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divinecomedyproductions · 1 year ago

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Fandom Woes Part 1: Big Entertainment Fandoms and their War on Creative Minds

I feel like I need to revamp my points it’s about what I perceive to be a problem with modern fandom, and the first issue is its hostility to creative dissent, especially in form of original works or fanfiction.

It seems that fandoms, Anti-RWDE in this case, have decided how story they liked handled a concept or idea is law and appointed themselves as the police force to enforce said laws, all proclaiming to defend those they deem worthy of the title “creator” while harassing those the perceived as “bullshit artists” I guess and feel have offended them and those they defend. And these people seem to be waging an ideological conquest of creative thinking in fears of becoming irrelevant.

For example, I explained how I was upset with RWBY the tragic ending of Pyrrha Nikos and her romantic relation with Jaune, and other characters and parings, Sun and Blake, Ren and Nora, Weiss and Neptune, and Ruby and Oscar, all who I dreaded would end up on the chopping block next.

I said how I felt they should have been couples who endured consequences and raised steaks, but they should have been allowed to survive through them, rather than losing each other driving the other forward kinda like Ed and Winry and Roy and Riza from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Or at least they could as a different set of characters in a different epic fantasy story.

That, and recently in retrospect, I’ve been looking at RWBY, it’s characters, and world, the ships I wanted, and what they could have been, some involves radical changes, minor changes, heavily different world building, using my Catholic faith as well as my own fictional universe as a basis.

Right now it’s a heavily reimagined RWBY AU part of a fan fiction multiverse which is mostly experimental, idk I can put up with the likes of Syto-kun’s RWBY Remnants, or Celtic Pyro's Fixing RWBY, but I might make it into an original story, Hell, I might even do both, the former first so I can see what other changes I might need to make,

Now as of recently I’ve discovered a Discord Server which I can discuss these things with other RWBY fans, most of who are also disillusioned with Canon RWBY, in a civil manner. Some agree with me, some don’t, but we all act in respect and good faith and we give each other the benefit of the doubt for our disagreements because we all deeply care about epic story-telling.

But In the past with the Anti-RWDE of the RWBY fandom, or whatever you want to call this a toxic minority, I got from was not honest disagreement, but rather disgust, abhorrence, and sneering.

I was sat down and lectured by toxic individuals how raised steaks and consequences forbid such things now, reading posts about Pyrrha and the likes of her and Jaune were only fit for tragic endings because “that's the kind of character she is.” as well these loyalists aggrandizing themselves for liking it mocking others like me with things like

"LMAO Holy Shit, you guys wouldn't like Madoka Magica" as if that was a problem

or "Lol go watch RWBY Chibi"

They resorted to passive aggressive judgment, gaslighting, and superior sarcasm at best, ranting and vicious chastisement at worst. Telling me I should trash my desires and ideas and just go watch Disney, Marvel, Romcoms, and Sitcoms instead.

They told me I was acting smug and superior and arrogant for doing a rewrite/reimagining AU or an original story in response how RWBY was handled, that what I did was inherently malicious and hostile towards Monty, and this attitude seems to come from a lot of loyalist fans who like things the way they are, and in my opinion think a little too highly of themselves for liking things that others don’t, but that’s an argument for another day.

Let me give an hypothetical example for their logic

Let's say among the Gurren Laggan and One Piece fanbase, there's a vocal minority of fanatics think that characters like Kamina and Portgas D. Ace and characters like them could only end in death to drive the characters and story forward and nobody was allowed to actively disagree with that, until Trigger recycled Kamina and Yoko as Galos and Aina respectively in Promare(though I think they recycled Kamina for Kill La Kill as Aikuro Mikisugi)

Then it was okay for small-time creative people, fanfic writers or indie writers, to do it.

Before then, doing that was seen as “hostile” towards “creators” which they mean those who they deem worthy of the title, and they uphold as the law of epic fiction. Or at the very least, until then, it was seen as stupid and uninteresting.

That's what it seemed like to me, and I could be wrong

But it just came off as off obtuse and narrow-minded at best akin to Professor Membrane from Invader Zim, narcissistic and disingenuous at worst akin to Claude Frollo from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame combined with blind consumerist loyalty to big business whether it be western entertainment or anime studios.

Now I’ve spoken to other people and my friends and others, all who mean well, one person who’s been more patient with me than she should have, who told me I might just have to disengage from the source material since I admitted it won’t change canon RWBY and how I am unhappy with it, and friends who said I should let RWBY go because it’s causing me too much grief while another assumed I wanted no adversity and struggle and wanted it to be all fluffy because I didn’t want mentioned ships ending tragically, and I think I came off as hostile

And I feel like this is more due to my failure to articulate my points, I’m not exactly the best at doing that.

And I don’t want the rest of the RWBY Fandom, RWDE or sane neutral fans to misunderstand me, mostly due to my last reblog I got too heated and not made my point clear

I’m not saying the direction RWBY went with V3 or Pyrrha and the rest of the cast being tragic in some way or another is objectively bad, it was just not my taste

And I am not saying every normal RWBY fan/RWDE person who liked it is an elitist about it nor are all of them trying to insult me and attack me personally or say my ideas are bad but rather help you guys understand my experience with the toxic strain of the fanbase.

and I am not trying to change canon or its “trajectory” , nor am I doing this to spite Monty, especially when I never knew the guy. This is a difference in handling ideas and concepts.

I’m doing my RWBY AU, which will most likely be revamped into an original story since it takes a whole different directions with the characters and world, but it's mostly because with post V3 and now in retrospect I saw what this world, characters, ships and other ideas could have been all in a story I believe is worth telling. And I was very disappointed and frustrated that it wasn’t along with my own personal exhaustion how epic storytelling has been going in several franchises.

I mean yeah it's also due to personal tastes and preferences and subjective feelings, at least I’ve been told, but I also try to integrate that in a meaningful way.

Everyone, big business or small time creators, should be allowed to take an idea and take it in a different direction, even if it comes from a place of disagreement and/or distaste.

That's one of the many ways inspiration works. Some of Tolkien’s own ideas came from his distaste how Shakespere handled the elves and his unhappiness that there were no talking and walking trees in Shakespere’s Macbeth, and the Valar Aule and his creation of the dwarves are akin to an anti-Prometheus.

I mean, what do Anti-Rwde and other toxic fans like them of other franchises expect us to do?

“Oh Ding-Dong-Diddly-Darn and Golly Gee Wally-Wilikers guess I gotta go watch another show and hope the storytelling gods give me what I exactly want next time, sure I saw a different story worth telling, but f*ck me I guess!”

I can only imagine how many small-time aspiring writers have been intimidated into giving up due to these petty rules these fanatics enforce, invoking the works and names of their appointed idols, even when said individuals and companies didn’t even ask them to in the first place.

It basically felt like to me was this, and I could been wrong here,

"Whatever you thought this story could have been, the world, characters, what ships you wanted, how it all could have played out, its awful, worthless ,and uninteresting and there's something wrong with you for thinking and subjectively feeling that, so you gotta throw it all in the trash unless those we deem worthy of being 'creators' do it first or you bend over backwards for us, and we might let create what you want. Otherwise, you're only allowed to use inspiration from source material you 100% agree with or else your being malicious and not a true storyteller.”

And then they used what they liked, whether it be Arkos ending tragically and the dark direction post V3 or Bumbleby over Black Sun in V9, as an opportunity to aggrandize themselves, flaunt their tastes and what they also like and mock and sneer at everyone else who’s unhappy and force their preferences onto said dissidents. All for what seemed like to me for pride, moral superiority, and social currency.

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and they would turn around and lecture you for being entitled, smug, superior and smelling your own farts.

And once again, this isn’t directed at sane fans and RWDE who liked these things for honest reasons and objective analysis, you guys are fine and this is not towards you, its to help you guys understand where I'm coming from.

And from what I've heard, there's someone amongst the anti-rwde/rwby rewrite by the name of LilithFairen who used this to attack Fixing RWBY RWBY and Madoka Magica and fans of the latter.

While I don't like Gen Urobuchi's work myself and Fixing RWBY sounds too dark for me, I do not condone her behavior. Bullying behavior is not justified wether be based on objectively good storytelling or personal/subjective feelings or personal taste/distaste.

My grief is with a toxic contingent with fandom, who seem conceited, self-righteous, and self-absorbed that they think what they like, from broad things like lighthearted to grimmdark to nitty-gritty details like concepts and what direction they go, are the objective end-all-be-all law of epic fiction.

The only exception they'll make is those they admire who they see as the lawgivers who can write and repeal these "laws" and then once again appoint themselves as the police force to enforce these laws onto the peasants who they believe are obligated to be obedient to their will.

People who have less wealth power than those they claim to defend.

This certainly has happened on the opposite side of the spectrum in the past.

With the Gmod community I used to be a part of in, the toxic among the My Little Pony fandom of Gmod flaunted the success of MLP and championed themselves as the avatars of friendship and accused anyone who didn’t like the show or aspects about it, especially due to personal taste and subjective feelings as those who hated friendship. And I've heard horror stories in regards to the Steven Universe Fandom.

And for a while, individuals like these on both sides of the light and dark spectrum had managed to get away with this.

Until, there’s been a growing audience who’s been tired with Big Entertainment, and choosing between what seemed to me either pure grimmdark or pure lighthearted

People who these individuals had at best, dismissed as the minority, and perhaps we were for a while.

But from my perspective, that changes over the years, it's a natural swing of the pendulum.

Now that's not to say an objectively well written story can withstand that, that's what critics are for, and neither does it mean subjective and personal feelings and tastes/distastes should be disregarded either, but all of this is for another topic for another day.

Until recently, many creative writers and audiences were limited to companies and corporations who’s mandates in creating works was very limited, and many stories, while didn’t follow these standards, were not well planned out and executed. Sword Art Online being my personal example.

Not to mention, in the past fan fiction was also seen as a joke due to teenager fan fiction stereotypes and the likes of 50 Shades of Grey.

Thus, making any contesting ideas against the status quo seem inherently bad and keeping any dissident voices in zones of restrictive dissent.

But the world isn’t like that anymore.

With people becoming increasingly disillusioned with the likes of Hollywood, Fanfiction has been getting significant amount of attention as well there being a bold new movement of storytellers going indie, and with new effective online indie platforms from webcomics, to novels, kickstarter and indiegogo, and the likes of YouTube all of which are also getting attention, and challenging or at least contrasting certain ideas and concepts from other works in epic fiction or how they are handled, all without the Anti-RWDE’s authorization.

In other words, creative individuals no longer need to bend over backwards to publish their visual stories on effective platforms.

Which, at least what it seems to me, makes these toxic individuals realize that epic fiction and its handling of certain kinds of concepts, characters, tropes, characters, worlds, and ships, right down to their ultimate fates, do not revolve solely around their terms or at least the terms of those they worship. Which in turn makes them insecure and upset.

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So I have a message to Anti-RWDE and other zealot fans of these franchises who do this

Like it or not, and whether you agree with them or not, these dissident fans and creators are your only equal in this equation.

The fact you would resort to your little manipulative games and would even go so far as to suck up those who you deem worthy of the title “creator” and have more power and wealth than we do to enforce these stupid rules puts you all a significant step away from your peers.

Which might sound inconsequential to you now, but in the long run will hurt you all, gravely.

because one day some of these dissidents will use that they liked and what they wanted to create fantastical epics in various indie formats(novels, webcomics, YouTube web-series, etc) or AU FanFiction, or most likely both

Whether the inspiration comes from a place of agreement or dissent

And when you come along to sneer at it and accuse it being “hostile” and “leeching off” other creators because its inspiration came from a place of disagreement, especially without any analytical evidence, you’ll end up enraging the audiences of those works, who might have been dissident and disappointed fans of the works you enjoy, and are now finally getting works that resonate to their tastes both broad things like lighthearted, grimmdark, or something in the middle and nitty gritty like concepts and what directions they go.

And they’ll remember how you mocked, lectured, gaslit and policed them and told them what they wanted was “uninteresting” and inherently “malicious” towards those you deem worthy of the title “creators”, and how you went so far as to suck up to “The Man” to do so.

I’m a Catholic, I’m taught revenge is sinful, but the other reality is that some people aren't as graceful as others, and those people may decide to give you a taste of your own medicine.

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Those “creators" aren’t gonna be there to help you when that happens, I guarantee it.

Because most of them don’t care about this whole ordeal, and might even be completely unaware of it, nor do they know who you are.

So maybe instead of jumping to broad accusations, bad faith, and intentionally misinterpreting what people are saying and their thoughts and subjective feelings, and assume this creative disagreement is inherently hostile, smug, and malicious, all without any evidence, you ask constructive questions or just disagree honestly instead.

Because of your only intention is to suppress alternative ideas, preferences, thoughts, and feelings along with lecturing everyone and silence a discussion of such things because they come from a place of disagreement and displeasure, especially when you say “It’s not gonna change canon”, then you should be the first person to walk away from the debate.

Because let’s say what we had in mind is just pandering, and nobody in would find it interesting, along with considering the fact whatever we do “wont change canon” of the stories you enjoy

With all things considered, then I dare ask, what are you doing in our conversations?

Why are you getting mad and jumping into our discussions?

Why are you trying to control what we create and enjoy, especially because we disagreed how something was handled?

Either we make a reimagined AU fanfic, or recycle what we liked and wanted for our original works.

Either way, as you said it yourself, it won’t change canon, people don’t find it interesting, and it’s only pandering to people who you seem to not like, so why are you inserting yourself into our discussions in the first place?

If we are making it your problem, how are we? Because we created something in disagreement how certain ideas and concepts were handled and we put it out there and it’s getting attention? Is someone making you consume our stuff?

Because from where I'm standing, you guys are the ones going out of your way to make it your problem, which in turn you use to justify in your mind what you do to other people.

Because you want to control and suppress what us poor people create and enjoy as well as control and suppress what we think and subjectively feel. Which is at best, very weird.

We're trying to do our own thing, and you're trying to control other people.

If you truly believe what you like is the end-all-be-all and transcends all of this and you yourself are superior for liking these things, then do yourself a favor, save yourself the time and energy, and get out of our tags, servers, and conversations.

Just move along and continue to enjoy whatever those you deem worthy to be “creators”

These types of fans of RWBY, and MCU, Star Wars, and any other franchise for that matter need to take that advice

“It’s not gonna change canon, it’s not for you, disengage from the material, and move on”

Because that advice only works, when you are fine when things are going

See the irony there?

If you’re fine the way it's going, and someone is actively disagreeing with it, especially through creative works…

“It’s not gonna change canon, it’s not for you, disengage from the material, and move on”

Just do not insert yourself into this.

Just mind your own business, and just gossip about it in your own groups, tags, and forums.

Be that indifferent, loyal, and culturally and morally superior overman/overwoman that you just love to position yourself as in these discussions and leave us alone.

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magicalgirlagency · 1 year ago

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*Note: there may be bad English due to the writer horrible language skills. You have been warned

Wondaria is such a wonderful place...

F*ck Earth, can I somehow move into Wondaria? I'll gladly sold all my belongings to do that. Heck, I'll even sold my blood and kidney so I can get there.

Wishful thoughts aside, you are a very cultured human from what I've seen on this blog. Good anime taste, nice analyzing abilities - I've never realized how f*cking ableist YuYuYu is, how absolutely and disgustingly misogynistic Symphogear and Nanoha are with it sexulisation of freaking children, how Kill La Kill is just a horrible show that sexualize minors yet somehow got such a huge Fanbase behind it, etc... MGA, you've no idea how happy I was to found your blog. There aren't any other tumblr blog that have a similar, i dunno, Vibe/energy to yours. Hell, there aren't much stories I've found that have a similar CONCEPT to Wondaria.

This is like, the most EPIC fix-it au that might have ever existed IMO. Seriously, because you save the YuYuYu girls, you saved Minowa Gin -my sweet child - and reunite her with her friends (why Tougou-san and not Sumi Washio though...). Then you save the gems from having to continue to live under the rules of the Space Crystal Nazis Diamonds. And then you saved Izuku and his classmates from the apocalyptic hellhole that his home has become. Mate, are you an Angel for these unfortunate characters!? Because god damn you're like their greatest saviour.

Honestly, I really hope that someone, anyone, would be inspired by Wondaria and then went out to create their own Solarpunk Eutopia where they also save characters who suffered in stories. For some f*cking reasons, this is the only instance I've known about an Eutopian world for fictional characters. Shouldn't there be more of these world? Considering how much sh*tty, grimdark, edgy and "mature" shows have popped up nowadays. I'd love to write a fix-it au as well, but I highly doubt that it would be readable at all (I'm just horrible at writing and characters making).

...Have you ever thought of making a book series based on Wondaria? Just wanna ask, I'm rather curious.

Oh, please! It ain't THAT great, you're exaggerating! I only did what any disenchanted but passionate fan would do in such scenarios!

I don't think of myself as an "angel" nor a "savior", because 90% of the characters that I rescue are more than capable to fend for themselves; what they really need is support. They need something or someone to help them to provide them clarity so they can map out their futures with little-to-no trouble.

I am a firm believer that there are no bad ideas, only bad executions. All of these series, their characters, the lore and the worlds that they live in, are absolutely brimming with gigantic amounts of potential...

...but unfortunately, it's all thrown in the trash because of incompetent writers and showrunners, who have 0% of passion and care, falling into outdated clichés and are only concerned about gaining profit. I'm even not mad, just disappointed.

As for the book thing, I really don't have the intention of expanding this story outside Tumblr, because of copyright issues and Cringe Culture bullies. Wondaria was born as a self-indulgent coping method for me to practice my writing and vent my frustrations towards mediocre and horrible series.

However, I am planning on making another MG series that doesn't depend on a pre-existing series for its survival, but still serves its purpose of a whimsical female-driven power fantasy in the future...

But anyways, many many thanks again for the compliments!

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goldenzingy46butwriteblr · 4 years ago

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I'm going on a long plane ride soon, and I really need long Tomarry fics (that are completed preferably.) I like time travel stories, serial killers, basically anything that I can totally escape into please please please please :D

Fuck yeah, I’ve got you.

Sky Full Of Glass by SofiaBane

The Horcruxes have become unstuck in time, and it’s the responsibility of the Master of Death to figure out why. And since Voldemort needs to be punished for transgressing into the realm of Death anyway, he might as well come along.

A quite delightful take on the Master of Death Harry, who has complete dominion over space and time, too. 20k.

Nose to the Wind by Batsutousai

While Harry had been content with his second chance, that didn't keep him from thinking what he could have done different, how many people could have survived if he hadn't been set on the very specific path he'd walked. Third time is the charm, though, right?

Now, I have no doubt that you already know this one, but how could I leave it off a rec list? The prequel is also fantastic. 211k.

The Ouroboros by WyrmLivvy

Once upon a time, a woman wished to have a child with the man she loved, that would have his porcelain skin as white as snow, his rosy cheeks red as blood, and his dark hair black as ebony. …

The child was not born with red cheeks but red eyes.

(Tomarry vampire/fairy tale/Snow White AU)

Now, this is not quite time travel or serial killers, but it’s absolutely fantastic all the same, and absolutely worth the read. Fantasy, dark-ish, and a happy ending. 20k.

The Eyes in the Bramblebush by relic_crown

For a long time, Tom was just another violinist, perfect and beautiful and boring. Then Harry truly saw him, and knew he was anything but boring - he was the edge of a pocketknife, the red of nightshade berries, a lie in a crisp black coat.

Harry had never fallen in love so quickly.

Once again, technically neither time travel nor serial killers, but it is most certainly something to sink your teeth into. 12k.

Darling, do you remember what you did? by Baryshnikov

Tom had been waiting to do this.

Waiting for a very, very long time.

Oh, this is gloriously dark, with knifeplay and power games galore. 13k, technically a WIP, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t read it.

Mania by Angel_Of_Mysteries

Harry and Tom have been together for two years, and Harry’s finally ready to take their relationship to the next level. Little does he know, so is Tom.

I can’t say much on this without spoiling it, but it’s wonderfully painful. 9k.

No Body, No Crime by duplicity

Harry works as a car mechanic in a small town. He and Ginny are best friends, their close bond the product of a traumatic event that scarred them both as children.

Now that they are adults with separate lives, it seems inevitable that they will drift apart. That is, until Ginny confides in Harry that she thinks her husband—the charming, enigmatic Tom Riddle—is cheating on her.

A day later, Ginny goes missing. Harry is convinced that Tom is behind her disappearance, and becomes determined to exact justice by any means necessary.

This one was so goddamn painful, but so brilliant. 20k.

God of Nothing by machiavelli

The other orphans avoid Tom Riddle like the plague. He lounges on his broken throne, watches the whispers fade around him with sharp, dark eyes. Nobody can quite work out why he seems so fascinated with the new boy, who walks in smelling of smoke and hasn't said a word in three days.

I remember following this one as each of the chapters came out, and by the gods it was glorious. In a much darker universe, half tinged with madness, Harry and Tom meet, and it’s perfect. 83k.

dust in your pocket by relic_crown

Two hundred years ago, the world died.

All that remains is a technicolor wasteland, swirling with ash and populated by radiation-warped humans. Tom, immortal and bloodthirsty, crowns herself queen of this ruined world and wanders it namelessly, building and burning empires at will.

Then there's Harry: eyes like chips of sea glass, hopeful in the face of the apocalypse -- and by far the most dangerous person Tom's ever met.

Holy shit. An almost steampunk AU, femslash, and completely incredible in every single way. 24k.

Dreams and Darkness Collide by Epic Solemnity (Dark_Cyan_Star)

Though he was raised without the expectation of saving the world, Harry still possesses a savior complex. Only, it's so dark and twistedly immoral, he created an alter ego to practice vigilantism. His second identity makes a name for himself and immediately ensnares Minister Riddle's complete and obsessive attention. A game of cat and mouse begins and morals are questioned.

One of my favourites, although I’m pretty sure it’s been abandoned. Vigilante!Serial killer!Harry and Minister!Riddle, who still runs the Death Eaters, and makes for one dangerous, tantalising romance. 209k.

Footsteps On Empty Floorboards by AgonisedDaily

After a recent screw-up on the job whilst hunting a serial killer, Harry needs a break from being an Auror. His new Victorian house promises just that, but living with the restless spirit of a former Dark Lord isn't quite part of the peace and quiet he was hoping for.

Okay, okay, okay, I know you said completed works only, but I’m incapable of leaving this beauty off my rec list. Maybe I’m just a sucker for darker things, but I think this is beautiful. 125k.

Break and Burn and End by duplicity

Harry Potter has died over and over again: in a cradle, in a graveyard, in a courtyard. If Harry Potter has ever lived, if he was the accumulation of years filled with burdens and grief, he has long since warped into someone else.

So let Harry Potter die, let his legacy run like ink through the pages of history until it dries for evermore. The world is better off without Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort both, so Harry will kill the one of them that he can and hope it will be enough.

OR: Past and present, Harry and Voldemort are connected. A tale of two immortals and the question of what it means to have an adversary when forever is in the cards.

Immortals AU of letting go and healing. I love it. 17k.

I hope this is enough, and, as always, I had fun making it! I will do the customary my fics are great please read them at the end, but considering most of them are WIPs or oneshots, I won’t include them as serious fic recs. You’ve been spared.

#fic recs #tomarry #harry potter #fic rec list

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brick-a-doodle-do · 2 years ago

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Ayooo, wilbur choco late~ au!

Saw in the tiny workers au the idea of eating tinies with food! Does Wilbur eventually try it out or is it too ptsd inducing with the bad memories?

Alsoooooo, does he ever start getting along with Sbi?

I feel like Tommy would spoil Wilbur, since borrowing sounds like surviving and not thriving, and love to hear your ideas of whatever Tiny furniture he would have to like commission or make himself😁

However im sure Wilbur would start to both feel very touched and also guilty, since he can't buy stuff for himself🥺 maaybbee he starts streaming to try and cover his own expenses? Or any other possible job for a tiny🤔

Im trying to get my thinking brain started, ideas are haaaarrrdd, and i don't even write anything 😂 kudos to you and other writers everywhere, i think i started a story in 2015 and never looked at it again. You guys are epic🙌

beloved !!!!!!1!!!!1!1

oh gosh yes i absolutely love that idea for tiny workers >:D

but jeeeez for wilbur chocolate?? wilbur definitely stays away from food for as long as he can, and he dreads conversations about eating. tommy still forces wilbur to eat, because this man has been living off of chocolate for god knows how long, he needs something else. wilbur gets off fine hydrating because he really missed that, but food he struggles with, because when he chews on something that doesn't have the consistency and subtle taste of cocoa beans, it's hard to convince himself it's not just a fantasy.

tommy also avoids eating around wilbur. he takes meals to his room or wherever he knows wil wouldn't often go and makes it obvious he's about to start eating if he doesn't directly warn wilbur.

wow i totally did not answer the question there lmfao

the answer is no, wilbur would not try it. tommy would also never put wilbur in a situation even if wilbur insisted that he was ready,,,

mm things with emduo are a little bit slow, mainly because wilbur is hesitant to approach them. techno's definitely the most standoffish and doesn't want anything to do with wilbur, while phil just occasionally side-eyes wilbur at times.

phil, after realizing on his own that tommy probably won't be letting wil go any time soon, tries his hardest to overcome his prejudice against wilbur. he forces himself to find a time where wilbur is alone to try and talk to wilbur. i'm probably gonna write this so i'll keep some stuff private :)

aand for techno they don't ever really interact with each other, but in the rare occasion that they do, they click even faster than wilbur did with tommy--it's like instantly. (twinsduo my lovely beloved duo <3)

oh yes tommy would absolutely do that, especially after what wil's been through. wilbur is very hesitant with dark spaces so tommy buys a nightlight for his room and wilbur sleeps near there, and tommy spends hours looking for tiny furniture before he just ends up going to a craft store to find miniatures

and yes wilbur would feel absolutely terrible because tommy does this with his own money and never asks his family for help with it (tommy doubts they'd ever do that) so he does eventually ask tommy to like...take it down a notch

ohhhhh that streaming idea is adorableee but for this au tiny technology is more expensive than human technology, so before wilbur can even consider doing that he'd need a normal job first. which honestly is an unreasonably hard thing to find because c'mon who's going to employ a tiny if not another tiny who can't start a business if they have no money and they won't get money without finding a job but jobs won't hire tinies so they need to get hired by a tiny but there are no businesses by tinies because the cycle keeps on repeating and repeating (pff idk why i typed that there's water coursing through my veins for the first time in days so i'm hyper on water rn)

and plus wilbur is very unsure about the humans he lets employ him. some of them give off "sketchy vibes" and some of them just look off. but eventually wilbur does find a job (don't make me say bc i cannot think rn just shhhhh it'll come to me someday)

oh i totally get that

fic ideas come to me like that but worldbuilding stuff is hardd sometimes

no judgement, i've given up on so many fics. but i also have reopened a lot of those! it's never too late to start :D

and don't even worry whenever you do send in an ask you give the most godly, perfect ideas so it's definitely worth the wait C:<

#brickquiries #graci brickling #wilbur chocolate au #tw mention of food play #like vore food play not sex food play cause nuhuh that's very bad #cw vore implication/mention #(edit) i just realized i tagged this tiny workers;;;;;;; my bad :'D

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ashenpages · 4 years ago

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Current Projects & Emoji Voting Key

Quick disclaimer: I’m a romance writer in all aspects of the term, so most of my works will contain mature content. Engage at your own risk, you know the rules, you’re responsible for curating your own experience of the internet, blah blah blah.

This post serves as a current mock up of fic ideas I’m either actively working on or considering working on next. You can drop me an ask about any of them, or just vote via the emoji combo I’ve assigned them.

Voting lets me know you’re excited about an idea and makes it more likely I’ll actually work on it. You can vote anytime, there’re no deadlines or winner announcements, just me gauging your interest by what I see in my ask box most often.

You can also ask me about the original stuff I’m working on currently. The current WIPs are Medusa centric and the emoji for them is: 🐍

Support my original work on Ko-fi and Patreon.

- Lupin: 🤑🤠💍 These are all oneshot ideas, between 5-15K each. If you want to vote for a specific idea, send me the emojis and the number of the idea.

Born from the idea that Goemon and Zenigata probably couldn’t be an item, my brain decided to come up with how I could write for them. Goemon’s teaching an ikebana class as part of his training, and Zenigata shows up as a student on forced recreational leave for his health from the ICPO. Zenigata wins the samurai’s heart through flowers. But what happens when Lupin and Jigen find out? (Only good sexy things, I promise. These beans are in a healthy polycule--be gay, do crimes) (WIP)

Jigen/Lupin, but it's Jigen deciding to seduce Lupin while wearing his own Lupin disguise. The thief is waaaaay too into it, and some artistry is taken with the sex so that they don't mess up the disguise too much during their encoutner.

Jigen/Zenigata/Lupin where Jigen has some fantasices about Zenigata, but is pretty sure they'll never happen. Tells Lupin about them. Suddenly the fantasies are coming true, in the middle of a heist, and Jigen doesn't what to do except get swept up in the moment and enjoy. Plot twist, it's Lupin dressed up as Zenigata granting all his gunman's dreams. Plot twist again, Zenigata catches them at it.

Zenigata/Lupin, where Lupin keeps doing good things in illegal ways and Pops has to find a way to punish him for it. Good thing for Pops Lupin's a masochist?

Trans!Lupin and Trans!Jigen premise: Jigen cares for Lupin after the master thief has top surgery, since Jigen has Been There and Done That. Caring, sweet, and a little sexy. Lupin is a much better patient than Jigen.

The one time Zenigata caught Lupin in an alley and kissed him and it was Jigen in disguise. Things get sexy anyway, and Zenigata has crushes on two thieves now. Lupin and Jigen "kidnap" him later for an evening of taking care of their inspector.

The background plot of Jigen's Gravestone where we see Jigen think he's done for and try to leave Lupin. Our thief has none of it, and we get to relish in the inherent eroticism of Lupin sitting in sniper fire, knowing Jigen's got his back. This is the moment I think Jigen finally believes he can be with Lupin forever.

I love the idea of something longer and more plot driven like a Lupin special where Lupin ends up in hot water and Jigen and Fujiko have to work together to save him. Jigen and Fujiko have such an interesting relationship. They're both partners of Lupin, they don't really like each other, they constantly screw the other over, but when it really matters they take care of each other. I'd like to see that highlighted a little more and also give them space to call each other out and bicker. Nothing sexy between them, but maybe a really interesting threesome with Lupin and Fujiko in a strap on once they save their boy.

- Sonic Vampire Novelist Coffee Shop AU: 📚☕💐

Shadow is an immortal vampire who has seen the world change for the worse too many times. These days it feels like he only lives for his coffee dates with Rouge, another immortal who loves each new era they encounter, warts and all. He has to admit that the book series she got him into speaks to him, at least. If someone in this era can understand him without meeting him, it can’t all be bad. But he hardly expected the goofy blue barista at the new coffee place to understand him the way those books do.

This is a novel length romcom romp with some big feelings about what it means to watch as things change, grow, and die. Expect lots of Big gothic feelings from this one, emotionally charged kissing, and overly-adoring sex. But also expect shenanigans from everyone in the coffee shop, which include Rouge, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, and more.

- Sonic Blazamy, "Like the Sun": 💖🌸💎

Amy Rose has been in love with Sonic for a while.

Or has she?

When the Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Silver are trapped as the fuel sources for Doctor Eggman’s newest evil scheme, Amy teams up with Blaze, Rouge, and Cream to save them. With Sonic out of the picture and Amy fulfilling his role, was she ever really in love with him? Or did she just want to be like him?

This is a novel length epic romance with lots of competent women and lots of romantic Blazamy content. Expect flowery hopes and dreams, badass self-actualization, and glancing hand touches that give way to cuddly and sweet sex.

- Persona 5: 🗡🍛☕

After bringing down the Metaverse twice, Ryuji didn’t think graduating high school and figuring out what to do with his life would be so hard. Akira’s back in town, and the gang’s more-or-less all in Tokyo, but everyone else seems to have a plan while Ryuji just floats. How’s he supposed to change the world when he’s not a phantom thief anymore?

This is a novel length fic that addresses how powerless one can feel being just one person in the face of all the corrupted systems and bigotry the world has to offer. It’s about holding on to what you believe in, working through the doubt, and fighting your way to a better tomorrow with the power you do have. The whole gang is queer, featured relationships being Mako x Ann, Ryuji x Akira, Futaba & Yusuke as platonic life partners. Akira is polyamorous and omnisexual, Futaba’s asexual and aromantic while Yusuke is demisexual and very romantic, Makoto’s a lesbian, Ann and Ryuji are bi, and Haru’s pansexual, demisexual, and aromantic. They’re one giant band of queer Phantom Thieves, and even if they’re not really doing the Metaverse thing anymore, they’re still gonna save the world!

Also, I’m gonna make Makoto not a cop. That super didn’t age well. Zenkichi and his boss can work on making them better/abolishing them for other better organizations.

- Hades Game: ❤️‍🔥💀

Oneshot. I just really need to elaborate on the threesome you can have with them in-game, okay? Healthy and canon poly relationships are so few and far between, so often I have to do a ton of groundwork to explain why it’s working in the fic, but NOT WITH THESE KIDS!

Get ready for Meg helping Zag and Than be better at expressing their feelings, lots of kissing, and probably pegging.

- Castlevania Animation Trevor/Sypha/Alucard: 🧛🏰🛌

Castlevania gave Alucard a threesome last season, and I just really need S4 to give me him being taken care of by his partners. They’re probably not going to give it to me, so I’ll need to do it myself. This is just an everybody loves Alucard oneshot, with the gang’s signature banter (to an extent), Sypha being sexy, and Trever being remarkably sincere. This fic is gonna feel like that Ann Hathaway picture with Trevor kissing Alucard and Sypha holding the end of Trevor’s whip while she leans her head on Alucard’s shoulder adoringly.

- Devil May Cry Nico/Lady/Trish: 💋✨😈

Nico’s gay, okay? Like really, really gay. And Lady’s bi and not into men who make her pay bills, but very into women who make amazing guns for her and demonesses with hearts who fight by her side. Trish is ace, but loves people and is pretty attached to Lady at this point. Plus it’s cute when Lady blushes and says nice things like they’re insults. I don’t have super solid ideas for them yet, and I envision these more like a polycule where Lady’s with Nico and with Trish but they’re not with each other more than seeing it as a threesome, but who knows what might happen. This is probably 1-2 oneshots depending on ideas, but might turn into a series of oneshots if people are interested (or I can’t control myself and inspiration strikes).

- Post FMA:B Blind Roy & No Alchemy Ed: 👀👑🙏

This is actually an old novel-length fic I wrote ages ago and didn’t post that didn’t turn out well because I was new to writing sex when I first wrote it. The plot is good, and is all about Roy learning to work with his blindness to reclaim his ambition of being Fuhrer and changing the system to something that actually cares for its people. He and Ed reconnect, fall into bed, and both set about working through their respective traumas about being “useless” having lost their sight/alchemy. They go to Xing as an ambassadorial party to offer Amestris’s collaboration on Al and May’s Alkahestry experiments--and uncover a plot that might threaten both kingdoms.

- Age of Calamity continuity Mipha x Revali: 🦚🐟💘

The first time Revali noticed Mipha, it was in the heat of battle. She stole his mark, taking them down with a flurry of quick blows from her spear. Violence rained from her like water--and then she healed him on her way to her next battle. No questions, no conditions, just pure kindness. The usual need to measure himself against those around him was quiet in her wake. And Revali couldn’t understand it. But how to get to know more about her? A fish and bird may fall in love, but where would they live?

This fic could be a oneshot or novel length depending on how far down the hole I fall. I need it to cover time, but it could be done in linked vignettes or with actually covering events in detail. I may elect to do a oneshot just to get it done and out of my system faster. So much fic to write, so little time.

Expect trans!Revali, polyamorous Zoras, scary competent Mipha, songbird Revali, love confessions that are made up entirely of berating Link for not loving Mipha the way she wants him to, and breaking these characters a little outside of their assigned roles in BotW and Age of Calamity. Background Link x Zelda, and Urbosa x Zelda’s Mom.

- Epic desert romance about Urbosa and Zelda’s mom: 🏜🏝⚡

I just think Urbosa should kiss women and Zelda’s mom should get more development and maybe a name or something. Also, lightning imagery/metaphors/play.

It also went way over my head that Riju wasn’t Urbosa’s daughter the first time I played BotW, so now I want to write about the Gerudo queen who refused to produce an heir. The Gerudo are fascinating and have a very interesting cutlure, but I think it could be examined from a nonbinary perspective that rejected pregnancy and wanting to find a husband. Not in like a hateful way, but in a way that examines if that’s really right for everyone. There’s that shop in town that sells Voe armor, after all. Maybe finding a husband and having children isn’t something you have to do if you don’t want to. And Urbosa really doesn’t want to.

#age of calamity #Devil May Cry #RoyEd #Castlevania #Breath of the Wild #Hades Game #Sonic the Hedgehog #Lupin III #Persona 5

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maxmagi · 4 years ago

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A List of My OTPs

because it's 11 and I can't sleep.

Enjolras x Grantaire a.k.a. Enjoltaire a.k.a. ExR- Les Mis

How I fell into this I don't remember now. I vaguely remember reading a crackfic of this and then everything just went sideways.

This was also the fandom that helped me realize that I wasn't exactly straight and that it's okay to not be loud about my sexuality, that I can just be.

I think that explains my attachment to this ship, not to mention just the movie's Grantaire (played by George Blagden) also shipped the characters and played his character like how he thought it should be, Grantaire loving and pining after Enjolras without the revolutionary knowing it.

Except in the fan fics, Enjolras returns his feelings and they work it out, even though it's not easy because they're both stubborn as mules. Ah, ultimate fantasy I guess. And the number of great fics here, *whistle*

Also, the Les Amis? Is amazing? Especially in the modern AUs? Like they're great friends? I love this fandom so much! Permets-tu!

Shen Wei x Zhao Yunlan - Guardian / Zhen Hun

C'mon, Zhu Yilong & Bai Yu's performance and emotions? Plus just the fact the fanfic writers of this ship are absolutely amazing? Please, escape from this pairing is impossible!

Best opposites attract trope for me. An academic by day, superhero by night in love with a roguish police chief who has no powers but whose charisma, wit, and heart can get him to toe to toe with the legends.

Also, Professor Shen Wei constantly acting like an innocent civilian and lying badly? Gold!

Loki x Tony Stark a.k.a. FrostIron - Avengers

How did I honestly get to this ship? I really can't remember what started it all. I think it must have been a Loki redemption fic where Tony Stark and Pepper broke up and something something happened. Let me tell you, the writers of this ship have written sagas and ballads of epic and sometimes confusing proportions, and that is why I fell deeper into the pit. I mean, they gotta give justice to two brilliant but chaotic characters, right? Angst. This ship has sooooooooo much angst.

Eiji x Ash - Banana Fish

My god, if you want to keep your heart intact and not be reminded of all that's ugly in the world, DON'T WATCH OR READ BANANA FISH. YOUR HEART WILL NEVER HEAL!

If you're gonna watch/read it anyway, make sure to watch something fluffy and sweet after. There's a reason that people from this fandom go, "If you've seen Banana Fish's ending, then you can handle whatever angsty show you're watching now." ~ or something to that effect. Another thing we like to say in this fandom is, "Other fandoms: Let's write a Mafia AU! Banana Fish fandom: We are the Mafia AU." Yes, all of us in this fandom is dramatic af.

Yuuri x Viktor - Yuuri!!! on Ice

Uh, does this really need an explanation? Aside from the fact that you will surprisingly find a lot of Mafia AUs here because we all know that hiding behind that beautiful face of Viktor Nikiforov is a devil capable of... tearing down your self-confidence, like WTF Viktor, don't make Yuuri cry! Also, their dance together at the end, such beautiful love.

Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood aka Malec - Shadowhunters

I never read the books and have no plans to in the near future. I just saw a video on Youtube about why Malec is life and now here I am, still reading some Malec fics from time to time.

Some stuff on the show were WTF but overall they were a really good couple who supported each other. Plus, they're a Power Couple.

Erwin x Levi aka Eruri - Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Not to be confused with Ereri, which is Eren x Levi, which I don't generally ship except for that one time when a writer wrote an epic fanfic series with Eren in his mid 20s and Levi in his late 20s/early 30s, reincarnation AU. Boy was that one a surprise. I did not expect that.

Anyway, I'm an Eruri fan through and through. Especially with that promise that Levi made to Erwin. And the reason he gave the serum to Armin. HE DIDN'T DO IT FOR THE KIDS YKNOW. HE DID IT FOR ERWIN. Plus, Levi, Erwin, and Hange are my special trio. Erwin's batch was really amazing.

Also, I really like the fact that the shorter and slighter person is the more badass fighter while the taller, bigger one is the more calculating and strategic one. Rocks the boat of stereotypes and all that. Bonus: how these two met. My god, what a meet-cute! 😂

Dani x Jamie aka The Au Pair and the Gardener - The Haunting of Bly Manor

It really is more of a love story than a ghost story. I dunno how to feel about this. I loved these two characters so much and I wished they had a better ending but I wasn't SO surprised because it was a horror series (Like, I was still hoping at the end that they'd be together forever but yknow...). In any case, Jamie was just awesome. And her nickname for Dani? Poppins?! God, what a lover and fighter. She was not afraid to cock a gun in a ghost's face.

... and now for my flexible BROTPs

Merlin x Arthur aka Merthur - BBC Merlin

Yeah, my brain is so chaotic multiple OTPs and BROTPs of the same pairing exist at the same time without clashing with one another or having major identity crises.

I actually really like BROTP Merlin and Arthur and also like reading OTP Merthur.

And when Merlin is paired with Morgana or Freya or sometimes even Gwaine, that's fine with me too. As long as his bromance with Arthur stays intact, because that's what drew me to the show in the first place. Personal preference. I see them as platonic soulmates.

*Shout-out to the Merthur writers though, you kept me sane during my "Post-Merlin Depression," which is actually a term thrown around in the fandom because of that horrid final season (not saying it's a good term but it's what it was called). A lot of amazing fics here, too, both Magic Reveal and Modern AU ones. Full of action and adventure too! I mean, there are boy-band-looking Knights and magic-wielding badasses!

Tim Drake x Conner Kent/Kon-El aka Red Robin x Super Boy - DC Comics

More like flexible otp. I dig Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake BUT I really really also dig Tim Drake and Conner Kent. When they're TimKon, it's like an entirely different entity from TimSteph. Ugh, hard to explain.

I mean, Kon telling Tim, "You'll always be my Robin" and Tim telling Kon, "And you'll always be my clone boy" is the shit. Also when Kon could pick out/recognize Tim's heartbeat. And when Tim nearly went mad scientist trying to bring his bestie back. Like, dudes, wtf. And at the same time, hell yeah.

Liu Kang x Kung Lao aka LiuLao - Mortal Kombat

- I see these two as more like ride or die best friends connected by fate/platonic soulmates. But also like their dynamic is so awesome, cute, sweet, badass, can't-live-without-you vibes.

Basically the same way I feel about Merthur. I like reading both romantic and platonic relationships between these two characters. Like, the LiuLao fan creators peeling off the layers of this relationship and exposing every raw nerve is beautiful.

They love diving into the characters' psyche, emotions, motivations, fears, and doubts and you get really amazed because... Aren't they just characters from a video game, you ask? Well yeah, but MK video game has several interesting storylines and the Mortal Kombat 2021 movie was just the perfect jumpstarter to this beautiful blaze.

I mean, "We swore that if we were to die, it would be together"? Hell no, you're not dropping that on us and not expecting us to create our very own spin-offs and 12-page essays on that shit. That's what we fans do, baby. And also, really, we need a shaolin monks/white lotus spin-off/prequel. We're starving here.

As this ship is the newest one on my list, it's the one I'm looking forward to the most. Not enough fan content, I tell you. Not enough. One of these days, I just might add my own.

But right now, it's past 1 and so I shall attempt to sleep.

***No images for TimKon and LiuLao coz apparently I've gone past my 10-images allowance 😤

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ratedbangtann · 4 years ago

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“Hey, you.” ~ JJK [18+]

↳ summary - Your friends made fun of you constantly for your crush on Jungkook. Except, you didn't have a crush on Jungkook - did you?

↳ rating - explicit/18+

↳ word count - 8.6k

↳ pairing - Jungkook x reader

↳ genre - college!au, friends to lovers

↳ warnings - TW// F2L, a little humour, passionate and rushed sex, fingering, unprotected sex (pls assume birth control! But wrap it up, guys), romantic sex, steamy and heated and generally just everything you want from college boy JK, right?

↳ a.n - what’s up, beauties! I was commissioned again! I hope you love this, I thought it was cute lmao. If you would like your own commision, or would like to leave a tip, please head to: https://ko-fi.com/ratedbangtann (I just lost my job thanks to corona so it's my only income right now lol)

**************************************************

Winter Break was supposed to be a chance to relax, to kick your feet up and enjoy the holidays; Christmas, new year… But you spent the whole three weeks studying, as always.

“You need to learn how to have some fun,” Tae had remarked more times that you were willing to count as he walked past you sat at the kitchen island of your tiny shared apartment off campus. Easy for him to say; acting majors hadn’t been given much to focus on over the break, but you? Broadcast production was a tough major, filled with coursework and studying alongside practical work.

The only days off you gave yourself had been Christmas day and New Year’s Day, and then it was back to your old routine. You and Taehyung had made Christmas cute for the two of you, whilst all your other friends had gone home for the holidays. But you were paying rent on this place, and a Christmas away from home didn’t seem like a bad idea.

But the break was over, and lectures and seminars were starting up yet again.

“______, you gave yourself absolutely no break. How are you so eager to get back to class?” Taehyung groaned as you walked onto campus together.

“Just happy to have some company that isn’t you for a change,” you teased, earning a shoulder shove from him.

“Tae! _______! Wait up!” you heard a familiar voice calling from behind you, and soon after an arm was around your shoulder and another best friend at your side.

“Hey Jimin, how was your break?” you smiled up at him, seeing that gorgeous smile beam back down at you.

“Good, but I missed my girls…” Jimin pouted at you, then reached around to ruffle Taehyung’s curls. Tae just rolled his eyes and smirked. “You see Jungkook yet?” he asked.

“No, not yet. He’ll probably roll into class at the last second, as per usual. I haven’t heard from him over the break,” Tae rambled, missing Jimin’s tone entirely.

“No, I meant… he looks different… You’ll see,” Jimin smirked. You raised a quizzical eyebrow at him, but he just winked and returned his focus onto getting to class.

In the halls of your college campus, you split from the boys and waved them off at the performing arts department – Jimin was a dance major, specifically contemporary, and often had classes adjacent to Taehyung in the studios.

Your class however was held in one of the lecture theatres right at the other side of the block, so you walked through the corridors of chattering students, waving hellos to those that you knew from class or working on projects with other majors. Jin – Jimin’s frat leader – waved sweetly to you as he stood at the water fountain surrounded by girls wanting to hear everything about his ski vacation to Italy. Quite comical, really – like the alpha of a pack at the watering hole.

He may have been a ladies’ man at first glance, but he was a real sweetheart when you got him away from the herd. All those girls, and yet he was always very respectable, never hitting on them, simply enjoying the attention and remaining chivalrous. You smiled at him and waved back, a silent promise to check in with him when lunch kicked in.

Walking into your classroom, you weren’t expecting to see Jungkook ready and waiting for you in your usual spot in the fifth row – and you had been right. As if the boy could be on time, ever. All part of his charm, you suppose. So you slipped into your seat and waited for him, no doubt the last one in as the final bell rang out. You focussed on pulling out your laptop, logging into it and opening up a document to start your note taking.

Being a little early, you had time to scroll through your college emails like you obsessively did every day. You were so engrossed in your task, you hadn’t even noticed Jungkook walking into the room until he sat beside you.

“Hey, you,” he spoke softly as he sat down, pulling his headphones out of his ears. He always greeted you that way – a running joke from the start of college. He’d taken far too long to remember your name, and so when paired up with you on the first assignment, he fell short, simply addressing you as “you” whenever you would meet in the library to work. Now, it was almost a term of affection.

“Hey Kook-“ you started as you looked up, but your eyes widened, and your jaw dropped.

It had only been three weeks…where did all that hair come from? How was he now able to tie it back into an adorable little ponytail? And why did it bloody suit him so well? And… Oh my god, were those tattoos on his fingers?

This couldn’t be the same Jungkook, surely not? Last time you had seen him, his hair was getting longer sure, but not at all able to tie up. And he most certainly didn’t have hand tattoos, or any other tattoos that you were aware of. Jimin was the only person you knew with a tattoo…

And yet, as you studied the boy beside you setting up for the lesson, it was most definitely him. The same bunny-toothed smile and innocent wide eyes; the same all-black cargo pants with a chain and oversized sweater; the same dangly chain and hoops earring along his lobe and helix. Except with his hair like this and little tattoos to match, he looked – dare you say it – sexy…

“You know, with a little bit of eyeliner and a motorcycle, you may well be on your way to joining the cast of ‘Sons of Anarchy’,” you laughed. He grinned at that.

“Are you referring to the tattoos, or the epic man-bun?” He slunk back into his seat and smirked. “It’s not just my hand, you know…” He pushed his sleeve up to proudly show the multiple tattoos on his forearm; a skull hand, a floral design with lettering, some writing that your eyes followed to read ‘rather be dead than cool’. “More up here too but I’ll show you another time.”

“Where’s my sweet innocent little Kookie gone? I’m gonna have to think of a new nickname now…” you huffed, still admiring the black ink over his skin.

“You know I always wanted tattoos, well I got a bunch of money from family this Christmas, so I thought, screw it. If not now, then when?” he shrugged. Seemed like pretty sound logic to you, and you had to admit they were pretty awesome.

“Why this one?” you pointed at the flowers.

“Ah, my birth flower, tiger lilies. Korean meaning for them is ‘please love me’, so that’s-“

“Alright class, welcome back to the second semester. Hope you all enjoyed your break, but it’s back to work!” your professor started the class with a loud announcement, silencing Kook in the process. You’d have to get him to tell you about then more later.

*****

“Oh this one is just a Nirvana quote, I liked it. Song is called Stay Away. And the Ox is my birth year, the lilies my birth flower…” Jungkook was explaining his new ink to the group in the refectory hall, perched up on the table next to where you sat, where Jimin sat marvelling at the ink with his dance major best friend, Hoseok. On your table, Jin and Taehyung were catching up on the events of their winter breaks. Well… Jin was telling Taehyung all about his ski trip, of course.

You were just absentmindedly staring at Jungkook, sat on top of the table chatting away with Jimin. His hair was half up in that cute little ponytail, with dark tendrils falling into his eyes and framing his face. It suited him well, looked so soft and silky too. He looked so different and yet exactly the same. His sweetness hadn’t changed, his sense of humour hadn’t changed. And yet something felt different, and you couldn’t put your finger on it.

Next thing you knew, fingers were being snapped in front of your face and waking you from your little daydream.

“Earth to ______…” Jin called, still snapping. “Don’t you want to hear my epic tale of heroic skiing skills?” You pushed his hand out of your face and gave him your full attention.

“You know, fantasy’s not really my genre, Jin,” you remarked, earning an overly offended response.

“You should be kinder to your elders, young one. Especially when he’s the head of the best fraternity on campus and throwing the first back to school party of the semester this Friday that he can or cannot get you barred from, young lady!” he rattled off; of course he would never exclude you from a party, and he was only joking.

“Hey!” a voice boomed behind you, deep and fast approaching. And then said voice was sitting beside you and dumping his bag on the table, wrapping an arm around your shoulders in mock protection. “You could never exclude our fraternity sweetheart. She is the soul of every omega delta gamma event.”

“Precisely. Nice try, Jin,” you winked, turning to hug the new face at the table. “Hey Joon,” you greeted as he dropped his arm from your shoulders.

“Well then pay attention to me, _______! Instead of gawking at Jungkook’s new bad-boy get up. We get it, you want him. Now back to me please!” Oh god, this again.

“Will you shut up? I do not want Jungkook,” you scathed, lowering your voice to stop him from possibly overhearing from the next table. The others at the table giggled. “What?” you asked.

“Nothing, nothing…” Joon laughed. “So skiing, Jin?” You were grateful to Namjoon for taking the heat off you, now trying too hard to look like you were only paying attention to Jin.

“Yes, skiing…” Jin sat up straight and continued his story.

*****

“Pizza or fried chicken?” Taehyung asked as he scrolled through menus on his iPad, plopping down on the couch beside you in your apartment.

“Oooor, I could just cook?” you laughed.

“No, Miss Kill-joy… It’s been a long day of falling asleep in class and listening to Jin’s skiing trip stories over and over again. We’re ordering in.”

“Fine. Pizza,” you surrendered, flipping through show after show on Netflix. “We still haven’t finished season 3 of Stranger Things yet, feeling brave enough today?” you teased. Taehyung had always been a little too easy to frighten, and it was honestly a wonder he’d made it through the first two seasons without scaring himself silly.

“Oh god.. Uh, maybe? I’m getting pretty desperate to figure out what’s happening to Billy but like, do I really wanna know?” he didn’t even look up from his phone as he spoke, focussing on adding the toppings to his make-your-own pizza.

“If you get too scared, you can spend the night in my room with me, okay? Won’t let anything happen to my Tae-Tae,” you pouted dramatically, babying him with a pinch to his cheek that had him shrinking away from you and giggling like a child. “Oh, can I get a-“

“BBQ base, and a side of chicken wings. I got you,” he smirked. Damn, he knew you too well. “Put the damn show on, I’m a grown up now. Can handle it.”

“Tough words…” you laughed, flicking through the shows to land on Stranger Things, and hitting play.

It didn’t take long for Taehyung to be shrinking into a ball against the couch and hiding half his face behind a pillow. Poor thing, he was just too sensitive. But it didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying it. It just meant he’d be curled up against you snoring and clutching your arm all night.

An episode in, and food had arrived. You grabbed some plates and empty glasses and created yourself a little feast on the coffee table in front of you. You figured the next episode could wait until you’d had something to eat.

“So tell me,” Taehyung started, cheeks full of pizza like a hamster hoarding nuts, “how’s the insane crush on our own adorable little bunny holding up now that he sports a man-bun and an arm of ink?”

“You’re really still on this, aren’t you?” you avoided the question and all eye contact with Taehyung, dipping your pizza crust into some ranch dressing and quickly shovelling it in so you wouldn’t have to do much more talking. But still, he pressed on.

“Oh my god, stop trying to cover it up. We all see it. Only person who doesn’t is Jungkook, which is insane, considering…” he raised his eyebrows and picked up a chicken wing, leaning back into the couch. Despite his already full hamster cheeks, he took a bite of the spicy wing.

“Considering what?” you asked curiously through chewing. He took a moment to answer, raising his finger to keep you silent and waiting impatiently while he swallowed.

“Considering how obvious you are, always staring at him when he’s not looking, always looking around to find him, asking after him. You practically swoon when he walks in a room, you laugh at all of his terrible jokes, and don’t think we didn’t all see you drooling at lunch. It’s just ironic, that neither of you realise…” he chuckled to himself, taking another large bite of a pizza slice he picked up in his free hand, practically shovelling the food in.

“Neither of us? What do you mean?” you asked, confused. Tae froze on the spot, a string of cheese latched between his teeth and stuck to the end of the pizza he’d just bitten into. It stretched and broke off from the slice, dangling comically from his lips. But neither of you laughed.

He took his time reeling in the string of cheese, proceeding to take forever to chew his mouthful, clearly stalling for time before swallowing overdramatically.

“Just meant like… neither of you notice that you’re drooling over him, y’know? Yeah, that’s it.” He wouldn’t look you in the eye, quickly shovelling another mouthful of pizza in his mouth to avoid having to speak further on the matter.

“You know for an acting major, you’re a terrible liar…” you scoffed, folding your arms over your chest as you turned your whole body to face him on the couch. “What did you really mean?”

Tae sighed. He could never lie to you, not really. You knew him too well for that, spent too much time with him to know his tells. And truly, he was a really terrible liar when it came to his friends. He dropped the pizza back into the box and turned to you, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and swallowing the latest mouthful.

“I’m just saying, we all see the way you drool over Jungkook, but like… it’s more, isn’t it? You don’t just wanna screw his brains out, you’ve been falling for him since day one when he wondered into your lecture hall like a lost puppy. We all know It, ______… We talk about it all the time. And it’s just… it’s ironic ‘cause… well….” His eyes darted up to look at you, finding your expression to be a mix of both realisation and confusion in one.

And he’d be right. How on earth had it taken someone literally telling you that you liked Jungkook, to realise that, well… you bloody liked Jungkook! How far did this thing go? How deep did these feelings sit? Have they always been there? Did they grow over time? Is it just a crush or is it more than that?

But it made sense. You had always found him cute, sometimes attractive – hell, even sexy sometimes… But most girls did, he was Jeon Jungkook. Except that didn’t explain why you always wanted him around, why you always thought of him first when someone asked about your friends, why you were often caught out staring at him by the others. There was something more… Oh god, there were feelings involved.

You snapped back to reality, reminding yourself that somehow Taehyung wasn’t finished speaking…

“Wh-why is it ironic?” you stuttered, not even bothering to deny his claims any longer.

“Because to all of us it’s also painfully obvious how much he likes you too…” he said sheepishly, slowly so as not to shock you too much.

“N-no he doesn’t,” you protested weakly. He couldn’t, he’d never shown any signs.“Oh _______… yes, he does. I can’t understand how you both haven’t realised, it’s painfully obvious to all of us. Jimin said he’d asked about you the second he got back to the frat after vacation. He always talks about you. They ask him how his class went, and he’ll reply like ‘oh yeah it was good, _____ did this, _____ did that, _____ made me laugh so hard today’. It’s adorable but Jimin said he barely talks about anything else.

“Funny thing is, you stare at him when he’s not looking, and he stares at you when you’re not looking. We laugh about it all the time, it’s kinda funny to watch. I honestly don’t know how you can function alone together in class,” he laughs, shaking his head at the image of you both automatically turning your heads periodically.

“But... He…” you shook your head trying to think of excuses for him, but you were drawing a blank.

“I mean he actually told Hobi he liked you about a month ago when he was drunk. Hobi said he was crying into a bucket and whining about how he’d never have you and he just likes you soooo much between hurling,” Tae laughed at his own impression of Jungkook weeping. You couldn’t help yourself then.

You leaned forward and slapped his shoulder, followed by another slap and another, all cushioned by his hoodie and barely enough to hurt anyway, just to annoy.

“Ow, hey! HEY! What- What’s that for? Ow!” he cried dramatically as you knelt over him, slapping his arm out of pure frustration.

“YOU,” slap, “NEVER,” slap, “TOLD ME?!” you yelled. “You knew all this time I liked him, and you said NOTHING?!” you sat back on your heels running your hands through your hair totally exasperated.

“Well I assumed you knew that at least you had feelings for him, Jesus! It’s so obvious!”

“And when he said he liked me you didn’t think to bloody tell me?!” you scoffed, indignant.

“Well he was drunk, and he didn’t remember in the morning so…” Tae rubbed his arm dramatically.

You rested your elbows on your knees and buried your head in your hands. You had to figure out what to do with this information, if you should do anything at all. God, you’d been fawning over him since Freshman year. No wonder they’d teased you about it constantly in the last few months… You felt like a fool. You hadn’t even realised you were crying until the first silent tear rolled down your cheek.

Taehyung said nothing then, pulling you to lean on him with an arm around your shoulder. He rubbed your back and kissed your forehead like a good friend should, comforting without having to say a word.

“I feel stupid, Tae…” you whined into his shoulder.

“No, sweetie, I’m the stupid one. Should have said something sooner. I’m sorry…” he held you with both arms then, feeling a surge of guilt for keeping such information from his best friend.

In your head, you tried to think of any signs you might have missed, anything at all that proved what Tae was saying. And although they’d made fun of you for liking him all this time, you knew he would never, ever lie to you about something like this. Especially not with your tears soaking into his hoodie.

You needed to do something about this. You needed to say something to Jungkook, maybe to be a little (a lot) more obvious. Either way, now that you knew he liked you, you couldn’t simply sit on this information. Time had been wasted already…

*****

You were gonna do it. You were gonna tell him, that very morning, just after class let out for lunch. You’d pull him to the side, explain you wanted to talk to him. Go somewhere quiet. Tell him the truth.

At least, that had been your plan. But the second he walked in as the final bell rang that morning and sat beside you, you lost your nerve. Now suddenly, you had to deal with butterflies attacking your insides, and an inability to act natural around him. Awesome.

“Hey, you,” he smiled as he sat down beside you, as always. Only today you couldn’t muster a genuine smile back, just a nervous half smile. And he noticed. “Whoa, what’s up?” He put his hand on yours that rested in your lap and you flinched a little from him, like his had was made of hot coals. He held his hands up, staring at you with wide bunny eyes like you’d trodden on his tail.

“S-sorry, bit jumpy today I guess…” Smooth, _______. Real smooth. “Nightmare last night,” you lied.

“Oh, I’m sorry… need a hug?” he opened his arms to you and of course, you couldn’t say no to that. So you shuffled along the bench of the amphitheatre and slotted into his arms, curled up in a little ball and tensing up as soon as his arms wrapped around you and hugged you to his chest. You weren’t sure if he could tell you were tensed up or not, but to you it was painfully obvious.

“Alright class, we have assignment marks to discuss!” your professor started his talk, and Jungkook reluctantly let go of you, letting you straighten up and open your laptop to take down your notes. But he kept his eye on you the whole time, watching with concern at your sudden stiff manor around him. Had he done something wrong?

*****

“Taehyung it’s been three days and I don’t know how to act around him anymore! Help me. You did this. You fix this,” you paced in front of his little desk in the student union, where he spent Thursday afternoons working.

“Uh, this isn’t my fault. You could ha-“ You lost your cool, dramatically slamming your hands down on his desk and leaning down to be eye level with him. He shut up immediately.

“Fix. It,” you demanded.

“Okay, okay… Uh, there’s a party tomorrow right? Jin’s party? At the fraternity?” he scrambled for ideas.

“Oh no, tell me you’re not serious. No, this is like some cheesy Netflix teen movie or something,” you groaned, pushing off his desk and pacing yet again.

“Yeah well it’s the best I’ve got, okay? So just… I don’t know, ask him to dance, get him a drink, take him to one side, talk to him. If it goes wrong, blame it on the alcohol. Yes, it’s a cliché. But clichés are clichés for a reason,” he tried to convince you, and unfortunately, it was starting to work…

“If this backfires, I’m holding you solely responsible,” you warned, pointing your finger accusingly.

“Okay, yes, fine, whatever,” he shook you off, turning his attention back to the calendar of student activities that he’d been working on for this semester. “You should wear that black dress, the one with the mesh layer. He likes that one.” Just how much info did Taehyung have on Jungkook’s little crush on you?

“Oh for god’s sake,” you rolled your eyes and grabbed your bag, stomping back to the cafeteria to find Namjoon or Jimin; anyone but your infuriating best friend.

*****

“I’m telling you, the dress was the right choice,” Tae tried to convince you as he escorted you the few blocks to the campus where the frat house was. Your arm was linked with his as if you were a couple from the 50’s on a stroll along the beach; very typical Tae.

“And how is it you know so much about which of my dresses Jungkook likes the most?” you asked suspiciously.

“Well last time you wore this was when we all met up in summer right? And we went to that club? He couldn’t take his eyes off you. He turned to me and said, ‘she looks good tonight, right?’ I just agreed and let him carry on staring while you danced with Hobi and Yoongi.”

“Oh, is Yoongi coming tonight? I miss him!” your attention was diverted to the friend who had decided college wasn’t for him, and he was going to pursue a career in DJing instead.

“Yeah he’s bringing his decks, you know how he is.” Indeed you did; always had a decent mix for any kind of party.

Turning the corner to head down the street of sororities and fraternities, you could already hear the bass from Yoongi’s speakers blaring and lights flashing in the large bay window at the front of the house. Already in full swing, then.

Inside, the whole ground floor was littered with bodies all drinking and dancing already. Looking around, you could see a few people you knew, but none of your closer friends just yet. Only Yoongi, set up with his decks in the corner of the large living room. You dragged Tae over to him first.

“Hey _____! How’s life?” he yelled over the music, putting an arm around you for a side hug and lightly bumping fists with Tae, beer in hand.

“Good, good. Seen any of the others yet?”

“Uh, Jin was setting up a keg in the other room, with the pool table in? Namjoon was with him. No idea about the others.” He took a gulp of beer, fiddling with some buttons in front of him. “Here,” he yelled, hitting the top of a bottle of beer on the edge of his mixing desk to get the cap off, handing it to you.

“Thanks! I’m gonna go find the others, say hi.”

“Alright doll, come dance later okay? I’ll play that mix I made for your birthday,” he smiled his adorable gummy smile, patting your elbow lightly and turning back to his decks, holding his headphones to his ear as he bobbed his head to the heavy bass.

Tae stuck by Yoongi’s side, catching up on lost time with him. Tae was fond of Yoongi, looked up to him like a big brother he rarely got to see. You made your way through the hordes of students into the room you expected to find Jin, and low and behold there he was feeding Namjoon from the keg. Whilst you were glad to see them, that wasn’t who you wanted to find… You wanted to find Jungkook.

“Save some for the rest, Joon!” you laughed as he held the end of the pipe.

“_____! You made it!” he cheered, hugging you with his free arm.

“Have I ever missed one of these?” you laughed, comfortably tucked under his arm and playfully hitting his chest.

“Touché,” he grinned.

“You guys seen Kookie?” you asked, trying to seem casual. The pair just smiled to each other, thinking you weren’t in on the joke still.

“Kitchen, I think. But have a drink with us first, he’s gonna be around somewhere. Pay attention to us,” Jin whined, clearly making fun of you again. You didn’t even argue, taking a few gulps of the beer Yoongi had handed to you. You chatted to them for a while, joining in with the chants and cheers of people brave enough to do keg stands with Jin, at least until your drink was empty, and you had an excuse to leave and find Jungkook.

The kitchen had people in too, same as every other room and the room was only lit by the flashing lights of the living room. You spotted Jungkook on the other side of the room, leaning against the worktop with a beer in one hand and his phone in the other. He was alone, a perfect opportunity to get him out into the yard, or somewhere quieter at least.

He looked so good tonight… Wet look black jeans clinging to his muscular thighs, a black shirt with red dots all over tucked into them, a few buttons undone. Necklaces dangling against the exposed skin at the top of his chest, hair down and flowing freely, showing off just how long it really had become. And his sleeves were short, showing off his new ink properly for the first time… There was no denying the attraction you felt to him anymore, that was for sure.

The same butterflies you’d been feeling around him all week were rising, frantically fluttering against your stomach as heat rose to your cheeks. You hadn’t even noticed you yet, but you could feel your hands getting sweatier.

But you could do this. It was Jungkook. Even if he really didn’t feel the same way, he would never be cruel about it, never laugh at you or yell at you. You had nothing to be afraid of. It would hurt if he didn’t want you, but your friendship would survive; you knew it.

He briefly looked up from his phone, eyes finding you. Immediately, his body stood upright, sending you an awkward smile; that was your fault. You’d been acting weird all week, ever since your epiphany with Taehyung. But you smiled back, trying to look as natural as possible.

You lifted your empty beer bottle and mouthed ‘want one?’ at him, to which he nodded. You smiled and headed to the large fridge freezer, picking out two bottles for the both of you, but when you turned back, you almost dropped them both to the ground…

A girl had wondered up to Jungkook, a prettier, popular girl from one of the sororities. She’d snatched his attention away, playfully touching his hair and tracing his tattoos with her delicate fingers. She leaned into him, her lips devilishly close to his ear. She was clearly whispering something flirty to him, his eyes widening a little and his cheeks turning pink. And then she started to nibble at his earlobe…

You caught his gaze again for a second, and his eyes widened even more. Could he see the shock on your face? The tears brimming in your eyes and blurring your vision? Could he see your knuckles turning white against the necks of the bottles in your hands?

You couldn’t watch any more, putting the bottles down on the kitchen island in front of you and hastily exiting the kitchen with hot tears starting to spill. You were gonna do it, you really were. But who were you kidding? The sight of another pretty girl, a prettier girl, was all it took to divert his attention. Tae had been wrong; he must have been.

You didn’t feel much like partying anymore…

Without stopping, you walked straight to the front door and out onto the street, disappearing from the party without so much as a wave to any of the others. You hadn’t even seen Jimin or Hoseok yet, but you didn’t care. You needed to get out, to go home. To be alone and sob to your heart’s content.

The air outside was cold, biting at your skin as you stumbled the few blocks home, wiping your cheeks and trying to hold it together until you were safely in the confides of your own home. It didn’t take long, and before you knew it you were stumbling up the stairs in your ankle boots and struggling to fit the key in the door.

You shut it behind you and leaned against it, hitting your head on the wood and freely letting the tears and the sobs rattle through you. How stupid you felt, how naïve… You just got used to the idea you had feelings for him, how dare the universe now give you heartbreak just a few days later. What kind of bullshit karma crap was that?!

You let yourself sob against the door for a moment as you found some composure, enough to realise you just wanted to get into some comfy sweats and a hoodie and eat whatever crap you could find in your refrigerator. You didn’t stop the tears but took a few steps further into your apartment, when some loud knocks rang out on the door behind you.

You jumped a little, startled by the noise and furiously started wiping the tears away. Taehyung must have seen you leave, must have followed you home to comfort you knowing that it hadn’t gone well with Jungkook. He’d feel so awful, probably blame himself for getting your hopes up or something. But he’d have the warm hugs you needed right now.

But then, Taehyung lived here. Why would he be knocking?

You stepped towards the door and opened it slightly, peaking through the crack so see who had been rasping on the wood moments before.

As if the world was playing some sick joke on you, Jungkook was stood there, his face looking sad and his fingers fiddling with each other.

What you hadn’t seen, was the way he stopped that girl at the party as soon as he saw the look on your face, as soon as he saw you dump the beers and turn. He saw the look on your face, and suddenly it had all clicked into place for him. You liked him too. And his heart had dropped into his stomach. He tried to follow you, getting stuck behind a couple of the jocks from the neighbouring frat house, and tailing behind you trying to shout your name over the heavy bass of Yoongi’s mix.

The second he saw your reddened eyes he stepped forward, pushing his way into the apartment, giving the door a kick shut behind him and cupping your jaw in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe your tears away. He smiled weakly at you, already aware that it was his fault you were crying, his fault you had left.

“Hey, you,” he said softly, his tone so affectionate, so worried and full of care as he looked into your eyes. They brimmed again at his words; they just sounded so sweet coming from him, like you were the only person in the whole world he’d want to say hello to at all.

But you stood frozen, biting down on your lip to stop a sob from erupting from your throat. All you could do was look up at him, his hands holding your face up towards him as his thumbs stroked over your cheeks. His eyes were searching yours in the silence, like he was trying to find confirmation or a sign or something, but you just weren’t sure.

But before you could even try to compose yourself enough to speak, he leaned in and pressed his lips to yours so softly, so cautiously, lingering for a second and waiting for you to push him away, to slap him or scream at him for getting the wrong idea – but he hadn’t and you both knew that.

So when he parted from your lips and looked back down at you, he saw your small smile, the tears spilling yet again, the deep breaths you were taking. In such close proximity, he could practically hear your heart threatening to beat out of your chest and feel the way your cheeks had heated up under his hands.

And he couldn’t deny himself anymore.

He leaned in again, this time with more purpose, more aggression, his lips crashing with yours only this time you were ready for him, matching his desperation, his urgency. Your hands gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. You couldn’t seem to get close enough, not even when your chest pressed against his.

Finally, after months of unrecognised feelings towards him, Jungkook was here and he wanted you. You didn’t care about anything else, couldn’t focus on anything else but the way his lips felt against yours, the way his hair felt silky soft brushing up against your forehead.

His hands slid into your hair, fingertips grazing over your scalp and adding a layer of bliss to the way he kissed you. One of your hands slip up his chest and wrapped around his neck to draw him in even more. He groaned against your lips, and if the stirring in your chest was anything to go by, you knew where you wanted this to go.

You just wanted him.

Without disconnecting your kiss, you stumbled backwards, dragging him with you through the hall of your small apartment. You stumbled together, your back hitting your bedroom door as his hand flew out to turn the doorknob for you. The pair of you shuffled into your room, Jungkook kicking the door shut once again.

His hands dropped from your hair and flew to his shirt buttons, hastily undoing them one by one as you took the opportunity to separate from your kiss to undo the zip at the side of your dress and shuffle out of the mesh over-layer and the straps of the black dress underneath. You pushed it down around your waist, breasts still hidden from view by the black bra you’d worn that evening.

Jungkook flung the shirt from his body, immediately stepping towards you again to grip your bare waist in his hands and reconnect your lips fiercely. Both your arms wrapped around his neck and you pulled him towards you as you stepped further and further back, until the backs of your knees hit your bed and you tumbled backwards with him still locked on your kiss.

Everything was happening fast, everything was heated and desperate but after so long denying your feelings for him – and unbeknownst to you, him denying his feelings for you too – you felt like there was just no time to waste.

His lips found their way to your jawline, kissing and nipping at the skin from under your ear down to your chin, and continuing down your throat. He took his time, his hands working through your hair again as you moaned under his assault on your neck. It felt so good – he felt so good. You couldn’t help your hands reaching between you both to unbuckle the belt holding his jeans up, making light work of the button and zipper soon after. You could already feel the large bulge formed in the now open crotch of his jeans, and it stirred a heat between your legs that had already been steadily building.

Jungkook’s lips travelled further down, between the valley of your breasts to mouth and bite and suckle at the fullness on display above the cup of your bra. He reached underneath you to unclasp it, while you worked the straps down and threw it to one side. His mouth immediately latched onto your nipple, his hand massaging the other as he tweaked and flicked the nub over and over again.

Your moans sounded obscene, breathy and whiny under the pleasure he was giving you. You couldn’t help the way your hips rolled up to grind against the prominent bulge you’d uncovered earlier; you needed some kind of friction now that the uncomfortable sticky feeling in your panties was only worsening.

No words were exchanged at all – and certainly no time wasted on teasing you – as the hand on your breast slid between you both and pulled the remnants of the mesh dress and the tight underdress down, both of you kicking it off to let it land in a pile at the bottom of the bed. His waist slotted neatly between your thighs and his hand cupped your sex, middle finger toying with the wet lace of the underwear you had on.

“Oh, Jungkook…” you whined, breathless and lost in the bliss of both his mouth working your breasts and his hand dipping past the lace to swirl around your throbbing clit. Hearing you whine his name was something he’d admit to only dreaming about in the past, his brain daring him to think of all the things he wanted to do with you, all the ways he could make you create that exact sound for him over and over again. It was music to his ears.

It only seemed to rile him up further, fingers moving faster and expertly toying with your clit just a little more, until he slid them down to circle your entrance and slowly push two inside you. The stretch felt magnificent, and by this stage you were already turned on enough to be able to take both with no issues.

Jungkook groaned against your breast, a wave of arousal pulsing through his veins at the way you felt on his fingers, imagining with absolute clarity just how you’d feel on his cock too. He curled his fingers and hit your g-spot with each downward stroke of his hand, having you thread your hands in his hair in desperation to grip onto something, anything.

“P-please, Kookie… Need you,” you panted, begging to feel him completely, to be totally immersed in the pleasure of him and him alone. How could he deny you of that?

He sat up on his knees immediately, pushing his jeans and boxers down to his knees and swivelling his hips to sit enough to push them off along with his black Chelsea boots. You kicked your shoes off as he did, shuffling yourself out of your panties and leaving you both totally exposed to each other.

He took a moment to turn his head back to you, to look into your eyes properly and just admire how you looked right now. Your hair was messed up, matted to your forehead with sweat much like his was. You had dark rims under your eyes where your make up had pooled from your tears and streaks in your foundation to match. Your neck was red and in places, a little bruised from his own handiwork. And he had never, ever thought you looked so beautiful.

His expression twisted into a smile, his eyes squinting and his bunny teeth gleaming in the low light of the street coming in through the window. It was all you could do to smile back, resting on your hands as he slowly crept up the bed towards you, the happiness exuding from both of you, the knowing relief you shared with each other. You parted your legs for him to slot between, letting him hover over you and slowly lean in for another deep kiss.

You lay back down, Jungkook following to never once break your connection. His hands roamed from your thighs up to your waist, holding onto you as your lips moving in perfect unison, slower than before but still incredibly heated. You’d never been kissed like this, never been held like this or touched like this. He was making every single touch count.

You rolled your hips up against him again – a sure signal that you were ready, you wanted him – and felt his rigid length brush against your folds. Reaching between you both, Jungkook gripped himself at the base and slowly, began to push inside you. Your kiss separated just barely for him to groan in absolute gratification, lips just barely grazing yours. He pressed his forehead with yours and shut his eyes, revelling in the way you felt.

There was no denying his girth, and yet still there was no pain or discomfort to be felt. He eased himself in slowly, gave you a chance to adjust, and as soon as you started to kiss him once again his hips began to rock.

His hair fell into his eyes, descending past his ears and doused in a light layer of sweat from the heat inside your small bedroom. The pendants and necklaces he had worn that night dangled above you, swaying backwards and forward with each thrust he made. His freshly healed tattoos were now on full display to you, and you could help but to reach out and touch them.

Each thrust just felt like it was meant to be, like he was supposed to fill you this way, you were supposed to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw. You reached up to tuck his hair behind his ear, showing more of his face to you. In the dim streetlight, he looked so perfect, so absolutely stunning as he clearly became consumed by nothing other than you. You placed a hand flat against his chest, wrapping the other around his neck and bringing his lips closer to you so you could reach up for them again.

As your bodies writhed against each other, moan after moan escaping you both and being muffled by intermittent kisses, you knew right then that this was exactly how it should be. You loved him. And he loved you.

“K-Kookie?” you stuttered your voice a higher pitch than usual. His thrusts were become more dynamic with every passing second, and yet never speeding past a pleasurable roll of his hips. He struggled to open his eyes and tear himself about from his paradise, but he did so, looking down into your eyes.

“Y-yeah, baby?” he huffed, his breath laboured and voice stifling another groan. He pressed his forehead to yours for stability, keeping his hazy eyes on yours.

“I… I love you, Kookie…” you cried against his lips, another tear escaping down the side of you face. He smiled then; an out of breath, exhausted and relieved kind of smile as he continued to roll his hips into you, having you whimpering as your bit down on your lip.

“I love you too, ____…” he grinned, his eyes fluttering closed, “Oh, fuck, I love you so much.”

You threaded your hands in his hair again, bringing his lips up to yours and colliding them in potentially the most passionate kiss of your damn life, moans and whimpers included. His hand slid between you, fingertips concentrating on coaxing a delightful and euphoric orgasm out of you with targeted strokes to your clit.

With a new level of ungodly satisfaction, you couldn’t control your lips anymore and broke the kiss, just holding him close to you with parted lips and moaning wantonly as your eyes rolled back. You’d never felt an orgasm approach so fast in all your life, never felt it hit you the way this did.

Your legs spasmed and shook in his grasp, hands tightening in his hair. Your moans caught in your throat, unable to move while every muscle contracted. You couldn’t be sure of it in the moment, but Jungkook sure noticed the way you clenched and gushed around him as you came. And with each contraction dragging against his length inside you and you finally delivering a loud and high pitched moan, you brought him to his edge too.

His hips slowed and stuttered as hot spurts of cum painted your walls, more than he ever had before. He tried to keep rolling his hips, to get every last bit of pleasure he could before exhaustion took over and he collapsed next to you, head buried in the crook of your neck and chest half laying on you.

Both of you were utterly drained of energy, breaths heavy and hot against the other’s bare skin. It felt incredible. It felt perfect. It felt just as it should.

It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours that passed by, both of you simply becoming comfortable laying in a heap of sweaty nudity – you simply didn’t care. You had Jungkook now, right here with you. And he loved you.

You weren’t sure of the time, nor did you mind, but the two of you fell asleep laid together that night. Jungkook had rolled onto his back, dragging you onto his chest and pulling the messy sheet up to cover you both. With one final drawn out kiss, the pair of you lay in peaceful contentment and drifted off.

*****

Next morning, you awoke to the sun streaming directly into your eyes; you hadn’t closed the drapes last night. Your groaned and turned away from it, stretching your limbs out onto the rest of the empty bed, and- wait, empty? No, no… Had you… had you dreamt your night with Jungkook? Had he left without a word? Did he regret what had happened?

You sat upright, clutching the sheets to your chest. You were still nude, your clothes still strewn about the place; but Jungkook’s were gone.

He must have just decided to leave.

A knock on your bedroom door drew your attention away from your sadness, and a rather smug looking Taehyung wondered in before you had the chance to turn him away. He sat at the end of your bed with his arms folded and a smile you grimaced at in disgust.

“Mooooooornin’,” he teased. You wanted to kick him off the bed.

“Shut up,” you groaned.

“See? Told you he liked you! Can’t tell me that that wasn’t Jungkook I saw you naked-cuddling with when I got in last night,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Yeah, well I hope he had fun. He’s done a runner this morning,” you accused. Taehyung was about to object, when a key jingling by your front door sounded, the door opened and closed, and footsteps drew closer down the hallway. And then who should come into view, but none other than Jeon Jungkook sporting the outfit he had on last night and brandishing a brown paper bag with some rather ominous grease stains on, and two hot coffees in a holder. He must have stolen one of your hair ties, because most of his locks were back in a bun again save for the front pieces parted in the middle.

His face looked a picture; the deer in headlights cliché. His wide eyes darted between you and Tae, and all Tae did was smirk at you.

“Go away, Taehyung,” you flatlined, shooing him with a foot to his leg. He held his hands up in defeat and stood, walking past Jungkook and out into the hall.

Jungkook snapped out of his shock and confusion to put the coffees on your nightstand and the bag next to it. He sat down on the edge, turning slightly to face you.

“Hey, you,” he smiled, his eyes soft and adoring. He tucked a strand of your bed hair behind your ear, leaning forward to place a kiss to your forehead. You tucked your knees to your chest and smiled shyly.

“Thought you’d done a runner,” you joked.

“Could never do that to you. Just wanted to get you breakfast in bed; least I can do for making you think I was flirting with one of the sorority girls.”

“Oh, no it’s okay… I just…. Yeah, I don’t know,” you laughed at yourself, feeling pretty stupid for not even giving him a chance to push her away before you jumped to conclusions.

“Hey,” he said softly, shuffling closer to you. “I, uh… I haven’t even looked at another girl since I met you, _____. Never wanted to, I never noticed anyone but you…” he confessed, shyly looking down at a spec of fluff on your sheets.

“I can’t believe I had no idea… I didn’t even realise I liked you like that until Taehyung kinda let it slip…” you chuckled, fiddling with the ends of his hair dangling in his eyes.

“You’re welcome!” you heard Tae shout from the kitchen, clearly eavesdropping with your door still wide open. Jungkook stood up to shut it, just a little harder than average in response to Tae’s mischievous meddling and then came and sat back down beside you.

“Well, we have some lost time to make up for, then,” he smiled, leaning in for a gentle and purely loving kiss, lingering a few moments, just enjoying finally having each other. You pulled apart with a shy giggle. “But first, breakfast!” He leaned over to pick up the bag, unpacking the bagels and hash browns he’d picked up from the diner around the corner.

You watched him, just how cute and attentive he was being with you. He was the same Jungkook, always had been this way with you. But now, you knew why, and it all made sense. It all fit together.

“Yes, breakfast.”

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nekoabiwrites · 5 years ago

Text

While The Sides Are Away, Virgil Will Play

So... I don’t know where this came from. Somewhere deep in my soul, I think.

AU: None Pairing: None Words: 978 Warnings: Remus says the F word, sex mention. Anything else, please let me know!

Summary: The Sides go out for the day, leaving Virgil alone. They didn’t expect to come back and find him... like this.

It wasn’t often that Roman invited everyone out for a day in the Imagination, and it was even less often that almost all of them would take him up on the offer. Usually, Janus or Logan would be busy with their own work and end up staying behind along with one or two of the other sides, but this time, only Virgil remained back at the house. He’d taken the news much better than Roman had anticipated, which had left the other five sides to enjoy their day.

After completing their epic quest of (non-lethal) sword duels and puzzle dungeons, the group returned to the castle to rest. They trudged up the stairs and collapsed in the drawing room, covering almost every space available.

“I’ll open the portal in a moment.” Roman spoke through his still heaving breaths. “I just need a moment.”

“Take your time, kiddo. I think we all need to catch our breaths!” Patton said, still grinning despite his clear exhaustion.

“I just think we should go and check on Virgil, make sure he’s not curled up in a corner somewhere, thinking we all abandoned him or whatever.” Roman exaggeratedly waved his arms, his dramatics returning.

“It is highly doubtful that Virgil would think any of that, Roman.” Logan responded, “We all made it quite clear we would be returning within the day, and prior experience should reinforce such things.”

“Yeah, well… you still don’t know for sure!” Roman pouted, unable to come up with a better response. The snippy retort only garnered a raised eyebrow from the logical side, which served to rile Roman up further. Instead of starting an empty argument, the prince stood with a haughty sniff and stalked over to the cupboard that held the portal. Without a word, he opened the doors and entered.

The rest of the sides followed suit with Patton almost tripping over his own feet as he scrambled to get over to the portal. Upon reaching the other side, they all ran into Roman – who had not moved more than a step away from the exit. They were also greeted by very loud, unmistakably Virgil-like music and… singing?

Slowly and with a hand over Remus’ mouth to stop him from making any noise, the sides creeped through the hallway and over to Virgil’s room, which was – unsurprisingly – the source of the music. If they had spent more than a second thinking about it, they likely could have opened the door faster as the sound of it clicking open and moving over the carpet was eclipsed by the volume of the music. They were all somewhat in awe and surprise of what they found inside.

Virgil was clearly living his best emo fantasy. While he seemed to play the part of a retired emo kid on a day to day basis, this was entirely different. His makeup was far more pronounced and exaggerated, the dark eyeshadow had been done away with and perfectly messy eyeliner was instead surrounding his eyes. His lip was donning seemingly fake snakebite piercings that glinted in the low light, along with the dark purple stretcher sitting in his ear lobe. Either Virgil had obtained a wig, or he’d somehow lengthened his hair, but he’d been able to style it in the stereotypical fashion, complete with bringing back the purple hair dye for his fringe. The signature hoodie had been haphazardly thrown onto the couch that sat under his window, along with his normal ripped jeans and shoes. Virgil had replaced them with a slightly oversized t-shirt that seemed to have a band name scrawled across it, though it was barely decipherable to any of the sides due to the loud font choice, as well as a pair of highly distressed and graffitied jeans that hung just a little lower than necessary at his hips. Heavy-looking, buckled boots donned his feet as he seemingly performed to an invisible crowd, giving Roman a run of his money with the dramatic show he was putting on. For the added touches, Virgil wore wristband upon wrist band, up to three studded belts and fingerless gloves – some of which looked familiar as they had been passed onto Patton that one time… though Virgil refused to ever touch that subject again.

The sides stood there in awe, watching as Virgil – the most reserved of them all – perform his heart out to the music blaring from his speakers. Not one of them had anything to say… at least until the hand fell from Remus’ mouth.

“PLEASE FUCK ME!” Remus immediately yelled at the top of his lungs.

“WHAT?!” Virgil spun around, hand over his chest like he was dying. He blindly fumbled around for the remote for his speakers, turning down the volume as soon as he had it in his hands.

Remus cocked his hip, his almost hungry grin widening as he continued to stare at the anxious side, “Pierce me like one of your piercin-” Before he could finish, the remote that had been in Virgil’s hand landed squarely against Remus’ forehead with enough force to knock him unconscious immediately.

Before anyone could say anything more, Virgil stormed up to the door, his entire face red despite the white foundation he’d practically caked on. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!” He screeched before slamming the door in their faces.

Quiet followed as no one knew what to do. A loud embarrassed groan sounded from behind the door and Roman couldn’t help the snort that punched its way out of him.

“We should probably leave him for a bit. I’ll come check on him later.” Patton attempted to whisper, and they all nodded in agreement. They went their separate ways, leaving Roman to drag his dazed brother back to his room, rolling his eyes and hissing vague responses to the dark side’s mumbles of Virgil’s new-found attractiveness.

My other stuff: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/myworks Mobile Accessible Masterlist: http://nekoabi.tumblr.com/post/181954641376/fic-masterlist

General Tag List: @not-so-innocent-bi-sander @didsomeonesayprince @llamaly @justanotherpurplebutterfly @iaminmultiplefandoms @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2 @lowkeyvirgilobsessed @louisthewarlock @fangsandrainbows @xxladystarlightxx @sleepyssnail @ao-koshka @notalwaysthevillian @pumpkinminette @doces-e--tuga @coloursintheblur @safesandersides @hogwarts-my-love

#Sanders Sides #Fanfiction #Virgil Sanders #Roman Sanders #Patton Sanders #Logan Sanders #Janus Sanders #Remus Sanders #Anxiety Sanders #Creativity Sanders #Morality Sanders #Logic Sanders #Deceit Sanders #Dark Creativity Sanders #no AU

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a-blue-secret · 4 years ago

Text

CHAPTER XI

BACK TO MASTERLIST

Chapter X | Chapter XI | Chapter XII

GENRES: royal au; fantasy au; magic au; friends-to-enemies-to-lovers; king!beomgyu, vizier!taehyun

PAIRING: taegyu

WARNINGS: swearing, homophobia

WORD COUNT: 7.6k+

SUMMARY: Best friends turned enemies, Kang Taehyun has managed to trick Choi Beomgyu into his service, and to rule for a year and a day, until his youngest brother would be old enough to take the throne. Choi Beomgyu has no intention of being obedient however, and tries to thwart Taehyun’s orders at every turn. With a growing amount of distrust and lies within the court, will Taehyun manage to keep the kingdom of Gojongja from falling apart?

That night, Yeonjun closed the door to his chambers with a sigh. It was unusually quiet in his room, and the silence made him feel even more unsettled. Not even bothering to take off his boots, he trudged towards the bed and sat down, crossing his legs. He rubbed his forehead, conflicted.

Yeonjun's was loyal. That was one of his best qualities. He was loyal, and unwavering, and always stuck by his allies. It was what he was always admired for, and he prided himself on this trait. This was why Yeonjun was good. He did things without question, without complaint, and he did them well. He always did. Without fail. So why was he struggling this time?

Yeonjun squeezed his eyes tight, scrunching up the sheets into his fists. Everything was just so confusing. He took a deep breath, and tried to unclench his hands from the bedsheets. He'd start from the beginning. The beginning of this whole mess. Maybe then it'd make sense.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

On the night of the Crown Handing, Yeonjun stepped out of the carriage, looking up at the Gojongja palace. It was grand, there was no doubt about it. He gave a small grin. Big castle, lots of people. This would be easy. He made his way up the palace steps, and walked through the large double doors to the ballroom. The grin spread further across his face. This was going to be so easy.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Easy? It looked like there were some complications regarding that matter, but that wasn't going to change anything for him. Though lots of unexpected events had happened during the Crown Handing, which had momentarily thrown Yeonjun off. However, after some discussion with his superior, it was decided that things would still go ahead as planned. And so, here he was, standing in his little corner away from everyone else.

He stared at the rest of the ballroom, bored, tapping his fingers mindlessly against a marble column. It was the second month of revels (month! It had been two months !), and Yeonjun’s patience was wearing thin.He was surprised by how long coronation celebrations were lasting. Was it because there was a new clan on the throne? He didn't know, but it was becoming tiring. He'd been told to make the proposition towards the end of the celebration period, but the celebrations had been going on for days with no sign of stopping. Yeonjun swirled the wine in its glass, looking at the King's Corner which was separated from the rest of the ballroom by a thick lace veil. He sighed, putting down the glass. Whatever . He'd have to do it sooner or later, and he might as well do it now just in case revels ended abruptly. And so, he straightened his uniform, and made his way to the King's Corner.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Kang Taehyun. Yeonjun had been told to be cautious around the Kang, since he was notorious for his quick wit and shrewd observations. Yeonjun thought back to the Crown Handing. It was unusual. The youngest Kang had been named the heir, and yet somehow a whole new clan had managed to ascend to the throne. And Kang Taehyun had played a part in it. A rather large part. But, it wasn't Yeonjun's job to worry about what clan was on the throne. He had a different job.

“Why has your monarch not come to discuss this herself?” Kang Taehyun asked, and Yeonjun saw his hand coming to rest on the sword by his hip. “Why send a representative?”

Yeonjun gazed at him, eyes piercing. The vizier's face remained expressionless, and after a beat, the Aruyeonan toned down his glare. He knew his eyes were unnerving – though amber eyes were becoming increasingly common, they were still rare – but the vizier didn't seem to be unsettled by them at all. Yeonjun blinked lazily, and gave a laugh.

"Will you always let your vizier speak for you?" he asked King Beomgyu. The King gave a not-so-subtle glare to the vizier standing by his side. Yeonjun took a mental note of the hostile look. This could be interesting.

Eventually, Yeonjun managed to convince the King to agree to an alliance. Well, he'd managed to convince the King to consider, and that was as good as done in his book. Part one: complete. Next was the more difficult, more lengthy part two.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Walking out of the Discussion and Tactics room after meeting with Kang Taehyun, Yeonjun felt a sense of satisfaction settle over him. The vizier had agreed to all of Aruyeo's terms. Every single one, and hadn’t seemed dissatisfied with them at all. Queen Erajin sure had a way of manipulating her words to make it seem as if Gojongja would benefit the most. He glanced back, and saw the vizier coming out of the room, and seemed to put something into his pocket. The satisfaction faded from Yeonjun’s face. He’d forgotten about that. He’d forgotten about the thing he’d put in the room. Taehyun wouldn’t know what it was, anyway… right? He shook his head, shrugging. The device was Aruyeonan: no one in Gojongja would know what it was. Yeonjun walked away, humming.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Yeonjun laughed, looking fondly at Beomgyu. It was odd. He'd initially planned to find out information about the court, but he'd ended up befriending the King. Beomgyu was a couple of years younger than him, and was, frankly, adorable. Yeonjun watched as he pouted, trying to focus on the target. His stance looked good, but the moment he released the arrow, Yeonjun could tell it wouldn’t go anywhere near the target. He chuckled and turned to his own target, drawing and releasing his own arrow with barely a glance to where it landed. Beside him, Beomgyu clapped, and he grinned before playfully bowing.

“I did say I was a master at archery,” he said. He smiled as the young king began rambling excitedly. This was going well.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Yeonjun followed Taehyun down the hallways, trying to get the vizier’s attention.

“So… Taehyun? Kang? Grand Vizier? What do I call you?” Yeonjun watched as Taehyun, now in the Palace Library, bent down to search for a book. He internally panicked when he realised which section of the library they were in. Magical Objects. He found out?

“Okay, so Sir Taehyun…” Yeonjun trailed off, his focus becoming undone. Why was he here again? He heard Taehyun click his tongue irritatedly, standing up to look at him.

“Was there anything else you needed?” he asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

Taehyun obviously wasn’t in the mood. And Yeonjun knew that he’d be able to get nothing out of the vizier in the state he was in.

After apologising for disturbing Taehyun, Yeonjun left, telling himself he’d try again later.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Nimbly, he passed through the halls, skipping past windows before he reached a set of doors. Yeonjun pushed them open and yawned, stretching his arms wide. He grinned. He was glad that he’d managed to acquire and memorise a floorplan of the Gojongja palace before he came, because he’d ended up just where he’d wanted to go. It was morning, and very few people were out and about. Striding down the path, he whistled to himself as he walked into the forest.

“Hmm…. this should do it.”

Yeonjun walked through the forest and came upon a clearing. It was sectioned off from the rest of the forest by a ring of trees, and you wouldn’t be able to see it unless you were explicitly looking for it. Perfect. Just to make sure, Yeonjun looked around before he reached into his pocket to pick up the device. He threw it into the air, and the marble spread open to reveal a hologram of a person.

Yeonjun beamed. “Hueningkai! My little bro!”

The hologram, or Hueningkai, laughed. “Yeonjun! My big bro! How do you like this new marble?”

“It’s so epic,” Yeonjun said, smiling. “You’re a bit blurry, but it’s still so cool. You made this? By yourself?”

Hueningkai laughed again. “You sound surprised. All the marbles are things I made by myself. This one’s a prototype. I wasn’t sure it would work properly, but looks like it does.”

“How does alchemy have anything to do with this though?” Yeonjun asked curiously.

“It has everything to do with it. It’s the chemicals and magic which help make this possible. But anyway, we don’t have that much time. How are things going?”

“It’s going well. The people here are nicer than I thought. Especially Beomgyu. He’s so excitable and bubbly and naive, it’s cute. It’s funny how he can’t do standing archery but he’s amazing on horseback, and how he’s so good at fencing but trips over his own feet a lot.”

“Beomgyu?” Hueningkai’s eyes lit up. “You mean the Beomgyu who came to Aruyeo three years ago and was really nice to me?”

Yeonjun smiled. “Yes, that Beomgyu. Didn’t I tell you? He’s the king now.”

Hueningkai clapped his hands happily. “How is he like? Does he remember you? Does he remember me?”

“He doesn’t remember me, because I was away on a mission, remember? But he does remember you.” Yeonjun laughed endearingly as Hueningkai smiled widely. “Yeah, I get why you became friends with Beomgyu. He’s so much like you.”

“He is, isn’t he? But anyway, I didn’t mean Beomgyu. I meant the mission.”

“O- oh. Yeah. It’s… going. Ish. Like I said, he’s naive. Beomgyu opens up really easily. The servants here are loyal, but will relax if they think you’re just making small talk. Oh–the marble you told me to put into the Discussion and Tactics room? I think Taehyun found it.”

“Oh,” he said, frowning. “But he won’t know what it is, right?”

“I hope so,” Yeonjun sighed. “By the way, which one is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What does the marble do?”

“Oh, that one’s also a prototype. It’s an eavesdropper combined with a data collector. It’s one of the only hybrids I’ve made.”

Yeojun frowned. “So then what’s the trinitrotoluene doing in there?”

“For it to self-destruct,” Hueningkai explained. “If anyone tries to pierce the glass, it’ll explode.”

“Ah. So that no one will be able to access the data apart from you?” Hueningkai nodded. “Smart. But… will it be okay, now that it’s not in the Discussion and Tactics room?”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Hueningkai dismissed. “All we needed were records that Gojongja agreed to our terms. It’ll be fine for now, until we have to retrieve it. Do you know where it is?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Yeonjun sighed. “The last I saw, Taehyun had it, but I’m not sure where it is now.”

“That’s fine. We’ll get to it when we get to it.” Through the hologram, Yeonjun saw Hueningkai sit down on a chair. “So do you know specifically what you’re looking for?”

“Um, not really. It’s just the general things I’m usually told to look for. When I’ve gotten enough, I’ll report back, then they’ll tell me if I need to find more. That’s how it always is.” Yeonjun folded his arms, leaning on his other leg. “How are things with you? Doing anything interesting?”

Hueningkai’s eyes lit up. “In fact, I am! You know how seers often have crystal gazing balls?”

“No way,” Yeonjun gasped, bringing a hand to his mouth. “Don’t tell me you found a way to make them!”

Hueningkai laughed happily. “God, no! But close! It’s like a looking-glass thing. It can help you see what’s happening somewhere else at that exact moment. So it can’t see the future, but it can see present events.”

“How does that work?”

“I need some part of that person’s DNA to do it,” Hueningkai explained. “Like a hair or a drop of saliva. Then, I can use it to see what they are doing.” He frowned. “At least, theoretically I can. Right now, all it shows me are their feet.”

Yeonjun snorted, and Hueningkai gave an embarrassed smile. Yeonjun was going to say something else, but then twig snapped. Yeonjun turned around, startled. “Sorry Hyuka, but I think someone’s here. Gotta go, talk to you later!” Yeonjun quickly waved a hand through the hologram, making it flicker and disappear. He looked around, trying to find the culprit of the noise. Then, a horse stepped through the trees, and bent down to graze under a birch. Its pale red scales reflected the sun, and Yeonjun startled slightly at its odd appearance, but quickly relaxed.

“Hey there,” he said softly, approaching it. “You’re a right beauty, aren’t you?” The horse looked up, and watched calmly as Yeonjun approached. “Should I take you back? Perhaps.” He stroked the horse’s muzzle, making sure it was calm, before swinging his leg over its back. “Maybe I’ll show Beomgyu this place too. He might like it.”

As he was riding back, it didn’t even cross his mind that he’d wanted to show Beomgyu the clearing purely because he wanted to see the king smile.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Yeonjun watched as Taehyun swiftly began to eat, completely ignoring his presence. He pursed his lips in irritation. The vizier was a tough nut to crack. What might break his shell? Yeonjun thought back to that afternoon, when Taehyun had sarcastically mentioned Beomgyu going on a date. Ah. Beomgyu.

“Sir?”

Taehyun looked up at him, annoyed, swallowing a mouthful of food.

“Forgive me for seeming rude, but… why is it that you don’t seem to like anyone at all?”

Yeonjun watched his face carefully, and saw Taehyun’s facial features become just a little more guarded.

“Well,” he began slowly. “You never know who you can trust.” Taehyun looked up at Yeonjun. “Some people just aren’t… trustworthy.”

He’s not onto me, is he? Yeonjun smiled mildly. “I understand that. But with people you know, why is it that you still don’t like them?”

Taehyun’s face became a little more weary, and he set down his cutlery. “You’re talking about Beomgyu, aren’t you? In his case, I suppose… just because you know someone well doesn’t mean you like them.”

“But judging by how Beomgyu talked, you did like him for a time?” Yeonjun startled a little as the cutlery clattered out of Taehyun’s hands, onto the ceramic plate.

“Don’t speak of such things like that,” Taehyun said in a quiet, fierce voice. Yeonjun’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly. He’d forgotten how homophobic Gojongja were. “And just because we used to be friends doesn’t mean we’re friends now. Things change.”

Yeonjun, after composing himself, nodded thoughtfully. He now knew a little about how Taehyun worked. He was a true Gojongja citizen. A smart one at that. He won’t like to have his mistakes pointed out to him, will he…?

“You do know that the whole business of Beomgyu being King is odd, don’t you? Especially since I can gather that you two are enemies. Additionally, on the day of the Crown Handing it almost looked like you’d planned to make Beomgyu king.”

Yeonjun watched Taehyun carefully, and was rewarded when the vizier looked up at him sharply. He smiled inwardly, and calmly turned to his food. “I’m just saying what it looked like.” Yeonjun took a big bite out of his meal, ignoring Taehyun’s piercing stare. The vizier was obviously shaken by the comment. As he chewed, Yeonjun thought about his own words. Perhaps the observation he’d made had some truth in it. Had Taehyun planned to let Beomgyu take the throne? Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Taehyun sipped his drink worriedly. Kang Taehyun… you’re an interesting one. Are you hiding anything else?

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Yeonjun looked around, scratching his head. “I swear I’ve been here before,” he muttered. “Did I take a wrong turn?” He spun on his heel, staring at the tapestry behind him. “How could I have ended up here?”

“Excuse me? Sir?”

Yeonjun turned around to see a small servant girl looking up at him.

“If you don’t mind, are you lost?”

Yeonjun blinked, and gave a small chuckle. “Yes, it appears I am.” He looked around at the many corridors. “I am very lost.”

The girl beamed. “Oh, that’s okay! This is a very big palace, so it’s understandable. When I first came, I became lost many times too. Where is it that you want to go?”

“His Greatness’ room, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course! I’ll take you there.”

Yeonjun followed the girl down the hallways silently. They eventually stopped by a door.

“Here we are! I will be on my way now.” The girl bowed, and was about to walk away when Yeonjun called out to her.

“Wait… how old are you?”

“I am eleven, sir.”

“Eleven?! You’re a foreigner, aren’t you? How did you end up working in Gojongja?”

“I fled here with my younger sister. We come from a country which is currently in the middle of a war, and came here because we heard that Gojongja would welcome us.”

“Gojongja? Not Aruyeo?”

“Yes, sir. Gojongja is the place most welcoming of foreigners. To me, it is the kindest of all the Four Kingdoms. Though Aruyeo accept many sexualities, Gojongja accept people from anywhere. They are generous, and kind, and though they may not win every battle like Aruyeo do, they are still strong. I have even come to consider Gojongja my home.” The girl smiled. “The people here are among the nicest I have ever met.”

Yeonjun stood there, before nodding his head slowly. “Well, Gojongja truly is a nice place.”

“It is. I love it with all of my heart.”

Yeonjun bowed his head. “You may leave now.”

“Of course. Have a nice day, sir!” The girl gave another grin, and skipped down the hallway. Yeonjun watched her go. Suddenly, for the first time ever, a small doubt crept its way into his mind. Your Supreme Highness… how can I do such a thing to people like this?

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Yeonjun knocked on the door, and stepped inside. He was taken aback when he registered this was not His Greatness’ room. Yeonjun checked the plaque on the door, and groaned inwardly. The Great Room? Seriously? He looked around and took in the bookshelf taking up one wall, the grand piano in the middle of the room, and the students standing in rows. A music room. Who the hell names their music room ‘The Great Room’?

“Oh! Lord Yeonjun from Aruyeo, am I correct?” the woman smiled pleasantly. “Would you like to stay and watch our music lesson?”

Yeonjun stammered. “I… uh…” He shrugged. “Alright.”

“Wonderful!” The lady clapped her hands happily, and gestured to a seat. “Here, you can have a seat here. Now class, let’s sing again from the top!”

She went over to the grand piano standing in the middle of the room, and began playing. The children sang along to the piano, and the sweet melody washed over Yeonjun. He took in the harmonies, the chorus of voices, the gentle chords of the piano.

Suddenly, a wave of sadness engulfed him. The woman’s piano playing reminded him of Hueningkai. All he could think about was how much Hueningkai loved to play the piano, nimble fingers dancing happily over the keys, coaxing beautiful melodies from even the crankiest pianos. Hueningkai, who was so innocent and painfully optimistic. Hueningkai, who was kind and generous even when the world was not kind and generous to him. Hueningkai, who had only ever wanted to be happy.

Yeonjun blinked, fast, and acknowledged that the song was coming to an end. He clapped politely, a small smile on his face. All these children… so youthful and naive. They reminded him so much of Hueningkai it hurt.

He looked away, out the window. Hueningkai… do you think we’re doing the right thing?

.・゜-: ✧ :-

“Oh, let me help you with that!”

Yeonjun looked up as a young stable boy came rushing up to him, taking some of the horse brushes out of the Aruyeonan’s hands. He looked up, and smiled brightly at Yeonjun.

“It looked like you were having some trouble there, sir! Have you just come back from riding?”

Yeonjun was slightly startled by how kind and friendly the stable boy was being. “I… yes, I have. I was just cleaning up the horse.”

“That’s good, sir,” the stable boy said conversationally, walking with Yeonjun back to the stables. “Most Lords ‘round here, they don’t care ‘bout the horses’ wellbeing. They think it’s up to stable boys like me to keep ‘em clean. Nice to see someone is looking after their horse after they’ve finished riding.”

They arrived at the stable, and the boy helped Yeonjun put the equipment away into the box. He straightened, and gestured to the full bucket of dirty water in Yeonjun’s arms. “Would you like me to take that for you?”

“I- uh, if you want.”

The young boy beamed and took the bucket. “I’ll show you where it ought to be put, if you’d like.”

Yeonjun followed the stable boy silently, rather overwhelmed by his brightness. It was strange. This boy was working such a taxing, gruelling task, looking after horses which were apparently not treated very well by the Lords, and yet he managed to smile and walk with a spring in his step.

“You’re the Aruyeonan, aren’t you?” the boy said brightly, looking up at Yeonjun.

“Y- yes, yes I am.”

“We heard you’re here to form an alliance.” He smiled widely, revealing gappy teeth. “That would be nice. Gojongja have been independent for so long… I wonder what it’s like to have an alliance, to have someone else to support you when you struggle to support yourself, and to be there to support someone when they are stuck. It’s like a friendship, isn’t it? You help each other out.”

Yeonjun decided not to comment on that. The boy’s view on an alliance was a rather childish, innocent one, but Yeonjun didn’t want to tarnish it with cynical truths. “I suppose it is,” he said finally. “You said you’d like an alliance?”

“Yeah! Like I said, Gojongja have been pretty solitary. And I mean, solitude is nice, ‘cause then no one can backstab us or anything, but in an alliance, they’re bound to be trustworthy, right? It’s all about trusting each other. Like a friendship!”

Yeonjun smiled weakly. “Yeah… right…”

Suddenly, the boy’s eyes widened and he clapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh gosh, I just realised I’ve been rambling again! The stable-master always told me off for rambling. I’m so sorry.” He bowed several times. Yeonjun blinked, feeling a little shocked.

“Oh, no, it’s fine,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.” Still the boy’s head remained bowed, so Yeonjun crouched down to look him in the eye. “Don’t apologise for sharing your thoughts,” he said firmly. “Never apologise for speaking out. You are entitled to your own opinion, and you have that right.” He quirked a small grin. “But maybe don’t discuss politics with every Lord you meet. Most of them won’t like it.” The stable boy’s eyes were still wide, but he gave Yeonjun a smile.

“Alright, thank you Mr Aruyeonan!” There was a yell in the distance, and he jumped. “That’s the stable master! I'd better get going! See you, Mr Aruyeonan!”

Yeonjun watched the young boy race back to the stables, and the smile died from his lips. He thought back to what he’d said. “An alliance is like a friendship…?” He shook his head. “No, no it’s not. It’s not. It’s more political and professional than that.” He began to walk back to the palace. Though he tried to dismiss the child’s words, they rang in his head, and an uncomfortable coil settled in the pit of his stomach. “No, he’s young. Don’t think about it, Yeonjun…”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

As these days increased, and Yeonjun grew to know the Gojongja court better and better, the feeling of uneasiness grew. Generally with his missions, he’d always have a specific task in mind, but this time, the topic he'd been given was so broad. Initially, he’d been nervous with having such an ambiguous subject, but now he was nervous because something didn’t feel right. One night, he decided enough was enough. He needed to properly think.

The next morning, he awoke early, letter in hand, when he crossed paths with Beomgyu.

“Your Greatness!” Yeonjun bowed. “You’re up early?”

“Good morning, Yeonjun! And yes, I am! We are to have a revel today, to tell the people about the alliance.” The King took in Yeonjun’s appearance, and tilted his head. “What are you doing up so early? You look like you’re dressed to go somewhere.”

“I want to deliver a letter,” Yeonjun said, showing the envelope for emphasis. “I’m going to deliver it myself, though. This person is someone… who prefers if I come in person.”

“Alright. How will you get there?” Beomgyu took in Yeonjun’s leather gloves, and tall black boots. “You’re riding? All the way to Aruyeo?”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Yeonjun said sheepishly.

“Of course not!” Beomgyu grinned. “I’d offer to let one of our messengers take it for you, but you look adamant about delivering it yourself. Take Orion. He’s most capable of going long-distance.”

Yeonjun bowed. “Thank you, Your Greatness. Good luck with your revel!”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Riding through the streets of Aruyeo, the people immediately parted to let Yeonjun through. They didn’t question the strange horse and just let him pass. Everyone knew Yeonjun and who he worked for. He thundered through the city, straight towards the castle.

Once Orion had been taken to the Aruyeonan stables - “Handle him carefully, he’s a rare breed, and from Gojongja” - Yeonjun made his way through the hallways, until he was standing in front of a familiar door. He’d barely knocked before it was flung open, the face which greeted him beaming brightly.

“Yeonjun!”

Hueningkai threw his arms around Yeonjun, and the elder laughed, ruffling Hueningkai’s hair. “Kai! How have you been?”

Hueningkai extracted himself, and pulled Yeonjun inside, closing the door firmly behind him. “Oh, you know,” he said, shrugging. “Same old, same old. Make explosives. Make marbles. Find a new chemical combination. Repeat. I haven’t been out of this room since you left, so don’t worry.”

Yeonjun smiled fondly, ruffling Hueningkai’s hair again. “You’re okay, right? No one said anything?”

“No one’s dared to say anything to me in over twelve years,” Hueningkai said, smiling. “It shocked them all when we suddenly rose in the ranks of the Queen’s favour.”

Yeonjun looked sadly at Hueningkai. “I’m sorry we had to go to such extreme measures. It was the only way, you know that right?”

“I’m fine, Yeonjun. It’s okay. But tell me, why are you here? When we talked last night, you were very vague. What’s going on?”

Yeonjun’s face grew grave. “The people in Gojongja are… too nice. But not in like, a suspicious way. They’re just genuinely nice. Everything they do is just so good. I don’t know… I just feel like something isn’t right.”

“What, in Gojongja?”

“No, no. Here. In Aruyeo. In court.”

Hueningkai tilted his head. “I’m not following.”

“It’s just…” Yeonjun bit his lip. “It’s hard to explain. Here in Aruyeo, the atmosphere is… more suffocating, I guess? For me. There are so many secrets within this court, so many lies and half-truths. Hell, we’re one of the secrets. It just feels so stifling. I could feel it as soon as I set foot inside the castle. In Gojongja, though… it just feels a lot lighter. There’s so much trust within their court. I- I can’t explain properly, but when you’re there, it’s so obvious. I wish you could come.”

“Then I will.”

“What?”

“I’ll come. You’re a good people-reader, Yeonjun, but I want to see this for myself. We don’t want to jump to conclusions.” Hueningkai had gotten up, and was rummaging through his drawers for something. He pulled out a large glass ball, smiling proudly. It looked like a huge bubble, and was about the size of a beach ball. “In here are the bare minimum of provisions I packed for myself, if ever the time came when I’d need to leave quickly. I’ve got sand, rock samples, and all sorts of other things which I need to make my marbles.”

Yeonjun gaped in shock. The ball looked completely empty, but he had no doubt about what Hueningkai had said. “Wh… what? How? What chemical combination did you use this time?”

“It’s one my clan taught me,” Hueningkai said. “I was just bored one day and messing around with the chemicals, but then my hands seemed to know what to do almost immediately.”

Yeonjun whistled, impressed. “Benefits of having alchemy as an ability, right? That’s freaky, but so cool.”

Hueningkai flinched at the word ‘freaky’, and Yeonjun’s face quickly morphed into an apologetic expression. “I’m so sorry, Hyuka, I forgot.”

“It’s fine,” Hueningkai muttered. He gave a small smile, and tapped the ball. “I need to make a few adjustments though. Do you wanna rest? I have no doubt you rode all the way from Gojongja to here.”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Yeonjun admitted. “...Alright. Just a few hours. We need to go soon if we want to get there by sundown. Wake me up when it's time, okay?”

Yeonjun stumbled over to the bed, and as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was fast asleep. Hueningkai watched over his sleeping form, and gently ruffled the elder’s hair.

“I’m the one who should be sorry, Yeonjun. If it wasn’t for me, we could lead normal lives. We wouldn’t have to be spies.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

The first time Yeonjun had been due to leave for Gojongja, he and Hueningkai had spent many hours poring over the blueprints they’d managed to acquire of Gojongja’s Palace. Their skilful memorisation came in handy at that moment. Hueningkai, under the cover of darkness, managed to slip through the hallways to the room which Yeonjun was staying in, barely bumping into anything on his way. Yeonjun took the longer way round, and as he walked past the ballroom, he gasped. There was so much glass all over the floor, and some small fires were burning through ivy tendrils. He hurried past, conscious of the muddy footprints he was leaving behind. What had happened?

As he rounded a corner, he saw Taehyun standing in the middle of the corridor.

“Sir Taehyun!”

Taehyun turned around, not bothering to hide the frustration on his face.

“I saw all the glass in the ballroom,” Yeonjun said, coming up to the vizier. “And there’s a lot of blood, and some fire. What happened?”

As soon as those words left Yeonjun’s mouth, he knew it wasn’t the right thing to say. Taehyun’s face darkened even further. His mouth twisted into a frown, and he spoke in a sarcastic, annoyed tone.

“Well the announcement went fine. What do you think happened?”

Yeonjun almost backed away from the vizier’s menacing glare.

“Just go to your chambers. Don’t interfere.”

Yeonjun hesitated. He would have been fooled by the vizier’s vicious tone, but there was something decidedly off about it. Behind Taehyun’s fierce mask, he could see how scared and shocked he was. He wanted to reach out and ask him what was wrong, ask him if he was okay. But, deciding that Taehyun was far too emotional to appreciate his help, he bowed, and walked away.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Hueningkai hummed, tapping the wall. “Doesn’t seem to be much of a bright atmosphere here in Gojongja.”

“You came at the wrong time,” Yeonjun sighed. “The people found out about the alliance in the worst way possible, apparently. So things aren’t going too great right now.” He looked over at Hueningkai. “Are you okay? I just realised it’s probably really boring for you to be here all alone.”

“You worry too much,” Hueningkai dismissed. “I’m fine. We’ll be staying here for a while, right?”

“Yeah. Until things calm down, and the alliance fully takes place, we’ll be in Aruyeo.”

“Okay.” Hueningkai chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. "Okay. And I'll have to stay in this room, right?"

"Yeah. They don't know you're here, so it's best for you to not leave." Yeonjun sat down in the chair next to Hueningkai. He rubbed his forehead, trying to dispel the headache which was on its way. Hueningkai silently wrapped his arms around the elder, pulling him into a hug.

.・゜-: ✧ :-

The following days, Yeonjun stayed in his room as much as he could. Once, when he had gone out for some fresh air, he’d returned to find his room empty. He’d panicked. A few hours later, though, Hueningkai showed up.

“Hueningkai! Where were you?”

Hueningkai looked at Yeonjun apologetically, seeing the angry and worried look on the elder’s face. “Sorry. I should have told you earlier. I’m building a room.”

“A what?”

“Down there.” Hueningkai pointed to the wall beside the bed. “I’m building a secret room where I can do my experiments without bothering you.”

Yeonjun breathed a sigh of relief. “So long as no one catches you. But please tell me before you do something like that! I literally had a heart attack when I saw you were missing.”

“Don’t worry. I’m a spy, just like you are. I know how to handle myself.”

“That won’t stop me from worrying about you.” Yeonjun ruffled the younger’s hair. “Hueningkai, I know you haven’t been out much, but… you can feel the difference, right?”

The younger hesitated, but nodded his head. “Yeah. I kinda see what you meant. Even though everyone is really stressed and busy here in Gojongja, it doesn’t feel suffocating. It made me realise how stifling the court is back at home.”

“Right?” Yeonjun agreed. “And also, the people here are so nice.”

Hueningkai gazed out into the distance. “I want to be able to see Beomgyu… it’s been ages.”

Yeonjun patted the younger’s shoulder consolingly. “He’ll probably freak if he finds you in the palace, unfortunately, since you’re not meant to be here. Plus, the vizier is super scary and will most likely kick us out before you can even say ‘hi’.”

Hueningkai smiled. “Sir Taehyun is that intimidating, huh?”

Yeonjun fake-shivered. “You have no idea. But still, I’m determined to befriend him.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

It was late at night. Yeonjun, having trouble sleeping, decided to walk around the palace until he grew tired. His mind was still plagued with the usual troubles, worried about whether he was doing the right thing. He was passing the palace gymnasiums when he heard the familiar swish of a sword being swung in the air. Under one of the gymnasium doors, light streamed out and Yeonjun could make out a long shadow, practising by themselves. He opened the door a sliver to see Taehyun, sparring with the air. His face was slick with sweat, and his breaths came out in laboured pants, yet he still continued to spar. From where he was, Yeonjun could see how his face was scrunched up in concentration, and he winced as he noticed how white his knuckles were around the hilt of the sword.

He didn’t know how, but suddenly he’d grabbed one of the practice swords from the racks and was standing in front of Taehyun, silently sparring with him. Yeonjun registered the look of surprise on the vizier’s face but ignored it, wordlessly pushing him to work harder.

Neither of them said a word. There were no words needed. Yeonjun noticed with some approval that Taehyun’s grip had corrected itself, and his stance looked firmer than before. However, it was no match for Yeonjun’s spy-trained skills, and eventually, with Taehyun being too tired out to notice, Yeonjun managed to bring the blunt edge of his sword up to the vizier’s neck. Both of them were panting heavily. Then, Taehyun spoke.

“I yield.”

Yeonjun stared at him, before registering his words and dropping his blade. He gave a small grin. “You did good.”

Taehyun abruptly turned away from him, walking over to the water table. “Why are you here?”

Yeonjun followed him, giving an explanation as to why he was there. It was made of half-truths, since he didn’t want to give anything away about what he was actually doing. He took a big gulp of water and set down the glass, shaking his head in fake disappointment. “You were so stressed that you were tensing up your wrists far too much.” Yeonjun saw as Taehyun’s eyebrow twitched irritatedly. Even in his worn-out state, the vizier still hated his mistakes pointed out to him.

“And was it because I was stressed?”

“Yeah.” Yeonjun poured himself another glass of water. “When you actually spar, your technique is crazy good.” Taehyun didn’t say anything for a few moments, and his face gave nothing away. Yeonjun worried he’d overstepped some line, and set down his glass. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you. You haven’t wanted to see me in the hallways, so I don’t know why I thought it’d be alright to see you while you were sparring. If you want, I can go now.”

Yeonjun was turning away when Taehyun suddenly spoke.

“Your technique is really good. The Falcon Twist - I haven’t seen someone perform it that well before.”

Yeonjun felt a swell of pride, and looked back with a grin. Taehyun continued talking, looking a little nervous.

“Also, the way you attack is so fast. And when you defend, as well.”

Yeonjun couldn’t help but smile wider, a strange warmth blooming in his chest. He walked back to the vizier, and held out his hand. A peace offering. “Want me to teach you?”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

They kept up the routine for several more days. At night, Yeonjun would always come down to find Taehyun already deep in the middle of practice, and the two would just spar wordlessly until they took their first break. From then on, they'd discuss tactics, techniques, and how to improve their strategies. With time, their discussions gradually moved towards more personal things, and Taehyun began to open up more. He told Yeonjun of his worries about being the Grand Vizier, and the stress and toll it was taking on him.

When Yeonjun returned to his room one night after sparring with Taehyun, flopping onto the bed, Hueningkai made an observation.

"I think you're genuinely trying to befriend this Kang Taehyun."

Yeonjun turned his head, facing the younger. "About that. I think I'm going to stop with this mission."

Hueningkai, who had been focused on building a house of cards, suddenly stood up, knocking the fragile structure over. "Are you crazy?! If she finds out, she's gonna kill you!"

"I know. But I'm trusting my gut here. Before, I felt no remorse doing these things to other Kingdoms, but here… even just thinking of betraying these people makes me feel sick. I just can't do it." He thought to the foreign servant girl who spoke of Gojongja with such love in her eyes. He thought to the young children, singing and learning music without a care in the world. He thought to the young stable boy, bright-eyed and talkative, who had seemed to see nothing but the good things in life. Lastly, he thought of Taehyun and Beomgyu, who spoke of their Kingdom with such love and passion, who were such truly good people that they made him doubt everything in the first place. Closing his eyes, he brought his hands to his face. “I just can’t.”

Hueningkai looked scandalised. "I don't believe it! How good must a person be to make you want to stop? You've been a fervent ally of Queen Erajin for more than a decade. Who could break this loyalty?"

Yeonjun sat up. "Wait– I’ll show you. Tomorrow night, come down with me. I can’t show you everything, but I can show you the one who made the most difference. You can hide in the shadows. Then you’ll see just how good they are. Then you'll see what kind of person Taehyun is."

.・゜-: ✧ :-

That following night, Yeonjun pushed open the doors to find Taehyun in a rather different position.

“Sup,” he said, and Taehyun opened his eyes, unfolding himself from the yoga position he’d been in.

“Hello. I decided to do a bit of stretching today.”

Yeonjun kicked off his boots, and saw Hueningkai standing in a hidden alcove. The younger crouched down and gave Yeonjun a thumbs up. He looked back to Taehyun. “Do you have a routine in mind?”

And just like that, the two settled into their silent routine. They both did their own stretches in their own time, relishing the silence between them. It was all quiet, until Taehyun spoke.

“Everything is so fucking stressful right now.”

Yeonjun, head upside down, quirked an eyebrow. We’re going straight to the confiding, are we? Yeonjun listened as Taehyun ranted out his worries, detailing everything and how it was affecting people. He didn’t talk, didn’t interrupt; he just listened silently, letting Taehyun speak for as long as he needed to.

Taehyun sighed, and sat back. “I really care about these people. Beomgyu said we shouldn’t employ the military, but I think we should. The people won’t fight against them, I know it; it’s just to scare them and deter them from rebelling. But every time I try to explain that to Beomgyu, he won’t listen.”

“Then do it.”

“Huh?”

Yeonjun was feeling Taehyun’s confusion at that moment too. He didn’t know why he spoke. But now that he had, he couldn’t stop. He tilted his head. “Do you think it’s a dumb decision? The one that Beomgyu made.”

Taehyun’s face twisted in confusion, unsure where this was headed. “Uh… not really? I can see why he might not want to use force. But he didn’t see that it’s just to scare them.”

Yeonjun sighed. Taehyun always took things too seriously! “Answer the question in a proper way. I’m tryna help you here.”

“Okay…?” Taehyun said, confused. “In that case… yeah. It’s a dumb decision.”

Yeonjun grinned. “Okay, so you can just say that Beomgyu made a decision, but because it’s a stupid-ass decision, you’ve decided to ignore it.”

Taehyun blinked. Yeonjun could see the gears turning inside his brain. A smile spread across the vizier’s face. “I like your thinking.” He scrambled up onto his feet, tugging on his boots. “I gotta go inform the Head General! Bye!”

Yeonjun smiled as the vizier rushed out of the gymnasium, then he remembered Hueningkai. He looked back.

“So? Do you get what I mean?”

Hueningkai came out of the shadows to slowly sit down beside Yeonjun. “I do,” he said. “Yeonjun… I think you’re right. Let’s change sides.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

Now that Hueningkai had agreed with him, Yeonjun felt more sure than ever. He spent his time actually befriending Taehyun, instead of ‘befriending’ him to earn his trust. Though there were still secrets, Yeonjun was determined to eventually clear them away.

“Hey Taehyun?”

“Hm?”

"Do you… do you remember, about four days before the revel? I requested you come visit for some bonding time?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't in a good mood."

"It's fine. I just…" Yeonjun hesitated. Should I tell him now? Or should I wait? "Let me know when you properly trust me, okay?"

Taehyun blinked, but smiled. "Alright. I will.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

“Yeonjun!”

Yeonjun turned around, and his face melted into a grin as he saw Taehyun approach.

“How are you?”

“I’m doing good. Have you talked with the Head General yet?”

“That’s actually where I’m headed,” Taehyun replied. “They don’t have a lot of time, but I’m going to meet with a representative who’ll figure out when we can sit down and talk.”

“Nice!” Yeonjun grinned. “How will Beomgyu react?”

“He’ll probably flip if he finds out,” Taehyun admitted. “But he just really cares about the people. Hopefully he can see that this won’t harm them.”

“Fingers crossed, then!”

“Yup. Fingers crossed.” Taehyun paused, as if he’d remembered something. “Oh yeah. I don’t know if it’s too soon, but…” Taehyun reached out a hand and patted Yeonjun’s shoulder. “I trust you. Properly.” He gave a small grin to the Aruyeonan, and walked away. Yeonjun blinked as the vizier turned the corner, and a smile spread across his face but quickly died. He’d just spotted someone in the distance. He squinted, but the person was already gone. Was that…? He shook his head. It couldn’t have been. He was just seeing things. Yeonjun looked back the way Taehyun had come, and his stomach filled with nerves.

“He trusts me now,” Yeonjun murmured to himself. “It’s now or never.”

.・゜-: ✧ :-

That brought them back to that day. Yeonjun sighed, looking up at the ceiling. The soft pads of feet alerted him to Hueningkai’s presence.

“Sir Yoongi is in Gojongja now.”

Hueningkai paused. Even in the darkness, Yeonjun could see his eyes widen. Yeonjun spoke again.

“He’s their Antiquarian.”

“You mean… my Sir Yoongi? The mentor Sir Yoongi, who taught spies alchemy?” Hueningkai asked. “The one who disappeared years ago?”

“The very same one.” Yeonjun pulled a pillow over his face and sighed into it. “He knew, Hueningkai. He knew something was wrong with Gojongja, even before we did.”

Hueningkai was silent. “He’s lived in Aruyeo for a very long time. He probably noticed the changes.”

“That’s what he said. He said he could feel the changes in the atmosphere.” Yeonjun peeked under the pillow. “Also, he’s figured out it was you who made that marble. The one I planted in the Discussion and Tactics room.”

“Oh, that marble… he won’t be able to figure it out what it does though. To examine it, he’ll need to break the glass, which he knows will make the marble explode. He won’t try it. Don't worry about that.” They were silent for several moments. Hueningkai looked over at Yeonjun. “Yeonjun… maybe we should tell Taehyun. He said he trusts you, and even if his trust isn’t enough, we should tell him before someone else does.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” Yeonjun took the pillow away from his face, and Hueningkai promptly snatched it and hugged it to his chest. “I’ll tell him tomorrow. Definitely.” Yeonjun sighed, nestling into the blankets. “I just hope he doesn’t hate us by the end of it…”

#court of lies #taehyun #txt taehyun #txt beomgyu #beomgyu #txt #txt taegyu #txt fanfic #txt fluff #txt post #txt imagines #txt imagine #tomorrow x together #tomorrow by together

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colour-outside-the-liness · 3 years ago

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Hi Colour! This is going to be a long one, so buckle up!

Oh wow, that's so precious! You've definitely earned the "real life Dani" nickname haha I wish I could find something meaningful like that to do with my life. I'm actually autistic and have ADHD so hearing you do this kind of work makes me really happy! Keep up the good work Ms. Clayton! 😁 Haha

You sound like a lot of fun to hang out with at pubs! Haha I'm glad you identify with that bit of info on your star placements. I had a lot of fun doing it too!

The thing about Hozier is that some of his lyrics are incredibly sapphic to me for some reason, I'm still trying to figure it out. NFWMB is one of the songs that feels like that to me. Don't know if you've heard it before but give it a try if you haven't. If you close your eyes it sounds like you're in an epic romantic story and there are swords, pretty gowns, and rooms lit by torches. Haha

The beginning of this song was inspired by a poem written by W.B Yeats called "The Second Coming" in 1920, and it talks about an apocalypse of sorts, alluding to all of the horrors men inflicted upon the world which ends up awakening this beast that goes to Jesus's place of birth in the Bible (Bethlehem) to be born. The last lines being:

"And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

So the song starts with:

"When I first saw you

The end was soon

To Bethlehem it slouched

And then, it must've caught a good look at you"

And oh boy do I think of Dani when I hear that. Especially bc of that scene where Viola accepts Dani's invitation to live inside her. And nobody knows why she accepts it (but I do!).

And yeah at first glance you might not think much of Dani. in the beginning she's just a tiny frail small-town girl with a lot of anxiety, running away from her past traumas. But she proves us wrong again and again and again. She moves to a country she's never been before entirely by herself, sees an opportunity, and doesn't let go of it even when it looks like it went wrong. Then is very loving and tender with these children who have gone through so much and are still going through so much. Tries to fight (with a fire poker!!) the threatening man that keeps harassing her, the children, and her friends. THEN manages to soften the angry, grumpy lesbian who's given up on people after A LOT of trauma (too much in my opinion) and doesn't give up on her when she rejects her either. Freaking exorcises her ex and makes him stop haunting her so she can be with the love of her life. And then finally as if all of that didn't make her the bravest hero in this story, she literally stops an apocalypse from happening and saves everyone from this beast by sacrificing herself without even thinking twice. Saves everyone that came before her and then the ones who'll come after for the rest of eternity. I mean the P-O-W-E-R this girl has. 💪 so hell yeah the lady in the lake wanted to take her.

When Hozier says:

"Ain't it a gentle sound, the rollin' in the graves?

Ain't it like thunder under earth, the sound it makes?

Ain't it exciting you, the rumble where you lay?

Ain't you my baby? ain't you my baby?"

I can only think of Dani at the bottom of the lake laying on top of all the bones of the people Viola killed and how she's at peace living forever in a dark place like that. That's kinda hardcore y'know?

After the first verses, Hozier goes on to talk abt his lover, someone so utterly terrifying even the beast of the end of the world can't stand to look at them. But this song is also about being proud to be this person's lover bc nothing can fuck with them, not bc you are there to protect them and wouldn't let anyone harm them, but bc they're more than capable of protecting themselves and you too. So in my head, this song is Jamie's declaration of love to Dani.

And then I think of Jamie's devotion to Dani when she said "If you can't feel anything, then I'll feel everything for the both of us." shown in this verse:

"If I was born as a blackthorn tree

I'd wanna be felled by you

Held by you

Fuel the pyre of your enemies"

And the fact that she took what she could get just to be with Dani. She knew she'd have to suffer for/bc of her at some point, but chose to be with her anyway. I have no doubts in my mind she'd want to be anything for her as long as they could be together in any way, shape, or form. In all the lives they happened to meet one another too.

Wouldn't it be cool to see them in an AU where Dani is like a medieval princess who's supposed to marry Edmund to form an alliance between kingdoms or something and Jamie is an assassin who is hired to kill the princess so she has to pretend to be Dani's personal guard or wtever but they fall in love and run away together and Jamie teaches her how to fight so Dani becomes this warrior but turns out Dani is naturally good at it and then she becomes a legend? Hahaha I can see her riding a horse in the winter with paint on her face and her blonde hair falling over this fur-lined cloak, fierce look on her face, and Jamie riding next to her (always). Then they come across Viola who's a witch and puts a curse on Dani and then Dani and Jamie have to travel to all sorts of places and fight all sorts of people and go on this whole adventure to rid Dani of this curse. Maybe Dani has to go back to her kingdom bc her father dies and there are other people trying to take her kingdom so there's a lot of angst and suffering but then they win at the end after a lot of sweat and tears and they live happily ever after! 😎Hahaha

Anyway, I hope you're having a great week so far and hope you had fun with your niece today! (I know if I was her and you had us make fudge and paint I'd worship you haha) I'm sorry for the very (very) long ask, but I've been obsessing over this idea for months and I just had to share it with someone! ✌️✨

(And you can call me Libby or wtever since I'm not anon anymore 🤗)

Awwh thank you so much for saying I have earned my 'real life Dani' title is means a lot to me that you guys see that in me!! I am sure you do so many meaningful things in life without even realising it!! I honestly just want to make a difference and I love helping people so going into a career like this just seemed so natural to me and I really do love what I do!! Thank you so much I really hope I can keep up the good work!! I hope I'm a lot of fun- I know I have helped win a few pub quizzes and there's been a few times I've won games of trivial pursuit as well so that really did make so much sense to me and learning about all the placements of my chart was so much fun and was so interesting so thank you very much!! I have heard some of Hozier's lyrics are quite sapphic and I always mean to look into more of his songs and then just never do but I will definitely look in to NFWMB because the lyrics you have sent me here are incredible and definitely give of Dani x Jamie vibes I definitely agree with you in everything you have said about why Viola accepted Dani's invitation- Dani and Viola are similar in some ways and this was something I was explaining to my niece when she watched it with me. I explained to her that both Viola and Dani are strong willed, and stubborn, and would do anything to fiercely protect the people they care about. We saw that time and time again with Dani, how within days of knowing Miles and Flora she was out with a fire poker trying to protect them from a strange man that she kept seeing around the manor. And how Viola would've done anything to protect her daughter. One major difference between them though is that Viola seemed to have a slight selfish streak where as Dani is entirely selfless, she was selfless for the longest time in even agreeing to marry Eddie so she wouldn't hurt him, she was selfless in protecting Miles and Flora, and even more selfless in saving Flora's life and freeing all the trapped spirits of Bly Manor and then she is selfless in the fact that she won't drag anyone down and won't hurt anyone else at Bly ever again. The one thing she did for herself was being with Jamie- and she was able to make Jamie open up and trust people in way she probably hadn't for the longest time. Dani is a truly strong person as was Viola and I can see why she would accept Dani's invitation. I will have to listen to this song to see it from a Jamie perspective which I will definitely do tomorrow but from the lyrics you have sent me I can definitely see it being a love declaration to Dani from Jamie. Jamie knew in the end she would suffer because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep Dani forever, and knew that one day she would have to leave her- but she knew loving Dani for as long as she was allowed to would be worth that pain in the end and Jamie is a truly strong person as well for knowing this and staying by Dani's side anyway when that must have been such a hard thing for Jamie to ever have to accept. Jamie would've been anything for Dani and would've one anything for her as Dani would've for Jamie and that's why I love them so much. They loved each other so purely and without conditions and so wholeheartedly and it really was such a lovely thing to watch play out in front of us (even if it did hurt us all at the end). I think it would be so cool to see an AU like that I think medieval stuff is always so fun and so interesting and a good enemies to lovers start never fails either because there's so much tension there between them. And Jamie being undercover as someone to get close to Dani and them slowly falling in love with each other would just be a great thing to see!! And I am all for warrior Dani and Jamie (women with weapons is a little bit of a weakness of mine)!! This whole AU just sounds incredible I love a good curse in fantasy stories and the curse slowly taking over and you thinking they're going to run out of time but everything works out in the end!! Dani going back to her kingdom because of her sick Dad dying would be great for angst because it would look

like she would have to marry someone to create an alliance and that she would have to take over a kingdom (perhaps something she never wanted to do in the first place)!! I think this could be a very angsty one shot and could be so interesting and fun and the happy ending would definitely make all the angst worth it in the end!! I am having a good week so far thank you and I had so much fun with my niece today, making fudge went great and she was happy that I was able to show her how to do it because she'd never made it before so now that's something she knows how to do (I think she thinks I'm way cooler than I actually am haha thank you for saying you'd worship me though if you were my niece haha 😂) but tomorrow she is teaching me how to do something because I taught her how to make fudge today... she's gonna teach me how to draw in an anime style- which is something she is really into and even though I'm not she loves drawing so I've asked if she can teach me since I taught her something today!! There's no need to apologise I loved this long angst and I loved this idea I think it's really great and interesting and that song just seems amazing and I am definitely gonna listen to it tomorrow when I get chance!! Thank you for sharing this idea with me I loved it!! ☺️ Haha oki doki then as long as that's alright with you Libby is what I'll call you!! Like I said you can seriously call me anything!! ☺️

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hiccanna-tidbits · 4 years ago

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Hiccanna 100 OTP Questions Meme--Part 1

So I saw this 100 Questions About Your OTP post, and I decided to do them for Hiccanna! And...I am never doing one of these memes again, because this took forever XD I decided to split it in two to avoid just creating a giant Monster Post. QUESTION SOURCE: https://the-moon-dust-writings.tumblr.com/post/159857601812/100-otp-questions 1. Who loves flower crowns more? Anna is highkey obsessed with them! Especially kinda lopsided weird ones with sunflowers and shit. Hiccup likes them a lot too but is too embarrassed to ever admit it 2. Who is the one who likes to cuddle? Probably Anna tbh, she’s extremely huggy and cuddly and basically always initiates the cuddle sessions. Hiccup is secretly super grateful for this because he’s actually touch-starved as all hell but absolutely is not aware of it like cmon do you think big tough Stoic hugged him a lot growing up??? Kinda doubt it tbh 3. Who has awful taste in music? Depends on who you ask XD Hiccup has exactly 2 Music Moods--Stuffy classical orchestal stuff with a bunch of fancy violin and flute and whatnot, and edgy underground alternative hipster nonsense from bands no one has ever heard of. Anna, meanwhile, is a simple woman, who listens almost exclusively to shitty, catchy-butvery-unoriginal Top 40 hits and belts along with them to the radio, much to Hiccup’s chagrin XD 4. Who is the meme lover? A N N A she is a memelord supreme 5. How did their second date go? An...oddly specific question XD But I’ll take a stab at it. I imagine on their first date they went to see some high fantasy epic movie with fancy CGI (they’d both be HELLA into that--Anna for the magic and epic romances and Hiccup for the interesting magical creatures) and then gushed about it for hours afterwards, so their second date might be something a bit more lowkey where they’d just talk and hang out. I feel like they both probably are coffee addicts, so...a coffee shop date, maybe? And Anna gets some kinda chocolate pastry, of course! 6. How many children do they want/have? Tbh unpopular opinion probably, but I actually don’t think Hiccup and Anna would necessarily want kids??? They’re definitely the kind of couple who would love exploring the world and taking spontaneous adventures together, and you can do a lot less of that when kids are typing you down. Not to mention I think the full-time responsibility of having a kid would be pretty exhausting to Anna in particular, as someone who identifies with her a lot and has never wanted kids because even thinking about it makes me tired XD I mean sure, Anna has a nurturing side that comes out with Elsa sometimes, but she doesn’t have to use that ALL THE TIME (since Elsa is a grown-ass adult usually capable of sound judgement) like she would with a kid. But ALL THAT SAID if they DID end up having kids I don’t think they’d go too crazy with it, probably just 1. Or 2 at the VERY most. 7. Who hides the weapons? You mean like...in an AU where they’re infiltrating an enemy fortress or something? Probably Anna, since she’s the more innocent and harmless-looking of the two XD 8. Who is the better dancer? They both can’t dance for SHIT it’s absolutely cringeworthy but probably Anna at the end of the day because she probably spent a lot of time practicing in those empty ballrooms 9. Do/Did they have a theme wedding? They’d probably want to have some kind of a magic high fantasy theme, since they’d both be hella into that--and then it ends up morphing into “Dragons and Princesses” XD Anna ends up getting over-the-top fancy princess dresses for all of her bridesmaids and Hiccup has the time of his damn life making basically everything in the buffet dragon-themed. The cake is like half dark green or black scale-patterned and half fancy-patterned spring green tiers. It’s quite the event of the decade! 10. What do their parents think of them dating? Valka absolutely ADORES Anna and thinks she’s perfect for her son--the perfect blend of cheerful and compassionate when she needs to encourage him, but also badass and tough-spirited to protect him when she needs to. Stoic doesn’t really like Anna at first--he’s under the (mistaken) impression that she’s a wimp and finds her bubbliness kind of grating and annoying, and generally worries that dating her will just make Hiccup even more of a wimp. He’d rather him date a no-nonsense tough-as-nails asskicker like Astrid in hopes it would toughen him up. However, once Stoic sees Anna do something like punch someone out with no hesitation when they pick on her and Hiccup, Stoic comes around to Anna VERY quickly XD I feel like Agnar and Iduna would just be happy to see their daughter dating a sweet, dorky guy who loves her with all of her being and appreciates her for who she is. As long as he treats her well and makes her feel loved (which he most certainly would because he’s a precious cinnamon roll), he gets their stamp of approval. And hey, anything is an improvement over Hans XD 11. Are they a super sappy couple? Nah. I imagine they do a lot of PDA and probably hold hands or kiss in public a lot, but they’re not like...overly gooey in how they talk to each other, if that makes any sense. If anything, their flirting is painfully awkward, even AFTER they get together XD So much so that when they try to hit on each other in front of their friends their friends are like “oh my god STOP this is too much secondhand cringe for me to bear” 12. How did they get together? I like to imagine they’re friends for a long while but both of them fully 100% believe that the other is ridiculously out of their league and they’re irreparably trapped in the friendzone and one day they’re hanging out with their friends and awkwardly flirting with each other (but of couRse the other person isn’t FLIRTING they’re just being NICE they both figure) and finally Jack just shouts “oh my god will you two just fuck already???” and after a few minutes of utter mortification they just have the world’s most awkward love confession XD Anna finally relents and asks Hiccup on a date, and of course he says yes! 13. Who asked the other to get married? I can honestly imagine either of them asking but probably Hiccup. And he’s SO nervous about it that he starts straight stuttering the first few times he tries to ask and has to stop and change the subject XD He probably gets it finally after like...the 5th time. 14. Who stays up too late and makes stupid jokes? A N N A 100% I headcanon that she has pretty bad insomnia (that’s why she has such a hard time waking up and is so tired in the morning!) so she stays up to the wee hours of the morning with her brain spinning with incredibly weird thoughts and her sense of humor becomes nigh indecipherable after 3 am. 15. Who is the nerd? Hiccup obviously is this even a question??? He spends all day collecting dragon facts and lore and building weird scientific contraptions to help crippled dragons fly WHAT A NERD 16. Who knows the most obscure facts? Hiccup again, he knows so many dragon factoids and random scientific shit that Anna sometimes wonders how he manages to fit anything else in there 17. Who makes the other a flower crown? Anna! She makes ones for both herself and Hiccup and Hiccup begrudgingly wears his but secretly thinks it’s pretty and likes it because it reminds him of his dorky gf :3 18. Who likes to read? Both! I mean Hiccup obviously does because, as established above, he is a nerd, but Anna has canonically read every book in the Arendelle castle library, some twice, so she doesn’t NOT like to read. Hiccup probably reads more, though, between the two of them--Anna often doesn’t really have the attention span for it. 19. Who bothers the other person while the other person reads? ANNA she loves to constantly hang over Hiccup’s shoulder when he reads and drape herself all over him like a needy cat like “PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEE” and Hiccup just lets out a defeated sigh and starts playing with her hair while reading and hopes this will be enough to appease the little gremlin It usually is 20. Who tutors the other? Hiccup tutors Anna, but she HATES having to ask and is actually pretty insecure about school just generally not coming as naturally to her as it does to Hiccup, so he’s always super patient and understanding with her and tries his very best to never get annoyed or frustrated if she doesn’t catch onto something right away. He doesn’t want her to ever feel stupid because he imagines it feels the same to her as when people call him weak and useless. Slowly but surely, he’s saving Anna’s grades--and building her confidence! 21. Do they have similar taste in movies? Hell yeah! They love that high fantasy shit. I also like to think Hiccup manages to get Anna into some sci-fi and Anna manages to get Hiccup into romcoms (ONLY the good ones, he insists, as he would not be caught dead watching a shitty romcom!) 22. How do their personalities compliment each other? I mean the most obvious one here is that Hiccup’s general pessimism and cynicism compliment Anna’s optimism and cheerfulness really nicely. He would be able to keep her grounded and get her to be more realistic about things, while she would encourage him to see the positive side of bad situations and be more hopeful about things in general. Also I love the contrast of Hiccup’s intelligence and more quiet, snarky nature with Anna’s rather boisterous personality and general naivitey (sp?) and energy. They’re like a downplayed version of the “the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one” trope and I think that’s beautiful. Also, they’d both be great at soothing the other’s isecurities--Anna would be Hiccup’s biggest cheerleader and would believe in him like no one else did, and would stop at nothing to pull him out of it when he started spiraling into self-loathing and thinking he’s a fuck-up. Hiccup, meanwhile, would be so smitten with Anna and would think that it’s the most obvious thing in the world that she’s an amazing human being in her own rite and never has to feel like the “spare” princess living in her sister’s shadow. And saying this without a shadow of a doubt, like it’s common knowledge, is often exactly what Anna needs to hear to feel a little better about herself. 23. How do they tell everyone that they are going to be having a kid/adopting a child soon? I...honestly don’t think they’d be that extra about it??? In fact, they’d be the sort of couple who would be so UN-extra about it that it would do a full 180 and be hilarious. Like they’d be casually brunching with friends and Hiccup would just casually be like “oh by the way, Anna’s 3 months pregnant” or “oh, by the way, we just signed some adoption papers and we’re picking our new kid up on Saturday” and all of their friends would be like “wait WHAT” and Hiccup would be like “Anyways what were you saying about the newest episode of Alien Space Shooters 3000?” XD 24. Who has better fashion sense? Hiccup, probably. I mean, Astrid caught him making OUTFITS! The horror! The dude is also way more effeminate and, uh...clothing-conscientious than he realizes XD Anna has decent fashion sense, but I imagine that’s like 90% because Elsa spices up/makes her outfits since Elsa’s really more of the fashionista XD 25. Who will punch someone out if they are rude to their partner? Try bullying Hiccup when Anna’s around. I dare you. You’re gonna get a fistful of Anna Rage and a very angry redhead screaming “THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY TO MY BOYFRIEND I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU” Look this woman punched a man off a boat and knocked a wolf half a mile away with a guitar thing she absolutely takes no shits and she can and will fuck you up if you so much as lay a finger on her precious dork Hiccup thinks this is really hot btw 26. What songs do they sing together in the vehicle? For whatever reason the first songs that come to mind are “Africa” by Toto and “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey. ALSO “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus since they both are, in fact, teenage dirtbags XD It also like perfectly describes the story of a modern AU where Hiccup the Loser is secretly pining for Anna the Nice Popular Girl who is dating Hans the Douchebag but that’s neither here nor there 27. What other couple would your otp get along with? Jackunzel, Jackunzel, Jackunzel!!! Jack and Hiccup would definitely be bros, even if they are not above mercilessly roasting and/or trolling one another XD And Anna and Rapunzel would be BEST FRIENDS if they ever met and I will DIE on this hill, I legit don’t think Anna would Vibe with any other princess as hard as she vibes with Punzel. They could be ADHD disasters together XD 28. Who likes to prank the other? Anna actually turns out to be quite the closet gadfly and has a secret side that LOVES pranks and generally trolling Hiccup, much to everyone’s surprise and Hiccup’s mild dismay. It’s always pretty innocent and subtle pranks, like switching books on his bookshelf or hiding his various possessions in weird places in the house, but Anna absolutely LIVES for that long, defeated sigh he lets out when he realizes he’s Been Had. 29. Who is the one who loves to take pictures? Anna takes pictures of EVERYTHING on her phone--scenery, flowers, cute animals they come across, weird buildings, pretty fountains, Hiccup when he’s not looking, EVERYTHING XD She also bombs all her social media accounts with selfies of her and Hiccup and captions gloating about how great he is and how you WISH your boyfriend was this cool and rad and Hiccup is both embarrassed and flattered by this. 30. How would they react if they found out they were soul mates? Anna, who probably never stopped fully being a sucker for fairy tale True Love stories and all that shit, would fangirl for hours and hours. Hiccup would just go, “Oh, neat!” and go back to whatever project he was currently working on XD I mean his logic is mainly that regardless of whether it’s “magically destined” or not, he’s gonna date Anna anyway, so it really doesn’t make a scrap of difference to him whether she’s dubbed by some Mystical Higher Power as his soulmate lol 31. Where would they live? Well...SOMEWHERE in Scandinavia, since that’s canonically where both Berk and Arendelle are XD I kinda like the idea of them spending part of the year in Berk and part in Arendelle...maybe spring and summer in Berk, and fall and winter in Arendelle? I imagine spring and summer are when there’s the most interesting dragon activity in Berk, and winter’s probably pretty festive and colorful in Arendelle, if OFA is anything to go by. And the fall color is pretty too, going by Frozen 2. Seems like a good compromise, since I doubt either of them would want to permanently move away from their homes. 32. What type of dragon would they own, if they could have one? Given the shipping this question is HILARIOUSLY ironic Well it just so happens they would have a type of dragon called a Night Fury and name him Toothless XD Anna would probably have a dragon of her own too--I conversed with someone on fanfic.net and did some research into all the HTTYD dragons, and I think the one I like her most with is a sand wraith, since they live on the beach and Anna certainly seems to like the beach, if her throwaway comment complaining Elsa doesn’t have “tropical” powers is anything to go by XD 33. If they were both vampires, what type of vampires would they be? First of all, fuck you for making me google “Types of Vampires” and then getting me aggravated because like nowhere on the internet is there a straightforward list of vampire "species” that isn’t like 5 miles long or just a meme XD Welp, I couldn’t really find a list of vampire species that wouldn’t take forever to look over, so I wrote a summary for a vampire fanfic instead Anna turns first. I imagine probably Hans turns her--tricks her into falling in love with him without knowing he’s a vampire, and then biting her when she’s off-guard to basically try to make her into a spooky sex slave or something. Anna starts seeing Hiccup in secret (who she knew before--he’s still human at this point), and eventually he asks her to turn him so that he can be with her without her outliving him and also so that they can team up and fight Hans together. Anna has a lot of reservations about turning him, but finally agrees. They end up kicking Hans out of his spooky vampire castle and taking it for themselves XD Anna eventually makes the best of being a vampire, and has a blast wearing all manor of fancy dresses and throwing extravagant balls. She’s pretty bummed about never getting to gorge herself on garlic bread again, though :( Hiccup doesn’t much like it, especially since a lot of animals are scared of him now and he doesn’t Vibe with nature quite like he used to D: Nonetheless, he decides to use the immortality to do some pretty neat projects and work on his contraptions and inventions and whatnot. I imagine they eventually devolve into kind of a vigilante duo, and make a point of only hunting down and feeding on bad people who are actively hurting or abusing other people or animals. A pretty good incentive to not like...do violent crime in this AU is those creepy old wives’ tales people tell their kids like “don’t be an asshole when you grow up, or the Haddock vampires will get you!” 34. What would they dress up as, for Halloween? Well Hiccup would be some sort of dragon, obviously! Anna I have no idea...but I kinda like the idea of her just dressing up as a generic fairy tale princess and then going around with Hiccup like “oh no, this dragon kidnapped me!” Both their friends and various trick-or-treaters get a kick out of the whole bit. 35. Can they name each other’s favourite food? But of course! Anna’s is chocolate, krumkake, and sandwiches, and Hiccup’s is crabcakes (yes, all this is actually canon! I do my research for fanfiction thank you very much lol). And you can bet they surprise each other by buying one another’s favorite foods all the time! 36. Do they have pet names for one another? In my fanfic I always have Hiccup come up with SO MANY for Anna, like in my Fire!Anna AU fanfic alone I have Fire Hazard, Firecracker, and probably a few others I can’t remember One headcanon I really like is that whenever Anna is especially ready to attempt to kick the ass of something she really should NOT fight (such as a giant snowman), Hiccup physically has to hold her back and goes “Whoa, slow down there, tiger” and this happens so frequently that eventually it gets shortened to just calling her Tiger XD And hey, with the orange hair and the feistiness, it still fits! As for Anna, she usually just calls Hiccup Dragon Boy or Nerd XD 37. How do they cheer each other up? I imagine Hiccup probably tries to distract Anna from whatever’s bothering her by making her laugh and talking in dumb accents or imitating his dad XD Anna would probably try to help Hiccup stay optimistic about a bad situation and try to point out the positives, but more in an encouraging way than like...an obnoxious, condescending “oh, it could be worse, count your blessings!” kind of way. And Anna has so much peppy energy about it that it actually does sometimes manage to pierce Hiccup’s cynicism and make him feel a bit better, if only for a little while before he starts once again imagining everything that could possibly go wrong XD 38. Do they show a lot of PDA? Eeeeeyup XD They looooove holding hands in public, and enjoy kissing dramatically in front of the sunset and such. I mean I imagine they don’t have hardcore makeout sessions in public or feel each other up sexually, if only because they don’t want to make people THAT uncomfortable. 39. How old were they when they got together? Depends on the AU you’re using and where in both their respective timelines they meet, but I imagine them meeting either as kids or in their early teens, and then taking so damn long to spit out how they feel that they don’t actually start dating until their late teens or early 20s. 40. Who is the one that would bring the puppy home? If it’s a puppy? Probably Anna. If it’s a kitten or a weird, injured reptile? Deeeefinitely Hiccup. 41. Can they do yoga couple’s poses? They most certainly CANNOT. I like to think Elsa and Honeymaren tried to teach them one time and have a yoga double date (because of COURSE Elsa would suggest that) and it ended with Anna and Hiccup butchering every last pose, repeatedly falling on their asses, and generally having a bad time. Poor Elsa and Honeymaren had to work hard to keep from just losing their shit laughing. 42. What is their song? I mean...I don’t know what their like...OFFICIAL song is, but the songs “West End Kids” by the New Politics and “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift have always had Big Hiccanna Energy to me. 43. What does their room look like? It’s divided pretty neatly in two. Hiccup’s side has a near-spotless floor, a desk with a perfectly-organized bookshelf and a very chic desk lamp, several movie posters and a hanging whiteboard with miscellaneous invention designs and reminders about random stuff written on it. Anna’s side looks like Hurricane Katrina just swept through, this time with a personal vendetta against snack wrappers. 44. Who would be the one to kill zombies while the other keeps them grounded? Anna would absolutely be the sort to just fuckin tear through hoards of zombies screeching battle cries and knocking them all upside the head with a crowbar, or just straight plowing down an entire hoard with some freaking machine gun she stumbled on and taught herself how to use because she wanted to be badass XD Meanwhile Hiccup is absolutely grateful for the protection because Anna can fuck up a LOT of zombies at once, but he also has to keep the girl from going TOO crazy and accidentally putting her impulsive dumbass in grave peril XD 45. Who makes the other breakfast in bed? Hiccup, for sure. He’s used to being up pretty early because I imagine you get the most dragon-flying and exploring in if you wake up early, and he knows food is basically the only thing that will make Anna not hate getting up, so he makes her breakfast in bed as often as he can to make waking up suck less. And sure enough, after a while Anna starts to hate the morning just a liiiiittle bit less XD 46. Who loves kids more? Anna! Given how fun-loving and energetic she is, she probably loves hanging out with and being around kids. Hiccup likes kids fine, but he often feels kinda awkward and weird around them (I mean...more so than usual XD) because he isn’t sure how to interact with them. When they’re around kids, Hiccup usually follows Anna’s lead on how to talk to them. 47. Do either of them have a crazy ex? Well Anna’s ex attempted to use her to infiltrate and take over a kingdom and then tried to murder her sister so I mean 48. What are their favourite colours? Going by their canon color schemes, I’m guessing Anna’s would probably be like spring green and magenta, and Hiccup’s would be a more dark, foresty green and red. 49. Who likes to cook? Hiccup. Anna can’t cook for shit because she generally doesn’t have the patience for it and would just as soon live off of freezer food if she could because it’s less trouble XD Hiccup is good at making/building things, which actually translates to him being a pretty good chef. He makes Anna food a lot and she absolutely ADORES his cooking. 50. Who is the forgetful one? Anna. Gotta love that ADHD babeyyyy! (I mean I’m practically irl Anna and I am NOTORIOUSLY forgetful so it’s gotta be her XD)

#hiccanna #hiccup x anna #anna x hiccup #otp questions #anna #hiccup #hiccupxanna #annaxhiccup #rotbtfd #httyd #frozen #crossover

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