#i may be cringe but I have my own little world with my best friend so i don't really care once again

[picklerocket]

My friend is so cool for real, like when I hop online and I say "hey!" he sometimes says "oi!" because he knows I like Little Nightmares so much 🥹

[antiquarianfics]

The Best Things Take Time

Bucky has a code. You manage to crack it.

A/N: This took me so long because I wasn't really sure how I wanted to go about it. I'm pretty happy with it, I think. Also, my first request! I hope I did your brain-child justice. :) Warnings: Mild language. Based on this request. Note: I do not own the character Bucky Barnes or any other Marvel affiliated characters.

You do not have permission to repost or translate my work; however, feel free to like, comment, and/or reblog.

----

Bucky Barnes decided early on in his life as a free man that he wasn’t going to try and date—even with Sam and Yori pushing him all the time. His triggers are gone, yes, but he is starkly aware that he still has a long way to go before he might be considered ready to give time and energy to another person on a daily basis. However, if there is anyone in the world that makes him reconsider his own rule, it’s you.

The two of you first formally met when Steve, Sam, and yourself finally tracked him down. You were kind to him, but you kept your distance. He never made many attempts to speak with you, but the short interactions he did have with you were short and clinical. He never asked, but he’s pretty sure you’re afraid of him—of what he’s done.

Despite this assumption, Bucky takes note of the way you drop everything to help him time and time again. You back him in Washington, you back him in Siberia, you back him in Wakanda, and you back him in Washington in the second go-round. He is appreciative—very much so—but he keeps his distance regardless. After all, he shouldn’t risk losing an ally by something as silly as small talk.

Things begin to change, though, when he runs into you at the airport. Both him and you felt the need to get on Sam’s back about giving up the shield.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, a little indignantly. You cringe a little at your tone, but you brush it off nonetheless.

Bucky shoots you an annoyed look before turning to Sam.

Throughout the mission to track down the Flag Smashers, you and Bucky bicker (even more than Sam and Bucky do). You challenge him on every opinion he shares, poke fun at every misstep he takes, and side with Sam for the sake of disagreeing with him. He returns the favor, and he ignores the bitter taste it leaves in his mouth.

Your interactions are not particularly pleasant, sure, but they’re existent—which is progress.

—

“Does he always stare like that?” Walker asks Sam, eyeing Bucky uncomfortably.

“You get used to it,” Sam replies.

You glare at Walker. His attitude towards you and your boys bothers you. His entitlement to Steve’s shield and name bothers you. He bothers you.

“Does she always stare like that?” Walker asks, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Only when douchebags harass my friends,” you deadpan.

You are plenty aware this is the first time you’ve called Bucky your friend, and you can tell he is too by the way his eyes shift from Walker to you. You’re not aware, though, that your concession of friendship serves as the push he needs to talk to you more.

—

It takes time, but over the next few weeks, Bucky manages to get you to open up. He’s surprised with himself by how he’s willing to talk to you; after all, people are usually trying to get him to talk.

Bucky finds out that you’re actually not as reserved as he thought, but you had heard both Steve’s stories of before and multiple people’s accounts of after. Your distance, you admit, was a consequence of you trying to give him space when everyone else was crowding him. Your teasing and bickering with him was a consequence of trying to create said space. The revelation makes Bucky’s heart clench: no one has made him feel so cared for in a long time.

Bucky sticks by his no dating rule, though. After all, you may be friends, and you may be acting nicer to him lately, but there’s no way you like him like that.

Or, at least he thinks so until Louisiana.

—

“Hey, Sarah,” Bucky says, flashing a charming smile at her from where he sits next to Sam and yourself on the dock.

“Hey!” You smack his chest with the back of your hand. “No flirting with Sam’s sister.”

He lets his attention shift to you, and he can’t help the surprise. He’s aware that you could just be enforcing Sam’s demand from earlier, but you’re so adamant. He thinks maybe he sees a flash of jealousy in your eyes, but he thinks, too, he might just be seeing what he wants to see.

Sam and Sarah continue to bicker before she shoos the three of you away from the boat. Sam and Bucky step onto the dock and begin to walk away before you, and they keep walking even when Sarah stops you.

“Subtle,” she says, smirking at you. You wave her off, your face heating up with a blush.

“Shut up,” you say, embarrassment entwined with each syllable.

Bucky thinks maybe—just maybe—you might like him back.

—

Looking back on the last few years, Bucky can hardly believe the journey you and he had been on. Being so distant most of your time together in the first few years, and then being so rude to each other the next few, and then needing a push from the Wilsons to actually do anything about your feelings… it was interesting, to say the least.

He remembers the day you agreed to leave Louisiana with him. It was an impulsive decision, but it led to the first time the two of you had truly been alone together. It led to inside jokes and deep conversations. It led to a genuine friendship.

“I’m headed out tomorrow,” Bucky informed you and Sam.

The three of you were sitting on the porch of Sarah’s house, conversation flowing from friendly jests, to Karli, to the boat, to whatever else. Your head shot up to stare at him, eyes widening.

“What? Why?” Your tone was a little panicked. Bucky raised his eyebrows at your tone. Sam laughed, and you shot him a glare.

“I don’t want to overstay my welcome, Doll,” he said. Ever since the incident with Sarah, he’d let a few pet names for you fall from his lips, and he smugly noted the way they made you squirm.

“Oh.”

“Well!” Sam exclaimed, clapping his palms on his knees as he stood. “I’m gonna go check on Sarah and the boys while you,” he pointed at the two of you in turn, “figure whatever is going on here out.”

You protested, but Sam was gone without another word. Neither one of you spoke for a moment, and you chewed on your lip.

“You’re really going?” You asked shyly.

“Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“You can come with me, if you want,” he offered before he can think better of himself.

Your eyes shot to his, analyzing his face for any sort of jest. He seemed sincere, and once you decided he wasn’t pulling your leg, you responded.

“Okay.”

He remembers the day the two of you finally addressed that you were more than friends. Bucky, of course, has a no dating rule, and you? You had no such thing, but you weren’t dating either. In fact, you hadn’t since before Karli and the Flag Smashers showed up.

Bucky and yourself were at a bar, drinking and laughing with one another. He was sober, of course, but you were a little tipsy. You had a dopey smile on your face that he thought was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen. He still thinks your smile is the prettiest thing he’s ever seen.

That’s when a young woman sauntered up to the bar. She was gorgeous; her long, black braids reached her waist, her lips were painted a bright red color, and she wore a halter top that left little to the imagination.

“Hi,” she said, grabbing your attention, shooting you a flirtatious smile.

“Hi!” You said, the alcohol making you friendlier than you usually are.

“I saw you across the bar, and I was jus’ wonderin’, would you wanna grab a drink with me? Maybe dance a lil’?” Her eyes dragged down your body and back up to your eyes.

Your eyes widened and you blushed.

“Oh, uh! T-thank you! I’m flattered, but, uh, I got my guy right here, and I kinda like him too much to date!” You sort of yell-whispered the confession to the girl.

She glanced behind you to Bucky whose eyes had also widened in shock, his mouth hanging open a little. The woman laughed and touched your shoulder comfortingly.

“‘s alright,” she assured. “Was worth a shot, though.”

She turned to Bucky then.

“Yo, congrats, man. You’re a lucky guy once you two talk that through.”

With that, she had left, and you turned around to Bucky.

“Look,” you said, more sober sounding than you’d been since the two of you arrived at the bar. “I don’t know what you think this is, or what you want it to be, but I’m all in if you are.”

Bucky leaned forward and kissed you without a second thought.

And he remembers the moment he decided he was going to marry you, if you’d have him.

The two of you were sitting on the couch in your shared apartment; after about two years of dating, you insisted you live together.

“Buck, you’re always here. All your stuff is here. I don’t think you’ve stepped foot in your apartment in a month. You’re just wasting money on rent at this point.”

You were leaned into his side, eyes glued to the tv screen. The two of you were watching The Princess Bride (it’s one of the many movies you insisted was so culturally significant that he had to see it). It was the way you would turn to him at your favorite parts, gauging his reactions to see if he loved it like you did; the way you would mouth the most iconic lines along with the characters; and the way you would sigh contentedly and cuddle further into his side at the romantic scenes that really pulled the realization from deep within him. And, perhaps, it was the way you produced the most ridiculous voice to say "Mawwiage! Mawwiage is what bwings us here today!" that truly brought the idea of marrying you to the forefront of his mind. Regardless, he knew he wanted you around for the rest of his already over-extended lifetime.

—

Bucky Barnes decided early on in his life as a free man that he wasn’t going to try and date, and he decided late in his life as a free man that he wasn't going to ever try and date anyone other than you. So, here he finds himself, kneeling on the ground in front of you with a ring extended towards your person, and hoping you'll say yes.

"Sweetheart, I know we've had a lot of ups and downs. We met when I wasn't truly myself, we got together when I was still figuring out who I am on my own—without Steve, without HYDRA—but no matter what, you've been there for me. You're still here for me.

"You deserve the world, Doll, and I want to give it to you. I want to be here for all your ups and downs, and I want to spend my life being to you what you've already been to me.

"You're my partner, you're my best friend, you're the love of my life. And if you'll have me, I'll be your king, if you'll be my queen. I'll be your husband, if you'll be my wife.

"Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?"

You let out a laugh through a sob, pulling your hand to your face to quickly wipe your tears away, and you nod vigorously. You drop to your knees, pulling Bucky's face into your hands, caressing his cheek gently. Smiling, you respond.

"James Bucky Barnes, of course I'll marry you."

[hier--soir]

may + june + july reads

the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde by r. l. stevenson [★★★★]

"Though so profound a double-dealer, I was in no sense a hypocrite; both sides of me were in dead earnest; I was no more myself when I laid aside restraint and plunged in shame, than when I laboured, in the eye of day, at the furtherance of knowledge or the relief of sorrow and suffering."

: ̗̀➛ a london lawyer, mr utterson, investigates strange occurrences between his old friend dr henry jekyll, and the evil edward hyde.

: ̗̀➛ a horror classic! coming in at a sweet 96-pages, it was easy to smash out in an evening. and despite the brevity of the text and the fact that it's over a century old, i found it insanely compelling and indeed pretty chilling at multiple points.

: ̗̀➛ there are some ridiculously funny lines in this. i believe he named the evil character hyde just so he could drop this banger: "'If he be Mr. Hyde,' he had thought, 'I shall be Mr. Seek.'"

: ̗̀➛ henry jekyll my sweet summer child, you flew way too close to the sun with this shit.

: ̗̀➛ "You must suffer me to go my own dark way." BARS.

babel: an arcane history by r. f. kuang [★★★★★]

"The poet runs untrammelled across the meadow. The translator dances in shackles."

: ̗̀➛ opening in the year 1828, a young boy from canton is orphaned by cholera and brought to london by a mysterious professor. he is trained in latin, ancient greek, and chinese, in preparation for the day he will attend oxford university's royal institute of translation - babel. the tower is the world's center for translation and silver-working, the magical craft that has so far brought unrivalled power to the british and supports the empire's ongoing colonisation of the world. but what happens when it is discovered that britain is pursuing an unjust war against china, and robin realises that serving babel means betraying his motherland.

: ̗̀➛ this book left me absolutely speechless. upon starting it i was immediately ashamed at how long it had taken me to pick this up considering all the hype. serious thanks to @seventeenpins for recommending this to me recently, you are the best for putting me onto this.

: ̗̀➛ beautifully crafted, incredibly intelligent, great central characters. i don't even know how to put into words what i felt about this one. and as someone who consumes a fair amount of translated literature [see: my love of ancient greek and roman classics] it tickled my interest around the biases and intricacy of translation so perfectly. you need to read it. please.

: ̗̀➛ have to include: "It should have been distressing. In truth, Robin found it was actually quite easy to put up with any degree of social unrest, as long as one got used to looking away."

: ̗̀➛ have to include #2: "So then where does that leave us? How can we conclude, except by acknowledging that an act of translation is then necessarily always an act of betrayal?"

: ̗̀➛ and absolutely cannot not include this iconic PBS diss: "He greatly enjoyed Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, though he could not say the same of the poems by her less talented husband, whom he found overly dramatic."

paradise rot by jenny hval [★★★★]

"But my dreams are full of apples, and in the dark my body slowly transforms into fruit: tonsils shrinking to seeds and lungs to cores. I dream of white flowers blossoming under my nails, as if under ice. Then my nails break, opening up like clams and in the finger flesh there are little sticky fruit pearls."

: ̗̀➛ jo is in a strange new country for university, living in a house with no walls, a roommate with no boundaries, and a home that seems increasingly more and more alive.

: ̗̀➛ so much piss in this one folks.

: ̗̀➛ jenny hval is a norwegian musician and this was her debut novel, and it was bizarre and haunting and disgusting and made me cringe and feel squeamish at many points, and yet i read it in one fell swoop. it grips you for 120-odd pages and when you're done it feels like you've been spit out disoriented.

mrs s by k. patrick [★★★]

"When she is not around, I invent her. When she is around, I invent her. It is not her fault."

: ̗̀➛ an australian butch lesbian travels to england to work in an elite boarding school, where she meets mrs s, the headmaster's wife. over a hot, restless summer, the two engage in an affair.

: ̗̀➛ i enjoyed this one decently enough. the writing style grew a bit tiresome, and the storyline seemed quite laissez-faire, but overall yes i enjoyed it. what can also grow tiresome for me is the woman-on-woman affair when one of them is married to a man - but maybe i've just read too much queer lit with no foreseeable happy ending lately, idk.

: ̗̀➛ the way the dialogue was structured [or perhaps, unstructured to a painful extent] was not my cup of tea at all.

: ̗̀➛ i was really tickled by her living in an annexe so close to the school nurse, who is very religious. the dynamic gave way to great passages like this: "I imagine her, at night, sending prayers my way, so sweet as to be malicious. In each of our interactions there is always the feeling that I would do better under her God. I don't mind her God, so tangible. The sexy Jesus in her bedroom. His body I too would die to have. Not just the chest but the legs, a footballer's legs, complex with muscle. Even those sad, raised palms. Brazen in their injuries. Such glamour." like hello??? incredible.

grey dog by elliott gish [★★★★]

"You called me a dirty little beast, and I have become as dirty and beastly a woman as there ever was."

"What is that quote from Othello, what Emilia says about men? They are all but stomachs, and we all but food; They eat us hungerly, and when they are full, they belch us."

: ̗̀➛ a 'literary horror novel' set in 1901 about the unmarried and almost 30 'spinster' ada byrd who accepts a teaching post in a small isolated town. she wants to be rid of her past, one 'riddled with grief and shame', but upon witnessing strange and grisly sights, ada begins to believe that something ancient and beastly is behind all the peculiarities in this little town. her confusion deepens, and ada's grip on what is reality, delusion, or traumatic memory, begins to blur and fail.

: ̗̀➛ body horror, gore, the horrors of being a woman, witchy business, descent into madness, women longing for women.

: ̗̀➛ because the entire text is written in first person diary entries, i found that it sometimes failed to establish a creepy atmosphere. although this issue was more prominent for me in the first half, while in the second half the diary entries acted as a great insight as to how unhinged she was becoming. slay.

: ̗̀➛ imo this is simply what happens to a woman when she is raised by a heinous father and ends up an adult surrounded by too many sexy older women!

the sleepwalkers by scarlett thomas [★★★]

"How many eyes can one storm have?"

: ̗̀➛ still reeling from the chaos of their wedding, evelyn and richard arrive on a tiny greek island for their honeymoon. it's the end of the season and a storm is brewing on the horizon. they check into the villa rosa, which has a peculiar owner named isabella, and everyone wants to talk about the famous sleepwalkers, a couple who stayed at the hotel recently and drowned.

: ̗̀➛ saw a tagline that coined this as 'patricia highsmith meets white lotus' and i'd agree. good mystery thriller with some action.

: ̗̀➛ this one was a touch slow at first [it's told in letters, dictated audio recordings, from different perspectives, etc] but ultimately gripped me and i thoroughly enjoyed the drama and mystery. newlyweds that hate each other's guts? yeah, bestie, i need to know why.

: ̗̀➛ i really got into some of the takes showing how evelyn and richard viewed each other. this really stuck with me: "I read infrequently, partly because every book change me, right down the level of my DNA. I didn't want to be changed so often. But you were able to hoover up contemporary culture without so much as a little belch afterwards. You just carried on being you."

: ̗̀➛ also let me fucking tell you, there was a line in this book that made me drop my kindle and GUFFAW in shock. page 88, HELLO. evelyn girl you kill me.

the drift by c. j. tudor [★★★]

"These days death had been laid bare for what it really was. An ending. Often brutal, seldom fair, rarely kind."

: ̗̀➛ a thriller-esque, horror-esque book about a deadly infectious virus, and the attempted survival of three seperate groups trapped in isolated circumstances in the icy wilderness. [this one is so hard to describe sorry]

: ̗̀➛ the book is told through three different pov's. i normally despise this but i actually didn't hate it in this case, although i did have favourites.

: ̗̀➛ boyfriend asked me to read this when he finished it and then watched me from across the room the almost whole time, pretending not to be staring whenever i looked up. and he was right, it was fast-paced, had some good twists and turns, and was enjoyable, albeit very different from what i normally read.

what have i done? an honest memoir about surviving post-natal mental illness by laura dockrill [★★★★]

"Put me out of my misery. I feel like a killer on the loose. I need to turn myself in."

"Or the one of New Mum having champagne and cake with the girls. Another doing 'date night' two weeks before her six-week check, like, 'Yes, we still have sex!' Mum is fitting back into her clothes; Mum is making papier-mâché piggy banks; drinking enough water; shaving her armpits; reading a bedtime story; going to a gig; playing peekaboo. Mum is keeping up with her favourite TV shows; reading the Booker longlist; being a good friend; making a healthy yet tasty cost-effective-probably-vegan meal; recycling; giving baby massage; sterilising. Mum is getting rid of her pregnancy knickers when they are the only knickers she truly likes; doing her taxes; walking the dog; donating to charity; freezing bananas; learning Japanese because why not? ... Oh look! Mum is abseiling down the Shard and still finding the time to express and write a blog about the whole experience."

: ̗̀➛ a memoir about a first-time mum's experience with post-partum psychosis, and her survival.

: ̗̀➛ this book was a heart-ache of a read. honest and raw and devastating and uplifting. often very very funny -- "People told Hugo, 'Don't go down the goal end, mate; it's like watching your favourite pub burn down.' Oh ha. Ha. Ha." -- i couldn't put it down.

: ̗̀➛ the end did start to feel a touch self-helpy which isn't necessarily my bag of tricks when it comes to non-fiction, but those inclusions felt warranted and fair after such an in-depth depiction of everything laura had gone through.

: ̗̀➛ serious mental health trigger warnings for this one. there is plenty of humour, but it gets very dark.

the death of jane lawrence by caitlin starling [★★]

"She dreamed of tearing out a rotted pit inside of him where his martyrdom resided."

: ̗̀➛ in an alternate version of victorian-era britain, jane shoringfield is seeking a marriage of convenience that will allow her to continue working, with all the benefits of being a married woman, and she finds this in dr augustine lawrence. however, he has one condition - she can never visit lindridge hall, his family manor outside of town, where he himself will sleep each and every night. but on their wedding night, an accident strands jane at the door in a rainstorm, and in place of her husband she finds a terrified, paranoid man who cannot tell reality from nightmare. by morning he is himself again, but jane knows something is terribly wrong at lindridge hall.

: ̗̀➛ i picked this up looking for a fun, spooky little read, but am sad to say that i absolutely did not like it. the characters were fickle, the plot twists were unsurprising and revealed poorly, and the storyline was all over the place. sadge!

: ̗̀➛ sold itself as a gothic ghost horror, but didn't live up to that at all [for me!] heavily inspired by crimson peak, and it doesn't care if you know it.

: ̗̀➛ also - when your 'independent strong female' mc marries a guy who lies constantly and makes up bullshit and every time she confronts him he boo-hoos so she forgives him immediately cause he really is a nice man?? womp womp.

: ̗̀➛ also also - way more cocaine in this than i expected.

my book rating system is as follows:

★ = i felt pure contempt the entire time

★★ = yeah it's a book

★★★ = i liked it!

★★★★ = good fucking book, damn

★★★★★ = blew my dick clean off and i'll throw a tantrum if everyone i know doesn't also read it and love it

if you want to share a book you love with me, please do! i am always looking out for new recs.

[dewracle]

Rituals and Bones

OC! Vessel X GN! Reader NSFW MDNI Quick reminder guys this is my version of Vessel and the boys, none of this is canon unless you're talking about MY (AruEternity's) LORE!

Tags: Smut, Vessel x reader, blood play, major character death, domestic violence, fucking in the woods, choking, ritualistic sex... if there's more please tell me

It was dark, but not the kind where it was difficult to see where you were going. No, it was the type where trees soared high and blocked most of the light struggling to filter through, making the atmosphere eerie, yet peaceful. The weather was perfect for your adventure of hiking through the woods. It allowed for it just to be warm enough that you didn’t freeze but just cool enough that you weren’t sweating too badly. 

You have never been in these woods before, hearing about them from a friend of a friend. She had said that there was a beautiful opening much deeper in the forest, where the trees parted and gave away to a small little pond. “The most peaceful place,” the girl had said as she gave you the directions.

Of course, it was a peaceful place once you had reached the big entrance to the circle. The trees gave way just like she had said, the birds chirped beautifully as the local deer stayed in the tree line. What you hadn’t expected was a man kneeling down in front of the pond.

He seemed to be wearing ritual-like clothing, almost as though you had interrupted a beautiful moment between him and some type of witchy moment of his. The man seemed to have a mask placed next to him as well, noticing the red and white flowers crawling up to the three sets of eyes staring up at the sky from where it lay. 

You accidentally step on a stick while trying to turn around to leave the male in his own peace. He quickly turned around, half expecting it to be a deer but instead, he is met with your curious eyes. Your body freezes as you put on your best smile, awkward as it may be you did your best to make sure the male understood you were no threat to him.

“H-hello?” You cringe at your timid voice, clearing your throat before trying again, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” 

The male shakes his head and moves to stand, subconsciously reaching for the mask before he stops, fingers seemingly itching to grab at the item. He brushes back his dark hair, the length reaching just above his shoulder. To you the man seemed beautiful, almost too perfect to say the least. 

He shakes his head and offers you to come over by waving his hand in front of him in an elegant manner. “No you’re okay don’t worry.” 

You sigh internally happy that the male wasn’t too upset with you. As you sit closer to take in the surroundings once again, the light darkening just softly, just enough so the grove wasn’t too hot and or sunshiny. 

“Again I’m sorry for interrupting whatever you were doing..” You trail off yet again as you got closer to the beautiful man. With a hand reaching out offering up a greeting, you spoke happily. 

“My name is,” He pauses to stop slightly, before smiling at you, flashing a handsome white smile, “Elliot.” 

He takes your hand in his and instead of shaking it, he leans down and places a gentle kiss on top of your hand. You blush slightly from the interaction, weirded out but also now even more curious about this strange gentleman in the woods. Elliot lets go of your hand and walks around the pond, looking into it as though he was looking at the most amazing thing in the world. Though you can agree it is beautiful, the lily pads that had grown cover the top hiding away the fish. The tall lush flower in the middle hold home to many tiny insects that almost cutely look at you as you step closer.

You sigh softly at the amazement of the tiny fish that dance around the pond. It really was a beautiful place just like your friend had said. The man looks up at you, catching your glaze in the process, he smiles softly yet again before he begins to speak of a weird god named Sleep. “You know it’s not often many people come here nowadays,” He pauses to add a dramatic effect like you would in a speech, “It seems almost everyone has forgotten about the lovely pond I use to worship.” 

You tilt your head in confusion but motion for him to continue his spill, almost creepily wanting to drink up everything the male says. “Its so peaceful here I can almost hear Sleep whispering to me, ‘Go do great my child.’” Elliot laughs softly and shakes his head, looking at you with so much peace and joy in his heart that you can’t help but feel the same. You sit your bags down, ignoring the soft rattle of all the bones you had picked up along the journey. You didn’t know who this “Sleep” was but the way Elliot seemed to talk about him made you feel as though he was safety and joy, calm and protection. 

“So Sleep talks to you how?” You ask while sitting down near the edge of the pond, watching as a fish swims curiously closer to you. It bobs its head as the male across the pond begins to speak with his praise. “Through my mind, the cards, my resting time, Sleep he is everywhere…” He preaches softly, looking at you to make sure you were paying attention. When he notices you staring at the fish in the pond the beautiful face turns sour, brows knitting together with a curl of his lip. He takes a quiet deep breath and replaces the face with a much more welcoming one before you could even notice.

You look up and smile softly at the other, eyes full of wonder as you question and listen. “So Sleep is a god? He’s all-powerful and knows everything?” 

At your question, Elliot’s face lights up and he smiles brightly showing off his beautiful fang-like k-9 teeth, something you had not caught before. It doesn’t bother you at all, in fact, you find yourself wanting to stare at him more and more.  

“Of course, my lo- My Sleep is a god! He is the greatest god we know of, except for you, my dear…” He purrs the last part, almost inhumanly, the way his words rolled off his tongue entices you to listen in. You hum softly in acknowledgment, listening further in as he details how great Sleep is. Slowly as he talks the sky begins to turn dark, the crickets now chirping their songs instead of the birds, the deer running off to find a safe place for the night. The trees going eerie with how dark it had gotten, their branches seemingly losing their leaves to the cloak of the night. The fog rolls in, covering your lap and Elliot’s feet, the hooting of an owl breaking the trance you both were in. “Oh, its night time…” You mumble and look at your phone, just now noticing you had no battery after it having been on the whole day.

Elliot looks down at you, noticing your slight worry, and smiles softly, the perfect timing. “Are you going to need help getting to a safe place my dear?” He asks softly, coming closer to you after picking up his mask and putting it on. You nod your head and begin to stand, brushing off the grass from the bottom of your pants. With a sigh, you grab your backpack full of your collection and sling it over your shoulder once again. “Definitely, I’ve never been here before..”

The male nods and waves for you to follow him, normally you would have not but after spending the whole day with the strange male, you felt oddly at ease and comfortable with following him. 

The two of you walk to a small cave that clearly has been used, a small burnt-out campfire with a small blanket laid on the ground. You look at it strangely but brush it off assuming since Elliot has been here before this must be his mess. 

“I’m sorry it's not much it’s just all I can find in quick notice,” He says softly, almost as though he was upset he couldn’t bring you to a better place

You shrug and sit down on the little blanket, brushing off any dirt that may have made its way onto you. With a sigh he sits down the opposite of you, looking at you up and down, taking in your features yet again. Elliot hums softly and works to start the fire again, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and sorting through the old but unburnt wood. His voice echoing through the small cave in a beautiful wave, filling you with yet again burst of energy and peace.

“So how does one worship Sleep… I want to know so I can.” You casually bring up while running and hand through your hair, watching as Elliot slowly looks up at you with curious bright eyes. He stops humming, those bright blue eyes turning to look into yours, his smile bright yet again as though he was prepared to hear the question come from your mouth. 

Different gods had always excited you, bringing a new wave of curiosity as you researched them. You had known almost all the gods that the average library and a quick but in-depth Google search would allow you, so learning about such a god that is worshipped so heavily by this man seemed perfect. 

Elliot looks at you with wonder and smiles happily, ready to launch himself into the detailed worship rituals for Sleep. “There’s many my dear, many such as chants in other tongues, sacrifices of bones that are harvested from your own kill, complex rituals, the list goes on. I can detail some of them for you if you’d like.” You shake your head no, understanding that this wouldn’t be as easy as you had originally thought. Believing that maybe it was as simple as taking a nap and reciting a few words beforehand seeing as the name of the god was Sleep after all. “Is there not any that we can do now?” You ask leaning closer to Elliot, getting lost in those eyes that held the blue Atlantic in them.

He chuckles lightly, a blush slowly forming from his neck up to his ears, he turns nervously looking around the cave taking in its beautiful details. He began mumbling softly, avoiding your question, not prepared to answer it truthfully. 

With a head tilt, you reach out to Elliot, gently touching at his knee trying to pull his attention back to you and your question. The male jumps at the touch causing you to pull your hand away from him, not wanting to cross any type of boundary there may be.  The dark-haired man sighs softly, clearing his throat before looking back at you, the blush now slowly fading. 

“Well, there is another way…” You nod urging for him to continue, “I can show you but I would need your consent to touch you first my dear.”

You thought for a second, allowing the words of the other to mix together to form a sentence. Elliot was talking about sex, a practice of worshipping through combining two bodies. This wasn’t abnormal for most gods, any believing sex and intercourse to be a high form of worship. In fact, you have done things that were more out there then something as simple as having sex with someone.

With a soft hum, you look Elliot in the eyes, smirking seductively as you whisper just loud enough he could hear you, ‘I give you my consent Elliot…” 

He clears his throat at hearing this, standing up to his full 6’2 height, towering over your sitting form. He crouches down closer to you, getting in your face, brushing his nose against yours. “Good pet…” He whispers softly before kissing you passionately, spreading your legs as you return the kiss with a soft moan at the intensity. He pushes your legs over his hips, gently guiding you to lay down flat against the blanket, his hips now flush with your own. 

He wraps his hand around your throat, lightly resting it there as he nips at your lip, drawing a gasp from you, allowing him access to your mouth. Elliot licks into your mouth before pulling away leaving a string of spit between the two of you. You whine softly reaching for him, pulling him down by the edges of his long jacket, kissing him again, drawing it out much longer. 

Your hips buck up against his as he slowly trails the kisses down from your lips to your neck, there he bites softly, bruising a hickey into your skin. Your face, warm as the blush travels upwards, a soft moan leaving your mouth as Elliot uses his mouth on your hip. 

“So good underneath me…” He whispers in your ear after leaning back, kisses it softly before moving back to pull at your shirt, looking at you for permission to continue. You give him a small nod, putting your arms up helping aid him in getting the offensive shirt off. He groans so lowly it can only be described as a growl at the sight of your skin, so smooth as ready for him to litter with marks of his own. 

Elliot takes off his jacket, necklaces still on hitting the smooth skin of his pecks and stomach, your mouth watering slightly at the sight now that you were truly able to look disrespectfully. Wanting to trace your tongue over the muscles of the other’s stomach, you lean forward, tracing your hand over his flexing stomach.

He flinches softly but groans lowly in the back of his throat, enjoying the touch of you to his skin. He grabs your hand and moves it closer to his semi-hard cock, sex twitching in your hand as your own begins to scream for attention. You whine softly and squeeze, palming it gently in your palm, bringing the male to a full hard-on. 

With a soft sigh, you lean back against the blanket, arching your back and spreading your legs to grab the other’s attention. Elliot moves forward, grabbing at your pants and underwear, looking at you for permission to take them off with slightly shaking hands. You give him a pleading look before pushing your hips up, allowing for him to quickly pull them down, exposing your needy sex.

You moan into the cave, your voice echoing due to the cold air lapping at your need. Elliot laughs softly and kisses your stomach, looking up at you with hooded lust-filled eyes, “Darling you’re so needy for me already.” 

He kisses further down to your hip, to your thighs then finally reaching the spot you wanted it the most. He teasingly blows the cold night air against your entrance before sitting up with a smile on his face. You whine as he pulls away, wanting him to give you exactly what you need, knowing that the man probably could pick you apart so easily. Spreading your legs further you bat your eyes up at Elliot, pleads falling from your kissed red lips, “Please please oh god please…” Elliot only chuckles softly, and shakes his head, “There is no god here but Sleep my love.” He purrs gently, reaching down to brush two of his fingers against your lips, pushing them past them into your mouth. You moan around the digits, licking and sucking on them as you would if it were to be his cock.

“That’s enough…” He growls out, slipping his fingers out of your mouth, moving them closer to your entrance. The man rubs them around your hole, wetting it before pushing one finger in slowly, carefully to make sure you are not hurting. He looks at your pleasure-filled face, your hips pushing down against the intrusion, needing and wanting more than what he is giving you. You sigh softly and wiggle your hips down further, signaling to him that it was okay.

Elliot slowly pulls his finger out, pushing it back in at a slow but steady pace, stretching the cute hole of yours, all for him to break and use it. He sighs softly, palming his own cock at the sight in front of him. 

You push your hips down one more time and whine loudly as he hips the little bundle of nerves inside of you by accident. The other smiles widely before leaning down and spitting at your entrance, slipping in another finger to prepare you.

It wasn’t long before he was fucking you roughly with his fingers, pushing them in and out while spreading them to stretch you perfectly for his cock. Every inward thrust was an attack on your sweet spot, rubbing and playing with it as though he had nothing better to do. Your whines and whimpers of pleasure growing louder the closer you get.

Everything was wet, ready, and needy for Elliot to touch, but he purposely ignored you, focusing on spreading out your already prepared hole. “Elliot, please.. For the love of everything fuck me!” You snap, sitting up on your elbows to look at the other. 

That is when you take note of his actions, his cock was beautifully on display for you, glistening with precum that had dripped down his shaft as he played with his balls. He looks up at you as though he had been caught, caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Elliot whines softly before getting closer to you, pushing you to lie flat.

He edges closer to you, pulling his fingers out and wiping the wetness onto his cock, groaning lowly in his throat at the sensitive touch. The beautiful eyes from before look at you, almost pleading as he whines the tip of his cock up with your entrance, staring into your eyes, asking for permission to push in. 

“Please… Come on you can fuck me good~” You moan out softly, trying to entice the worshipper. He takes a deep breath in through his nose, holds it, and pushes inside of you.

The two of you both moan softly at the spark of pleasure, bodies growing even warmer as he stops to look down at where you are connected. He laughs in pleasure, a hand grabbing at your hip to hold you down as he pushes halfway in. You whimper softly, covering your mouth to hide the pleasurable pain from the stretch. Looking up at him with eyes full of lust as he thrust the rest of his cock in, filling you nicely. 

Elliot stays still for a second, allowing you to readjust to his girth, smiling softly at the soft pleasured moans escaping your mouth. He leans down close to your ear, nipping at it softly while whispering sweet praises, “Taking me so well love…”

The pace starts slow, his hips pulling his wet cock out before he plunges it back inside of you, shots of pleasure running up your spine. You move your hand to wrap around his back, digging and clawing your way into his back, marking him up as yours. A soft whine escapes your mouth as he angles his hips to slowly but deeply pound into your sweet spot. 

You moan loudly, the wet noises of your entrance squishing around his cock, taking him in so deeply. Whimpering softly you push your hips down, trying to buck up to quicken the pace. The grip on your hips tightens, pushing your hips to the ground keeping you from moving, keeping you from speeding up the achingly slow pace. 

“What’s wrong pet? Can’t handle it slow? But you’re handling my cock buried inside of you” He teases in your ear, nipping and licking at it slowly, kissing down from your ear to your jaw. He leaves small hickies here and there, bruising you as his as you had him.

Elliot bites down roughly on your shoulder blade, teeth sinking into the skin as his cock slows down to a barely moving pace. The bite slowly starts to ooze blood causing your eyes to roll back in pleasure due to the unexpected pain. He chuckles as he pulls back to lap at the blood now making its way down your shoulder.

You whine moving your hips, trying to push the other to move again. He takes the hint and picks up the pace, fucking into your hole with a much rougher pace than before. Elliot chuckles softly and tilts his head at you, smiling with those sharp fang-like teeth. “You tasted so fucking good darling…”

With your eyes rolling back, you arch your back in pleasure feeling as the male above you pounds into your sweet spot again, drilling you and filling you full all at the same time.

The wet sounds of your entrance sucking him in further echo through the cave, his and your moans mixing together into a sweet melody. Elliot softly groaning in pleasure, eyes closed as he leans down into your shoulder, licking at the bite mark again, trying to draw more blood from it. You whimper as you feel your orgasm getting closer and closer, the pounding of the cock inside of you making your insides quiver. Just as you were about to reach your peak, panting with short “ah”s as he pounded into you, Elliot forcefully wraps a hand around your throat, squeezing tightly as he continued chasing his own pleasure.

A pathetic whimper leaves your mouth as the pressure around your throat slowly increases to a point of worry. You try tapping at the male’s arm, signaling for him to let go, but he refuses, giving you a soft almost lovingly smile as the world around you begins to look spotty. Your head begins to feel fuzzy, the dark black spots during into you slowly losing the last bit of air in your lungs. Darkness taking over as you feel Elliot still moving inside of you.

When you wake you feel the heaviness of your body, everything hurting as though you had been dragged from hell and earth again. Voices, there were so many voices to be heard, talking as though they were pleading and begging for someone. 

“Vessel, please! I want first dibs!” A voice whines loudly, causing your ears to ring at how thick and loud the accent was. You tried moving your head to look at the source of the sound, but your head was heavy with fog from losing oxygen. A soft whine leaves your throat, no one picking up on it due to the arguing from another voice.

“You always ask for first dibs III, it's my turn now.” Another softer voice argues back, keeping a calm tone but with an edge of irritation.

Someone clears their throat and all of the voices stop, everyone seems to hold respect for the person, “I decide who goes first, I think our lovely IV deserves first for once.” That voice, you knew that voice, it was Elliot, the same man who choked you to the point of passing out during a “ritual” for his god he seemed to worship. 

Finally, you were able to look up, opening your blurry eyes to see that you were being held by someone, the final person who didn’t seem to be speaking at all. And there stood Elliot, wearing the same red and white floral mask you had seen from before. But now the male seemed to be holding power, the way he stands shows he was relaxed but also in control of the situation. 

He notices you are awake, slowly walking closer to you, you attempt to struggle out of the 4th person’s arms, struggling with all of your might but failing miserably due to him being stronger than you. Elliot looks down at you, taking note of the bruising around your neck, finding it turning a deep purple and black from where his hand had wrapped tightly. “Looks like the sacrifice finally awoke,” He says loud enough for everyone to hear, he grabs your face and lifts it up, making it so you are forced to look around you.

There stood two other masked men, their faces covered by a black material that had a symbol painted on, the same damn symbol on Elliot’s mask. 

One of these masked men stood at an impressive 6’4 in height, his bright blue eyes staring down at you in a creepy excitement, something no one should have to see. The other stood much shorter than the rest of them, standing at an almost cute height of 5’6.

The leader of the group, Elliot now deemed Vessel, grabbed you by the shirt, lifting you up a little bit taller so your feet were dangling off the ground. He stared at you for a second before gently petting your chest. You cringed and kept quiet to hopefully be able to survive whatever was going to happen.

Vessel glares at the one behind you, still holding your hands to your hand so you couldn’t escape even if you struggled more. The hand on your chest began to push and push, taking your breath away as you silently screamed. The pain growing heavier and deeper as the tears fall down your eyes, your feet kicked in the air as you tried your best to get away from the pain. Sadly you weren’t able to, feeling the deep crack of your bones in your chest, they gave way to the pressure of Vessel’s hand.

The deep red blood of your blood coats Elliot’s hand, your chest ached as his hand dove deeper and deeper inside of you. You screamed loudly, begging for him to stop slowly losing consciousness yet again, this time you didn’t wake up. Once Elliot had reached through your chest, he dug around searching for the right organ, the heart. The others sit back and watch as your body falls limp, no longer having any resistance. II, the shorter one perks up, eyeing the organ in his leader’s hand, craving the delicious taste of blood straight from the heart. 

Vessel takes your heart, biting into it, chewing and swallowing the fleshy still slowly beating heart. He hums in delight when IV shifts around, looking at him with needy eyes. The red and white masked man grabbed your heart, sipping the blood as it spills from it, grabbing the man that had been holding you up. He carefully pulls the other’s mask up and watches as he opens his mouth. IV staring between Vessel and your body, opening his mouth for the other.

The leader of the cult spits the blood into the 4th vessel’s mouth, watching as his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. IV hums softly, bowing his head as he lets go of your body, dropping you to the cold forest floor. Your body hit with a thump, going limply everywhere, with blood and bits of bone messing up Vessel’s body paint.

After he finished spitting into IV’s mouth, he walked over to II, the shorter looking up at Vessel with a tired but eager expression, loving the moments of blood sacrifices. II sighs softly and pulls up his mask, reaching up and grabbing lovingly at Vessel’s cloak. The taller laughs softly and leans down, pecking II on the lips before slipping his tongue into the other’s mouth, letting the blood spill into his mouth. The drummer moans softly and swallows the blood, pulling away from Vessel to look over at IV who was now staring back at him. Creepy. 

III, the tallest masked member bounces back and forth on his heels, ready to get on his knees for the other when it was his turn. Vessel, slowly turning away from II, turns to III rolling his eyes with a soft but bloody smile. He bites into the heart again, getting more blood to fill his mouth, walking over to the taller. III kneels quickly, wrapping his arms around Vessel’s legs, pulling him closer with a pathetic needy expression. He whines softly and lets Elliot lift his mask up, your blood still being held inside of his mouth, growing colder than it was supposed to be.  Vessel leans down and looks at III’s beautiful blue eyes, forcing the other to open his mouth, leaning down even further to spit the blood into his mouth, letting the thick liquid coat his throat happily. The singer pulls away from III and stands in the middle of the circle, bowing his hand and clasping his hands together, praying.

All at once, all four of the vessels hear a loud booming voice in their heads, growing antsy with the anxiety that comes with it.

“Good job my vessels. We will rise soon”

[vnti-vnxiety-recs]

Hi again! If I may, I’d like to req one of Johnny as F2L mentioning “no one’s gonna wanna keep trying to bully the fairy hybrid (we’ll say for the sake of this moment that it is not a common one) when her best friend/betrothed is an Apex-predator” hybrid (thinking jaguar since Johnny is a big cat lol) BUT I just wasn’t sure how creative is too out-there & since I mentioned various creatures in my initial asks, so if that’s too out-there I can request something else •w•

My lovely bugs it was a pleasure writing for you once again. It got a little dark in the middle but this was so much fun to write holy cow. Also I see your Dark Hyuck fic and i will DEFINITELY be writing that just give me some time I got chu

Bullying and physical assault

Jaguar hybrid!Johnny x Fairy!Reader

Hiding them was no easy feat. You had wished upon countless stars—maybe even a hundred—to make them disappear, but here they remained. You despised your wings; unlike other winged hybrids, there was no way to conceal them. Fairy wings were too delicate, too sensitive. You couldn't simply tuck them behind your back or under a shirt. They would itch and cramp, demanding attention. You had to stretch them for at least an hour before you could take flight again.

“Why hide them at all?” people often asked. Your wings were stunning, sparkling like gold in the right light. But you hid them to fit in. Hybrids were still adjusting to life in society after emerging from hiding. Living among humans required you to blend in; as long as you stayed out of their way, they weren’t that bad.

Many hybrids navigated this world successfully. Take your best friend Johnny, for instance. He was a jaguar hybrid, with sharp teeth, keen eyes, and a tail he could fully conceal. While everyone knew he was a hybrid, he managed to blend in. His relaxed demeanor made others feel comfortable, despite being near a born predator.

You, on the other hand, hadn’t been so fortunate. Your mother insisted it was jealousy that drove them. Humans, she said, would rather destroy what they couldn't have than allow someone else to possess it. Perhaps that explained why your kind was so rare. And so here you were, feeling the weight of that destruction, the very essence of your existence threatened by the envy of others.

“Freak!” The word cut through the air with sharpness, echoing the feelings you fought to suppress. You’d grown accustomed to such insults, but it never hurt less. Each time a part of you cringed, hoping for a day when people would see you as more than just an anomaly. But Johnny made everything a little bit better. As long as he was by your side, no one dared to mess with you.

“You sure you’re okay walking to your next class? It’s halfway across campus,” Mark, the tiger hybrid from your philosophy lecture, asked with concern etched in his features. “You know I’ve got your back if anything happens.”

Mark was genuinely kind and always looked out for you—all the hybrids on campus had formed a protective pact. Still, they couldn't always be there, and you didn’t want to burden anyone with your problems.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to make you late again,” you replied, waving him off with a smile that felt a little forced. You appreciated his concern, truly, but you desperately wanted to prove you could handle things on your own, even when the world seemed determined to remind you of your difference.

“Alright, but be careful, okay? Text me if you need anything,” Mark replied, a hint of worry still present in his tone. You nodded, and as he hurried off, you took a deep breath, steeling yourself for the trek across campus, one foot in front of the other, determined to reach your next class without incident.

You were managing just fine, your earphones in place, and your wings tucked in tightly against your back as you made your way to the next class. "Almost there," you repeated silently to yourself, the words a mantra that helped keep the anxiety at bay. But then someone called out to you, and your heart sank when you recognized the voice.

“Haein,” you muttered under your breath, as the familiar figure approached. Haein thrived on bullying you, choosing moments like this—when you were alone, vulnerable—to unleash his cruelty. You could already feel the tension coiling in your chest, the usual fear taking hold.

“Where are you going, Tinker?” he sneered, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. Your stomach twisted, and for a moment, you felt frozen in place, the familiar dread washing over you. You wanted to muster the courage to stand up for yourself, but his sharp gaze made it hard to breathe.

Words failed you as panic coursed through your veins; you knew that anything you said would only escalate the situation.

“Nothing to say? Well, we'll see about that,” Haein taunted, grasping your arm and pulling you with a force that left you reeling. Your heart raced as you scanned your surroundings, desperately hoping someone would notice, someone would help. But the looks you received only reinforced the truth: no one cared.

He dragged you to the old gym, the creaking doors creaking ominously as he threw you onto the dusty ground. Instinct kicked in; you tried to scramble to your feet, but in a swift movement, he stepped down hard on one of your wings, pinning it beneath his boot.

A scream tore from your throat, the searing pain echoing in the empty space around you. You felt like a moth with its wings pinned—a fragile creature trapped in the grip of a predator, vulnerable and alone. Desperation surged through you, but all you could do was writhe in agony, hoping to somehow break free from the nightmare.

“I knew you could talk,” Haein said with a twisted grin.

“Let go,” you grit out, your voice barely above a whisper but laced with defiance.

“I think I like you down there; it’s where you belong. Crawling around in the dirt like the insect you are,” he sneered. “You know what I heard? I heard one scale from those wings of yours could go for hundreds.”

In response, you did the only thing you could do. You screamed.

“No one's going to hear—”

But before he could finish, an animalistic growl cut through his words, and suddenly the weight on your wing lifted. You winced as you sat up, blinking in confusion as you processed what had just happened.

Johnny stood over Haein, sharp fangs bared and glowing yellow eyes locked onto him. He looked ready to pounce.

“Johnny, no! Let him go!” You shouted, panic rising in your throat. While a part of you relished the thought of watching Johnny tear Haein to shreds, your concern for Johnny overshadowed your desire for revenge. You knew Haein’s family was wealthy and powerful, and they would undoubtedly press charges if Johnny struck. It wasn’t just your life at stake; it was his future too.

Johnny’s gaze flickered to you for a fleeting moment, his eyes shifting back to their familiar warmth before he turned back to confront Haein. The tension in the air crackled like static electricity.

“If I ever see you near her again…” Johnny's voice dripped with menace, his smile revealing sharp teeth that only seemed to emphasize his threat. Haein’s bravado crumbled under the weight of Johnny's fierce presence, and with a final desperate gulp, he scrambled to his feet and fled.

As soon as he was gone, you finally managed to stand up, relief flooding through you, and Johnny was at your side in an instant.

“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” His voice was laced with concern, inspecting you for any sign of injury.

You offered him a brave smile, grateful for his presence. “I’m okay now, thanks to you.”

Johnny’s frown deepened, a look of regret clouding his features. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here faster. I didn’t know the bullying was that bad.”

“It’s okay,” you reassured him, placing a hand gently on his arm. “I can’t expect you to always be there for me.”

Johnny shook his head firmly, the intensity in his gaze softening as he spoke. “No, I will always be there for you. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something ever happened to you.” He paused, a teasing glint appearing in his eyes. “Besides, who’s going to mess with the fairy hybrid when her big, scary jaguar boyfriend is always by her side?”

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, and heat rushed to your cheeks at the revelation. “Boy—boyfriend?” you stammered, your heart racing at the word.

You had always harbored a crush on Johnny, but you had dismissed the whispers from your friends that he felt the same way. This moment felt surreal, leaving you momentarily speechless.

“Oh, my bad,” he said, a playful smile creeping across his lips. “I should probably take you out on a date first.”

The butterflies in your stomach took flight, and you couldn’t help but grin at him, the earlier tension fading into something sweeter. “A date, huh? Are you asking me out?”

“Absolutely,” he said, his expression turning earnest. “I’d really like to. Just us, no bullies, no drama—just a chance for you to see how amazing you are without anyone bothering you.”

Your heart swelled at his words, and you found yourself nodding, excitement bubbling within you. “I’d love that.”

Johnny’s smile widened, his joy infectious. “Great! Then it’s a date.” He paused for a moment, his expression turning serious. “Just remember, no one messes with my girl.”

With those words, your earlier worries faded, replaced by the warmth of possibilities. Maybe with Johnny by your side, you could finally take a stand against the bullies—and even take a step toward something more beautiful than you had ever imagined.

As you stepped out of the old gym, the crisp air felt refreshing against your skin, but it was Johnny's presence next to you that brought the most comfort.

“They are beautiful, you know,” he began, casually glancing sideways at you as you walked together.

“Hmm,” you softly hummed, your thoughts still lingering on what had just happened.

“Your wings,” he said, his voice sincere and warm. “I think they’re probably my favorite part about you.”

You hadn’t noticed the tears streaming down your cheeks until Johnny leaned in closer, his expression shifting to one of gentle concern. With tenderness, he wiped away a tear with his thumb, his touch soft like a feather. "Hey, it’s okay," he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur, filled with kindness.

Without thinking, you leaned into his touch, feeling both vulnerable and safe. “I just… I never knew how much those words could mean.” Your voice trembled, choked with emotion as you struggled to maintain composure.

Johnny’s gaze softened, and he moved closer, creating a cocoon of warmth around you both. “You deserve to hear that, and so much more. I’ll always be here to remind you,” he promised, his eyes steady and reassuring.

Feeling the flutter of your wings, you realized that this was a turning point—not just in your connection with Johnny, but in how you saw yourself. Maybe you weren’t just a target for bullies; you were someone deserving of love, protection, and admiration. And for the first time, emboldened by Johnny’s words, you felt like you could fly.

[akiranzee]

📃 • ° ` — “MARRIAGE IN PAPER”

-> PAIRINGS: Tengen Uzui x f!Y/n -> SUMMARY: You’re a hopeless romantic who was always fooled by love, but one day, this certain man comes in and changes your perspective in love. -> WORD COUNT: 2.5k+ -> CONTAINS: fluff, angst (reader’s backstory), a little swearing, too many exes/breakups, cold/mean reader, talks of trauma and abuse, & tengen is 26 while reader is 25. -> A/N: this is modern au lol. also, his wives js play the roles of his ex gfs, so yeah u have him all by urself no sharing😉.

-------------Loading…------------

------------Complete!------------

May 15, 2000.

It was in the heat of summer when your parents decided to take home a tall, muscular, and handsome young man together along with his parents, whom your mom called “son in law”, while his parents called you, “daughter in law”.

Everything was going great so far, and you didn’t like it. Not even a single bit.

Because 1st, the fact that your parents never told you about this kind of shit until now, and 2nd, because they knew damn well you had a boyfriend, but still decided to push this “arranged marriage” contract thing.

The guy’s name was revealed to be Tengen Uzui, and his parents’ head whipped directly towards you and started to ask you questions.

You were not comfortable about it, and fortunately enough, your phone started to ring, and it was your bestfriend that was calling.

Oh, thank the lords for this amazing best friend you have.

“I’m sorry, but I have to answer this. It's an urgent call.” You say, standing up while putting the phone to your right ear.

Uzui’s parents whispered “go on”s, and off they go ahead with their chatting.

You then answered your bestfriend’s call.

“Oh lord, thank god you called me! I was almost gonna be interviewed in this whole marriage thing! Like, can you believe it!? They actually set me off to date someone when I don’t even know him. Plus, the fact that they know my boyfriend Luke is still here!? Ugh! They don’t know how to consider my feelings!” You ranted on your bestfriend, not even giving her a single chance to speak.

“Okay, calm down girl. I just called you to update you that your boyfriend Luke is in a cafe all sweet while holding another girl’s hands! So yeah, you maybe wanna reconsider about Luke being your boyfriend now.” She said, her last sentence saddening.

“...Wow. That fucking jerk. I’m gonna beat him up to a pulp once I see him. I swear to god, that motherfucker doesn't know how to be grateful!” You said, really feeling angry now, but deep inside, you hate yourself for loving and trusting someone like him.

“Well, you should give him a taste of his own medicine, right?” Someone behind you spoke up, startling you with his tall figure.

“Is this what you call as ‘urgent’?” He asked, putting his hands on his hips.

“What are you doing here?” You looked up at Uzui, but not really high, just enough to meet his eyes who strangely has an amusing expression while putting your phone down from your ear.

“Well, you’re taking quite a while aren’t you? So, your flashy husband comes in and saves the day!” He grins widely.

You just cringed at that, looking at him with a look on your face as if he was the most disgusting creature to ever deal with.

“Stop acting like you’ll be the greatest husband in the world, every man is the same.” You said, walking pass by him while bumping your left shoulder on his right shoulder.

“Oh? Damn, did this Luke guy hurt you really hard? Look, we may not know each other yet, but in my past relationships, I have not seen one of my girlfriends cry because of me, like seriously, never. I never hurt them.” He tried to explain.

“Oh really? How come you’re now single huh?” You replied, sparing him a side eye glance.

“Well, that was because you came along.” Was all he said, and it was simple, but that stopped you in your tracks for a minute, and you could feel your cheeks warming and heart beating.

~~~~~

October 23, 2000.

“You may now kiss the bride.” The priest said, and everyone cheered on the both of you as both your lips touched. You didn't want to do this, but for the sake of your parents’ and families’ reputation, you’re forced to go along with it.

As the kiss ended, the both of you smiled brightly, but the both of you also know that you’re only faking it.

And then the crowd goes cheering on.

~~~~~

“That was a hell of a wedding, was it?” He asked, laughing slightly. But you found his joke no fun at all.

“Let me get things clear, for the next 5 or 6 months, we’re getting a divorce. And within this house, you can drop your sweet husband act and you can go to your girlfriends. And you’re sleeping here in the bedroom, while I’m sleeping in the guest room. I hope we don’t mind each others’ businesses by then.” Was all you said, and bam you left the room.

And of course, your husband didn’t find that quite agreeable.

~~~~~

9:00PM

You were about to head to bed, when suddenly there’s a knock on your door.

You sigh, and opened it up only to reveal Tengen.

You looked up at him with a confused look, but he just smiled and said,

“Um, it’s kind of hot in there, so I thought maybe I could-” He hadn’t even gotten a chance to finish the sentence, when the door slammed right in front of his face.

You feel bad, of course. But you can’t allow another man get into the way of your life again. Luke was the 7th time. And you can’t let the 8th time happen. Never again.

Not with Luke, Haku, Sendo, Kaedo, Andres, Davin, and Caesar.

Those were the names you hated the most, that made you remember the most pain.

Caesar that bastard, he was decent at first sight, but after the both of your engagement, he took a wild turn and almost killed you. Luckily, your father stepped in and stopped him right on time.

Davin that prick, fooled and manipulated you into giving him all your money, but luckily enough you had your bestfriend by your side to expose him.

Andres that rapist, raped a lot of women and child, and you were the next victim. Luckily your neighbor was there to hear your scream.

Kaedo that criminal, who killed a total of 16 people threatened you to not say anything and play the role of his sweet innocent girlfriend. Luckily there was a bottle of wine in front of you, and knocked him down. He was said to be in a coma.

Sendo that robber, tried to rob your money to help his poor family, and yes, you feel sorry for him, but that was no excuse to rob you. He should’ve just asked for your help. Luckily you caught him red handed when he snuck up to your room.

Haku that drunkard, abused you way too many times that you had enough of it. Luckily enough, when he was about to hit you with the bottle of beer he was holding, there was a knife beside you and you instantly had to stab him. It wasn’t your fault, you weren’t given enough choice anyway.

And Luke that cheater, dated with another girl behind your back. Luckily, your bestfriend was there to see him.

And with all of this that happened, did you really think you could trust ‘love’ once again? It had hurt you way too many times than you’ve hurted yourself.

And what, you’re gonna give this Tengen an 8th chance so that he’ll betray, hurt, or even to the point he’ll kill you?

No way, you don’t want that to happen. That’s why, starting from now on, you’re never gonna trust love for the 8th time. Never again.

What if this Tengen turns out to be like Caesar? Decent at first, then now plays an opposite part once married.

You can’t blame yourself. You can’t help it. You’re just afraid to trust again, afraid to get hurt again. It wasn’t your fault they turned out to be bastardous rodents. But yes, it was also your fault for trusting. And you hate yourself because of that. Because you’re dumb, fool, and a fucking useless bitch.

And you swore to God that Luke is gonna be the last one to hurt you.

Although you won’t admit it, but you felt bad for slamming the door in his face.

You wanted to say sorry, but it's better this way. To be a cold, heartless wife than a soft, foolish wife. It’s better this way, if you keep being mean to him, then maybe, he will come to hate you.

Or atleast that’s what you think.

The next day, you found yourself waking up to smell a delicious meal, and when you went downstairs, the food you smelt revealed a drooly meal served in the table, with the chef fixing and preparing it.

“Oh, you’re awake now? I was about to head upstairs and wake you up.” He said, smiling gently at you.

Your heart almost melted at the scene right in front of you, but you know better to not get fooled again. So, you went back upstairs and locked yourself up in the guest room.

It was followed by a knock then, with Tengen asking if you were okay or not. You really wanted to open up to him, you felt pity and weak, but your past experiences taught you best to never feel that way once again.

And then the knocking stopped, thinking he already went away, so you opened the door to find him sitting down on the floor, patiently waiting for you.

“Ah, did you calm down now? Guess what, I made you a flashy breakfast!” He said, standing up and smiling brightly.

“I don’t need your stupid breakfast, just leave me alone, okay?” You sighed out, walking past him and going straight to the bathroom.

“Oh well, guess that didn’t go well as I thought…” Tengen thought, scratching the back of his neck.

~~~~~

And then the next day, you find Tengen tending to your flowers when you came back home from the supermarket.

“Ah, welcome back, Y/n! Your poor flowers here wanted something to drink, so I gave them water!” Tengen smiled brightly.

You decided it’ll be hard to brush him off if he acts this way. Maybe this was apart of his plan after all to make you feel attached to him, then break your poor, sorry, heart.

And then the next day, you were asking him if he got the water and electricity bills only to find out he had already paid for them, so you grabbed your wallet and give him the money bill, but he insisted you keep it, so you ask him why. His answer being,

“Because you are my wife, and married couples look out for one another.” He said and it sounded so sincere, but you thought this was just apart of his ‘plan’, so you just ignored and walked away.

And then the next, then the next, then the next next next next day, he still made you breakfast, drove you to work, gave you gifts, and kissed your forehead while sleeping despite you being mean, arrogant, and cold to him.

Days went on like that, up until you grew sick and tired of it.

“Seriously, what do you want?” You asked, while chomping down the food inside your mouth.

“What?” He asked, talking while his mouth is full.

“You keep on trying to make amends with me, while me on the other hand, visibly don’t like you. Why do you keep pushing yourself to me?” You question, putting down your fork and spoon.

“Because, Y/n… You are my wife.” He said, smiling gently while wiping the sauce off of his mouth.

“So, if another girl was your wife, would you have treat them this way?” You asked, looking deep into his eyes, trying to look for the true answer.

“No, Y/n. That will never happen. For me, you are the only one.” He said, continuing to eat.

And you can’t help but fall in love with him little by little, even when you think or maybe know, he’s just gonna break your heart, just like what your exes have always done.

For you, it was a sin to fall in love again.

So, you can’t. You never can and never must let this man turn your once cold heart go back to the once kind heart.

~~~~~

You were out in the market to get some groceries, when all of a sudden, you accidentally bumped into someone, his figure tall and muscular. You expected it to be Tengen, but no. You were dead wrong.

“Pfft, you’re still the old short Y/n I knew, huh?” It was Kaedo.

You dropped the eco-bag you were holding on, terrified to see the face of one of the men who brought you terror.

You faced your back to him, about to run away, but was stopped with him holding your wrist tightly.

And everything around you just… started to get blurry. You were filled with nothing but panic and rage, but mostly it was because you were traumatized.

He was about to drag you somewhere, when someone spoke and held his hand that held your wrist.

“Hey, what do you think are you doing with my wife?” A familiar voice interrupted, that the panic you were feeling suddenly went away and now you were feeling safe and comfort.

“Wife? This bitch is your wife?” Kaedo asked the man, who you now looked at to be the one and only flashy man, Tengen Uzui.

“Yes, and don’t call her ‘bitch’, that’s so not flamboyant.” Tengen replied calmly, but you could see a vein popping in his forehead.

“Seriously? You defend someone like her? That’s the bitch that put me in coma for 4 months! Plus, she’s a filthy spoiled brat anyway. She only depends on her parents’ money, and then claim that it’s from her own hard work. Seriously, you women are pathe-” He was cut off by a large fist hitting his right cheek, leaving you shocked and gasp by the way 2 of his tooth fell out.

“If you ever come near me and my wife ever again, I’ll make sure I’m gonna be the one to put you to coma again.” Tengen warned the man with a death stare, and pulled you out of the scene.

“Hey, hey, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Did he touch you? Did he-” Tengen frantically looked around your body, but you cut him off saying,

“Why would you do that?” You said, feeling an unknown feeling that was familiar to you, but was unfamiliar.

It was you falling in love. Heart thumping rapidly, cheeks flushing, palms, neck, and forehead sweating, and hands and knees trembling.

What happened? What has happened to the swore you made, to never get fooled again?

But can you even ever call this getting fooled?

In all those years that you’ve wasted finding the perfect boyfriend for you, you’ve finally found someone.

Someone who treated you better, someone who cared for you, someone who protected you, someone who truly loved you, and someone better than them.

“Because I love you.” He looked down to you, and just from the look of his face, he is obviously smitten and in love with you.

Maybe a marriage in paper isn’t so bad. Maybe, just maybe, he might be the right one.

[ionlybleedbubbles]

Writing tips deep in my heaps of cringe, that are actually good (imo) :

When writing in third person, don't say what a character cannot do while talking from their perspective. Frame the idea by telling us what they can do, or through the opinion of other characters. For eg. Instead of saying "Mattie was bad at flying planes", say "Mattie preferred cars to planes, and would much rather his brother do the plane-flying." See? Now you've even managed to drop in a nod about his brother. You could also say, "Kevin felt safer when Mattie's brother flew the plane than when Mattie did." Put the blame on Kevin - don't judge Mattie yourself. As a narrator you must pretend to always be on your MCs' side. Ofc, this would vary with different styles of narration, but this is a general rule.

Show how important a character is by how much time you take to talk about them. You would describe your MCs well, and bring up their hobbies and interests. You wouldn't describe a background character as much. You can use this to humanize or dehumanize characters. You may initially talk very little about the main villain yourself, and rely on dialogue among the other characters. This makes the villain feel like a force rather than a person. As the story progresses though, and you decide you want to drop in a *hairflips dramatically* sad back story, you can humanize the villain, and make them more understandable as a person.

Learn from art. Try describing different sceneries or portraits as practice. Also practice writing comic books or manga as stories. Visualizing your story as comic or manga panels can really help you understand pacing and paragraphs. Take note of their vibrance and positioning.

Learn from people's mannerisms and how they are received by other people. For eg, when we ask my dad a question, he pauses to gather his thoughts before speaking. Out of respect, we wait silently during this pause. This shows how confident and charismatic my dad is. A friend of mine only verbally roasts people within our friend group, and apologizes profusely after. This shows she is both empathetic and extremely quick-witted. I could create well rounded characters based on just examples as simple as these.

This tip is what I like to call 'the fake solution' and is employed by many famous authors. For this, you force readers to make assumptions. Maybe about how the magic system works, or about who the villain is. Make it seem like the characters have come to a conclusion and that conclusion is the final solution to conflict. Then tear down those assumptions and create a whole other ending. Similar to the red herring, except this time it's all in the characters' heads and dialogue. Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy is a good example of playing with assumptions forced upon readers by the writer.

In your first chapter, focus on creating potential. You don't have to jump into the heart of the action right away, but you have to make sure your readers understand the potential for this action. For example the opening chapter of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys is relatively low paced, but it leaves you with questions. It makes you wonder who the boy who talked to Blue is, and how Blue will deal with life after such a strange prophecy. This makes you need to continue reading, to find answers.

For good worldbuilding, study at least a little bit of history. Wars and military tricks make for good free prompts. If your world contains vibrant races, make sure you research and incorporate the history and implications of racism, social hierarchy and trade. Understand how this will impact travellers and mercenaries (audiences love those). Make up your own old wives' tales and coping mechanisms.

Understand that the best stories are written around an idea rather than a character. Your protagonist is simply the face of your story. The weather of the world reflects on the protagonist's choices and health. Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games focuses on the dark side of media and politics and how they are used to control a people. Notice that by the third book, Katniss, our protagonist, is doing very little herself, though her few moments are loud and powerful. Katniss could achieve nothing alone. It takes a whole bunch of people to fuel the revolution. Note that it is completely okay to write a character based story, if that's what you like. But there are tons of those. If you really want to make an impact, make an idea-based story.

Respect all your characters equally. You may love some characters more than others, but remember all your characters are representatives of people. Make sure each of them has a voice and a chance to prove themselves.

Use prose to your advantage. Let the length of your sentence define whether the sequence is fast paced or slow. For example, if your want to show surprise, your sentences must be short. Instead of saying "She snatched the last dagger and stared at it, observing each engraving", say " She snatched up the last dagger. Each engraving was sick, gnarled. "

That was a heck of a long post, but that's all from me. Feel free to add your own or contradict anything I've written.

[stellar-constellations]

"You haven’t tried to kill or degrade me, and you're cute too!”

        Very curious! Low ranked demon! GN! (Y/N) x Aizetsu.

        (Y/N) has absolutely no memory of their human life.

        Chōrō is an original OC for plot purposes!

        (Y/N) eats human food to gain energy!

        (Y/N) has her own original breathing but it doesn't go into detail!

        (Y/N)'s demon life is similar to one for one of my Demon Slayer OC's (that I may or may not add onto Tumblr one day; still deciding).

        This is old and cringe, but I'm keeping this on my profile because it shows my progress as a writer.

        It must’ve been a few months since I’ve been a demon. I don’t know much about my human life, but I was once a demon slayer who killed demons. I was a tsuchinoe with much to learn, but I created my own breathing; Celestial Breathing.

        I was a stubborn and honest person. I followed what I believed was right and I did my best to help others, even if it didn’t always work out—at least, that’s what my human friends say.

        I visit this old lady, Chōrō, often. She gives me human food since it replenishes my energy instead of blood. My human friends are demon slayers, but they won’t kill me. I’m a exception to the slayer corps, just like my little demon friend Nezuko is. 

        I hide in big trees and warehouses in the day, but I usually go to Chōrō; she is very kind and lets me hide in her house. 

        I am a demon with no rank, a demon that could easily be killed if wanted since I have no name or significant importance. I help give the best information I can about That Man and the Uppermoons to the demon slayers, but once I no longer have connections with them, I am of no use.

        Death doesn’t bother me—I would enjoy it. I don’t want to be a demon. I don’t like having to hide from the sun, fight other demons, run from the humans, find a way to get money, or avoid the pretty glowing purple trees. But I don’t want to submit easily—it’d be insulting. 

        I don’t have any important relation with the Demon King. The last time I saw him, I was in the infinity castle, but I don’t know why. He explained what I was and what I had to do, then set me free in the world. I'm certain he was the one that turned me, but I'm unsure why.

        So far, I have run into three Upper Moons; one, two, and three. I don’t like Upper Moon One—he gave me a surprise test and was very mean to me, saying that I was a imposter and had no use, so I dislike him very much. 

��       The second Upper Moon is very… special. He’s weirdly animated, loud, and a bit annoying, but I am on better terms with him then with Upper Moon One. He helps me train, honing my swordsmanship skills and Blood Demon Art (which appears to be my Celestial Breathing). 

        I only saw Upper Moon Three once, but he seems like a very irritable person, and I have a problem with people who like to berate me.

        I really like the animals in the world. I think my favorite is the wolf. They’re a little mean to me, but they don’t attack me, they just growl at me. However, sometimes when I stay very still and avoid eye contact, they will come over and sniff me. I will carefully hold a finger out and they’ll allow me to pet their muzzle. Sometimes they bite my fingers, but I understand they're just scared of me like how I am of humans.

        I also really like pandas. Pandas are fluffy and big. I can lay down on them. I really like to hold bamboo up and feed them. I ate the bamboo once—it wasn’t good. I don’t understand why the pandas like them but it’s okay because they’re cute and it leaves more for them to eat.

        Yes, I like pandas. I like to lay on them too. I’m laying on one now! His name is Boo. I probably won’t ever see him again, but I enjoy his company, and he doesn’t seem to mind mine, so we’re friends. 

        I was laying on his stomach as he ate a stick of bamboo, grabbing another stick nearby and waiting for him to finish his food, then holding it out in front of him.

        “Do you want more?” I questioned.

        He made a funny noise. I don’t speak panda. I assume it was a yes because he took the stick and starting chewing on it. 

        “You’re feeding the panda?” a voice questioned in front of me. 

        I tilted my head back to it’s original position, seeing a demon in front of me. It wore a blue stash, having coco skin and very pretty blue eyes. It had horns sticking out of its hair that was messy and black. It was also worth noting he had this purple vein-like pattern on his forehead. They looked and sounded like a guy; he was cute, but he looked sad.

        “I am! His name is Boo. Would you like to feed him with me?” I questioned, grabbing a stick of bamboo, offering the bamboo to the demon.

        “No thanks…” the demon spoke, his face remained a frown as he looked at me.

        “Boo is very nice, right, Boo?” I questioned, tilting my head backwards to look up and rest my head on his stomach. 

        He made a noise as it took the stick, resuming his meal.

        The demon remained silent, deciding not to talk any further, however he stayed staring at me.

        “Are you okay? You look sad.” I questioned.

        Usually I’m not so kind with demons or people in general, but whenever I see something I like or enjoy—like this panda—a flip is switched in me and I turn almost childish. I’ll regret my actions for this interaction later, but I won’t see this demon again. Besides, at least he’s not trying to fight me.

        “I am sad.” The demon admitted.

        I hummed, thinking. 

        “Would you like to talk about it? I promise I won’t tell anyone. I won’t judge either.” I offered. 

        “No thanks—I don’t think you’d understand.” The demon spoke.

        “I don’t think I’d understand either.” I smiled. “I don’t understand a lot of things around me, but it’s fun to learn. I might not understand you, but I can listen to you. I like it when someone listens to me.” I explained.

        The demon hummed, thinking to himself.

        “Are you a new demon?” he questioned.

        “I am.” I spoke. “I don’t eat humans; I eat human food. I learned that bamboo is not human food.” I informed him. “I suggest not eating the bamboo, it tastes gross, but Boo likes it. I don’t exactly understand Boo...” I spoke, tilting my head up as Boo finished his stalk, making a noise for more.

        “I suppose I could tell you...” The demon sighed, watching as I picked up a nearby bamboo stalk and gave it to Boo. “I am an embodiment of an emotion, so I can only really feel that one emotion. I share a body with six other clones, so they can really upset me sometimes.” The demon explained.

        I nodded, listening intently as I grabbed a bamboo stalk, offering it to him to make him feel better. He shook his head, rejecting the stalk. I shrugged and gave it to Boo.

        “I feel that I understand. Not in this life, but in my human one.” I explained.

        “You can remember your human life?” the demon questioned, seemingly intrigued despite having that frown on his face.

        “Bits and pieces. I get information from others about me sometimes.” I spoke. “I hope you at least feel a little better with me though.” I smiled, offering him another stalk of bamboo (to which he rejected yet again).

        “I still feel sad.” He sighed.

        “Hm…” I hummed, thinking. “What do you like to do?” I questioned. “I like seeing animals, and seeing my friends, and eating human food—human food tastes really good for me, unlike this bamboo.” I explained, then motioned for him to take the bamboo stick (he ignored it). 

        I don’t understand why he won’t accept the bamboo? The bamboo is currently making me happy since I can feed Boo, and I want to share my happiness with this demon. Oh well…

        “I don’t really like much things… I don’t have the free time to do indulge in hobbies.” He spoke.

        “Why not?” I questioned. 

        “I work for the Demon King.” He explained. 

        I nodded, making a mental note as I scooted closer to him, looking into his eyes. He looked at me, seeming to be uncomfortable as he slightly leaned back as I leaned closer.

        His blue eyes said Upper Moon Four, so he's not lying. 

        “I see.” I acknowledged. “That must suck for you—or not!” I quickly spoke, nervous to offend him. “I mean, I wouldn’t quite enjoy having little free time, but I respect it if that’s what you enjoy.” I smiled, offering him a stalk of bamboo as an apology.

        “I suppose it could be worse.” He hummed, then rejected the bamboo stick.

        I nodded, not seeing the conversation going anywhere else as I crawled back to my spot, leaning back and giving Boo the bamboo instead.

        “We don’t know each other’s names.” I pointed out. 

        “What’s the point of exchanging names? We’ll probably never see each other again. How sad…” he sighed.

        “Then let’s make sure to meet up again, so it's not sad!” I smiled. “I mean, you’re fun to talk to, you haven’t tried to kill or degrade me, and you're cute too!” I admitted.

        “Huh… cute…” He muttered, testing it out, as if not believing it.

        “Yeah.” I confirmed, then looked up at the stars. “So, would you uh… like to meet here tomorrow night?” I questioned nervously.

        Why is my heart beating so fast? It’s just a question. I thought to myself.

        The demon hummed, thinking to himself. “I supposed it wouldn’t hurt…”

        “Great, it’s settled!” I exclaimed, happy to know I’ve made a friend with a powerful being as I stood up. “My name is (Y/N), it’s been lovely talking to you.”

        “I’m Aizetsu.” The demon, Aizetsu, spoke.

        “Here, have this bamboo stalk. It’s a promise that you’ll see me again.” I spoke, then realized how stupid that’d be. “Y-you don’t have to keep if it you don’t want…”

        Aizetsu looked down at the stick and me, then finally taking it from my hands.

        “(Y/N)…” he tested the name out, having my full attention. “Thank you for making me feel less sad and…” he paused, then spoke. “I think you’re cute too…” he spoke, the frown remaining on his face, but I didn’t need to see a smile to understand that he also enjoyed our time spent together.

        He walked back into the forest from where he came from, leaving me and Boo alone.

        I immediately whirled around at Boo, excited as I let out a little giggle. “Did you see how cute he was? His eyes were so pretty! And he had such a handsome voice. His personality was so relaxing and adorable!” I gushed, running up to the panda and laying on him. “You agree, don’t you?” I questioned, giving him a stick of bamboo.

        He let out a noise that showed he agreed, as he does with most things I say.

        I like a lot of things in this world. I like the human food, the animals, the clothes, the stars, the old lady Chōrō, and the blue demon named Aizetsu.

Have any requests? Check my masterlist to see the characters I write for: Masterlist

[jinisnuggets]

hii can i request an angst & fluff idol!jeongwoo? been deprived of trsr fics lately :< thank you so much!! 🫶

𝚄𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝙻𝚘𝚟𝚎

ᴾᵃⁱʳⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᶜʰⁱˡᵈʰᵒᵒᵈ ᵇᵉˢᵗ ᶠʳⁱᵉⁿᵈ! ᴶᵉᵒⁿᵍʷᵒᵒ ˣ ᴳⁿ! ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ

ᴳᵉⁿʳᵉ: ᴬⁿᵍˢᵗʸ? ᶠˡᵘᶠᶠ

ᵂᵒʳᵈ ᶜᵒᵘⁿᵗ: ¹.⁷ᵏ

ᵂᵃʳⁿⁱⁿᵍˢ: ᵘⁿⁿᵒᵗⁱᶜᵉᵈ ˡᵒᵛᵉ, ᶜʳᵘˢʰ ᵒⁿ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵒⁿᵉ ᵉˡˢᵉ, ˢᵃᵈ ˡᵒᵛᵉ ˢᵗᵒʳʸ, ⁿᵒᵗ ᵃ ʰᵃᵖᵖʸ ᵉⁿᵈⁱⁿᵍ

ᴬ/ᴺ: ᴴⁱ ᵃⁿᵒⁿ! ᴵ'ᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗᵃᵏⁱⁿᵍ ᵃ ᵇⁱᵗ, ᴵ ˡⁱᵗᵉʳᵃˡˡʸ ʰᵃᵈ ⁿᵒ ⁱᵈᵉᵃ ʷʰᵃᵗ ᵗᵒ ʷʳⁱᵗᵉ, ᵐʸ ᶠᵃᵘˡᵗ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ 🥹.ᴵ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᴵ ᵈⁱᵈⁿ'ᵗ ᶠᵒˡˡᵒʷ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʳᵒᵐᵖᵗ ᵉˣᵃᶜᵗˡʸ ᵇᵘᵗ ᴵ ʰᵒᵖᵉ ᵗʰⁱˢ ⁱˢ ᵒᵏᵃʸ 🫶

ᴮᵃⁿⁿᵉʳ: @cafekitsune

“Isn't he the cutest?”

Jeongwoo turned to face your eyes which were glued to your phone, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and look right back to his own individual device.

“I don't know what you find so attractive about him.”

“Well he's cute, he's nice too so I don't really know what there isn't to like about him.”

“There's better people out there.”

“Well, to be fair you're never gonna find the best person in the world. That's just delusional, the best person is who is right for us and that's different for everyone.”

Your best friend finally made eye contact with you for the first time since you both ate, you turned off your phone and placed it face down on the table.

“What about you?” You asked, turning your full body to face him, who was busy drinking his coffee.

He responded with a confused pitch “What about me?”

“Do you like anyone? I always talk about him so I just wanted to know if you had anyone like that.”

He glanced up at the ceiling thinking for a solid moment, he glitched out of reality and completely lost himself in his own world. You… who had now become awkward, laughed a bit which seemed to bring him back to his senses.

“I do like someone, but I don't wanna tell you.”

“Aw come'on now, don't be mean.”

“I'm not, I just don't go around telling everyone like you do..”

“See? That just proves my point that you're mean.”

“There's a huge difference mind you.”

Rolling your eyes, maybe because you were now genuinely curious to know who he may have liked, or because of how he was being a jerk. Nevertheless you brought yourself to stand up and went to the kitchen.

“I should start prepping dinner, is regular pasta okay with you?”

“If you're gonna treat me to some food then might as well make me something luxurious.” he taunted, a slight smirk creeping onto his malicious face.

“You're not worth my time and energy.” You teased back in which a visible frown appeared on his face, turning back to the front of the couch and turning on the TV to put on some random channel so he could at least try to assist you in making dinner.

Although Jeongwoo and you had known each other for practically forever, you both had what could only be described as a love-hate relationship even though you both were technically each other's closest friend.

“Jeongwoo, pass me the ball.”

“No, come get it yourself.”

“You always tell me that, at least kick it a little.”

“Make me.”

“I'm gonna get run over if I go over there!”

It was your favorite excuse because he knew you were right, and he couldn't bear to watch you get hurt. It was always the best thing to say when he didn't want to pass you a simple ball.

“Thanks, Jeongie.”

He pretended to not like that name, you knew he did. Despite you cringing when you said it for the first few times you got used to it and it became a way of teasing him, and now it was really more of a habit.

Moving into college you both became roommates, really no one could complain even though you liked to pretend it was the most miserable thing that could happen to you at first… well sometimes still like to tease him that way.

“You've got to be kidding me.” you muttered

“You know you like being with me.” he responded, flopping onto the couch.

“I've already spent the last 12 years of my life with you- I don't need to add another 4.”

“Hey, at least it's better than getting a stranger, you've known me for 12 years and know I'm not a creep at least!”

“You're gonna throw parties every weekend!”

“I will not!”

“Ugh… I knew I should've transferred.”

“I'll only throw parties with your permission!”

“I don't like parties so if you're gonna throw one, tell me at least 3 days prior so I can make plans to go out.”

“Deal.”

“Oh! And you're cleaning up after yourself!”

“Yes I know… I'm not irresponsible..”

“That's debatable-”

“Hey! Let's just make some rules and boundaries list. You make one, I make one and then it's a fair game.”

You thought about the offer for a moment until you nodded and made your list of rules to follow, that really applied for both you and Jeongwoo because all of them were reasonable.

And that's mainly how you ended up where you were, roommates with whom you perceived as an all too familiar face.

————————————————————————

“Do you wanna go eat?” You heard Jeongwoo ask from the other side of the couch.

You glanced at him, both of you had been studying in the living room, although he was in a different major, you did sometimes study in the same room because you knew very well that there were always those phone tendencies.

So you both completed assignments together sometimes in order to limit your access to those tendencies… So upon hearing him you wondered if he somehow got ahold of his phone and dialed some random friend's number so they could go get takeout together and you somehow were so laser focused on your assignment that you hadn't noticed him pick up his phone.

Just as you were about to scold him and tell him to focus, you noticed his phone on the table where it had always been. Confused, you looked over to see his eyes fixed on his computer before looking up at you.

“Are you talking to me?” you asked

“Come’on, don't get delusional. You would never be so focused on studying in order for me to go unnoticed when I pick up my phone. Yes I'm talking to you!”

“My bad-” you muttered, rolling your eyes at the unnecessary offense that he just gave you, almost wanting to reject him because of that but decided to nod just because you were hungry. “But you're paying,” you added..

He nodded slowly as he slowly shut his computer “Yeah… it's my treat”

He was getting up slowly and only then did you start to wonder if he was okay, he seemed off, kind of upset and a little stressed, you set your computer to the side and picked up your phone, “you okay?”

“What do you mean?” He replied, making his way to pick up his wallet which was sitting on the TV table, he opened it to check how much money was in it.

“You seem a bit upset, or nervous. Are you okay?” You asked again, this time he just simply nodded without saying a word. It was abnormal behavior for him and that kinda made you more suspicious, but maybe he just wasn't in a chatty mood and the only one who would be worsening it would be you, so you decided to stay quiet.

It wasn't late at night, but it definitely wasn't early. There was a fast food lot nearby so there was no need to hop onto a taxi, there weren't many students in the area like you expected, so the walk was pretty peaceful.

Glancing up at the moon and then glancing back down in front of the non-busy city “It's a nice night isn't it?” you could hear Jeongwoo say beside you.

“It really is, it's nice and quiet, there's a light breeze, and the lights are gorgeous…”

“I agree..”

You both walked in silence for another few moments before you looked up at him and asked.

“Speaking of- why did you decide to invite me all of a sudden?”

Jeongwoo turned to you and made quick eye contact before breaking it and looking back to your surroundings. “I kinda figured we both needed a break. Nice and simple explanation.”

“Oh that's cool but I don't buy it- I think you wanna tell me something.” You teased.

“I have nothing to tell you- you're a boring person.” He replied with a frown appearing on his face, slight pout as he placed his hands in his pockets and brought his face down into the crook of his jacket in order to shield his nose from the cold… sure it was fall, but to be fall it was definitely one of the warmer nights today.

“Still cold sensitive huh?”

“A little”

“Guess you've really never changed” you said with a sigh, slightly smiling and remembering the old times with your childhood best friend.

“I haven't thrown any parties ever since we became roommates. That was 3 years ago.”

You froze in place, you never noticed how close it was to the last year in your curriculum, and you also didn't realize how Jeongwoo, the life of the party… never actually threw his own ever since he moved in with you.

“Crap, I never noticed that we only had one year left, I'm moving out of the dorms next year.”

“That's right.” He answered to your comment, you who was slightly petrified at the sudden realization hitting you.

“I don't know if I'm ready for that yet-”

“Why? Because you wanna see -”

“No! Because I won't be able to see you again!”

Jeongwoo stopped in his tracks, looking at you confused, “you're gonna miss me?” He asked in which you replied with an annoyed pitch “you jerk, how would I not miss you? I've been with you for practically 15 years by now and you expect me to just forget about you?”

“Well- I kinda did…”

“I’ll find you and I'll show up to your wedding when you least expect it.”

You noticed his mood drop a bit and you wondered if you had said the wrong thing, you immediately apologized but he brushed it off.

“I won't show up to yours just know that.”

You lifted an eyebrow, staring at him confused by his words.

“Why?”

“I can't watch the girl I love get married to someone else.”

“What…?” You questioned, words shaky and almost trailing off into the air.

“Don’t say that you didn't know-”

“I really didn't -”

“Of course you didn't. You were too busy loving someone else to notice me.”

“Jeongwoo - I'm sorry… I really didn't know.”

Before you realized you had arrived at the food area, you glanced at him who was already making eye contact with you.

“What would you like to eat?”

[imagionationstation]

This box is getting old, guys.

*This is a more aggressive stance on a subject. If it upsets you at any point, I recommend clicking away. Coming at me with a knife will not change my mind. Taking a breather and then offering your thoughts without challenges attached may go over better*

For those debating clicking, it’s regarding Donnie’s crush on April and how the fandom needs to start looking past the “obsessive, stalker tendencies that ruins his whole character”.

“For Donnie’s honor!” (Leon, 2018)

Ya’ll can feel your feels about Donnie, but stop repeating the same ol’ message to others. It’s corruptive and makes it hard for all levels of fans to see him as a person, rather than a misused storyline.

I can’t for the life of me understand the obsession with stamping Donnie with a his character was brutally murder by the writers and he’s a stalker and his only character feature is “I love April” stamp and closing it up.

Because that fits in the same box of Casey is just a rude idiot or April is only there to be a toxic female love interest and Mikey is nothing but the butt of every joke and amounts to nothing else or Leo is just a bossy, arrogant main character who doesn’t have a personality and especially Raphael is an abusive, angry bully and he deserves to be kicked off the show.

Yes. Someone has told me that Raphael deserves no place on the show because he’s physical and loud. What? Raph’s character feature in most iterations involves anger? How dare he be angry in 2012!

Kick him off the show. Bad writers.

But anyway-

These are newbie, close-minded remarks. And they aren’t fair to the characters. There’s so much more to these guys than the fandom pet peeves and the personality that sticks on the surface.

Yes, Donnie has an intense crush, but she’s the first human girl that he’s ever met. The first anyone outside his family that he’s ever seen! The only human girl who might ever accept him as a person or boyfriend. And she’s purrty.

How can everyone in this fandom look me in the eyes and say they’ve never done anything dumb for a person they admire/are crushing on? Or that no one else in their lives have?

Yes, he tries way to hard and it is often cringe, but that doesn’t sum up the entirety of his personality!

This box that the fandom stick characters in is honestly toxic! If the fans would focus less on the crush and more on the desperate boy who just wants to be noticed and appreciated, maybe this box could finally be broken.

Did you guys miss all the moments Casey proved himself to be intelligent and caring? Or April’s entire character growth as she learns to accept that her life is never going to be as normal as she wants it to be so she might as well embrace herself and the crazy?

How did you overlook all of Mikey’s moments of being in the limelight and showing his own brand of IQ and battle skill? How about Leo’s entire character struggle through the series as he grows to understand how to lead, working up from eldest to leader to sensei as he battles the weight of the world on his shoulders?

Why are EARTH are we ignoring every single time Raph risks his life for his brothers, or comforts them in their times of need, or refuses to join his pet and “best friend” because his brothers come first and no turtle left behind and THIS BOY LOVES HIS FAMILY MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF, DANGGIT.

Donnie is more than his crush. They are all more than the labels that we are helping the writers stick on them. Every. Single. Time. We ‘wish their characters had more to them’ because they were ‘misused’. The only reason that I stuck with this show past season 2 is because of Donnie. The only reason that I love this show as much as I do is because I adore this idiot nerd who is loyal to a fault and works so hard in return for so little and just wants to make the world a better place with his family.

I can make plenty of analyses on all the moments from every episode for all the main crew. Every choice that the fandom deems ‘wrong’ can have a purpose or meaning. Donnie’s crush isn’t black-and-white or dumb and I will not hear anything otherwise.

It’s cringe, obviously, and endlessly exasperating- but there’s reason for everything if you look past the box.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. Go change lives.

Or yell at me. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

[wooahaeruby]

Chapter 26: Diamond In The Rough

Chapter Word Count: 4,022

Anything in Bold Italics are Korean/Another language.

Master List | Prev | Next

Getting Hyeji to distract Ruby for a day was easy. Saying that it was a free day and Hyeji insisting that Ruby take the time to get out of the house and have some fun was even easier with their current loneliness. She and a few of the other staff members formed a little group and the handful of them were taking Ruby to Lotte World Amusement Park then would be dragging them out for dinner and a movie. 

That left the perfect time for security, managers, and the members to sneak into the jewelry store. 

“ Hello!” An older woman, dressed in a crisp, black pinstriped suit, with her salt and pepper hair pulled up into a french twist, greeted everyone with a bow. “ The managers informed me of an important guest coming to our store and I couldn’t help myself to come and assist. My name is Nam Myung, I am the current owner of this jewelry store chain. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Woozi-ssi, and the rest of Seventeen.” 

Jihoon gave the women a bow in greeting, pulling his mask down when he stood straight. “ I’m sorry for halting business at this time, Nam-ssi.” 

“Oh, nonsense,” She smiled, warm and inviting, it reminded him of Chan's grandmother and Soonyoung’s mother. “ We’ve had celebrities come in and close the shop for a mere personal shopping spree. May I ask what you need today?”  

“ An engagement ring for my soulmate.” 

She clapped her hands together, already moving behind one of the counters and he followed to stand on the opposite side of it, along with every single member of Seventeen. Joshua was holding up his phone at this point, a call with Ruby’s grandparents already being put through, and Seungcheol was holding Jihoon’s phone, calling Jamie and Kazuki. Quiet greetings were exchanged through the phones before said phones were pushed into Jihoon’s face for his own greetings. 

“ We have many people to get approval from today?” Myung snickered, pulling out a few trays of rings of varying metals, styles, and gemstone types. 

Jihoon’s shoulders dropped, giving a small nod. “ Their grandparents, two of their friends, me, and all the guys. None of them would let me go alone.” 

“Ah~ That is just how family is.” She waved to the phones being held up before pulling a pair of thin framed glasses from her jacket pocket. “ We have a lot of ring styles and settings to choose from, if something needs to be ordered, a rush can be placed, however it will cost extra. When is the estimated proposal date?” 

He cringed, drumming his nails against the glass counter. “ Four weeks? Give or take?” 

“I’ve worked with less.” She winked, motioning towards the trays. “ Do you have any ideas of what your significant other likes?” 

“Nothing gold!” Mingyu pushed through the small crowd, letting his eyes roam over the selections before Jihoon. “ They don’t like gold.” 

Myung gave a small huff of a laugh through her nose, “ So something with a silver look, we have rhodium plated white gold that looks silver, sterling silver, and palladium. On the cheaper end, we also have platinum.” 

“They don't really like anything gold.” Jihoon added, “ Leaning more towards sterling silver or platinum, but sterling might be the best idea.”

“ Oh there are so many options.” Hearing Mimi’s voice quietly through everyone behind him. “ Much more than when I was getting married.” 

“ I think we are going to be here a while.” Joshua snickered, standing off to the side but close enough for everything to be seen. 

Jihoon took his bag off his shoulders and got his iPad out, easily pulling up different notes and pictures. “We all kinda compiled a list of everything we know they like and don’t like.” 

“Smart man. Having plenty of assistance with that must have been helpful.” She placed trays with anything gold back in the display counter, keeping the many rows of silver before Jihoon. She held out his hands to take the iPad which he handed over willingly, watching her easily scroll through.

“ Bring me closer-” Jamie’s voice was right by his ear before Seungcheol hip checked Mingyu aside and showed him the different rings. “ Wah, there are so many to pick from, how the hell-” 

“ Jamie, hush.” Kazuki scolded and while he did stay quiet, a quick look at the screen showed him pouting. 

“ Alright, nothing square for the cut, a preference for little to no diamonds, something simple. Gemstones too..” She placed the device down and ran her nails over some of the ring settings. “ Leaves us with heart, oval, circle, or pear. This is going to sound out of place, but may I see a picture of your partner?” 

“Picture- yeah.” 

Jihoon reached over and pulled up a picture from his iCloud gallery. It didn’t take long for him to find a picture of the two of them together, a sneaky mirror selfie they took when they had dragged him out to Ikea for smaller things they definitely didn’t need but Ruby insisted on getting. It was in one of those stupid bedroom set ups with way too many colors and weird decorations that Ruby joked they should buy. He only needed to stroll for a few moments to find a proper picture of them sitting on his studio couch, holding up a peace sign and giving a wide, closed mouth smile. 

“ Sometimes it helps to see the person to better give perspective and guide you towards the right pieces.” Myung roamed her eyes over Ruby, humming to herself. “ What is their name?” 

“Y/N.” 

“Everyone calls them Ruby-ah!” Seokmin bounced in. 

“ Ruby-ah?” 

“Their grandmother called them that. Their birthstone is a Ruby. Red roses were some of their favorite flowers.” Jihoon motioned to Joshua’s phone to Mimi and Papa waving through the screen. 

That had Myung searching for a specific ring, “I’ve been wanting to sell one of these since we got the design in and I think everyone here will absolutely love it.” It didn’t take long for her to lift the ring from its tray slot, the silver color glimmering under the white lights of the store. “ We can get it in a different stone setting and place a gemstone in it instead of a center diamond.” 

One of the other women behind the counter placed a velvet tray on the counter where Myung set down the ring, motioning for him to pick it up and take a look at it. Each of the members behind him were either on their tiptoes or leaning over to better see the piece she had picked out. There were some murmurs over the phones with questions, but he mainly ignored them in place of picking up the ring hesitantly. 

It was light despite the circle cut diamond in its center place and the three diamonds on each side. The metal of the ring itself was one solid piece which split into two, holding two of the three smaller diamonds before entwining back to house the third small gem. The first two clear gems were marquise shaped, reminding him of leaves on a flower’s stem while the third was round cut, topping the jewelry made ‘flower’. It was unique for sure, nothing he had seen online came close to such a design, but truly none of them were thinking outside of the box. 

Truly, this ring was nearly perfect, it was almost dainty, but the diamond that was staring back at him wasn’t right. It was definitely pretty, but…it wasn’t them. It wasn’t Ruby. 

“ What do you think?” 

“The setting is nice, it does remind me of a rose or just a flower in general.” Others were pushing to see it, with Joshua and Seungcheol holding the phones close for the ones on call to know what was being discussed. 

“ But it isn’t what you are fully looking for?” He shook his head at the question. “ I have an idea.” 

Myung motioned for the same woman who gave the velvet tray to step forward, whispering something to her. Said woman hurried off but Myung refocused on him and everyone else who was looking at the sample ring. 

“ It just seems a little plain.” Minghao said, peering over the piece while Seungkwan and Seokmin examined it. “ Maybe just the center needs to be changed. The circle cut is nice but it doesn’t have any…flare to it.” 

“It needs to be more flashy but not if that makes sense.” Seungkwan added before it was passed to Soonyoung and Jun, both quietly looking over before it was once more passed along. 

When the tray made its way back towards the counter, Myung pushed her glasses up, glancing at Minghao and Seungkwan. “ I’ll have to agree with the two of you there. I have an idea for a simple change that won’t take too long to get finished. It would work perfectly for something stackable based on the ideas you had placed down.” 

It wasn’t long before the other worker came back with a metal case and a pair of long tweezers, placing them both before Myung. She was quick to take hold of the metal tool and open the case. The hinged top didn’t allow him to really see what she was looking at but he waited patiently. 

Closing his eyes for a moment, he let himself sink into the bond, taking in a breath as he poked through to what Ruby was feeling, having been focused on keeping himself level headed. The group had left with them late morning and they wouldn’t be home until later in the evening and from what he could tell, they were having fun. Excitement and amusement were prominent, he couldn’t wait to sit in bed later and hear them ramble about the adventures they were taken on throughout the day. Part of him hoped Ruby took pictures to get printed and add them to the photo books as fond memories. 

“ Ah, there it is. These old eyes aren’t as bright as they once were.” Snapping his eyes open, Myung had picked up the tray with the ring and held a shining red gemstone over it to better show him. “ Just like their nickname and birthstone, I thought that sticking with the ‘theme’ was perfectly appropriate. It’s a pear cut with a clear clarity. Gorgeous color but not too bright. It would stand out well with the silver and diamonds surrounding it.” 

Lifting the ring, she held the ruby over the center diamond, giving an approximate show of what a finished product could look like. Though it wasn’t exact with the makeshift showing, there was a silence that washed over everyone as they leaned in. All their eyes were wide, and it hit him that it was the one. 

He felt his heart skip a beat before its speed picked up. There was a moment where a few things, such simple and trivia things, passed through his mind. Ruby, standing at the kitchen counter, baking those overly sweet brownies with the ring resting around their finger. Ruby drumming their fingers against the table, waiting for food on the stove to finish simmering and the light from the kitchen hitting the gemstone just right. Ruby sitting beside him on the couch, holding his hand while they watched movies, feeling the warmed metal against his own fingers. 

“ Jihoonie?” Soonyoung’s voice from his left broke him from the small trace he placed himself. 

“ I’ve seen that look a million times.” Myung placed the ruby back in the case and set the ring in the tray, grabbing a notepad to jot down some things. “ Many times, when someone comes in and they find the one they like, they imagine what it would be like for their partner to be wearing the piece they pick out. It’s a hit or a miss. If they imagine it and it doesn’t look good, they find another, but if they imagine it and love what their imagination brings forth? It’s the one.” 

“Hyung, hyung, what do you think?” Chan’s curious voice asked beside Soonyoung, leaning over the counter with bright eyes and a wide smile. 

“ I’d like to go with the ruby design. Please.” 

Myung lifted her eyes to him, letting a gentle smile spread on her face and quickly jotted down a few more notes. “ I believe that can be arranged rather quickly.”

For the rest of the day, Jihoon felt light. With the secret meeting over and a quick lunch with the guys, Jihoon and the members split off, all heading home for the much needed rest day. 

With everyone inevitably hearing the rather costly price of the ring (5,235,987 (4,100 USD) won which he expected, not including the slight rush order), it was a very hard pact that Ruby would never find out because they would actually commit a crime. Mingyu and Soonyoung were sworn to secrecy and their self appointed keepers would be keeping a watchful eye when they were around. A lot of things needed to happen in a few short weeks now so he hoped everything would work out how he wanted. 

There was still time before Ruby would be back. It gave him plenty of time for the mindless tasks both of them had been putting off such as the laundry, reorganizing their room, and ordering groceries based on the list they compiled throughout the week. Since he had been busy the last few days and Ruby was either working or feeling too unmotivated, he used the airy headspace he had and the energy that spurred him to get things done. He wanted to at least try and pull his weight the best he could despite the time he isn’t home.

One look in the fridge also reminded him that he was lazy and wasn’t in the mood to cook so ordering take away for himself was his best bet once dinner time came. His phone was buzzing on the kitchen table behind him, having placed it down to clean off the counters. Glancing down at his watch, it was just Jamie and Kazuki messaging back and forth ideas for Jihoon to consider if he did manage to get the greenhouse garden for the proposal. Hyeji was still emailing their team, trying to figure out dates, time, maybe even a cost which was more than likely. 

He had to sit down and book the flights for their grandparents, which he checked the time, knowing it was extremely early to reach out to Mimi and Papa, seeing as they stayed up late to join in the ring escapades. Jihoon sent a quick text, asking them to message back when they woke up, hoping Ruby still wouldn’t be home so everything could get done. 

With Ruby’s (unneeded) insistence and the (unneeded) begging from Jamie and Kazuki, the two would be staying in the guest room (why they begged, he didn’t know, he already assumed that was the plan). They’d be coming a couple days before Caratland to spend time with Ruby while he was at practices, then stay for a week after for the proposal and overall spending time with their friend. Mimi and Papa would be in a hotel again, which they preferred, and most likely coming the day before Caratland and staying about the same time after as the other two. With the downtime after Caratland before practices for FML, it would work out just about perfectly from the mental timeline he had been scheming. 

Should he have been more stressed? Definitely, he honestly should be worried if something doesn’t work out, but with the meetings, help from staff, and his own time placed into everything, there were backup plans in place. Jihoon was thankful for the support that everyone had been showing him, knowing how much this means, and him being the first of the group to meet their soulmate. He also had plenty of text messages from the other members’ parents with words of congratulations and excitement. 

Ruby’s grandparents messaged when he was in the middle of eating his dinner and from Hyeji’s text, the group was still out and about after the movie, trying to find a place for dinner. 

When the call connected on his phone, laptop pulled up in front of him, he gave a wave. “Sorry, in the middle of eating.” 

“ Ah, no worries about that, we finished our breakfast a bit ago. You said you wanted to talk about dates?” 

“Mhmm, just for the flights. Caratland will be the second weekend in March, tenth through the twelfth.” Jihoon pulled up some tabs of different flights. “Would the…landing here on the eighth in the later afternoon be okay? So Ruby doesn’t suspect-” 

“ The eighth would be fine, dear!” Mimi hummed, looking at a small book in her lap from what he could see. “ And a return date?” 

“Jamie and Kazuki leave the nineteenth, I think I have their flight information so we can have you on the same flight as them. Let me just-” Reaching for his phone, Jihoon quickly added Jamie to the call, waiting for the line to answer. 

“ Hello?” The camera was facing a ceiling and the clacking of a keyboard was heard. “ I’m at work, what's up, Jihoon?”

“ Can- Hold on, Mimi.” He sighed, “ You both are still flying home the nineteenth? On the one o’clock flight?” 

“Yeah, trying to get them on the same return flight?” Jihoon nodded and Jamie hummed. “ Hi Mimi.” 

“Hi, sweetheart, how’s work?” 

“It’s going, just counting down the days until we head for Korea.” Jamie lifted the phone and he propped it against something. “ Kazu is in a meeting right now and I’m about to jump into one, I forwarded the flight details to you, Jihoon-ah.” 

“ Thanks. ” Jihoon pulled up the email once it showed up and clicked away. “Sorry, Mimi, English is hard.” 

“ No worries~ I know you are doing your best and I appreciate it. I’m grateful for the opportunity you are giving us.” 

“It’s no problem. Is Papa out?” 

“ Oh yes, he went across town to help out at a friend’s hardware store. Later on I’m going to a cross stitch meeting with some friends. Ruby is still out with friends?” 

“Yeah, they should be back within an hour or two. I wanted to book the flight before it became too late.” With him never booking a flight for himself, it left him a bit confused looking over some of the details, but with some patience he managed to get it figured out. “There are…two seats together three rows ahead of Jamie and Kazuki, middle and..aisle seats.” 

“ Those would be perfectly fine.” Mimi hummed, smiling and writing something down in the small book. “ So the eighth through the nineteenth. And you are still waiting to hear back from the garden?”

Nodding, Jihoon finalized the flight plans with their passport information they gave a few days prior before forwarding the email to both Jamie and to Mimi. “Yeah. Soon we will have the date set.” 

“ I’m sure you or Joshua will let us know in the conversation. Let us know if you need something from us for the proposal.” 

“I will, I sent everything over to you.”

“ Enjoy the rest of your dinner, sweetie, have a good night.” 

He smiled, a laugh puffing from his nose. “And good morning to you.” 

“ And Jihoon? I think Ruby is going to love the ring. It is a beautiful choice.” 

“When I can sneak away once you arrive, I’ll make sure to show it to you both. I’m picking it up in about a week.” 

“Perfect.”

You never intended to be out so late, but dinner turned into sitting and talking, which turned into drinks, which turned into more talking and having fun. It was nearing midnight when you finally got dropped off at the apartment building. It was an outing that was definitely needed and definitely appreciated with how you have been feeling. 

Jihoon hadn’t replied to your text message that you were on the way home and the lights in the apartment were off when you stepped through the door. You tried to be quiet but a few stumbles and the clattering of dropping your phone while trying to take off your shoes had your name being called out tiredly through the apartment. 

“ Sorry-” You called back, shedding your jacket and shuffling your socked feet across the floor until you reached the bedroom. 

Here, the lights were off but his laptop illuminated the room. Jihoon had pushed himself against the wall as he did every night, him saying the coolness of the wall and the warmth you brought was balanced enough. Never made much sense to you, but if he was comfortable, so be it. 

He had his face hidden behind the blanket that he curled himself up in but you could see the dark, grown out, wavy locks that he had been getting annoyed with recently for getting in his face peeking out. The room was…much cleaner than when you left this afternoon, clothes no longer littering one of the room corners, the basket of laundry was put away as well. 

With haste, you grabbed some clothes and went to the bathroom, changing and getting your nighttime routine done so you didn’t feel like absolute shit in the morning. Once you returned, the laptop was closed but wasn’t moved from your side of the bed. The blanket that was once cocooning your soulmate was now opened and he was waiting for you with a lazily opened arm. 

“ Hurry up, it’s cold.” His voice was groggy and quiet, but you listened, moving his laptop to the nightstand and scooting in, letting him drop the blanket and bundle you up to his chest. 

The hand that wrapped around your waist was cold against the skin that got exposed by your shirt riding up and you shivered yet made no complaint. Unlike most days where he had you resting your head against his chest, he placed his against yours instead, settling in with a grumble. You tucked the blanket up over your shoulder, keeping in any body heat to keep Jihoon warm.

“ Sorry I woke you.” Reaching up, your carded your fingers through his hair, gently detangling any knots you found in the process. 

“ ‘S okay…” He shifted and tangled your legs today, pressing himself close to you the best he could. “ Did you have fun?” 

“I did, they said it was your idea because you’ve been busy.” 

It took him a moment to reply, his breathing coming out slowly and steadily. “ Barely…”

You continued to card your fingers in his hair, feeling him lean into your touch. The longer you played with his hair, the more it became apparent he had fallen asleep. Now that your eyes adjusted to the light, he looked peaceful, the light crease he had between his eyebrows smoothed out and the tension he typically held in his jaw was relaxed. 

Earlier in the day he went from feeling happy to feeling blissful but also enamored. You were curious as to why but let it be, simply happy that he felt so strongly and went on with the adventures the day brought with friends. 

You weren’t one for amusement parks but Lotte World was always a place you wanted to visit and you didn’t want to pass up on the opportunity. It was fun, you got to be around people you considered basic friends and was able to capture some nice moments you wanted to add to the photo book when you got a chance. 

With your eyes growing heavy, you peppered a few kisses into his hair, letting the steady rise and fall of his chest lull you to bed.

[incorrectzodiacquotes]

Hey, I know you cringe at this story, but would you be willing to talk about some of the plot ideas or backgrounds/details of the characters of LOTZ that never got to be written in? Like you mentioned that Scorpio and Pisces were childhood friends, and in the 1st chapter hinted at Virgo being from a poor family by having to sell a car. I know that you kinda don’t like your old writings now, but I loved that series a lot when I was younger! I’m just really curious 👀

lol I do cringe when I re-read what I wrote for it, but lotz will forever have a special place in my heart <3 I had to dig deep in the archives to find all my old notes about the characters, since I started it in 2015 and none of those docs had been touched since like 2018. So little of what I planned actually got posted, so it's hard to believe there were genuine fans of the 'series'!

All my old notes for lotz and anything else I had relating to it are under the cut. I hope you enjoy all my teenage ideas lol, if you have any other questions feel free to send them in and I'll do my best to think back and answer them!

Pisces and Scorpio were indeed childhood friends! And as for Virgo, I have no idea what I was thinking with that comment about her having to sell her car to afford rent - I think I just needed a reason why the group didn't have a mode of transportation and she felt like the character most likely to be a minivan mom.

They were actually both placed in the foster system when they were younger and met after getting placed in the same group home. She got bullied/pushed around a fair bit by the other kids and they ended up friends after Scorp stood up for her.

Everything I had planned about everyone's backgrounds: ( warning that there's mentions of parental death/abuse, addiction )

Aries was the child of divorce. She lived with her dad and didn't have a great relationship with her mom. I found a note that she hadn't seen her mom since her high school graduation? Very close to her dad though, he did a great job of being a single parent.

Taurus grew up in a much healthier/stable household. She was raised by two fathers after her "mom" transitioned when she was still pretty young - calls one dad and the other papa/pop.

Gem and Nye had workaholic parents, so they were often left to their own devices. As long as they kept their grades up and didn't get into any legal/major school trouble, their parents couldn't really be bothered to concern themselves with that their kids did.

Cancer's dad was involved in a fatal car crash when she was a kid, afterwards her grandmother came to live with them. Grief took a heavy toll on her mom, so her grandma was primarily in charge of taking care of her (and I think I may have given her some younger sibling/s?). Cancer still deeply loves her mom though, will fight anyone who tries to accuse her of being an absent parent.

Leo came from a typical upper class family with rich parents. His dad ran a big company that I have no specific notes on and I think his mom was supposed to be some kind of socialite/model? He's very Rachel Green coded.

Virgo was actually adopted and raised in a solidly working class family. Her parents couldn't conceive a child themselves and tried hard to make sure she never felt like she was a backup plan or a second choice. Their family never fell into poverty, but still experienced enough economic lows that she learned to be very cautious/smart with her money.

Libra came from an upper class family like Leo, but other than that I literally have no notes on what they did for work or what they were like as parents.

Scorpio's parents both struggled with addiction. His dad was an alcoholic and an abuser who took out his frustrations (often about money problems) on his family. His mom was usually too high to be able to do anything about it. Scorp got placed in foster care after his dad was arrested and his mom got sent to rehab.

Sagittarius' parents traveled around the world a ton for work (what that 'work' was I have no clue). During the summers he'd get to go with them, but during the school year he often stayed with relatives. Fortunately his aunt and uncle were pretty cool, only child himself but he had a couple cousins he grew up around.

Capricorn came from a fairly poor family with parents who consistently struggled with their finances/paying bills. As he got older he learned everything he could related to money and started working as soon as he was old enough. Explains why he's such a scrooge/miser about the group's spending habits and saving his own money.

Aquarius had a great childhood! Raised by two moms, one was a doctor and the other was a scientist of some kind. They always encouraged his curiosity and thirst for knowledge. A little concerned that he never seemed to have many (or at times any) friends growing up, but as long as he was happy they didn't comment on it.

Pisces was my other foster kid. Her mom came from a pretty conservative family, so when she got pregnant at 17/18 she was too scared to tell them until it was too late to get an abortion. Rather than supporting her and the baby they kicked her out. She stayed with the baby daddy for a little while after Pisces was born, but when they broke things off he completely disappeared from their lives. Her mom wasn't a great caregiver and often made Pisces feel guilty for being the 'cause' of all their struggles. She was placed in foster care after her mom was diagnosed with some illness (can't seem to find any mention of a specific name) and medical bills started racking up. She died a year later.

Scorpio and Pisces met after getting placed in the same group home. She got bullied a fair bit by the other kids and they became friends when he stood up for her. I think I was planning that sometime in high school Pisces' uncle (her mom's little brother) finally located her and took her in? Financially supported her and Scorp so they could go to college.

One thing I absolutely cannot find any notes/plans about is the premise for how these 13 characters became close friends and why they're all suddenly moving into new apartments together. Granted, I was 15 when I first started the series and definitely didn't have a good idea of how the real world works beyond what I saw in shows like Friends and New Girl lol. Maybe they were all newly graduated and moving into their first adult apartments away from college?? Your guess is as good as mine!

If I ever made a list of what their jobs were, it's lost to the void. All I have is a list of ideas for their majors from when I was thinking of reworking lotz into a college-au.

Aries - kinesiology

Taurus - culinary arts or finance

Gem - marketing or journalism

Nye - computer science

Cancer - nursing or education

Leo - performing arts/theatre

Virgo - something in nursing or medicine

Libra - undecided, would end up in public relations

Scorpio - criminology or psychology

Sagittarius - anthropology

Capricorn - business/economics

Aquarius - (astro)physics

Pisces - art

And here are some fun little aesthetic boards I made for all of them when I was 16! I hate how some of them look now but I was very proud with how they turned out at the time lol. I had a lotz Pinterest board as well, but it got completely revamped years later when I thought about taking the concept and making it into an urban fantasy(?) story, so it's not really relevant to the original anymore.

Aries and Taurus' boards must have gotten deleted bc I can't find them in my drafts :(

Gem

Nye

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

[sunnixsunshine]

topher and confucius being besties in middle school makes me happy, but it also makes me sad because theyre not friends anymore in high school. its a shame because they seem to be good friends :(

If my math is right, then they both may have been in the seventh or eighth grade when the whole Christopher Columbus debacle was starting up and eventually spread all over the news and internet. So I’m thinking Topher pushed Confucius away not wanting to drag him down and “get cancelled” with him. They both were already pretty active on the internet but mostly for silly kid stuff like just watching or making cringey videos and watching anime. Again, just silly kid stuff. Nothing serious really. But quickly they both turned to it as an unhealthy coping mechanism— Confucius losing his closest friend, which would later push his other friends away and deepen his usage of the internet as a result. And Topher using the internet to escape the real world and the crap his clone father did, it providing a sense of comfort and control, until he turned into what he is now; a Reddit user 😱

Little details I like to think about is them meeting in the fifth grade and bonding over Warrior Cats and watching the same content creators on their iPad because of course they’re both iPad kids(just Topher’s was cracked worse than satan’s asscrack and Confucius had the newest model lol). They made a whole Warrior Cats oc clan with the most complicated name possible and before they broke up they were even making a whole ass animatic with their thinly veiled Mary Sue self insert ocs except neither of them could draw, especially not cats. Like the little comic I posted, they pretended they were anime characters fighting. Yes, they both were the two losers Naruto running during recess. Yes they went through a phase of saying sugoi and kawaii and other Japanese words in nearly every other sentence. They had sleepovers almost every week and would marathon movies like the Twilight Saga and other movies they really shouldn’t be watching at their age but do anyway because their foster moms weren’t exactly paying attention to what movies they were picking out every week. They were just the embodiment of carefree cringe. Living their best lives. Just a couple of stupid preteens dorks.

Now, in highschool, they tend to just purposefully avoid each other. Even though deep down both of them really do miss each other. It’s just Topher is too busy being kind of an asshole and stuck in this state of self loathing and other issues and being an actual social outcast of his own making, and Confucius is too stuck in his phone avoiding his feelings and also now that he’s got JFK as a friend who likes FlipFlop (because of him) as much as he does it’s only further distracted him from his unresolved feelings over Topher and the good times they had together. They both deeply, deeply regret not going back and talking and staying friends. Because in truth Confucius would have probably stayed through the whole ordeal. Although I can still see them both being chronically online. Just together. And most likely worse somehow? And very, very annoying.

Sorry for the rambling, I just have so much soft thoughts about these two being former friends and the potential of them making up is what fuels me. I wanna write a fic about this sooooooo bad but I’m so busy and by busy I mean I procrastinate too much AND I’m busy aihdjsh I may start one tho and it may eventually get finished???? Question mark, question mark?????????????

[miniimapp]

Jesse - You Boys Are the (Homosexual) Supporting Cast

Gen;; Fluff - Headcanons

Warnings ;; no ?? i mean,, stress and anger (from reader pov) but not really ??

Proofread + Edited ;; a little bit actually,, mainly when going through and adding the bold and the blue and the italics lmao

Auth. Note ;; bet y'all thought i died.. nah i ain't never leaving i'm just clumsy af and smashed my phone into smithereens,, prolly got y'all tho lmaoooo

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Jesse is an insufferable flirt

Which would be fine if you didn't have shit to do

But you do !!

Accepting the roles of stage manager as well as assistant director was the worst choice you could have ever made

So help the world if you ever get your hands on a time machine

The school production may fall apart but at least your mental health would still be somewhat intact

But for now you're stuck with mountains of responsibilities and a sweet fucking annoying distraction

Speaking of said distraction

Jesse plays the lead's best friend and also an asshole who won't let you get on with your work

So he has his fair share of time on stage

But even then, you can barely catch a break

As soon as he steps foot into the wings he somehow immediately finds you

It honestly baffles you how differently Jesse acts in and out of class

Okay but on a real note you can't be at all angry at Jesse

Not when he's being so sweet and charming

Even though he keeps getting in your way

At one point, when the director was sick so you had to take that over whilst being stage manager and assistant director as well you had snapped at Jesse

He hadn't even been flirting with you at that point

Mans was literally just in the vicinity

Apparently that was enough of a crime to warrant your wrath

You absolutely still cringe thinking about that day

You hadn't shouted or anything

No, no you'd angrily whispered

And because you were stressed and upset your voice jumped like 5 octaves

Okay maybe not but it felt that way

You were giving mickey mouse realness

Which we love :D

It just wasn't the time

It's never the time for mickey mouse realness in today's society smh

You were on the verge of tears and mass murder which is always a good combination

(why are you always breaking down around this man fr)

Jesse had stared at you wide-eyed as you shat out a monologue of stress and misplaced anger

And once you were finished, chest heaving and feeling lighter than you had in a while, Jesse sends you an encouraging smile

"Sorry, sweetheart, I never meant to offend ya. Honestly, I was kinda hoping I was breaking up your stress, that's where I was coming from anyway. Still, I only caused you grief, not very fair of me, I'll admit."

You sniffed, awkwardly laughing things off and rubbing at your face

"Sorry for snapping at you. God, why is it whenever we talk I'm always freaking out."

Jesse laughs, a cheeky grin lighting up his face

"It's so I can rescue you from the depths of your despair, like your very own knight in shining armour."

Your roll your eyes good-naturedly, your own smile making it's way onto your face

"Oh, my hero!"

You pretend to swoon and Jesse's smile widens

You give yourself a second to take a breath, realising that, as bad as it seems afterwards, you really needed this

"Thank for, um, listening I guess. I didn't realise how much I needed to get off my chest until I was throwing it at you so I'm sorry but thank you."

Jesse gives a small nod and smile

"Anytime...well, maybe not any but you get what I mean."

After getting over that bump in the road the two of you get on like a house on fire

And you quickly come to appreciate the break in routine that Jesse gives you

You never quite realise how much the stress is getting to you until Jesse drags you away from your scripts and into something else

Something fun

As you two become closer you notice that he's started becoming more.. touchy

Like brushing stray hairs out of you face

Or tapping the tip of your nose

Or giving you a side hug before going on stage

Or leaning up against you to read over your notes

Things like that

And at first you thought they were innocent, unconscious actions

Until of course he started winking at you as he walked on stage

Or smirking at you after smoothing down a stray hair

Or making stupid comments as he moves away

Jesse is absolutely fucking with you

This absolute bitch

You're about to pull up fr

And his flirting continues throughout the whole rehearsal period

And you love it

It gives you happy butterflies in your chest and stomach

It's bearable you suppose...

But his secret winks and smiles directed only at you do get you thinking a little bit

You've never really watched the rehearsals properly

Probably not a good thing to be realising now, seeing as you have such important roles

Oh well, you haven't ruined the show yet

Everything will probably be just fine

Obviously you'd directed and checked for cues when leading everyone backstage but you'd never just watched it

So as the rehearsals left before opening night dwindle to only a few you decide you'll just watch for once

And somehow you've never noticed that Jesse's character has a love interest

Not a problem

You have zero problems

Next question

Okay shut up

It does slightly grind on your nerves watching their confession scene

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

It's fine.

No worries.

You can handle this.

But it certainly doesn't help that Jesse keeps making eye contact with you when saying his lines

Like,, bro

The director in you wants to scream

He's meant to be confessing to his love interest, not you !!

Make eye contact with the love interest !!

But the rest of you ??

Simply ascending every time Jesse confesses while gazing into your eyes

The dreamy asshole

Not so subtly glad he's looking at you and not at them

It's getting kinda hard to distinguish between reality and fiction

And the heat in your cheeks won't disappear regardless so that's great

Your only saving grace is that Jesse doesn't keep his eyes on you throughout the whole scene

But every time without fail, just before the scene ends, Jesse searches for your gaze and holds it, uttering his character's final line

"My love, for you I would do anything."

[sadlynotthevoid]

GUYS!!

I was listening to Charlotte's ending (because, being honest, that anime has the most beautiful music in the story of anime and sometimes I just need to hear it again— damn it why does it have to have such a story) and I thought 'I wish there was a lcf crossover with og cale of this'. Which, great idea, actually.

So I started to daydream about it (instead of writing anything as the procrastinator that I am) and my first thought was that it has to be a sort of happier life, since the anime ended like that (specially for the Otosaka siblings, overall the Otosaka siblings). So my brain said "hey, why don't put the main cast in the Northeast families? Nao now has to deal with Eric's dorkness". So I went with it and tried to figure out 'which northeast family gets what charlotte character?'

I wanted to put Yuu in the Henituse family because the ending destroyed me, damn it, I want him to be happy. And his little sister— wait didn't they had an older sibling too? (I can't believe I forgot about Shunsuke ;∆; I'm so sorry. You were my fav)

Then I realized—

OG CALE AND SHUNSUKE ARE BASICALLY THE SAME FUCKING PERSON!

Protective older siblings? Check. Selfsacrifical bastards ready to throw themselves for their family? Check. A strange relationship with time? Check. Elegant warm smile that reaches the eyes? Check. Absolutely badass hidden character? Check. Charming as fuck? Also fucking check.

They both even have the same 'I hold the key to salvation you need' and 'I wnt back in time so they won't be doomed' roles!

So—

Nao, Joujirou, Yusa, Misa, and Kumagami (he's the guy who located people with powers in the map and he was Shunsuke's best friend. He matters to me, okay?) are all reborn in the northeast families. Nao is Eric's younger sister. Yusa and Misa are twins and Gilbert's pain in the ass. Koujirou, the poor bastard, is born in the Stan family and runs away at the first chance. Kumagami is Amiru's older sibling who owns a shop because Ubarr is a matriarchal family (fuck thanks) and he needs to pay his meals (he may or may not be going for his third life. And he may or may not be a certain someone).

And the Otosaka's? They're reincarnated as the Henituse siblings... who have no idea the others remember their past lives.

They do, however, know who the others were.

Lily is the first one to remember. It take her some time to put the pieces together and realize that her dreams are not just dreams. That said, she recognized Bassen immidiately. He's still as sweet with her as before and, although her oppa may not realize, he can be quite unhinged sometimes. (That's fine tho. Most of them are.)

She lasts more to recognize Cale. She and her orabeoni aren't so close, she doesn't know him that well. That's why it takes her some old blurred memories from when she barely could walk and a bad night to notice. Ayumi's Shunsuke and Lily's Cale are the same person. After that the soft spot her orabeoni has for them becomes so obvious to her that she has to ask herself if she was blind before. Scary? Trash? Pshh, orabeoni was the biggest softy in the world. Let alone people, he doesn't like harming bugs. He picks them up and puts them outside so the servants won't squash them. Why do people think he would hit anyone?

Bassen cringes at his past life choices. He can't believe he used to be so— so— irresponsible. How embarrasing.

He's kind of surprised and sad at how good student his brother was. Not because he didn't think he's smart enough, but because he didn't expect him to effort so much at it. And if he did before, why did he drop his studies this time? Knowing all what he does now, he has the feeling that it must be either something stupidly self-sacrifical or something really important he decided not to tell anyone.

Lily seems to him pretty much the same but with a liking for swords. Good. Luckily, this way she would be able to protect herself this time. And gosh, isn't he reliaved they don't have those powers this time? No more accidental collapsing buildings for her.

Cale is the last one to remember that life. He's also the only one to remember their future life and probably the only one who knows why they remembered. Just like he tends to do with most things, he doesn't tell anyone about it (except Kumagami) until it comes up in a conversation or it's needed. (Alberu is a little bit jealous about this. Why does that guy gets to know but not him? Aren't they close too? Does he not trust Alberu as much? Thankfully someone has the mind to tell him that that's just how they used to be. And also because Kumagami seems is, as far as they know, the only one of Shunsuke's circle of friends that came to this world with them.)

His siblings? Oh, he knew it instantly.

[kirame90]

I just wanted to let you know that I genuinely, so very much, loved your comic from beginning to end. It made me laugh, and tugged at my heart strings. I've been reading it as you released chapters weekly since near the beginning, but didn't get around to confidently using my new Tumblr account till you were basically near the end of the story. Regardless of that, I still wanted to follow you, even though it's over now, and express my love for this beautiful piece of art you put so much time and love into, that definitely inspired me at times.

I did want to ask if it was possible at all, that fans of this story could see a potential physical comicbook of this story being sold in the future? Though, I get that kinda project would likely require money, time, and material that you may not have, I was just curious if it's something you've thought about doing?

My final question is, if we will ever see anything more from the chaotic boyfriends, seeing as you've finished the main couple's story? Though I also get you likely don't have the time anymore because of your dream job, or may not have had anything else planned for them. I was just curious, and also loved the shenanigans of the chaotic boyfriends, but felt they had a little more that was worth exploring after they got tricked into confessing to eachother (or at least BLU Sniper was tricked).

I wanna finish this out with another thank you for all your effort to bring this wonderful story, and charming goofy characters to life these last 3+ years! I'm both so happy and a lil' sad to see it finally end, and will miss eagerly waiting every Wednesday for a new chapter. I hope you have a wonderful day!!!

❤️💙

HNNNNNNNGGGGHHHHH thank you so incredibly much for your feedback and sorry for the late reply!! Q^Q

Thank you for reading as well as letting me know how my little story touched you. It's amazing to hear others have been enjoying their journey with my babies along the years <3

We are actually working on the physical copy of the comic with my best friend. She's being amazing and doing basically all the work on her own. I started a new passion project for Patreon (since it's going to be NSFW all the way I can't put it anywhere near Tumblr -_-) so my free time is - again - extremely limited.

The physical copy will include J's face in the end and all the NSFW bonuses, so it's DEFINITELY not for kids ;)

Aaahhhhh the Chaotic Boyfriends. I do love them to death and I can promise you they're living their best life after leaving Mann Co.

For whatever reason, I can’t see those two getting married. Even if they stuck together after their contracts end, I see them in a comfortable companionship rather than being officially married.

They would probably see marriage as cringe-worthy arrangement after making fun of SniperSpy for their union. I like to picture these two just travelling the world together, going on missions and enjoying wild life; practically being a married couple without the marriage part.

And having monthly swinger parties with SniperSpy ;)

But yeah, thank you again for your feedback, it truly warms my heart to hear people's thoughts about the comic as well as the characters. If we'll get to finish the physical comic project I will let everyone know immediately. I'm not expecting it to be a huge success nor am I looking to benefit from it. If we'll ever get to sell physical copies all the profits will go to charity, as they have this far.

Please take care and have a happy Pride Month! ^^