You didn’t think too much of it, ready to finally get naked and busy, that is until you noticed his gaze locked on your chest.

You were about to question him, but his hand quickly came up and started massaging the softness. Oh. 

You moaned softly as his thumb flicked over the nipple before leaning forward a little more and sucking it. You were a bit taken aback by his actions, but Jungkook’s eager mouth was quick at pulling you back in the moment. 

“Can’t wait to see you covered with whipped cream.” He mumbled softly, but his eyes weren’t on yours. You honestly had no idea what he was talking about or if he was speaking to you or your boobs? 

“Baby, what are you talking about?” You chuckled slightly, running your hands through his soft hair. 

“Our plans for tomorrow, wish they were for now but— ughh— Y/n, need you please.” His gaze finally met your own and he made sure to accentuate with a firm thrust. 

You were about to say something when you felt his hand travel down your body again and tug on your short strings. You hoped this time he would manage to get them down your legs, but you could sense the growing frustration at the fact he couldn’t even untie the little bow you made. 

“Why?! Why can’t I—?!” The more he pulled the worse the knot he had created got tighter, this enchantment seemingly making his brain all scrambled. 

As funny as it was to watch, you were more eager for what was going to happen next so you pushed him away slightly so you could finally shimmy your shorts down your legs. 

Jungkook looked at you thankful for the help and his whole body seemingly cried when your shorts and panties were gone and flung across the room. Seeing you naked, fuck, he’s wanted you like this all day. As much as he wanted to feel you around him, Jungkook was more interested in pleasing you. 

You expected him to get back on top but he laid back over on your side and started ushering you over on top of him. 

“What’s this about?” You wondered. 

“Sit on my face.” He was blunt but the enchantment allowed for nothing more. You were a little shocked once again he was still finding it in him to take care of you when he’s like this, but were you really? This was Jungkook you’re talking about, the guy who thrives on your pleasure. 

You laughed slightly, but quickly obeyed his wish and moved so you were hovering over his mouth. 

You gripped your headboard tight when you felt his hands come up to stroke your thighs as you slowly lowered yourself over his mouth, worried about squishing his head. Jungkook was quick at pushing those worries aside as he pulled you down to eagerly start lapping between your drenched folds. 

You weren’t at all prepared, your back arching and a moan escaping your lips before you could stop it. 

Even in a state like this Jungkook made sure to remind you he knew your body well after years spent together. 

“Jungkook— fuck, fuck yes—“ You groaned when he used his tongue to circle your clit, occasionally sucking on it. Your whole body was on fire, if someone was watching they might have also thought you had eaten some of the enchanted waffles along with him at how desperate you seemed.  

Truth is, you missed, you missed him so much. You had missed him all week, long hours keeping you both apart even before enchantment came into effect. You missed him all day today, you were stuck downstairs as you thought about what might have happened if you had opened the bathroom earlier, what if Jungkook had fucked you on the counter, what if you agreed to stay in bed with him. All of the possibility was dwarfed by how hot you were thinking about what actually happened. Trapped downstairs on the phone with the fifth tech support person trying to help you with your order, all you could think about was your boyfriend’s pretty ass cock and how much you wanted to be pounded into oblivion right then and there for the guy on the phone to hear. 

You’ve been hot all day. As hard as you knew this was for Jungkook, it almost felt like you were being punished being forced to watch. 

Having him like this, below you, eating you out like his life depended on it made you so fucking hot. 

When your thighs started to get a bit shaky, you finally looked down at him a little surprised to see his dazed gaze on you. You happily took one of your hands off the head board and let them tangle into his long brown locks. 

You felt the subtle vibrations of the way he moaned. You watched as one of his hands that was gripping onto your thighs let go and hastily reached downward. Curious, you broke away from his gaze and to turn behind you and you felt a whole new fire light inside you at the sight of him hurriedly pumping his cock. 

You quickly turned back down to him and noticed his eyes had glossed over, this whole thing apparently getting to him more than you thought. 

Oh.

Suddenly you were back in the moment and was painfully aware of the skilled work of your boyfriend's tongue, playing with your clit, licking between your folds, and even into your hole. You knew you would cum soon at this rate. 

“Are you enjoying this that much?” You teased breathlessly, moving your hips in a way that the new angle had your grinding against the tip of his nose. Fuck.

His attention shifted back to you, albeit still dazed. 

You gripped onto his hair tighter when he didn’t answer, even though how could he with your pussy in his mouth. You watched intently as the way his eyes started rolling back. Hot. 

You weren’t in the mood for games, you just wanted to fucking cum at this point. 

“Fuck Jungkook, you’re so good to me always. Love you.” It was a hasty confession as your attention turned towards chasing the high that’s been dangled in front of you all day. 

Jungkook seemed to speed up at the praise. It didn’t take long for that built up tension to finally snap when you cried out as you experienced one of the most toe-curling, mind numbing orgasms you’ve ever had. 

Jungkook gave you no time to recover though, because even after he worked you through it and you started to lift up, he showed no signs of stopping. 

You looked down at him and he nodded up at you, needing no words to explain.

He wanted to watch again, have you cum all over his face one more time. You were so sensitive, confused at the blissful sting of overstimulation, but still extremely turned on because holy fucking shit was this hot. 

Jungkook quickly had you back to that point where that feeling was back all too soon and you were crying out once more and your orgasm hit you faster than a freight train. 

Your brain didn’t know how to comprehend what happened as you sat there for a second, letting your heart and breathing calm down. What just happened? You felt fuzzy all over, loved, comforted, and—

Jungkook’s hand suddenly fell from your thigh as you finally looked down once again. You were delighted to see the fucked out expression, his eyes were closed and you cooed internally at the way his eyelashes tickled his cheeks. He was so pretty. His brows were furrowed as the hand that had long left your thigh continued to move. That’s when you remembered what you saw last time. 

You turned around and was shocked to see the cum covering his toned stomach, but he was still harder than ever. Suddenly you were hot all over again. 

You turned back to Jungkook once more, noticing how pained his delicate expression had gotten. 

“Please, inside…” He finally opened his eyes to look up at you. You also noticed how red he seemed and you wondered if he was just hot, flushed, or was it embarrassment? Maybe all three considering? You could also see how wet his face was, you didn’t know whether that was just you or the tears that had especially collected around his eyes. 

You swung your leg over and took a seat next to him. Jungkook was quick at sitting up and turning toward you, you both just looked at each other before Jungkook got too impatient and hurriedly pulled you into a kiss. 

He was hungry, desperate, and had you breathless by the time he moved you both so you were on your back and he was slotted between your thighs, ignoring the stickiness between you. 

You moaned into the kiss when you felt the steady grind of his cock between your folds. Despite having just come (twice), you still found yourself eager to have him inside you, finally. 

Jungkook pulled away to hurriedly line himself up, ready to finally fucking finally feel you, but just as he was about to push in you remembered something. 

“Wait— Jungkook!” You called and he looked up at you, a little startled. 

“Mhmmm?” He almost sounded like he was drunk, his attention quickly turning back down to your pussy and was entranced at how wet you sounded, his eyes glued to the way his cock looked as he pushed it through the slickness of your folds. 

“Do you think we should use a condom?” You asked, a little concerned. You never typically did these days, but with this enchantment it may be better just in case. 

Jungkook was trying his best to pay attention to your words, but fuck, he was so close and you felt so good. 

“I don’t know if my birth control can go up against this enchantment.” 

“Eghhhh— I don’t mind if you think it’s better. It’s up to you.” His brain was not working, of course he had a preference and that preference was clouding any sort of logical thinking. 

“What— you don’t mind if this gets me pregnant?” You giggled at the comment. 

Jungkook's eyes returned to yours but then back down between you both. “Feel like I could give you octuplets right now.” He chuckled weakly, both trying to joke along with you but he was also incredibly serious, painfully serious.

You just laughed realizing you shouldn’t really be asking him when he’s like this. “Ohhh, that’s just the enchantment talking baby~” You smiled, somehow endeared by his words. 

“I’m serious though, whatever you want to do— but wait, we haven’t used condoms for so long I don’t even remember if I have any left.” He panicked. Just the thought of stopping now made him want to throw something out the window. He felt close already.

“Please hurry baby…” He moaned, trying his best to stay calm but this fucking enchantment was making it very hard.

You sensing the urgency decided to think about this. 

There is no way you wouldn’t end up pregnant from this if you just do nothing— or well, there’s just a great chance. Considering you weren’t enchanted by the waffles maybe that would be enough? You also had no idea anyway if you had any condoms in the room anymore. Maybe you would be fine? You could make your own remedy of sorts in the morning as well just for good measure. 

And would it really be that bad if all that fails? Sure you weren’t at that point of your life where you were ready to start having kids, but this was with Jungkook, not some random guy from a one night stand. If things didn’t go to plan, it wouldn’t be that bad. 

Your judgment was questionable though considering you were just as eager to finally feel him inside you and the way his cock slid over your clit made your mind a little fuzzy. Might you regret it in the morning, maybe, but you would solve that issue when you get there. You had a plan as well so—

“Alright— I have a plan for tomorrow, but just get inside before I lose my mi—” You were hardly able to finish your sentence before Jungkook hurriedly pushed inside you, not even making it in all the way before he buried himself in your neck and let out the most glorious moan as he came inside you.  

You were shocked but you still rubbed his back lightly, trying to help him through it. You could only imagine at this point how intense things have gotten for him, the thought turned you on and for a brief moment considered one day downing three of these waffles and seeing what happens. 

Jungkook eventually pulled away and you immediately noticed the tears that stained his face and quickly brought your hands up to wipe them. 

“Was it good?” You chuckled, but you were starting to get a tad bit concerned seeing how fucked out he was beginning to look. 

He shakily nodded his head. 

“You’re lucky I said yes.” You laughed hoping that would pep him back up back you could tell he was hardly paying any attention to what you were saying.

“S-s-sorry.” His voice was soft and you couldn’t help yourself as you brought him closer to kiss his cheek. The lights were dim in your room, but once your lips touched his skin you finally felt just how wet his face was. 

“It doesn’t hurt right?” You asked immediately as you pulled back.

He shook his head. 

“Feels too good.” He sighed as he steadily started to move his hips again. 

Jungkook was not at all prepared for what it would feel like to be inside you with this enchantment. Maybe he was so sensitive from how many times he’s cum already, or things really have escalated to a point that everything has just become so overwhelming, but the minute he started moving his hips he was rendered speechless. 

The enchantment only seemed to enhance every sensation the warm embrace your walls always gave him. It was so good, you were so good to him. Every sense of his made his brain go haywire, the way you wrapped around him, the way your hands ran along his back, the way you looked up at him as he fucked you, your expression, your eyes alone was enough to get him to cum again. 

He loved you so much. 

“Fuck.” He whispered so quietly he doubted you heard it, he couldn’t say it any louder even if he wanted to. Despite the odd circumstances and how frustrating the day has been, being here with you like this made it all worth it. 

Jungkook didn’t even realize how much his eyes had watered up until your expression started to shift to worry when you brought your hand up to wipe his face. 

“Fuck— Jungkook are you sure you’re ok?” You asked, once again concerned. 

“Mhmmmm, good, so good. Don’t wanna cum yet, wanna make you feel good too.” He cried. He was desperate to make you feel even an ounce of what he did. His pace had remained painfully slow, knowing the minute he sped up it’d be over. 

“This feels good— don’t worry baby this is about you, ok?” You smiled up at him. It was meant to be reassuring but it only made him feel worse. 

Jungkook picked up the pace and relished in your delighted moans and the sound of the bed frame creaking at your escapades. It was overwhelming, so overwhelming, that feeling, that need to fill you up once more became harder to ignore. 

He tried his best to distract himself by kissing you hastily but that only seemed to make things worse. It was just so good. 

“Oh— oh go—“ 

It felt like he was hit with a train the way his orgasm knocked him so suddenly, somehow it was even more intense than before. It felt like a fervor dream, he was delirious, and maybe it was this enchantment, but as he coated your walls with his cum there was some strange part in him that wanted all this to get you pregnant. 

It was a guilty confession that he knew he would regret later, but it’s what fueled him despite how exhausted his body felt to flip you over so you were on your hands and knees so he could do it again. 

The position gave him a great view of your ass, and he cursed to himself quietly as watched the way it’d jiggle anytime he pushed into you. 

“So—so good Jungkook…” You whined. 

“Close?” Was all he could ask and you hurriedly nodded. 

Jungkook’s hand quickly came down to smack your ass and gripped on the soft mounds hard, loving the way you moaned for him. As much as he’s enjoyed the thought about whipped cream all over your titties all day, your ass will always be his favorite. 

Jungkook felt your walls tighten around his cock and he knew you were close. 

He pulled you close so your back was against him, the new angle allowing him to fuck into you easily, while his hand went down to rub your clit and his mouth kissed your neck.

The position had him reaching spots inside you that made your mind go blank as you soon felt him fill you up once again, but he didn’t stop until you were soon cumming all over his cock. 

You were hardly able to recover before Jungkook was pulling out of you and laying down only to usher you so you were hovering over his cock. He looked up at you with pleading eyes, and it didn’t take much to figure out what he was asking from you. 

You were already starting to get a little tired and barely coming off your last orgasm you still found it in yourself to sink down onto his length once again. You felt his hands come up and grip your hips tightly as you began to slowly move. 

You also surprised yourself with the fact that you were keeping up with him, no enchantment fueling your efforts, just your love for this idiot who ate your waffles.

You marveled at his soft sighs of pleasure and how beautiful he looked. He had grown more quiet like back in the kitchen and just by the look on his face you knew things had really gotten intense. You could only imagine, you’re not even sure how many times he’s cum at this point.

“You’re so pretty baby~” You breathlessly confessed and he let out a strained moan as one of his hands moved up to play with one of your tits. For some reason you knew he was close once again.

“You’re gonna cum again for me baby?” You asked but you knew. You noticed his eyes started getting watery again, tears falling from his eyes.

“Y-yes.” He strained and you could hardly hear him.

You decided to speed up a little, not wanting to drag this out for him. You let yourself get lost in the feeling of his cock filling you up, focusing on keeping a steady rhythm. It wasn’t too long after you started losing yourself in the pleasure that you felt his grip on your hips tighten before you heard Jungkook out a moan as his eyes rolled back and you felt him fill you up once again. 

You smiled but Jungkook was quick at moving you so you laid on your side, your back against his chest before he was entering you from behind. He didn’t move for a little while and it was then that you were able to look over at his nightstand to see the time. 

11:56. 

Almost there.

Jungkook also noticed that this was finally about to come to an end and knew he wanted to make the most of it. One more time. 

Jungkook grabbed ahold of your thigh and lifted it up so your leg could rest ontop of his so he could fuck into you easier and slowly started to move. 

“One more time.” He sighed, kissing your neck.  

He wasn’t talking about himself. Four minutes at this point was enough time for cum at least twice, but he was thinking about you. He wanted– no, needed to feel you cum around his cock once more. 

Jungkook quickly found a good pace and reached around to find your clit once again. 

You moaned for him, not honestly thinking you could cum again, but Jungkook always had a way of proving you wrong because you quickly felt that growing need once again. 

It was so good, he was so good. Being close like this, his length buried deep inside, his fingers on your clit, his lips on your skin, you felt so loved and still being a little sensitive from your last orgasm you felt so close so quickly.

As much as he wanted to wait until you were closer, the way your walls were gripping made him spill into you quicker than he liked but he never faltered, speeding up instead determined to make you cum around him before midnight.

“Fuck, fuck please baby–” He pleaded and you cried. 

You were close, so fucking close. 

With a couple more thrusts you felt that blinding surge of pleasure spread through your whole body and moaned his name as he somehow gave you your fourth orgasm of the day. It hit Jungkook as well, your orgasm suddenly having him spilling into you once again. 

It was a blissful end. 

Jungkook shakily worked you both through the waves of pleasure as the clock changed to 12:00. Instead of this neverending sea of desire Jungkook had been swimming in all day, the calm silence of that relief was slowly gifted to him as well. 

You both just sat there trying to collect yourselves because– woah. Despite the circumstances this definitely was a night to remember. 

The longer you laid there the more you just wanted to head to bed but you were sweaty, covered in cum, and your room was still a mess. After a little while you finally found the motivation to pry yourself away from Jungkook’s warm embrace. When you turned around you were a little shocked, or well not that shocked, to see his eyes closed and seemingly asleep already.

You didn’t blame him, honestly surprised he didn’t fall out sooner than this. 

You were about to jump out of the bed to start your shower when you felt a hand on your wrist, stopping you. 

“Don’t leave me please…” His eyes were still closed and he sounded so drowsy. You leaned in closer and pushed the hair out of his face, the ends noticeably damp. 

“What’s that baby?”

“Don’t leave.” He looked up at you. The only thing on Jungkook’s mind was falling asleep with you in his arms.

“I don’t want to get up either, but I was just going to shower and maybe get started a little bit on all the laundry–” 

“Don’t leave.” He said once again.

You leaned down and kissed him on his forehead. “I promise to be back soon ok, you’ll probably be asleep by the time I get back anyway.” 

“But I want you with me…” He pouted. 

“You can come join me in the shower if you want.” You suggested. 

“Tirreeeedddd, can’t this wait till morning.” He sighed and you couldn’t help but giggle. He always gets really baby when he’s sleepy. 

“I’ll be back ok~” You reassured him and headed for the bathroom.

As tired as he was, unlike the last time he went to sleep, Jungkook wanted to make sure you’d be in his arms when he wakes up. Despite how everything and everywhere in his body ached, he still found himself joining you in the bathroom. 

You were shocked but found your cheeks warming when you saw him groggily walk into the bathroom to join you. 

You didn’t want to make the shower take too long, he was tired and you were as well and you had laundry to start. Jungkook was hardly awake, almost falling over a couple times as the warm water fell over you both. 

When you went to shampoo his hair and gently massaged his scalp, even in his delirious state he almost felt teary. This was so nice, you were so so good to him.

“Y/n…” He quietly got your attention. 

“Mhmm~”

“I’m sorry…” 

“What for?” You couldn’t hide your confusion at what he could possibly be apologizing for.

“I’ve been a burden all day, ate those waffles, made things hard for you. I’m sorry.” His brain was hardly working, but he’s felt bad about this all day. 

“It’s alright, I should have gotten a fridge for the shop already anyway.” You laughed. “And you haven’t been a burden alright, today was fun!” You weren’t lying, you definitely had fun today. 

Jungkook smiled and pulled you in for a hug, not wanting at all to let go. Not now, not ever. 

You both eventually made it out of the shower and the minute Jungkook got his clothes on he collapsed onto the bed, sleep becoming too much to fight at this point. You had managed to wiggle the sheets out underneath him, still being visibly damp from earlier.

You went ahead and grabbed everything else and took it to the laundry room, but after seeing how much you had to do, ultimately decided it may just be best to save it for the morning like Jungkook suggested. The shower made you sleepy so instead you went to bring out your thick blanket.

When you got to the room you were a little surprised to find Jungkook sitting up on the bed, looking half out of it. 

“I thought you fell asleep already?” You giggled as you went over to caress his cheek. 

“Mmmm, wanted you here. Can’t fall asleep yet.” He sighed, nuzzling into your hand. 

You took the hint and made quick work on tossing the blanket out over the bed, grabbing the pillows that were on the floor, and climbing into bed with your boyfriend.

As soon as you got in the bed, turned off the lights, and got you both situated he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close. It probably didn’t take even a minute before you heard his light snores and you were sure it didn’t take long after that for you to join. 

What a day.

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

“You think anyone will believe this?” You asked after he clicked the post button. 

“Probably not, but that’s the point. Feels good to talk about these things though.” Jungkook smiled, his heart warm from reminiscing all day. 

You smiled and hugged him. 

“Alright, I’ve been here long enough, I have classes to get to.” You sighed, hopping up from the bed. “I’ll be back from the shop before 6 so I can do dinner today.” You kissed his cheek and was about to run off to put on your shoes, but Jungkook grabbed your hand. 

He looked down at your intertwined fingers, imagining once again that ring he saw in the shop earlier on your finger, how pretty it would look until you both got matching bands. He was feeling a little too sentimental at the thought and how much he wished it was already on your finger. 

“Ummmm, watcha doing?” You asked, noticing him staring at your hand. 

“Ermm– sorry.” He leaned down and kissed your hand. “Be back soon ok, miss you already.” He sighed, hating that you had to leave him on his day off. 

You leaned down and kissed his lips, Jungkook wholeheartedly melting into the kiss, thinking about what it might be like to kiss you like this on your wedding day. 

You pulled away with a big smile on your face. 

“Oh right! Don’t forget to take the broom over to my mom’s, he’s really been missing her these days.” 

Jungkook groaned. “You know your broom hates me, it’ll take forever just to get him out of the room.” He recounted the last time he was responsible for taking your broom out. 

“Cmoonnn you guys need some bonding time anyway, and plus my mom also wanted to see you as well so… good luck.” You said as you left the room. 

“Alright, come back soon! I’m making bulgogi tonight!” He yelled out to you and he quickly heard you running back and giving him another hug before running out the room again. 

“Bye!” You called out, before the door closed behind you, leaving Jungkook alone. 

How this was his life was still a mystery to him as well, who gets to say they need to take their girlfriend’s broom out? 

…

Who gets to say they need to take their fiance’s broom out?

…

…

Who gets to say they need to take their wife’s broom out?

Jungkook’s face flushed at the thought. Maybe this trip won’t be so bad? He had something he needed to ask your mom anyway.

⊱ ──────ஓ๑∗๑ஓ ────── ⊰

♡ hiswitchygf liked this post 

[glassbirdfeather]

Complaining about the final boss in Shadow of the Erdtree, both in terms of lore and mechanics. Spoilers for the end of Shadow of the Erdtree:

Part 1: The Lore

I think the ending is really good and foreshadowed well in it's own story. I think it is fitting and well told. But it isn't living in its own bubble. It exists in context to a previous story directly connected to it. In the context of the entirety of Elden Ring, it sucks.

If we were just dropped in the Shadow Realm and the main game didn't exist, it would be really, REALLY good. The problem arises when also having the context of who Miquella was in the base game. His motivations in the DLC retcon the motivations from the lore of the base game. And the retcon is worse. The thing that made him fascinating was that he was the only compassionate character among Marika's children, the only one who didn't care about petty power plays because he was focused on helping people and helping his sister. That it is revealed he is just as shallow and self-centered as the rest, so much as to be willing to endanger his sister in exchange for a consort after all the lore surrounding how he wanted to help her, takes away the facets that made him unique.

This may also contribute to why there are two general camps of people who like or don't like how Miquella is portrayed. There have been a couple of years between the original game and now. Memories of the original game's lore--if people even read those particular bits of item descriptions in the first place--have had time to fade.

However, I acknowledge that item descriptions in Elden Ring intentionally have author biases. It could be said that every Miquella-related item description was told from the perspective of someone bewitched. That would make a lot of sense.

So in the end, this also is a personal preference. I think that Miquella turning out to be a brat who will sacrifice his sister for his consort is much less interesting than him being motivated to do bad things for his sister.

This leads into the overlap between pure lore discussion and mechanics.

Part 2: I CAN'T FUCKING SEE

The last boss fight is shit. Part of what convinced people that the leaks were fake, not considering lore implications, is that many people looked at the attacks that were happening and judged them to be bad.

As someone with a passing understanding of editing animations and moves in a game, something that can be done with little modding skill to create a new enemy is to use existing animations and add new effects to them. People were convinced the fight was fake because of how many moves looked similar to ones from previous FromSoft bosses with lightning effects glued on. I cannot speak to the alleged copied animations in this fight, since I don't have experience with every FromSoft game, but I don't actually think reusing old bosses and animations is inherently a bad thing. The real complaint was that it looked to be both reused animations and extra effects.

Stretch new textures over existing enemies, increase the speed of their attacks, and then add events to those attacks that spawn a bunch of effects like explosions, or lightning bolts. These are all things I could do with my limited knowledge. These are the things that some mods have done, and have gotten ridiculed for. The ridicule is because doing that demonstrates a shallow understanding of what makes a fight not just hard, but fun.

I'm no master of boss design myself, but I can say with confidence that spamming incredibly long attack chains containing effects that blind the player and prevent them from seeing the next move in the chain is bad game design. Something that has been established as an unspoken but understood rule in souls-genre games is that you should be able to dodge an attack while standing point blank in front of the enemy. Whether this is by rolling, jumping, or running away, you know what's happening from seeing the start of the enemy's animation, and you should be able to escape being hit by the attack. I also argue that by this metric, Waterfowl Dance is a badly designed move, but I digress.

Waterfowl Dance is one move in an otherwise stellar boss fight.

In the DLC final fight, I. can't. see.

The screen is covered in lightning for at least 1/3rd of the battle, often making dodging a game of guess and hope. I 100% acknowledge that I was not good at that fight, and that many of the attacks that hit me were dodge-able if I'd learned them more. But some of them were chains of attacks that demanded I blindly learn a random rhythm of button presses. On account of all the lightning from the previous attack hiding the next swing.

One of the things I actually did like about the fight was the grab being a guaranteed 2HKO regardless of health values. It would have been a great gimmick on a better fight. Where I had a better probability of seeing it so I could dodge it.

I also liked the warp-in speed effects of the boss jumping in, although such warps felt very buggy.

Were the lightning effects transparent or otherwise did not obscure the battle so terribly, I wonder what kind of fight it would actually be. Maybe the attack chains only feel unreasonable to dodge to me because I cannot see what is happening in them. It is possible that the fight itself is just bad, and the lightning is, just like in a bad mod, being used as a crutch to hide a very boring, simple moveset.

But it is impossible for me, in the game's current state, to imagine how that fight might play.

Because I can't see shit.

Part 3: The Remembrance

Turning in the remembrance and a duplicate of it just to end up with a total of 3 Radahn swords I think really shows the lack of creativity under the lightning. That is what the essence of the DLC final boss distills down to: 2 variations of a sword we already have.

If the fight had been something COMPLETELY different, perhaps we would have gotten something interesting from Miquella's side of the pair. Something that bewitches a struck enemy? I don't know.

The last fight was a spectacle, but only due to all the fancy effects that it vomited everywhere. Remove them, and I suspect there exists an uninspired base.

[worth-the-chaos]

Adventures in Babysitting - Steve Harrington x female!reader - Chapter 4

Chapter Summary: Looking for Dart isn’t easy, but it gives you and Steve a lot of time to have a heart to heart, as you slowly start to realize your feelings for one another.

Content Warning: fluff, mutual pining, slow burn, upside down scary shit, boys being stupid

Word Count: 6.5k

Author’s Note: This part sticks closely to the original series, but there will be a lot more originality in the next part! I know it probably isn’t super fun to read what you’ve watched on the show, but for me this has been the ultimate rewatch fic writing experience, which I have greatly enjoyed, so if you’re looking to reminisce about stranger things, boy is this the fic for you ;)

Series Masterlist | Part 3 | Next Part

***

Steve woke up first, and nearly panicked when he realized that you were curled up in his arms, pressed flush against his chest. At some point in the night, you both must have rolled over to face each other, and now his arms were wrapped around your waist, one hand dangerously close to your ass and one of his legs rested in between yours. He wasn’t sure what to do and his mind was screaming at him to move before you could wake up and see the compromising position the two of you were in, but his heart was screaming at him to stay.

He pulled away slightly to look at you, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The worry lines that were usually etched into your features were gone, and it was the first time he could think of that you truly looked at peace. You were stunning, there was no question about it. I could get used to this, Steve thought, but then quickly pushed it aside. He felt guilty; he wasn’t even sure if Nancy and him were actually officially broken up and he was already starting to feel things for someone else. Though if he was really being honest with himself, he’d been feeling this way about you for a while.

He carefully untangled himself from you, cursing himself for not holding onto you for just a little bit longer, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. The last thing he wanted to do was make you uncomfortable, so he slipped out of bed and quietly exited the room, making his way down to the kitchen.

You groaned when you finally woke up, light filtering in through the window. The bed was empty, and you tried to push aside your disappointment as you checked the clock on Steve’s beside table. It was 8:00 which meant you had a couple of hours before Steve and you had to leave to pick up Dustin. You wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, unready to face the tribulations that inevitably lied ahead. Knowing that wasn’t an option, you got out of bed.

Upon turning the corner into the massive kitchen, you were met with the sight of a pajama clad Steve Harrington, standing over the kitchen stove while he cooked pancakes. He turned once he heard your footsteps and saw you, your eyes still sleepy as you drowned in his clothes that were way too big for you. He felt his face heat up at the sight of you, but if you asked, he would blame it on the hot stove.

“Pancake?” He asked, the one on the pan finally done cooking. You simply nodded and he plated it and walked towards the kitchen table, setting it down at a seat before pulling your chair out for you.

“I’m honestly surprised that you know how to cook anything,” you teased. It was pretty baffling to see the boy who had previously been a complete ass standing in a kitchen making pancakes with the most wild case of bedhead you’d ever seen. “Or that you’re cooking at all considering the day we have ahead of us,” you added, mind beginning to focus on the more important things.

“Well, my parents are gone most of the time so I have to fend for myself a lot. Which, you know, sucks, but it also means I kinda can do whatever the hell I want, so I guess it balances itself out, doesn’t it?” Steve took the seat across from you, sitting down with his own pancake.

“I guess,” you agreed. You both ate your breakfast quietly, trying not to think about how domestic all of this was. I’m supposed to be thinking about the damn demogorgon, not playing house with Steve, you thought, annoyed with yourself for enjoying this all a little too much. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to wear today,” you spoke up, interrupting the blissful quiet of the meal you were sharing.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if I wear my clothes from yesterday, Dustin’s going to make…assumptions. And I certainly can’t wear these,” you added, giggling and flailing your arms to demonstrate how long the sleeves were, “but I also can’t go home to change because my parents aren’t going to let me leave so easy when they find out I didn’t come home last night and now some boy they don’t know is dropping me off for a pit stop.”

Steve was quiet for a bit as he contemplated all of this. “Well, for starters,” he said through a mouthful of pancakes, “I think you look fabulous, but I can see how in a defensive situation, the miles of extra fabric would not be the best. You can raid my mom’s closet? She might have some stuff that fits you better? She also has a shit ton of stuff she definitely doesn’t wear anymore,” He offered. You felt weird about it, but given it was basically your only option, you nodded in agreement.

Steve brought you into his parents’ room, pointing out the clothes he knew his mom wouldn’t miss. You settled on a pair of jeans, a white turtleneck, and a beige windbreaker. Simple enough. You swiftly changed in the bathroom and took a look at yourself in the mirror. These clothes were definitely nicer and more expensive than the ones you normally wore. You felt good in them, and they fit your body nicely, much more well tailored than your thrifted outfits. You put your hair into a low ponytail and shook out your arms, bouncing from foot to foot trying to psych yourself up for this. At least if I die today, I’ll die wearing nicer clothes.

You and Steve loaded his trunk with things you might need: the nail bat, a few knives, a golf club, a can of gasoline, as well as a few buckets full of raw meat. If you were going to catch this thing, you were going to have to bait it.

***

“So, what are the odds you think we’re really going to find this thing?” Steve asked as the two of you drove towards Dustin’s house. To be completely honest, he thought that this attempt was most likely futile. Hawkins was small, but not that small. Hell, by now it might not even be in Hawkins anymore.

“I’d say slim to none. But we still have to try. I can’t in good conscience not find it. I don’t think I’d ever be able to sleep again if I knew it was just out there, roaming Hawkins,” you shuddered, squeezing your eyes shut.

“Yeah, I don’t sleep too well anymore. Not after last year,” Steve admitted. He hated being vulnerable, but it didn’t feel so bad when he was being that way around you.

“I know what you mean. The amount of nightmares I’ve had about that…that thing is just truly astounding” you sighed, giving Steve an empathetic look.

Steve didn’t have the heart to tell you that his nightmares weren’t scary because he was face to face with the demogorgon. They were terrifying because they always ended with you getting hurt. Every single one of them was just the two of you in that damn living room, but this time he didn’t have the bat. It was just you, pinned to the floor helpless, and him unable to move. Unable to save you.

“Yep,” he replied instead, “I didn’t have any last night though.” It wasn’t a lie, and he felt his heart race as he said it. Admitting that seemed risky, but at this point he didn’t care. With the amount of shit you both always seemed to be in, holding things back seemed riskier.

“Me neither,” you added, voice quiet but sincere.

It wasn’t long before you pulled up to the Henderson household, Dustin hurrying towards the car. He quickly got in the backseat, clearly eager to get this all over with. You couldn’t really blame him, as you felt the exact same way.

“We have shit in the back of the car so we don’t need to stop for supplies. Where are we going first?” You cut right to the chase.

“I was thinking we could walk the train tracks. It’ll be easier to cover more ground that way, and it’s secluded enough that we won’t look batshit crazy,” Dustin replied. Honestly, you had to give the boy credit, he was pretty damn smart. Steve began to pull away, headed towards the park. He knew one of the hiking trails ran parallel to the train tracks and you’d only have to deviate from it slightly in order to reach them.

“Why didn’t you pick me up first?” Dustin suddenly asked.

“What?” Steve replied.

“I said, why didn’t you pick me up first? My house is between yours and y/n’s. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Does it matter?” Steve returned his question with a question, gripping the steering wheel tighter as his shoulders tensed. You cleared your throat and looked out the window, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Your body language gave you both away, and Steve could see Dustin’s eyes light up in the rearview mirror as he connected the dots.

“Woah! Wait a minute. You didn’t have to pick her up because she stayed at your house!” Dustin exclaimed, letting out a laugh and feeling like a genius.

“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,” Steve shot back, clearly angry. You buried your face in the palm of your hand. If Steve just wouldn’t react so huge, then Dustin might second guess himself, but no, that was too complex a reaction for the boy to ever consider.

“You’re lying! Haha! I knew it!” Dustin yelled out, pointing at your look of defeat. Maybe I could have reacted a bit differently too, you thought sheepishly, flashing Steve a look that said “I’m sorry.”

“Dustin, would you just kindly shut the fuck up,” Steve fumed, trying to pay attention to the road.

“Wait a minute, did you guys have sex?”

“NO!” You both shouted in unison, and Steve slammed on the breaks, the inertia causing your seatbelt to lock as you all jolted forward. Steve very aggressively put the car in park and whipped around, putting his left hand on the back of your seat to fully twist his body towards the boy in the backseat.

“Listen here, dipshit. It wasn’t fucking like that, she slept in the guest bedroom because I didn’t feel good about leaving her home alone while your little science experiment is running all over this goddamn town. Ask one more question about it, and I swear you’ll have bigger concerns than this Upside Down bullshit,” Steve threatened. Dustin put his hands up, signaling that he would back off, and Steve nodded as he turned back around, taking a deep breath, and putting the car back in drive.

You were a little shocked by his outburst. The old Steve would have bragged about the fact that you had shared a bed with him, so you were a bit surprised that he lied, placing you in the guest room in his explanation to Dustin. Maybe he was embarrassed about it, you thought as your heart sank a little in your chest.

You finally made it to the park, Steve parking haphazardly by a trailhead as you all exited the BMW. You handed each boy a pair of rubber gloves from your backpack, slipping a pair on yourself before passing the boys each a bucket of raw meat. Steve threw on his backpack, nail bat sticking out of it. Your backpack looked similar, but packed with a golf club instead. You also had found a hunting knife that belonged to Mr. Harrington as you both had scoured the house for anything that was or could be turned into a weapon, and it sat sheathed on your right hip underneath your windbreaker.

Suddenly, Lucas’ voice was ringing out from Dustin’s walkie talkie, “Dustin! This is Lucas, do you copy? Dustin!”

“Well, well, well, look who it is?”

“Sorry, man, my sister turned it off.”

“Well, when you were having sister problems, Dart grew again, he escaped, and I’m pretty sure he’s a baby demogorgon,” Dustin fumed.

“Wait, what?”

“I’ll explain later, just meet me, Steve, and y/n at the old junkyard,” Dustin informed him.

“Steve?!”

“And bring your binoculars and wrist rocket.”

“Steve Harrington?!” Lucas emphasized his question again, still clearly in disbelief that Dustin was hanging out with that asshole. You couldn’t help but laugh. Steve rolled his eyes.

“Alright, let’s go,” he chimed in, ready for Dustin to end his dumb conversation with his friend. Why can’t Lucas be confused as to why y/n’s here too? Why does it always have to be me?

“Just be there, stat! Over and out,” Dustin ended the discussion, putting the walkie talkie back in his pocket.

It took a second for you to finally find the train tracks, having to hike about a mile and a half before you actually were able to see them. You were glad it was still early on a Sunday, so no one was out hiking to see the three kids who definitely looked like they did not hang out together on a regular basis with bright yellow gloves and bait buckets. There were some questions you just couldn’t answer.

So there the three of you were, walking the train tracks and dropping small chucks of raw meat behind you like sailors chumming the water for sharks. You tried not to think about it as the three of you made conversation to pass the time, beginning with you forcing Dustin to explain himself.

“Alright, so let me get this straight,” Steve spoke up after his explanation, “you kept something that you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl…who you just met?”

“Okay, that is grossly oversimplifying things,” Dustin replied. You were walking in a line, Dustin leading, Steve in the middle, and you taking up the rear. You were glad that this arrangement allowed you to emote freely, the boys unable to see you.

“Why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?” You chimed in, speaking on behalf of females across the globe who weren’t looking for boys to sweep them off their feet by showing them some trashcan residing tadpole that likes nougat.

“An inter dimensional slug? Because it’s awesome, duh. And I’m a little disappointed that you wouldn’t be excited about that y/n, considering you’re like a complete nerd.”

You scoffed in disbelief. “I’m not a complete nerd.”

“Uh yeah. You are. You’ve babysat me for a whole year now and all you do is homework. Even over the summer. I’m not even that nerdy!” Dustin exclaimed.

“I mean, the kid’s got a point y/n. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you have fun…like ever,” Steve added. You gaped at him, unable to believe that he would take Henderson’s side. These motherfuckers were ganging up on you, and you wouldn’t have that.

“That is so not true! I went to that dumbass party you invited me to,” you reminded him. Dustin’s ears perked up at this, as he slowly turned, looking past Steve and narrowing his eyes at you. So Steve had been the one that invited you to the Halloween party. You realized your slip up and gave Dustin a look that you hoped was threatening enough for him to keep his mouth shut.

“Anyway, regardless of whether or not she thought it was cool—which she didn’t—I just…I don’t know, I just think you’re trying way too hard,” Steve refocused the conversation, not digging the obvious but silent argument the two of you were having that he was not privy to.

“Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, Steve,” Dustin grumbled.

“It’s not about the hair man. The key with girls is just…just acting like you don’t care.”

“Even if you do?”

“Yeah, exactly, it drives them nuts,” Steve replied as if it was the simplest thing in the world. You slowed down your strides. Steve continued to make it abundantly clear to you that he cared…like a whole hell of a lot. In some ways, you were starting to confuse all of this for interest, but maybe you were wrong; maybe he did truly just want to be friends. You bent down and retied your shoes trying to put some distance between you and the boys, not wanting them to see how let down you felt. The boys noticed, and started to slow their steps, but you shooed them ahead, letting them know you’d be fine. Steve hesitantly obliged, following Dustin who had already started back down the tracks.

“Then what?” Dustin asked.

“Then you just wait until—“ Steve turned making sure you were out of earshot, not quite wanting you to hear him talk about how he used to pick up women. “Uh, until you feel it,” Steve finished.

“Feel what?” Geez, did this kid ever stop asking fucking questions.

“It’s like before it’s gonna storm, you know? You can’t see it but you can feel it, like this uh…electricity, you know?” Steve searched for the right words to explain it to Dustin. He figured a metaphor would be better, just in case you came within earshot again.

“Oh, like in the electromagnetic field when the clouds in the atmosphere—“

“No, no, no, no, no, like a…like a sexual electricity,” Steve connected the dots for him, “you feel that, and then you make your move.”

“So that’s when you kiss her?” Dustin asked innocently.

“No, woah, woah whoa! Slow down, Romeo…sure, okay, some girls want you to be aggressive right away, strong, hot and heavy, I don’t know, like…like a lion,” he continued to speak in metaphors, “but others you gotta be slow, stealth, like a…like a ninja.”

“What type is y/n,” Dustin asked.

Steve was thrown off by the question, but answered it anyway, “y/n’s different. She’s different than the other girls,” Steve said quietly as he looked over his shoulder, you were still trailing several paces behind, and for once he was glad. He didn’t usually like it when you were out of his sight…it was too dangerous, but right now it was nice to speak freely.

“Yeah, she is pretty special I guess,” Dustin agreed. Not many girls would have fought like hell for some random kid they babysat. You were probably one of the coolest people he knew…even if you did do a lot of homework.

“Yeah. Yeah, she is,” Steve sighed, still unsure of what the hell he was supposed to do about that. His love life was a complete shit show, but he was hoping that maybe by the end of all of this it wouldn’t be.

“But that’s the thing…this girl is special too, you know? It’s just like...something about her.”

“Woah, woah, woah. You’re not falling in love with this girl are you?” Steve asked, judgment and concern painted across his features.

“You’re not falling in love with y/n, are you?” Dustin shot back.

“Touché,” Steve replied. He looked back at you again. You had bent down to clear a branch out of the tracks, tossing it aside. Standing up and brushing your hair out of your face with your forearm, avoiding touching your skin with the rubber glove. “Well, don’t. She’ll just go breaking your heart and you’re way too young for that shit,” he added, turning away from you. Dustin hung his head down, and Steve remembered what it was like to be that age. He was never unpopular like Dustin was, but he remembered how awkward it was to be in middle school.

He sighed. “Fabergé organics,” he said pointing to his hair, “use the shampoo and the conditioner and when its damp—not wet, okay, damp—you do four puffs of the Farrah Fawcett spray.”

“Farrah Fawcett spray?” Dustin asked, trying and failing to hold back his laughter.

“Yeah, Farrah Fawcett. You tell anyone that I told you that and your ass is grass, you’re dead Henderson. You understand that?” Steve stopped, pointing a gloved finger in Dustin’s face.

“Are you threatening my kid?” The boys turned as you shouted, watching you jog towards them to catch up.

“Yes, yes I was,” Steve owned it, selling the threat, while Dustin stared a little wide eyed at him, gulping before nodding in agreement. You continued on, but you slowed a bit as you noticed a yellow flag sticking out on the side of the trail, marking a tree that’s trunk was black with rot. You felt a sinking feeling in your stomach, as you’d never seen anything quite like it…and someone was keeping tabs on it too, which was equally, if not more unsettling.

“Y/n? Are you coming?” Dustin asked, the impatience of his age showing.

“Uh, yeah. Sorry,” you muttered, shaking away the thought as you caught up with the boys.

***

You made it to the junkyard, each of you pouring the remaining chunks of raw meat in a pile in a clearing.

“I said medium-well!” You heard Lucas yell, turning to see him and a red headed girl headed your direction. You recognized her, and you kept trying to wrack your brain for how but you kept coming up empty. Dustin pulled Lucas aside to talk, so you decided to introduce yourself.

“Well, I’m y/n. It’s nice to meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances,” you told her, extending your hand towards her. She took it and smiled.

“I’m Max.”

“So, how much do you know about all of this shit?” Steve asked and you rolled your eyes.

“This is Steve,” you added, not wanting to be entirely rude to the poor girl. Realization flashed across his face as he lifted his hand in a half wave, not really in the mood for introductions. The world was basically ending, did it really matter if you all knew each other?

Max waved back, pressing her lips into a thin line, clearly also unimpressed by Steve. You couldn’t imagine how she was putting up with Dustin and his friends all this time, but then again, you had spent the last twenty-four hours with Steve Harrington, so you really couldn’t judge. “I know pretty much everything,” Max answered your previous question, though you could tell she didn’t really buy it. You weren’t going to try to convince her. Hell, you wished you didn’t believe it either.

“Well, we should probably start prepping for some serious shit,” you spoke up, starting to lift up a piece sheet metal and turning to carry it towards a broken down old bus. Steve knew that had to be heavy as hell, and if he was being honest, watching you carry it was kind of hot. He shook the thought from his head as you returned to help Max carry another piece. He turned to make his way towards the boys who were doing nothing to help whatsoever.

While you and Max carried the sheet metal, you finally realized where you knew her from, “hey, you’re Billy’s sister, right?” You remembered her from the car. She had to walk all the way down to the middle school because Billy was a lazy piece of shit.

“Step sister, but to answer your question, yeah, unfortunately,” she rolled her eyes.

“Well, I wouldn’t tell Steve that because he definitely is not a fan of your brother,” you chuckled.

“Join the club,” she sighed as you set the scrap down. You heard a loud bang as you turned to see Steve banging a metal chair against a car to get the younger boys’ attention.

“Hey! Dickheads! How come the only ones helping me out are y/n and this random girl?”

You and Max looked at each other and you burst out laughing. You apologized that Steve had referred to you as “this random girl,” as you moved to grab more and more materials to set up your impromptu shelter. Steve and the boys continued to grab sheet metal and you began pouring gasoline all over the clearing. Fire had worked pretty damn good the last time, so you were banking on it working again, hoping that it was enough.

You had fortified the entire bus with sheet metal, wiping the sweat beading on your forehead after you and Steve placed the last piece. The kids were all piling onto the dilapidated vehicle and you were about ready to join them when Steve grabbed your elbow for you to wait.

“What?” You asked, not quite sure why he had stopped you.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay if this thing shows up?” He asked, scanning your face trying to read your expression as if it would reveal some sort of fundamental truths about the universe to him.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” you shook free of his grasp, somewhat annoyed with him. If him showing he cared meant that he wasn’t interested, you weren’t interested in hearing it.

“What’s the matter? What did I do?” Steve was confused and a bit hurt too. Through all of this you had gotten along so well, and now was not the time for your friendship to be on the fritz.

You sighed, not quite sure how to explain yourself. You knew you were being unreasonable, but you just didn’t have the energy to care right now. “It’s just…I don’t know, I just wish you didn’t care so much about me sometimes. I didn’t matter to you at all a year ago, so it’s just a lot sometimes to have you worried about me all the damn time, whether it’s some guy hitting on me or this shit. I can take care of myself, I’m not fucking weak, okay?” You grumbled.

“That’s not fair, y/n, and I think you know it. And I wish I wouldn’t have been so stuck up and that we could’ve been friends sooner. And yeah, believe me, I fucking know you can handle yourself, but now that we are friends, I kind of am partial to having you around and if that means yelling at sketchy douchebags like Billy and knocking some inter dimensional fucker into next week, I’ll be damned if I let you stop me,” Steve emphasized. You could hear the annoyance in his voice, but you could also hear the desperation. Steve didn’t say it, but his heart just wanted him to scream let me take care of you…in every damn way there was.

“I know, but Steve the reality of the situation is that we’re in deep fucking shit, and either of us could get ripped to shreds or incapacitated by that thing at any moment, so I need to know that I can be okay without you.”

It was hard to admit it and your voice wavered a bit, but it was true. Something in Steve clicked when you said it and he finally understood why you were so hellbent on fending for yourself. Suddenly, Steve stepped forward and put his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. He buried his head in the crook of your neck, needing to just hold onto you for a second.

You weren’t expecting the hug, but it was more than welcome nonetheless. You didn’t really know how you were supposed to react, but you felt your hands instinctively go up to run your fingers through his hair. You spent a minute like that before pulling away, Steve taking a step back again and clearing his throat.

“Sorry, it’s just I think I push the idea that we might not come back from this out of my head sometimes. I don’t want to have any regrets if this all goes to shit,” he said. What he wanted to say was I want the chance to hold you, just in case.

You nodded and the two of you entered the bus. If the kids heard your conversation, they didn’t say anything, as you and Steve joined them on the floor.

Now it was just a waiting game. Your hand went to the blade at your hip, your fingers running over the leather of the holster. You were ready.

***

Lucas had vacated the bus, instead choosing to sit on the roof to operate as look out. You wished you would have volunteered because sitting and waiting inside this damn thing had become near excruciating. Steve kept flicking his lighter on and off, and you glared at him in the dark, hoping that it would have enough fluid left for when you really needed it.

“So…you really fought one of these things before?” Max spoke up and asked. Steve nodded, continuing to mess with the lighter.

“…and you’re, like, totally 100% sure it wasn’t a bear?”

“Shit. Don’t be an idiot. Okay? It wasn’t a bear. Why are you even here if you don’t believe us? Just go home.” Dustin fumed.

“Geez, someone’s cranky. Past your bedtime?” Max shot back, crossing her arms.

“Dustin!” You scolded. He rolled his eyes and turned away from you, and you decided to give up on trying to get him to play nice. “I’m definitely sure it wasn’t a bear. I’ve even got the scars to prove it,” you tried to go back to Max’s original question, believing that she deserved a kindly worded answer.

“Yeah, she almost died. Still think it was a fucking bear?” Dustin grumbled from his seat, still refusing to face the rest of you. You rolled your eyes and shook your head, trying to make it clear to Max that you thought he was being ridiculous.

“Here, I’ll show you.” You took off the windbreaker, and slipped your arm out of your turtleneck sleeve. Steve went to avert his eyes as a large part of your chest and torso was now on display, but he stopped in his tracks when his eyes caught your upper arm. He had never actually seen the wounds, just your blood-soaked sleeve and then the bandage, and since, you had avoided wearing anything that showed your upper arm. It was littered with scars and his breath hitched in his throat. He left that fight without a scratch on him. Well, other than the ones he already had from his scuffle with Jonathan. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to have that permanent of a reminder.

Dustin cleared his throat loudly and kicked Steve in the leg, signaling at him that he should probably look away before you noticed him staring. Steve quickly obliged, becoming very fascinated with a spot on the floor while you covered back up.

“That’s fucking crazy,” Max breathed out, “why the hell are you guys here if you almost died last time you had to deal with this thing?”

“Because who else would?” You replied as if it was simple. This was now your burden to bear, and you felt a pang in your chest as you realized that it was now Max’s as well.

With that, she nodded, moving to the ladder to join Lucas on the roof. Dustin scoffed and muttered another insult as she disappeared from the body of the bus.

“That’s good. Just show her you don’t care,” Steve spoke up.

“I don’t,” Dustin grumbled. Steve winked at him, and you rolled your eyes.

“Why are you winking, Steve? Stop.” You interjected, kicking at his leg, much like Dustin had done earlier. “Besides, just so you know,” you added, directing your focus back at Dustin, but saying it just as much for Steve’s benefit, “that’s terrible advice. Girls like it when you show them that they mean something to you. If you just keep them guessing they’re going to lose interest.”

Suddenly, you heard a growl settle across the junkyard and the familiar chattering that haunted you in your sleep. You, Steve, and Dustin moved quickly to look out the caged in window. The fog making it difficult to make anything out.

“You see him?” You asked.

“No,” Steve replied, his eyes rapidly darting around the clearing hoping to catch a glimpse of something, anything that would be helpful in giving you even the slightest advantage in this fight.

“I’ve got eyes! Ten o’clock! Ten o’clock!” You suddenly heard Lucas yell from the roof. Surely enough, there it was. You felt anxiety start to creep up in your chest, but then you reminded yourself that you were caged in. The demogorgon couldn’t get you in there…right?

“He’s not taking the bait. Why is he not taking the bait?” Steve asked.

“Maybe he’s not hungry,” Dustin proposed. Surely that couldn’t be it, and you wracked your brain trying to come up with a plan. You finally settled on one, granted it wasn’t great, but it was about your best option at the moment. It’s now or never.

“Or maybe it’s sick of cow,” you added, swiftly getting up before anyone could stop you and grabbing the golf club.

“Y/n? Y/n, what are you doing?” Dustin asked, fear seeping into his voice. Steve shot up grabbing the nail bat, understanding where you were going. He decided he wasn’t going to argue, but he wasn’t going to let you go by yourself either.

“Y/n, Steve!” Dustin called out again. Steve tossed him the lighter, the boy fumbling it before he caught it.

“Just be ready,” Steve warned as the two of you quickly swung open the door and exited the safety of the bus. Steve started whistling and calling out to the demogorgon, attempting to lure it towards the bus so you could enact your plan. You both cautiously stepped farther and farther out into the clearing, weapons in hand, looking like you were about to play the most fucked up game of basegolf ever.

“Come on! Dinner time,” you shouted out feeling fear rise in your throat. You couldn’t believe you were walking back into this again, but you had three kids with you and you weren’t going to let this creature put a scratch on them. No one else needed to come out of this with scars. You finally saw the demogorgon, or well, adolescent demogorgon. It was on all fours, stepping out from the fog into the clearing. It looked fucking menacing and you the longer you were out here, the more determined than ever you were to kill the fucking thing.

Lucas’ voice suddenly rang out “Steve! Y/n! Watch out! Three o’clock! Three o’clock!” You looked to your left and realized it wasn’t alone as two more began to climb over one of the other rundown vehicles. It had brought company.

“A little busy,” Steve called back, eyes still focused on the demogorgon in front of him.

“Steve,” you warned, and the fear in your tone caused him to turn, finally realizing that you were outnumbered. Suddenly, the face of the one across from Steve opened up as it started bounding towards the two of you, it’s buddies swiftly closing in as well, Steve dodged the first one, rolling over the hood of a car to get out of the way. You whacked at one to your left with the golf club, barely dodging another as it charged at you. So much was happening at once, and you were struggling to process it all. You barely jumped out of the way of another attack, as Steve roughly grabbed your wrist swinging you in front of him and shoving you as you both sprinted towards the bus. You heard the kids’ screams for you to hurry as the creatures closed in behind you. the two of you barely hopped back into the bus and shut the door, landing in a heap as you shoved more sheet metal to block the door. One of the demogorgons lunged at the bus, its sharp claws clamoring against the metal as you and Steve tried desperately to hold the door shut with your legs.

The kids all sprung into action, Dustin calling out on his walkie talkie for help, as the demogorgon finally broke through the door. Steve started beating it with the nail bat, swinging again and again, as it still didn’t die with each blow. It finally stopped moving, but that was when you all heard the sounds of footsteps on the roof, realizing too late that you hadn’t blocked the emergency exit. Max stood at the bottom of the ladder as the demogorgon approached, you shoved her out of the way as it opened its mouth to shriek at you. You were back in relatively the same position you had been in a year ago, you unsheathed your knife from your hip about ready to slit its throat, when all of the sudden it stopped screeching, growling off into the distance before swiftly vacating the bus.

You all cautiously exited the bus, realizing that the rest of them had left as well, all of you confused by the fact that they had just left. These things didn’t leave, not without killing something first.

“What happened?” Lucas asked.

“Y/n and Steve scared them off?” Dustin replied.

“No way,” Steve disagreed, “they’re going somewhere.”

***

The five of you made your way back down the train tracks, trying to get back to Steve’s car so you could get the hell out of there. Lucas and Max had began asking Dustin questions, similar to the ones you and Steve had asked him when he first told you guys.

“When’s he gonna molt again?” Max asked.

“It’s gonna be soon. When he does, he’ll be fully grown, or close to it,” Dustin replied confidently. The thing had already grown significantly in just a few days, there’s no telling how long you had to find him until he was the nine-foot beast you were a little too familiar with.

“Yeah, and he’s gonna eat a lot more than just cats,” Steve added, unaware of the argument that it was going to start.

“Wait, Dart ate a cat?!” Lucas yelled the question, clearly angry.

“No, no he didn’t,” Dustin answered way too quickly.

“What are you talking about? He ate Mews,” Steve interjected clearly confused. You elbowed him in the ribs to get him to stop talking. You were already annoyed with these children 90% of the time; you didn’t need to listen to another one of their dumb arguments. You tuned out their yelling back and forth before you and Steve started to walk ahead, but then you heard a growl in the distance. You all ran at the sound, coming up to an overlook where you saw Hawkins Lab in the distance.

“It’s the lab,” Lucas finally said, “they were going back home.”

You started taking off towards the lab. You were going to finish this thing once and for all. Steve ran after you, putting a hand on your shoulder to slow you down. You whirled around already thinking of your argument when he told you that this was a bad idea. Before you could even get the words out, he was speaking.

“Hey, just promise me, whatever we do, we do together, okay?” There it was again, his pinky extended towards yours. You grabbed it tightly, looking him in the eyes with the most sincerity that you could muster.

“Promise.”

***

a/n: I hope y’all liked this part. Honestly I’m just excited for when I get to write Billy showing up and Max being a total badass, so if you’re interested in that stay tuned. I’ve been trying to crank these out as quickly as possible, and your engagement makes it all the more exciting to write them, so comment and reblog if you liked it!

[avelera]

Sandman Meta: Hob has exactly zero way of figuring out who Dream is (before they reunite)

More than once in a fic I've written from Hob's POV I've had readers note their astonishment that Hob has not yet figured out Dream's identity, even if Dream does not reveal it himself.

Even in fics of mine where Dream reveals his name, like in Giving Sanctuary, I have Hob be slow on the uptake when it comes to the extent of Dream's powers, even things like being able to enter and control dreams, and the reason I do this is carefully considered and based in the fact that Hob would have no way of knowing who Dream is or by extension what he can do.

So I kind of want to take a step back and address in detail just how actually impossible it would be, objectively, for Hob to figure out who Dream is in a world that doesn't have The Sandman comic for him to read to figure it out.

This is, of course, because, from a Doylist angle, Neil's "Dream of the Endless" is not based in any single mythology. Indeed, Dream as we know him is cobbled together from at least three or more different mythological figures, none of which combine to actually form the "Dream of the Endless" we see in the show or read in the comics. The Endless are completely made up for the comic and the Sandman, Morpheus, and Oneiros are all from wildly different mythologies and none of them actually overlap to form the complete picture of who Dream is as an entity in the Sandman show or comic.

So even if someone straight-up told Hob that the person he meets is the Sandman, Morpheus, or Oneiros (btw, there is no singular figure of "Oneiros" in Greek mythology) he would still not be able to put together the full picture of who Dream is. Even if he's given the name "Dream of the Endless" to work with, those words combined don't mean anything on their own if you don't have what an Endless is filled in, because it was made up entirely for the comic. (Of course, a fanfic author absolutely could make up such a book for their fic but it would be a creation for that fic, serving a purpose within that story like to tip Hob off, though I think it's entirely reasonable to make up a book in the Sandman world that goes into detail on who the Endless are. The Magdalene Grimoire, btw, is not that book. It only talks about Death. Death is a figure in many mythologies including the Christian one, but Dream is not. Even Burgess needs the Corinthian to tell him who Dream is in the show, and he's an occultist.)

Couple all of this with Hob's personal experience with Dream, encountering him as part of a wager with Dream's sister Death to see if Hob could bear a life of immortality, you get far more clues that would send him hurtling off into a totally incorrect direction before you'd get anything close to the truth, if we assume only the books available in our world are available to him.

So the reason this is a bit of an irritation for me that there's this idea that Hob has "all the clues" to figure out who Dream is because it smacks of a logical fallacy.

Basically, it's easy to see that the answer to a complicated math problem is "obvious" if someone just hands the answer to you. But challenging people to actually solve it themselves could be quite a bit more complicated. And in this complex formula solving for "Who the fuck is Hob's mysterious stranger?" there's actually so many blank X's of unanswered questions that I genuinely think there's no way for Hob to solve this equation without someone giving him the answer.

Let's go through this systematically, using just what Hob knows as observed on screen in the show.

1389 - a pale man in all black with a ruby at his throat approaches Hob's table and challenges Hob to meet him there in 100 years. He then smiles enigmatically and leaves.

That's it. That's all Hob has to go off of. He never sees Death, he has no idea about the wager. As far as he knows, Dream gave him immortality. It would be the most logical conclusion given that the day before Hob didn't have immortality and the day after, presumably, he does.

1489 - The only confirmation he has is actually seeing Dream there in 1489 and the first thing he asks is, "How did you know that I'd be here?"

Dream does not answer him. Hob takes a few stabs at guessing his identity which reveals his Christian European context: are you a wizard, or a saint -- to be clear, these are two types of human magic users that make sense to Hob for his context. The only other figure he can think of is The Devil. He doesn't ask if Dream is a pagan god or a faerie, he assumes a man with arcane or divine magic, or the Devil.

Dream says that he's not the Devil, much good that would do if he was a Devil who could just presumably lie to Hob, and says he's interested in Hob's experience and implies that he will grant him another 100 years of life. He is sarcastic and unimpressed about Hob's wonder at the world. He doesn't even actually show much interest in Hob being in the printing business. He only shows a spark of interest in Hob's continued desire to live, and then immediately takes off.

1589 - The only new information Hob gets this year is 1) Dream is supremely uninterested in food or the wealth Hob has earned, or his family, and 2) puny little Will Shaxberd, a crap playwright with no shot at becoming anything more, suddenly becomes a famous playwright. He would eventually become a renowned playwright in his day but keep in mind, Shakespeare didn't actually become mega famous centuries after his death. In his day, many people thought other playwrights like Marlowe were better.

My point is, from this Hob doesn't necessarily get even the pieces to determine that Dream likes art. It might seem obvious to us because Dream is Prince of Stories, but that's not the offer Dream gives Shaxberd. He just asks if it is Will's will to create dreams to spur the minds of men. Yes, we know that Dream wants Will to make dreams for him, but in Hob's context, Dream is just asking what Will would sell his soul for, just like he overheard Hob saying he had no intention of dying. From this perspective the only strong conclusion Hob can draw is that Dream grants wishes.

From this, Hob could conclude that Dream is a djinn/genie, or perhaps a faerie, but there is absolutely nothing to indicate he's associated with dreams or literature directly besides a mention of creating dreams nested in the context of asking Shaxberd what he wants, giving him a supernatural gift much like the one Hob believes Dream gave him.

At this point, the domains of Dream's power are very muddled for Hob because he doesn't know Death gave him immortality. So as far as he knows, Dream can give immortality AND make an amateur playwright into the greatest writer who ever lived. Putting these two things together does not bring you naturally to the domain of dreams by any stretch.

(I will note here, that in Giving Sanctuary, I had Hob learn that "Death" is Dream's sister before he learns Dream's name. There, his initial conclusion is that Dream must therefore be Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the one known for wearing black (and not eating seems like a clue with Dream too) my point being that having another, small piece of the whole puzzle still would probably send him flying off in the wrong direction given his cultural context.)

1789: The next time Hob gets any hint that Dream has powers is with Lady Johanna. He uses his sand to show her her, "old ghosts". Note, she does not fall asleep but rather begins to hallucinate.

The Sandman myth has its origins of Scandinavia and it is first written down in in "Der Sandmann" a context that Hob might have access to, if he's very well read, in the early 1800s. By the way, the description of the Sandman in that book bears a striking resemblance to the Corinthian, because he eats the eyes of naughty children, and very little to Dream beyond the use of sand in his magic.

There is absolutely nothing to link the Sandman to Morpheus the Roman God of Dreams, who was made up entirely by Ovid in the Metamorphoses and never mentioned anywhere before that. That's because Neil Gaiman was the first to link those two mythological figures.

And on that note, there is no Oneiros attested to in Hesiod. The mention of Oneiros is actually to the "Oneiroi" an entire tribe of dreams and nightmares who are the children of Night (Nix). There's Hypnos (Sleep) who is the brother of Thanatos (Death) but that is about as close as we get to the Endless in any other mythological source besides the comics. And again, Dream does not put Johanna to sleep, he makes her hallucinate.

1889- Again, there is precious little to go off of. Dream is tight-lipped as ever. The only thing he gives away is that Lady Johanna later helped him with a task, a fact Hob is visibly annoyed and I daresay jealous about, and when he lashes out he refers to himself as, "One such as I."

But "One such as I," only reveals something Hob already knew: that Dream thinks highly of himself. That doesn't actually reveal that Dream is even magical, he could just be nobility or a powerful immortal magic user and refer to himself that way. Hob already knows that Dream is magical, and immortal, and probably some sort of high born or aristocrat. He's probably known that since 1389 given how Dream was dressed and given that giant fuck-off ruby (which actually might make Hob, in that day, wonder if Dream was a relation to the Black Prince)

That's it. That is the grand total of everything Hob has seen of Dream.

Hob in the comic will eventually admit, in The Wake, that he figured out who Dream was on his own. But this is after Seasons of Mist when Dream toasts him in Hob's dream and Hob wakes up with the impossible bottle of wine on his bedside. He has another encounter too with Dream where Dream eventually accedes to Hob's request to make the men who killed Audrey, his dead girlfriend, know who she was. Presumably, Dream makes them dream of her.

So Hob in the comics by the time we get to The Wake has more to go off of to make the link to the Lord of Dreams. Hob as we see him in the show, has had much less to go off of.

Even if you give Hob one piece of the puzzle, like one of the names like Morpheus, or The Sandman, or Oneiros, that still doesn't help give him the whole picture. The word "Endless" would be meaningless. He would have to have read at least three pretty obscure books that span a period of 2,000 years (between Hesiod and Der Sandmann) to get the three books that Neil primarily drew from to combine these figures into the Dream of the comic.

Look, my point is, unless someone gives the answer to Hob, and explains the full extent of what the Endless are, he's got little to go off of. Arguably, not enough at all to solve for "X" as to who Dream is, even if he's given more pieces. This would be a tough problem to solve.