#i might add more later so keep tuned. if i think of anything else to add i can @ you

[bison-appreciation-club]

Hi! What are some of your favorite things about bison?? Your pinned post says ask at your own risk and I'm very happily doing so

oughhh ok!! firstly, i think they just look really cool. i mean, look at them....

secondly (and for this i am referring solely to american bison, i don't know very much about the history of european bison) they are very historically and culturally significant. the native americans who lived on the great plains relied a lot on the bison for food, but also to make clothes, tipis, weapons, and bison were also a part of their religion. in the 19th century white settlers killed most of the plains bison. this was sponsored by the us government as a method of cultural genocide, by removing the lifeline of the native americans in the area and forcing them onto reservations

in the 20th and 21st centuries, bison have been reintroduced to national parks and indigenous land across america and their population has increased, although there will never be as many as there were before because there's just, you know, not enough room for them.

look at him.... very important creature

[ixiot-ghostrebel]

Hey I hope you have a great day.

So I just saw the post with the wrath of the creator on Azar and I had an idea.

I am very emotional and I bailed my eyes out when I did the chasm quest with xiao and he nearly died AND I got a sad cutscene of the adepti after so my traveler was just stuck in the dialog with Xiao while I was crying a whole waterfall and sniffing really loudly and the only other quest where I had that was when we were in the chasm with dain and he tells us that the hillichurls are cursed people from Khanri'ah. I stood in front of the corpses and cried heart out.

So I wanted to ask the characters reactions to that. Especially Xiao, the archons we know (because khanri'ah and its destruction is a big thing here) and dainsleif.

I'm sorry this got so long. If you want to change something or want to add someone or take a character out it's okay, this is just my 5 am thought I just had.

Alr, Anon! Coming right up! Imma just focus on the Perilous Quest lol-

Creator Having A Meltdown During Perilous Quest

(Warning: Might Be OOC & Spoilers to the Perilous Archon Quest!)

Yelan

She wasn't going to lie, she wasn't expecting you to cry your heart out so freely. Raw emotion was hard to come by when people grow. They tend to be more...seclusive, with their emotions.

You, on the other hand, were free-balling it. You did NOT care if people were gonna look at you weird, you are gonna cry because you are sad! And honestly, Yelan's glad that the Almighty Creator is expressive and sentient. It proves just how much you care for the characters.

"It seems the Almighty Creator is far more connected than anyone thought..." She wonders what she can do with this information, but at the same time, keep it under wraps. Letting this information slip into the wrong hands was always dangerous.

She wouldn't gamble your safety. Never. Safe to say Yelan's got you covered.

Itto

Woah, woah! He did not expect you, the Almighty Creator, to be crying their eyes out the moment he wakes up from passing out and all that—what he miss? What happened while he was sleeping?

Wait, they're not in the Chasm anymore? Oh Archons, someone just tell him what happened! Why the heck is the Creator balling his eyes out?

"Huh—? What's going on? We're out of the chasm?" Poor guy is so oblivious, and no one's bothering to fill him in—at least, at the moment.

He'll pester Shinobu about this later. Just, someone, stop the Creator from crying! Those are sad tunes, not something you want to hear when you should be celebrating about leaving that gloomy place!

Yanfei

She was NOT expecting you to be this emotional! Yanfei feels a little guilty not being able to do anything about it, to be honest...

She has to resist the urge to shake Xiao out of his stupor, because a) that was unprofessional, b) she's more relieved than anything, and c) Yanfei wasn't sure if you, the Creator, would think she was okay if she started acting out like that.

So, instead, she tries to ground herself, and do her best to make sure that the situation is fine, and that everything will be okay. That's the least she can do to reassure you, and everyone else, right?

"Hopefully, Their Grace will stop those tears...Hearing them sad makes me feel sad..." As a lawyer, Yanfei knows how to sympathize with her clients. This, however, felt like she could really understand what you were going through—there was a bond between you and everyone.

She doesn't want to make you sad. That's one thing for sure. Yanfei wouldn't be able to sleep out of guilt otherwise.

Shinobu

She wasn't expecting you to be crying your heart out, but she loves how sentient you are. It shows just how you truly care about Xiao, and about everyone.

She really appreciates you. She can see how you connect with every character—how you cheer with everyone, cherish the moment with everyone, rejoice, and mourn. This was visible proof of it all.

"Hm...How should we comfort Their Grace..." Shinobu wants to do something—for the sake of the gang's gratitude for their Almighty Creator. And everyone here as well.

You contributed much of yourself for them. For that, she's grateful.

She'll have to explain to Boss later...but that's besides the point right now.

Xiao

He feels guilty for making you cry. He heard you call out his name several many times. He hears how you ball your eyes out, thinking you were gonna lose him, only for Rex Lapis to save him just in time.

He doesn't know if the Lord of Geo heard your divine prayers, or if he went on his own accord, but he feels guilty. He placed a heavy burden on you. He didn't mean to.

"How should I make it up to Their Grace..." He listens to how you scream and cry (out of joy now) that he was alive. You, the Almighty Creator, already connected yourself to someone like him. Your bond was too severe, and he tried to cut it off.

But the way the Traveler is smiling at them with a reassuring smile, Xiao wonders if he will be forgiven. Perhaps far quicker than he imagined.

Ghost Rebel Side Notes: This honestly feels too OOC—I don't really know Yelan's personality all that well, and honestly I don't think I caught the full potential of Yanfei, Itto, and Shinobu. I do hope you enjoyed this, but I'm also sorry if this came out disappointing.

✦ Check out The Ghost Rebel’s Blog Description & Info Page to See if Their Mailbox is Open! ✦

[fatuismooches]

hi hi!

I love ur writing sm tbh, it’s just so heartwarming and FLOOFY

could I pls request headcanons of all the harbingers being the caretakers of kitsune child reader (platonic obviously)

like one day the tsaritsa just tells them they have to look after this fox child she found

just fluffy and soft stuff🥺

if there are too many characters, feel free to add less if you’d like, I honestly don’t mind

(they’re pretty similar to how miko looks and they can also turn into a tiny Fox)

sos if this is a confusing request

thanks in advance! have a wonderful day/noon/night <33

♡ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 ♡

synopsis: The Tsaritsa orders her Harbingers to take care of a kitsune child she found. Fluff ensues as they all platonically grow fond of you.

includes: all eleven fatui harbingers w/ gn! child! reader

notes: Platonic stuff and found family is so cute! Thank you for this request and your words, it was so cute. I hope you like this!

All of them are initially cautious at first. Why would a kitsune be in Snezhnaya? Were you actually a spy and just pretending? But the Tsaritsa seemed to take a liking to you, so they were all required to do their part. (Little did they know they would all end up adopting you.)

Pierro:

At first, he keeps you around because of the Tsaritsa’s orders. But since you are naturally curious, you would follow him around at all times which would melt his heart and make him remember his own youth. Pierro would play chess with you. Kitsune are very intelligent and he would want to bring this out of you slowly. Would sometimes lose on purpose if you’re getting upset though. (He’s shocked if you call him an old man.)

The kind of caretaker who would sit you down on his lap and read you bedtime stories. He has a deep raspy voice that’s useful for when they need to put you to bed. I also think this man is very stressed and your fox form would make him feel a lot more relaxed.

Capitano:

I personally think he’d be really soft with animals and they love him in return. So he’d secretly love your fox form. Capitano takes elite care of your fur, ears, and hair. (Imagine you sleeping on top of his head or shoulders while he gives out orders and the Fatui soldiers are struggling to keep a straight face.)

He is your silent protector. Would trail behind you as you run around the Fatui headquarters. When you’re talking to any soldier, he would stand menacingly behind you as a warning to everyone else to not say anything inappropriate to you. Capitano would give you piggyback rides, lift you up into the air, let you hang off his arm, and do any other fun activities. He really treasures how you’re not scared of him at all, and would protect you at any cost.

Columbina + La Signora:

Columbina and La Signora would team up to do your hair. You would have matching rose buns like Signora by the end of it. The two of them would have the best and cutest clothes for you. The three of you probably have fashion shows and an actual runway. They have hats specially made to fit with your ears.

I just know Columbina knows the best spots for naps and scenery. She would take you to her favorite spots and hum a simple tune for you until both of you fall asleep. La Signora would take on a more motherly role. She wants to know about your day and what you learned while she combs out any knots.

Dottore:

To be honest, the other Harbingers endeavor to keep your time with him limited because of his past actions. Dottore doesn’t care much for kids anyway so this is fine to him. But if you continuously seek him out he’ll begrudgingly deal with your presence. Honestly the worst caretaker out of everyone because he has no idea what to do. What do kids like to do? What do they eat? Why are you crying all of a sudden? It’s making his head spin. Passes you off to his clones who research guides on how to deal with kids. They slowly adapt and teach him later.

Might allow you to attach one of his earrings to your ear, but you take it off rather quickly, complaining it’s too heavy for you. You would also copy his maniacal laugh so whenever Dottore laughs they have a mini you following after. Similar to Sandrone, he might teach you about invention and different kinds of science.

Pulcinella:

The best grandpa who knows every trick in the book. Whenever the Harbingers are at a loss on how to take care of you, they bring you to him and he’s got it under control in a matter of minutes. He wants to know who you are hanging out with and if they’re a bad influence on you. Pulcinella knows when to be strict and when not to. Gives the other Harbingers in-depth caretaking lessons whether they like it or not (especially Dottore.)

He would make sure you have memories of everyone you cherish. Kitsune live so much longer than a human and he doesn’t want you to forget anyone who raised you. Gives you a Kamera and helps you to make scrapbooks of everything you take pictures of.

Scaramouche:

There were always rumors that the Balladeer was soft around the children and elderly but no one quite believed it until they saw him interacting with you. Initially tried to avoid you because he didn’t want others to see an adorable kitsune child following him. Eventually gave in but kept the fake grumpy facade up so others wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

You probably remind him of Inazuma. Introduces you to Inazuman cuisine and wants to take you there someday. He probably knows kitsune folklore as well so he would retell it to you. He secretly finds it cute when you try on his hat but it covers you completely because you’re so tiny. Scaramouche’s temper is reduced while you’re around because he doesn’t want to make you upset. Whenever you ask him to do something he always acts like it’s a chore for a few seconds but immediately gets a Fatui agent on the job.

He’s a puppet who is probably going to live as long as you, so he silently vows to watch over you and protect you always.

Arlecchino:

Arlecchino is around children daily in her orphanage but that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s great with them. After all, she’s raising them to be warriors and soldiers, not babysitting them. But that doesn’t mean she’s bad either. Arlecchino could pick up on your cues easily - she knows when you’re hungry or pretending to be sick, or when you’re actually tired. She’s still not the most in tune with emotions though so she leaves that up to the other Harbingers. Arlecchino would still be helpful with your health though.

She would let you play with the other orphans because it seems to brighten their days (hers as well.) She seems cold and a bit angry at times but your cheerfulness brightens her day.

Pantalone:

He knows what it’s like to be abandoned so he would feel for you. You would be utterly pampered by him. Bubble baths, rubber duckies, any toys you want, the most exquisite of shampoos and conditioners for your ears. He would make sure you receive a proper education and access to any activities you desire. Pantalone would make sure you never left wanting.

He would teach you how to manage money at a young age. You’ll probably never need it but he likes the idea of teaching you something he wished he knew as a child.

Sandrone:

She doesn’t care much at first. Sure, her interest is a bit peaked, but she’ll soon forget about you when she’s busy with her Automatons. That is, until she finds out you somehow snuck into her lab and curiously inspected some of her most dangerous robots. Immediately removes you from the premises.

She doesn’t want to involve you in the more cruel and deadly aspect of her work so instead, she’ll help you to create a small robot for yourself. She does most of the work but shows you some fundamental mechanical skills and secretly hopes you’ll take an interest in engineering.

Sews a kitsune doll for you so you can cuddle it to sleep. Sandrone has different robots created that teach you basic skills like reading, writing, math, etc. Even when she or any of the Harbingers are not around with you, you have her robots to play games with and keep you company.

Childe:

Probably the best caretaker besides Pulcinella. Childe already has multiple little siblings so he knows exactly what to do. However, he has little restraint when it comes to spoiling you which separates him from Pulcinella’s stricter attitude. Childe would cook your favorites with ease but also introduce you to his favorite Snezhnayan dishes. He would comb out your fluffy hair and ears while keeping you occupied with various Snezhnayan stories.

Childe would not want you to fight. He is the protector and defender of childhood dreams so he would encourage you to do what you find fun (and would fund anything you need.) Even though you already know he’s in the Fatui, he wouldn’t tell you anything else about his job because he wants to shield you from harm.

He would introduce you to Teucer and his family quickly. His siblings marvel over your appearance and would play with you often. Ajax understands quite well how it feels to be lonely so he would want you to have strong bonds. Would even allow you to live with his family full time or have sleepovers if you wished.

[the-insomniac-emporium]

I love your writing.

if it's not too much trouble may i make a request? I'm thinking the Dimitrescu women meeting and/or courting a fellow immortal.

the circumstances of the immortal's powers and possession of immorality are entirely up to you. I just like the idea of them meeting someone they could literally spend forever with...because they deserve it ❤

I wasn't sure if you wanted a story or headcanons? I went with HCs, here, but if you wanted more of a drabble or whatever just lemme know and I'll write something like that.

Also, I got excited and carried away so this has the whole Dimitrescu family, plus shorter ones for both Mother Miranda and Donna. Admittedly Alcina's is also a little on the shorter side? I tried to write everything that came to mind, but I am kinda tired right now, sorry. Might reblog this and add some more later.

(Under read-more for length)

Cassandra:

Tries (and fails) to hide her excitement. Mortality is one of the bigger things that has made her keep her distance to others, at least in the past. Every Maiden she’s ever been the slightest bit smitten with, up until this point, has been incredibly fragile. Seeing as she’s not exactly the softest person, one can easily imagine why that would be a turn off for her. But now that’s no longer a problem!

On the other had… having an immortal partner gives Cassandra pause. Why? Because what if they breakup? Normally, she can just, ahem, “dispose” of any exes (regardless of how much it hurts) so she doesn’t have to see them/deal with them anymore. If that’s not an option, she’ll definitely take longer than usual to do anything about her feelings. She wants to be sure, 100%, before she gets in over her head. Chances are she won’t hold back for as long as she wants though.

Likely to have a loud, messy confession. She’ll have been avoiding you for a few days, always ducking out of whatever rooms you enter, leaving you both hurt and confused. After enlisting the help of her sisters, you’ll be able to corner her outside. She’ll tell you, under no uncertain circumstances, to leave her alone. But you’ll refuse, demanding an explanation.

“I thought we had something. I thought you cared,” you’ll snap, eyes watering. “If that’s changed… if I was wrong, just tell me. I’ll leave and I’ll never come back.” Cue thunder and raining (because tropes) and Cassandra dramatically pulling you into a kiss, holding you so tightly you think you might bruise. Then she’s demanding that you stay, refusing to apologize but making it clear just how much she does care.

Being immortal, you’re not as defenseless as some of Cassandra’s past interests. Naturally, she doesn’t get quite as protective as she normally would. She’ll still have your back no matter what, ready to fight by your side against any foe, and will probably consider doing so a “fun bonding activity”. Oh, some lycans are encroaching on Dimitrescu territory? Time to go destroy them, as a power couple!

Despite having all the time in the world, Cassandra won’t change much of her actual courting behavior, nor the rate at which things advance. She’s still gonna get handsy fairly early on, still gonna “rah!” at you in the hallways, and still going to struggle with her jealousy.

Immortality Compatibility: I can see Cassandra going for another vampire (or vampire adjacent) creature, or someone demonic. She likes her lovers a bit rough, with some nice bite to their personalities. If you’ve got sharp teeth, or claws, or glowing eyes? Oh boy, she’s gonna be making heart eyes at you all the time.

Bela:

If your immortality isn’t immediately obvious, Bela is over the moon with joy when she finds out. Her eyes will go wide for a moment, before she tries to seem calm (so as to not freak you out), but her heart is pounding. This is what she’s been hoping for. As much as Mother Miranda has done for her family, there’s no guarantee that she’d be willing to give more. Even if Miranda granted Bela’s lover her “gift”, there was no telling what the results would be, or if the lover would survive. Now that there’s no need for such a transformation, it’s far easier for Bela to imagine herself in love (and eventually be in love).

Slow-burn romance over a decade or longer, oops. Doesn’t even necessarily mean to take things so slowly, just doesn’t feel a need to rush things, preferring that they develop organically. With both of you having unlimited time, you’re both used to working on a very large timescale. Maidens watching the two of you probably place bets on how long it’ll take you to hold hands for the first time. Everyone knows it’s coming, but no matter how much Cassandra and Daniela complain, Bela refuses to jump into things. By the time the two of you are officially together, you’re probably madly in love with each other.

More protective than Cassandra, if only because she knows just how rare you are. Immortal or not, you likely still have a weakness, and Bela will do everything in her power to make sure no one else knows what it is. If applicable, she will also ensure she has a countermeasure readily available. For example: If you were weak to fire, she’d make sure that the castle keeps extinguishers handy, just in case. Though they should probably already do that. Not that the Dimitrescu family cares much for OSHA compliance.

Somehow grows more in love with you with every passing year, and makes sure that you know this. Whether you’ve been together for one year or one century (because in this house we ignore canon), she’s always performing little acts of love, giving constant reminders of how strongly she feels. Gifts, special dates, book recommendations, etc.

Immortality Compatibility: Bela seems like the type to go for someone with a calming presence, and perhaps somewhat of a contrast to herself. I can picture her with someone somewhat angelic, or druidic, someone very in tune with nature. She’d love to feed deer with you and relax in the forest! Or lay against a tree by your side, listening to you talk about various microorganisms for hours at a time.

Daniela:

Practically tackles you when she finds out/connects the dots. This is just like one of her romance novels, where a lonely (attractive as fuck) immortal spends years in isolation before finally meeting the love of their life, who they get to spend the rest of eternity with. Absolutely ecstatic about the whole situation. Won’t stop kissing you and pulling you close, rambling about how great it’s gonna be to spend your lives together. Honestly? Kind of overwhelming. You might have to remind her a few times that you don’t have to rush into things, considering you have all the time in the world.

Introduces you to people as her “super cool/rad immortal life partner”. Genuinely cannot bring herself to not brag about you. If her sisters haven’t found someone like you yet, you can bet that Daniela will tease them about it all the time (much to their annoyance). If Momma Alcina doesn’t, though? Dani will keep her thoughts to herself, thank you very much (being grounded at her age does not impress the s/o).

Tries not to show it, but she’s actually very nervous. You’re immortal! You’ve probably seen a lot of shit (she certainly has)! Worries about keeping you interested in her, though she would never admit it. This tends to lead to her performing ridiculous acts to showcase her affection, regardless of the cost or, like, whether or not you’d even enjoy whatever she has planned. In order to counter her anxiety, you’ll want to reassure her whenever you can, and give her plenty of “I love you”s.

Strikes a decent balance between Cassandra’s nonchalant attitude and Bela’s protectiveness. Will defend you if you need it, playing up the romantic aspect, but also entirely willing to hide behind you in a scary situation.

Immortality Compatibility: Having probably read Twilight… Dani would date a werewolf, as long as they weren’t the smelly kind. Also interested in a sort of “magical”/elemental type, especially if their powers are influenced by emotions. In other words, if someone flirts with her in front of you, and your response is to subconsciously light your hands/the other person on fire? She thinks that’s hot, pun intended.

Alcina:

“Oh? Interesting,” she’d say, smiling softly (and trying to ignore the heat rushing to her face). Similarly to Cassandra, she’d try to play it off, not wanting to seem too excited. And, well, she’s not as excited as any of her daughters are. After all, she’s had more time than them to “get used” to the idea of outliving any potential romantic interests. So, she’s not exactly desperate for a relationship, even with someone she could spend an eternity with.

That being said, if she is romantically interested in them, she’s very relieved. Outliving a loved one can be incredibly traumatizing (fuck you c*pcom, you know what you did), and knowing that you’re safe (or at least safer than most) brings her no small amount of comfort.

Also, just glad to have another person close to her age around. Her daughters are somewhat stuck as young adults, and I imagine Alcina would want someone who gained immortality a little later in life, such as herself, as opposed to, ya know, reminding her of her children. That probably goes without saying. Hopefully.

More so than her daughters, Alcina would change her level of protectiveness depending on her s/o’s power level. If you’re a shapeshifter who can also turn into a big ass dragon? Then she’s not going to coddle you. If you’re immortal but still vulnerable, then she’s going to do her best to keep you safe, even going so far as to enlist the assistance of her daughters. “If you see a single Maiden growing mistletoe, or bringing some in from the village, let me know immediately,” or something like that, depending on your weakness.

Immortality Compatibility: Definitely would want someone in a situation similar to herself, having once been truly human, only to be “elevated” by something. Bonus points if you’re another disciple of Miranda, double bonus points if Miranda specifically “made” you to be Alcina’s boo/honey/darling/dear.

Bonus! Mother Miranda:

Oh god finally someone who won’t leave her (can’t leave her). No one can take you away from her, and that’s a relief that she’s been craving for over a century. Even if romance isn’t high on her priority list, she welcomes it with open arms, glad to have someone by her side through all of life’s chaos.

Admittedly slow to trust at first, probably just using you as a tool at first. But prove yourself enough, show that your devotion is more than just misdirected self-interest, and she’ll start to warm up to you. Forming a real relationship would likely take a couple decades, similar to with Bela. Once you are together, however, the two of you are inseparable in all matters.

You’d be her #1 follower, most trusted adviser, and the only person allowed to understand 100% of her thoughts and motives. While Miranda wouldn’t allow you to be seen as the same level as her (sorry), you’d still be a legend among the villagers. To them, you’re Mother Miranda’s champion, the epitome of a devoted follower that they all aspire to emulate. Not that they know the two of you are a couple, though.

Immortality Compatibility: No gimmicks, no cheap tricks, she wants (and respects) a fellow scientist, someone who clawed their way through adversity and forged themselves into something indestructible. Double the interest if you did so for a similar cause to her own, as she would appreciate your ability to relate to her suffering.

Bonus! Donna:

Someone to play with! FOREVER! No more losing people she cares about, no more accidentally breaking people, no more people scrambling to leave. Now that she has you, she can finally spend some quality time with another (living?) person. Honestly her dolls (or at least Angie) are just as excited as she is. Regardless of her relations with the other three Lords, Donna much prefers the company of a lover.

For real though she’s shy as hell and you might not even realize who’s pulling the strings until you’ve been in her house for over a year. She’d probably use her powers to trap you inside, at least at first, though they’d be nice hallucinations. You’d have to treat the dolls nicely, especially Angie, before she’d let you interact with her.

Eventually you’d be allowed to leave, and you’d be given a key to return whenever you wanted to. Assuming that you do, in fact, come back, the two of you would have a very, very slow romance, if only because of Donna’s anxiety. Hand holding makes both of your faces turn beet red, seriously.

Immortality Compatibility: *chanting* GHOST GIRLFRIEND GHOST GIRLFRIEND POLTERGEIST PARTNER POLTERGEIST PARTNER WOOHOO! Something with a flexible, only-sometimes-tangible form, who absolutely could have left at any time but didn’t because they wanted to stay.

[kirisaki-daichi-scenarios]

a discussion of jabberwock with team interaction hcs + deeper nash analysis

for anon who asked "Can we get some headcanons for jabberwock members or like headcanons when they're together? (its okay if it was jason or nash only)" and made me realise it's about time i get these guys' personalities down

note before we start: cause i didn't know their names until i wrote this

zack is the bald one, allen is the one with a headband, nick is the other white guy apart from nash.

team hcs

nick gets bullied for being under 6ft, but not by jason

nah good old jason teases all of them for being short fucks, emphasising that they’re all 5ft tall in comparison to him

he 100% lifts things out of the others' reach and then laughs for ages after when they try get them

unfortunately though, they’re all used to this and now just ignore him. either that or nash stares at him so intensely jason actually repents and hands it back

zack’s another one with a very good glare, but he’s used it too often on jason and it’s since stopped working.

also jason gives me ‘straightens his back as much as possible when getting measured so he’ll measure in as 7ft’ vibes

oh and he thinks he could wrestle a gator and win. i’ve got no explanation for that except for the fact you can't tell me it's ooc.

allen’s very protective over his white headband - it’s his lucky item - but he’d never let anyone know that

he’s confident in his abilities like the rest of them, but there’s nothing wrong with wearing a headband just in case

(nash knows anyway)

they watch nba matches together and do not shut up once throughout the entire match - lots of jeering, booing each other if someone criticises a player they like, lots of “i could do that”, lots of “get your fucking hand out of my popcorn do you want me to punch you in the face” etc

they used to all live together, but nash has since moved out. he was sick and tired of trying to make people do chores, as the only one who kept their room clean.

yeah the others’ house looks like a heap of trash but also very much “where’s my toothbrush?” “it’s in the third coke can by the orange peel behind the sink” *silence* “yeah thanks” *a minute later* “who the fuck has been using my toothbrush”

they’re all “bro your dribbling sucks why are you on this team loser” to one another, but also very protective (aka arrogant for one another) if anyone else Dared to criticise one of their teammates

then again, what kind of person would criticise jabberwock

half of the time he spends with jabberwock, nash is a Single Mother TM trying to get a bunch of man children to behave; the other half of the time, he's just as bad as the rest of them

i talk about this a lot but i get the feeling nash is an exceptionally hard worker, but at least he gets to let his hair down around his teammates sometimes

nash is also the only person jason thought was truly ‘strong’ at first sight

and nash is also the only person who can beat jason in a fight, and also the only person who can get nash to train, and also the only person who can.. [etc. you see my point].

(n.b jason calls himself the ‘almighty me’, nash says that ‘even god can’t beat me’. point made.)

you know how jason silver’s motto is “I have never thought”

imagine him proudly stating that, before zack adds with a straight face, “yeah cause nash does it for you.”

in short, the team would fall apart without nash.

although the team’s communication and coordination is very fine tuned, nash is the guy who keeps everything in order off the court to prevent what is essentially a team of aces ('main characters', if you will) from falling apart

they hang out together a lot, but do all have other friend groups that do not overlap

team bbqs

unofficial rule not to criticise anchovies on pizza because the one time nick did, nash snapped

however pineapple on pizza is fair game, even though zack quite likes it

more than once, jason has brought a girl home and nick has stolen her attention away with effortless trick shots, funky ball manoeuvring etc

more than once nick has had to trek to nash’s place (with a black eye) at midnight to have somewhere to sleep

do you see a correlation?

oh and everyone in the team has been walked in on by nash when they were naked with some girl

nash has absolutely no shame

he apologises to the girl with a charming albeit insincere tone, and then remains standing in front of the bed/couch until his teammate does what he expected of them

usually it involves not having come to practice

allen learnt a few (emphasis on ‘few’) words of japanese before they travelled to japan and was disappointed that he never got to use them

that said, one of those words was hentai

and now a quick analysis of some panels

a) so there's at least one player who wasn't underestimating vorpal swords. if i were to overanalyse, i'd add that nick's wearing a hoodie (possibly athletic wear) whilst nash has a 'fancy' shirt on; perhaps nick wasn't expecting them to be going to host clubs instead of chilling/training?

b) i know what you're thinking: "how can you say nash is a hard worker when he didn't want to practice for the match". i reckon he was still pretty high on the complete and utter success of their previous match, that plus being around girls, encouraged him to have a more 'jason-y' personality. (either that or fujimaki didn't want to add too much depth/realism into nash's character bc he's unequivocally the villain, right? and obviously this helps with the plot and the jabberwock bad geniuses gom good geniuses rhetoric.)

earlier, i mentioned how nash is the only one that could keep the team together, and is thus the undeniable head of the team; here's a clear example. you can see both jason and zack have no interest in continuing - if anything, there's disgust in their faces, kinda just saying "we spat on all of japan, now we can go home". whereas nash won't allow for the slightest of possibilities that there might exist a team stronger than them, and hence agrees to the match. the key thing here is that the others do as he says without too much fuss.

another thing to note is nash's reference to harakiri. now what can we make of that, alongside his proficiency in japanese, in relation to his character? the way i see it, he's either a weeb or possibly has some japanese lineage. (you could spin that even further and say his mother was japanese, taught him the language, then abandoned him, and hence his almost excessive hatred/mockery of the japanese people.) (is that why he wanted to do another match in japan..?)

just a quick point. "thanks to him" - jason isn't so superior as to think that he could win this match effortlessly without nash's support. links pretty nicely with my earlier idea about how nash is the only person jason has always considered 100% strong.

yet another point about how nash is the strongest of the team in pretty much every way you can think of. you know how scary/powerful you have to be to shut jason up (after he's getting real pissed from being prevented from scoring?)

i personally think this is a pretty important panel, though i've never seen anyone mention it before. did nash grow up training in a professional basketball training situation, as opposed to growing up playing streetball like i suspect the others did? well, to answer that question, imma bring in another panel.

here we see visible rage on nick, zack and jason's faces - they can't accept their loss, which is fair enough. but i'd argue that nash's face seems to depict sadness more than it does anger like to rest of them, look at how downturned his mouth is - and he's looking away from the 'camera', as if hiding his shame.

when you combine that with what he says here, i have no doubt that this is someone who has experienced some proper lows in basketball - as would be expected from someone who's played 'properly'. he's possibly not even a prodigy like the rest of them - compare jason's motto with his. "i have never thought" versus "do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door".

there's various lines of thinking you could design with this - he might have been trained by alex (hence, himuro having heard of jabberwock, though he should have known of a team as popular of jabberwock regardless), he might have grown up with professional basketballer parents etc. but here's my own little theory:

nash received serious basketball training from early on - maybe because his parents were living vicariously through him, or maybe he always loved the sport and wanted to be no1. so there he was training away, but, as he grew older, it started getting all a bit too much.

he didn't want to dedicate his entire life to basketball. after all, his hobby is water sports and his speciality is boxing; that's a lot of different things to be keeping up with, whereas the pipeline for promising athletes demands people focus solely on basketball. as a result, nash become bitter: stopped attending practice regularly, got in trouble for trash talk of increasing severity, etc.

result was he was kicked out of the program.

only when he was no longer playing basketball again, did he realise how much he missed it. and hence he got into streetball, where he was tremendously successful as someone with so much training, 'elite skills', and the overly confident attitude to boot.

then, one fateful day, he met jason and the rest is history.

[lenaariewrld]

content loading

KUROO — 8. a strange feeling

You wake up when you feel an unexpected weight suddenly placed on your chest, a gentle rumbling echoing through your ribcage. Your eyes peek open to see your cat, a shark hat strapped under her chin. “Bimmie!” You coo sleepily, your arms cradling the cat and rubbing her spine. She arches her butt against your palms.

“Good morning. Time to get up,” Kuroo stands at the foot of your bed, fully dressed and staring at you over a mug of coffee. You turn your attention away from your cat to glare at him.

“What time is it?”

“Seven,”

“Fuck that,” You turn back to loving on your cat, scratching her ears and chin and rubbing the sides of her fluffy body. She purrs and coos from all the wonderful attention, kneading her paws into you particularly hard when she enjoys the rubs you give her. A gentle laugh leaves you when she finally decides she has had enough and she saunters her way to the space on your bed not occupied by humans, curling up and tucking her paws beneath herself.

Kuroo is still standing by your bed and waiting for you to get up. You sigh and sit up, frowning deeply. “Why am I getting up so early for?” You ask, “It better be for those good pancakes, or else I will kill you,” You threaten softly.

The man chuckles, watching you get up sluggishly. His amusement continues as you drag yourself around the room to gather your proper materials for waking up and being a functioning member of society. Because mornings do not make you look like a functional member of society.

He seats himself in your chair while you leave to head to your bathroom.

“We need to go grocery shopping... I got the others to make lists of things they wanted or needed, what meals we could make, and all that. I just need someone to keep track of the list,” He informs you, spinning the chair to look around your room.

The walls are decorated with posters of your favorite characters from anime and tv shows you like, shelves stacked with manga or figurines from games you’ve adored. Your desk is a neat mess of gaming things and just cute knick-knacks that make it look more you. Kuroo finds himself smiling at it all.

The bathroom door opens sometime later and he turns his head to hear you if you should speak. “Okay, I’m assuming this is your roundabout way of telling me if I go, you’ll buy me snacks?” You pose the question, rubbing a towel over your head to dry your hair.

Kuroo hums.

“You got a deal,” He finally declares, a cheeky smile flashing in your direction. You sarcastically smile back, heading to your closet and grabbing clothes to change into. Kuroo once again takes the time to look around your room.

You don’t go through your entire morning routine this time, deciding to save the man the trouble and put it off until you feel more energized to actually have thoughts. Instead, you just settle for a good shower and clean clothes. Kuroo waits patiently for you the entire time, standing up and holding out his mug for you. To your surprise, it’s not his coffee but yours, made exactly how you like it.

A funny warmth spreads in your chest, and you haven’t even drank the coffee yet.

“Thank you,” You hum, following him downstairs and towards the front door, nursing your mug the whole way. It’s not piping hot so drinking larger gulps is much easier.

You make a quick stop in the kitchen to transfer your coffee to a more portable cup before heading outside. Kuroo is waiting for you once again, a patient smile on his face.

The whole drive he plays soft music, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. You notice he only moves his pointer finger or pinkie to drum.

“Okay,” You brace yourself in your seat, wiggling your body as much as you can to face Kuroo more. “What is the plan this time, chief?” You raise your brow and slide your cup into the cup holder that separates the driver and passenger seat.

“I’ve already organized the shopping list into different categories so we can just go from aisle to aisle and get it all rather than jumping throughout the whole store,” Kuroo says, “It’s on my phone,” He adds before you can question where this oh-so-meticulously put-together list is. Instead, you nod. Kuroo smiles and hands you the device from his sweatpants pocket.

“Add your snacks,”

The rest of the drive is short and helps wake you up completely. By the time Kuroo parks and you climb out, you have the energy to ransack a whole 7-11. Hypothetically.

Kuroo leads you inside, letting you push the cart and being, for once, responsible about the shopping while you trail behind with a small smile. He tells you all the tips for making sure vegetables are ripe or fruits are the kind of look and taste you might want, how to get the best quality of items without overpaying, and what to look for when buying fresh meat.

Admittedly, you are indulging him. You know a good portion of the tips (let’s be honest, who doesn’t know how to make sure an apple or a tomato is good?). However, his happiness to tell you and his earnest helpfulness are refreshing.

“Do you eat salads?” You question as he turns the third variety of lettuce in his hand, inspecting it for bug bites and dirt. “Because that’s the only thing I can think of why you need multiple kinds of lettuces,” You add when he looks at you. Kuroo pouts.

“Don’t be mean,” He huffs. You giggle.

“Then put down the lettuce. Stick to the list. And I don’t see three types of lettuces on here,”

Kuroo sets down the lettuce and turns to you, lightly keeping his hand on the cart. He leans close to you as if preparing to share a secret. “What if I just wanted us all to be healthier?” He says, adding a ‘hmm’ at the end as if he owned you with his sick hypothetical logic. You bump his shoulder and keep pushing the cart past all the leafy vegetables.

“As if you care,”

Kuroo dramatically slaps his hand over his chest. “I am wounded, muffin,” He leans over the cart to lay against your back, laughing as you try to shove him off. However, he was an athlete in high school and still kind of works out thanks to Bokuto being his roommate. You, who has never even looked at an exercise machine, are not as strong as him, and struggle to move him.

“You’re wounding me now!” You shove his bicep, earning a laugh from him. He only drapes his arms around your shoulders, relaxing his body against you further without actually hurting you.

A few other shoppers in the store look at you two. It’s mainly older women, and they simply smile at the two of you and shuffle past without saying anything.

How cute they are, they must think, so happy.

You finally manage to get Kuroo off of you and continue the shopping trip, now with a lot fewer distractions. You make Kuroo keep one hand on the cart as a precaution, reading off items he needs to grab. He doesn’t pout or complain, simply nodding along and going with what you say.

“I know this song,” You comment as you push the cart farther into an aisle. You strain your ears to hear the music faintly playing over the store’s speakers, a smile spreading on your lips as you recognize the tune you had listened to on repeat before. “It’s one of my favorites,”

“Really?” Kuroo carefully grabs a jar of jam and sets it in the car basket. You hum and nod. He smiles back and crosses his arms as he leans on the side of the cart, watching your face. “Why did you like it?”

You stop pushing the cart to check the list. “Why wouldn’t I? It was a great dancing song,” You shrug and cross off the items the both of you already set in the cart. A good chunk of the list had been cleared, and you smile at how much you’ve already completed of this trip. You turn off the phone and hold it out for the man, letting him take it back.

“Show me?” Kuroo asks, holding out his hand. You let out a small laugh. Dancing in the middle of a store aisle sounds like something from a romantic book or movie. Gently, you take his hand and step closer to him. The shopping was temporarily forgotten.

You start leading him in a simple dance, stumbling through the motions as you try to hear the music over the other noises of the store. Kuroo chuckles and follows your lead, holding both your hands and twisting around the small space. A laugh bubbles in your throat and he twirls you, his hand coming around your waist to pull you in again. “You’re quite skilled!” You say, squeezing his hand twice.

He squeezes back.

Again, you feel a funny warmth in your chest. This time, paired with a fluttering in your stomach. Kuroo’s smile never fades as he stares at you, continuing the silly made-up dance you both perform.

“You’re the one leading, I should say that about you,” Kuroo once again twirls you. You release one of his hands and extend your arm, twirling back in until your back hits his chest. You giggle. “See?” He comments, humming along to the song.

You both rock back and forth like that for a moment.

“Now you’re just being cheesy,” You tease, stepping away from the man. He shakes his head playfully, brushing off your words. You run your fingers through your hair, clearing your throat. “We should get back to the shopping,” You take the cart again. Kuroo is right behind you, already with a new item from the list in his hand. He sets it in the basket before placing his hand back on the handle.

You pat the back of his hand, relaxing your hand over his absentmindedly.

The shopping continues like normal, with occasional breaks for Kuroo to look at items or point out interesting things he sees. It’s quick work, and you find yourself at the checkout before you know it, packing your items into bags and carrying them to the car.

The strange stomach twisting doesn’t die down. Even when you unpack the bags with Kuroo, roping Kageyama and Bokuto into helping you both put all the groceries away, it sticks.

Strange.

previous | masterlist | next

funfacts:

Kuroo is in charge of the grocery shopping because he’s the only one who likes doing it

Kenma or Yamaguchi usually go shopping with Kuroo but he decided to torment you instead

taglist: @odxrilove @pogpixelz @toshiswifey @thechaosoflonging @anime-meme-sanctuary @chaseyui @lucyrocks86 @mirikusashes @bolinhodadestruicao @w0rm-babie @fandomsgotmefucked @meena-in-a-nutshell @halcyondaisy @emisse @cerealfrdinner797 @sakusasimpbot

[mackeydoodledoo]

Dead to Me

Pairing: Alcina Dimitrescu and (Fem!)Reader [non-romantic], Cassandra Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: You escaped once however, leaving the woman you love behind. One day you just show your face once more however, not greeted by the same woman you once loved.

Warnings: Abandonment, Su1c1dal Thoughts, Attempted Su1c1de, Blood, Slight G0R3, MEGA Fluff at the end

A/N: So, this one’s gonna be sad... But it MIGHT just make a slight happy ending.

“Dead to Me” - Crimson Apple

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

One of these days you had to go back. You just didn’t expect yourself to be showing up now of all times. You had been here, serving under Alcina Dimitrescu, pretty much all of House Dimitrescu. You didn’t mind it at first however, listening to the screams of other maidens freaked you out enough.

All of the scars you had to bear from every slip up you caused... It hurt.. However, the only woman that had gotten you through it all was.. None other than the Sadist daughter of Alcina; Cassandra Dimitrescu. 

“Y/n... Y/n I’m sorry... Come back... Come back to me.. Please..” Cassandra cries into the shirt you gave her

You had managed to escape however, you strongly believed that Cassandra didn’t love you. You never meant to hurt Cassandra. However, you were afraid of your fate, should you continue to slip up. 

Months later you had gotten a letter from Alcina. Weirdly enough you were still on somehow good terms with her. Similarities in taste of music gotten you a soft spot in her. The letter alone had mysteriously had given you the urge to go back to the Castle. You slowly push open the doors to the castle and slowly step inside, unready to face whom was going to greet you. 

“Y/n,” Alcina appears, ducking through the doorway

“My lady,” You greet her as formally as possible, “It has been quite some time. I’m glad you’re still in good health.”

“Enough with the formalities,” Alcina sighs, “I’m not here to chat with you.”

You close your mouth just before you try to give your greetings. You walked right into this one. You don’t blame Alcina. 

“Come with me,” he commands, but in a gentle yet demanding voice

You don’t say anything but you begin following her once she turns her back to you. You follow her throughout the castle and leads you to the Opera Room. You were met with three familiar faces... Bela, the first one to look up at you. Daniela, the second one to follow her older sister. She gives you a warming yet hungry smile. Finally, the familiar Brunette is the last to look up. She was about to raise her sickle until her mother raises her hand, calming her daughters. 

“Y/n will be running the entire Opera Room,” Alcina states

What?... I mean- I do have theater tech experience....

You really only rushed back to Castle Dimitrescu when Alcina had mentioned in the letter it was ‘an emergency’. However, you didn’t really see Alcina going into details on said ‘emergency’. 

“Mother I think it would be best if y/n would be-”

“My decision is final Cassandra,” Alcina raises her hand once more, ”I expect the three of you to treat her as such. Should she try to escape once more or slip up more than necessary... Kill her.”

I walked into this one... Plus... What else is there to live for?... 

Alcina makes her exit. Bela begins following her mother, intentionally bumping into your shoulder when she passes you. You look down. Daniela attempts to scare you by growling into your ear when she passes you. This leaves you with Cassandra. 

“Cassadra I-”

In a quick motion, she swarms into her flies and a fly scratches your cheek, making a scar. It begins dripping blood. 

“You keep your mouth shut,” She growls, holding the tip of her sickle in your face, “You try to escape one more time, I will make sure your very own soul won’t leave here.”

She raises her sickle, seemingly ready to slash you. You don’t do anything to guard yourself but look down however, the painful sharp end of the sickle never came. You look up and notice the sickle now down at her side.

“You would have been doing me a favor...” You say, monotonous, walking around her

Before you were out of her reach, she clutches your arm. Not loosely and not tightly. But the perfect grip... A comforting grip. 

“Let go Cassandra,” You say, trying to hold back tears

She doesn’t listen to you but finally subsides and lets you go. You hear her form into her usual swarm of flies and exit the room.

Cassandra.... If only you knew how I felt about you...

You drop onto your knees and begin silently crying to yourself. You reach into your shirt and take out a simple locket until you opened it; revealing a small photo of Cassandra that she had given you at one point the both of you were at the peak of your guys’ friendship.

In the next several days, you were slowly restoring the Opera Room’s curtains. You were attaching a fallen section of the curtain. However, you had gotten the biggest ladder you could find, without asking for any of the ladies of house Dimitrescu, you were already standing on the tips of your toes, trying to clip that part of the curtain back onto its refurbished clip. 

Come on... Come on... Almost there...

Just as you finally got the curtain to clip on, the ladder began falling under your feet. You let out a yelp and expected yourself to fall through the aging wood of the stage. 

It never came.

You open your eyes and notice a small swarm of flies beginning to materialize. Feeling the familiar and gentle touch, you finally gain the courage to look at your savior.

“You okay?” Cassandra asks

“Yeah.” You sigh, “You-you can let go of me now...”

She lets you out of her arms. You expected her to leave however, no sound of swarming flies came into your field of hearing and none that came to your field of vision.

“Shouldn’t you be torturing someone new yet?” You ask, jumping off the stage and over the the couches to breathe

“Been there, done that,” She follows you

“There’s nothing exciting here,” You say, sighing as you sink into the couch, “So, you’d find more excitement somewhere else..”

“Fine...” Cassandra growls

She makes her usual fly make a scar on you somewhere and flies off. You bandage the cut for the time being and stand up, stretching. You walk over to the piano and sit at the piano chair.. You sigh as you wipe off the seeping blood with a cloth. When the bleeding finally stopped, you gently place your fingers along the keys and begin playing some tune that came into your head. 

From behind the doorway, Cassandra listens to you play the piano. She leans her head onto the doorframe.

You still play beautifully... I want you to play to me like you used to..

Before she could continue listening to you, she hears her mother calling for her.

You could hear Alcina’s voice, making you stop playing. You stand from the piano and begin working on any other task in the Opera Room.

By the days end, you realize no one had shown you your quarters. 

I must be in the maid’s quarters... Fine by me... None of them would want my presence anyway...

As you begin walking down the halls, you could remember clearly where everything was.

“You need somewhere to sleep?” Cassandra asks, standing in her doorway to her bedchambers 

“I’m fine,” You say, not making eye contact with her

“Giving you a chance to seep somewhere where it’s comfortable,” She adds, “Besides, I’m more active at night, you won’t see me..”

“Fine...” You sigh, giving in, “Only because you’re offering so kindly.”

You look up at her and you took note of Cassandra’s slight blushing cheeks. Despite the blood all over her chin and slightly on her cheeks. Cassandra shuts the door and begins roaming the halls. Everything in her bedchambers was pretty much the same as how you last remembered it. The only small detail that was different was your shirt on her bed, acting as a pillowcase....

Cassandra?... Why is my shirt a pillowcase?...

You didn't bother to question it any further and just get into her bedsheets. You take a pillow and hold onto it like a body.

When Cassandra returns to her bedchambers as she forgot her sickle, she notices you sound asleep in her bed. Cassandra's heart began swelling with happiness. Seeing you asleep made her all giddy whenever you'd be asleep before her.

You open your eyes and sit up. You mysteriously no longer felt tired and you hopped out of Cassandra's bed and make her bed. Not wanting to leave it a mess. You make haste and make your leave from Cassandra's quarters.

"Leaving so soon?" Cassandra asks, her arm materializing to grab your arm

She puts the end point of her sickle against your back; not to thr point where its piercing your skin but enough to make a slight mark. She ever so slowly pulls your body towards hers. Not willing to have your lung punctured, you follow her movements.

"So pretty," she flirts

You didn't know what to do. Although she threatened you the second you came back, now she's all up in your face, wanting your attention..

"Cassandra," you sigh, "Stop...."

"Why? Didn't you like it?" Cassandra asks as her head drops into the crook of your neck

“St-stop,” You push her away, resulting her drawing blood from your back with her sickle

You immediately beeline it to a bathroom to cover the wound. Luckily for you it was a mere scratch, so stopping the blood came quickly. You sigh, wanting to stay in the bathroom, having a feeling that Cassandra is on the other side of the door. However, feeling bold enough to check, you unlock the door and peek your head out. 

Thank god...

You make your full exit from the bathroom and towards the Opera Room for the usual restoration.

Just as you were sweeping the stage, from your peripherals, Alcina is coming your way. You stop sweeping and brush yourself off of the dust and debris.

“My lady,” You greet her

“How are you my dear?” She asks, sitting at the piano bench

Okay... Yesterday you wanted to kill me... Now you’re being all friendly?...

“I’m alright,” You lie, “What is it that you need my lady?”

“I just wanted to let you know that there is an upcoming play that my daughters want to put on for you,” Alcina expains

For me?...

“For me?” You ask

She nods.

“My Lady?” You ask, “I-I don’t understand.”

“It was Cassandra’s idea,” She says, “Do have the opera hall spick and spam by tomorrow afternoon.”

She makes her leave from the opera room. You were still on the stage cleaning process. However, you only needed to sweep the floors, rearrange the chairs out in the audience seating and set up the piano.

“Won’t be so bad,” You sigh to yourself

While you were in the process of the finishing touches to the lounging area, it was to the piano. You sit down at its bench and begin playing a simple tune that came to mind. 

“You still play beautifully,” A familiar voice sits next to you

“Oh- Lady Cassandra,” You say, clearing your throat, “I’m-I’m sorry I-”

“Play for me some more,” She asks

You were kind of surprised how her tone wasn’t demanding. But, gentle, calm. Almost begging you.

“Aye, as you wish my lady,” You say, stretching your fingers

You play her ‘Stereo Hearts‘. A classic to your life prior to becoming a maid for House Dimitrescu. You used to play it to her when she had asked you. You look over to her and see a slight smile across her face. Her eyes were closed; watching you with her ears. 

I only pray you’ll never leave me behind Because good music can be so hard to find I’ll take your hand and hold it closer to mine Thought love was dead And now you’re changing my mind!

You continue moving with your fingers along the keys as you begin feeling the feelings behind the song you were singing to Cassandra. Once you had finished out the song, you turn your body to face Cassandra, she was already looking at you. Feeling bold, you cup her cheeks and crash your lips onto hers. However, Cassandra was caught off guard. But, she wasn’t complaining. However, the feeling of bliss was short-lived when Cassandra pushes you off of her, making you fall out of the chair. She stands over you, the handle end of her sickle in her hand and the other end close to your face.

“Don’t you dare think if you come back I will just let you become my plaything again!” Cassandra growls, leaning in close to your face, “You’re Dead to Me y/n... You hear?! DEAD TO ME!!”

You lay there frozen, expecting to feel a sharp pain across your face. Your eyes were closed so you wouldn’t see Cassandra. However, that pain never came. You look over and see her already making her leave. 

Fucking god I’m so stupid..

What you didn’t realize was as soon as Cassandra rounded the corner of the door, she slumps into her knees and sobs quietly...

The following night you had managed to finish and avoid Cassandra. A win-win for you. You stand in the back of the opera room while the play was going on. You didn’t quite understand the plotline but you had to give it to the daughters... Except Cassandra... You make your leave from the opera house as soon as the curtains closed at the end of the play. You let your deepest depression and negative emotions get the best of you, you decided to end it all right then and there, but wanted to be alone doing so; so you left.. When the curtains opened back up for a standing ovation, Cassandra didn’t see you. She looks at her sisters, worried. She then looks at her mother, who nods at her. Cassandra runs backstage to strip off her costume and look for you.

“Y/n?” Cassandra calls out for you

No answer...

“Y/n!” Cassandra screams louder

She looks into a hall and notices the widow open... A sheer cold spike pierces her back and she disperses into her swarm and fly out of the window. 

“Y/n!” Cassandra’s screams echo throughout the castle rooftop

From afar, she could see you, walking along the flat parts of the roof. But, you were getting closer to the edge.

“Y/n!” She says in relief, flying into your direction

Before you reached the edge of the roof, you could hear Cassandra’s voice getting closer to you.

“Cassandra?” You ask, “What are you doing here?” 

“I came looking for you,” She says calmly, “Now... Come here... Please... Let’s talk...”

“Now?” You ask, “Of all times you were given the chance to talk to me, you don’t take those chances. But, now you want to talk to me?! Why now of all times?”

“I was scared then Y/n,” Cassandra tries to explain to you calmly, “I was scared of what you thought of me...”

“What I thought of you?” You ask, almost laughing, “All of the other maids told me; ‘be careful of Lady Cassandra. You’ll never know when she’ll end up using you for her own personal gains.’ You know what I did about that?! Not listen to them. Because I was geniunely in love with you. But, you never shown that to me!”

“I know,” Cassandra winces at her own stupidity, “I thought... I thought you wouldn’t fall for someone like me...”

“Well, newsflash honey, I have fallen for you!” You say

You realize how you put the present tense... It was still true, you were still in love with Cassandra. However, you still don’t believe she loves you back.

“I know I’ve been a huge bitch to you in the past,” She says, beginning to cry, “But in the time you were gone, I’ve thought about you. Fuck it, I still think about you. Your smile, your laugh, the way you sing to me when I need you to help me calm down... And I took it all for granted...”

“Why does it matter what you think of me now?!” You scream at her, inching closer to the edge of the roof, “Aren’t I dead to you?! Isn’t that what you told me?!”

“Because I’m in love with you y/n!” Cassandra confesses, “I only said that so we wouldn’t end up the way we ended last time!”

Wait... What?...

Before you could stop shaking, your leg lost its footing and you found yourself slipping down the roof of the tower.

“Y/n!!” Cassandra screams, leaping off of the rooftop, turning into her swarm of flies

You couldn’t let out a scream. You were done with everything. You had nowhere else to go, no one that loves you... You had nothing. You close your eyes and await the other side. 

“I got you y/n,” A familiar voice whispers into your ear

Your eyes shoot open and you look over. Cassandra’s arms are materialized along with her lips and a part of her head. You notice how you’re falling a lot slower now. 

“Cassandra...” You manage to say before you found your arms around Cassandra, what was physical of her in her fly swarm

The next thing you felt was a soft sheet underneath you. You realize it was Cassandra laying along her bed. You turn over to face her as she gets in the other side of the bed with you.

“You... Are in love with me?” You ask, cupping her cheek

“I always was” Cassandra says, blushing and leaning into your touch, “Now and forever...”

“If I’m going to be honest,” You start, stroking her cheek with your thumb, “It pained me to leave... But I was so scared... Not only death but to watch the one I fell in love with walk away... Well, After I did leave I had nothing to go back to but somehow made it work until I did come back..”

The both of you were standing in the night air the following night, making up for lost time between the both of you.

“You should have seen me when you left,” Cassandra makes fun of herself

“I wish I did,” You sigh, playing with the pendants of her necklace, “I would have stayed...”

“What matters most is that you’re here... With me.. Right in this moment,” Cassadra states

“Hey, I want to share a song with you when I was in the outside world,” You request

Cassandra looks down when she sees a bright light coming off of your face. You put one earbud in your ear and place the earbud into Cassandra’s ear. You hit the play button.

“Falling” - Chase Atlantic

“I don’t get why I need to listen to this with you,” Cassandra states

“Just shut up and listen to it with me,” You demand gently, giggling

“Yes ma’am,” She sighs, letting a soft smile out 

With the light from the full moon, you place your hands on Cassandra’s shoulders and Cassandra snakes her hands around your waist. The both of you stand along her balcony, beginning to sway to the song when it got to the pre-chorus, feeling the cool wind against the both of you. You stand on your tip toes as your lips and Cassandra’s meet, sharing a tender kiss when the song reached the post-bridge. 

[nagimitsus]

Title: somewhere along the line

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Synopsis: For all his delicate appearance, Venti has always been incredibly strong.

Diluc has known this from the start. Before the traveler entered their lives, before the battles, before he saw him standing in front of a dragon, ready to give everything in exchange for the freedom of another. And Diluc had thought, now that is how a god should behave.

That is someone I could believe in.

 [Read on AO3!]

For all his delicate appearance, Venti has always been incredibly strong.

Diluc has known this from the start. Before the traveler entered their lives, before the battles, before he saw him standing in front of a dragon, ready to give everything in exchange for the freedom of another. And Diluc had thought, now that is how a god should behave. 

That is someone I could believe in. 

It should come as a surprise, the amount of respect that he has gathered for the bard of melodious voice that makes himself at home only at his tavern. But it doesn’t. Maybe Diluc felt a pang of nuisance at first, when he thought of Venti only as a drunkard with too many stories to tell. 

That was before he came to know him. Before the nights when his smile became sad after too many bottles of wine, small and nostalgic and unfitting in such a bright face. Before he understood that there was still a raw wound behind those eyes of his, still bleeding as much as Diluc’s own. 

Diluc took the habit of offering him a glass of water and telling him to go home. The sensation of discomfort that nested his chest when Venti smiled up at him and asked what home was he talking about made Diluc wince.

.

At some point between that and the whole Dvalin situation, he stops asking Venti to go home and starts keeping him company until the silent streets of Mondstadt, illuminated only by the moon and the stars, call back for its bard. 

When Venti leaves, his smile is a bit more grateful and a lit less lonely, and Diluc tells him “I hope you find something more rewarding to spend your time on, tomorrow” but thinks See you later. 

Venti laughs. It sounds like a breeze. “What’s more rewarding than wine, I wonder?” he says, and has the audacity to wink.

Diluc sighs, because there’s nothing else he can do. 

.

The thing about Venti is that he doesn’t want to be worshipped. 

He doesn’t. It’s made clear in the way he behaves, the way he doesn’t stop too much in front of the church unless it’s to perform, the way he talks to the citizens of his country as if they were more friends than subjects. And it’s not because he likes the freedom that comes with anonymity, it’s not because of his own wants or needs. 

It’s because he wants them to be free, in this city where there are no tyrants and no gods. This city where they can follow the winds and their hearts alike, bound by nothing but their own ideals.

Diluc protects Mondstadt, fiercely. Because he loves everything it represents and everything it stands for. 

And likewise, he protects the god that gifted them all of this.

.

 Venti stops by the Winery of Dawn sometimes. Diluc finds him trying to steal wine or sleeping inside a barrel, and thinks: this is not a deity, this is a raccoon. 

Still, because he has a bit of faith left in him and because he used to go to church with his father back in the day, Diluc takes him by the back of his cape and into the house, where he makes sure he’s put to rest in one of their spare rooms, with enough water on his bed table to deal with the hangover. 

By the next morning he’s always gone, but the wind blows gently through the open window. 

Sometimes, if he’s still sober enough to string a few words together when Diluc takes him in, Venti laughs, and clings to his shoulders with both arms, and says things like “I can sing for you if you desire it, Master Diluc”, with that sweet voice blurry but cheerful. 

Diluc sits him down before the fireplace on those occasions, just so he can make sure that Venti drinks enough water and doesn’t do something like throwing up into his own mouth and suffocating on it.

What a troublesome bard, Diluc thinks. The thought is covered in affection anyway, and he has to sigh to himself at that. Venti blinks slowly at him, almost as if he could know what’s crossing his mind just by looking at him, and then he leans in his direction with a drunken smile that makes Diluc roll his eyes. 

“You,” Venti says, slowly but with intent, “are a very good person. Do you know that, Master Diluc?”

The reaction is immediate. Diluc can feel it start on his stomach and creep up until his head, his ears, his hands. It’s a fuzzy sentiment that makes home on his chest and purrs like a cat, a reminder of how good it is to be acknowledged. 

Diluc looks back at Venti’s eyes, clear even in his state. 

When he was young, he wondered how the truly religious felt. He asked Jean once, eleven or so, as little Barbara tried to sign in tone with the croaking of a frog. And Jean, always patient and warm, had said: I don’t think it can be explained.

But it can.

Diluc feels like he’s being hugged by a tornado and cradled by the breeze at the same time. It’s excruciating and infuriating and exhilarating, and it’s making a knot into his stomach, reddening his ears. 

He scoffs lightly, but his voice is not unkind when he says:

“And you are very drunk.”

Venti laughs at that, and the sound reverberates in the space of the room.

The only reason Diluc doesn’t leave is because he’s still afraid that Venti will throw up all over himself. 

.

(The traveler comes.

The traveler comes, they fight against Dvalin, and Diluc has to see Venti’s slender form fly across the battlefield when the dragon hits him once. Even when he gets up immediately, smiling through the pain, the knot that he made in Diluc’s stomach twitches and hurts. 

He makes sure to tell Barbara that the bard got hurt once they go back to Mondstadt, and ignores the perplexed look that he sends his way.)

.

Venti doesn’t come to the winery for a few weeks after the Dvalin incident, and they don’t meet up at the tavern either. Diluc would be worried, if he didn’t see him here and there, talking to Kaeya or playing a simple tune for Klee (who he seems to adore, if the warm look in his eyes as the little girl tries to harmonize with him.)

Diluc is not prone to lie to himself, so he doesn’t even try to deny that he misses Venti’s annoying presence. Still, since the traveler left for Liyue, the whole town seems to have subdued, its upbeat attitude turned into a dull sense of longing. 

Someone knocks on his door one night, almost sixteen days after he saw Venti for the last time. And of course, as fate would have it, it’s the bard himself who’s waiting at the other side.

Rain is not unusual in Mondstadt, even when they’re accustomed to a gentle drizzle, so most citizens have learned to take an umbrella with them when the spring is creeping on them.

Venti is dripping wet, and there’s something in the way his clothes cling to the line of his shoulders that make him straight up sad, almost pathetic. Still, the gleam on his eyes is a tell-tale that he’s been drinking, and the curve of his smile is too close to loneliness. It stirs something in Diluc, calls for the silent understanding of their nights in the tavern.

He doesn’t say anything, just takes a step to the side to let him in. 

The maids will find awfully unpleasant the wetness on the carpet, Diluc’s mind supplies, but it’s difficult to care when Venti smiles like rain and alcohol and apples, all mixed up. His mere presence tends to be intoxicating, with the way he takes so much space with his voice and his laugh and his music, but it’s even worse now. Maybe it’s because Diluc has become unaccustomed to it.

“Do you need somewhere to stay?” Diluc asks after a few seconds. Venti’s smile is still sad, but it’s there nonetheless. 

If this were any other person, the sound of the wind outside might have drowned their words. But Venti has never known how to be quiet, and so Diluc hears him without any trouble:

“You care about me, don’t you, Master Diluc?”

He sighs, and closes the door. The storm becomes a muted sound behind the wood and the steel, and somehow that adds to the intimate atmosphere that this scene carries. Diluc can feel it at his throat, the warning, the threat that comes with the closeness. He talks through it.

“I don’t think you’ve made all the way here just to point out the obvious, bard.”

He turns then, and Venti is still there, looking straight into him. In the pit of his eyes there’s an ancient kind of loneliness that makes him look terribly old. It’s in times like this when it becomes easy to think of him as a god. Again, Diluc thinks of what being religious means, thinks of kissing his temple and his hands until pink and red go back to his skin, thinks of drying his hair and lending him a bed.

That’s not the kind of devotion that a God requires. But for Venti, who would treat the cathedral built in his name just to see Klee smile, who dirties his hands helping Sucrose with her work and runs away from Diona between laughs whenever she gets angry at him, it might be enough. 

Venti laughs. The sound is enough to loosen the muscles of Diluc’s tense shoulders.

“I haven’t,” Venti says, and then he turns around and walks into the house as if it belongs to him. Diluc follows, waiting for him to go on. Since he doesn’t, he adds:

“I’m not going to serve you wine here,” just to make sure that’s out of the table. 

Venti hums, amused. He goes straight to the fireplace, sticking both hands in front of the flames. Diluc stops just three steps away from him, taking a few seconds to stare at the side of his face, shadows dancing over the curves of his nose, his eyebrows, his neck. 

“I lost something important,” Venti says at least, his voice soft, “and my power has decreased drastically.” 

Diluc frowns before he can stop himself. Venti looks at him with that same smile that doesn’t suit him, even as he’s winking, probably trying to downplay his own words.

“Worst possible time too, right?”

Diluc would know. The Abyss Order’s activity is still on rise, and the Fatui are getting bolder every passing day. He knows the Knights of Favonious are not good enough to keep them all at bay, not enough to protect all of Mondstadt, bound by the laws and diplomacy and their own duty.

Even so,

“I’m still here,” he reminds him, as if it was obvious. “And Jean will do everything in her power.”

Venti looks at him through the corner of his eye for a second before he’s turning his whole body, hands on his hips. He giggles again, and even though the sound is far off the usual, it doesn’t sound as tense as his last words.

“Are you saying you will protect me, Master Diluc?” 

Diluc doesn’t roll his eyes, because he’s not keen on the gesture, but he hopes that the expression on his face is enough to convey his feelings of fond frustration. One can’t be serious with Venti around unless someone is in immediate danger, it seems. 

“I am saying that if my actions can bestow some peace upon you, know that I’ll keep protecting Mondstadt.”

Venti takes a step in his direction, then another. When his hands close around Diluc’s white shirt, they leave wet marks that extend through the cloth under his fingers, cold against his skin. The flower on his hat has lost at least two petals in the rain, but his eyes are alive and  warm as they look straight into Diluc’s red ones.

He doesn’t feel the need to confess, doesn’t want to kneel down and ask for forgiveness for his sins. But he wants to keep Venti here nonetheless, in the intimacy of the room illuminated only by the flames. Maybe that’s a thought that needs absolution. 

“You,” Venti says, very slowly, “are a very good person. Did you know that, Master Diluc?”

He smirks, the little shit. Diluc doesn’t bother to answer this time, because he’s too busy trying to calm down the beating of his heart as Venti gets on his tiptoes, one hand going to his shoulder, the other remaining on his chest.

Diluc leans down into the kiss, and it’s impossible to think of a god when the laugh that he swallows in his own mouth it’s so undeniably Venti.

[sickficsies-and-whumpsies]

hi, may i ask you sick semi eita fic? he went amusement park with his team despite feeling a little bit unwell. Later he feels dizzy & nauseous, his team then take him to doctor/dorm. thank you 🥰

Oui oui, mon amie!!

TW: dizziness & nausea, vomiting, hospitals, brief mentions of IVs.

1.4k words, Gen.

ー ー ー

“Oh, the queue for that one isn’t too long!! Let’s go, guys!!”

Semi sighs. While Tendou’s volume doesn’t usually bother him, right now, stuck in the middle of Yagiyama Benyland, surrounded by screaming people and running children, he wishes his friend could turn it down a notch already.

The fabric around his neck feels constricting, suffocating. Semi tugs at the collar of his shirt lightly, clearing his throat silently as he trails behind the rest of the team.

He massages his stomach under the grey hoodie, feeling it gurgle under his touch. It was only two days ago when the pinch-server’s stomach first sent a painful, sudden jolt of white-hot pain throughout his body, making him shudder and gag, taken aback. But since his appendix has long been removed, Semi’s confident that it’s probably just a matter of too much coffee and too little water in his guts. It’s been a stressful week, after all. Nothing he can’t fix. It still hurts, though.

“Are you sure we’re tall enough for that ride?” Goshiki jokes, and everyone laughs, Tendou wrapping a lanky arm around the first-year and ruffling his head with the other hand. More laughter echoes among the group.

Semi shudders, chills running down his spine, stomach twisting. He struggles to even only force out a tiny smile.

ー

The safety belts press against his stomach and shoulders uncomfortably, and Semi doesn’t think he will make it. Next to him, Ushijima sits quietly, waiting for the ride to start. He briefly glances over, humming.

“Are you scared, Semi?”

There’s no malice in his voice, no curiosity either. It’s something along the lines of… Concern? Annoyance? Both?

“M’fine.” Semi gulps, “Just excited.”

“It’s okay to be scared.”

“M’not.”

“Alright. But if you were, it’d be okay.”

“Ushijiー!!” he gets cut off, abruptly, as the thing finally starts to move.

The higher it goes, the more Semi knows he’s not going to make it. There’s no doubt about it. He quickly tries to recall if there’s some sort of trashcan near the exit but he realises that he hasn’t seen any. 

His complexion bleaches rapidly. The thing is, Semi isn’t scared of roller coasters, he quite enjoys them, to be fair. Right now, the thing he fears the most is puking all over himself or worse, over the team’s captain.

And he knows it’s going to happen.

The people in the front row start screaming, Semi only a few rows back. It’s only a matter of seconds before he feels himself falling, and the world tunes out.

ー

He doesn’t actually pass out, really. Instead, once the operators remove his safety belts and wish him and his friends a fun day, he lets his shaky legs guide him down the metal staircase, eyes glazed over, blind. He’s not quite sure he’s moving, either. And he looks green.

Semi doesn’t even register that Ushijima’s strong hand is wrapped around his right upper arm, the left in the care of Tendou himself, eerily quiet. They set him down on the first empty bench they find, the team quiet behind the three.

It’s Reon to crouch in front of the ill teen, a firm hand squeezing his knee encouragingly. “Semi? Dude, hey.”

“...up…” he murmurs, seemingly catatonic, staring somewhere behind the team that has gathered in front of him, eyes filled to the brim with apprehension.

The setter swallows, a thin trail of saliva making its way down the corner of his chapped lips and down his twitching chin. He opens his mouth to speak, to say something, but nothing comes out, and soon enough he ducks his head between his knees and retches onto the pavement without a second warning. 

His teammates gasp, horrified and worried, but Reon is quick to avoid the onslaught and immediately usher the others away, leaving Tendou and Ushijima behind. The taller guy rubs at his back firmly, while the other puts a palm flat on Semi’s forehead, preventing him from giving himself a whiplash. 

His skin feels cold and clammy, ashen. Tendou hisses. 

Not long passes before Semi throws up again, more and more bile splashing between his feet, little droplets staining his shoes and jeans. He retches and gags, helpless, eyes stinging painfully, about to pop out of his skull.

Reon jogs back a minute later, stopping a couple of meters away to give Semi some breathing room. “Should we call an ambulance? He looks like death warmed over...”

Ushijima shakes his head. “We should try and make him drink something, first.”

“I don’t think he’s up to it, Toshi.” Tendou reasons, “Semi-Semi, hey, you need to take a breath, my man.” he adds, patting the boy’s shoulder while Ushijima keeps massaging circles on his back.

But Semi doesn’t. He can’t. His stomach twists and knots painfully, and he doubles over, arms wrapped protectively around his abdomen as he hiccup and dry-heaves weakly. 

“Does your stomach hurt?” Reon asks, careful, calm as ever, “Do you need an ambulance?”

“Yeah, we should call ‘em.” Tendou says, “It’s not normal to feel this sick after riding a roller coaster as bland as that one, andー”

“He was feeling ill before the ride, too. I didn’t think it was this bad, though. I apologize, Semi.” Ushijima interjects. “I think the ride was simply the last straw.”

The three stay quiet for a moment, Semi’s desperate struggles and pants and hiccups drowning out every other noise. And finally, blissfully, about ten minutes after sitting down, his jagged breaths come to a halt, and he slumps to the side, crashing into Tendou.

“Semi-Semi...? Oh shit. Is he dead? Semi-Semi?” Tendou gasps, “Guys, a little help?”

The ill teen is quick to blink his eyes open, glassy and dull, spent. “H’rts.”

“What hurts?” 

“S-stomach. Head.” 

Reon nods, serious. He then takes his phone out and quickly types something, before glancing at Ushijima and Tendou, who are both massaging Semi’s trembling back, subconsciously. 

“Okay, the closest bus stop is about five minutes away on foot from here, and then it takes about ten minutes to get to Sendai Red Cross Hospital by bus, and another minute on foot after that. What do you guys say?” Reon asks.

Tendou is fast to nod, “Let’s go, we might catch the first bus available if we hurry.”

“I’ll carry him.” Ushijima adds.

Semi then struggles, shaking his headー aggravating his nausea and gagging silently. “Th-the others, and y-you, th-the pa-park and- and the tickets andー”

“Woh, woh, slow down, Semi-Semi!! It’s fine, we’ve been here for hours already anyway, and the entrance fees aren’t that expensive. No worries, okay? Let us worry about the rest.” Tendou says, cheerful, “We’ll text the others to let them know we’re leaving. We can always reschedule for another time, alright?”

“Done.” Reon smiles, waving his phone, ‘Shiratorizawa Volleyball Club’ chat open and rapidly flooding with texts from everyone. “Let’s go.” 

ー

Luckily, and unsurprisingly, the bus is perfectly on time, and Semi doesn’t even have the time to register that he’s an eighteen year-old being offered a piggy-back ride from another eighteen year-old. He couldn’t care less. Instead, once he’s on the bus, he drifts, drained.

ー

“Anyone here for Semi Eita?”

Tendou, Reon and Ushijima are quick to reach the doctor, wide-eyed. “How is he!?”

She smiles, “Your friend will be okay, nothing to worry about. He was terribly dehydrated and overall exhausted, courtesy of the raging viral gastroenteritis he has. The nurses gave him an IV to pump some fluids into his system, and once it’s done, I’m going to prescribe him some probiotics to help with the infection and he’ll be free to leave.”

“Can we see him?” Tendou frets, “Is there anything else we should do? Are you sure he’s okay?”

The doctor nods, her expression firm and reassuring. “Viral infections are extremely common, we treat thousands of similar cases each day. I promise you, Semi-san will be okay. And yes, you may see him, of course. Come with me, please.” 

The three follow the kind doctor quietly as she leads them to Semi’s bed, in the ER, the thin curtains between his and other patients’ beds being his only source of privacy. 

Upon seeing them, Semi sits up, grinning sheepishly, cheeks tinted in red. “Hey there.” he grins.

His friends chuckle, rapidly making their way toward his bed, ruffling his hair and pushing him around with calculated motions.

He’ll be fine. 

ー ー ー

I got carried away and started researching how to get to the closest hospital from Yagiyama Benyland, a real amusement park in Miyagi. And yeah, the Red Cross Hospital’s real, too, and the bus as well. I had so much fun researching this stuff. So yeah, I hope you liked it, let me know!!

Also, anon, if you have an AO3 tell me so that I can gift this fic to you when I post it there in a few days.

September 2, 2021

[unlikelyempathpruneauthor]

Lovers at last

Calum Hood x Reader

summary: after years of being friends and even a band mate of the guys, you grow up and experience something you never thought you would.

a/n: this was definitely something from like 3 in the morning so hopefully you all enjoy. also this is during like youngblood era for those who like the timeframes. there are also some typos but i mean it’s okay lol adds on to the effect.

You and the boys have been together as friends since middle school, it was always the 5 of you, when the guys were creating the band and posting videos on youtube you helped them figure that part out and being the technical bandmate, especially when it came to social media. However as time moved along the boys were getting big and had gotten their own team, you didn't take this as a bad thing, it was good they were getting noticed and having their music heard. Even if they were away you were still a part of the band, it didn't matter if it was official or not, you were a part of the band.

You on the other hand, had gotten yourself in the music industry and started as an intern producer for a record label and making tunes for some starting bands. Your talent in creating these tunes eventually brought all types of artists from around the world to work with you. You later got into writing lyrics and started writing music for other artists. Of course this went around pretty fast getting attention from many artists. You had told the guys about this way before you started, they were all sure you were going to make it big as well. In the younger years you had helped the band before with lyrics and tunes or chords. Helping them find their sound.

Skip forward to knowing you were currently texting with Cal as he and the guys were on tour, while you were meeting or well about to meet the one and only Ariana Grande who needed to find some new sounds for her new album. Before meeting with her you were freaking out and needed someone to talk to and that's where this story leads us.

Meeting ariana grande was one of the things you have always dreamed of, of course when you were contacted for some help with producing you thought it was a joke because who would send an email saying they are ariana grande and would like to work with you on their album, that just doesn't happen, but in this case it did for you. You had everything prepared for her to give a listen to and let her decide on what changes needed to be made and for her to just be comfortable with the new samples you made for her.

Talking to her in text was something you were good at but now you were officially meeting her and getting her full opinion about the stuff you made. It was about an hour of you showing her all the stuff you came up with and she was just so fascinated with what you came up with. To be honest you were unsure what she wanted so you made a lot, and I mean a lot of material, so you were prepared for anything that she might need.

“These samples are crazy good! I've been trying to find a new sound and these three simple songs need these sounds, this is really amazing.” she said as you nodded being glad you were able to find her sound, “well i'm glad you like them, im happy to help, it's an honor really.” you said as she shook her head, “i should be saying that about you, you have crazy talent for this. Have you considered moving to LA?” she asked as you shrugged, “maybe one day, i'm not sure yet, i don't know if you know but i'm friends with 5 seconds of summer,” you said as she gasped and nodded, “oh yeah i've heard of them, but what do they have to do with you moving to LA?” she asked as you continued, “Well we grew up together here and i don't know i wouldn't want to leave them and the place where we all grew up.” you said as she nodded completely understanding, “yeah it's tough, but if they are your friends i feel like they would understand because they are growing, it wouldn't hurt for them seeing you grow too.” she said quite simply and honestly as you nodded taking that advice to heart.

You knew that maybe just one day you would move your career somewhere else, but you just didn't want to leave home. Yeah they leave you while on your but they always come back, even if it's just for a while, they come back. A part of you wanted to go to LA and pursue your dreams there, but your home was here. You didn't want to leave the place where you grew up. Of course this needed to be talked with. Not just your parents, but with cal and the guys.

…

Weeks later the guys had all come home and you sent them all a message that you needed to talk to them all together. The guys were slightly confused but they wanted to see you anyway so they all agreed.As you were in the old garage where they used to rehearse you were more nervous that you thought you were. You had made the final decisions and you were moving to LA, you had signed off with a good company and you were officially to move away from home. Everything was done, you just needed to tell the guys.They all walked in as they all saw you sitting down with a very serious face and began to worry.

“hey guys.” you said as they all smiled at you and gave you a hug as you looked at all of them and worried how they were going to react. “So why did you bring us all here?” Michael asked partly worried as the rest followed you to sit down, “Well i have some news i needed to share, and well you were on tour and i couldn't interrupt that.” you said as ash shook his head, “y/n, you know we're here for you no matter what, even if we are on tour.” Ash said as you smiled for his compassion, “what is it dovey?” cal asked probably the most worried out of all of the group. He was scared of what was going on and was prepared for any news that could change your life and his plans of telling you how he felt about you. To be frank he had always beat himself up for it whenever the days passed and he didn't tell you about his feelings, he was close to telling you, but with this news he might just tell you now. You two were close and you met cal first way before the guys, so it would be understable if you and cal needed some privacy with what you were about to say.

“Well, you remember when I met Ariana Grande and did some samples for her album?” you asked as they all nodded and luke spoke, “yeah those were amazing by the way, were sorry we couldn't be there to celebrate.” he said as you shook your head softly with a small smile, “its okay, i know you guys were out celebrating out there,” you said with a giggle as they all joined in, “Well we talk about uh.. about moving to LA and i've been considering it, but at first i didn't want to decide alone because well i didn't want to leave home but uh, what i'm trying to say is that basically..” you said pausing as cal spoke, “you're moving to LA.” he said as you looked at him with a sorry look and nodded looking at the rest of the guys. There was a slight pause but that was because the guys were processing this whole situation, you were moving away and that was okay as long as you were happy.

“Im sorry, if this is gonna ruin our friendship, but i feel like i need to go there. Things are good here, but LA is where I can grow and become better.” you said as they all shook their heads, “don’t apologize y/n, how many times have we left you? You didn't stop us, you empowered us to keep our heads up which is what we will do for you.” Ash said as Michael nodded, “as much as it hurts seeing you leave, we know they need you over there, our friendship isn't over, in fact it will grow. We might even create music together.” he said as you smiled and looked over at luke, “it's not the end is all i know, it's a beginning for all of us. I mean who knows we might all be in LA soon, so you won't be alone. We're here for you y/n we always will be. '' he said as you looked over at Calum who had a sad look, but he was happy deep down inside, but he couldn't believe that even more distance would separate you two.

“Cal?” you asked as he looked at you in a certain way and you looked at the guys to give you two some personal space and they nodded and left. You took one look at Cal and knew something was wrong the minute you spoke about LA. For you two him leaving was enough distance between you two, now he knew what you felt when he was leaving, but this time you were leaving for good.

“What's wrong cal?” you asked as he looked at you, this was his time he knew it, it was time despite the bad timing, “this is probably bad timing, but... i love you, i've always been in love with you.” he said as you looked at him in seriousness. You didn't know if this was him wanting you to stay or if these were his true feelings, but you felt your heart beating faster and felt it get warm as your eyes were on him.

“Wait what?” you asked as he looked over at you, “i'm in love with you dovey, always have been. I'm not telling you this to make you stay, I just needed you to know is all.. I just need you to know before you leave,” he said as you looked at him and your eye contact was firm, “what..what do you mean years?” you asked as he grabbed your hands and you didn't pull away. He knew this was a sign, “since we first met there was something about you that just pulled me in, it was everything about you, there wasn't one bad thing about you, i just can't stand keeping it in, i need you more than just a friend.” he said as you were nervous with what you were about to say next, “cal.. I'm in love with you too.” you said in a whisper as he looked up quickly hoping he had heard you right.

“You- really?” he said as you pulled him in for a kiss. Your lips had connected in need for one another's touch after years of thinking one another saw each other as friends. This moment that the both of you had dreamed of was happening. His hands were all over your waist as they traveled up to your cheek and yours were on his jaw and hair. Once the kiss broke you both stared into one another's eyes and you smiled, “i love you.” you said again as cal smiled and took you in for a kiss once again and this was definitely the start of something new.

...

Moving to LA had its perks, mainly for your job, you had met new people and even helped out starter bands or singers with their career and sending them off with a great bang. You have also been working with big time singers and bands and helping them out with some new sound. You were given some new material and had even created some for a band that your boss said would be coming in and wanting some sort of new sound for their album. You wondered who they were not knowing what band it was. All you were told was that they were working on their 3rd album and needed some help.

As you waited for their arrival you texted Cal to see how he was doing. Ever since you two started dating, texting around the day and being near your phone as a must. He missed you dearly and you missed him, so the small messages around the day helped. He also came over from time to time, but not a whole lot.

You were quick to get into the room and you were shocked with who was in front of you. Cal was in front of you and you were quick to run over to him and hug him tight. You gave each other a small peck as you enjoyed one another's company, “what? How and when?” you said as you heard someone cough as you turned around and saw the 3 other boys standing in front of you. “What are you guys doing here?” you said with a smile as you hugged them all in a group hug, you sure missed them after not seeing them for a year. “Well we are here to work on our album, we heard there's an amazing producer here.” Michael spoke and it hit you with the realization that it was them you were working with. “Wait seriously, you want my help? But I thought you were in europe?” you said as luke nodded, “yeah we were there a couple days ago, but we need your help. The album is going great but we still need more sounds and samples.” he said as you nodded, “well okay i can help you with that, but are you sure you want my help?” you said as cal grabbed your waist pulling you closer to him as the boys nodded, “yes we need your help, you know us better than anyone, and well you are the best in LA,” ash said as you smiled, “okay yeah i'll help.” you said looking at everyone and over at cal with a smile.

Before working you all hung out for a while and to also see the vibe they were wanting to find. You were just over the moon that they were here, you had missed them so much and just needed to see your friends again and of course your boyfriend. You were looking through lots of new material the whole day just to see what they like and seeing if you could place it all together and get them something they want so they can start with recording.

“These samples are all good, you could make something with that, but just, we want it simple yet complex.” Michael said as you nodded, “yeah for sure, I should have some stuff in here,” you said as Luke nodded, “yeah also if you want to, we have the lyrics set for these songs,” he said as he handed you the files with the lyrics. The songs titles in here were moving along, more, monsters among men, and one that was titled valentine but that one had no lyrics, “this one doesn't have lyrics? You're making a song about valentines day?” you said pointing it out as ash nodded, “well yeah, it's in a couple days and we were all thinking about how many people were going to make a song and release it as well, we want to make our own version of mariah carey’s all i want for christmas but with valentine's day.” he explained as you nodded. You then walked over to the computer remembering these two samples that were perfect for this song, “that's funny because i have this sample, well i have two actually,” you said clicking through and finding them both and laying them out in repeat as the boys all stood behind you watching you do your thing.

“Okay the first one is just a, “dum, dum, dum, dum, um.” over and over, and the second one is just, “valentine,” over and over again as well, but if you were to place it on top of one antoher..you get this.” you said as they all gave it a hear and it was so uncanny but perfect, the lyrics were already flowing in.

The guys were all happy with there they left things off leaving you to rest and of course spend time with cal. You two were walking out hand in hand into your car, you were heading over to the drivers side but he followed you and you looked up confused, “you wanna drive?” you asked as he took your keys and smiled, “yeah, i've got a surprise actually, so i was hoping we could make a stop there.” he said as you nodded, “okay cal..just don't kill me or anything.” you joked as you got on the other side of the car, “ dovey i would never kill you, i would probably kill for you though,” he said as you scrunch your nose and you had reached over for a kiss before leaving.

On your way there his hand was near yours, the most he missed about you was your touch and he just needed a part of you touching him making him feel safe. Ever since you left he had missed you dearly and well of course duke. You couldn't see duke as much which sucked, but you knew that you would see him soon whenever it was your turn to go to visit.

Once you made the stop, you were parked in front of a house, “who lives here?” you asked as he got out to open your side of the door and you two walked over to the front of the house as he held you in his arms hoping you could guess. “Well it's definitely someone,” he said as you frowned as you headed near the door, once the door was opened you saw duke run over to you as you kneeled down greeting the puppy and even picking him up missing the pup’s barks and kisses, you then looked inside the house. You had seen all of cal’s things and then it hit you. “You? You live here?” you said with a smile as he nodded with a smile, “yeah i do, i wanted to be closer to you and I know this is probably way too fast, but i love you so much and I just can't live without you, you are everything to me and i want you to know that i have no regrets and i will never have any,” he said as you started tearing up and smiled at him as you couldn't believe that the distance between you two was finally over.

“You did this for me?” you asked quietly as he nodded softly, “well i'm not gonna lie this is very surprising but im happy, i miss you everyday and this changes that..but what about your parents?” you asked as he sighed, “actually dovey, they were the ones who convinced me to move over here. They saw how much i missed you, i didn't even leave the house i just want to be with you and well they knew i had to move...look if this isn't what you want then-” he said as you cut him of quick, “no, stop, this is what i want, i just want you to be sure cal,” you said as he walked over to you and kissed you as he held you in his arms and had placed your hands near his heart, “dovey i already told you, no regrets. This heart beats for you only. I want this, not just for me but for us.” he said as you smiled and just knew this had to happen.

“Also i want you to live here with me, i wanna wake up with you and fall asleep by your side, i can't stand being away from you dovey,” he said as you smiled and nodded, “of course i will, you're everything to me.” you said as you kissed once again. This was meant to be. It was the beginning. There were no regrets on either side, you were all in. you and him are soulmates, it just took a while to settle.

[fairestwriting]

title: white to red

word count: 2223

summary: You’ve been invited to one of Heartslabyul’s famous Unbirthday Parties, Riddle wanted you to help him with inspecting the other dorm members’ activities even. You use that as an opportunity to get Che’nya to come so you could spend some time together, but that ends up not going too well...

commissioned by @honey-deerling , available on ao3 here ! tysm for commissioning me, i hope you enjoy this! ^_^

my guidelines for commissions are here, in case anyone else is interested

The Heartslabyul dorm’s garden is lively as ever. Blue skies blanketing over the scenery, sun shining brightly as the few, cotton-like clouds seemed to open their arms to introduce it. The wind blows gently, the leaves of the trees and bushes sway along, dancing to the lovely tune of the spring.

Following the tradition, today Riddle Rosehearts, Heartslabyul’s current crimson ruler, had picked a random date where none of the members’ birthdays took place — Today, in this case — to hold one of their famous Unbirthday Parties. And so the outdoors is decorated not only with the half-finished setup of the event, but the rush of a multitude of students.

The roses must be painted red, the queen had ordered. And so his subjects completed the task, some collared and some not, some chattering with their friends and some complaining about the ache in their limbs from reaching upwards, bringing pure white petals to bright red.

The party must be immaculate, after all. Just as the queen said.

Although in the bushes, hid a lone troublemaker, a flash of warm purple and shiny piercings on pointed ears, ready to taint the symphonic chaos of Heartslabyul’s event…

But, well, you didn’t mind that he was here. On the contrary.

He was invited.

“Prefect, have you checked on Spade and Trappola?” The crimson ruler’s voice comes into play, high heels crushing emerald-green grass. A couple years ago he might have held some papers, lists of regulations to follow for the Unbirthday Parties, but now, he knew all of them by heart.

“Hmm, not yet, no.” You respond. Riddle’s face contorts slightly, eyes narrowing. Vague displeasure. Though you’re pretty sure it’s not at you, Riddle wouldn’t have assigned you the task of helping him with the inspection if he didn’t believe you to be a responsible person. “I’m sure they’ve learned their lessons from last time, though.” You offer him a chuckle.

“That’s what we’ll see now. Would you follow me?” Riddle says, making polite eye contact. You don’t have a reason not to comply, strolling across the beautiful garden by his side. “Trappola specifically… just seems to never learn his lesson.”

“Aw, I’m sure he’s trying his best.” You say, though you’re not sure of it yourself, really. Riddle shakes his head with a sigh. “...well, maybe not, but he’s got a good heart.”

“Trappola has so much potential, yet he keeps refusing to just follow the rules…” Riddle grumbles, maybe mostly to himself.

Walking your path, you finally reach the rose bushes that your so-called friends were assigned to — And you come to find that out of all the reactions a student could have to being tasked with painting the rose bushes, Ace was of the collared, constantly complaining kind, and Deuce was the quieter, diligent one who on occasion told Ace off about regarding his complaining.

“Here they are.” Riddle says, unenthusiastic.

“...they’re working, right?” You say, narrowing your eyes at the duo. Neither had noticed you yet. Riddle takes a couple steps closer, straightening his posture even more (You didn’t know such a thing was possible) to face Ace.

“Trappola, care to explain why you’re whining instead of painting?” He queries, you take tentative steps towards Riddle to watch the scene closer. Just doing your job as a fellow inspector, really!

...you can’t help but give Ace a sympathetic smile and shrug. Sorry, Ace, I’m not defying your dorm leader.

“My arm hurts!” Ace complains, the turn of his head couldn’t possibly feel comfortable against that collar… “C’mon, prefect, can’t you release me just to do the rose painting?”

“You’re the one who chose to broke the rules, now you suffer the consequences.” Riddle states, then turns his gaze to Deuce. “Spade, you’re… doing okay, actually. Keep up the good work. You should improve as your magic gets better.”

“Ah, thank you so much, Prefect…!” Deuce’s eyes are wide upon the praise, he stops his painting for a second to bow to Riddle. Ace looks annoyed in the background. “I will continue to do my best!”

“Sure you will.” Riddle adds, and continues his walk, followed by you. “Frankly, these two…”

You take a couple more steps, before Cater hops into the scene. “Prefect— Prefects! I finished my rose painting quota!” He announces with a smile. Riddle hums in acknowledgement.

“Good job, Cater. Do move on to your next task.” He says. Cater winks, fingers positioned into a peace sign next to his opened eye.

“Sure, sure. Just gimme a minute, though — Prefect, can I take a selfie with you? I love what you did to your hair today, it looks so cute!” Cater chimes. You blink, a surprised hand touching your own hair for a moment, but you smile.

“Ahh, thank you! I’ve gotta help Riddle with the inspection, though.” You say. It’s a shame, really, Cater takes nice pictures. “But we can do it later! Pinky promise.”

“Aww, that’s a shame. It’s alright, though! I’ll be sure to ask for that later.” He sing-songs, and with one of his signature bright smiles, he hops away. You wave at him with a short giggle.

“So troublesome…” Riddle is mumbling.

You’re almost at the tea garden — When you almost cause a tragedy by bumping onto Trey clover, whose sleeves were rolled up as he carried a big, bright red strawberry tart.

“Careful there!” Trey warns, Riddle almost trips on his shoes trying to step back. He looks down at the two of you, smiling wryly. “Did you get distracted by the tart? It looks pretty good, I know.”

“I-I did not!” Riddle protests, flustered. “It… does look good, though.”

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Clover-senpai.” You praise. It’s true! The glaze on the fruits was brighter than ever. You could only imagine how sweet it tasted.

“Yeah, yeah. Don’t forget you have to wait until the party to taste it. But I do hope you like it.” He says, giving you a smile as he walks away, and you do too.

“I didn’t get distracted…” Riddle mumbles again, and you reach the garden, your formal venue for the tea party, vacant since it wasn’t time to set down the dishes yet. “Oh, we’re here.”

“Yup!” You confirm. “So were people doing good today?”

He shrugs. “It was better than the last one. Acceptable, I’d say.” Is his response, before he takes a brief moment to probably go over his mental list of tasks. “I have to check the insides of the building now, to make sure nobody’s trying to slack off. You’re… done with your duties, so you can stay here as long as you don’t cause a ruckus. Though I doubt you’ll do that.”

“Yes, your majesty.” You reply with a smile. “I’ll wait here, I can help with the table when it’s time.”

Riddle’s expression softens. “That would be appreciated. Thank you, Prefect. You’re a kind person.”

He says that, and then he leaves.

You’re left by yourself in the quaint tea garden, rocking back and forth on your heels as you look around at the perfectly cut bushes, the soon to be beautifully set table.

Or, rather…

“Che’nya, dear?” You call out. Anyone who walked by might think you’re crazy, talking to absolutely nothing. But you knew he was here, you could sense his presence. An amused smile appears on your face. “They’re gone now, you silly cat.”

“Meow?” Your hear Che’nya’s voice, the mimic of a meow, and you look around for the source — Until you see him up on a tree, laying on his stomach over a thick branch, grinning at you as his tail swishes around playfully. “There are no cats here. You’re seeing things.”

“Sure I would, with how my cute kitty boyfriend just drives me so crazy. ” You joke, answering his grin with a giggle and a smile, reaching out towards the tree. “C’mon. I’m done with my stuff, now, so we can hang out here.”

“Now that’s an offer I can’t refuse.” Che’nya chuckles, and he hops off the tree, cleanly landing on two feet — A cat, alright — before he takes the hand you’ve offered him, pressing a playful kiss to it. “Hey, how about I take you away from this place? Away from this tyrant of a queen?”

Through your hand, he pulls you closer. Che’nya’s mischievous grin never falters, decorating his face like the strawberries to a tart. Near him, you can’t help but laugh, feeling his other hand on your waist as he holds you like you’re a princess, his princess.

“To ride off into the sunset together?” You ask, smiley. “I never thought you were the princely type.”

“I can be anything, y’know.” He says. “For you at least!”

“Well, I like you best just like this.” You chuckle at him, making him smile bigger as he wraps his arms around you tighter, pulling you into a hug—

But then you hear a paint bucket drop.

“...is that an RSA student?” An unfamiliar voice asks with an edge to it, you step away from Che’nya to see who it was — A boy with messy black hair, you hadn’t seen him before.

“Oops.” Che’nya laughs with a hint of nervousness to it. “That’s my cue to leave, meow! See ya later— ”

“No, you stay right there!” The boy snaps, and for some reason, Che’nya freezes in place. “What the hell are you doing here?”

It’s like the air around you suddenly gets cold.

“I— ” Che’nya mutters to himself. “Can’t move?”

The student barks out a laugh. “Well, yeah, that’s my unique magic.” He informs. “I’ve been waiting to catch you here somewhere. You come here for every Unbirthday Party, don’t you?”

“H-Hey, man, come on, they don’t have any rules against that, right?” Che’nya asks, still completely still, standing up straight with his arms glued to the sides of his body. “I’m friends with your dorm leader, y’know! And it’s not like I’m here for too long.”

“You’re still in RSA. Do you have any idea what your school’s done to NRC students?” Taking steps closer, the student eyes at Che’nya dangerously. They’re about the same height, but he’s still sizing him up. You’re ignored in your shock, standing a couple feet away with wide eyes. You can’t believe the sight in front of you. He’s attacking your boyfriend? “You know what happened a couple years ago, when my older brother went here? During a Magift match, he got his knee broken and now he can’t play anymore at all. He lost his chance to make it big because of you!”

Che’nya laughs dryly, though his eyes still dart around. “I did that?” He questions, and you see how he spasms lightly, struggling against the spell. “That’s got nothing to do with me, come on!”

“I don’t care. It’s about what your school stands for— ”

Someone’s threatening Che’nya? They’re about to hurt him? And just like this, for a reason that doesn’t make any sense?

No, not on your watch.

It happens like a flash — The adrenaline hits your brain like a bullet, kicking you into motion. Air thinning, growing cold, nothing but that simmering rage in your blood — and suddenly you have that boy lifted up by his shirt, fist clutching the front of his shirt.

Your heart races with the anger.

“Excuse me,” You start, voice lowering, a waver to its edge. “What exactly made you think you could talk to my boyfriend like that?”

“H-He’s…!” He stutters. His eyes are so wide, skin ghostlike pale. “What the hell is wrong with you? He’s from RSA! Do you think you get anything protecting people like this?”

God. This idiot — Your grip on the shirt tightens, you feel how he tenses under your surprising strength. Something about how he looks at you, so terrified, just gives you this sort of rush. The satisfaction of justice.

This is what he gets for trying to hurt Che’nya.

“I don’t listen to scum like you.” You snap, and you — Raise your hand. To slap him, punch him, do something worse? You’re not exactly sure. But the adrenaline courses through you so fast, spiking even higher when you’re about to do it and…

You feel your wrist being grabbed.

“It’s okay. I can move now.” Che’nya’s voice brings you back to reality, and your grip on the boy’s shirt loosens. Suddenly he’s heavy to hold up, you drop him on the grass with a loud noise as you blink yourself back into full consciousness.

You turn to look at him. His face is serious like it never is.

The boy you’d been holding up shrieks without a word, fumbling to get up and run away, steps rapidly crushing grass on his way. Che’nya releases your wrist, gently.

“I’m sorry.” You mutter. “He was so stupid. But I’m not gonna let anyone lay a hand on you, Che’nya.”

Che’nya keeps watching you with this unreadable expression. Is he angry? Scared? You can’t exactly tell. You curse that student for ruining your sweet spring afternoon.

(You promise yourself to get him again later. Magic or not, you’d make him pay— )

“It’s okay.” He says, quiet, and he grins again. Your heart does a leap — Che’nya’s gentle hands cup your face, fingers carefully treading through locks of your hair. “I’d do the same for you, yeah?”

[reges-nemus]

December 18, 1932

.

It has been three or four days since that near constant scratching has begun, and in those three or four days I've managed maybe two hours of sleep in total. I'm not sure why I'm writing this, to keep my mind occupied I suppose. To have some place I can gather my thoughts, lay everything out so I can try to find some solution to this scratching.

.

It started either very late on the night of the 14th, or very early in the morning of the 15th. It woke me up but I didn't check the clock for a long time, I just laid there and listened to the scratching behind the wall at the head of my bed. At first I thought it might have been mice or rats chewing on something, widening one of their passages. Then I heard it, just faintly. Honestly I'm not sure of what I heard, but it sounded like whispering. Most likely it was fragments of some conversation from the hall, or my still half asleep mind playing tricks on me. Whenever I think about it though I feel uneasy and on edge.. In any case though I didn't sleep the rest of that night.

Just after 9 o'clock the next morning, when I knew the maintenance man would be in his office downstairs, I put on my coat (it's always so cold in this damned building) and went to speak to him. I told him about the noise and he grabbed his bag of tools and followed me to my apartment. He stood there for a bit, with his ear pressed against the wall, just listening. I had to ask him three times what he thought the noise was before he answered in the most banal and monotone voice I think I've ever heard, "Everything is fine, it's just the pipes, they rattle when it's cold out.". I asked if he was sure, because it sounds like scratching or chewing, and that I'd never heard pipes make that sound before. His reply felt almost accusatory, "Everything is fine. It's just the pipes." and with that he left. At the time I thought he was just being lazy, didn't want to set out traps or poison for the mice, didn't want to repair the holes they had made in the baseboard in the halls, just wanted to sit and listen to the radio in his little office.

To my relief about an hour after the maintenance man left, so did the scratching. I was able to sleep for an hour or so before it started back up again. I tried beating on the walls, hoping to drive away these relentlessly chewing and scratching pests, but they didn't stop. I figured if I wanted them gone I'd have to take matters into my own hands. I spent the better part of an hour gathering all the loose change I could find around my apartment, a bit more than a dollar and a half I believe it was, and walked a few blocks to a hardware store to buy traps and poison. I remember the walk being awful. My lack of sleep seemed to add to the melancholic atmosphere that is ever present here during the winter. Peeking through a gap in the boards covering my window (need to seal that gap later) reveals an indentically smothering blanket of gray clouds hanging low in the sky. I also remember feeling incredibly tense and uneasy as I walked, as if behind every corner there was someone who would leap out and kill me. That feeling persisted into the hardware store, and the walk home wasn't any better. When I got home I loaded the traps with cheese, peanut butter, bread, and anything else I thought might attract the mice and rats who were still chewing and scratching away inside my walls. I also dosed some extra food with the poison and carried the lot into the hall, placing the traps near the holes in the baseboard and the poisoned food in little piles around the traps.

The rest of that day, the 15th, was mostly uneventful. I sat in the kitchen and tried to read, tried to distract myself from the scratching. I pulled an old radio from under the bed, hoping to drown out the noise but that didn't work either. No matter what station I tuned to all I got was a wavering "oooooo" sound with static. It was at this point I started to think that the rats were toying with me. I know that's a ridiculous thing to believe, but the thought was still there. The scratching would cease for a few moments and I would begin to fall asleep, but as soon as I felt myself drifting away it would start again, louder than before. The scratching was their laughter, mocking laughter.

In the early hours of the morning (after getting no more than maybe 15 minutes of sleep all throughout the night) I heard one of the traps in the hall spring shut. I hopped from my chair and almost ran out of the door, but managed to collect myself. Opening the door and entering the hallway I slowly crept around the corner and, kneeling down, looked at the traps. They were all sprung, but empty. The poisoned food was gone as well. I stood up and with a sigh I tossed the trap back onto the floor. As I turned to head back to my door I saw one of my neighbors staring at me. She's a very old woman, at least 80, but I don't know her name. I asked if she had heard the rats in the walls and her reply felt like a punch to the chest, "It's the pipes, they rattle when it's cold. Everything is fine." I immediately protested and told her, with no ambiguity, that rattling pipes don't sound like that, and that it had to be some vermin in the walls. She practically hissed at me, "Why can't you just be happy with what you have!?" and preceded to storm her way back into her apartment.

I haven't left my apartment since my encounter with her. I spent the rest of that day and yesterday sitting here, unable to sleep. I've listened to the scratching and chewing and thought about what she and the maintenance man said. At first I thought maybe it was some kind of orchestrated joke, telling me the same thing like that. I see her and a couple other tenants in his office all the time, crammed tightly around his desk whispering to each other. Then I realized what is truly happening. Every time I happen to pass by his office while they're meeting they all stare at me like I had just killed their collective mother. Angry and full of hate, but they never say anything. They just stare until I leave. I know now though, they placed these rats in the walls and followed me to the hardware store on the 15th and made me feel so tense.

In any case, it's almost noon and I've been writing this for near an hour. I will find something to eat and return when something else happens.

.

. -Michael

.

December 19, 1932

.

Something happened last night, and I'm still unsure as to what exactly it was. I had ate and finished sealing any gaps between the boards covering my door and windows when I noticed the scratching growing louder. I found where the noise was most intense and placed my ear against the wallpaper. At first I heard only what I expected, chewing and scratching, but what I heard next has left me shaken. I heard the whispering again, and laughter, and mockery. The whispering became clearer the longer I listened. "Michael... Michael... Hahaha... Michael..." Before I knew it my legs became week and I slid to the floor, my ear never leaving the wall. The next several hours are like a quickly fading dream in my mind. I was in some kind of trance, taken far away from my kitchen floor by those whispers. I was in that stupor until only a few hours ago. Things are concrete and certain now. The rats in my walls and the other tenants, their mockery and surveillance, their closely whispered meetings in the office, it has all become more clear.

I'm only writing now as I needed a break. I've been scraping a hole in the wall where I listened. I know of their mockery and scheming, the whispers made that clear, but I need a solution. The walls are too thick to hear what the whispers have to say. I could just break a hole in the wall but I'm afraid it will scare them away. Better to do this quietly.

.

. -Michael

.

December 24, 1932

.

I feel horribly silly for what I've written. I made it through the wall and everything is fine, the pipes rattle when it's cold.

.

. -Michael

.

.

.

.

Another short story, idk if it's good

[ddaengyoonmin]

-Part One-

Pairing: University student!Jimin x camboy!Hoseok (low key jungkook x Namjoon)

Rating: M/18+

Smut- Angst with a Happy ending-

Word Count: 4.8k

Warnings/tags: voyeurism, exhibitionism, sub/dom dynamics(later chapters), masturbation/mutual masturbation, shy!jimin, porn talk, swearing, slight secondhand embarrassment maybe?

Summary: Jimin overhears his classmates discussing their friend and his job as a camboy. The amount of money Hoseok makes in a night catches his attention, and he tunes in to see what this man is all about...

A/n: I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this series and if you think I should keep it going! I have plans for more depending on if we like this series (:

——————

“How much?”

The quiet voice was almost overlooked by the group of four men all huddled around one desk.

Jimin felt his cheeks growing instantly hot.  

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop.  He couldn’t help it.

The men were all gathered around the desk behind him and talking far too loud for him to not at least catch some of what they were saying.

And what he did hear...

Who could not want to know?

Even if it was Park Jimin, the shy and focused student who’d never said a word in this class to anyone besides the professor.

Though, as soon as five pairs of eyes were all turned on him he started to feel maybe speaking up had been a mistake.

Jimin gulped hard, probably loudly.  He couldn’t hear anything besides a bit of ringing in his ears.

“More than you make in months buddy.” replied one of the men, the shortest of the group, a glossy eyed man with a sleepy face, wearing a casual black hoodie and sporting bleached blonde hair that looked as if he’d still just hopped out of the shower.  His comment seemed to be rude on first take, but Jimin had a feeling that the boy was simply answering his question.  

“I-It’s just.  That’s an insane amount of money for one night...I’ve never heard of anyone being able to do anything like that.  It sounds...fake? Are you sure your friend isn’t pulling your leg?” Jimin chuckled, but he choked on his words a bit, still very nervous to be talking to an entire group of men he’d never spoken with before.  And about this no less.

“It's not.  I’ve watched in on it.” another man in the group spoke this time.  Jungkook.  Jimin did know him, just his name at least.  Everyone did.

He’d had a moment at this university the previous year that almost got him expelled and it had actually gotten on the news.  He spent the summer away, getting some sort of help that he needed and through the rumor mill Jimin had heard he was doing okay.

In a city as big as the one Jimin lived in, news fades fast and it was quickly let go of.  Minus the occasional snicker when Jungkook entered a large room, no one brought it up to him.

He widened his eyes and tried to show Jimin his honesty.  Jimin felt the sincerity in the puppy dog eyes of the dark haired boy speaking with him.  They really weren’t fucking with him.

Jimin had known porn was good money, but to hear that was how much their friend had made in tips in a night being a “cam boy” was not expected.

Not even half of the number they’d said is what Jimin had been expecting.  That was more money than Jimin's rent...in a day.  He still couldn’t believe it.

He told himself it couldn’t be helped that he bit his lip and thought a few seconds too long on whether or not that amount of money could sway a person like himself to consider something so…

Bold? Terrifying? Frowned upon?

There were many words to describe what Jimin’s preconceived notions on this line of work were.

“He’s not shy about cute guys looking in on him,” Jungkook chuckled pulling his phone out of his pocket, “Do you wanna know his cam name? Watch one of his shows if you don’t believe me.  I’m thought of as many things already I’d hate to add being a liar to that list.”

If Jimin’s cheeks hadn’t been noticeably red before, they were now.

“T-that’s fine…” He stuttered, trying to stop the taller boy from walking over by waving a hand quickly at him.

Jungkook paused mid step gesturing his hands to go along with an exaggerated halt and freeze in place.  A somehow charismatic yet goofy move that almost made Jimin break a smile.

“You sure?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

Jimin nodded and turned back to face the front of the classroom.

“Thanks though!” he snapped his head back around quickly, not wanting to be rude.

Jungkook gave a thin but sincere smile his long wavy hair bouncing as he nodded towards Jimin.  

The group returned to discussing more things about this friend of theirs.

Hoseok was what they had called him.  Occasionally the name Hobi came from the lips of a couple of them, but Jimin assumed that was a nickname.  It was a cute nickname.

Something about it made Jimin smile to himself and he realized he’d now been doodling flowers on his class notes.  He used to do that quite a bit back when he was younger in school.  It’d been a while.

Getting to daydream on the thought of this Hoseok and his luxurious and confident lifestyle as a cam-boy had Jimin feeling like he had a new superhero.

Jimin was a plain person, that was how he viewed himself.

His father’s job had his family moving every summer so he hadn’t ever made lasting friends.  In fact, the past two years he’d been staying at this university was the longest he’d stayed in one place since he was a child.

He sighed and noticed his doodles had gone all over his page and he was running out of room.

The professor finally arrived, and looked to the group of boys who were still gathered behind Jimin.

“Hello! I appreciate your interest in creative writing class, maybe you can sign up next semester!” He spoke in a sarcastic tone as he waved them out.

The one from the group still sitting at his desk must be the only one actually in the class, Jimin assumed.  Not surprised at himself for being a month into school and not noticing anyone.

Not noticing things, and not being noticed had been a habit for Jimin.  It kept him from getting attached to one place too long.  From any person too long.

The one from the group still at the desk had never come onto Jimin's radar.  He didn’t even know his name.  He was an interesting looking person, messy hair that looked wet just like the blonde man’s hair had, though he had a wavy mop of brown hair instead.

The group made their way out the door, passing Jimin's desk on their way.  One of them that hadn’t spoken to him stood out to Jimin, an even taller man with the sides of his head shaved and his blonde hair slicked back had his arm around Jungkook now.

The two stopped at Jimin's desk.  He felt his entire body tense up and he slowly lifted his head to meet them.

Jungkook chuckled and slipped a piece of paper under the bottom of Jimin’s notebook.

He hung his jaw and his mouth was wide open waiting for words to come out to protest, but nothing came.

“Just check him out.” Jungkook winked and then the taller man tightened his grip on him and turned with him to walk away, chuckling and shaking his head at his partner.

“You’re like his fucking pimp.” The sleepy looking man laughed as he shook his head.

The group of them left, chatting and laughing the whole way out the door.

Jimin’s eyes followed them the whole way out before snapping back down to the paper under his notebook.

The friend left behind leaned forward and tapped Jimin on the shoulder.

“Sorry about them.” He laughed.  He was leaning so far forward that Jimin thought he might topple over. “I’m Taehyung by the way!” He was actually extending out his hand to shake Jimin’s.  

That was genuinely amusing and he couldn’t help but find this man absolutely goofy and adorable.  

“Jimin.” He replied, cautiously putting his hand in the other man’s.  “That’s cool you shake hands.” He spoke awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.

“Yeah?” Taehyung simply cocked an eyebrow at him, returning to his seat and turning silent.

The professor called everyone to attention and the class began.

Jimin worried that his last comment had been strange and spent the entire lesson overthinking just that.

Completely forgetting the small slip of paper still sitting under his notebook.

After class was over Jimin stood and started to gather his things. He was tapped on the shoulder again and he turned to once again see Taehyung.

“Are you gonna do it?” Taehyung asked, his voice in a slight excited song, as if he was a young school boy talking to another about a dare.

“You’re quite nosy.” Jimin returned, awkwardly reaching for the note Jungkook had slipped him and putting it in the back pocket of his jeans.

“Says the man listening in while we talk about our friend stripping online.” Taehyung laughed.

“Fair.” Jimin laughed nervously, bringing his hand up to slide through his long dirty blonde hair that could use a bit of touch up as his dark roots were coming in. “I was more interested in the money than your friend.  To clear things up.” Jimin threw the words out quickly.

Taehyung had slung his bag over his shoulder and was now walking past Jimin.

“Sure.” He winked, shaking his head and laughing.

Jimin reached into his back pocket after Taehyung had cleared the room and he was sure no one was looking over his shoulder.  He pulled out the rolled up note and slowly unwrapped it with his hands.  Jimin wasn’t sure why he was nervous, but something about this had his heart thudding.

He’d watched porn a few times.  If you count ‘googling “ass” online and panicking when the first pop-up ad came up’ watching porn.  Then yes.  Jimin had seen porn.  There was nothing to be nervous about, he continued to assure himself.  It was only the name.  It's not like a naked picture of the man was going to drop out of it.

He took a deep breath in and opened it all the way.

J-hope

He exhaled quite loudly and chuckled.  He didn’t know why he was expecting something like “dick pumper6969” to be on the paper in front of him, but he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was more of a stage name.

That fact though certainly didn’t make Jimin any less intimidated.

Was he really thinking about doing this?

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

Yes.  

He was.

Now back at his solo dorm that he’d landed thanks to his father’s deep canyon of a wallet, Jimin was relaxed in his bed.

Fully clothed in his light blue plaid pajama bottoms and a loose grey t-shirt.  Jimin had been very clear with himself he wasn’t going to jack off.  No.  This was for research.

Jungkook hadn’t given this to him for that reason.  That talk about “J-hope” liking cute guys watching him was a joke right?  

Maybe all of this was a joke…

Jimin almost shut the laptop in front of him in panic.  The light blue glow of the screen was the only thing lighting up the room.  Lighting up Jimin’s nervous quivering lips as he typed the name into the search bar on the site that Jungkook had listed under it.

It was almost too easy how quickly he was able to locate him.  A small part of Jimin had wished that there was no J-hope and that this was just a weird moment in life he could forget about.

But,  the small thumbnail popped right under Jimin's cursor as if by fate.

He could see a screen captured image of a man with a beautiful smile, the biggest he’d ever seen, and also the biggest… holy…

Jimin slammed the laptop quickly.  It closed with a smack and Jimin was a bit nervous he’d cracked his screen.

Though the main thing on his mind was…

That…

Jimin felt himself almost involuntarily gulp.

He’d always been sure of his sexuality, he knew that girls weren’t his preferred attraction, but he did find some quite beautiful, and he’d also learned that men made him blush more than he’d ever thought possible.

On both accounts he was a nervous wreck.  Maybe that's why he was still a virgin.

Maybe that's why when he saw that on the screen he almost forgot how to breath.

He’d never seen a cock that beautiful.

Of course he hadn’t seen many.  But even if someone hadn’t seen many…

What Jimin had just seen was something to behold.

J-hope had been sitting shirtless in a large black leather chair that seemed to be rolled up to his desk his laptop and camera were sitting on.

Jimin’s eyes didn’t have much time to linger on the bedroom decor before they snapped front and center to the middle of J-hope’s thumbnail.  He was flexing slightly, his toned abs curling in slightly as his hand was gripping his long and hard length.  Jimin found himself thinking that it was honestly one of the most glorious things he’d ever witnessed.

He was tempted to open the laptop back up.  But he’d promised himself he wasn’t going to jack off while watching Jungkook and Taehyung’s friend.  

He already felt slightly pervy from how much he was turned on, and how hard his own cock already was now while picturing J-hope’s fingers wrapped around his dick.  Picturing only seconds ago when he was curling them around the base, his thumb had only been just barely resting against his middle finger.  Jimin gulped.  He needed to see more.

The laptop was back on his lap and slowly and cautiously being opened.

Now back on the page, Jimin was giving himself a small pep talk.  This gorgeous man was behind a screen and so was he.   There was no reason to be nervous.

He was already on the page where J-hope's thumbnail still showed his room.  Jimin felt quick fluttering against the inside of his chest and took a few more deep breaths to calm himself down.  His curiosity was stronger than his nervousness.  

 All he needed to do was one *Click*

Jimin gasped slightly, it seemed his fingers decided to just go for it.

Now, much larger and much closer, the image of J-hope seemed to smile right in at Jimin in his own bedroom.  As if he was looking right at him, his dark and heavy lidded eyes stared directly into the camera as he slowly gave shallow pumps with his hand to the base of his cock.

Jimin gulped once more.

Suddenly there was a loud sound of a bell that had Jimin nearly jumping out of his bed in surprise.  His hand quickly shot to turn his volume down a few notches, and he caught a glimpse of a message on the screen.

Next to the large video of J-hope that was taking up half of the screen, was a chat room.  The newest message was highlighted in a bright blue, the username was long and almost unreadable with lots of numbers.   Another number stood out to Jimin though.  After the username was written : tipped 4000 tokens.

The smiling man on screen leaned forward towards the camera.

Jimin couldn’t help but squeak in response to the slow wink and lip bite that he performed while making eye contact with the camera.  Again, Jimin couldn’t help but feel like he was looking directly at him.  

He was so good.  He literally was shining charisma out of every pore.  If he even had pores…

Jimin was starting to think there were no flaws to be found in him.  It was intimidating, and sexy, and definitely not helping the situation that  had grown in Jimin’s pants that he was desperately trying to ignore.

He decided to tear his eyes away from the man on his laptop and to look up what that 4000 token tip had actually meant.

Then he looked it up on at least five other sites before finally believing that yes.  In just the couple minutes Jimin had been tuned in J-hope had already almost made what Jimin made in a week at his part time job. In one tip.

His jaw hung open and his eyes shot back to the screen to watch as more tips were rolling in.  Some only 1 token at a time, some by the hundreds.  

J-hope had returned to leaning back in his chair, relaxing as he stroked himself.  Occasionally he bit at his lip, he’d let it roughly roll between his teeth, letting out low breathy grunts.

Jimin was hypnotized by it now.  He didn’t know what to be more in awe of.  The complete god in front of him to the left, or the constant incoming stream of money that he was making.

“I’m getting close, where should I cum?” He spoke.

It was the first time he’d spoken.  And *those* were the filthy words falling from his lips.

Jimin felt himself almost cum in his pajama pants right then.

The largest amount of tokens Jimin had seen him receive yet came in along with a message from the tipper saying “In hand,  Then show.”

J-hope’s messy and now damp hair was clinging to his forehead in the sexiest way.  He gave one small nod to the camera.  

Then threw his head back parting his mouth as he let out a few more louder moans, he’d been edging himself for quite some time and it was obvious by his now shaking thighs that he wasn’t going to last for much longer.

The entire chat was filled with tips, from 1 token all the way to 1000.

Jimin didn’t quite mean to do what he did next.  More so he’d like to think that he had no control over the way his hands moved the laptop off of his lap.  Or the way that they quickly slid into his pajama pants and tugged at his own hard and aching cock needily along with J-hope.

Like the man had him in a trance, Jimin's eyes could not leave the screen and hips were now lifting slightly off the bed.  His lips were hung open in a part and his tongue was begging to taste the man on the other side of the screen and his hand was quickly and desperately moving up and down his length as he stared in awe.

At the same time both men let out a loud moan.  The other man in more of a growl, and Jimin falling into a series of whimpers and whines.

Jimin felt his body shake as he finally reached the high he’d been chasing.  It was like nothing he’d felt before.  To know that the man on the other side of the screen was live meant they’d actually just came together at the same time.  

Jimin started to feel somewhat special about that fact before he quickly came back to the reality that more than likely so had many other people watching this man.  Something close to jealousy prickled in Jimin’s chest for a moment, and he decided to shove it deep down and go back to paying attention to the very naked man still in front of him on his screen.

J-hope was giving the camera the perfect angle of his cock as it twitched, his hand that was not still wrapped around and milking out his cum was messily catching all he could and pooling it in his hand.

Jimin’s eyes still hadn’t left for a moment.  Having just came inside his pajama pants he now felt like a completely dirty mess, he could feel the sticky heat against his inner thigh now dripping down. But he didn’t want to get up to clean himself up.  Not while J-hope was still online, he couldn’t tear himself away.

Jimin knew it was likely just the lingering effects of the comedown of a great cum...but watching J-hope’s casual way of smirking and cockily joking with the members in the chat had him feeling like he was falling in love.  

Or maybe that was the point wasn’t it?

Jimin now realized the obvious, all of these other users on here were likely falling under the same infatuation.  

That’s what made him so good.

J-hope continued to chat with the members in his room for a bit and Jimin watched every moment of it until he said his goodbyes.

At the end of the night the man that Jungkook and his friends had told him about really had made more than what Jimin could hope to make in an entire month.

He’d also managed to leave Jimin a mess in his bed in a matter of minutes.  With both of those things together Jimin knew his interest in this man wouldn’t be going away for a long time.

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

A few days later Jimin was heading back into his class he shared with Taehyung.  He was feeling a bit nervous that Taehyung would ask him how it went, or if Jungkook would be there to follow through on whether or not he looked in at it.

Another part of him also hoped they’d just forgotten about it, maybe it really was normal for Jungkook to just randomly try and gain his friend new viewers and they wouldn’t even remember Jimin was one of them.

He walked into the class nervously, keeping his head down as usual, until he got to his seat, noticing an extra figure gathered around Taehyung's desk with the group that had been there before.

No...It couldn’t be…

Jimin sat down in his seat quickly and turned his head to face front, even though nothing was occurring at the front of the class, he acted like the blank whiteboard in front of him had the most interesting information he’d ever learned on it.

Because, behind him right now was Hoseok.

His stomach was filled with butterflies and his mind was spinning so fast he felt a bit dizzy.

The group had fallen hush when Jimin walked in, he heard a small chuckle from Jungkook and felt as if all the eyes had turned to him.

“Him?”

Jimin heard a soft whisper from a familiar voice say.  

He silently prayed that they were talking about anything else but him.  Though that seemed to be quite a big reach.

He gulped and pretended not to notice, pulling out his notebook and trying to go about class as usual.

There was a soft chuckle from Hoseok and another boy tsk’d and said “He’s shy huh?”

Jimin choked on a sharp breath he’d been taking in and tried to play it off as clearing his throat, still trying his best to not turn around, to pretend that this embarrassing moment wasn't happening.

Suddenly the empty seat next to him was being filled by the last person he wanted from the group to approach him.

Hoseok was wearing casual sweatpants and a red jacket that read the name of their university along with “swim team” on it.  That explained the wet messy hair of the group he’d always noticed.

Hoseok was also rocking a damp and tousled look, more beautiful than anything Jimin had ever seen.  He was casually propping his head up with his hand, his elbow relaxed on the desk in front of him as he grinned at Jimin.

“Hi.” His sweet silky voice spoke.  

Jimin shouldn’t have been startled, he’d noticed him sit down, yet he almost jumped out of his skin still.  Wide-eyed he turned to face the man sitting beside him.

He was already laughing and shaking his head, seeming very amused by Jimin’s jumpiness.

“So I’m assuming you recognize me.” He smirked and winked at Jimin, who was now thoroughly mortified.

Why in the world would he bring that up so casually.  It was only a theory but now Jimin definitely knew Jungkook had told his friend about the shy boy he’d given his name out to.

“I-I-I” Was the only thing Jimin could let out from his quivering lips.

Hoseok raised an eyebrow.  “Oh god.” He laughed “So yes.” he winked at him.  Bringing back memories from the night Jimin had seen him wink so charismatically at his camera, and memories of....

No. He can't think of that right now.  Not with him right next to him.

“I-I’m sorry.” Jimin managed out.

Hoseok shifted back in his seat a bit now crossing his arms, “You’re sorry? Why’s that?”

He was so relaxed and confident and just everything Jimin felt that he wasn’t.

“I’m sorry I looked, your friends...they said…” Jimin shook his head, not even wanting to finish.  He looked down to his lap, not able to meet the other man’s eyes.

Hoseok belly laughed at that.  

“Nothing to be sorry for.  I’ve told them they can do that.  I obviously don’t hate people watching.” He winked again.

Jimin nodded, still unsure of what Hoseok was doing here talking to him, it seemed almost as if he just wanted to embarrass him, to get a reaction from him.

“Okay.” Jimin said simply, briefly meeting Hoseok's beautiful and amused gaze.

“They also said you were really interested in the money aspect of it all.” He spoke more seriously. “Did you wanna ask me anything about it?”

“Oh!” Jimin suddenly squeaked out. “Yeah...that's really all I was wondering, I’m really sorry if this came off weird.”  seizing his opportunity to deflect from the fact that he’d definitely watched this man cum before.

But instead of matching his now more confident way of speaking, Hoseok's face seemed to fall slightly.

“Ah, yeah that was all.” He muttered, his lips curled up into a tiny smirk, almost a fake smile as if he was trying to hide some form of disappointment he was feeling. He shook his head.  “Nothing weird about any of it.”

They were both quiet for only a few seconds, that felt like hours to Jimin.

“Can...Can I ask how much you make in a month on there?” Jimin asked to hopefully keep conversation with Hoseok, who didn’t seem to be wanting to leave and return to his friends who had all gone back into talking about swim practice or something Jimin could barely hear.

Hoseok told him and laughed at the way Jimin’s eyes bugged out of his head.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Hoseok smiled that confident smile at him. “Have you ever thought about trying it?”

Jimin returned with a nervous laugh. “Oh no.  i could never.”  he then added in a “No offence” in case Hoseok took that as an insult.

“I’m not confident like you.”

Without a moment's hesitation Hoseok was grabbing Jimin by the chin and turning his face left to right, snatching the breath right out from Jimin’s lungs as he did.

He looked Jimin over and up and down.

“Sometimes when you’re that cute you don’t even need confidence.  Some guys like the shy thing.” Hoseok then retracted his hand back, leaving Jimin to sit in pure astonishment at his touch.  Jimin could still feel his soft fingertips against his chin even after he’d pulled away, and his mouth was now hanging open slightly.

“I-I’m not…” Without the distraction of his touch, he now realized what Hoseok had actually said.

“You are.” Hoseok spoke as if it was an unarguable fact.

At that moment the professor got there and the group of men behind them started to gather their things to leave.

“Hobi!” one of them called out, motioning for their friend it was time to go.

He nodded a small nod to the tall man who’d spoken, the one that seemed to be Jungkook’s boyfriend, and then turned back to Jimin.

“If you wanna talk more about it…” He gently took Jimin’s hand in his, taking his breath right from him again, he put a small piece of paper in his hand and took his other hand to gently curl Jimin's fingers closed around it.

He then stood up and followed his friends down the side of the classroom to leave, they seemed to be teasing him about their interaction, which made Jimin blush as he stared on.

Hoseok gave one last look his way before leaving, his smile was so genuine and pure.

Forgetting that one friend of his was still left behind him, Jimin let out an airy sigh and unrolled the paper in his hand.

“So he gave you his number?” Taehyung chuckled, “That's so Hobi.”

Indeed on the paper was a phone number with the name Hobi and a heart drawn over the dot on the “i”.

‘That's so Hobi’.  

So he did this type of thing often.  Jimin tried to not get a big head about it, the man was probably just a flirt trying to make more money on his cam site right?

That or he always used it as his go-to pick up line.  Either way, Jimin didn’t feel like entertaining someone who might be a player.  He felt his heart sink a bit at that.

Once again he’d found himself starting to feel special for this man’s attention, when it was likely only the act he gave everyone.

He wouldn’t text him.

[adhdsix]

ok so i was thinking abt the main ln kids as that “brains, brawn and heart” thing or however it goes (idk but i also dont care and its too late anyways) and i realised i could never put each of them in just one bc they all have a little of each so as fun as it is to stuff things into boxes (figuratively and literally) today i will be doing not that and analyzing the ln kids once again! by urs truly <3 (all based on my own characterization! i wont be doing rcg but?? idk maybe later?? sometime??) (also ln, vln, and ln2 spoilers)

my first thought for six was brain which makes sense. it’s stated in all sorts of official media that she’s insanely clever, especially for her age might i add.  she navigates the entirety of the maw on her own, facing brutal monsters that want her dead, solving puzzles and doing a whole ton of dirty work. she’s clearly adapted to this world as well, and doesn’t break easily. shes strong too. physically and mentally. theres an astounding amount of things she has to go through, keeping in mind that this world was not made for her in mind at all. everything around her is huge, and on top of that shes basically considered vermin. but she surpasses everyones expectations with her skills, and escapes the maw alive; harmed certainly, but alive. and i was going to start this with heart is what she’s lacking, but that’s worded horribly and just .. wrong. she has tons of heart, she just doesnt really. like it. and so she deals with it differently; she pushes it down. that’s not always easy though. sometimes she lets her guard down. in vln, she helps out rcg, even if that ends horribly, her heart was in the right place. throughout the first game, she hugs nomes, and provides them a source of light and warmth. and in ln2, she becomes attached to mono possibly more than she’s ever been to anyone else. even if it wasn’t her intent, she definitely grows to care for him atleast a little; but survive is still her top priority, and always will be (as it should be tbh). we see this at the beginning when they meet; the moment mono provides an exit and shows he isn’t a threat, six bolts, and only allows him nearby when she realises he can help her. this situation ends in defeat because before she knows it, they’ve been through all of it together, and they’re friends. .. but still she pushes it down. because getting attached could be dangerous. she’s independent, strong and clever, and anyone who can’t match her wit is weak to her, and could slow her down. and even if she’s right, what she doesn’t know is that it will hurt anyways. she tries so hard not to get attached but it doesn’t always work, and pretending those feelings aren’t there only ends up hurting more than she thinks, and it will keep hurting again and again and again. as for mono, i thought he’d fit in brawn. he’s definitely the strongest of them (not to say the others aren’t strong of course), again both mentally and physically. he’s born naturally with a decent amount of strength, and like i believe i said before, you have to be strong to survive this world for long, or yknow, at all. he’s good at facing danger upfront, using tools to his advantage. mentally, he definitely worries a lot, but he also does his best to stay on the positive side of things and look for the silver lining, and help others lean towards that track too; even if they dont want it, cough cough. that’s where heart comes in. he’s got a lot of that, and isn’t very afraid to show it. having someone to protect gives him a purpose, and a feeling of fulfillment; again, even if that someone doesnt want/need it.  his big heart helps him gain allies, friends even, but his need to protect can get in the way of his own survival as well. even if he’s doing the right thing, that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. counterpoint, like i said, having someone to protect gives him purpose; it gives him a reason to stay alive and really do his best. it’s a huge motivation for him, which is why he can easily get attached to others. as for brain, he’s also insanely clever, and is especially crafty with tools, in a similar way six is crafty with her environment, which is one of the many reasons they make a great team. onto rk! the reason i ended up with brain for six and brawn for mono is actually because i immediately thought of rk as heart; and he is. he’s kind, and very willing to help out, but he isn’t a doormat either. he’s emotionally clever and very in-tune with his own thoughts, and has a great amount of determination (hence his name/title, duh). he’s willing to give everyone a chance but knows boundaries and limitations too; there’s no manipulating or tricking him. he can tell when he’s gone too far, or when others have, and can befriend almost anyone; although that doesn’t mean he will. if someone is rude, or just doesn’t want anything to do with him, he’s aware of that and will likely return the feeling. he won’t really push (mono on the other hand definitely will, which can be both a positive and negative trait).  he definitely isn’t the strongest, but again, say it with me, you have to be strong to survive in this world, mentally and physically. no amount of just heart or brains can get you out alive, even if it gets you far. although it’s not like there’s an escape at all, i suppose. while the ln world wasn’t always the way it is, it really does seem like there’s no turning back. this world is twisted and that’s just how it is now, sometimes not even strength, or all 3 traits i’ve mentioned, can get you “out” alive. rk knows firsthand.

[dropofgoldensun]

omg hiiiii i am here from cat (@luvdsc) wondering if you could offer any advice about college apps 🙏 especially about the uc piqs? thank you so much i hope ur doing well!!!!!!!!

yes yes hello friend !! 💝 miss cat directed you to me because i did my college apps last year !!! (yikes one year passed already?? why does that feel ages ago 🤧)

first of all, congratulations on making the decision to apply to college !! i know it’s been hard for a lot of people our age to figure out the college situation recently, so i’m proud of you for choosing to take the extra step this summer to buckle up and write those essays 💞

i’ve compiled a few tips on answering the PIQs (i was actually in the middle of typing this up when i received your ask haha), but some of them can be applied to other essays, as well !! they’re all under the cut (because, unfortunately, being brief is not my forte) 😊

(and for reference, the prompts i chose were #2 (creativity), #6 (subject), #7 (community), and #8 (anything) !!)

tip #1: understand the prompt.

before you even begin writing, it’s important to understand what the question is really asking. for the UC PIQs, this will look different depending on which four prompts you decide to do.

in question one, for example, they want to know about your skills in leading others, but notice that they’re also curious about your resolution abilities and teamwork experience. or in question two, they don’t want to know that you paint and that you love painting—they could be asking how resourceful you are, how you think outside the box when you have an idea.

once you know the question you’re going to be answering, you can move on to brainstorming!

tip #2: write down three (3) key takeaways.

these are like the most basic, not-even-a-sentence answers you would give to each question. so for me, in response to question eight (“what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the UCs?”), my answers were perseverance, courage, and character. i had a story about that, so i wrote about my experience with martial arts.

i recommend you do something similar. decide on three things that you want to communicate to your audience, and write them in the footnote of your document. your goal is to cover all three points so that, if anyone were to read your essay, they would walk away understanding those three things about you.

i found this strategy really helpful for keeping my essay streamlined while writing—if a sentence didn’t relate to any of those main points, i would cut it since those words would take up valuable space in the word count. stay focused on what needs to be in this essay, and if you have extra words left in the word count later, you can add those details back in.

and once you’re done with your essay, make sure to refer back to your takeaways and check that you covered all of them sufficiently!

tip #3: highlight your stories.

i sent cat an ask a couple days ago with a few pictures of my response to an end-of-year college counseling survey that referenced this tip (you can find it here). basically i said that, when choosing what topics to write about, pick things that interest you! if you get excited talking about it, your audience should get excited about reading it, because they’ll pick up on the passions you have and then everyone’s excited !!! :D

i’ll tell you a secret: everyone you meet, everyone you see, has countless unique experiences that few others may have. me? i spend hours making mashups out of kpop songs. i earned my black belt years after a traumatizing experience during training. i get russian harry potter and spanish dr. seuss books from the library. and i created a collaborative online google photos album for my classmates that now has thousands of entries. although these aren’t necessarily unique to only me, they’re still special enough to the point where, when you put them all together, you get a better image of the person i am, and what i value.

so find a story, a habit, a hobby that makes you different, because i believe that everyone has them. give them some food for thought, or that one-liner that sticks in their brain and won’t go away. and remember: these stories don’t all have to be extraordinary—they should be about people or moments of special value to you, because that’s what matters.

personal tip: when i was brainstorming ideas, i decided that the best way to get ideas out there was to go on a rant (because sometimes it helps to just have a conversation with yourself !!) and i recorded myself, so i could replay what i said !! this was so so crucial to me finding my own voice for writing essays. notice the way you word things when you talk—a good line or two may make it into the final draft :)

i found it helpful to read sample essays as well! they give a lot of great ideas on the kinds of topics people write about. (also, it’s kind of fun, because who doesn’t love a good story?)

but the people reading your essay won’t be there to just enjoy your story; what they really want you to do is to tell them what you learned from your experience. they want to know whether you’re teachable and willing to grow both as a student and as a young adult. so make sure to take note of the life lessons you learned, experience you gained, character you built, etc.

minor tip on ending your essay: if you’re telling a story that happened in the past, then close with what you learned and how you can apply that to your life moving forward. if you’re telling a story that has no definite end yet (like a passion or dream you have), you probably don’t have everything figured out (and you can say that in your essay!), so it might be better to close with your hopes for the future.

tip #4: ask your family for help.

peer-editing is one of the most effective ways to detect errors and inconsistencies in your writing, because, after staring at your essay for so long, you might gloss over glaring contradictions. for all of my essays, i printed them out and asked my parents to help me revise them. we’d meet every other night (or every night, depending on how much time was left) to review and discuss improvements.

i actually kept some of those printed drafts (only the first and the final ones for comparison), and let me tell you from experience—you’re probably going to have a lot of drafts (i think the most i did was seven? but you don’t need to go that far!). this part of the process does take some time, so remember to be patient and kind to yourself :) these essays won’t happen overnight!

enlisting the help of others also helps keep you accountable. one of the struggles many seniors face while writing essays is just... setting aside time to do them. and even though the constant reminders from your parents will definitely get repetitive and a bit stress-inducing, i can tell you from personal experience that i’m so glad they did; otherwise, i don’t think i’d have my essays done in time :’)

while writing college essays is challenging, your family will be there supporting you each step of the way. chances are that they’ll have their own pointers to pass on to you, since they probably remember doing this process themselves! and, out of everyone in your life, they probably remember the most about you (because you probably don’t remember much when you were four or five), so they might have a couple starter ideas for topics when brainstorming. you can rely on them for their advice and their experience.

tip #5: self-editing.

here’s the part that takes the longest time.

use action words. this is probably something you’ve heard all throughout elementary school where they didn’t like you to say “said” because it was “boring”… but honestly, the difference between “doing my own version” and “infusing it with my personality” could go a long way. also, use words that you would actually use in an essay—then it’ll have your own special flair, and not sound like it’s taken from some stuffy 80s textbook!

here are some of the words i used (once again, you shouldn’t use these words if they don’t sound like something you’d write/say): potential, overlay, wrestle, launch, analogous, weave, infuse, experiment, outlet, revel, fascinate, satisfaction, pursue, expand, distinction, capture, range, archive, engage, beyond, build, adversity, cultivate, preserve, commit, explore, convey, naturally

also, be on the lookout for repeated words. i once wrote an essay without noticing that i used “hope” three times in the same paragraph. don’t do that! use synonyms :) personally, i tended to run short on synonyms, so i always kept a tab or two open on my computer reserved for searching up new words.

side note: unfortunately, during my search for synonyms, i discovered that thesaurus.com just didn’t give me what i was looking for. i highly recommend using wordhippo instead; it has so many more options and they’re grouped by the different definitions of your word! i found the synonyms i needed really quickly and it was very satisfying!

avoid the passive voice! my teacher gave me this tip for theses or any other college-level writing. here’s an example of the passive voice: “there was a large part of me that wanted to turn back.” that’s twelve words taking up precious space in your word count! instead, say something like, “i considered turning back.” you’ve just freed up eight words :)

tip #6: final revisions.

this is the step where you fine-tune your essays. meet that word count.

read your writing out loud. does it sound like you? it should. every writer has a different voice, and you need to ensure that yours is pervasive throughout your essay. feel free to use contractions—not only do they reduce your word count (this was a good thing for me, since i had a problem with getting under 350 words), but they also give a more casual tone to your essay, as if you’re telling a story to someone in the room.

next, pretend to be an admissions officer and have someone else read your essay to you. do you get excited hearing about this student who shares your name? if you do, there’s a good chance the real admissions officers will love your essays, too. this also gives you a chance to review to your essay as a whole. pay attention to the overall flow. is there a clear beginning and end? do you resolve the issues and overcome the trials you brought up? listen to it as if it’s a story, and take this time to enjoy what you’ve written. you worked hard!

final thoughts / encouragements.

oh my goodness, did we make it to the end? honestly if you did, thank you so much 🥺

okay but despite my relatively optimistic tone throughout this post, i’m still going to be honest with you—the college essay writing process is difficult. it requires you to look inside yourself and analyze the “why” behind some of the things that you love, and that isn’t easy to do at all. it’s intellectually and emotionally challenging, because not only do you need to use so much energy writing, but you also have to dig deeper to understand yourself, and that’s not easy, either.

but i wanted to encourage you, too. no matter what you may think of yourself at 12am, 2am, 4am writing these essays, believe you have a personality that others love and will love when they meet you. you are an interesting person with unique experiences who deserves to share your thoughts with others. you have so many people behind you, supporting you during these next few months. and when you find that you can’t write any more, remember to take time to care for yourself. have a warm shower. go to bed early. i could go on and on about why sleep is good for your brain but i’ll spare you the details in this post 😉

one last thing: keep the bigger picture in focus. remember, by december or january, you will be finished with most of the application process. that’s no small accomplishment. you can do it. 💝

i really hope you found tips that you were looking for, and that they’re applicable to your own PIQs and other essays !! if you have any other questions, feel free to send in another ask (i promise my response won’t be this lengthy LOL) 💘💓

oh, and if you feel comfortable enough reaching out about anything in particular, i’m only a DM away 💕 i wish you the best of luck on writing your essays and i hope you enjoy your final year of high school !! 💗🌸💟💖

[roberttchase]

Brettsey prompt - established brettsey relationship and jealous Sylvie.

Have some cute Brettsey with kids! They are from my Must Love Dog series. This is set in the future. I will be writing more with them but for now, have a tiny little sliver.

At four, almost five years old, Adelaide Casey is going to be the death of Matt. Whether it’s from her curious, independent personality, or him being wrapped around her finger, he’s not sure which. It’s early; barely eight am, but the little girl has been restless since Sylvie left for her usual cycle-bar lesson, and she’s been asking for the past twenty minutes straight to go to the park.

Matt’s usually pretty good at tuning things out (he had to be when Otis and Cruz were galavanting around the firehouse), but the relentless determination his daughter seems to have woken up with is finally cutting through the barrier. That, or he just can’t say no to her. Looking at where she’s laying splayed across the couch, playing with two small animal figurines, he smiles. He sends a quick text to Sylvie, then walks over.

“Go get dressed and we can go.” The words make the tiny girl freeze, then she hops up, grinning and all but running up to her room.

They’ve been working on letting Addy dress herself more, and make more decisions, instead of just telling her. It’s definitely an ‘Addy-day’ as she so affectionately calls them, because when she reappears a few minutes later, she’s dressed herself and looks proud. Looking her over, Matt thinks it could definitely be worse. He and Sylvie have been explaining to her about the weather lately, and how to dress accordingly. It’s September, and the little black and white striped leggings with panda faces on the knees, paired with her favorite short sleeve shirt that reads ‘Jedi in Training’, should easily be enough to keep her warm.

“Can you put my hair up like Mama’s please?” Big blue eyes look up at him and Matt is amazed (as always) how much she looks like Sylvie.

“Of course. Do you think you can sit still for me long enough?” He teases, taking the hair brush and hair tie from her little hands, leading them to the living room. She sits on the coffee table while he sits on the couch behind her, brushing her wild mess of long, curly blonde hair.

“Papa, do you think Mama will wanna to get a donut after? She’ll be real hungry from the bike, right?”

Matt snorts as the hair tie hangs loosely between his teeth, pulling her hair up before catching it all with it, pulling it through to make a ponytail.

“She might be. Are you still hungry? We have more oatmeal and banana,” he offers, knowing exactly what game she’s playing at. He can’t help the smile taking over his face.

“No! I’m allll full. Jus’worried ‘bout Mama.”

“It’s very sweet of you to worry. When she finishes and meets us at the park you can ask,” Matt suggests, kissing her head. “You ready to head out, Chief?”

“Yes sir!” She gives him a mock salute and he laughs, following her to put their shoes on.

“Can we take Beau? I’ll walk him!” She freezes in the middle of the hallway, making Matt stumble.

“...we can. But only if he wants to go. Go find him and ask okay?” Another thing they’ve been working on- everyone has feelings, even animals. You have to ask before assuming someone wants to do something.

Moments later, while Matt’s pulling on his Nikes, Addy comes back with Beau trailing her, little nub wagging wildly. Matt nods and grabs Beau’s leash off of the hook near the door to the garage, handing it to her. She clips it on and grabs her sunglasses, another new development lately.

“Let’s head out. We can go to the park a few blocks away, yeah? The one with the tire swing?” When he gets an excited smile and wiggle, Matt lets her out into the front yard and locks up.

The walk doesn’t take long, and Matt, as always, is impressed with how well she walks their little frenchie. They get to the park that’s blissfully empty, though he’s not surprised. It’s early enough most kids are just waking up. He’s sure that Andy, their two year old, is just waking up with his Aunt Stella, Uncle Kelly, and their three year old (his best friend) Jackson. Sleepovers with the two are common, enough so that they know they’ll happen twice a week. Addy prefers Cruz’s twins, even if they’re almost two years older than her. Beau starts sniffing around near Matt, extending his leash to the longest it can be.

“Want me to come with you, or do you want to explore and play alone for a bit?” Options, Matt reminds himself, as his daughter thinks them over.

“Alone, but together later?”

“Of course. Go play.” With a smile, Matt watches Addy run over to the large structure, climbing up the little fake rock wall. They’ve come a long way from three months prior, when she was scared to do it on her own. Now she’s handling it like it’s nothing, and Matt couldn’t be more proud. Around ten minutes later, a mom and her two girls who seem to be around Addy’s age appear, and within seconds all three girls are talking and playing.

“They seem to be getting along,” the mom, a red head says, walking over. “Normally Katie’s pretty shy, but she seems to be warming up to your daughter quickly. I’m Elise.”

Matt’s never been one to just talk to other parents, that’s Sylvie’s specialty. He’s of course capable of making small talk, but his reserved nature makes him weary of it. Giving the woman a smile, he nods.

“Addy’s pretty quick to make friends,” he supplies, not fully sure he even wants to give her name out, but it seems rude not to. The girls look well adjusted enough, and his paranoia is put to rest when he sees their features resemble the woman’s next to him. “Matt, nice to meet you,” he adds. Beau snorts and Matt can’t help but laugh. “And this is Beau.”

They talk about their kids, and Matt’s unsure if he’s imagining it; he’s never been good at picking up signals, but it feels like Elise is flirting with him. He’s suddenly, acutely aware he doesn’t have his wedding ring on, doesn’t have it at all, actually. An accident a few months back involving cribbing being dropped on his hand and swelling had resulted in his ring finger swelling enough they’d had to cut his ring off. He definitely needs to get it replaced.

As the minutes tick by, Matt relaxes a bit. Elise is nice enough, and maybe she really is just being friendly. He can’t imagine her flirting with her kids so near by. Or...maybe not. The redhead is inching closer to him on the bench, and the firefighter tries not to look uncomfortable. Before he can say anything else, he hears Addy yell ‘mama’ at the top of her lungs. Looking up, Matt sees Sylvie walking towards them, breathtakingly beautiful. Though she may have just come from spin class, she’s still the prettiest woman in the world, blue eyes bright and smile wide.

Elise, for her part, looks only slightly thrown for a loop. He watches her smile tighten as Sylvie walks over. There’s something unreadable in her expression that Matt can’t quite place.

“Hey sweetheart,” Matt stands and presses a kiss to her cheek.

“Hey love. Hi! I’m Sylvie, Matt’s wife. Nice to meet you.”

Elise’s eyes are calculating, then she huffs. “Elise.”

Watching the interaction, Matt feels like he’s missing something, but with the way Sylvie is suddenly eyeing the woman, he thinks that maybe his first assumption of Elise flirting with him was right. By now, Addy’s next to them, clambering to try and get into Sylvie’s arms, one of her favorite places to be. Sylvie, while still reaching down to hold her, keeps eye contact with the other mom, cocking an eyebrow.

“I think we’d better get going,” Elise informs them, when her twins start making their way over. When Sylvie doesn’t reply, Matt speaks up.

“It was great meeting you!”

“Likewise Matt.”

When the family is walking off, he turns back to his wife, looking at her curiously. “What was that?”

“She was flirting with you, and needed to be put in her place.”

Matt’s not sure what to do with the information that Sylvie is jealous, and not only that, she’s adorable when she’s jealous, like a grumpy cat.

“Mama, can we go get donuts? You must be reaaallll hungry after workin’ out….”