#he’s allowed to want to do a thing he enjoys with other people

[circeyoru]

The Only Reason _ Part 4 *END*

[Yandere!Sung Jinwoo x Worker!Reader - Mana Chaos AU]

Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 (here)

You sat behind Kaisel while Jinwoo willed it to obey him without trouble. A sudden shift was all it takes for your arms around Jinwoo’s waist to tighten like your life depended on it. Well, it does since you were a few thousand feet above land and sea. You could hear Jinwoo’s rich chuckle at your hold and enjoyed your dependency on him for safety, even when you didn’t have a choice in the matter.

After Jinwoo completed that high-ranking dungeon with ease, he was initially supposed to be sent back to his cell and put in a straitjacket. Though, you managed to convince your other Personnel colleagues to let Jinwoo roam around a bit, with your supervision, of course. While you did say ‘roam around’ it was actually a family visit for him, it has been a while since he last saw them face to face. You had no family to speak of, but you understand the family bond and love.

Jinwoo was no monster or beast overtaken by power and strength.

You guided him to Jeju Island, the island you brought under his name but with your wealth. A gift of sorts, since you thought Jinwoo would prefer if he could use his powers and train in a more secluded spot. Plus, you had been planning this move with his mother and younger sister for a while too. 

Not long after Jinwoo was admitted, you did a background scan of him while Personnel 001 was busy testing Jinwoo and subjecting him to their games under the excuse of writing up Jinwoo’s qualities and potential harm. You have never liked 001, but you can’t deny they were talented in some sense, so you never fought against it.

While you went over Jinwoo’s background, you found the records of his earlier days as an E-Rank Hunter, the lowest of the low. Not a pretty past story, he was in constant warzones over his caliber, facing difficulties that you saw as hard to deal with. Then you saw his protectiveness and care over his mother and younger sister. That was what got your attention. He voluntarily placed himself in the facility to protect his family.

Naturally, you had to see for yourself the two people he cared for. You dressed comfortably and went to them outside of work when they both would be at home. While you made your way there, you noticed some Guards stationed from post to post to monitor Jinwoo’s residence. Some had moved away when they recognized your status, none questioned why you were there, for no one is allowed to question a Personnel.

You brushed your clothes before you knocked and waited for an answer. There was obvious sounds coming from inside, but it was long until a response came.

“Go away.” The voice of a young girl shouted through the door. You deduced it to be Jinwoo’s younger sister, Jinah.

“Hello, I would like to have a chat with Hunter Sung’s family members, I mean no harm.” You announced your purpose.

There was another long silence before the door creaked open and half the face of an older woman was seen. “Please leave us alone. You already took my son away from us. What more do you want?”

You forced yourself to stay as professional as you could, stopping yourself from sighing. Not because things weren’t going smoothly, but because things progressed in such a way. Not only is a member of their family gone and treated like a tool, but they were also observed like some suspect. “Mrs. Park, I truly mean no harm or ill intent. If you wish, I will call off the guards stationed near you as proof of my sincerity. I’ll visit another time.”

And you did as you promised. While you were dealing with your work, you’d have glimpses of Jinwoo in the testing area with Personnel 001. It was nothing short of experimentation and everyone was all for it, thinking and taking another S-Rank Hunter as the perfect test subject to toy with without regards for the consequences.

Briefly, you’d see Jinwoo’s eyes lock on yours and you’d see the sharpen in them, though also a softness. You’d turn away or would have your attention cut off abruptly due to something and the thought was gone like the wind.

It took some time, yet worth it when you earned trust from Mrs. Park Kyung-Hye and Jinah. They had a lot to share about Jinwoo and gave you a picture of Jinwoo before he became an S-Rank Hunter, even before he worked as an E-Rank Hunter. The things you never found in the background check was all there to give you a clear perspective of who Jinwoo was as a person.

That’s why. When Personnel 001’s death was announced during work, you were neither sad nor grieving. You quickly saw through the cause labelled as ‘accidental’ and saw the culprit. Hunter Sung Jinwoo snapped. After what happened with Personnel 001, no one wanted to work close with Jinwoo if they could help it, so you took up the slack.

As expected, Jinwoo had intentionally done it for a reaction and change of some kind. You’re thankful to him for pulling out a thorn at your side, so you wanted to repay him in some way. You’re reminded that the two females truly loved and cared for Jinwoo as much as he does for them. It was heartbreaking to see them separated once more after reuniting for a moment.

So why not earn an opportunity where they could meet?

It started small. A disposable device so that they could text each other. A phone call with a burner phone provided by you. Then, a video call. Last was sneaking Jinwoo out of the building through the shadows. He called it <Shadow Exchange> with a cooldown of a few hours; in those few hours, he spent it to the fullest with his family while you would stay in the cell to keep watch and ensure no one knew Jinwoo was gone.

It was something that heavily relied on trust. For if Jinwoo were to decide he’d rather stay with his family than return to the cell, that would be it. You nor anyone else could restrain him or bring him back, and your place within the facility would plummet (but that was none of your concerns). With what you know of his abilities, he could have left the country and sought somewhere safe to live with his family without issue. 

Still, he returned every time.

The perfect opportunity came when the Jeju raid was prioritized. You were in the meeting on how to deal with it. An alliance with Japanese Hunters. It was risky to have the S-Ranks in public, even riskier with S-Ranks from another country. Some wanted Jinwoo to be on the assault team, but you disagreed, saying it was not good to use a trump card when the Japanese Hunters seemed to be playing something. 

The team was decided between you and the other Personnel with the advice of Go Gunhee, a head figure of the Hunter Association before the EMI took over. That old Hunter still had a good say over what happened with Hunters, especially the high-ranking ones in the country. He was the only S-Rank allowed to remain among the public due to his fragile and slowly routine health; the only precaution against him was the <Outrage>. So, the association building became the headquarters for the EMI Korea branch.

You were going to go with the selected Hunters to Jeju Island, along with a few Personnel from the Japan branch. However, when Jinwoo or his Shadows overheard you’d be going to a dangerous raid to supervise with another Personnel, he was quick to demand your presence in his cell and threaten to <Outrage> if you had gone to said raid.

So you stayed in the facility building while watching the raid broadcast live through body cameras on the Hunters. You and everyone else’s eyes were glued to the scenes. The others were focused on wishing for the raid’s clearance. You were focused because you hoped—prayed—for the Hunters’ safe return. They were still Hunters.

Why can’t anyone see that? Understand that?

You recall the moment Cha Hae-In was knocked out on the verge of death, Min Byung-Gyu was killed with his head devoured, Choi Jong-In’s mana had long since ran out, Lim Tae-Gyu was outmatched and rendered useless, and Baek Yoonho and Ma Dongwook’s defence and strength were depleted due to lack of energy. The talented S-Rank Hunters of Korea were about to be wiped out since the Japanese said they were falling just as quickly.

There was no time to lose. There was only one answer. One hope for this nightmare.

“Open the door.” You coldly instructed the guards. 

You didn’t care that they flinched and fumbled out of their seats to do as you ordered, unable to hide their phones that played the live stream of the raid. You also didn’t miss the gossip from the other guards silently cheering that their job might be lighter with empty cells, meaning they hoped for the S-Rank Hunters’ fall.

The doors slowly opened for you, and you made your way through them, approaching the darkness. You took exactly five strides, and you knew you’d be standing in front of what would be the side of Jinwoo’s bed. He’d be sitting by the bedside, waiting for you with a smirk. His glowing eyes betray his location and his anticipation of your sudden but expected visit.

“Clear the Jeju Island Raid.” You spoke firmly.

“I’m not interested in doing charity.” Jinwoo’s eyes closed. You heard ruffling and then faint footsteps that were made on purpose since his movements could be compared to that of an assassin or even a ghost. You felt his presence before you saw his glowing purple eyes closer in front of you. “So I’ll have to decline.”

“For me. Do it for me.” You knew. You knew well that the only way to get through to him now was to you. From his interest, it turned to obsession and then to possessiveness. You knew you were the only reason Jinwoo hadn’t broken out of you once he knew you were shielding and treating his family with care, not out of manipulation but out of the rare kindness of your heart. In his eyes, you were a gem among trash.

Jinwoo hummed and chuckled. You felt his forehead against yours and his hands cupping your face with gentleness anyone else would shake and think it’s impossible for a Hunter of his status. “Of course. How could I refuse? It’s great that you know how much power you also hold over me and not just the other way around.”

Your hands reached up to pat his cheek, though you ended up with his neck due to the darkness and height difference. Jinwoo giggled as if he was ticklish. You pouted with a blush and uncharacteristically reached higher on your tiptoes to pat his cheeks. “Time is of the essence.”

“At your command. You just lead the way.”

Your memories brought you back when you noticed the familiar island. You pointed down for Jinwoo, and he guided Kaisel to fly down. From the air, one could see the built mansion and the playground and fields around. Surrounded by forests and a few pathways that connected the mansion to other areas of the island. There were some of Jinwoo’s Shadows out and around on the island like guardians. 

“This place is counted as private property; no one can step foot here without permission. If they do, they could be punished. This is my gift to you and your family, also an apology for what you all have endured.” You spoke as the ground came nearer and nearer. You saw the mansion doors open, and his mother and little sister came out to greet him, all smiles and tears. “I’ve removed you from the facility records and became your official Guardian. So you don’t have to return there any more.”

Kaisel landed and Jinwoo looked back at you. “Won’t you be reprimanded for what you’ve done?”

You shook your head with a smile. “It’s about time I did this for the Hunters. I’ll do the same for the others back at the facility as well. There are plenty of small islands they can use and inhabit too, so—”

“No.” Jinwoo gripped your hands tightly. He suddenly carried you in his arms and jumped down from Kaisel’s back. Out of reflexes, you wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his collar. His words made you look back at him. “You can’t do that for the others. Don’t just free me and forget about me.”

“But I…” You were at a loss for words. You thought Jinwoo would be more content with this since he would logically care for his family more than you and let you do your work.

“Big brother!”

“Jinwoo.”

The calls of Jinah and Kyung-Hye interrupted your sentence, and you didn’t want to dampen the otherwise tearful reunion. Jinwoo placed you on your feet. “We’ll talk later.”

You watched the two hug Jinwoo and he smiled in their presence, so innocent and childish, a stark contrast to the attitude he’d give to any other soul on the planet, apart from you in some cases. Now that you think about it, you look back to see Kaisel had long melted into Jinwoo’s shadow, and showed you the scenery of the sea. Did you even prepare for a way back to the facility or off this island?

As your head turned back to Jinwoo, he flashed you a carefree smile.

Oh. You missed that detail.

Note: Last one for this month, I think. And this marks the end of the series! Thanks for coming along for this ride! There's not much to continue from this point on cause Jinwoo basically got his freedom back, but who knows. Maybe I'll get some ideas and continue, or this would stay as the end~

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

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[numberonetacostan]

ONE HEADCANON FOR EVERY II CHARACTER!

Hello everyone!!!!!^^ For a little holiday season special, I’ve typed out a little headcanon for every character!!! By character I mean contestants + host + assistants!!!!! Sorry to all the Nick Le fans out there, he is not included. Since everyone is here, there are characters I may not know as well as my main roster, so if I get anything like, objectively wrong, feel free to let me know!!!^^ Please enjoy!!! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Apple- Her favorite song is Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan. She doesn’t really understand the lyrics but she really likes ponies!!!! I also think she’d start misspelling her name as “Appell” pretty often after she finds the song. 

Balloon- The first thing Suitcase does with her prize money is buy him a poetry book. He is so very moved by this and writes her dozens of poems with various styles he sees in the book within a few days. He’d read from the book and his own works to Suitcase every night before they go to bed. Some others could join in for a nice bedtime story :). 

Baseball- Once, while the hotel was under construction, Baseball fell down the stairs. And then kept rolling. And rolling. And bouncing. And rolling some more. Overall it set construction back two weeks and Paintbrush broke their leg trying to help stop him. Baseball was banned from the hotel until the elevators were finished. 

Bomb- He can’t eat spicy food. As in he’s banned from eating spicy food. If he gets too hot, he can accidentally set himself off, so despite his claim that he has a great spice tolerance, he is not allowed anywhere near the hot sauce. He doesn’t complain about the ban anymore post-canon, too risky, yeah? 

Bow- She watches so very many makeup tutorials, but being a ghost, can’t practice any of it on herself. That is, unless she possesses someone, like Marsh who would be very easy to put makeup on relative to other objects!!! She’d probably get pretty good at it, after some time, and Marsh would have some lovely new eyeshadow looks every day! 

Knife- He has a longer ghost tail than Dough and Bow do, so I propose him wrapping said tail around people and things he likes!!! Wraps around Pickle when they’re standing next to each other, wraps around Suitcase’s handle when they’re together, etc.!!! He’d get rather flustered if anyone called him out on it. 

Lightbulb- Gives incredible hugs. Incredible. How does an object made of glass and metal give such cuddly, warm hugs? Nobody knows. Sometimes she’ll turn herself on during the hug to make it extra warm!! As long as the person she’s hugging closes their eyes, it really elevates the already sacred experience of a Lightbulb hug. Luckily for everyone else, she is always happy to give one!^^

Marshmallow- She’s still pyrophobic after having been burnt all those years ago. As a very flammable marshmallow, fire would be scary to her anyways, but after having been roasted it’s a whole other story. She’d rather freeze than get close to a fire, but that’s not a problem since there’s a certain fruit always willing to warm her up with a hug <3!!

Nickel- He became very, very, very nervous to give his apology to Suitcase after she blew up Cobs and ate his corpse. He was planning to apologize either way, but clearly Suitcase could absolutely obliterate him if she wanted to do so, which means this apology has to be quite good or else. He has a serious amount of respect for her now. An upgrade, I’d say. 

OJ- His favorite Pokémon is Charizard. It’s orange, it’s very popular, OJ loves it. I know Justin has made a list of the contestant’s favorite Pokemon, but I have not read it in a while so Charizard it is!!!

Paintbrush- Experiments a lot with their image after season 3, mostly by dyeing their bristles with paint!!! Lightbulb helps :3!!! And by helps I mean makes it silly and very fun. Maybe she puts a little dot between Painty’s eyes to give them a “nose”. I think they’d try a solid color first, then maybe a fade, and eventually dye the nonbinary flag into their hair!!! They slay it of course. 

Paper- Pickle once wrote “Property of OJ” on Paper’s back and he didn’t notice for three days. No one told him it was there. When he asked everyone why in the world they would not inform him they said it was because they all thought OJ had written it and he was keeping it because he liked it. OJ did not know why Paper avoided eye contact with him for a week that one time but he did not like it. 

Pepper- Hotel OJ head chef. Yeah you heard me. Let me cook by letting her cook!! Salt wouldn’t like cooking, too much work, so this is something Pepper could enjoy on her own!! And it would be the sole reason that OJ has not yet kicked Salt out of the hotel- if he does than Pepper might be too sad to cook, and with the depressingly low amount of hotel residents that can make food, and the even smaller amount who are willing to make enough food for everyone, they need her. And, if Payjay help out, they can spend more time with her and get to know and enjoy her presence without Salt ruining it!

Pickle- With some help from Tea Kettle and Pepper, he makes Knife a new Dora doll post-finale, since it vanished with the rest of the stuff made by MeLife. He lets Knife possess him if he wants to hug the doll, but it also gets possessed by Knife so he can hug Pickle. Ah shit sorry my Knickle got all over the headcanon dang it. 

Salt- I headcanon her as the only cisgender, straight, alloromantic (I think that’s the right term?) member of the cast. Basically the only one who isn’t queer at all. But uh an actual headcanon for the ~60 or so Salt fans out there, both she and Pepper sleep with those little hair bonnets on to keep their salt and pepper from falling out of their heads in their sleep. 

Taco- This one is fitting for the winter season!! Taco is afraid of snow. Like, straight up terrified. I think she would grab a bunch of blankets and hide in the vents of the mansion whenever it snows, so she can be inside of the inside, as far and safe from the snow as she can be!! Having been homeless for years, she’s had some miserable experiences with hypothermia after it snows, and now that she has a home to live in, she’ll be staying inside until all the snow has melted. 

Mephone- I think he should have a pet bug post-canon. A little beetle or something that just chills on his head and feasts on the many crumbs he gets on himself while he eats. An intelligent one, like Baxter!!! Since we know Mephone will be stepping up into the more ‘big brother’ sort of role for 3GS, I think the bug would be a good outlet for Mephone to talk about his more intense feelings, specifically revolving around Mepad and the contestants. I also think, following his very creative naming of the contestants, the bug would be named Buggy. 

Box- I think she would be an insomniac. After years and years of living in an empty, timeless void-space thing, she’d have a lot of trouble getting to sleep!! She’d definitely need the whole works, warm milk, cheese, lullabies, etc., etc., just to get to sleep, and even then she probably wouldn’t sleep for very long. A lot of nightmares on this one, yeah? 

Cheesy- I think he’d actually quite enjoy eating cheese, as long as it’s not a chunk like he is. He’ll eat nachos, pizza, mozzarella sticks, grilled cheese, etc., etc., but he will not eat cheese cubes. He’d make approximately 5 cannibal jokes every time he does this, and this average goes up to 8 if Pickle is around. 

Cherries- They give Toilet their old Mepad mask post-canon, to try and make him feel better. Toilet might hang out with them a bit more after this- they can do some drawing together!! The more prank-buddies, the merrier, yeah? 

Dough- He eventually did get the recording of Bow saying that he was her brother!! Was it a cut-off version of her denying it yet again (though this time more playfully than anything)? Yes. Does that make him any less happy about having it? No. 

Fan- Out of everyone, he’s the most upset about II ending, and wants to find a new special interest!! He’d try a whole bunch of things, games, music, movies, TV shows, art, and I think it would be funny if he settled on the ii-universe equivalent of Survivor, since it was such a big inspiration for II!! He’d also occupy himself with being very interested in whatever Test Tube is doing and cheering her on!!! Also being a good Dad to Bot!!^^

Microphone- Has, on occasion, accidentally had her volume button pressed in her sleep and woke not only herself but everyone in the vicinity up with her snoring. The first time it happens post-canon it takes her a half-hour to get a very startled and scared but very sleepy and confused Taco to come out from her hiding spot under the bed. 

Soap- Her soap is french vanilla and rose scented!!! She’d find her own scent rather pleasant, yeah? I think being empty for her would have a similar effect on her as it does on objects like OJ and Test Tube, though if she’s in a real pinch she will use her own soap to get clean!! Letting someone use her soap would be a sweet gesture of love/appreciation from her!!!

Suitcase- Balloon would write her a lot of poems once they’re back together post-canon, and she’d keep them all inside of her!! She’d keep a lot of special little gifts from important people inside of her. The stone that Knife set beside her the first time they spoke on the docks, a dried flower bracelet from Box, whatever suits her fancy! (Get it? Ge- ‘cause she’s a suitcase? okay ill leave).

Test Tube- I think she would make phones for everyone post-canon!!!^^ It’s a big island, yeah? And they really need to be able to contact each other in case of emergency, with them being able to truly die now. She could make a functioning rocket out of a vending machine, I fully believe she could make however-many functioning phones out of what she can find on the island. (Or even better, Mepple HQ. I think they all should loot it.)

Tissues- He likes coding :) I personally hate coding, because I sucked at it in school and never want to look at one of those evil “easy kids coding” websites ever again. HOWEVER coding is something he could still do while he’s feeling sick, most of the time!! And we have quite a few gamers living in the hotel, so it would be a great way for him to connect with others!!!

Trophy- He always enjoyed photography as a hobby, but very much threw himself into it after being freed from the elimination closet. After months of seeing nothing but the snotty closet walls, he had a lot more appreciation for scenic and natural photographs. He’d hang a lot of them on the wall of his room to look at as he sleeps, since the rooms don’t have windows. 

Yin-Yang- This one is from my partner @galacticrain!! Because I consider them my resident yin-yang expert^^ Yang isn’t actually gluten free, like he says in season 2 episode 5, he just knew that Yin would confess to the eating of Dough if he put any ounce of pressure on him to tell the truth. 

Mepad- Another cold weather hc! As a Mepple device, he doesn’t really get cold! However, during their first winter together, Toilet worries that Mepad has no winter clothing!!! He buys Mepad one of those super fluffy, pink cases. Mepad does not take it off for months, until his systems start to overheat because of it. 

Toilet- I think he would be rather curious about what having limbs is like. He wouldn’t be particularly upset about his own lack of limbs, just curious!^^ He would ask Mepad about his legs, (try to) ask Mephone about his arms, and maybe make a little doodle of himself with a lot of limbs. A biblically accurate Toilet, if you will.

Blueberry- I like to think his white eyes glow a bit. He functions best in pitch-black darkness, yeah? So imagine you’re walking in the dark and two white eyes are staring at you from the depths. He would love scaring people with it, I think. 

Bot- Hanging out with everyone post-season 3 finale and even more so post-canon, they discover that they really do love videogames, similar to what they told Cabby!! They would absolutely dominate in fighting games, and would main R.O.B. in Super Smash Bros.!!! A fellow robot with a 3 letter name? Sign them UP. 

Cabby- She is endlessly fascinated by how Taco’s arms work. They just…go back in? How? Could she pull them out backwards? Both on the same side? Could she reverse them? Taco does not know either, and the two of them spend a full day together just trying to figure out how they work. Cabby gets a lot of new info about them, and Taco in general, after that :). I’m projecting but I think Cabby would be curious too.^^

Candle- Her meditation training post-canon is what keeps like half the cast from losing their minds after everything that happens. She is very very much needed after… all that. Meditation would help her too, of course, in the way that it usually does, but being so helpful would probably make her feel better than that. 

Clover- She was once blown across the entire island because someone dropped a penny on the ground. It was a particularly shiny penny, though, and the year was one her many, many lucky numbers!!

Goo- My little fella!!! Uh obviously he and Bot would make comics together. They like to draw, he likes to write, it’s perfect!!!! They could help him condense his writing down into a comic format as well!!! They could also make fanart and fanfics together!!! Goo would be a shipper I think he already ships Silver and Painty if you sit that little guy down in front of Steven Universe he will explode. 

Lifering- With everyone losing their immortality post-canon, he quickly becomes one of the most popular among the contestants. Twisted your ankle? Go see Lifering. Migraine? Go see Lifering. Ate the mushrooms that Taco very clearly told you were poisonous? Hurry to Lifering!! He’s happy to be of so much help, but gives some long and rather informative lectures on proper safety checks. 

Silver Spoon- Fills his room with candles. Particularly purple ones. And ones scented with lavender and chamomile. He’ll go on and on about how much he loves candles. Particularly purple ones scented with lavender and chamomile. No one can tell if Candle is trying to politely turn him down or really hasn’t noticed. He progressively gets more and more obvious with his candle collection and nearly sets a building on fire. 

Tea Kettle- #1 Nickloon shipper. I’m serious. Whether they get together or not, she ships it. I don’t think she’d be pushy about it, insistent that they get together if they’re interested in other people, but… we know silly Nickel, always chasing a Balloon. And if he needs a little help catching it, TK will be there in a flash!!!! She’d make them a little romantic picnic complete with hors d’oeuvres! 

The Floor- My guy The Floor still visits Mephone almost daily post-canon. I really don’t see the guy being super upset or holding a grudge over Mephone having made him. He’s pretty cool, if he does say so himself!!^^ And they’re buddies, anyways, so Floory would want to check in on him after his abusive father killed everyone and then was exploded!!!! He might even befriend 3GS while he’s at it :).

[rae2velaris]

2024 Was a Great Year for Elriels

The end of the year is approaching, and unfortunately, there's no announcement yet, but Elriels definitely have plenty to be grateful for this year.

On the contrary... (Quick rant...I'm allowed one a year)

The other side has enjoyed complaining and discrediting articles and large companies commenting on Elriel...

Why?

I suppose it's because their side of the fandom has nothing new to talk about with their ships?

All they have are:

Commissioned art pieces paid for by themselves (great for the artists and Elriels do commissioned pieces to so... touche)

Screen Rant articles. This website is a way for free lance writers to make some money. Honestly, if you want to dive into them, go ahead, but these article centralize on the writers' opinions and click bait/SEO. And no, I'm not going to hunt down these writers' information to discredit. People are allowed to have their opinions and make money however way they want. Just at least take a moment to look at the titles for Screen Rant articles vs. TIME, TODAY, and E! News. You'll see a difference going forward in this post.

Additonal unnecsssary "official" weeks/ "spontaneous" days for ships and characters due to the belief that Elriel fans ruin everything

Anyways, let's dive into this year's pro Elriel content ❤️

January 30th, 2024

TIME- Time magazine is a widely cited resource and maintains high standards of journalism. In this particular article, only Elain and Azriel are mentioned as a possibility for the next ACOTAR book.

January 30th, 2024

TODAY Show- A sit-down interview with SJM. (This particular part of the interview I condensed together on Canva because of the limited pictures we can include on Tumblr) Below, Sarah talks about fate, the idea of exploring rejecting mates, and free will. (Lucien and Elain?) She also discusses her characters ending up with someone who offers growth and joy. (Azriel and Elain?) SJM can't tell us in black and white that she's doing this, but COME ON people. There's a reason she discusses it.

Oh, and the TODAY show decided to like/comment on Elriel comments ONLY.

Side Note: If interested, take a look at this tumblr post for a lovely, thorough breakdown. ( @courtofblooming )

April 19th, 2024

Guilty As Sin Instagram Story from SJM- Sarah loves her little crumbs, and this song honestly encapulates Elriel. We unfortunately don't get confirmation from SJM, but I'll include some of the lyrics for you to judge.

This cage was once just fine

Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks

Throwing my life to the wolves

Or the ocean rocks

Crashing into him tonight

He's a paradox

I'm seeing visions, am I bad?

Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

What makes it even better? Audible and Spotify commented ONLY on Elriel posts in relation to this song. You won't find these particular companies commenting on any other ships of the fandom.

Side Note: The other side of the fandom tries to discredit these influential companies by stating the person behind the account doesn't represent the whole company or just enjoy saying the companies comments aren't credible. Multi-million dollar companies are NOT going to waste their time and reputation on fanon created ships. These companies are business smart and only invest in what's profitable. There's a reason they make millions...ELRIEL is profitable due to canon evidence. Simple as that.

December 2nd, 2024

Bloomsbury and SJMaas Updates announce that the audiobooks are now available on Spotify- Bloomsbury, SJM Updates, and Spotify are in close collaboration with each other. Makes those Spotify Elriel comments even more satisfying. ❤️

December 9th, 2024

SJM 2024 Author of the Year Spotify Video- Although we got little news for the coming spring about audible books, us as a fandom had a lovely time dissecting the video. Yet again, Spotify only commented on Elriel comments.

Side Note: Take a look at these tumblr posts for an inciteful look into the significance of tea cups/Elain ( @offtorivendell ) and an excellent interpretation of the Spotify video. ( @wingedblooms )

December 13th, 2024

E News!- I know this particular article has ruffled some feathers, but it's entertaining none the less! Gotta love the nod to Azriel's wingspan. IYKYK (And yes, it's credible... it's owned by NBC Universal... the same company that owns TODAY and 33% stakes of Hulu through Comcast (Comcast owns NBC Universal, and the stakes are through NBC Universal). I only add Hulu due to the ACOTAR TV series being developed through Hulu.)

December 17th, 2024

Goodreads- This is just a little star on top of the tree, but it's great to know that ACOFAS made it into the top 10 most read overall books this year. (Interesting how ACOSF didn't make it...) Notably, ACOFAS is the bridge for future spin-offs. (Also interesting how a particular character isn't seen in ACOFAS...)

(ACOFAS pictures taken from @psychologynerd post linked below)

In Conclusion...

As an Elriel, I've truly appreciated the continuous confirmations for Azriel and Elain for the future ACOTAR 5 book in small, simple ways. Even better knowing that Spotify and Audible have outwardly commented on ONLY Elriel posts.

As the year 2024 ends, I'll treasure these little nuggets of positivity until the announcement day! I have a feeling 2025 will hold some excellent news for the fandom. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

P.S.

If you know of anymore pro Elriel content from this year, by all means, write a comment. 🥰

[peachylynnie]

old

word count: 800 (unintentional)

synopsis: in which you ask rafayel a question he isn't prepared for.

contains: rafayel x mc!reader, established relationship, they're at the beach, reference to rafayel's lore (the part where mc doesn't remember him), fear of age, fluff to angst to even more angst (not a bad ending), and kissing.

a/n: this is a result of me listening to algernon by yorushika on loop, especially the part, "we're losing our memories slowly." enjoy! reblogs and comments are always welcome. do NOT copy or translate my work. rafayel does NOT endorse plagiarism.

"will you still love me when i'm old?"

"what kind of question is that?" rafayel pouts at you, scrunching his nose. "of course, i will."

you chuckle mirthlessly. bringing your knees to your chest, you don't look at him. instead, you stare off into the sun who is eager to finally embrace the waves after a long day. sighing deeply, you wonder if it is happy even though it no longer shines. "i'm serious, raf. i'm going to have wrinkles and all."

"pft, did i ever tell you i have a thing for wrinkles?"

"raf!"

"okay, okay!"

with a bright smile, rafayel cups your red cheeks and turns your face towards him. you can't help but tear up when you meet his eyes. no one has ever looked at you with so much love. there is no doubt he loves you now. but what about in the future? will he still look at you like this when you have aged? grayed? no longer able to hold a candle to a ripe rose?

shaking your head, you try to turn away, but rafayel doesn't let you. he turns you to face him again. "yes, i will still love you when you're old."

unable to stop the tears from flowing, you bury your head in rafayel's chest. you don't deserve him. no one does.

but rafayel wants to convince you otherwise. he wants you to see what he sees. he wants you to trust he will love you until your dying breath. he wants you to know he dreams of a moment in the future when he can truthfully tell you he lived a good life thanks to you and draw his last breath in your arms. he wants to grow old with you.

"cutie," he calls for you, trying to pull you away so he can look at you properly. "look at me. please?"

you could never say no to rafayel. you tilt your chin up, allowing him a peek at your swollen eyes. he can't help but giggle at how adorable you are. "there you are, cutie."

"it's not funny, raf," you whine as you tilt back down. "i won't be beautiful to you anymore. heck, i won't even be able to talk or move anymore. how could you possibly still love me then?"

"woah, woah," the lavender-haired man reacts as he pulls you by the shoulders. "you're afraid of a natural process all humans go through and not the terrifying, monstrous wanderers you face every day?"

"yes." you grumble.

rafayel chuckles and kisses your forehead. "trust me on this, cutie," he kisses your nose. "no matter what you look like," he kisses your cheek. "or what you do," he kisses your chin. "i will always love you." he kisses your lips, finally saving them from the cold ocean breeze. "always."

he deepens the kiss, wrapping a hand around your nape and the other around your waist. shutting your eyes, you relish in his lips and allow your tears to fall. as the sand beneath you grows wet from your tears, your fingers find refuge in rafayel's clothes, with you desperately hoping this moment could last forever. two lovers, seeking each other's presence on the beach and promising to love each other no matter what the world throws at them, including time—the very thing people fear yet want.

as your fingers tighten around his attire, rafayel can't help but push himself more into the kiss, causing you to fall backward with him on top of you, his arms planted at each side of your head. opening your eyes, you gasp at the sight above you. there he was, panting with his sweet lips parted, his cerulean and coral eyes dazed, and his broad arms trembling.

he wants more. he always does. but there's one more question you have to ask.

"will you still love me," you swallow shakily. "even if i forget about you?"

his breath hitches.

"r-raf?" you stare at him in concern, raising your hands to hold his face. flinching at the chill of his skin, you rub his cheek with your thumb. why is he so cold? he's never cold, ever. his evol makes sure of that. and his eyes… there was a flash of sorrow in them. "are you okay?"

rafayel inhales deeply before burying himself in the crook of your neck, his arms now tightening around your waist. his voice muffled and the wind strong, you don't hear what he says. "raf?" patting his head, you ask him to repeat what he said.

slowly, rafayel rises, his now-watering eyes meeting yours. you immediately return your hands to his face, trying to wipe his tears away. "raf? what's wrong?"

"nothing," he replies hoarsely. "it's just…"

you gaze at him worriedly, your eyes imploring him to answer quickly so you can take away whatever was paining him. but rafayel doesn't say anything. instead, he brings a hand to your face and strokes your cheek with his thumb. "it's just?" you repeat softly.

a moment of silence passes before he finally answers.

"yes, i will love you even when you forget about me, my beloved bride."

[exhelluvafan]

I will never NOT be pissed about the writing of Stella, just to make Stolas look good. The abuse angle thing was only ever told and then just...brushed away. Then she gets sidelined for her brother, when she could have done basically everything he's done.

She can be dead for all of it matters for her character, because Andrealphus is now the one wanting everything from Stolas. Go ahead and write Stella out entirely from the show, have Andrealphus be the one to have hired Striker.....and nothing changes.

The 'abuse' thing was only to ever absolve Stolas from the cheating and everyone should realize this, not good writing sorry and it STILL amounts to nothing because Andrealphus takes the spotlight!

DING! DING! HELLO PEOPLE, S1 is POINTLESS REALIZE THAT!

I agree with you, Anon, the "Stella abusing Stolas" plot point was actually added in as a way to justify and excuse Stolas' cheating, ending up not being either an excuse or justification because cheating is unforgivable no matter what, even if Viv believes otherwise.

And also, you're right as well, Stella could be easily written out of the show and nothing would literally change as Andrealphus could easily take the place of Stella, since Andre is the supposedly cunning and actively malicious one, while Stella was dumbed down to a screaming, annoying one dimensional bitch.

Man, I miss the Instagram era of the show, since Instagram Stella was shown to be a deeply complex character and not a bitch that was born evil, she actually was nice and more pleasant than the Stella we currently have and even showing how the cheating had hurt her specifically, but since Viv cannot allow any nuance to her female characters, all that development went straight to the trash.

And lastly, while I enjoy Helluva S1, I do agree that it became pointless since S2 retconned EVERYTHING that S1 had established, but at the same time, S2 makes references to S1 sometimes which is so confusing since S1 could be easily considered not canon at this point, but despite that, Viv and co. keep making references to it.

At least that helps to keep a canon divergence between S1 and S2, since these two seem from two different shows, one that was decent and the other that became a fanfiction of a show that doesn't exist.

[yanderefarm]

yandere prisoner introduction

cw;; gore, nsfw, violence towards reader, violence, blood, knives, murder

his name is 7. it was given to him by a camper who found him when he only had 7 tally marks on his skin. that camper became the 8th.

he doesn't have a home or a family as far as he or anyone knows of. he's lived in the woods by that campsite for what could be his entire life.

he's been picking off campers who visit those secluded cabins for years getting increasingly more violent and intense with it.

he's very violent and bloody. he was enjoying killing your cabin mate to the fullest when you first woke up.

you noticed him and waited quietly until you could get away. you hit him with your lamp as he climbed over top of you and then bolted out the door.

he currently has 19 tallies on his shoulders. you're supposed to be 20.

he also got a tattoo of your initials on his shoulder.

he's madly in love with you for being the only person who has ever escaped him. he sends you letters in his messy handwriting covered in drool and other fluids. they detail all kinds of graphic things he wants to do to you.

one time he sent a letter with blood on it and detailed how he had to take care of another inmate but he made sure not to kill him for you. you're the only one he can kill.

you decided to go to see him in prison after moving back to your hometown and he was just as gross and off-putting there. he would get so excited and act like an eager little puppy everytime he saw you again. before asking if you got his latest gross letter detailing how he wanted to make love to your corpse.

he actually started to behave better in prison after your visits started. he couldn't see you if he was put in solitary.

after only 10 years in prison he was being released on a technicality. everyone expected you to be with the other families and be completely outraged but you went on several interviews saying that you forgave him. talking about how you would kindly give him shelter.

yeah that's not exactly right. you set up the cabin for all manner of tortures. that's where you'll both live until you rot away together in the place it started.

he thinks it's romantic. he loves you so much it doesn't matter what you do to him. he's happy to be with you forever.

he'd be really happy to know he haunts your nightmares.

he got most of his tattoos in prison. that's also when his hair became so long but its always been messy.

he gets really jealous but he likes to play it off like he's not. he'll especially mock you with the fact he killed your boyfriend at the time because he's so jealous that you still care after 10 years.

he'll kill anyone who tries to interrupt your time at the cabin. he'll escape and then come back once it's over asking you to put the chains back on.

its unclear if he actually wants to kill you anymore.

nsfw

he could top but he's not allowed to. he's better as a whiny drooling bottom.

he confesses to you only all the horrible things he did to people's bodies either during or after their deaths. he got off on the violence but it isn't enough for him anymore.

he likes your violence even more than the violence he inflicted. he'll moan to exaggerate and piss you off but he's always rock hard whenever you even hit him or look at him with disgust.

he's like a dog in another way too. he'll hump anything you give him. let him hump your leg, stuffed animals, pillows, bedframes, anything that gives him any friction.

his favorite position is your hands around his neck as you bare down on him. he doesn't even care if you're fucking him, he could cum from you choking him alone.

big tits. big muscles. big guy. big dick. big whore.

he always cums so much and he drools even more. sex with him is always messy.

he would love it if you dissected him and played with his body.

he'll cum when you kill him.

[inky-snowdrop]

Christmas with the Lin Kuei 🎄

(NOTE: I don't personally believe that the Lin Kuei celebrate Christmas because I headcanon that religion isn't allowed within the clan. The mindset of clan before blood also negates the whole family aspect of Christmas. HOWEVER I am making an exception for this list 🤍)

❄️ Bi-Han ❄️

Y'all... this man is not a Christmas hater (LET ME EXPLAIN)

Does he love Christmas? No. The fact of the matter is that Christmas happens during his favorite time of year: winter. Anything that happens in cold weather is decent in his eyes

He enjoys gift giving, especially when it's for Sektor and Sareena. Naturally he is a very observant person, so seeing the look of excitement on his significant others' faces when he gets them exactly what they wanted makes him happy

He's not really into all the family fun that's supposed to occur during the Christmas season (this man is NOT making a gingerbread house). He'd rather curl up near the fire and read a Christmas book (he enjoys A Christmas Carol because of the ghosts) with the people he cares about

DO NOT sing Christmas carols around him. DO NOT ask him to make it snow inside. He will actually lose his mind.

🔥 Kuai Liang 🔥

Kuai Liang is a Christmas enjoyer. He has a lot of positive memories associated with the holidays from when he was younger (playing with Harumi Shirai in the snow, decorating the Lin Kuei Palace with colorful candles)

Baking is one of his favorite Christmas traditions... Though he is an absolute fire hazard in the kitchen. He always ends up with burnt Christmas tree cookies that he absolutely smothers in frosting

Since Tomás has difficulties around the holidays, Kuai Liang goes out of his way to help him feel cheerful by including him in activities. They've spent lots of time doing childish things like building snowmen or decorating a tree in the forest with homemade decorations

Last minute wrapper. Motherfucker is awake the entire night on Christmas Eve trying to wrap all the gifts he got. He is often exhausted on Christmas morning... And some Christmas' he doesn't wake up before noon

When he moved to Japan to establish the Shirai Ryu, he took several of his old Christmas decorations with him. He hasn't touched them since

💨 Tomás Vrbada 💨

Tomás has... a complicated relationship with Christmas

On one hand, he has so many positive memories (both secular and religious) with his birth parents and sister during Christmas time... On the other hand he has so many positive memories of people that are no longer in his life

Regardless of how he feels, he tries really hard not to let his upsetment show. Whenever Kuai Liang asks him to bake with him or to build a snowman, Tomás always says yes. He doesn't want to bring anyone else down because of him

Tomás likes to watch Christmas cartoons like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Noses Reindeer. His absolute favorite Christmas cartoon is The Year Without A Santa Claus. He relates to how depressed Santa is.

Though he typically tries to avoid Bi-Han during the holiday season (why get kicked while he's already down?), sometimes he'll ask if he can sit with Bi-Han while he's watching a Christmas movie. That's the most time that they spend with each other without yelling at each other the whole year

⚙️ Sektor ⚙️

CHRISTMAS. HATER. An absolute Scrooge

There were too many times in the past where she was let down by her mother and father during Christmas time, so now she just hates everything associated with the season

She locks herself in the Armory, working on things she doesn't need to be working on in order to distract herself. She barely sleeps, she barely eats, it's mildly concerning how consumed she is by her work

Bi-Han recognizes that Sektor needs her space and tries to respect that as much as possible, but he still gets worried when she doesn't leave the shop for more than a week. Sareena will go into the Armory and pester Sektor all day, asking questions about different Christmas things until Sektor kicks her out

The only day that Sektor is somewhat present is Christmas Day. She will go sit with everyone while they open gifts, sipping her coffee as she soaks in as much of the moment as she is emotionally able to

🐝 Cyrax 🐝

Cyrax likes both the religious and secular aspects of Christmas. She is a Catholic, so she sets up a little nativity scene in her room every year

Being from Nigeria, she has a lot of traditions that she brings into the Lin Kuei from the Zaki. One such tradition is going on an annual hunt and competing to see who can kill the largest animal within an allotted time. The winner is blessed with good luck for the upcoming year and their catch is served at Christmas dinner

Kuai Liang LOVES this tradition and competes with Cyrax yearly. He has yet to beat her. In fact the only person that was able to beat Cyrax's time and kill was Sareena, who managed to bring down an Ice Beast within ten minutes

When Cyrax and Kuai Liang dated, they spent a lot of time walking in the woods and looking at all the tracks in the snow. This was also an excuse for Cyrax to cuddle close to Kuai to stave off the cold

Will often join Kuai Liang in his quest to cheer up Tomás, but she is also very aware of if Tomás is not in the mood and will back away. She often has to remind Kuai Liang to not be too forceful when he's trying to help

😈 Sareena 😈

LOVES CHRISTMAS!!! I mean, who wouldn't after being trapped in the NetherRealm with a perverted old Sorcerer for centuries?

She especially loves to decorate the palace in bright lights. Instead of using candles, she wants to go to the store and buy actual electric bulbs (not realizing that the Lin Kuei palace doesn't have electricity... But Sektor would figure out a way to make them work). She spends time untangling the lights every year and gets tangled up every time

She has a lot of questions about Christmas. "Who is Santa Claus? How does he see us when we're sleeping? Is he a sorcerer? How does he fit down the chimney? How does he not set himself on fire when he's in the chimney and the fire is lit?..." Bi-Han started ignoring her after continuously answering her questions for three hours

Is addicted to eggnog and actually enjoys Kuai Liang's burnt cookies

She's very bad at gift giving. One year she gave Bi-Han and Sektor each a dead rabbit. She didn't wrap them either, so their chamber smelled really bad for a couple of days and Sektor and Bi-Han had no idea what was causing the smell. Meanwhile, Sareena's looking mischievous in the corner and thinking "Hehehe they'll never guess what their gifts are! ;)"

[damian-al-ghul-wayne]

ooc ->

This is to inform people of the lore that's happening w dami, so YAY! more yapping from yours truly, damian mun..

Okay, so let's go WAAAYY back from when this account was slowly building up... back then, my plan had been to kill off Damian (mental health reasoning), basically because of an anon I had.... Yada Yada Yada, his relationship with Jon (Superboy specifically) changed that outcome.

Then we bring in @ / sleep-deprived-tim's blog into play for Damian's lore.

If you didn't know, Tim suffered with mental health as well. They were struggling, and Damian had been accused of not being there for them. Tim ended up taking their own life and coming back as a ghost— which, haunted Damian.

Damian felt guilty due to those accusations and took it upon himself to believe that he was the one who killed Tim when he wasn't.

When this is happening, my Damian ends up starting to get more into the medical field because he feels as if he isn't doing much as Robin. He starts taking breaks... skipping patrol... faking sickness... when he is actually just volunteering at the hospital instead.

He's doing this mainly at the moment to try and get rid of the guilt he's holding on to because of Tim's death. It's not working, but he's finding himself really enjoying volunteering.

Back to Tim— Tim's ghost ends up telling Damian where their body is. Damian takes it upon themselves to drag the body of Tim to somewhere that they believed would keep the body in good shape until he was able to find the time to resurrect Tim.

Nothing is helping him recover from the guilt that's eating away at him at the moment. So his last resort is resurrection.

He ends up forgetting about it, leaving Tim's body to rot. Forgetting, though, was actually helping him because he started to be happier around others. He started being more open and expressive of what he wanted (like how he very much yearns to hang out with his older brother / father figure Richard Grayson), but this comes crumbling down when he's reminded of the body he's supposed to resurrect like a month or 2 later.

Guilt comes back. He's overthinking. Rushing everything. Becoming sloppy, if you will.

Takes Tim's body (which is too rotted to resurrect) and throws it in a pit. He cries and begs for tim to come alive —> doesn't work. he feels like a failure. Now, he's struggling to come to terms with what he's supposed to do with himself because of this failure. He doesn't think he's good enough to be Robin because he allowed his sibling to die. He doesn't want to work at the hospital anymore because he believes he'll let someone else fall victim, like how Tim did, under his care. He feels out of place.

(Note; Tim is resurrected, but they're in a different body, which they possessed. Damian isn't able to look at them anymore cause of this. That ISN'T their sibling.)

Now, for upcoming lore or things I need to let people know about is that my Damian is currently canceling plans and avoiding everyone around him. He's eating and sleeping less... He's being dry with the ones he loves because he's afraid of hurting them like Tim. When they reach out to Damian, Damian will only be concerned for their health. That's why if you look at interactions with like @ / dickgraysonfr currently, Damian is only searching for health reasons (sickness, injuries, etc.) If he sees it, he can fix it before it gets worse. Otherwise, he wants nothing to do with anyone unless he's able to prevent their death. (This is really making less sense the more I type, but I'm going to continue anyways.)

There's reasonings behind the drawings of Jonathan and Talia as well... there's so many little details I want to point out to everyone and like all the signs I'm using for Damian, but idk how to explain it properly, I suppose.

Basically, I guess my Damian is shutting everyone out because he's too afraid to face any of them. He's depressed. Idk. HELP this is so bad bye.

I feel like this is easier when I'm actually asked questions about certain things pertaining to lore. 🤕

I hope this covers like some of the things that I'm doing w Damian at the moment. I'll pin this so people can read through it if they'd like to

[spacequokka]

Tangled Up Knots

Pairing: Seonghwa x Reader Genre: e2f, one bed Rating: G Summary: Turns out Seonghwa isn't entirely an asshat. Word Count: 1.6k Warnings: Language

A/N: Another title taken from a popular Christmas song? Do you know it?

It was supposed to be the perfect Christmas getaway--snowflakes dancing in the air, hot cocoa topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, and a cozy cabin in the woods with all your friends. But of course, life had other plans.

"Come on, _____. It's not as bad as you're making it out to be." Yunho shook his head as he stuffed the trunk with luggage. "With all of us there, you'll barely know he's there."

"Says you," you hissed as you helped him close the trunk. "No matter where we are or what we're doing, he always finds a way to get on my nerves."

"Are you sure some of the animosity isn't undeserved?" He turned to you with a poorly hidden smirk. "If he's done something bad to you, you would've told one of us by now, right?"

"He steals my snacks--"

"Besides the snack thing." Yunho waved his hand impatiently. "Hongjoong pays you back for those."

"It's not about the money. It's about the food. I buy those things so I can eat them, so I can enjoy them. Not him. If he wants them so bad, why doesn't he go buy them himself? Or have one of his family's maids go get them?" Mingi came up behind you and steered you towards the backseat of the car. "Everyone just shrugs of his asshat nature and it pisses me off."

"Come along now, pretty. We've got a long drive ahead of us." Mingi smiled knowingly.

You had a long history of bickering, mostly stemming from Seonghwa's annoyingly perfect attitude and tendency to steal your snacks. Even now, you could hear his playful laugh echoing in your mind, a sound that would warm your heart if you weren't too busy plotting ways to throw him out of a moving vehicle. You honestly couldn't see what qualities he had that made the others include him in their friend group. Maybe he was only a dick to you and a complete angel to them. Maybe he paid them off. Whatever the reason, you'd be stuck in a cabin somewhere on a mountain with him for three days.

Hopefully you had enough money in savings to cover bail should shit hit the fan.

The ride was just long enough to cool your head only for your temper to flare to life as the car parked. Hongjoong stood at the front door of the cabin, smiling and chatting with Yeosang and Jongho, with Seonghwa at his side watching Yunho's car. His eyes swept over everyone climbing out and came to a stop once he spotted you.

Then he fucking smiled. Bright as the sun with a hint of trouble.

Chimney smoke and pine filled the air, carrying that nostalgia of winters past as you got your suitcase and followed the others inside. Everyone gathered in the living room and used the fireplace to warm chilled fingers and faces. Hongjoong stood up and whistled, getting the group's attention.

"Okay, so this year there's a few more people than I'm used to housing. Which is no problem! However, I couldn't get a set of twin beds and had to settle for a queen size. That means someone's gonna have to share a bed." He waited until everyone was done reacting before adding, "We're drawing sticks to see which two that'll be."

Seonghwa held a cup with straws and went around the room, allowing everyone to draw. When he came to you, he smiled. "Hello there. Bring any of those pretzels?"

"If you touch them, I will break your hand." You matched his smile and hoped like hell the malice was clear.

"Like I haven't heard that before." He winked and went onto San.

Once everyone had a stick, you compared sizes. To your horror, you realized right away that your stick was shorter than the others. One by one, the group eliminated your potential partners and it wasn't lost on you that Seonghwa was still on the list. You were practically seething by the time it was clear he also had a short stick.

"There's no way in hell. Seriously?" You turned to Yunho who was already prepared to do damage control. "You know I'll kill him by morning comes. This is a setup."

"How?" Seonghwa cut in. "It was a random draw."

"You were passing them out. You had to have known which one I got."

"Oh, please. The world doesn't revolve around you. No one wants to share a bed with you that damn bad." Wooyoung started to raise his hand but Yeosang elbowed him in the ribs. "You can't possibly think I'd cheat to share a bed with you."

"Then switch with someone else. Anyone else!"

"That defeats the purpose of drawing sticks. I know I'm mature enough to act civil for a couple of nights. Are you?" He had that stupid smug look on his dumb face and for a second you felt like slapping him.

"Fine." You grit out through your teeth. "If I'm lucky you'll choke to death on your pillow in the middle of the night."

The cabin was nothing short of charming. Wooden beams overhead adorned with twinkling lights and garland and a roaring fireplace that crackled as a yule log burned. Yunho was right. Once everyone settled in and went off on their own, you didn't see much of Seonghwa again. As midnight came, you were lost in a game of Uno with Jongho, San, and Mingi. Your sleeping arrangement was the furthest thing from your mind as you watched San drawing cards with no hope of stopping.

"Oh, forget it! I quit!" He threw his cards down and Mingi fell over holding his sides as tears seeped from his eyes. "Why isn't there a limit on how many cards you have to draw if you can't play?"

"Oh," Jongho blinked at him, "There is if you play the quick version of the game."

"What the hell have we been playing?"

"Mingi's version."

"What?"

Mingi's laugh turned to a silent gasp for air as he clutched his stomach. "And…and you fell for it!"

You put your cards down. "Yeah, no. I'm calling it a night. This is why I play Uno once a year. No more." You stood and headed for your room. The charm of the cabin faded away when you stood in front of the single queen-sized bed. "This is ridiculous."

Seonghwa entered and flashed a smug smile. "How about we just don't talk?" He suggested casually as if sharing a bed was no big deal.

"Perfect," you shot back while tossing your stuff on one side of the bed like it was claiming territory in a war zone.

The night wore on like an awkward sitcom episode. You both tried to spread out but ended up lying stiffly on opposite edges of the mattress. The tension between you was palpable. Every rustle or sigh echoed through the small space.

"I can't believe this is happening," he finally said after what felt like hours of silence.

"You say that like you didn't do this yourself."

"I didn't! Honestly, it never occurred to me to mess with the sticks. Even if I did, how would I have done it? I had no idea which stick was which, much less that you drew a short one." He swallowed and something shifted in his expression. There was an odd vulnerability there that caught you off guard. "Besides that, I don't mind sharing with you."

You turned slightly toward him but kept your tone lighthearted despite the sudden burst of butterflies in your stomach. "Yeah? I'd say the same if you didn't steal my food."

He chuckled softly. "My aunt used to buy me those pretzels when I was little. When I first met you, I was too shy to ask where you got them. I've searched high and low for them but no one can tell me where to buy them. Not even online. So, I thought if I paid you for them through Hongjoong it'd be okay since you can just go get more." His brow furrowed. "Then I realized how mad you were getting about it so I paid more. Once you started hating me, I tried to stop taking them, but sometimes I miss her and I just…" His eyes met yours. "I apologize. For taking your food and upsetting you. I don't mean to be a jerk. It's easy to forget that what means nothing to me could mean everything to you."

Well, hell.

"How about this? I'll start buying an extra bag of pretzels whenever we hang out and you can just pay me for it." His eyes lit up. "Because I love them too and it kinda sucks to not eat them when I look forward to it when I get off from work."

"Deal! In fact, I'll send the money to you so you don't have to pay for them at all. For the pain and suffering of my taking them."

You nodded. "That works for me."

As one a.m. approached and snow continued to fall outside like confetti falling from some celestial party, you laid there quietly talking about everything from work to music preferences--your usual arguments morphed into playful debates filled with laughter instead of annoyance and thinly veiled threats. You were still enemies pretending to tolerate each other but maybe, just maybe, you'd found some common ground.

[katelfiredemon]

Do you ever just so desperately want to be someone’s first choice that it feels like a punch in the gut when they don’t choose you?

[bunnieswithknives]

I feel bad for neglecting Hazel so much, I do have many thoughts about her.. and also a mermaid au that im probably not going to do anything with

[puhpandas]

I think the reason beckory works well is that tony has a habit of getting self righteous and in his own head about things but Gregory isnt afraid to tell him off or call him out about things. the point of tony in ggy is that nobody ever told him that how hes treating other people isnt good, so that's why he got so bad. but tony would be close to Gregory and have every rational reason in the world to listen to Gregory so when he would say something like "you're treating ellis badly and that's not what a good friend does, you need to do better" hed actually listen and take it into account and improve himself

[gothsuguru]

i love muting people on twitter some of you bitches are very dumb

[violentlydefending]

genuinely always so shocked to see mirei hate. like literally god forbid women do anything.

[demadogs]

devastatingly disappointed that the entire young royals tag is filled with comparisons to rwrb and heartstopper as if i dont love young royals entirely because its executed so much better than either of those

[thranduel]

i don’t care how but joseph needs to come back as eddie. flashbacks, vecna visions, whatever, i don’t care. i just wanna see him again 😭