#i love these!! your lil guys are so fun and neat!!

[indecisive-dizzy]

Hi I’m bored in class so have random oc drabbles lmao

Flora has notebooks ful of small doodles she does sometimes when she’s bored. Wally and Daisey are the only two that are allowed to look at them

Flora loves telling scary stories, she tells the story of La Llorona every Halloween

Holly loves stuff animals, but she’ll never admit it. Eddie bought her a star themed teddy bear for her birthday, and she still has it to this day but she’ll never admit she liked it

Kiko totally does clown performance in her free time, mostly to get money on the side but also because she loves entertaining people

Me thinking the first time Kiko and Barnaby met, Barnaby was struggling with a stand up comedy routine and Kiko made jokes in the crowd to help him out

She does the same when Latter performs his poetry, he’s trying and she wants to help

Flora lets Wally play with her hair. I can totally see him just messing with it when he’s bored. Flora definitely messes his up in return

I can completely see Honey just asking Howdy if he’s a good person. He’s desperate, begging to hear that he can be a good person and that it isn’t too late for him to change, but Howdy can’t tell him that he can. He’s just quiet

Anyways Honey goes to Lizzy’s hotel once it’s built

Lizzy steals people’s snacks. She steals snacks from Howdy and blames Barnaby

Daisey totally tells Eddie he can come to them and stay whenever he needs to, mostly cause they cannot let him stay in that tiny post office alone when he’s upset

In a universe where Daisey lives in a different neighborhood and just calls Eddie regularly, they really dislike the neighbors for not appreciating Eddie and all his hard work, along with excluding him. They just wanna go there and give them all a piece of their mind >:(

Aaaaaaaaaa I hate school I wanna go home :(

Doodle notebook <3 everyone needs one good for her

Holly! I want to gift her a plushie,, a penguin perhaps idk penguins are cute

Kiko and her side clown gig is great,, I'm sure Barnaby appreciated the help to it's gotta be one ruff crowd for him to struggle!

LATTER MENTION!! EXPLODES 💕💕✨✨💥💥

cough sorry he's been,, on my mind <3 I am unwell,, he craves any positive attention so Kiko helping is very appreciated,, oughh Him 💕💕 Latter 💕💕💕

oh,, oh Honey,, poor guy,,

Lizzy! You gotta pay for those! Smh Barnaby can't pay for all those he's gotta have enough jokes for his hotdog!

Yes Daisey please help this poor mailman,, they're such a good friend he needs some company

[hoshifighting]

Hi. I've been here for 2 years but it's the first time I've sent a request, idkw. 1. I love your new theme. 2. I love u. 3. I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, ignore me if it does. 4. I'm curious about how svt vs body hair are like. Are they hairy or do they shave? How do you like your s/o, waxed or hairy? Idk. Let me know your thoughts.

a/n: welcome anon! thank you sooo much! i love you too! ❤️ and I think this is actually interesting? I've never really thought ab it, but we're just playing out there, nothing serious

seventeen + body hair

WARNINGS: shaving and ... body hair? [all i can think about, is chan with his shaving machine]

seungcheol: trims neatly but doesn’t fuss over it. for him, it’s more about feeling comfortable than appearances. if he’s in a long-term relationship, he might even ask what his partner prefers

jeonghan: jeonghan strikes me as someone who could go either way, depending on his mood. he might keep it completely shaved for that super smooth, or let it grow out

joshua: probably shave it all off? i would even risk to say that he might wax. prob shaves like everything bc he just doesn’t like the feeling of hair

junhui: keeps it natural but pays attention to it occasionally. he doesn’t obsess over grooming but will trim or clean up when he feels it’s necessary

hoshi: i see him doing fun shapes 😭 you just never know with him... but definitely a "leave a lil line" kinda guy bc he thinks it’s tasteful. tries to do cute lil designs sometimes but always messes it up and ends up shaving it all off

wonwoo: neat but natural. wonwoo seems like the kind of guy who trims enough to keep things comfortable but wouldn’t bother shaving it all off. it’s more about maintenance than aesthetics for him

woozi: trims everything neat. might even shave in certain spots bc he knows he thinks he looks good smooth there, and it’s about aesthetics for him. but he’s not doing it daily.

minghao: trims out of pure aesthetics. like, he doesn’t mind some hair, but it’s gotta be controlled. probably uses fancy-ass scissors for precision.

mingyu: trims, but only bc someone roasted him for not doing it once (def a svt member). now he keeps it neat out of spite. he’s not overly hairy, so it’s not a huge job, but he does it like he’s clocking into work.

seokmin: probs trims bc it’s just easier for him to move around???, but he doesn’t stress about it. lowkey asks you to help sometimes bc he’s scared of nicking himself.

seungkwan: not fully shaved bc he thinks it looks like a naked mole rat (his words), but he keeps it clean. manscaped but not bald

vernon: trims, but he doesn’t stress about it. like, if he remembers, cool. if not? “it’s winter, who’s gonna see it?” he probably doesn’t have much body hair to begin with

chan: shaves EVERYTHING. no hair except for his eyebrows and the hair on his head. if you asked why, he’d just shrug and be like “it’s efficient.” smooth like a damn wax figure down there, and somehow, it’s extremely on-brand for him.

[sturnmeovr]

Scavenger Hunts & Cinnamon Rolls - Chris Sturniolo

Babydaddy Chris - Positive - Mama - Changed Woman Pairings - Babydaddy!Chris x Fem!Reader Summary - You and Chris put a last minute scavenger hunt together for the boys as a way to reveal your pregnancy. Warnings - Strong language, pregnancy announcement, lil fluffy, Word Count - 2419 Authors Note - Looking for a new label for the reader!! 🤔 give me suggestions! At first I had Changed Woman and Scavenger Hunts & Cinnamon Rolls as once big ass post but I broke them up lol. I hope everyone like it! I had a lot of fun putting the little notes together. Masterlist Current Series - City of Love Check out my dividers!

“They’re pulling up,” Chris beams from the living room, rushing to the kitchen island where you were sitting. He had been running around like a jittery school kid all day. Finally deciding it was time to tell Nick and Matt, you two pulled together a last-minute scavenger hunt in hopes it’d make the news a little less intense. Chris had no clue how they’d react, telling them they’re going to uncles for the first time was going to be shocking news, but he knew it had to be done. Both of you were tired of making up excuses when Matt would complain about you in the bathroom almost all day, every day. Or when Nick asked why you were wearing Chris's wardrobe and taking a hiatus on drinking.

Everything was prepared. All the envelopes were placed in their designated spots around the house, sealed with a piece of scotch tape, and marked with either your neat handwriting or your boyfriends sloppy handwriting, each one leading to the next. Chris sent his brothers on a few errands after breakfast which made sense because they had a few errands of their own. The three being so close, they took notice of Chris moping around the house, attempting to get it out of him but he suppressed his true feelings every time, refusing to confess the secret he had been holding in the last few weeks. Needless to say, when Chris asked them to pick up a few things for him, they didn’t object. He made sure to give them a long list, keeping them out for a few hours so the two of you could get everything ready. Chris taped the first envelope on the front door just minutes before they arrived, your neat handwriting scribbled across it - “let the games begin. The first clue is where you store your shoes. Good luck twin!” 

A mixture of anticipation and nervousness boiled deep down in your gut. At least that's what you thought it was since the feeling was quite different from your constant state of nausea you had been in the last few weeks. You hear the sound of the front door opening and slamming shut, “is this for a video?” Nick asks, poking his head around the corner, “I need to change first if it is.”

“No. No video,” Chris stutters, breaking eye contact to look at you. His face said he was second guessing it all, so you put on your best reassuring smile and nodded him on, trying to give him as much encouragement as you could without physically saying it. Matt takes notice pretty quickly, “what’s wrong with you, kid? You look sick,” his voice laced with concern and his eyebrows scrunched together. Chris swallows the lump in his throat, shaking his head, “got a big surprise for you guys. C’mon, find the next clue,” he eggs them on while wrapping an arm around you, desperately trying to wipe the ghost-like expression off of his face. 

You and Chris walk into the living room, watching as his brothers absolutely destroy the organized shoe rack. It was nearly impossible to find the next note, you had stuffed it in a pair of Nick's shoes that he barely ever wore. Matt jumps in excitement as he pulls the crunched up sticky note out of a pair of old, dusty sneakers. You laugh as he thrusts it in the air and shouts, “got it!” 

He brings the note back down to eye level, clearing his throat, “‘now that you found the second clue, go to the fridge and crack open a Mountain Dew,’” he reads off the words you pieced together. You weren’t much of a rhymer, Chris told you what to say on most of them because he knew it would’ve taken you all night. The scavenger hunt being a spontaneous whim of his, you didn’t argue when he sprung the idea on you, you were just happy he was ready to tell them. “Who drinks Mountain Dew?” Nick snorts, knowing it was only in the fridge for company that came over. 

“It rhymed,” you retorted back to him, shrugging your shoulders, “and we have Mountain Dew in the fridge.” Nick and Matt were too excited over the silly scavenger hunt, and they were really letting their competitive sides show. They resembled little kids running around the playground at recess as they raced each other to the fridge, earning laughs from you and Chris as they pushed one another out of the way. Nick gets there first, swinging the fridge door open, “my hand is literally on the door!” You let out a laugh as he argues with Matt, making him pout and cross his arms over his chest, “it’s okay, buddy. You’ll get the next one,” Chris tells him in a playful tone before rubbing a hand down his back. Matt quickly shrugs it off as Nick begins to read the third clue aloud, “clue three will keep you on your toes, check where Matt keeps his clothes.” 

Before you or Chris can say anything, Matt turns on his heels and foots it to his bedroom, “this one's mine!” You erupt in laughter, Chris following quickly behind as you watch Nick chase after Matt. It was funny how competitive they were, not even knowing the prize would be finding out they were becoming uncles. Just as you’re about to walk up the steps you hear Matt yell at Nick, “back door! It says ‘wanting more? Check by the back door,’ hurry up!”

Before you have the chance to get out of the way, Nick is barrelling towards you, jumping down the last few steps to get a head start. Chris snakes a hand around your waist, swiftly yanking you out of his way, “watch the fuck out! It’s not that serious!” he calls after his brother who dismisses his words by waving a hand over his shoulder. Chris looks at you, “you okay?” You force a smile, nodding to him, “I’m fine. Let them be excited.” 

Matt stomps down the stairs, calling out to Nick, “did you get it?!” Nick shouts from the back of the house, “‘no bitchin’, take that ass to the kitchen!”

Matt picks up his pace, quickly making his way to the kitchen. You and Chris follow behind him silently, refusing to give out any hints. The boys had one more clue until they revealed the big secret. So many thoughts run through your head as Matt inspects the kitchen - what were their reactions going to be? Were they going to hate you? - you felt like you were telling Chris all over again, like you were telling your overprotective older brothers, and that felt even worse. Matt puts his feet in action, moving across the kitchen in long strides. You watch as he picks up the white envelope you had taped to the cookie jar. Before he tears into it, you open your mouth to stop him, “read that last one together, Matt.” 

He looks up at you, nodding as he clenches the note to his chest as if he didn’t trust himself. A few moments later, Nick appears around the corner, giving Matt all the initiative he needed to tear open the envelope. He holds it out, “‘hopefully this isn’t too heartbreaking, check the oven to see what’s baking,’” he reads loud enough for the room to hear. His face crunching in confusion, “heartbreaking?” 

You had a feeling Nick could care less about what the notes said, it was obvious his competitive side had taken over. He rushes to the oven and swings it open, revealing a leftover cinnamon roll from breakfast. Chris put it in there hours ago after he realized buns were the only thing you didn’t have. You watch as Nick doubles over to pick the rock hard cinnamon roll up, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion, “a cinnamon roll? Why would a cinnamon roll be heartbreaking?” He looks between you and Chris, “they were pretty good at breakfast, probably stale now.” 

“Well,” Chris chokes out in a nervous manner, “we didn’t have any buns.” You let your eyes bounce around the room - Chris scratching the back of his neck like the nervous mess he truly was. Matt rereads the last note over and over again, trying to put two and two together while Nick was looking at the stale dessert dumbfounded. As much as you wanted to scream out your confession, you decided to let Chris do all the talking. Besides, telling his family was something you wanted to leave to him, after all it was his family. Telling your own family was something you were dreading.  

“What the fuck?!” Matt spits out, making you and Chris look at him. The color flushes out of his face like he’s the one who just found out he was about to be a father. Nick was still staring at the cinnamon roll, trying to figure out what the hell was going on, “I don’t get it.” 

“Y/n’s pregnant, dumbfuck!” he chews out. You couldn’t tell if he was pissed or just taken back, and by the look on Chris’s face, he wasn’t sure either. Nick drops the roll, letting it bounce off the tiled floor before he slaps a hand over his mouth, “what?!” 

A strong silence casts upon the kitchen. The familiar feeling of anticipation is no longer in your gut as the four of you eyeball each other, struck for words. You didn’t know what to say or do, but the need to break the tension was weighing down on you like a thousand bricks placed on your back. Deciding to break the awkward silence, you force a toothless smile, letting your small voice croak out, “surprise!”

“You’re fucking joking! Where’s the cameras?” Nick pushes out a shocked laugh, looking around the room to see if he could spot any hidden cameras. Chris clears his throat, “we’re not joking,” running a hand through his hair. His serious demeanor made his brothers come to a realization; this silly scavenger hunt wasn’t a prank, and you were for sure pregnant. He was the most unserious out of the three, his goofy personality is what attracted you to him the most. He was a major goofball and if you were being truthful, this did seem like a prank he’d put together for the hell of it. Except, it wasn’t a prank at all - it was the real deal. 

You let your worries get the best of you. Feeling hot tears brim the waterline of your eyes, you quickly blink them away before looking down at your hidden bump. Chris’s hoodies did a fantastic job at hiding your baby bump these last couple weeks. You panicked when you started showing, even though your bump was barely noticeable, you didn’t want anyone to catch on before your announcement. The only indication you were pregnant was the constant puking in the hall bathroom Matt and Chris shared and you wanted to keep it that way until you were ready to confess. All eyes were on you as you smooth a hand over your bump, making the hoodie hug at your waist, showing your small. You could easily say you were bloated and get away with it. Nick and Matt gasp in harmony as you lift the hoodie up to expose your growing bump. It wasn’t much, but it was still proof of your baby's existence, proof that your baby was growing. Nick peels his hand from his mouth to speak, “you’re already showing?!” He makes his way to your belly, holding out a hand like he’s asking if he can touch. You nod him on, “yup, it’s real,” he says out loud, making you snort. Nick was really trying to convince himself this was reality. The last few weeks, you felt the same, so you couldn’t blame him. 

“How far along are you? Why didn’t you guys tell us?!” Matt shoots out questions like a disappointed father. He wasn’t upset that you and Chris were expecting, he was upset that Chris would keep such a big secret from him when they told each other everything. Some things they didn’t even tell Nick or you. “We’re telling you now bud. She’ll be eleven weeks this friday,” Chris jokes until he realizes Matt’s hard expression isn’t budging, “I don’t know. I was scared, didn’t want you guys to be mad at me.” You can hear the sadness in his voice, almost like a kid who was apologizing to his parents for bad grades. “I’m not mad you’re having a baby. I’m upset ‘cause you didn't tell me sooner. We all could’ve been figuring this shit out together Chris,” he lectures him like the true big brother he is. Matt moves his feet to walk towards you, “how long have you known?” 

“We found out at 7 weeks,” you manage to get out before he places a hand on your belly without warning, “yea that’s real,” he confirms, shooting looks between his brothers and back down at you. “I want to know about the next one as soon as it happens,” he grumbles, keeping his hand on your stomach. Nick snorts, “please,” taking a hand off your belly so Matt could get better access, “you were probably in the next room as they conceived it.” 

“Don’t call my baby an ‘it’. He’s a boy,” Chris argues, a grinning spreading from ear to ear. His comment makes both Matt and Nick look at him. Already knowing what the next question would be, you decide to chime in, “we don’t know yet. He’s just been manifesting the whole time.”

"Hold on," Chris nearly shouts, rushing out of the kitchen, and quickly returning with two extra copies of your first ultrasound you had gotten a few weeks prior. The same bright smile stretched across his face as he hands over a copy to each of his brothers, "doesn't he look like a boy?"

"Chris, it looks like an alien," Nick snickers, earning a playfully gasp from Chris. Matt studies the black and white printed picture, "yup,” he pops, "looks just like you, Chris."

"Funny 'cause you look just like me," Chris shoots back quickly. He still felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, you were bringing a new life into existence in just a few short months. He wasn't ready for it at all, but he was glad his brothers were there to help him, and you, through it.

🏷️ - @lvrsturniolo @ribread03 @unknvhx @m11rx @emely9274 @loveparqdise @sweetshuga @frickin-bats @katie-tibo @leila-marie4

© All Rights Reserved to m00nl1ghts1vt. Please do not copy my work.

[angelesca]

over and over, you read the sign outside a small agency, rolling the name in your head and flipping it up and down: teyvat's sleuth operatives, sleuth operatives... sounds tacky and lame...

it is only when a brown-haired someone approaches you, that your doubts are erased. their uniform neat, mastering the archetype of a professional private investigator, amber eyes unexpecting your early arrival. “you must be the new recruit, why don’t you come inside?”

edit: i think my tumblr is finally working again, hopefully this post works(-ω-、) w.c. ~3.5k / content: modern au! private investigators (PI) au! [not canon, slight ooc?] bulletpoints and scenarios, writing out of my arse again, lil' crack, another gang of idiots, total braincells: 8.88 (a high score!!), surprisingly they co-exist pretty well, zhongli doesn't know what a waffle maker is, you and childe watch a traumatic talent show, alhaitham's love lang is bickering with you, and wrio has a depressing backstory👍, tldr; working with 4 very fun guys / boss!zhongli / rival!childe / childhood friend!alhaitham / colleague!wriothesley / x gnreader

𝐳𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢 as your boss!

✦ oldest member, worked in the profession for many years. however, when you ask about that, he is suspiciously evasive. zhongli seems to have lived a long life, though his appearance does not tell it

✦ out of touch with the new generation and technology. asks alhaitham to fix his computer and the kettle (bro just needed to plug it in) or asks you what the newest trendy slang means. it is a wonder how he manages the workplace

✦ tea buddies with wriothesley. hosts tea parties in the local retirement home to discuss and rate tea (power scaling tea real). there's enough boxes to last a lifetime in the breakroom. oh, zhongli is pointing at the clock. it’s… tea time… again

✦ talks your ear off about philosophical questions such as what happens after death, or whether a hotdog is a sandwich

✦ you and childe share a joint role as zhongli’s personal wallet. as to what your boss spends his paycheck on… maybe the countless snacks he leaves at your desk. and tea. more tea. poosssiibly those trinkets he has gifted you too

✦ glasses wearer. appears when zhongli is in deep concentration, due to an unexpected influx of cases so he's staring at the computer often, or during an intense reading session

ᯓ★

you flick through the papers detailing the information you recorded from your client. you and zhongli are out on a scouting mission to obtain clues that could point the case in the right direction. “are you listening?”

“mhm,” zhongli claims, but you can see your words are flowing in one ear and out the other with the way he is plucking free food samples as if they were flowers, bunched together in his hand like a bouquet, offered to him by the fawning ladies at the market stalls. the foreboding premonition of another unproductive day is brimming to the surface.

“where should we start?” you clear your throat, keeping the task on track.

“we should entertain any threads and trace it back, even if it proves to be a dead end. there is no such thing as a bad clue,” zhongli pauses in front of a shop. “for starters, what’s this?”

you raise an eyebrow. “a waffle maker.”

“interesting. what about this?”

“a robot vacuum cleaner. would be good for the office.”

“indeed,” zhongli’s eyes shift. “and this? such a profound colour, this corrosive yellow that erodes my vision is quite unpleasant. could it be…? is this a weapon of mass destruction?”

“zhongli, sir, that’s a banana.“ you shake your head. “is this important?”

zhongli nods. “could be. is it really a banana? a true investigator must question even the simplest of theories.” he points a finger at your pocket. “and this?”

“... that’s my wallet.” 

zhongli has a penchant for being attracted to your money, if he can trace the imprint of your wallet against your pocket. 

zhongli nods, closing his eyes. “a sacred item indeed,” he opens one eye which looks at you expectantly. “i suspect you have quite a formidable sum of mora on your person. and mora is an imperative factor that may save the day, or destroy the world. after all, we still do not know if the banana is deceiving us in its testimony, hm?” 

you give up, handing the money over to the shopkeeper.

his philosophy remains a cryptic language to you. perhaps it’s the gap in experience that makes it hard to connect a bridge to whatever planet zhongli lives on, a divide in universes between you, a disciple, and a master. sometimes, you do believe that there’s a rip in time and space with how zhongli’s senses lag behind as if stuck in the past.

you hand one over to your side. “here—huh?” where did he go?

one look behind you and you find zhongli by a lamp post. a young girl, scratching the ground with a sharp branch with a pout, gazes at zhongli. “who are you?”

zhongli slowly crouches down. “someone who listens to everyone’s troubles. would you mind telling me yours?”

no response. then, a small stomach growls.

zhongli motions at you. immediately, you walk over. “may i take one of the bananas?” you hand him one. “why don’t you take this?”

despite her embarrassed expression, the girl grabs it. she hesitates. “... mama, gone.”

your lips part in realisation.

“come now, we’ll help find your parents.” zhongli offers a hand but the girl extends his invitation, taking his whole arm instead, hugging it. he chuckles, picking her up, her arms naturally cradling his neck as if he is family.

you observe the warm scene, smiling. “you’d make a pretty good parent.” 

zhongli watches you, quiet for a moment. “why don't we raise one together?”

“oh, i’m not—”

“alhaitham can be the teacher; wriothesley will do the cleaning. i can do the cooking, and childe can do all the shopping. you can play the toys with the child.”

“ah. of course,” teyvat’s sleuth operatives is one big family, after all. you have to ask, “also, that banana, how did you know to buy it?”

“well, who knows?” zhongli pats the girl’s back, helping her fall asleep. there’s a glint in his eyes when he looks at you, asking you to work out the mystery. to chase after the clues he left.

another cryptic answer. the master really does live in another world—one that you want to keep learning about.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 as your rival!

✦ works for the rival agency which, unfortunately, is much more popular. when watching cat videos, their adverts often pop up with childe’s annoying face plastered on it, winking at you

✦ tags along when you are on a case. doesn’t he have anything else to do? at least he buys your fav drink from the vending machines. although he trails around you like baggage, you hate to say that he is good at what he does.

✦ … a bit too good at his job. you’ve spotted him slinking into dark alleys occasionally. what’s he doing there? one day you will know.

✦ trained under zhongli before. therefore, he is lowkey in competition with you. any task is met with the following question: who’s the better apprentice? so far, the score is even, but you’ll get him next time

✦ never enters your agency through the front door. opts to crawl in through the window (no idea why, maybe it's the challenge). comes bearing gifts such as expensive fruit baskets, bouquets, and medicinal roots like ginseng. you’d think he’s meeting his in-laws or something. rare, but may bring his younger brother teucer as well. on these days, teyvat’s sleuth operatives becomes half private agency and half daycare. 

✦ for uniform, the red shirt from his birthday art is nice. maybe a leather jacket that hangs on the shoulder. wears accessories: earrings, rings, bracelets, watches, gloves. bro is something of a fashion icon, tbf he’s rich so might as well

ᯓ★

desolation unwraps itself before you, beckoning its finger at you to sink into the drab swamps. you saw a tuft of ginger hair disappear into this alley, submerged by its fog. it is inevitable; you need to know the truth behind the mystery to quell the ‘investigator’ in you. 

as soon as you think that, your face hits against, according to your common sense, a wall—if the wall defined was actually an amalgamation of flesh and muscle. 

“need our help?” 

a voice irritates your ears. you frown, looking up at the culprit. “you can’t steal our catchphrase like that, childe.” 

childe—your rival, your nemesis, the guy who childishly filled a ketchup bottle with strawberry jam so that he could chug it in front of you, without flinching, solely to disgust you, and counted it as a victory—that childe, shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly.

“boss, who’s dat?” a voice calls from the darkness.

your ears perk up. boss? childe? a responsible leader? no way. you push childe aside. “... who are you guys?”

a whole lot of people are uncomfortably staring at you. “us?” one man stands out from the crowd. “the fatui, duh. have ya not heard of us, newbie?” the man proudly puffs his chest out.

childe rubs his forehead. “you doofus.”

bells were ringing in your head, red alarms were sounding. “the fatui? aren’t you guys wanted?”

before you can reach for your phone, childe catches your hand. “don’t,” his tone is rigid. it takes you by surprise. “look,” childe sighs. “they’re not bad people, promise.” he lets go.

a fatui agent is dancing. “yup, we have many talents, like stealing lunch money.” that is literally illegal. “say, why don’t we host a talent show?”

“oooooh!!” a chorus of easily amused delight.

“me! me!” a burly man wearing a tank top and shorts, holds up a jar of hotdogs. he twists open the lid.

you and childe exchange glances. the next sequence of events you witness are really unfortunate. “oh– please don’t shove that up your– well, okay then.” the sky looks especially wonderful today.

these guys should be in prison after all. 

“ahaha, okay, okay,” childe gestures with his hands, asking everyone to quiet down. “alas, this should be enough–”

“but i can break into people’s houses without triggering the alarm system!”

“i can use my anemo vision to amplify my fart!”

“aha…” the light in childe’s face falters. suddenly, he grabs your hand. “run!”

“—!” in an instant, your legs suddenly burst into strides, finding the right pace to keep up with childe. “where are we going?!”

“anywhere! anywhere is good!” under the sky, the breeze carries his airy laughter. in his eyes, the blue sea parts, a brightness coruscating on its horizon. it is refreshing, brilliant, childish. and vulnerable. 

you can’t help getting carried along by the waves.

.

“i should report you… for almost getting me killed by an anemo-amplified fart,” hands on your knees, the words struggle out of your mouth.

“sorry about that, they’re just really friendly.” he laughs. you notice, the way childe expresses himself towards the fatui, it is a delicate artistry woven with heartfelt tenderness. it’s the same fragileness as when he talks about his family and home. “how about i buy you a drink?” 

you contemplate his offer. after taking a few more breaths, you stand up. “even though i know you meddle with the fatui? how does a vending machine drink suffice?” childe tilts his head, encouraging you to speak. “for a week straight at least. there’s a new cafe opening, but the prices are too steep for my wallet.”

“okay, okay,” his gentle, tender voice extends to you, lifted by a smile. the blue sea parts, and behind it is childe, offering you a place in his home. “you win this time.”

𝐚𝐥𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦 as your childhood friend!

✦ more like estranged childhood friend. you left teyvat at a young age, leaving your childhood friend, alhaitham, behind. you only returned recently, surprised to find that little alhaitham grew up well 

✦ does not concern himself with anything that doesn't yield results, keeps conversations succinct, conveying what needs to be said for the job with as little words as possible. only interjects if something intrigues him, or when anyone makes a clueless comment that needs correcting

✦ favours are not regarded well. one time, you asked him to grab you some coffee if he was going out for lunch break. alhaitham sighed, listing the side effects of overconsumption on caffeine and how a sufficient amount of sleep will do you better. although, when you came back to the office after an outing, you found a mysterious cup of coffee on your desk. must be the wind

✦ dislikes outputting energy where it’s not needed. when finished with his tasks, he will head to the breakroom or the corner with the bookshelf to relax until zhongli’s next order. rarely seen at his desk

✦ went to uni for a comp sci degree but it wasn't challenging enough. dropped out, but zhongli, a guest lecturer, managed to recruit him after witnessing his talent. has rejected prestigious titles and positions in favour of a peaceful life. but with you in the picture, he wonders how long this peace would last

✦ wears strapped pouches and harnesses… around the chest... and biceps... straps around the thighs... (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`) for utility ofc. equipped with useful items for the job, like a gps tracker, voice recorders, spy cameras, and his music player. 

ᯓ★

“can you afford to be slacking off right now?” the silence breaks, and you are forced to speak.

“i’m not.” you quickly glance at the time on your screen. “besides, i should start heading home before the last train runs—”

“the last train has already gone.”

“... great.” you sigh. “how come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

“the sharp possibility that you’d insist on finishing your work is comparable to chasing after a dead end, and ultimately, a waste of time.”

a trained oracle, predicting every branching future based on your rooted disposition. it is difficult to debate against that which has inputted all your details, computing every possible output.

you rest your chin on your palm. “what are you even doing here? shouldn’t you be getting your healthy eight hours of sleep?” 

“and in the time that has spanned since you’ve sat at your desk, shouldn’t you be done already?”

you object, “you can’t deflect me with a question.”

“which principle asserts otherwise? i can.”

“you can’t.”

“can.”

“can’t.”

“can–”

you sigh frustratedly, knowing that you’re talking to a wall. throw your words at it and it bounces right back, a ball hitting at you squarely. 

with purpose, you blurt out, “little haitham was so much cuter, you used to follow me everywhere.”

and finally, alhaitham looks at you for the first time today. and for the first time today, you get a good look at him too. his posture manages to be effortlessly upright, not a lick of exhaustion burdened on his face.

“why are you bringing that up?” alhaitham returns to his monitor.

the buzzing of the ceiling light fills the silence. you blink. once. “we promised to the stars that we’d be the best detective duo in teyvat.” the mechanical clicking of keyboards clogs your ears. blink. you tug at the cuffs of your sleeve. “to solve all the mysteries, crimes, and beat up the bad people hiding in the world.” 

sounds of the mouse clicking. a pause builds. alhaitham glances at you. “and? we’re doing that pretty well, aren’t we?” you can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic.

“i thought you’ve forgotten about that,” you admit.

“it was you who forgot.”

you sit up. “come again?” your eyes twinkle, watching alhaitham, your childhood friend. the hope that swells on your face, and alhaitham notices it; the stars in your eyes, he’s tracing the constellations in them. 

"why do you think i'm here in the first place?" his voice dips, as if hoping you didn't hear that.

a promise embedded in the stars, and one of them was waiting for the fated reunion. then, in a split second, you see a younger haitham tugging at your sleeve, following your footsteps. you hide the smile behind your hand. “you’ve been waiting for me all this time?”

“don’t flatter yourself.” alhaitham quickly extinguishes. ouch. another pause washes over before he speaks up, “come over.”

your eyes widen. “over? where?”

“to mine.”

“mine? yours?”

“my apartment. it’s close by.”

“your place?”

“yes,” alhaitham glares at you. “do i happen to be speaking in another language?”

“i mean, how come?” 

“i do not want to be investigating a missing person’s case anytime soon,” alhaitham stands up, packing his belongings, leaving you no choice but to swiftly follow suit. “and our photo albums,” he stops moving. “i've kept them.” 

your heart skips, touched by the rare sincerity. you tease, “so you do care about me.”

alhaitham scoffs. “it's only a sensible suggestion. i don’t.”

“you do.”

“don’t.”

“oh, come on.”

𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲 as your colleague!

✦ was classmates with you at a police academy. by the academy was an arcade where you two played too many games. after graduation, you two silently seperated. wriothesley worked in enforcement for some years before gaining his investigators licence, moved to teyvat, and eventually settled at teyvat’s sleuth operatives

✦ your current hangout place with wriothesley is still an arcade, the one by the agency - it reminds you two of the past. favourite games include money-grubbing claw machines, boxing machines, and “dancing dance rev rev” (i dont wanna get sued–). that, or you end up chatting the day away about whatever new complaints you received from alhaitham, not realising the sun has set and the owner ends up shooing you two out

✦ owns a red motorbike. will take you on rides for fun, watching sunsets on the highway feeling the breeze. will take you home whenever you need—just give him a call. he insists that the best place to hold onto is around his waist

✦ the tea connoisseur of all time. drinks a minimum of 5 cups a day, and you worry he might drop dead one day. you’ve tried to get him onto different drinks, like the popular boba tea, but plain old tea always triumphs in the end. tea is life and zhongli agrees

✦ good at subduing any targets. prefers not to shed blood, but will deescalate confrontations, usually by submission rather than violence

✦ messy uniform. shirt not buttoned all the way up, rolled sleeves, fingerless gloves, dark colours. often seen with bandages along his arm. wears a choker. like a werewolf, rugged

ᯓ★

years back, before you returned to teyvat, you attended a police academy to aid in the preparation and experience needed for your investigators licence.

you always frequented the desolate arcade by the academy. there was no door, the arcade was impartial to any of its visitors, like an open hug.

time and time again, you blew your stress off after a long day. the boxing machine was particularly satisfying in that regard. you and that machine watched the early evening resign, and the night shift taking over everyday. 

the tedium was so easily penetrated by soaking crimson, the liquid leaked vividly dripping down from the forehead. a moment was needed for you to process it. 

a dark-haired person sat languidly against an arcade machine, in a uniform you recognise. half bent-over, head tilting. the sanctity of life departing through hurried breaths. 

“h-hey,” you crouched next to him, hands outstretched but were waiting for a coherent command. “shit.” the lectures slipped by you, running past but never handing the baton. it felt useless.

suddenly, your hand was flicked away by the person. behind his fringe, it was frozen, crystallised, icicles shot past his dark strands piercing you. “don’t bother. it’s nothing.”

eyebrows furrowed. “you’re insane,” you brushed the hair out of his face, finding splotches of bruising. his lip, busted red. injuries walked all over his skin, trampling the delicate layer. his complexion ghastly pale, you weren't sure if it was his skull peeking through his skin. “i need to call you an ambulan–”

“i’m serious,” he reiterated, “i… i just need a moment, some quiet. please. i don’t want them to find…” his sentence trailed off. 

you gulped, hands trembling. “you’re sure you don’t need me to call?”

he nodded.

he reassured you, but you can’t help but feel weighed by the fact that an injured person was right next to you. you made a mental note to ensure he visits a doctor by the end of this. sighing, you slowly sat next to him.

“... i’m just stressed. tired.” his words hung heavy in the blank air.

a familiar word. a sentiment that resonated. all too familiar. 

if there was a way to cheer him up... there was only one thing you knew about feeling burdened. you point a thumb at the boxing machine. “wanna blow off some of that stress?” 

.

“do you think that the arcade by the academy is still open?”

“i hope so. i wanna know if we’re still first on all those machines. and if my bloodstain still frightens people when they walk in,” a snicker. “remember when we played ’dancing dance rev rev’ for six hours straight? those were good days.”

you and wriothesley watch the boxing machine, your joint high scores blinking on the leaderboard in excited colours. 

“do you still have those old plushies i gave you from the claw machine?” you ask.

“of course,” wriothesley searches his pockets and pulls out his keys. a miniature wolf plush keychain hangs, bobbing up and down. “like this one. named it after you, how adorable they are.” he playfully pokes "mini you", cracking a grin.

you smile at the gesture. after all these years, you never forgot each other. “hey, no bullying.” you pause. “... weren’t we supposed to be tracking a suspect? i think they have already left this arcade.”

“oh, yeah. oops.”

a pair of fraternal twins stand outside outside a small agency, reading the sign over and over: teyvat's sleuth operatives… sounds tacky and lame... they think in unison. 

it is only when you approach them, that they stop hesitating. your uniform tidy, almost mastering the archetype of a professional private investigator, smiling at your newfound clients. you are no longer the new recruit. “need our help?”

a/n: i havent played genshin seriously since inazuma so i missed out on many events ( ; ω ; ) sorry alhaitham and wrio i tried my best⭐ lemme know if my reserach sucks bc my references were ace attorney and google (ﾉД`) also i wanted to draw their uniforms but got lazy, so i drew the banner instead (･ω<)☆ anw im off to read more manhwa (great start to the year), ill be back when the motivation finally whacks me hard again. if anyone wants to request ideas, feel free! my inbox is open 24/7! happy new year!!!! 🎆🎆🎆2025 will also be the year of the snake, so shoutout to all my snakes😎

[sinning-23]

please please please do different arcane/opla character's kinks???? (preferably some Jayce but yk-)

OMG I was just returning to arcane roots. Mind you I haven't seen the recent season (Im waiting for my mom and sister since we all watched dit together) UHH take these smutty lil kinky lil headcanona!

P.s For as much smut as i write I have the hardest time remembering the differences between kinks and fetishes BUT I think I got it down lol. Bare with me yall.

P.P.S. I'll make a part two with some more of these guys lol I started to draw a blank on a few and get burnt out but I want to provide QUALITY writing to y'all

Enjoy-

Silco

Yknow every time I come on this god forsaken app I find myself thirsting over dead midleages if not older men....

Ahem

Smoking and Begging I feel like would be two kinks of his. And like he already is a smoker so just translating that over to the bedroom....oof.

I feel like he's the type to smoke after or before, but like in a way that relaxes him even further? YK what I'm saying? Perhaps he'll even offer you some with a firm grip on your face while he blows smoke into your mouth, just before he kisses you.

I also think the begging gets him hot under the collar. Just the idea of his partner asking so desperately for release knowing he's in control of whether they're allowed to or not really does it for him. He's ruthless but sweet in the most deliciously contradicting way. Saying things like, " Begging is so unbecoming of you my dear," or "You can beg better than that, I thought you wanted to cum?"

Sevika

Sevika my belovedddddd <3 come home baby the kids miss you lmao. Sevika seems like the type to be down for a lot but also has her limits? One thing that really gets her going though is overstim/multiple orgasms. Please let her pull as many as she can from you its literally her favorite thing watching her partner come undone. She likes to see how messy you get and how your thighs tremble and shake, damn near tensing up from the strain.

She starts slow. Maybe two...then three more.....how bout we shoot for 4 to 5? SIx you say?! Alright, let's just say fuck it and go for 7.

"C'mon, you can give me one more. Thatssss it, let go."

Vander

This is a harworking, loving, family man okay. He doesn't have time for a lot...However, he definitely has time to just have you squeeze down on him with those hot, wet walls, simply existing. Ahhh yes the art of cockwarming in cwich he is an expert in. Hes a sneaky fucker too, taking time to just position you in front of him so he can slip his cock into you, just enjoying your warmth. No movement, just there, your back to his chest, pretending like nothing is happening behind the counter.

He especially enjoys the late nights, your bodies melted into one as you just sinkkkkk down on him, just adjusting to his length, fighting the urge to move as does he. Just that's part of the fun. Expect lots of soft gentled caresses as yout walls memorize him

Vi

Babygirls got a thing for hot chicks in uniform. Be in business attire, military, or otherwise, she loves it.

I mean, honestly, I was not hot about clean white button-downs tucked into fancy dress pants adorned by emblems of silver or gold. A nice neat hairstyle, no flyaways, very much office siren.

And please god don't let you have a snappy domineering attitude, telling her what to do, sexily taunting. Babygirl will be weak in the knees.

Jinx

I don’t think she’d have any kinks if I’m being honest. I see Jinx as a very experimental and fun but soft and vanilla lover. She enjoys being treated softly and gentle, especially in a moment of vulnerability like being intimate with a partner.

Viktor

I hate to be the one to say it but stalkings/knee highs and glasses… Yall HEAR ME OUTTT HEAR ME OUT! I know that sounds really bad but if you see the vision. I feel like Viktor is a lover of pretty things, patterns and decoration. The feeling of lace or tights under his fingertips, the thrill of being the one who gets to remove your glasses before you go down on him.

All is truly a treat in his pretty yellow eyes. Especially when it's his beloved and devoted partner. He takes his time with you treating you delicately as he pulls the fabric off your kneesocks away to reveal pretty legs he gets to you all the way up to the main prize. He likes taking his time unwrapping his gifts. His favorite part is discarding it all from your body. Or at the very least, making you do it.

"Strip." He hums, leaning forward as you shed layers of clothes with a smile.

Ekko

At first I was thinking that mmm Ekko doesn't have any really kinks. Maybe he’s more vanilla but then I got thinking…

Nah nah this guy..

He likes being bitten.

Oddly enough he wasn’t sure why when you had first done it on impulse, the two of you in one of your more intimate moments. You hand grazed his shoulder, only applying slight pressure before stopping yourself from going too hard but the sound it pulled form him. Gorgeous.

“D-Do it again. Please?” He asks, lifting a bit above your too see your glossed fucked our eyes.

“Bite you?” You reiterate, trying to read him and it’s nothing but pure lust and adoration.

“Baby, please.” He huffs, lulling his neck to the side, giving you access.

Please mark him up he really likes it.

[n3ptoonz]

Hello! I saw your most recent headcanon list thing with the Earthrealm guys being caught Slonking it Silly Style™ and uh. I was just wondering if you'd be willing to do something similar with the Outworld guys as well? Obviously you don't have to if you don't want to, but I think it would be neat! Thank you so much in advance! I love your work :)

deep, dramatic sigh. (kidding anon tysm i gush over comments like this ily smoochhhh) also the terminology made me laugh out loud ty for that

Shang Tsung

kinda sorta didn't gaf. who's to say he didn't want you to hear him. the world may never know

you were to report to him about some findings for his experiments and there he was, leaning over the table and straight up cranking it over a bucket (he's odd like that) honestly when you acknowledge your own presence he's like... can i help you?? you see i'm busy???

but at the same time he's like hold up i have a fine specimen here to help me out here...he's leaving here with SOMETHING (studio laughter)

Rain

i don't think he'd care either if you walked in on him. in fact, he might welcome it. he's used to having his own space, but he doesn't mind sharing it with people he's ok with being around. yes that includes you (is it only you? not even he knows yet)

day 8163 of using Rain's arrogance to push my narrative that he's not only in love with himself but how he looks in the mirror. you definitely walked in on him wanking it in the mirror and he'd freeze but recover so quick

ain't no way you're leaving here after you just caught him though. how else will his problems get solved? you went and made him hard all over again!

Reptile

syzoth has two, let's get that out the way. AND he uses both hands for them LMAOO

president of syzoth is a lil subby bitch society. so when you catch him tugging on both and reduced to a pathetic mess from his own hands??? he's frozen and quite literally has no clue what to do. he's sweaty, there's tears in his eyes, and his fangs are much more pronounced than usual

once you give him the green light that you're into whatever tf he was just doing watch him crawl over to you on all fours and hug your legs, practically begging you to touch him

Havik

expect this smug fuck to claim he wanted this to happen. dude was hunched over and going at it behind his own desk, grunting like a cave man who discovered self pleasure for the first time

1000% expect him to demand you help him, but instead it's after he froze for like 5 seconds and then tried to play it off

he would also be internally shocked when agree to finish the job, but on the outside it's like "that's what i thought...now get over here" whole time he's jumping up and down and twirling in his brain

Reiko

it's already rare that he has time to himself and definitely RARELY has time to be with you for an extended period of time, so you catching him when you wanted to surprise him with your presence it triggered his fight or fight LMAO

legit laughed at the thought of him jumping up from his chair hands ready to be thrown...but his dick is swinging PLSSSSSS

he's like well shit now he deserves your help after you almost got two pieced by your own boyfriend...but who's complaining?!

General Shao

this man weirdly reminds me of bowser sometimes. with that being said i think he'd do a BUAHA as a shocked sound when you catch him thwoping the schlong

as much as i can't fucking stand him he does look a lil better in this game i will admit. i'm not gonna sit up here and lie, he def has a HUGE wanker innit. so you didn't miss shit when you walked into his chambers

he would also demand your help. but if you have a lil push back just for fun, he'd eventually say please and be all soft and shit. why? cause it's you god damn it!

Baraka

let's be fr. truly i do not think mk1 baraka would masterbate simply bc he's like depressed all the time😭but for the sake of shits and gigs, ill humor y'all

let's say he hasn't seen you in a while and misses you dearly. he knew you were on a quest for a while, and he was very pent up... so what better way to release stress other than sparring! oh. not enough? time for another type spar 😈

if this were old baraka i'd say he has two 👁️ but since this version of tarkat is a disease let's say it made the skin around his wee like ribbed or something ya SO when you caught him he was in a straight up panic and apologizing profusely but once you calm him down and tell him you're glad he missed you so much, he's like oh shit...well help me out then...only if you want to!

a/n: i did it y'all FUCK. my bad for taking so long to release this i'm a perfectionist to a fault💀

[borathae]

↳ Index [Chapter 01 - Besuch]

• Besuch (German; noun: visit)

Focus on Pairing: Taehyung x f.Reader

Warnings: so many fluffy sweet moments, talks about polyamory & sexuality, Tae suffers from PTSD, but he gets so much comfort, Yoongi is a nervous cutie, Jungkook is so sweet <3

Wordcount: 14.5k

a/n: OMFG BESTIES WE'RE FINALLY BACK IN BUSINESS! I'M SO HAPPY TO BE BACK WITH A LIL STORY FOR YOU GAAAH 💙

“Okay. Are you ready?”

“I am.”

“Me too.”

“Where’s Yoongi?”

“He said that he’ll be here soon.”

“I could call him.”

The door opens.

“I’m sorry I’m late, I couldn’t get the button to close”, Yoongi says, running to get to you and the others. You are busy closing the safety circle while the others are waiting on your floor surrounded by your travel bags.

“Why are you dressed like this?” Taehyung asks, following Yoongi with his eyes.

Yoongi looks down at his own body. He is wearing a black suit with a small white boutonniere in his front pocket.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” he asks with a pout, “you’re wearing a suit too.” 

Taehyung, dressed in an emerald green suit, shrugs his shoulders.

“It is just that these are my normal clothes, but you look as if you stumbled out of the wrong movie.”

“Why? What’s wrong with my clothes?” Yoongi whines, “I’m meeting her grandma. Can’t I dress up for that?”

You and the others laugh fondly. 

“Stop laughing, you brats”, he hisses, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  

“I’m just laughing because you’re so cute, my love”, you tell him, sitting down cross legged and patting the spot next to you, “sit down.”

Yoongi follows, tugging and pulling at his clothes insecurely. He can’t even look at your eyes because he feels so insecure in them all of a sudden. 

You lean in and give him a smooch on his cheek, “you look so handsome.” 

Yoongi blushes, “thanks”, he mumbles.

“I also think that you’re handsome, hyungie”, Jungkook says. He is dressed in a fancy shirt and slacks and has his hair in a neat half-updo.

“Thanks”, Yoongi says.

“I still think that you look peculiar”, Taehyung teases.

“Tae, stop that”, you say, hitting his leg gently.

“Fine. I won’t say anything again”, Taehyung gives up and snickers.

“You’re a brat”, Yoongi says.

“Can we start now?” you ask, looking between him and Taehyung fondly. 

“Yes, of course”, Taehyung says and takes your hand. Next he takes Jungkook’s hand, holding it tightly.

“I guess. It’s so mean, I dressed up for the occasion and I get made fun of”, Yoongi murmurs with a pout as he takes your and Jungkook’s hands.

“I wasn’t making fun-”

“Hush, you guys. Focus. I need to channel your powers and I can’t concentrate when you talk”, you stop them in a chuckle. 

The two bickering vampires stop, looking at you with the most innocent of eyes. 

“Now”, you begin, “close your eyes and relax. It’ll tingle a little.”

The next time you open your eyes again, the scent of pine and wild herbs tickles your noses.

The ground beneath your feet crunches like small, angular stones. You run your eyes over your surroundings. Your lovers are beside you, looking around with awe in their eyes.

A high, dense forest surrounds you. The call of a blackbird echoes high above your heads and the humming of thousands of insects hangs in the air.

“Remarkable”, Taehyung gets out under his breath.

“Yeah right”, Jungkook whispers.

You find yourselves on a narrow gravel road. The road is just wide enough for one car and on the parts where no tires run along, high grasses and forest flowers grow. They tickle your legs as you stand in them. It is a nice sensation.

You know this road. Behind your backs, it leads into denser forests and high mountain paths. In front of your eyes, it will bring you to your grandmother’s house. You took this path a hundred times when you were younger. You will always find your way on it.

“Are we right here? Where are we? It looked different the last time we were here”, Jungkook asks.

“Yes, we’re right. It’s just not the back entrance”, you assure him, “come, follow me. I know the way”, you say and shoulder your bag, taking confident steps into the correct direction.

The three vampires lift their own bags and follow you with their eyes sparkling in awe. At least those of Taehyung and Jungkook, Yoongi’s eyes are glued to the ground. 

“I can’t believe that you truly managed to get us here”, Taehyung says, following a squirrel with his eyes as it escapes through the trees, “a squirrel! Right above our heads!”

“Where?” Jungkook gasps.

“There. Right there”, Taehyung shows him and after some intense searching, Jungkook finally finds it.

“Wow a squirrel! So cute!” he exclaims in a terribly cute voice. He and Taehyung share giggles and hold hands, swinging them back and forth happily.

You hold hands with Yoongi, who has been worryingly quiet until now.

“My love?” you call his attention with a soft pull at his hand.

His head snaps to you, “mhm?” his eyes are widened.

“Are you okay? You’re really quiet.”

“I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods his head, “nervous”, he confesses and looks away.

“You’re nervous?”

He nods his head, rubbing the side of his neck.

“I never really did the whole, uhm, meeting my partner’s family and stuff before. Uh, yeah, it’s new to me. Scary, uh, yeah.”

“Aww my love, don’t be nervous. My grandma will love you so much.”

“Yeah, uhm”, he lowers his head shyly.

“I’m serious, love. She told me that she saw glimpses of you in my memories and that she can see how well you treat me”, you assure him, hugging his arm, “don’t worry, she’ll look at you and see a kind, sweet and very loveable person. Yeah?”

He nods his head and glances at you. He squeezes your hand just once and leans in to kiss your cheek.

“Thank you”, he whispers.

“I’m only saying the truth”, you say and pull Jungkook and Taehyung closer by holding Taehyung’s hand, “as a matter of fact, she’ll love all of you. Oh, you guys”, you begin skipping in happiness, “I’m so, so happy to be back and to see my grandma again and to introduce her to you.”

“I’m really happy too. I can’t wait to see grandma again”, Jungkook says, watching you with sparkling eyes. You are so happy. He likes that you are.

“I am very excited as well, my darling. I cannot wait to try her raspberry pie.”

“Yes, god you really can’t”, you say and wiggle your shoulders, “it’s so, so yummy.”

Another squirrel scurries past you, crossing the narrow gravel road in small jumps. Jungkook giggles.

“It’s so cute.”

“It truly is”, Taehyung says, “however, I cannot find an explanation as to why there are animals and insects living here. Isn’t this a realm for the souls of deceased witches and warlocks? How come there is other form of life in this realm?”

You all look at Yoongi for an answer.

“What?”

“Why are there animals and insects here?”

“It’s just the way it is. I don’t know.”

“But didn’t Namjoon create this realm? Shouldn’t he have talked to you about his plans for it?”

“He did. I don’t know, it’s been too long. Maybe it’s because he loved plants and animals back then. I don’t know, sorry I’m nervous”, Yoongi says, ending his rant by exhaling loudly and blinking his eyes at you.

You give his hand an encouraging squeeze.

“It’s okay, love. Thank you for telling us.”

“Okay, okay I apologise for asking”, Taehyung says and reaches past you to caress Yoongi’s arm, “don’t be nervous, hyung. I am sure that you will be welcomed splendidly. If there is someone who should be nervous, it should be me.”

“Don’t say that, Tae. She’ll love you as well”, you insist.

“Yes, well”, Taehyung lets out a nervous chuckle, “she saw how wonderfully Yoongi treated you, so I am sure that she must have seen how awfully I acted.”

“Even if she did, that means she also saw how much you changed for the better. Don’t worry my darling, she will love you just as much as she’ll love Yoongi and Kookie.”

“Okay, okay”, Taehyung says and grins shyly, “thank you for saying this.”

You hug his arm against you and give it a little kiss.

“Of course, my sweetest”, you say and straighten up, “now let’s go. I can’t wait to see her again. Oh, I’m so happy. Do you guys think that she can feel that we are coming?”

“I am certain that she could sense it.”

“Yes, I get the feeling as well”, Jungkook assures you, while Yoongi is still lost in his nervous thoughts.

The walk to your grandmother’s cottage is a long one, but a terribly beautiful one. Being in nature is truly the best thing one can be. The long grasses and colourful flowers brush against your legs as you wander. The trees sway in the warm breeze and the sun shines through the canopy and makes light dance all around you.

“Did you know that there is a word in Japanese which describes the light shining through leaves?” Taehyung asks.

“No, I didn’t”, Jungkook says to which you agree with a shake of your head.

Yoongi seems to know already, because he doesn’t react. Or perhaps he is currently completely dissociated in nervousness. That would explain why he is staring into the distance with dazed eyes.

“Indeed there is”, Taehyung says, “komorebi. It is a beautiful word and I would say that it is rather fitting for such a beautiful view.”

“Yes”, you agree, letting your eyes follow the light. It is as if it was in a dance with the shadow, creating ever changing paintings, “yes I agree. Komorebi. I have to remember this word.”

“Thank you for telling us. I learned something new”, Jungkook says, painting great happiness onto Taehyung’s features.

The cottage is within reach. You can see the cozy house and the colourful, loved garden surrounding it. The rather unwelcome wooden stake fence doesn’t greet you this time around. A normal wooden fence stands in its stead. There are high wooden pillars on each side of the road and a wooden arch on which roses climb up and bloom. The gates are currently open, inviting you inside.

“It’s so peculiar not to see grandma’s staked fence”, you say.

“But it was there the last time we visited her, right?” Jungkook makes sure.

You nod your head, “it must be because we accidentally switched from my memories to this world. Remember? There were no stakes when we left the realm again, but because we were too preoccupied with our emotions, we didn’t really notice it.”

“Yes, right. Right, now that you mention it, I didn’t see any stakes when we left. So that means that we’re right, ___. You actually took us to the safe realm where no vampires are present.”

Jungkook breaks away from Taehyung and gets in front of you and the others. You all come to a stop. He steps closer and puts his hand on the chests of Taehyung and Yoongi. While Taehyung smiles at him, Yoongi seems to come back to reality with the touch. He blinks rapidly, gawking at Jungkook.

The latter smiles and bounces on the spot.

“You’re human”, he says, “you guys are human. We’re all human again”, he says and touches his own chest, “my pulse is back. Wow!”

Taehyung and Yoongi touch their chests and while Taehyung seems marvelled by it, Yoongi exhales shakily, blinking away the emotion in his eyes. He tightens his fingers around the fabric of his shirt, furrowing his brows.

“Oh how fascinating”, Taehyung gasps, looking at you, “darling, I can feel my heart beat.”

“I know”, you say, touching him gently, “I can feel it too, Tae.”

Taehyung smiles and places his hand over yours, pulling you closer this way, “sweetest”, he whispers and kisses you. It is a nice revelation that his first instinct upon being human again, is to kiss you. You kiss him back with a racing heart and in return, you can feel his heart race in his chest. Oh, how good it feels to kiss him.

By the time you pull back for air, you are just a little dizzy. He smiles at you, squeezing your hand gently. You retort his smile.

Jungkook’s giggles make both of you turn into his direction. He is giggling at Yoongi, while the latter is looking into Jungkook’s face. Their hands are on each other’s chests, feeling the other’s heartbeat.

“I can count the beats, hyungie”, Jungkook says, “your pulse is real.”

“Yeah, I know”, Yoongi answers him.

“It’s beating so fast.”

“Yeah, I know…”

You join their sides, caressing their arms.

Jungkook pulls you into a group hug instantly, smothering you between his body and Yoongi’s.

“Oh? Okay”, you accept your fate with giggles, which only grow when you can feel Taehyung join the group hug as well.

“We are human again”, Jungkook says and begins jumping in a circle. You join him soon even if Yoongi whines about it. It’s just way too exciting to be with each other.

“Honeybee!” someone calling your nickname breaks the group hug. The boys release you, watching with curious eyes as a couple seem to hurry to you. They are dressed in flowy summer clothes and seem to be in their forties. Jungkook is smiling, waving his hand.

“Grandma! Hello!” he calls out, but you can’t hear him anymore.

Your grandfather is next to your grandmother. Safe and sound. And alive. He is actually alive.

“Grandpa?!” you gasp, “you- oh”, you stop talking to instead run to them.

They welcome you with open arms, engulfing you in the kind of hug only loving grandparents can give. Despite promising yourself not to cry, you still do. You went so many years without them and to see both of them again, well and alive, overwhelms you in the best way possible.

“You’re alive! Grandpa, you’re alive!”

“Hello my little forest strider, how have you been?”

“Oh grandpa, I missed you so much”, you choke out and sob into his chest.

“Mhm, my girl”, he says and pulls you closer.

You break away after a few moments of emotional hugging, eyes switching between your grandparents’ faces.

“You guys are so young and, and you’re both here. I don’t understand. How can you be here?”

“This is a peaceful world. A good world. I am here because Agatha wanted me to be here.”

“And you are real? You are truly real?”

“I am”, your grandfather smiles and tugs your grandmother closer, “she just couldn’t say goodbye to me, could she?”

“How could I, Harald? I need to have someone I can annoy”, she jokes, which makes him laugh and kiss her cheek. She takes your hand afterwards, “there is a way to make sure that your loved ones will find peace in this world even if they aren’t born witches.”

“There is?”

“Yes, yes there is, but I will tell you later. My boys, welcome”, she says and turns to your three boys with open arms, “I’m Agatha, but you can call me grandma as well. Jungkook my dear, welcome back.”

“I’m so happy to be back, grandma”, he says, bowing his head.

She however tugs him into a hug, forcing a squeak out of him as he stumbles into her loving embrace. He is so much taller than her, lowering himself for her comfort.

“Welcome back, my boy. How have you been?”

“Good, really good. I missed you.”

They break the hug, but she keeps holding his hands.

“It’s so nice to have you back for a happy occasion”, she says to which he agrees with an enthusiastic nod.

Afterwards he turns to your grandfather, giving him a tight handshake.

“It is so nice to meet you. I’m Jungkook.”

“Agatha already told me a lot about you. It’s good to finally put a face to the stories”, he says and grabs his upper arm, “you’re a strong one. I can feel it. Are those tattoos?”

“Oh, uhm…” Jungkook blushes, “yes, I guess they are.”

“Aha, I see. How far up do they go?” he asks, trying to tug Jungkook’s shirt further up his arm.

Jungkook laughs nervously, glancing at you as a call for help. But before you can save him from your grandfather’s nosy, yet kindly meant, hands, your grandmother does.

“Harald, don’t be nosy. Dear god”, your grandmother swipes his hand away, turning her attention to Yoongi next.

“You must be Yoongi.”

“I am”, he croaks out, “sorry”, he says and bows deeply, clearing his throat as he does, “nice to meet you and thank you so much for housing us”, he says and bows at your grandfather as well.

“I’m happy to have you, my dear”, she says and gives his arm a soft caress.

“Agatha told me that you enjoy woodworking. I was a carpenter in my time”, your grandfather says and takes both his hands to inspect them, “mhm good worker hands. They don’t fit your face.”

“Uh? Thank you, yeah, uhm.”

Your grandmother rolls her eyes at him because he is being nosy again.

“___ told me that you were a carpenter. Yeah, uhm”, Yoongi pulls his hands out of your grandfather’s hold and scratches his own ear shyly, “I think woodworking is good. Yeah”, he mumbles and clears his throat again.

Your grandfather smiles. Yoongi is shy. Just as Agatha had told him.

Taehyung bows at both of your grandparents as well, “I am Taehyung. It is truly wonderful to finally meet the people who are so utterly important to ___.”

“We could say the same about you”, she says and studies him from head to toe. There is just the slightest, smallest, faintest mistrust in them. 

“I, uhm”, Taehyung begins fumbling in his bag, “I have something for you”, he says and pulls out a box.

Your grandmother accepts it, opening it. 

“Oh? Seeds?”

“Yes, indeed. They are seeds from our garden. ___ told me that she inherited her enjoyment for gardening from you and I thought that growing seeds from our garden in your own could be a special way to connect our families.”

Your grandmother exchanges a look with your grandfather. They smile, reaching out for a warm caress to Taehyung’s arms.

“Thank you, boy. We will cherish them.”

“This is such a wonderful gift, thank you my dear”, your grandmother says and points at the house, “come, I bet you must be really exhausted from the journey.”

“Not really. ___ did a really good job at sending us here”, Jungkook says and looks around, “it looks a lot nicer here than last time.”

“That’s because you entered this realm willingly and not accidentally. That is also why your heartbeats feel so real and why you can take bags with you. Because your bodies are actually here.”

“Woah, that’s wild to me. Did you know that, hyung?”

Yoongi shakes his head, “no, I’m sorry. I don’t know a lot about this world”, he murmurs shyly.

“I see. That’s okay, but you seem to know a lot, grandma.”

“Oh? Oh no”, she laughs, “I know enough to know that this world is safe, but that it will also be punishing to people who aren’t dead yet.”

“What do you mean? Are we in danger?”

“Only if you die in here. You will be lost forever, which is not a nice fate to have.”

“Oh god. You guys gotta be extra careful from now on. Okay?” you tell your three boys.

“We will, don’t worry”, Jungkook assures you to which the others agree.

“I’m sure nothing will happen”, your grandfather says and places his arm over your grandmother’s shoulder, “are you hungry? We were just about to start dinner when Agatha felt you enter this realm.”

“Dinner sounds lovely, Harald?” Taehyung says, “please forgive me if I got your name wrong.”

“You got it right. Name’s Harald, but you can call me grandpa if you want to.”

“It is lovely to meet you, Harald. ___ told me a great deal about you. You mean a lot to her.”

“Oh, she means more to me. My little girl, she’s my treasure.”

Taehyung feels warm in his chest. He loves to know that you have family who truly and honestly love you.

“We made raspberry pie as well”, your grandmother says.

“Yes, pie! I’m so ready to eat at least three slices!” you exclaim happily and take her hand, “grandma, can I have the recipe? I forgot to ask you last time, but I would really love to make it at home.”

“Of course, my honeybee. Do you have raspberry bushes at your home as well?”

“I do. Yoongi wants to teach me one day how I can make them grow like you make yours grow, but for now I have to learn better control.”

“Control is really important. I’m impressed that you managed to get all of you here unharmed.”

“I know. Oh god, grandma I was so nervous you have no idea.”

You take off your shoes by the front door. Your grandmother scurries off to prepare lemonade, while your grandfather leads you upstairs. He is carrying your bag because he insisted that it is a grandfather’s job to carry his grandchild’s bags. 

“It’s so cozy here”, Jungkook says.

“Aye, cozy it is”, your grandfather says, leading you to your bedroom, “I built all of it myself. Not in this world, but the real one. The house was already there when I came here. Don’t ask me how it works, Agatha’s the one with magic, I’m just here to be her support.”

He makes you laugh with it. He smiles fondly, putting your bag on your bed.

“Two of you can sleep here. The rest can sleep in the guestroom. Ignore the mess on the desk. I use it as my hobby room when it’s just the two of us.”

“What do you enjoy as a hobby?” Taehyung asks, walking next to him. They are the same height, carrying themselves with good posture.

“I’m a collector of old weapons. Without the ammunition of course. I spend a lot of time cleaning and restoring old weapons.”

“Oh, that sounds wonderful. I have quite a few rare pieces in my own collection. I shall bring some of them with me next time we visit.”

“So you’re a collector too?”

“I am sure not as passionate as you, but my age automatically comes with many trinkets and pieces, which I find myself collecting.” 

“I see, well anyways, that’s the guest room. Make yourselves comfortable”, he says and studies you, “however that will work. Do you pull cards to decide?”

“We prefer to decide spontaneously.”

“I see, well anyways, rest for a bit, get comfortable. I’m downstairs for now”, he says and turns to leave. He gives you a hug before he does, patting your head, “my girl.”

Once it is just the four of you, Taehyung speaks.

“I got the feeling that he wanted to ask more about our situation, but he didn’t know how.”

“Knowing my grandpa, he really did. Especially because I came back dating three men, who also date each other.”

“Mostly. Some are only acquaintances”, Yoongi corrects you, making Taehyung gasp dramatically.

“Acquaintances? Excuse me? Have we not spent enough centuries together to at least be friends?” 

“I don’t know. You made fun of my outfit.”

“Oh, hyung you”, he nudges his arm, “you know that I was only jesting. You look very handsome.”

“Whatever”, Yoongi says and looks around the room awkwardly.

“Do you guys like it here?” you ask them.

“It’s so cozy. I like it a lot.”

“It also smells very good.”

“It does, gosh. And look, you can see the forest from here”, you say, hurrying to the small window. 

Your three boys gather behind you, trying to get a glimpse.

“I spent a lot of time in this forest. I can’t believe that I get to walk in it again. We are gonna take walks in it, aren’t we?” 

“Of course. I even packed my walking shoes for this occasion.”

“I’m so happy, you guys”, you say, following your grandmother with your eyes as she is hurrying through the garden to pick some mint, “I wanna go downstairs and help them.”

“We’ll come with you.” 

You spent the rest of the day together, talking and laughing. You tell your grandparents everything which happened in the years they weren’t with you anymore and it felt so good to do because this time around, you know that you had no rush in speaking. Yoongi was with you again. Taehyung and Jungkook as well. Everything was well and you are allowed to waste time telling silly stories of your life. Your grandparents are so very happy to listen to every single one of them. And so you spent the day talking until the moon replaced the sun in the sky and the crickets sang their nightly songs.

Yoongi helped your grandmother with dinner. You could listen to them bond over food. They even exchanged recipes and chatted about bread making. It made you feel really good inside to hear how Yoongi talks to your grandmother. Respectful and in a soft spoken voice. He is such a gentle person.

You and your other two boys wanted to help as well, but then your grandfather dragged you into a game of cards. He was sure that he could win, because he always won when you were still a child, but soon had to realise that his little girl was all grown up now. It made him a little sad and so you let him win the next round, which made him tease you in the adoring way he always teased you when he won. It made you really happy. You missed the game of cards with your grandfather.

Dinner has been served by now. You sit around the table, sharing the food your grandmother and Yoongi prepared with utmost love. It tastes so good that everyone goes for a second serving. You even go for a third because the combination of Yoongi’s cooking and your grandmother’s cooking is quite frankly, the most delicious combination to ever exist. Two cuisines which taste like home mixed into one. Truly, food couldn’t get any better than this.

You talk about food for most of it. Soon your grandfather leads the conversation to a different topic however. It was during dessert when tea was shared with your grandmother’s raspberry pie. You feed a spoonful to Taehyung and then to Jungkook, doing so with giggles on your lips.

“Is it yummy?” you ask them.

“Really, I missed your pie so much”, Jungkook murmurs.

“It is so sweet and rich in flavours. I truly enjoy it”, Taehyung gushes.

“Well, thank you my dear”, your grandmother says with fondness in her eyes. She likes to know when people enjoy her food. Especially her pies. She is very proud of her pies. All the recipes are her creations and she takes great pride in them. She wipes down the counters with a happy smile on her lips, listening to the conversation.

You break off another piece of the pie and turn to Yoongi.

“Now you, my love”, you tell him.

Yoongi meets you in the middle with an open mouth. He takes the pie off your fork gently, meeting your eyes shyly.

“And?”

He chews and swallows, nodding his head.

“Mhm”, he lets out, “really good. How are you getting the raspberry flavors to stay so intense, Agatha?”

“I couldn’t tell you. I think my raspberries really like me. It’s how they taste naturally.”

“Mhm, I could have figured. As a nature witch, you have a talent for gardens.”

Your grandmother chuckles mischievously and that is the moment when your grandfather stirs the conversation into a different direction.

“___ my girl, now I must ask something.”

“Yes, grandpa?” 

“Why are you all dating?” 

“Harald, you can’t ask that out of nowhere”, your grandmother gasps, dropping the wipe on the counter to run to him and nudge his arm.

“It’s not out of nowhere. I really thought about it before I asked”, your grandfather defends himself.

“It doesn’t make it okay”, she throws back, but you assure her that it was alright to ask.

“I understand that it’s not really common to see, questions are allowed. Right, guys? Is it okay for you as well?” 

“Of course. We are very open to answer your questions”, Taehyung says.

“I don’t have a lot of experience with polyamory, but I’m okay as well”, Jungkook says.

“Me too. I’ll try my best to answer”, Yoongi says, “I was honestly just waiting for you guys to ask us. I know it must be weird to see your granddaughter return with three men by her side.”

“Not weird just…uncommon.”

“Gosh Harald, stop being so negative.”

“What? I’m just saying. It must be uncommon for you too. I’m sure they know that it’s not something you see every day.”

“Harald!”

“It’s really okay, grandma. We know it’s not seen a lot. It would be weird if you weren’t confused.”

Agatha gives up with a sigh and sits down by her chair.

“Fine, okay. I admit that I’m a little curious as well.”

“What do you want to know? I don’t want you guys to have a bad idea of polyamory so I’m really open to all questions”, you say.

“What does it mean to be poly? Is that what you call the dating you are doing?”

“Yes, that’s the official name for it.” 

“It sounds really stressful to me”, your grandfather says.

“It can be stressful if you don’t communicate and understand each other. If you talk and respect each other, it’s not stressful at all.”

“But how can you spend enough time with every person?” 

“It’s easy for us because we live in the same estate, so sometimes we spend time by being in the same room.”

“I would also say that it really helps to make a schedule”, Taehyung says.

“A schedule?” 

“Indeed. We sit down and make a plan of when someone wants to spend time with another. We plan dates, schedule holidays and decide on who wants to spend time with whom.”

“So you decide on special date days just for this one pairing? Are you even couples? How does it work?”

“Yes, we plan special couple days so nobody feels left out. Not all of us are dating however.”

“How can I understand that?” 

“I’m dating Yoongi, Tae and Kook”, you say, “while Yoongi is only dating Kook and me.”

“I am dating ___, Yoongi and Tae”, Jungkook says, “but Tae only dates ___ and me.”

“So you and you”, your grandpa points at Yoongi and Taehyung respectively, “are just friends?” 

“Indeed we are.”

“I guess.” 

“But how does that work?”

“We aren’t interested in each other”, Yoongi says, “but we respect each other enough not to want to break up the polycule.” 

“Indeed. We spend friendship time with each other, isn’t that so?”

“I guess”, Yoongi murmurs, avoiding Taehyung’s eye contact shyly.

“This is really mindboggling to me. All of it”, your grandfather says and looks at your grandma, “do you understand it, Agatha?”

“Oh Harald, why must you be so negative? If it makes our___  happy, then I understand everything I need to understand.” 

“I wasn’t judging. I am just really confused. Don’t you get jealous or insecure?”

“Sometimes”, Taehyung says, “I think that jealousy can’t even be prevented in monogamous relationships and there are definitely more opportunities to get jealous in a polycule. Sometimes a person wants attention from someone, but the person they want affection from is busy with someone else. Jealousy or insecurities are unavoidable.”

“Exactly, sometimes you also feel as if your time spent with them is shorter than that of the others and you get jealous of that”, Jungkook agrees.

“Or as if you received less love than others, which can make you feel insecure”, Yoongi says.

“But the most important thing to remember is that jealousy is human and that it is important to talk about it. When one of us gets jealous or insecure, we sit down to talk and fix the issue together”, you say.

“It really helps because almost all of the time, the insecurities are gone after the conversation”, Taehyung says.

“And we realise that the jealousy was useless”, Jungkook says.

“I see. I might start to understand a thing or two. I thought that you never get jealous and found it unbelievable. It’s good to hear that jealousy happens, but that you talk about it”, your grandpa says and reaches out to caress your hand, “my girl, you have this from your grandmother. She always wants to talk about everything.” 

“Talking about the issue is important. Otherwise it will linger and become an unwanted curse on your heart.” 

“That is true, my darling witch”, your grandfather says and kisses her cheek.

She leans in with a mischievous giggle.

“Now one last question. You know me, I’m too nosy.”

“Yes?”

“Does it mean that intimacy is always together?”

“Harald, you are inappropriate”, Agatha says with a slap to his arm.

“I’m just saying. You know, the seventies were a wild time. Your grandmother and I have some experiences with org-”

“Harald!”

Your grandfather lifts his hands in defeat. 

Your grandmother clicks her tongue, “crazy. Please don’t listen to him, he is being childish.”

Taehyung and Jungkook chuckle knowingly and exchange a boyish look with your grandfather.

“Do not worry. I find it very important to make sexuality a normal topic and to remove the negative stigma around it. Without sex, none of us would be here right now and intimacy can be a very important part to show affection to the people you love. So I believe that it is important to see sex as something positive and normal, instead of demonising it. Of course it is very important to keep such conversations age appropriate, but I see no evil in talking about it between adults”, Taehyung says.

“I agree, yes”, your grandfather says, “I don’t even want details, just a yes or no.”

“May I answer it?” Taehyung asks to which all of you consent to with a nod. So he looks at your grandfather and talks, “sometimes we share intimacy between more than two people, but most of the time, intimacy is shared between two people.”

“What about you and Yoongi?”

“We do not sleep with each other.”

“I see. Forgive me for asking.” 

“Worry not. I hope that I could answer your questions.”

“You could”, your grandfather says and looks to the side. He seems just a little embarrassed to have asked such a question.

“Now I have a question as well”, your grandma says.

“Yes?”

“Does polyamory mean that you like men and women?”

“It can, but not always. There are also strictly same sex polycules or non binary polycules.”

“What does non binary mean?” 

“Well, to put it very short. It means when you don’t identify as female or male. In a sense the person can identify as both or neither. This is the very short answer.” 

“I see. And in your case it means that you are all attracted to men and women?”

“Yes, in my case it does. However I identify as queer. Gender isn’t important for my attraction to form, as I am drawn to the person and not their gender identity and I feel most comfortable in identifying as queer.”

“Gender doesn’t matter to me either, so I resonate most with being bisexual”, Jungkook says.

“I don’t do labels. I like who I like”, Yoongi says.

“I don’t know what I am. Sometimes I think about kissing a girl”, you confess, “I never told this before. Please don’t tell mom and dad, they don’t know.”

“How should we tell them?” your grandmother says with a fond laugh on her lips.

“Ah yeah, I totally forgot that this isn’t the real world. Damn, it’s insane to think that we’re in a magical afterlife right now. It feels so real.”

“In an unexplainable, but wonderful way this is real.”

You smile at the thought, reaching out to hold your grandparent’s hands.

“I’m so happy that it is. I really missed you so much.”

“We missed you too, my honeybee.”

“My girl, hm, my girl.”

“How is it possible for grandpa to be here? You said that you would tell me later.”

“Ah yes, I did”, she says, shifting into a more comfortable position, “there is a ritual you can do to mark the soul of a person so it is worthy to live in this realm after death.”

“There is?”

“Yes, yes there is. Harald, get me the book”, she says and gestures to the bookcase in the living room.

Your grandfather stands up, “the purple one?”

“No, the black one with the moon on the front.”

“Okay.”

He looks for it for a moment, returning with it once he found it. He places it on the table and sits down. Your grandmother opens it in the middle. Drawings of spell materials are on the right page while the left describes the ritual in detail.

“It is a very difficult ritual and dangerous too.”

“Yeah it really is”, Yoongi agrees, “if you get the mixture wrong, the soul ends up cursed.”

“So you know the spell?”

“No, I haven’t heard of it before, but I know what citrine powder mixed with too much beryl dust does. Especially when you use it in this kind of way and with these enchantments. It can curse the soul so that after death, it dissolves into nothing.”

“You know a lot about magic, don’t you?”

“Yoongi was a student of Nilrem.”

Your grandmother widens her eyes in surprise.

“Nilrem? The creator of magic?”

“The bringer of magic, yes. He always said that he came from another universe, but he was honestly crazy so I don’t know if he just made stuff up.”

“This is actually very shocking to me. ___ told me that you had knowledge in magic, but I never connected the dots that it is because you were one of Nilrem’s students.”

“Yeah no, I was”, he says shyly, scratching the side of his neck.

“Fascinating”, she says and giggles shyly, “please forgive me, but this feels as if I am meeting a celebrity.”

Yoongi blushes and looks to the side. You give his cheek a little kiss.

“He’s so cool, isn’t he?”

“Don’t say that”, he whispers, nudging you under the table.

“Mhm, he is the coolest”, you say and smooch him a second time despite his protesting nudge.

Your grandmother watches it fondly before looking back into the book.

“I bet you already know what you have to do for the spell to work, don’t you?”

“No please, don’t feel inferior in my presence. I seriously don’t know a lot about magic”, he assures her. He is being humble for her sake. It is obvious to all of you that he is.

“Did you enchant grandpa with this spell?”

“Yes I did. I measured the ingredients multiple times and practiced the spell many times.”

“So you can practice spells?”

Your grandmother looks at Yoongi.

“Please go ahead, Agatha”, he tells her, giving her enough confidence to continue.

“Yes you can. There is a method where you can enchant a hay puppet with it and then throw it into flames. When the smoke turns black, the spell would fail but if it turns white, the spell is correct.”

“I see. This is actually so helpful. When Yoongi was in a magical coma, I got help from Meredith and her coven.”

“I know Meredith.”

“Yes, we got help from them and they tested spells by drawing blood from Jungkook and inflicting the portions with the curse. It was really fascinating and I never thought that it was possible.”

“Oh you know so much already, my honeybee”, she says with great melancholy in her eyes, “it’s correct that you can find an antidote against blood curses by testing it on small amounts of the right blood”, she says and looks at Jungkook, “that would mean that you are from Yoongi’s bloodline.”

“I am. Wow, how did you know?” Jungkook gasps.

“The vampire curse is just a little different in each Creator’s blood, which means their creations are each just a little different because the change is based on the Creator’s blood. Which means that Meredith could only successfully test out the different antidotes on your blood because you shared Yoongi’s specific curse properties. It wouldn’t have worked otherwise.”

“Wow, I didn’t know that”, Jungkook confesses, “did you?”

Yoongi shakes his head, “not so detailed. I knew that my sire line shares the same curse as me, but I didn’t know that my curse also changed their blood to be the same as mine.”

“Does that mean that they’re the same in here as well?” you ask.

“No”, she shakes her head, “in here no curses can reach. You are all how you were when you were still human”, she glances at Yoongi, “or witches.”

Yoongi looks at his hands with widened eyes, as if he just realised what it meant to be free of his curse.

“Oh.”

“Wow, this is so cool”, you are too occupied with being excited to notice, “you know so much, grandma. This world is so cool and this spell is even cooler. Does this mean that I could make sure that they find peace in this world if they ever die?”

“You could, but you have to be careful”, she furrows his brows in seriousness, “this curse isn’t to take lightly. I only started practicing it once I knew I had complete control over my powers and I only put it on your grandfather after practicing it for months.”

“I understand. I won’t do it without practice, I promise.”

“That’s what I want to hear, my honeybee”, she says and caresses your cheek, “I’m so proud of you.”

You lean into her touch, feeling so very warm in your chest.

“Thanks, grandma.”

Taehyung helps with washing the dishes after dinner, while Jungkook and Yoongi help your grandfather outside with the animals. You stay with your grandmother and Taehyung, telling her more about how you think that your boys are the coolest people ever. She listens to you happily. After cleaning up, you play cards until your grandparents get too tired and excuse themselves for the night.

Your grandparents are the first to wash up, while Jungkook and Taehyung say that they will unpack their bags a little. You are the next to wash up, now currently leaving the bathroom in your coziest pyjamas.

“Careful.”

“Oh? Oops”, you stop in your tracks after almost crashing into Yoongi.

He lowers his hand, having wanted to knock.

“Did you want to knock?”

He nods his head.

“I didn’t hear anything, so I didn’t know if it was empty already. Human hearing and shit, it’s useless”, he says, making you chuckle.

“It’s empty now”, you tell him and step out of the doorframe, “if you’re quick, you even get the warmth.”

“Yeah, thanks uhm”, he says and disappears inside.

You study the closed door for a moment, having to smile. He’s especially cute tonight. Really awkward. You love when he’s awkward, because he gets so adorable when he is.

Jungkook is in your bedroom, turning to you when you enter. He looked at your desk before that. His eyes begin sparkling, his lips curl into a smile.

“Hey there”, he says.

“Hey there”, you say.

“Wow, I love the pyjamas. Purple. The colour fits you so well.”

“Thanks, heh”, you say, posing for him in a cute way.

He appreciates it with sparkling eyes and the brightest smile ever. 

“And they’re really soft.”

“I can tell”, he says and continues with a shy gleam in his eyes, “I didn’t wanna be all alone downstairs, so I waited for you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. Did you find something you like?”

“I looked at the drawings on your desk. Are they yours?”

“Yup, my childhood drawings.”

“Wow, you had talent.”

You close the distance between you and him, travelling your eyes over the drawings.

“I did, didn’t I? I mostly painted the cottage, my grandparents and the animals. This is Moo and this is supposed to be Jumper”, you say, pointing at the childish drawing of a cow and a brown rabbit.

“I can totally see the resemblance. You really nailed Jumper’s long ears.”

“I did, yeah”, you say, having to snicker.

Jungkook snickers as well, rubbing his hand up and down your back in an innocent show of affection. He ends the adoration with a little massage of your neck and a soft brush down your hair. You really love receiving it, feeling safe in his presence.

“The fabric’s really soft. You’re right”, he says, caressing your back again.

“I know, it’s so comfy.”

He leans in and sniffs you by your shoulder.

“Hm, smells good too.” 

“It’s the detergent we always use.”

“It’s nice.”

He kisses your shoulder in an innocent show of affection, then straightens up to look at the drawings on the wall. More drawings of the cottage and its animals, a few drawings of flowers and other plants and some are family portraits of you and your grandparents. 

“It’s kinda cute that they kept all of this even in the afterlife”, he says.

“I know, it’s so cute. Do you think that it looks different here than it did last time?”

“Yeah, totally. More alive I would say and a lot more lived in.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Did you test out the bed yet?”

He shakes his head, “I didn’t know if I could. I’m still in my clothes and all.”

“No, you totally could have”, you assure him and walk to your bed. You throw yourself onto it, bouncing on it with a big grin on your lips.

Jungkook laughs in fondness.

“Come here, the bounce is great.”

Jungkook closes the distance and sits down next to you, laughing loudly when you bounce next to him, making him shake around this way.

“Do it too.”

Jungkook does as he is told, bouncing on the mattress with silly laughter on his lips. You have to laugh as well, wiggling your toes because it’s so fun to be silly with him.

“Ah, I love it here”, you say, dropping into the sheets with your arms stretched far from you.

Jungkook rests his weight on his hand, having his torso turned to you.

“It’s really nice here, yeah”, he agrees.

“It also smells so nice”, you say, sniffling vividly.

Jungkook breathes in deeply, “yeah right. Like fresh laundry and hay.”

“Yeah, so nice.”

“My nose is so weak though. It’s a little weird not to smell a million scents all the time.”

“Gosh, this must feel like a holiday.”

“It does. I can only smell the laundry, the hay and your soap. At home I would smell your emotions and your blood and the animals outside and, and, and”, he huffs out air, “damn, I really smell a lot don’t I?” 

“You really do.”

“Ah, it’s nice to take a break from it.”

Silence overcomes you where Jungkook gazes at you and you gaze at him. You end up having to smile at him. He retorts it and shifts his eyes to your stomach.

“You’ve got a little skin showing”, he says, reaching to fix the slipped up shirt.

“I know, the movement made my shirt slip up.”

“Mhm”, he hums and does the unthinkable thing of pulling the shirt further up your tummy so he could lean down and blow raspberries on it.

“No please!” you squeak, lifting your legs and grabbing his head because it tickles so much.

Jungkook does it again, forcing the loudest cackle to escape you.

“Koo stop”, you complain, trying to push his head away.

“Sorry”, he laughs and pulls the shirt down. He lies down next to you and attacks your neck next.

“This isn’t better, Kook stop it”, you complain in cackles and little squirms.

Jungkook smiles against your skin. His heart is racing like crazy in his chest.

“You’re so fucking cute”, he whispers and goes to attack you again.

“Please”, you squeal, having to laugh honestly and loudly. He is tickling you, but it doesn’t feel awful. It feels good. Safe. Tingly. You can’t stop laughing, trying to fight him off with soft tugs at his strong arm.

But Jungkook is stronger than you, pinning you down even more by lying some of his weight on your chest and attacking the other side of your neck.

He probably would have teased you to the point of tears of laughter if someone hadn’t knocked on your door. He stops instantly, lifting his head. Did you wake your grandparents?

Knock. Knock.

“Yeah?” you call out.

“It’s me”, Yoongi says. 

“Come in.”

The door opens and in steps Yoongi. He is in his black pyjamas with his hair unstyled and his cheeks looking especially dewy. He closes the door, waddling to your bed. Then he stands. Stands and stares and rubs his own tummy. 

“Do you need something, my love?” you ask him, sitting up in bed. 

Jungkook sits up as well, looking at Yoongi with curious eyes. 

“I was maybe thinking that, I don’t know, maybe uhm maybe, uhm”, he stutters, blushing shyly, “nevermind, it’s stupid”, he says and tries to flee.

You however stop him with a gentle touch to his inner wrist.

“You can talk to us”, you assure him, giving him a sweet smile, “what’s the matter, love?”

“Uhm”, Yoongi begins, “uhm, uh. Do you wanna, uhm, share a bed tonight?” he finally gets out, looking at Jungkook.

“Me?” Jungkook makes sure.

Yoongi nods his head, touching his own ear to soothe himself. 

“I was thinking maybe it could be nice. I don’t know, it’s stupid. Sorry, it’s stupid.” 

“No, it’s not. I love this idea”, Jungkook says and reaches out to touch Yoongi’s waist, “I would love to share a bed with you, my hyungie.” 

“Okay. That’s cool”, Yoongi says dryly but with flushed cheeks. 

“Is that okay with you, ___?”  Jungkook makes sure. 

You look between them. Jungkook is excited, while Yoongi is nervous.

“Of course that’s okay with me. You two deserve all the bed snuggles in the world”, you say and grin, “I also get to snuggle Tae, so that’s a win for me.”

Jungkook chuckles fondly while Yoongi relaxes in relief.

“That’s true, Tae snuggles are very nice”, Jungkook says and pecks your cheek, “is the bathroom empty?”

“Yeah”, Yoongi confirms.

“Coolio, I’ll wash up and I’m expecting you in the guest bed once I’m done”, he says and snickers, rolling out of bed to leave the room.

He closes the door. 

Yoongi sits down on bed instantly, taking your hands. He squeezes them so tightly, one might wonder if he wanted to crumble them.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” 

“I don’t wanna make you feel as if you’re not important to me. I, I love sleeping next to you, but I, I wanna spend time with Jungkook too. Sometimes. I’m sorry, Please don’t be too mad at me.” 

“Gosh Yoongi, you’re worrying for nothing”, you say in a fond chuckle and kiss his cheek. You keep close afterwards, running your fingers through his hair, “I’m not mad at you. This is part of what being poly is. Sometimes you just wanna spend time with a certain person, but that doesn’t mean the other automatically loses value. I don’t feel mad that you crave Kookie time tonight.”

Yoongi relaxes his shoulders, gazing at you.

“Thank you for understanding, you’re so…” he sighs and speaks in a softer voice, “I’m a mess and you’re calm. This is all new to me. I haven’t done poly before. I’m a mess. I practiced outside ‘cause I was scared of your reaction. You’re so calm. I feel peaceful.” 

“Gosh Boongie, you cutie. I’m glad that I make you feel at peace”, you say and kiss his cheek a second time. 

He leans into the affection, closing his eyes halfway.

“I also understand your feelings about doing poly for the first time. It’s my first time as well and I’m really scared to mess up, but I think that our little family can make it work.” 

“Yeah me too”, he agrees, nodding his head.

“We’re doing really well, I think.”

He nods his head, shifting his eyes to your intertwined hands. He traces your knuckles with his thumbs, following the movement with sparkling eyes.

“How are you liking the stay here?” you ask him because you crave just a little more of his voice.

“Good. I think it’s good”, he says, nodding his head.

“Yeah? Me too. I really love it here. Gosh Yoongi, it was my dream to show this place to you. It makes me so happy that you can finally see it.”

“I like it, yeah”, he meets your eyes, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I didn’t talk a lot.”

“At dinner?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s okay, my love. You were perfect. I can assure you that my grandparents love you.”

“I hope. I’m really nervous.”

“I can tell, but don’t be. You’re doing really well”, you assure him, combing your fingers through his soft hair.

“Thank you”, he whispers.

You kiss his cheek, rubbing his back afterwards.

“I spent so much of my early childhood in this room. I have really dear memories of it.”

“It’s a good room.”

“Yeah it is”, you agree and stand up to get the drawings from the table. You sit down next to him and show them to him, “I painted a lot in my free time. Mostly the cottage, the animals and my grandparents. Do you recognise the cow?”

“Is it the one outside?”

“Correct. Her name’s Moo. I named all of the animals here, which is why the names are very unoriginal.”

Yoongi smiles softly and takes the drawing with careful fingers.

“Moo is a good name for a cow.”

“I guess so, yeah”, you snicker, “the bunnies are called Jumper, Flopsi and Daisy.”

“Cute.”

“Yeah, they’re so cute. The second cow is called Milky.”

He laughs.

“Don’t laugh, I told you the names are very unoriginal.”

“It’s cute, I’m laughing ‘cause it’s cute”, he says, meeting your eyes shyly. You give him a grin, kissing his lips afterwards.

“You’re cute.”

He looks away, blushing instantly.

“You’ve been freaking cute the entire day. Do you know that, my love?”

He shakes his head, touching the side of his neck.

“Now you know.”

“Okay”, he mumbles and tries to change the topic by flipping the drawings, “do the chickens have names too?”

“Of course they do. I was obsessed with Greek mythology back then, so I named all the chickens after Greek goddesses, except for Jolene who I named after the song because my grandparents always played it and I was obsessed with it.”

Yoongi smiles. He thinks that you were very adorable as a child. 

“The second brown chicken is Helen, the white ones are Aphrodite and Hera. The two black ones are Persephone and Hades.”

“Hades?”

“I was obsessed with him. I genuinely thought that he was so cool.”

“You think the weirdest dudes are cool.”

“I think you’re cool.”

“Exactly.”

“Yoongi, come on”, you nudge his arm, “you’re not weird. In some strange way you remind me of him.”

“I do? Why?”

“He really loved Persephone and dedicated a lot to her. He’s this scary dude to so many people, but secretly he is just a big softie for his wife.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. I’m soft for you”, he says, leaning in to kiss your cheek.

You accept his affection with closed eyes.

“Didn’t he also kidnap her and force her to marry him and live with him? I don’t think that’s what a softie would do. He forced her and that’s definitely not me.”

You laugh, “no, that’s definitely the part we’ll ignore. You’re not like that at all.”

“Yeah, he’s a fucking asshole”, he agrees.

“God, you and your harsh tongue.”

“I mean it. He’s an asshole. I don’t think I’m like him at all. I would never force you to do anything.”

“Okay fine, I admit it. You’re not like him at all, sorry. You’re a cutie patootie”, you say and kiss his cheek.

He smiles, leaning in with a fluttering heart.

“But you are a softie. Don’t fight me on that.”

He laughs, “I can live with that.”

You snicker.

“Hyung?”

You and Yoongi look at the door where Jungkook is standing in a light blue pyjama set.

“Are you coming?” he asks Yoongi.

“Huh?”

Jungkook steps into the room, grinning cutely. He struts to the bed and takes Yoongi’s hands. It results in Yoongi gawking at him with big eyes and parted lips.

“I told you to wait for me in bed, but you’re still here. Get your butt over here”, he says, tracing his knuckles gently.

“Sorry, I’m already coming”, Yoongi murmurs and looks at you, “sleep tight, my princess.”

“Sleep tight as well, my prince. And you too my honey, sleep tight.” 

“You too, my honey”, Jungkook says, stealing a loving kiss.

You smile, smiling brighter when Yoongi steals a kiss as well before he finally stands up. The two men turn to each other and soon after, leave the room.

“What are you thinking, hyungie? Do you wanna make music together?” 

“Only if you want to. I don’t know, maybe, yeah. Or no. If you want to.”

“Why are you so nervous? It’s just me”, Jungkook is teasing.

“Shut up, you brat I…”

Their conversation drowns out as they close the door behind them, but seconds later, Jungkook’s bright laughter can be heard. 

You sigh in fondness, grinning to yourself. You are so happy that they have each other. To think that they will spend a lovely evening with each other, doing stuff they enjoy doing together, just makes you so incredibly happy. You really hope that their night is wonderful and filled with safe intimacy. 

You roll out of bed and leave your room in search of Taehyung. You can’t wait to spend time with him. 

The cottage is empty. How weird. Where could he be? You look around for a bit, noticing that your grandpa left the lights on outside. You open the front door, which is surprisingly unlocked. How weird indeed. Your grandpa is normally very particular with locking the doors at night. 

“Huh?”

You turn off the lights to see better. There are candles burning where the small table is. Someone is sitting by it. You squint your eyes. Taehyung. Taehyung is sitting by the table. Your heart flutters. There he is, you finally found him. Oh, you can’t wait to get to him.

You wrap a blanket around yourself and grab one for Taehyung, leaving the house afterwards in your slippers. The good thing about this magical realm is that it never gets dark enough that you feel blind. You can still walk comfortably even now that it is night. And yet somehow when you are lying in bed, trying to sleep, the night feels like the darkest night you have ever experienced. Perhaps it is the magic infused in this air, which makes the night as bright or as dark as one needs it to be.

Taehyung doesn’t hear you. In the real world, he would have lifted his head the moment you stepped out the door, but not here. He is still oblivious to you. Only when you tap his shoulder, does he finally react.

“Oh heavens”, he gasps, flinching vividly.

“Sorry, oh dear”, you get out, placing your hand on his shoulder, “it’s just me, don’t be scared.”

“Darling”, he whines, looking up at you with big eyes, “you frightened me. Do not sneak up on me like this.”

“I’m sorry”, you say and snicker, “gosh, this was hilarious. You should have seen your face.”

“Yes, yes make fun of me all you want, but the truth is that I almost died right now”, he says and touches his own chest, “my heart is racing. Feel it.”

You reach down and place your hand on his chest. He wasn’t lying. His heart is hammering against his ribcage.

“That’s true. Your pulse’s going crazy”, you say and giggle.

“Yes, because you frightened me”, he says, giving your hand a gentle squeeze.

“I’m sorry, really”, you chuckle, “but I have to make use of you guys’ weak senses. You guys keep startling me in the real world, so this is all just part of my revenge plan.”

He laughs.

“Oh how terribly mean of you. I will pay you back.”

“Will you now?”

“Yes.  Yes, I will”, he says and hugs your waist, squishing his cheek against your stomach this way. He giggles, scrunching his nose.

He is such a cutie. You feel so incredibly soft for him. You ruffle his hair, making him look up at you this way. The candle light shows his sparkling puppy eyes. His features look so timelessly beautiful. You trace them gently, which makes him open and close his eyes at you slowly. 

“Okay, okay. If you really have to”, you say with a fond smile on your lips, brushing your fingertips down the slope of his nose. 

Taehyung giggles and nuzzles his nose into your stomach. A kiss comes next. He turns back to the table afterwards. 

You follow his line of sight. He is drawing. Using what formidable light the candles emit to sketch your bedroom. He uses a photograph as reference, drawing it with impressive accuracy.

“Are you drawing my bedroom?” you ask him, running your hand up and down his back mindlessly. He is already a little cool to the touch.

“Indeed I am”, he says, “I want to sketch it so I can finally start on designing the murals.”

“Really? Wow Tae, I’m so excited.”

“Yes, me too. I haven’t worked on murals in years, although I truly enjoy the process of them. Working on your wing will be a lot of fun.”

“I can imagine”, you say and rub his back more vigorously, “gosh darling, aren’t you cold? You feel so cold to the touch. Here, let me.”

You place a blanket over his shoulders, smoothing it down carefully. Taehyung looks up at you with big puppy eyes, holding his breath. You end your affection with a soft brush of your fingers against the underside of his chin. He tilts his head as he chases the touch.

“Why?” he asks in a whisper.

“What do you mean?” 

“Why did you put a blanket over me?” 

“Because I know how chilly it can get and you don’t have superpowers keeping you warm right now.” 

“I see. That is correct”, he says, lowering his eyes shyly. His pulse is racing. It flusters him terribly whenever you take care of him. 

“Can I stay with you a little while?” 

“Yes, of course. Of course, you can”, he says, scooting to the side to make space.

You take it instantly, looking into the notebook. Your left hand is resting on his thigh.

“Are these sketches for the flower murals?” you ask him, pointing at the opposite page.

“Indeed, they are. What do you think of them?” 

“They look lovely.”

“Do you like them?”

“I really do. I’m already excited to have them on my walls. I love them.”

Taehyung giggles and rests his cheek on your shoulder, grinning brightly.

“Thank you so much. It makes me so happy to hear this”, he says and nuzzles. 

You turn your head, placing a kiss on the tip of his nose. Taehyung sighs and chases your kiss. 

You and he share a sweet moment. He tastes like smiles and chocolate. It is a lovely combination. You break the kiss with a stub of your nose, caressing his skin with it afterwards.

“You taste like chocolate.”

“I am eating chocolate”, Taehyung says and sits up, “do you want some?” he offers.

“Thank you”, you say, breaking off a row. You bite off a good piece and let it melt on your tongue, the other piece you feed to Taehyung. He allows you with a fluctuating pulse. Truly, you make him feel so giddy. 

“What do you think of it?” he asks you in a soft voice.

“It’s slightly bitter but with a sweet aftertaste. I really like it.”

“I like it as well”, he says and lowers his eyes, letting out a shy giggle. He turns his head away, “oh heavens.”

“What’s the matter?”

“When I look at you, my heart races. The feeling is so unfamiliar.”

“Can I feel it?”

Taehyung nods his head, holding his breath when you place your hand on his chest. 

Badums. Badums. Badums. 

His pulse is rhythmical and steady, keeping him alive here in this magical realm where no curse can reach and the world is alright. You circle your thumb in a gentle caress, lifting your eyes and meeting his shy gaze.

You smile. Taehyung retorts it. 

“It’s racing.”

“It is.”

You kiss his cheek, speeding up his pulse for the duration of it. You pull back. Taehyung touches the spot you kissed, gazing at you with parted lips 

“It fluttered when I did that”, you whisper. 

“I know”, he breathes.

“It feels so strange, but in a good way.”

“I cannot get used to it.”

“You can’t?” 

He shakes his head, “my heart stood still for centuries, but all of a sudden it beats again. I keep having to take deep breaths because I am so aware of it.” 

“I can imagine. It must feel crazy to be alive again after all these years.”

“Crazy. I guess one can say it like this”, he whispers and turns away so he can draw again. Except that he doesn’t draw, twirling the pen in his fingers as his eyes race over the sketches. 

You slide your hand to his side, hugging him and resting your cheek against his shoulder.

“Do you remember our first time?” you ask him.

“Our first time?” 

You nod your head, “when we snuck away from acting class and hurried to my apartment. You were so touchy and I felt so giddy because you hadn’t been like this until then.”

Taehyung smiles softly, listening to you reminisce with a fluttering heart.

“I could barely unlock the door, but got nervous once inside. Do you remember?” 

“I do.” 

“Do you remember how we talked and shared some tea?” 

“Of course I do. You told me that you didn’t have a lot of experience.”

“And you were so sweet about it”, you squeeze him gently, “do you remember the dreams we talked about?” 

“You said that you wanted to make people happy.”

“And you told me that you wanted to be alive. That you wanted to be happy again.”

Taehyung lowers his eyes, tightening his jaw. 

“Remember?” 

“I do”, he whispers.

“Well, now you finally know how it feels to be alive”, you say and lift your head to gaze at him.

You furrow your brows.

“What’s the matter?” 

“Nothing.”

“Tae, what’s the matter?” 

“I don’t know”, he says and turns his head away when you try to cup his cheek.

You try again, doing it with both hands. You succeed, meeting his eyes. 

“What’s the matter, darling?” 

“I don’t know if I’m happy”, he whispers, forcing your brows to furrow. He attempts to look away, to hide because the worry in your eyes embarrasses him.

“Taehyung my darling oh god, this is so awful. Is there a reason why you feel this way?” 

“I’m sorry, I just…I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, please don’t be embarrassed. Talk to me, my darling.”

He meets your eyes again. Worry and love meet him there. Honest, deep love. The kind of love that wants to welcome and heal, to hold and cradle, to stay and grow. He remembers the last part of his wish then. That he wanted to be loved for who he truly is. He remembers it and realises that he can find this kind of love in your eyes. And as he realises it, his heart races unbearably, reminding him that he is experiencing the first part of his wish as well. He is alive and he is loved unconditionally.

Only the second part is hard to do. It wasn’t always difficult, or perhaps it was and he pretended that it wasn’t, and lately he is very aware of it, finding it hard to accept. 

“Talk to me, my sweetest”, you whisper.

“It”, he begins and looks away because it is too embarrassing otherwise. 

You allow him, holding his hand instead and listening to him with all your attention.

“It is difficult to be happy. I do not know what to do with myself now that I am…” he falters.

“It’s okay, take your time.”

“Namjoon is captured. He won’t ever hurt me and Jimin again. I should be happy, but I am not. I feel so lost.”

“Because we don’t have to hunt anything anymore?” 

“No.”

“What then? If you want to tell me.”

“I want to tell you, but it is difficult to speak.”

“Do you want to write it down instead?” 

He looks at his book. His pen. He picks it up and opens an empty page, writing down what he can’t speak. You allow him the time he needs, scratching his scalp all throughout. 

Taehyung doesn’t take long. The unspeakable words aren’t much, but you know that sometimes the hardest words to speak are the shortest. I love you. I’m sorry. I need help. The words aren’t long and yet they are some of the hardest to speak for so many people. The way to the heart is short with them, which perhaps makes them so difficult to speak. Taehyung slides the book to you. You pick it up and read it.

“I feel lost and shaken, as if I am still drowning even now that I am on safe land. A scrambled mind and tortured body were my reality for decades and now I am to believe that I am free? How do I be free?”

You lift your eyes. He can barely keep up contact, but does it because he craves it.

“Oh Tae. My beloved, gentle Tae”, you get out and cradle his cheeks.

He leans into your safe touch, closing his eyes.

“I understand that the words are difficult to speak. This is a lot to feel all alone. How long have you been feeling this way?” 

“Too long.”

“Gosh, come here”, you say, pulling him into a hug. You sway him gently, playing with his hair because you know that this soothes him.

Taehyung lets it happen with closed eyes and his arms tight around you. His nose is buried in the crook of your neck, his skin shares warmth with yours. The once scary words feel manageable in your arms.

“I’m so sorry that you feel this way, my darling. It must be so unfamiliar to be free after so many decades. I don’t know if you want advice from me and I honestly don’t know if I can even give you some, but I want to be there for you. That much is sure, you’re not going to figure it out alone because I’ll help you with it.”

Taehyung smiles and it is honest. He nods his head in understanding.

“Yeah, exactly. I’ll be with you. We’ll do it together. Everyone always says that healing is easy, but it’s not. Healing can be ugly and hard and scary. But we’ll do it together, okay?”

“Yes, okay”, he whispers, having to lift his head to make sure that you were truly real. 

You cup his cheeks, caressing his skin. He smiles and so you smile as well.

“I’m happy right now”, he confesses in a quiet voice.

“You are?” 

He nods his head.  

“I doubt a lot in my life. I think the love I receive is an act of pity.”

“No-”

“Except yours. I don’t doubt your love for me. I gaze at it in wonder and awe because I find it unbelievable that you still love me after all I did, but I never doubt it.” 

Your heart flutters.

“Thank you so much. You told me that your wish was to make people happy. Well, you are making me happy”, he smiles shyly, “at least happier for now.”

You laugh softly. He does too.

“You’ll be happy again, I promise”, you say and tug a strand of his dark hair behind his ear, “also thank you for saying this. I love you so, so much and it makes me happy to know that I don’t make you doubt it.” 

“I love you too. I have done so ever since we snuck away from acting class and will always do so.”

“Oh my darling Taehyung”, you whisper, leaning in until you can rub your nose against his’ slowly.

“Yes, this will never change”, he whispers, matching your rhythm with his eyes closed. 

“Oh my sweet, gentle Tae”, you breathe, kissing him softly afterwards. 

He kisses you back, holding you in his hands as if you were the greatest treasure. And in some way you were. He feels lost and vast of happiness most of the time, but not right now. You gave him support again, an anchor to hold onto and hope to cling to. Maybe the feelings won’t last forever, but at least for a little while, Taehyung feels safe again. And that is perfectly alright for him, because sometimes just a little while is already enough to keep the soul going. 

Taehyung breaks the kiss so he could hug you against his chest and feel your heartbeat this way. He cannot hear it, but that is okay for him because he can feel it match with his’ tonight. He is alive with you. He is alive and safe and loved. Taehyung presses you closer, inhaling the scent of you to make all of this realer.

“Our hearts are beating the same”, he whispers.

“I can feel it too”, you whisper.

“Wow, I really love you so much.”

You smile, “I love you too.”

“Holy fuck, I really love you.”

You laugh, “I fucking love you too, Tae.”

He laughs, “you have me cursing. That’s what you are doing to me.”

You snicker, “it’s cute.” 

Wind rushes in the trees and reminds you of your own vulnerability. You and Taehyung tug the blankets tighter around your bodies, but the cold remains.

“I am very cold.”

“Yeah, me too. Maybe we should continue the cuddles inside”, you suggest, “after a warm shower and under the sheets.”

“This sounds very cozy.”

“It is cozy. Come on, we’ll get warm inside.”

“Yes, okay okay”, he says, standing up and packing his stuff so you could get inside.

Taehyung allows you to brush your teeth first because he still has to wash up for the night and will therefore take longer. So after brushing your teeth, you go to your room alone. The slit under the door of Yoongi’s and Jungkook’s room shows no light anymore. They must be asleep already. You wish then a silent good night behind the closed door and slip inside your room. 

Taehyung comes inside not long after, still wrapped in a towel and nothing else.

“My bag is in the guest bedroom”, he says with a pout, “I forgot to take out my sleeping clothes.”

“Oh dear. Do you want to borrow some of my clothes?” 

“Your clothes?” 

“Yes, wait”, you roll out of bed to get to your bag, “luckily for you, I have another sleeping gown with me. You’ll look really fancy in it. I could also offer you some of my panties.”

He laughs, “I have to decline. My good parts are not going to stay in such little fabric.”

You snicker, “I bet it would look pretty, though. Here, I can offer you this”, you say, unravelling a long night gown, “tada.”

It is made out of lilac cotton fabric and has a rather straight cut to it. It isn't at all the prettiest nor the fanciest dress, but it is comfortable and that is all which matters.

“Oh pretty. It will do”, he says and exchanges the towel for the dress. He twists and turns in it, fixing the creases in the front, “how do I look?”

“It actually fits you perfectly, wow, you are so handsome in it. You also kind of remind me of Ebenezer Scrooge.”

“Hey”, he gasps, having to laugh, “if you were attempting to compliment me, it did not work.”

You laugh, “no, it’s cute. It fits you really well.”

“It is so comfortable. No wonder you took it with you”, he says and wiggles his hips, “oh? I feel so very free between my legs this way”, he jokes, gyrating his hips in a funny way and making you laugh with it.

“You look so handsome. Gosh, Tae you cutie you, com’ere”, you hug him, using the momentum to pull him into bed.   

He falls onto you with a squeaked laugh, burying you under his weight, which makes you laugh and hug him even closer.

“Careful, ah, darling you are going to expose my bottom this way”, he giggles, trying to fight you gently.

“Com’ere you cutie, god you cutie”, you care rather little about his complaints, rolling around the sheets with his body in a tight lock.

After some rolling around and soft wrestling, you have him on his back with his face under your lips as you attack it with kisses. Taehyung lets it happen with giggles and squirms, feeling so goddamn giddy that his heart might burst in his chest. 

“Mwuah”, you end your love attack with a loud sound, lifting your head so you can grin down at him. You slide your hand down his torso so you could fix the messy dress, caressing his waist afterwards.

“What?” he whispers.

“I just love looking at you.”

“Oh”, Taehyung blushes and scrunches his nose shyly, “I love looking at you too.”

“Hehe”, you let out and give him a kiss, lying down next to him afterwards.

Taehyung sits up, tugging you in under the blanket. You let it happen with a fluttering heart. 

“Thankies”, you say.

“My darling should stay warm”, he says and rubs his hand up and down your covered arm, “are you warm this way?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Wonderful.”

He leans down to litter your cheek and temple with kisses. He even kisses your ear and leaves a few tender love nibbles on your neck. 

“My sweetest.”

He snuggles into the pillow, holding your hand. He gives you a cute grin.

“You are right, this is very cozy.”

“Right? It’s this place. Something about this room makes everything ten times cozier.”

“I truly believe that it is because everything is placed perfectly so the energies can flow.”

“Yeah, this could actually be it. It always felt healing to be here.”

“I can imagine. I find great healing here as well and it hasn’t even been a day.”

You smile, “I’m glad that you are healing. You deserve it.”

Taehyung kisses your knuckles in gratefulness.

“Thank you”, he breathes.

“I mean it. You and Jimin, you both deserve it.” 

“Thank you.”

“Mhm, I mean it”, you say and kiss his lips.

You and he stay closer afterwards, still holding hands. You gaze at each other, feeling so connected that nothing could separate your souls. 

You do not know how much time passes like this, but it must have been enough to allow sleepiness to settle in your fibers.

You yawn, setting off Taehyung as well.

“Oh dear, this sleepiness came out of nowhere, wow”, you say. 

“Indeed”, he agrees mid-yawn.

“Do you want to turn off the lights?”

“Yes, we could do that.”

“You have to do it, you’re closer.”

“Okay, okay”, Taehyung says and reaches for the lamp, “I started saying okay, okay because of you”, he says, switching off the light, “it is addictive, I can’t seem to want to stop.”

“It’s cute, don’t stop”, you say, “it means that we’re spending so much time together that we started picking up habits from each other. I catch myself adding rather in front of words because of you.”

“I noticed”, Taehyung says and intertwines his hand with yours, “it is like we became versions of each other.”

“Yes, definitely”, you say and close the distance between you and him to rest your forehead against his’. You kiss his nose, nuzzling your own nose against it afterwards, “I love you, Tae.”

“I love you too, my sweetest”, he says, closing his eyes.

“I hope you’ll have a good sleep tonight.”

“I will. I am with you. I will.”

You smile, burying your hand in his hair to play with it until sleep drags you down. You are with him and he is with you. Sleep is going to be good. It truly will be.

“___?”

“Yes, Tae?” 

“I just…I don’t know why I called your name, I guess that I wanted to talk some more.”

You chuckle.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Whatever. I really enjoy the sound of your voice.”

“Gosh Tae, you’re so sweet. I love your voice as well.”

He relaxes in a small wiggle, running his fingers over your scalp as best as your hair texture allows him to.

“What is your favourite colour?”

“My favourite colour?”

“Yes. Do not ask why this is my first question, I didn’t know what to ask.”

You laugh softly, “it’s a good question. Mhm, I guess my favourite colour is the colour of your blush after I called you mine.”

“___”, he gasps, “why would you say such a thing? Oh, heavens.”

He makes you laugh. He is so adorable when he flusters.

“I’m serious. It’s a very pretty colour.”

“You”, he wraps his limbs around you, shaking you around gently, “I will cuddle you to silence. Stop it.” 

You giggle into his chest. Taehyung lets you go after a few moments, heart racing very noticeable.

“Do you have more questions, you cutie?”

“I do not know. I am afraid that you will use them to fluster me again.”

You laugh, “I would never do such a thing.”

“Yes, you would. You became such a flirt. I remember how shy you were in the beginning, how I always managed to fluster you and now look at what you have become.”

“Hey, do not complain about the monster you created. If you hadn’t been such a smooth talker with me all the time, I never would have learned all this stuff.”

He laughs, “I cannot even argue you on this one. You have shown me the truth.”

“See? I’ve simply learned from the best.”

Taehyung hums and tries to kiss your lips but because of the blinding darkness, he ends up snogging your nose. 

“Ew Tae, that was so wet”, you whine, wiping your nose on his shirt.

“Forgive me, I aimed for your lips but I…ew? Excuse me, did you just call my kiss ew?” 

“I did. Loud and proud. You completely snogged my nose.”

Taehyung closes his lips around your nose again and drags his tongue over it as sloppily as possible.

“Tae”, you squeak, fleeing him, “why did you do that?”

“This is for calling my kiss ew. Now I gave you something truly ew.”

“You’re so gross, dear god”, he makes you laugh. Wiping your nose on his shirt again, you snicker and chuckle. He does the same. 

You tilt your head, touching his chin to feel for his lips. Once you found them, you make your move, claiming them in a kiss. He kisses you back eagerly, ending it with a soft bite to your lower lip. You stay close, smiling goofily.

“This was wonderful.”

“It really was. Gosh Tae, I love kissing you. It’s been so long since we shared a night of kisses.”

“Indeed, far too long. Either danger kept us apart or we fought or were forced to be separated. These past few years haven’t been very kind to our bond.”

“Yeah, they really haven’t.” 

Taehyung feels for your lips and kisses you. He tastes minty, his lips are soft and so nicely moisturised. His big hand cradles your face, soaking you skin in his warmth. You touch his chest because his racing pulse feels amazing to you.

The kiss breaks because Taehyung is so human here and humans need air way sooner than vampires.

“Oh heavens”, he gasps for air, “I genuinely became out of breath.”

“Now you finally know why I have to keep breaking the kiss in real life.”

“Now I truly know. Is this also how you see when we kiss in darkness?”

“Yes, it’s exactly like that.”

“Well, this is just heartbreaking. All this time, I believed that you were seeing me at least a little bit, but there is nothing. How are you even able to figure out where to kiss?”

“Practice. I’ve only known nights to be dark, so I learned how to navigate it.”

“I see. This is still very sad, you cannot even see me.”

“I know, it’s sad. But it’s also exciting because it feels like sensory deprivation without the blindfold.”

“Oh? Oh, yes it does. Oh how exciting, if I wasn’t so utterly exhausted I would have asked you to play.”

“It’s okay. I’m really exhausted too. Bringing you all here was really tiring.”

“I can imagine”, he rubs your back, “you are truly remarkable. I do not know if I told you already, but I am very proud of you.”

“Thank you, wow”, you whisper, feeling like floating. Being praised by him will never lose its spark. 

“My darling witch”, he says with a kiss to your lips. One he only breaks when air is sparse and you are both just a little droopy from it.

You touch each other innocently, both having your eyes closed without managing to open them again. Sleep is so very close. The safe intimacy and love you exchanged only strengthened the tiredness. 

“What do you imagine our days to look like from now on?” he asks in a sleepy whisper.

“Peaceful. Probably exhausting for me because I need to learn control, but once I did and we managed to get rid of Superior, I think our days will be peaceful.”

“I truly hope that they will be. I wished for peace for too long.” 

“I promise you that they will.”

Taehyung sighs, hugging you against his chest. 

“My sweetest ___”, he whispers, “I am so entirely grateful that I never lost you. There were so many chances where you could have been taken from me, so I am entirely grateful that you never were.” 

“Me too, Tae. You’re very important to me.”

He sighs again, tangling his legs with yours. He yawns into your hair and smacks his lips.

“Sleepy”, he whispers, making you snicker.

“Me too.”

“Sleep tight, my darling. This time for real.”

“Sleep tight, you cutie.”  Yes, sleep will be peaceful. It really will be.

[rencatuive]

i thought itd be fun to document my reactions to the prologue on notes so this is just a copypaste of that. dont expect anything detailed at all mostly just 'ooh this character is cute' and. itll be that for all of them cause i dont dislike any characters at all:

[Student X]

airi feels extremely traumatised already

god bless student 4 is so real

ah shit student 6 intro is so cool with the student 1 connections

student 9 has good vibes i like em

STUDENT 11 <3 [manami]

i feel like student 12 is the type of character to have an *interesting* fanbase /neu

TAMBA THATS THE ONE I LIKED shes sweet omg

[Interviews]

isono is so cute i love the butterfly vibes. also i like the more mysterious vibe change near the end, its intruiging! i see her as the type to put on a strong/overly positive façade but i guess thats a pretty surface level observation

uh oh i think im just gonna call all these characters cute. harada is very cute. i love animal likers. not much more to say

(sidenote, it kinda sucks being willingly spoiled on a media youre not into. and then you decide to get into it, and you recognise these things you know play a part in the story. totally my fault lol)

chiba has the biggest 'probably have gone through the Horrors' energy to me just cause like. child star. she really intrigues me personality wise though. (oh maybe she is 17 ?? theres a lot of mystery here already which i like - she has a doctor too) fun!

ooh i was looking at designs and i liked kamimura too a lot. (side note is the interviewer straight up The Mastermind that would be neat i think) I like his voice a lot btw!! i like the energy

hayashi is so cool omg thats it . genuinely its nice to someone actually this defiant like Yeah fuck em up

oh wada is the guy whos i guess a fan of isono! probably too much of a fan! wonder about their interactions for sure... hes actually really cute. also this interviews getting deep.

sasaki is so cutr omg my type is glasses. the studious archetype is really cool and... dies early a lot of the time?? so uh good luck !!

aww childrens book illustrator <3 i really like ojima he seems nice!!

oh yeah okazaki had a cool asf design. ive. heard like One spoilery comment about her but its okay no i didnt. i really likw the intonation of 'im an open book'. (also i like how most of this cast have "no phobias" which i guess could be true?? but yeah no im not spilling that either) i like her vibes a lot rn though :D

demonologist?????? okay dude. this guy is interesting! /pos

oh oh im gonna like tsuno a Lot. and could i assume a lot more than other people? just based off how energetic she is. she has a lil fang :D hope shes not dead

i really like the vocal perforamance in hiroakis one btw. oh wait dude people ship hirojima. thats The ship in this fandom right. i love his energy btw. he dgaf (until the character development hits) also i assume youre not meant to see that little strip of glasses shading as eyes but i totally do and it makes him 100x goofier i love it

Tamba is the character I put as my favourite pre-reaction so i remember her [Student X]. loving the contrast of attitudes between them(understandably) and i do actually like her a lot here!!!! tamba nation!!!!

theres a few shyboys in this cast and i think at least one of them has to be evil or generally has a personality change or something. right? But right now theyre all cuties <3 including hasagawa

firedancer is a cool talent. lotta cool talents in this one actually. she also has fangs yippee!! watari having an unconventional talent seems to be bringing her a lot of stress though, makes sense. love the vibes

fancy boy. i thought he and tamba could be related or something at first bc. omg light blonde hair!!!! if a character mentions another cjaracter in this ill assume theyre a ship. uhhhh sasanagi

okay so right now im a big Tsuno enjoyer shes a real cutie. still liking tamba a lot!! okazaki is my favourite design. as for the boys i like harada and hiroaki for totally different reasons. and i think i want to learn the most about chiba right now :D

the voice acting in this is great btw and im really looking forward to the rest!!

[mommahughes19-23]

I was woken up for this... - Q.H/E.E

@shaylynnh : I was woken up by Ethan at 6am to Quinn in a blowup pig suit.... the only good thing about visiting my brothers is the free food and bev 🍾🍾

tagged : @edwards.93 @jackhughes @lhughes_06 @sethjarvis_ @dylanduke25 @_quinnhughes

location : all over jerseyyyy

_quinnhughes : wtf I told you NOT to post that pic🤨😡

↪ shaylynnh : and I told YOU not to bully my man while we were there and yet here we are 🫸🏻🫸🏻🫸🏻🫸🏻

bboeser : the 3rd pic is what you send to Ellen and the 6th one is what you send to Ethan lolol

zadorov_16 : uncle nikita approves of this message🤘🏻🤘🏻

eliaspettersson : AHHHHHHHHHH YOURE 19 YOU CANT DRINK

↪ shaylynnh : im older than all my brothers what are you saying to me sir

kuzya_096 : ah yes this American party looks fun!😝😝

tdemko30 : youre nails change a lot... how

↪ shaylynnh : I get bored idk

dakotajoshua8 : dang Quinny sis is 🔥🔥🔥🔥

↪ ilyamikheeve66 : idk if you should say that under his sisters post

arturssilovs1 : come visit Vancouver more next season!

↪ shaylynnh : will you buy me food ?

↪ arturssilovs1 : duh

lindholmelias : im confused and entertained at the same time ...

colemcward : family goals 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒

_tylermyers_ : captain Quinn everyone🫡

connor.garland8 : im uncomfortable

soucy71 : what is this

katepettersen_ : YOURE FITS ARE SOOOOO CUTE OMG🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

elblue6 : You better be behaving for your brothers miss

↪ shaylynnh : IM OLDER THAN THEM MOM WHAT !??

colecaufield : ahahahahahahahahahahahahahah not momma hughes throwing shade

jackhughes : go home then

lhughes_06 : dont be disrespectful to Quinn hes coping

nicohischier : I miss you guys

dawson1417 : this is chaotic as fuck

pally_18 : o my

john.marino97 : hughesyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

jesperbratt : 🫦

tmeier96 : 🤯

tofff73 : 🕺🕺🕺

curtislazar95 : youre wearing real clothes for once good job!!!

akiraschmid93 : cant wait to see you again !!!

holtz_10 : so ur a sports fan huh

dougieham : this is like that Hannah Montana suit life that's so raven mashup in photo form

naterbastian : blep

reannelazar : come see me next time youre here!! the boys always love seeing you and Ethan !

kristen.haula : AH WE NEEEED TO GO SHOPPING TOGETHER ASAP !

kevinbahl88 : jack lives , glad to see

sethjarvis_ : nice to see you guys!!

kayleighdocherty_ : THATS LEGIT MY BEST FUCKING FRIEND OMG OMG OMG

luca.fantilli : my otp

edwards.73 : love love love you

rutgermcgroarty : I miss you Ethan @edwards.93

nolan_moyle : bring Ethan back now !!

taylorbrindleyy : ahhhhhhhhh

kennedygauthier : OMG YESS GIRL

alyssa_duke : stunning

dylanduke25 : thanks for RUINING guys night

↪ shaylynnh : 🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻

franknazar14 : dang lil hughes isn't so little anymore

↪ shaylynnh : IVE NEVER BEEN LIL HUGHES

jacob_truscott20 : this is neat

cuttergauthier : o

adamfantilli : I would have liked an invite

↪ shaylynnh : too bad

g.brindley4 : I like ur hoodie

seamuscasey36 : oop

A.N :

ok hi , idk if the tags I did are accurate but that's who I think the people are so love u lots .... hope u like :D

tags : @skylershines @quinnylouhughesx43 @noahkahansorangejuice

[entropyvoid]

Honestly with all the overlap between sci-fi and fantasy fans, I’m really surprised that “high fantasy in space” isn’t more of a thing.

There are some things generally assumed by most to be sci-fi that I’d personally label space fantasy, like Star Wars, where the high tech is just there as a backdrop to a classic heroic story of good guys vs. bad guys, who are definitely doing magic (by using the force). The point of Star Wars isn’t the tech or anything, it just happens to be a tale told in space. It contrasts pretty starkly with something like Star Trek, where the vast majority of episodes revolve around exploring whatever scientific or philosophical concept the writers thought would be kinda neat that week, using established characters as a vehicle for said exploration.

I think one of my favorite things about Honkai Star Rail is that it freely and unabashedly mixes sci-fi and fantasy. It just goes “You are a walking neutron bomb. Also turns out your bestie is from a self-reincarnating race of dragon people with powerful water and illusion magic. They live on this big, planet-sized ship that’s dedicated to hunting down this one cosmic horror that cursed all the ship’s inhabitants with immortality, under the banner of this other cosmic horror that exists solely to kill the first cosmic horror. Let’s go on vacation to the theme park planet, the actual resort is technically an Alice-in-Wonderland style dream triggered by the same kinda cosmic-horror-gifted bomb as you. Your new friend is a meme. By the way, did we tell you about the one time this super-genius harnessed the power of *imagination* to build a death ray that instantly obliterated a bunch of planets? That was kinda fucked up, huh.” Sometimes Star Rail tries to give explanations for its tech in a way that seems believably sciencey. Sometimes shit’s just straight up called magic or it’s from some deity or another and none of the characters present have a good understanding of why, so you all just go about your bullshit. It makes it work within the context of its established universe.

Cosmic horror in general is often (but not always) found in sci-fi, but where the point of sci-fi is to expand on and detail a concept in a believably scientific way or explore the impacts of a scientific thing, the point of cosmic horror is that there is a Thing that is beyond human understanding or comprehension. Sci-fi is a fun thing to insert it into, because the more scientifically sensible and well-understood elements of the world you have, the more jarring that becomes.

Then you’ve got things like Dungeon Meshi, which exists in an inverse of something like Star Rail: it takes a very Tolkien-inspired Dungeons and Dragons-esque setting, and then details it in a very scientifically sensible way. There is magic, and there are these fantastical monsters, yes, but the monsters are parts of their own delicate and intricate ecosystems, they are edible, and they have very particular nutritional values and ways you can cook them! The protag’s biggest strength lies in him being a nerd about monster biology. Magic, too, by the end of it, ends up with a plausible enough explanation as well. And the explanation is a cosmic horror! In this way, Dungeon Meshi, despite being built entirely off of very easily recognizable and classic fantasy tropes, is probably more accurately classed as sci-fi.

I just love all of it. Can I get like 50 more of these fucked up lil mixtures of science and magic please?

[casukaga]

Please talk about what you love the most about your lil blorbos (Cable and Maverick and anyone else!) and what has been a fun challenge while playing them! And any other details that you're like "this is so neat but so niche so no one will know unless this VERY SPECIFIC SCENARIO COMES UP"

HEHEHEH WELL SINCE YOU ASKED….. :3c

cable—

i fuckin love this guy.

the basic rundown of cable: he’s charming, charismatic, loves spontaneity, and loves living life dangerously!! he’s all about doing what makes you happy and is a big advocate for self-love. they’ve got a high self-esteem and know their self-worth (he knows he’s hot shit and loves himself a lot!! ❤️) they also used to work at a brothel and are super open about their sexuality. this guy? horny. they love performing and pole dancing and wearing high heels. he’s also very affectionate and loves any and all kinds of physical contact. he’s also aromantic and pansexual!! he is platonic partners with my gf’s character, ophelia 💕

you ask me what i love about cable and it’s just. all of him LMAO.

i love cable sm because there’s a lot of myself in him (i made their character at a time when i was doing a lot of self-reflection). also he’s so open and honest and self-confident, i’m like— WOW, i aspire to be like you someday…

if i were to give a challenge i have while playing them… i love rp (it is my favorite part of dnd), but i fear i’m not the best at improv. i tend to get nervous during sessions for this campaign specifically. i think it’s that i’m so self-conscious about playing cable accurate to how i imagine him in my head that i’m just a bundle of nerves. i’m nervous at first, but eventually i get into a groove the longer the session goes on. though, these past few sessions especially, i’ve been pretty happy with how i’ve been playing him!! it delights me when my friends tell me they love cable as well 🥺

i also play leiana, my high elf druid!!

i realized i haven’t talked about her / showed her publicly on social media at all, so here she is. i don’t have as many things to say about her as i do cable, but i love her all the same!!

she was the first character i tried to give an accent to (irish), and while my irish accent is definitely not that good— it is what it is. this is just how she sounds like, and it’s good enough for me.

leiana is a cartographer and she loooooves bugs. loves bugs. which is very much not like me because i am, unfortunately, a little bug hater. but leiana has such a fascination with nature and bugs especially. she studies bugs and likes to pin them (she only pins dead ones she finds, she would never kill a bug herself) and she has a collection of pinned bugs!

she also has a pet tarantula named fenri, who can change colors! (he’s primarily pink and matches leiana’s hair.)

leiana is no stranger to grief and she fears dying. currently she is trying to distance herself from the party for Reasons 🥲

while i have a few more dnd characters, they are for upcoming campaigns that i have yet to play in!! cable and leiana are the two i am actively playing at the moment :3

maverick is also in my brain constantly these days, but unfortunately i cannot talk abt xem for reasons….one day i will gush abt them to my heart’s content…

thank u for letting me chatter abt my ocs, i give u a little kiss on the forehead

[helluvaboss666999]

VOX, HUSK AND ALASTOR NSFW ALPHABETS PLEASE IM BEGGING!!!!!

Yesssss NSFW alphabet for

Vox

A=aftercare

I feel like Vox would try to act all cool and uncaring but like 2 minutes later and he's cuddled up to you. Would get you both a cup of water and order some food but that's about it.

B=body part

His favorite body part on himself would be his hands,he's not quite sure why but definitely he's hands. His favorite body part on you would be your legs, doesn't matter if they're muscular,thin,fluffy,he don't care,he loves legs.

C=cum

He probably would not cum inside,I think he would prefer finishing on your chest (flat or not)

D=dirty secret

He wants to try out some light bondage but is too scared of you getting weirded out to ask

F=favorite position

Definitelyyyyy doggy,he gets to see your back arch,your ass,and pull your hair! It's the full package

G=goofy

Meh I think he would be more sarcastic then goofy per say but yea he would make you laugh a lil here and there to ease up your nerves

H=hair

Very neat, groomed and shaved.

I=Intimacy

Definitely. He tries to be in the moment has much has he can and to try to make it special/good for both of you

J=Jack off

He's to busy for that so no. If he's got a second he'd rather have a quickie with you then his hand

K= sir kink, praise kink, degrading kink, and more

L=location

He's does not give a fuck I'm not kidding. If he has a second to do it he doesn't care if it's in a moving elevator

M=motivation

Anytime you wear any of his clothes. Doesn't matter if it's small has a bowtie or his button up shirt.

N=no

Choking. Sorry guys but he's scared of hurting you with his claws

O=oral

50/50 he's likes receiving and giving,he prefers for you to go down on him first but overall doesn't really care

P=pace

Prefers a fast pace but slows down every once in awhile

Q=quickies

✨yes✨

R=risk

He doesn't necessarily enjoy risk but he does take it a lot. Can you blame him? Bro needs to get what he can while he can.

S=stamina

Id say about 2 rounds then he's out like a light. He's got to wake up early in the morning and is already busy

T=toys

Not many,maybe a vibrator or two but that's really it.

U=unfair

Very unfair 😭 wears those slutty gray sweat pants with a boner then says you can't have fun cuz he's busy with work. But hey maybe you can help from under the desk ;)

V=volume

Gets louder towards the end,like at first it's just a few heavy breathing and slight moans but by the end he's louder then you

W=wild card

He wants to try subbing

X=x-ray

A solid 8 inches my dudes

Y=yearning

Literally all the time,boy's sex drive is through the roof

Z=Zzz

He falls asleep about 10 minutes after everything,he's extremely tired all the time and has to wake up early

___________________________________________

There's gonna be three parts to this,here's Vox! I hope you enjoy:)

[rainyraisin]

you should rant about your non tmnt related characters/OCs (if you got any) :3

You say this as if I have developed any of my OCs since I got into TMNT/j

I do actually have a decent amount of characters I've been working on for like over a year now but the really annoying thing is they're for a game @aaronymous999 and I are making 😭😭 so whilst I could talk about them it would be very very boring bc I can probably say about 5 non-spoilery things about each of the characters I'm allowed to talk about lmao- but!!! May as well :3 (cutting this bc this is gonna be hella long)

One of the two protagonists you can pick from is Èmile Dion! He's 27 and a bi cis male (ew cis people/j). He's also French Canadian, and he is a lil bit of a con artist. He made a living off of it whilst he was on his own. Silly little street rat man. He's a little naive when it comes to people he trusts or loves, which is ultimately his down-fall (theres so many endings where this cooks him lol and its the whole reason his route happens), but otherwise he's pretty street smart. He's a lil cutie patootie and I love him 💖 We haven't decided on the character relationship chart yet since not all the characters are fully developed but I think he'd get along with Esi (team TEO), Eun-Jae (team TEO), and Renata (team COC). He'd only really be around Renata most of the time though as he's COC, and both she and Eun-Jae are pretty hard to get through to lmao, he's not really one for giving in though.

(Please excuse the old art throughout this post, only Eun-Jae and Heaven have had recent art, even though almost all of them have been designed for ages)

Talking about Heaven next bc even tho it would make more sense to talk about the participants and then him or him then the participants. Uh. This is my post.

Heaven is one of the hosts! He's 17, mixed race (Filipino, Chilean, Taiwanise) and a pan ace cis male. He works for COC and has been with them a very long time. I can't say too much past that bc spoilers but he's very energetic, a silly guy! He's prone to mood shifts and kinda has anger issues but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He knows when to be serious despite his naivety and general demeanour.

Renata is 26, Hispanic (havent decided where shes from yet), and a lesbian cis woman. I cant really talk about Renata much bc she just. Doesnt have that much planned for her yet but she's neat!!!!!! Scene girl!!! She was actually the first character I designed out of all the participants, as her design was meant to be used for something else in the game but I loved it so much she became one of the main characters lmao- honestly she probably does have lore I can talk about but I keep forgetting to write stuff that Aaron and I talk about on call down 😭😭 the only stuff that I could talk about is spoilers... cries. I can mention that she's morally grey ig? Each team has 2 characters that are morally grey, morally good and morally bad however this doesn't fully dictate their actions, it's just kind of a template for their character. Characters who we put under morally good can still do fucked up shit and the reverse is also true, its just that the morally grey ones are more of a toss up than the others.

Anyway look at my daughter

Zedekiah is the last of the COC participants I made!!!! He again doesn't have much planned for him, but look at how neat he is!!! Honestly he might get redesigned. Again. But this is him for now!!! His hair is fun to draw :3

EUN-JAE IS NEXT!!!!!! TEO TIME!!!! She's very silly (I say despite her being one of the more serious characters). She's 23 and Korean! Her identity isn't really something she's thought over, and if she has well, she isn't going to tell anyone anyway. I wish I could yap about her mode but spoilers... cries...

AMMON HATCH!!!!! HE'S 20, GREEK AND RELIGIOUSLY TRAUMATISED AS HELL!!!!! PROBABLY QUEER IDK WAIT TILL THE GAME COMES OUT. WHAT A CREATURE <3 killing him. I don't rlly like this drawing of him icl so have his original sketch too

AND ESI GRACE!!!!! SHES 19, GHANAN AND A CREATURE AS WELL <3 She and Ammon are definetly friends I think they'd stick together and try their best to drag Eun-Jae into their silliness. If Esi wasn't around TEO would rip each other apart (well, earlier at least. They'll probably do it anyway despite her presence).

I dont like her digital drawing so have her original sketch <3

Talking about this guy last bc I havent drawn him in a year and I hate the one piece of art of him I have- River! He's 24, British and Japanese, and pan :3 He's sort of an assistant to Heaven ig? He helps with all the simpler stuff along with TEO's assistant, Malachi, mostly stuff regarding the participants and not the big things that Heaven and Ophelia have to worry about. He sees Heaven as more of a little brother than anything, which makes the power dynamic kinda goofy, but he deals with it. I'll redraw him soon but have this god awful sketch for now-

That's all the characters that I'm allowed to talk about 😭😭😭 there are MANY more but their simple existence is massive spoilers so. You'll see them one day. THANK YOU FOR THE ASK DIB‼️‼️‼️🥺🥺🥺💖💖🌸🌸🌸

[skygremlin]

OH MY GOD

SO I WENT TO THE WHA PANEL IT WAS SO GOOD THEY DID A GREAT JOB TRANSLATING THE MANGA ART TO ANIMATION IT WAS SO GORGEOUS

Went as Eunie ofc :> finally cosplayed him like I've been wanting to after a 3 week con crunch hell

Ignore the rolled sleeve lmao it was hot

More pictures under the cut :]

Some pictures before the panel

And some after+loot!

I didn't get any socials I don't think but these two were really nice to talk to! It was so neat seeing a jujy as well! 🤝 minor characters club

Ball of eunie lol

Poster from kinokuniya (I wanted a bag but they sold out sobs), postcard from the panel, and signed piece from the panel as well! All the WHA cosplayers that went up at the end of the panel got one which was super nice TuT I can die happy now, I got to see kamome shirahama while dressed as eunie. Everyone in general was super nice as well, I'm glad my cosplay was well received 😭 I'll have to make a few tweaks but I can't wait to cosplay him again, it was so fun (though maybe when it's colder lol)

Also the brushbugs they had at the front were so cute 🥺 Shirahama had a Hawaiian shirt one (pictured here but my camera's not too great) and there was a plain one and one with a little hat/glasses.

If that one Agott that was standing next to me up front sees this, your brushbug was so soft omg cutest soft lil guy I love he

[punkitt-is-here]

Could I ask about dealing with anxiety when starting to make games? Also I hope your day is going well when you get this

Sure!

I think the most important thing to learn about, as with any new skill or tool or what have you, is that you have to get cool with sucking. I didn't get this far in being a fun gamedev internet person by caring immensely about the perfect quality of what i put out; i was just proud to do it! If I cared about getting everything right the first go around i'd never get ANYTHING done. Underneath all the neat stuff I show online is actually a mountain of things that I would call subpar or even failures, but I don't mind having those at all; they're important steps in the creative process! And I think being bad at something is better than not doing something at all. And I'll say this much: in gamedev, even the tiniest, most insignificant victories feel like GIGANTIC wins when you're dealing with something as fickle and intimidating as gamedev, and those victories are what motivate me. The second you get far enough to have your own lil guy walking around in your own little world is the moment when everything starts to click for me and i go "boy i fucking love gamedev so much". it's tough, but i think when you hold out long enough to start seeing even the tiniest little fruits of your labor you'll see why it's such a rewarding experience.

Secondly, recognize that you're doing this for fun!! If you're going into ANY medium with the goal just to earn money or make the next big hit, I think you're gonna hit a roadblock pretty quickly. Make things because YOU wanna make them, and you'll find the anxiety washes away pretty quickly. Don't make things because it's hot right now to make uhhhh i dunno Among Us Roguelikes with FPS elements or something, do it because you have an idea that sounds fuckin sick and you wanna make it real. It's 100% why i make ANYTHING i make at all.

Additionally, cheat!! Use shortcuts!!! All the gamedev stuff I've shown is actually made off of engines that require little-to-no programming experience (SMBX2 and RPGMaker 2003) and while I eventually want to move on to stuff like Godot, I think it's INCREDIBLY fun and rewarding to work with engines that do a lot of the initial ground work for you. I don't think there's anything wrong with using engines that'll get you quicker to where you wanna be as long as its something you feel like you can get behind. So have fun with it, be ready to be bad (and that's okay!) and take it easy on yourself.

Hope you have a wonderful day! I am :>

[actualbird]

what do you think of the current event? (Celestial Romance)

i like it but I think it lacks compared to Dragonbreath in terms of gameplay. it doesn’t feel as open world (in DB you could get extra points/goodies from talking to NPCs, enemies would randomly spawn and I feel like it was more engaging to explore each map - in CR it all feels very structured which isn’t for me), and the tutorial acts like i’m a baby who needs my hand held (i’m someone who prefers to just work it out on my own so i might be an outlier)

i DO like how each guy has their own skills you can use at any point and i like how MC is an actual fighter but i wish it was the same combat style as DB 😔 to be honest i just really miss the lil avatars being hurt if they had low hp or being dizzy bc it was a neat touch

overall i hope they do another event like DB but incorporate the cool stuff from CR in the future maybe with an ancient greek theme or futuristic theme but i would love to know what you think!!

hi anon!!

i TOTALLY agree with your thoughts on CR's gameplay vs DB's gameplay. i really prefer DB over CR thus far, especially with the battle mechanics??? cuz like, for DB it felt like i was using the boys as pokemon, which was super fun. but here for CR, it feels like im just playing a timed rhythm game or DDR?? sjbflkjdblf it doesnt vibe with me very much.

additionally, the world definitely feels much smaller than DB. like the maps feel smaller, the NPCs have less to say, there are fewer monsters....i figure they must have done this because they got feedback about DB along the lines of "THERES TOO MUCH TO DO" which is fair, DB would be a nightmare to speedrun/binge to All-Achievement-Completion, for players who prefer to do that, but still...i feel much more confined in CR.

story-wise, it's still too early for me to form an opinion, but i do like that each of the boys has a side quest related to their specific sect.

at your last bit, i TOTALLY AGREE ON WANTING AN AU WITH A FUTURISTIC SETTING, PLEASE PPLEASE PLEASE I WANT A SCI-FI AU SOOOOOO FUCKING BADDDD AUGGGHHHH

conclusion: i am enjoying CR so far but DB was a lot more fun in my opinion