#i say i need to but like who knows when that'll be haha

[isekyaaa]

I said what I did, but my writing currently is extremely flowy. There's no bumps, crevices, curves, hills.... It's complete and total legato. However in my case, the issue isn't with sentence variation. It's the way I word my sentences. It's too poetic and vibey. Honestly pretty cringe in many aspects, like it's doing its best to sound meaningful and deep. It works well writing oneshots, but if I ever wanted to write an actual chaptered story, it'd completely fail. I really need to learn how to write proper prose again...

[beachboysnatural]

I played the first movement of Elgar at my concert the other day and almost cried afterward because of my old cello teacher so like I knew the breakdown was coming but I didn't expect it to hit as hard as it did

[no1blacksapphirefan]

Hi 👁👅👁! So other than crk I also play other games like hsr and stuff like that so can I please get self aware hcs where the cookies hear us gushing on and on about characters from other games?

Fellow HSR player? Me too haha, fun fact actually. My main blog/account is actually a HSR based one, themed after my fav character from the game as well. A sundae for anyone who can figure it out/j

Shadow Milk Huh!? His ears perk up and he's quick to try and listen in, it's not that he's jealous, he already knows he's your favourite in this game but you play other games? Who is it, he's curious. Is it someone like him? Or a character with a different personality.

Hmm, Gallagher? After hearing you talk about him more, he's become more interested. Tarot card symbolism, he's a fictional character...within a game? And he's invited other characters to all tie in together to save a place? Now he wants to meet this Gallagher, he doubts they'd really see eye to eye but meeting someone who played a part in a bigger plan? That'll be interesting.

Though with how much you talk about him, he doubts a meeting will matter, he's getting all the information he needs from your voice. A much better way to learn about someone in his opinion (he's bias)

Pure Vanilla He's interested to hear about this other game you play, listening intently as you rant about it, well more specifically a character. He'd love to meet this character that has also peaked your interest.

What's his name? Luocha? Oh he seems like a nice ma-...what do you mean he has a God in his coffin? Well...he isn't gonna judge you at all for characters you like but he did not expect that bit of information to be true. He's a bit more intrigued by the game though, he wants to know of the other characters you seem to favour.

Hearing you talk on and on about your favourite characters makes him want to listen, he already knows most in his "game" and if he doesn't. He can easily meet them. But hearing about other games and their characters? How interesting...

Black Sapphire It takes him a moment before realising you're talking about a different game rather than theirs. He doesn't exactly mind though, now he can take what you say and talk about said character too as if they're a cookie as well. He's not technically lying, the character is real...just...not in their world.

Besides, who wouldn't want to know about a "cookie" trying to recreate a, what was it? Emanator? Ruan Mei is her name right? Her story seems fascinating and perfect to tell all cookie kind, he's sure it'll get some cookies scared and others excited and he's gonna love to see the two of them argue.

He'd listen to you talk about whichever character peaks your interest any day, he won't get jealous that quickly. Besides, he's probably heard you rant about him to your friends before anyways. As long as he still knows he's one of your favourites. It's all good.

Fire Spirit What's that? Gotta speak up, oh a new game? He wants to know all about. If it's peaked his beloved "God" interest to the point of you gushing about it. It must be amazing. And he's interested in hearing about the characters as well.

Oh that Kafka girl seems quite interesting. A woman who can't feel fear? He'd love to test how far that lack of fear goes, you said she wanted to experience it right? He'd love to show of his flames and see how much of it she can handle. Besides, he's sure you'd love to have 2 of your favourites on the same screen. You probably talk about him when you're playing that other game anyways.

He'll love to hear you talk about more characters, especially ones that seem like they'd enjoy the heat! Haha, he may not be able to meet them. Perhaps they're not self-aware like himself but oh does he want too.

Frost Queen she doesn't care at first. Not that she doesn't enjoy hearing your rambles but she doesn't exactly have any feelings towards who you talk about and the game you're now talking about. What matters to her is that you still play "her" game and favour her.

She can't help but listen to you speak of various characters backstory though, especially when it seems like the characters past has put you in distraught. Jingliu being one of them. She'll admit, her backstory is quite interesting, and she's strong. While she hasn't seen how she fights, your description shall be enough for now. She's especially interested in the Mara struck bit of her.

While, unlike most of the others, she wouldn't be actively listening to your rants, certain characters can and will make her ears perk up as she'll quickly come and see what the news is about.

[wolfiesmoon]

Who is who again?

Riddle, Vil, Idia (seperately) x gn!reader

i was thinking and thinking and then i remembered that basic overdone fanfiction tropes do in fact exist, so here's a silly lil bodyswap fic for the soul

yuu is a little silly prankster goofster who likes messing around and trolling people in this fic, just saying in advance that i did inject a bit of personality in them

also i apologise if the fanfic becomes confusing to read at any point, it's kind of hard writing the reader's actions while in someone else's body, especially when interacting with the person you're swapped with haha

‧₊˚✩彡 Riddle Rosehearts

"Okay, so you're tellin' me that you're Riddle, and you're the Prefect?" Cater pointed to each of you respectively, still trying to grasp the situation. Trey, Ace and Deuce seemed equaly stumped.

"Yep. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I'm in Riddle's body now." you replied, shrugging casually. "You shouldn't have told them so early on, Riddle, I wanted to mess around a bit."

"Oh, now I'm very glad I told them so early. Knowing you, you'd cause far too much trouble for me to be able to uphold my reputation." Riddle shuddered, imagining the silly pranks you'd pull on everyone while in his body. Well, I suppose they wouldn't be very silly to him.

"Wait. If I'm in your body, does that..."

You quickly took out Riddle's magical pen and pointed it towards Ace, yelling out "Off with your head!"

To your surprise, it actually worked and Ace had a collar around his neck. So you can use magic now.

"HEY! Why did you do that!?" Ace called you out.

"It's revenge for stealing the bit of food I was saving for last on Friday. And also, I needed someone to test out whether I can use magic now." you smirked mischeviously at his annoyance. Now this is fun.

"This still feels unreal. I cannot believe I'm looking at myself talking to someone else. And fooling around like an idiot, too." Riddle did not seem amused.

"Listen, okay, I finally have magic now and I'm gonna take advantage of that. Which means you better run, Cater." you rubbed your hands together evilly.

"What?! Why me?!" Cater was not prepared for this attack.

"Too much magicam. Not enough reality. Collar needed." you explain like a robot overlord and point Riddle's magical pen at Cater.

"Now, now, let's not do that, okay?" Trey gently wrapped his hand around the magical pen in your outstretched hand, smiling at you.

You were about to shake his hand off and proceed with your collaring plan, but you got a better idea.

"No, no, you're right." you shook your head, lowering your hand. Cater breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since I'm Riddle and all, I have to uphold a perfect test score on every test." everyone looked at you, wondering where you were going with this.

"This might be an awkward time to mention that I haven't studied for tommorow's test at all."

"Oh, no. Absolutely not. You are coming with me." Riddle was not about to let his grades slip by such a wide margin. He'll make you memorise things until atleast a 90% is guaranteed, as much as he would hate to get one.

Originally, he was going to try and figure out how to switch you back as soon as possible but that'll have to wait after tommorow it seems.

"WAIT, CAN YOU LIKE, ATLEAST REMOVE THIS COLLAR BEFORE YOU LEAVE?!" Ace yelled behind you but you just whistled innocently, not paying attention to his despair.

.

"That's how the Queen's succesor managed to- are you even listening?"

"You know, it looks kind of funny when I'm being scolded by myself." you yawned, placing your chin on your arms which were currently crossed on the table.

"This is NO laughing matter. My grades are at stake here." Riddle scolded you some more. You nodded sleepily and he took that as a sign to continue.

"So as I was saying- What are you doing now?" Riddle followed your line of sight, his gaze falling on the mirror inside his room. You were looking at him?

"Woah... You're, like, actually pretty cute." you turned back to him, excited at your discovery.

"...What are you blabbering on about? This is NO time to be fooling around, as I have been telling you for the past- Wow, you really are hopeless." Riddle sighed, watching you examine his face in his mirror and still not listening to the magical history lesson.

It does not help at all that you made him lose composure with that "cute" comment.

"Your eyelashes are nice." You comment, smiling at your own reflection.

"What an oddly specific compliment." Still, Riddle felt all weird inside when you said that. This is not fair. Now he can't focus on teaching you anymore.

"It's not oddly specific, really. Guys have really great eyelashes sometimes." You batted your lashes at the mirror and then at him, trying to showcase his charm.

"That is... very strange. Please stop that." Riddle still felt weird about seeing his own face make such silly expressions.

"Hey, if I were in my own body right now I would be swooning over you. Just for your information." You rolled your eyes playfully, entirely insistant on getting out of studying by flustering the hell out of poor Riddle.

"Wha- That's it, off with your-" Riddle reached for the magical pen which would normally be in one's pocket, only to realise that you don't even own one. Of course.

"Oh, Riddle. You silly goose. I'm the one in power here." You intertwined your fingers like a supervillain.

"Please, let's just get back to studying." If Riddle were in his own body right now, his face would be red all over from embarrasment.

"If you insist." You sighed in feigned defeat, your mind already cooking up more plans to embarrass Riddle while you're in his body.

How very fun indeed.

"Why are you smiling at me like that? That kind of smile does not suit my face." Riddle seemed concerned about his body's fate.

"Hmmm, I wonder how many drinks I can order at the Mostro lounge in one sitting." You wondered aloud on purpose.

"What?!"

"What? I didn't even say anything this time." you faked your innocence.

This is going to be a nightmare for Riddle, isn't it?

‧₊˚✩彡 Vil Schoenheit

"Oh. My. God." you lightly slapped your cheeks while looking at yourself in the mirror to make sure this is reality.

Well, you suppose they aren't exactly your cheeks. You're currently inside Vil freaking Schoenheit's body and you have no idea how it happened.

You do suppose all logic kind of gets thrown out the window in a world where magic exists, so swapping bodies with someone might not be that outlandish. Now you wonder if you're the only one who this happened to, and what your body is up to.

Speaking of being Vil Schoenheit now, does that mean you have to uphold his insanely strict daily routine now?

Nah, who are you kidding? You're going to cause as much trouble as you can for this pretty boy. He wakes up much earlier than you thought, so you don't know what to do right now. You walk around his room, inspecting every corner for some prank ammunition.

Rook knocked on the door all of a sudden, telling Vil that he's worried since he's taking longer than usual. You let him into the room.

You decided that you're not going to tell anyone that you're actually not Vil and and act as him for as long as you possibly can.

"Oh, I was just... thinking about something." you grinned evilly at the mirror, before turning back to face Rook.

"Oh my, it seems you were so lost in thought that you've completely forgone doing your hair and makeup. Quite the unpleasant surprise. What troubles you so?" Rook seemed utterly hearbroken.

Wow, he's blunt sometimes. Not that you care about that right now.

"I was just thinking that I'll probably skip all that today. You know, going for a natural look." You twirled a piece of Vil's hair in your hand.

Rook tried convincing you otherwise but you shooed him out, not wanting to hear anything about how 'a natural look also involves doing subtle, light makeup'. You're on a mission here.

Speaking of, you just got a great idea.

You opened his Magicam after getting dressed, briefly gawking at the follower count before clicking on the 'new post' button.

You placed Vil's phone horizontally against your chest, taking an unflattering chin photo and posting it to magicam with the caption "#chinningtime😍😍😍😍", giggling like an idiot all the while.

Within a minute, your post has already gained about 2 thousand likes and loads of very confused (and amused) comments.

What great encouragement to post another one.

You placed the selfie camera of his phone close to your forehead, taking a forehead touch perspective pic. You added the caption "what my kitten sees😈💯🔥" and posted it.

You were laughing your ass off at all the comments when someone knocked at the door. "Roi du Poison, this is an intervention. I am very concerned about you."

Hahahaha, of course he would be one of the first people to worry about you.

Rook joined you once again in your room, explaining how concerned he is about your behavior this morning and how it's very unlike you. I mean, jeez, is Vil allergic to fun or something?

However, Rook wasn't the only one that had concerns with you, it seems.

"Would you care to explain what these are?" you were surprised to hear your own voice, turning your gaze back to the door where you were standing with a very displeased face, holding up your phone with the two selfies you took earlier. It feels dystopian to see yourself standing right in front of you. Out of body experience, for real.

"Wait. Before anything, just who are you?" you wanted to know just who was in your body, though you were already about 90% sure of it.

"Ah, Trickster. What brings you into Pomefiore?" Rook questioned internally how Vil doesn't recognise you.

"For your information, I am Vil. That other person next to you is not Vil. I'd assume you're the prefect, then?" he looked you with authority, leaving no room for stalling or avoiding his question.

"Yeah, yeah. You got me. But like, it's funny, right?" you shrugged, smiling goofily.

Vil dragged you off to the headmage's office, promising to explain things to Rook later and giving a firm scolding to you.

.

"Now that everything is finally sorted and we're excused from class for the day, would care to delete those... unflattering posts, please?" once the two of you were back in Vil's room, he immediately brought up that topic.

By now, they had to have gathered about 70k likes, right? Hehehehe.

"Do not smile at me like that. Or I will take back my phone and delete those horrid photos myself. Do you even realise what a PR nightmare this could be?" he placed his hands on his hips. You feel like you look completely different now that Vil's mannerisms are reflected on your own body. Body language really makes a man, huh?

"Oh, come onnnn, your fans love it. Everyone's laughing and saying how surprising it is to see you post something like this. See, they even got the hashtag #chinningtime trending!" you showed him pictures of his fans taking the same unflattering chin photos.

"What joy does someone derive from selfies as horrible as that? You made me look utterly horrible with those angles." You watched your own face contort with cringe. It's amusing how funny you look.

"People love silly things from time to time. For a celebrity as serious and professional as you, occasional silliness makes you look more relatable to your fans. A celebrity with a good sense of humor is the best kind in my opinion." you gave him a happy thumbs up. It was also for your own amusement, but you really don't feel like getting scolded even more than you have on your way back to the dorm.

"That is... the smartest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth." He sighed, "I suppose it would cause people to talk about it even more if I deleted them now. But I am still not happy about them."

You ignored the jab at your intelligence, turning around to look at yourself in the mirror. "You know, Vil, you can let loose from time to time. Smile and goof around without worrying what someone might think." your eyes travelled down the sculpted jawline of your new reflection.

"In a way, you're right for suggesting that. But I'm not someone who enjoys your sense of humor or relaxed philosophy to begin with." he was right. He only jokes on occasion and his jokes aren't very goofy.

"You're right..." now that you technically are him, you can see first hand how much he cares about his body. His skin is soft and gleaming, his hair is healthy and shiny and his body is nice to move around in.

"You seem lost in thought. It's unlike you." you looked back at him through the mirror.

"I just thought about how admirable you are. Like, damn, I could nevaaa." Vil inferred you were talking about his strict daily routine. You seem different now. More quiet and thoughtful than usual. And he definitely didn't miss the pink dusting his cheeks on his own face through the mirror's reflection.

"Thank you." 'admirable' is a compliment slightly rarer than the usual ones talking about his beauty.

"By the way, your smile is beautiful. Not the one in all the movies, the one you don't consciously make." you closed your eyes, recalling that exact face of his. Too pretty for his own good, that man.

"Thank... you. You seem in a great mood to compliment me. Surely you don't think this will be enough to make up for the selfies, because it is not." at this point, even Vil didn't know what to think. The smile he doesn't consciously make, huh...

"Nah, those were just random ones I wanted to get off my mind. Oh, by the way, I don't know how to do your makeup look. Care to do it for me, pookie bear?" you sprung up from the chair at the vanity table, already getting excited about messing him up on purpose by opening your eyes when he tells you not to or moving your lips away from the lipstick, making it smudge.

You got way too sentimental for a moment there. And you're sure he noticed.

"Back to your regular self, I see. Fine, I will make myself look beautiful, as always." he smiled confidently. Though he himself has become curious about that side of you now.

Do you really think of him as a victim of your little pranks like everyone else, or are you hiding something else behind your silly smile?

‧₊˚✩彡 Idia Shroud

You were surprised to find a different voice calling out to you in the morning and telling you to wake up, one that sounded more cheerful, peppy, childlike.

And sure enough, it was Ortho's face that greeted you instead of your usual furry friend Grim.

As it turns out, you woke up in Idia's body this morning. What a lovely surprise.

You mean that both sarcastically and in the regular sense.

While you were explaining what was happening to a confused and worried Ortho, Idia's phone started buzzing somewhere in the bed. This dude sleeps with his phone inside his bed? Well, you suppose you have no time for judgement when the phone call might be important.

You rummage through his bed and eventually extract his phone. It was your number calling him.

When you pick up, you hear your own panicked voice on the other end. "U-Um, is this- Are you- How do..."

"Yes, I'm the Prefect. Looks like we switched bodies overnight." you inferred that he wanted to know who exactly just picked up the phone.

"How exactly do you think that happened? I mean, that's NOT normal." your voice on the other end seemed much calmer now.

"Hm, I have no clue, but I do know that I'm going to have loads of fun..." you grinned widely, catching a glimpse of yourself on Idia's dark phone screen and flinching slightly. You're definitely not going to get used to looking like someone else for a while. Especially if your new appearance is as unique as Idia's.

"What do you mean by that? Seriously, wha-" you ended the call before your voice could finish the sentence.

"Hehehehe... I bet he's panicking so hard right now." you giggled to yourself, still feeling a little weird about the fact that it's Idia's voice coming out of your mouth instead of your own.

"Brothe- No, Prefect. Who was that?" it was adorable how worried Ortho was over his brother. Or you, you suppose.

"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head about it..." you patted Ortho's head, hand moving over his flames with interest. "Go ahead and have fun, I'll be here if you need me." you gently shooed Ortho out of Idia's room to execute your master trolling plan.

You sat behind Idia's computer, booting it up. His computer works really fast, which isn't all that surprising considering his skills. He probably built the whole PC from scratch.

Surely, Idia won't mind if you play his games for a bit. You just want to see how far he's gotten. How many items he's saved up.

Hehehe.

You opened up one of the games you've been dabbling in yourself a bit, giggling to yourself about the random anime girl backround.

"Jeez, he's basically pro at this point." you went through his obtained characters and all the stats on most characters were maxed out.

But, since he still hasn't obtained the new character AND he has loads of gems in his inventory, he surely won't mind if you do the work for him, right?

You started pulling for characters in the gacha, waiting for the little indicator that you got a rare character. The flames of your hair flickered more and more with each pull, knowing you were getting closer.

Just when you got the pull animation you were looking for, the door to his room burst open and you saw yourself, all panicked and panting. Took him long enough, jeez.

"Oh, hi, me! I was just pulling for this character on your behalf, and-" you glance at the monitor "Looks like I won the fifty/fifty, hehe~" you acted cute and innocent.

"W-W-WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! I didn't- I didn't want this character! I was saving up for the re-run, and- Agh!" Idia pushed you away from his keyboard, and he stared at the screen with pure horror in his eyes. You wonder what color his hair would be if he were in his body right now. But as it stands, his flames are flickering happily above your head at a succesful trolling attempt.

"Just buy more gems, bae. Money solves all your problems." you pat his head, kinda cringed out by the way your face can contort when it's making faces candidly. You really look like that when in despair, huh?

Idia ignored the way the casual pet name made him feel. He's supposed to be furious at you right now, not flustered.

"Noooooooo, this is the worst day of my life...." he hid his face in his hands.

"You know what, though? Look at the bright side! I get to figure out how your hair looks when it's wet. I doubt you'd do it yourself and I've been morbidly curious for a while." you patted his shoulder in an overly cheerful manner.

"Wha- Abso-freaking-lutely not. You're a weirdo of the third degree." he crossed his arms, still feeling a bit heartbroken over his videogames being tampered with.

"Is it that weird that I find your hair pretty?" you run your hand through his hair for the thousandth time this morning. It just feels so strange, yet nice under your fingers.

"Finding out if I become bald when my hair gets wet doesn't seem like something a hair admirer would do, but IDK, maybe my definition is different from yours." Idia shrugs, scowl still as big as ever.

"But really, I am an admirer. I kept looking at myself or, well, you in your phone camera this morning because your hair is just so pretty. Watching your hair fluctuate with your emotions is always a fun sight, too. Like damn, your hair is literally on fire, how cool is that?" you explain your thoughts, twirling a piece of his hair in your hand and smiling at it.

"If only I could cuddle up to you and use you like a heater. Too bad your hair's just a normal temperature." Idia's heart almost exploded at the mental image that formed in his head when you said that. And it was even worse because it was coming out of his own mouth.

"T-This is not okay... You can't do this to me...!" he mumbled, not meeting your eyes.

You don't get it, you just dealt 99999 damage to his falling-in-love-resistance shield. Just how do you manage to do that?

"Actually, now that I can look at it up close as much as I want, your face is like, really well proportioned too. Like..." you bit your lip as a joke, wanting to look overly flirty. "That's all I'm gonna say."

Okay, now you've done it. He might just pass out, right now.

[olderthannetfic]

I accidentally killed my own desire to write, and I need some advice. To be really blunt about it, what's the point of writing? When I would spend lots of time laboring over making a good story with a plot and characters who were in-character and connecting all the dots narratively so payoffs were satisfying, my reward was dead silence and virtually no clicks. I posted some mindless smut to my side account one day and got more hits in a day than most of my other works combined got in a year. I know, I know. "Write for ~*~yourself~*~" is the common response. It's the "be yourself!" of writing. It's supposed to be a magical phrase that'll make everything okay. But... I don't like knowing that something I spend months working on won't be read by anyone while something I write in a car while bored got thousands of clicks. I don't like making something I'm proud of and then no one ever looks at it. That's not fun for me. It's not fulfilling.

For a solid decade, I've tried to ignore how the level of interactivity in fandom is falling. Fewer comments. Fewer kudos. No comments in the bookmarks. You put your tumblr and Discord in the AN and get a handful of asks and one person who adds you, talks to you twice and then ghosts you. Most of the comments are "well, actuallys", made even more annoying by them being wrong as opposed to actually correcting an error. I avoid fandom drama, wank, and infighting. I don't engage with things I know will make me unhappy. I try to be happy over in my own little corner. I comment on every single work I read. I want people to enjoy fandom. I used to.

Some dumb smut I wrote in 40 minutes gets five times the hits of the writing I'm most proud of, and it gets it in just under three months. I am not a great smut writer. I haven't stumbled onto an incredible talent I had that makes it so the issue is that I'm so amazing my smut brings all the boys to the yard. People just don't like what I write and put effort into. It's very likely that despite 20 years of writing fic, I suck at writing. And people enjoy my writing most when they don't have to put up with anything substantial and can just skip to the sex.

So for the last eight months, when I write, I just sort of give up. Close the Word doc without saving. No one will read this. No one cares about this. There is no fan eagerly awaiting every update like I await updates from my favorite authors. There's not even someone saying, "update soon!" Close the Word doc. Delete old WIPs. There's no point. I do not tell stories worth reading. I used to. In the FFN days people genuinely enjoyed my work. I'd never have had an opportunity to do the 'I won't update until I get 3 reviews' thing because getting that many on a chapter was usually something I'd do overnight. Post before bed. Wake up. Read the reviews before school. I peaked in high school, I guess.

And now I'm just sort of lost. I still have lots of ideas. Ideas for fics fall into my head all the time. That's never been a problem. What I don't have is any motivation to write them. What's the point of writing? If no one else is reading, I guess the point would be so I could go back and read my own story and have fun with it. Write for myself. But I can review the story and have fun with it in my head without writing it down. It's substantially faster and more importantly, isn't incredibly depressing.

So, at the risk of definitely being calld the second-coming of True Art Anon or a troll or validation-seeking or haha mentally ill haha... what's the point of writing?

--

Okay, so write porn in a car while you're bored.

Look, you can whine all you want about my response, but what you've written here is blatantly about depression.

Lots of people in fandom are still interacting. And no, it isn't just on fics that are objectively written to some pro fiction standard or whatever. Teenagers still breathlessly review poorly spelled cracky masterpieces about this year's big anime and so forth.

Yes, there may be reasons why you in particular are in a slump when it comes to fandom friendships or "plz update" comments. We can talk about that. But this ask is all gloom about fandom in general. That's not realism: that's you having a problem.

--

As for why a person should write: because the actual hours you spend doing the writing are fun.

If they aren't pleasurable in some way, find another hobby.

--

But if you want an answer to the age old "Why did my 5 minute fic get 1000000x more asspats", I've seen meta about this for literally decades.

The most likely reason is that the fic we write quickly and without much thought often feels fresher and more fun. The things we labor over endlessly can feel overworked. Even in cases where they don't, they're often heavier subject matter or more niche subject matter. On top of all that, we just care more, so even a high level of feedback doesn't really feel like enough for the effort and care we put in.

--

Do you really need me to tell you why you don't feel the same as in high school when things were fresh and new?

Go read up on combatting burnout or dealing with post-college anxiety or managing stress in a dead-end job in your 30s or finding meaning in your 40s or whatever is going on.

Everyone goes through fallow periods in fandom and in life.

Feeling reinvigorated has to do with internal factors and some general life circumstance stuff. It doesn't have that much to do with number of kudos. That's just the surface trigger for a mood that was already there.

[eliasmelody]

PART 3!

Tag: Lily x f!reader (platonic), Florian x f!reader, Joseph x f!reader, Jack x f!reader, maid reader

Warning: grammar & spelling, check endnote for more translation.

INTRO:

The manor loomed in the distance, its silhouette hidden by thick mist. Occasionally, events would unfold within its walls, an enigma that few could comprehend. To survivors, they were a cruel mockery; to hunters, it was nothing more than a meaningless occurrence. Yet, no one understood the manor’s logic. All they could do was follow, drawn by its unrelenting pull.

✦.─────────── ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ─────────── .✦

Cheerleader - Lily Barriere (platonic)

You're doing your best to ensure the Valentine event runs smoothly. The food preparations are nearly done, but the decorations... You let out a sigh as you survey the mess Victor, the dog, made in his panic from the noise. Fortunately, it's nothing you can't handle.

"Is this okay?" Lily's voice rings out, full of excitement. Her enthusiasm shines through, as she eagerly looks at the decorations. With her background as a cheerleader, which you doubt sometimes, her energy is infectious, and she's more than happy to pitch in and help.

"A little higher, Lily." You say, pointing toward the spot on the wall.

"Sure thing!!" Lily said with a confident smile, holding the banner up. "There!! What do you think?"

You smile and give her a thumbs up. "Perfect."

Lily grins even wider, absolutely proud of herself and her accomplishment.

"Hell yeah!!" She exclaims enthusiastically, nodding in agreement. She’s clearly having a blast, so much so that she gets a little too excited and jumps off the ladder.

"Catch!" She yells, her arms flailing as she leaps toward you.

You quickly reach out, barely managing to catch her before she tumbles to the floor. “Whoa, Lily!"

You scold, a little shaken but trying to keep your tone firm. "What was that? You could've hurt yourself!"

Lily grins mischievously, hands on her hips. "I want a reward!" She says, her playful tone adding to the fun atmosphere.

You sigh fondly, shaking your head with a smile. "Of course you do." You sigh, knowing Lily's never short on creative requests.

Lily’s eyes light up at your response, and she taps her chin thoughtfully, pretending to ponder the question even though she’s clearly already got something in mind.

"Hm… well. Since I helped with all the decorating … I think I deserve something special!" She says, her grin growing mischievous. "Why don’t you give me a piggyback ride?"

You laugh, shaking your head. "Haha... No." you say, amused but firm.

Lily pouts dramatically, crossing her arms. "Come on! You owe me after all that hard work!" She protests.

You raise an eyebrow at her challenge. "Oh yeah? Then who ate the last brownie when clearly I put a note?"

Lily freezes, her confident grin faltering for a moment as she nervously glances away. "Uh..." She quickly recovers with a sheepish chuckle.

You sigh and shake your head fondly, giving in to her antics. "How about melon cream soda?"

Lily's eyes light up at the suggestion.

"Now you're talking!"

"But no piggyback ride"

"Awww"

Fire investigator - Florian

This man... always appears with that uncanny smile. There was something unsettling about him, something that didn't quite fit with the sharpness of his eyes or the cold precision of his movements. A perfect mask, belying the secrets buried beneath.

Florian volunteered to help with the preparations, just like Lily. Moving heavy crates was no challenge for him, his strength apparent in every effortless motion.

He placed the box down carefully at its destination, then turned back to face you. "Need any more help?"

You shake your head. "That'll be all."

He paused, as if sensing your gaze, and turned slightly, his smile still intact. "Is something wrong?"

You gulp and shake your head, avoiding his gaze. After a moment of silence, you force yourself to speak. "You look… good... in your new outfit." The words feel awkward, leaving a strange taste in your mouth.

He widens his eyes slightly, just enough to be noticeable, as if your words caught him off guard. For a brief moment, his smile falters, but only for an instant before it returns, even more controlled than before. "How kind of you to say."

You smile nervously, the tension in the air thickening as you try to maintain composure. "I-I didn’t mean to make things awkward."

He steps a little closer, his presence almost suffocating now. "You didn't." His voice carried an oddly soothing tone, though something about it sent a chill down your spine.

You nod shyly and take a hurried step back. "Ah, well, thank you for your hel—"

Thud

You accidentally bump into a stack of crates, and a loud clatter echoes through the room as they begin to topple.

Before you can react, Florian is right there, his hand steadying the crates with ease. "Careful." He says, his voice smooth, as he fixes them in place.

"T-thank you." You stammer, your face flushing, trying to regain your composure.

His eyes linger on you, a glint of satisfaction flickering in their depths as he watches your reaction. The faintest smile tugs at the corner of his lips, as if pleased by the circumstances. "You’re welcome." He says softly, his voice smooth and deliberate

Under the weight of his stare, your heart races. "If you ever need anything else," His words almost whisper. "Don't hesitate to ask."

You nod quickly, still feeling the tension in the air, make your way away from him.

Once you’re out of sight, Florian stands still for a moment, his smile slowly fading. He raises a hand to his face, his fingers brushing over his lips as a subtle flush spreads across his cheeks.

Photographer - Joseph Desaulnier

Joseph looks up and smiles at you, his eyes sweeping over you. He sets his camera aside and stands up, taking a step closer.

"Ah, there you are." He says, his voice low and almost husk. "You look lovely."

You can feel the heat rising to your cheeks, caught off guard by his unexpected compliment. You were simply wandering around, never expecting him to call for you. And now, standing before him in your plain maid uniform, you feel a little self-conscious, especially when compared to how effortlessly put together he looks.

"Thank you..." You murmur, your voice barely above a whisper.

But Joseph doesn’t seem to notice or care about your doubts. His gaze is still locked on you, scanning every detail of your form with an intensity that leaves you feeling exposed.

"Are you ready to begin?" His smile turns sly, voice is playful, but there's a certain mischief in his eyes that makes you wonder just what he’s planning.

"Ready for what?" You ask, your heart pounding in your chest, uncertainty thick in your voice as you try to make sense of his intentions.

Joseph steps closer, his presence overwhelming. His hand gently lifts your chin, guiding your gaze to meet his. His touch is surprisingly gentle, yet there's an undeniable weight to it.

"The photoshoot, mon amour." He murmurs, his voice soft but laced with an unmistakable sense of authority. "You agreed to be my muse for tonight, remember?"

"Oh." A mix of confusion and nervousness settles in your chest, and you blink, trying to recall the moment, but your mind feels a bit hazy. "I did?"

Joseph’s smile widens, and he steps a little closer, his gaze soft yet intense. "Oui, mon trésor" He says, his voice warm but teasing.

"But shouldn’t you be taking pictures of the others?" You ask, a hint of uncertainty in your voice as you glance around.

Joseph gives a small, knowing smile and steps closer, his eyes never leaving yours. "I already took some" He says smoothly, his voice calm and reassuring. "But at this moment, it is you upon whom I wish to focus."

He reaches out his hand, offering it to you like a true gentleman, his fingers extended with a subtle, inviting gesture. His gaze remains steady, filled with a quiet confidence as he waits for you to take his hand.

You hesitate again but taking a deep breath, you take his hand, your fingers slowly intertwining with his. His grasp is firm but gentle, his hand warm against yours.

"There you go." He muttered, his voice soft and soothing. "No need to be nervous, mon amour. I'll take good care of you."

The Ripper - Jack

You let out a sigh of relief as you finally catch Wick's dog after an hour of chasing. Gently cradling the little creature in your hands, you guess you have to hold it until Victor gets back.

"This is... the event, huh?" A voice echoed beside you, tinged with amusement.

You widen your eyes, not expecting to see him so soon. "Oh, Mr. Ripper."

In front of you stands the famous hunter. Jack raises an eyebrow, a curious expression settling on his face as you falter.

"Mr...?" He turns to face you completely, a playful glint in his eyes.

"And Ripper? No, no, my dear." Jack says smoothly, his tone warm yet laced with something playful, almost teasing. He lets the words hang in the air, as if savoring the moment. "I thought we already talked about this."

"Ah, I kinda forgot..." Your voice barely whispers, the heat creeping up your neck and spreading across your face.

Jack's smirk deepens, his eyes glinting with a mischievous spark as he watches your reaction.

"Forgetful, are we?" He murmurs, his voice low, drawing closer. The space between you feels charged with tension, your heart pounding louder with each passing second. He leans in just a little more, his face dangerously close now, and you can feel the warmth radiating from him.

"I suppose I'll have to remind you” He says softly, his breath brushing against your skin. There's a dangerous edge to his words, a hint of something more, and you can’t tell if it’s a challenge or a promise.

Your heart skipped, panic setting in. You pushed at his shoulder, stammering. "Oh no, no, no. No need!” A forced smile tried to hide your flustered nerves, though it was clear from your expression.

Jack chuckled softly, leaning back with a knowing grin. His eyes scanned you from head to toe, as if he were taking in every detail with a mix of amusement and something darker. The weight of his gaze lingered a little too long, sending a shiver down your spine.

"Mind if I pet?" The words hung in the air, his eyes never leaving you as if waiting for a reaction.

You tilt your head, glancing down at the dog in your arms, whose eyes were locked on Jack. "Oh... sure, I guess?"

You were expecting him to reach down and pet the dog, but instead, to your surprise, he reached out and gently ruffled your hair. The unexpected touch sent a jolt through you, leaving you frozen for a moment as his mischievous grin only grew wider. You couldn’t help the heat rising to your cheeks.

"Good girl." Jack murmured with a smirk, his voice low and teasing.

Your heart skipped a beat, and you instantly regretted how flustered you felt.

✦.─────────── ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ─────────── .✦

mon amour = my love

Oui, mon trésor = Yes, my treasure

Source: idea from “"IDV x The Chara cafe collaboration" (None of the pictures are mine)

[koolades-world]

Hellooo

I really need a fic abt dis rn, my brain is just so 🫨

So, if it's fine, could u do something abt the brothers with an mc who base their worthiness on scores and grades? Like, if mc gets a bad score and grades, they'd constantly feel Worthless and would isolate themselves from everyone. They'd also skip meals and oversleep, feeling like everyone's disappointed at them.

Thank youu!-

hi! yes, of course!

writing this while wearing fake nails that'll hopefully pop off soon haha so if there's spelling mistakes where only one letter missing, that's because i didn't hit the key hard enough with my nail lol

enjoy :)

Mc who bases their worthiness on grades

Lucifer

while he doesn’t pick up immediately, he noticed after you got a bad test score, you’d not be around as much, like meal times

he puts two and two together, and gently confronts you

he offers you help with your work and studying, if that’s what you want, or just his support

either way, you’ve secured exclusive access to his room for peace, quiet, and his encouragement

Mammon

since he spends so much time around you, he catches on quickly

while his bad grades bounce off him, he can see how hard you take it when he tries to joke with you about it to make you feel better

while it’s hard for him to be real with you, he lets you know you’ll forever be the hardest working person he’ll ever know

you’re so resilient and for someone who’s been thrown into a strange world, you’re doing amazing. his late night snack runs always have your favorite in it now

Levi

while you never directly told him, he kind of saw his own self destructive habits in you

at first he’s not sure what to do

does he mention it outright? eventually he got so upset seeing you like that, he blurted it all out

in this, he tells you just how much he cares about you and now he’s a flustered mess

Satan

despite how well he does, he always feels like he's living in the shadow of lucifer and how smart he is. it's part of the reason he picked up reading: to learn and differentiate himself from lucifer

belphie can put him to shame when he just tries and he hates that

he really understands how you feel and is quick to tell you while it’s not abnormal to feel, he understands you

he knows it’s not a healthy habit and he wants to work through it together with you

Asmo

he knows despite outer appearances, not everything can be as it seems

he notices your self care seems to wane around the times you do poorly in class

when this happens, he marches down to your room with a self are lit in hands and demands you relax because he knows you’re so much more than a grade

he just wants you to know to and he’ll do whatever it takes to make you see you how he sees you

Beel

the first time he sees you haven’t eaten in at least a day, he’s quick to offer you something to eat

he’s not sure why you seem to be trying to avoid the question or say no politely

eventually, once he learns, he sweeps you into a giant hug and he lets you know you’re more than just the letter or number attached to your work

he knows you try so hard, and as long as you don’t give up, you’re going to be alright. everyone has their off days and he’s going to do his best to make those days better for you

Belphie

when you begin to join him in progressively getting up later and later in the morning, he knows something is wrong

one morning, after everyone has left, he’ll hop in bed with you and gently talk to you about what’s been going on while hugging you

he offers you help with your work and tells you a grade doesn’t define you in relation to how other see you, especially him

he’s in no place to judge and he knows sometimes all people need is a helping hand from a loved one

[slvt4em1lyprenti2s]

There’s only one bed

Summary: you and Nat go in a mission and there’s only one bed

Word Count: 1.7k

fluff

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

!NOT PROOFREAD!

Natasha's POV:

Fury Just called me into his office to have a mission debriefing. Normally we'd have the brief with all the Avengers but, this is an undercover mission and let's just say majority of the team aren't very good at that. They blow their cover all the time and can't persuade people to save their lives. Ironic because that's exactly what it does on missions, save their life.

I've been told I'm going with someone but a name hasn't been given yet. I hope it's not an Agent from the academy. They're all newbies so I'll have to hold their hand the whole mission because they're clueless. As I'm walking I bump into Wanda.

"Oh hey, good luck on your mission!" she cheerfully said.

"Thanks also, do you know who I'm going with? I mean like any details about them?"

"All I know is apparently she's very popular among her fellow students, and by that I mean, she's hot."

"Students?! Great, so she's from the academy?"

"Yeah but, Fury wouldn't send her with you if she couldn't handle it."

"I guess your right but they can be really annoying needing to be walked through every single step of the mission."

"I guess you're right but, rumour has it, she's the best of the best. Your level even."

"Ha, I've heard that one a hundred times before, no one's better than me c'mon Wands you know that."

"Haha, yeaah I know Nat but just give her a chance?"

"Fine, I will but, I got to get to Fury now, I'll see you around."

"Bye, good luck!"

We parted ways and I gave her a smile. I walked into Fury's office and was welcomed by the sight of a beautiful woman with wavy y/h/c and shining y/e/c eyes. I going to be honest Wanda wasn't lying, she's perfect. Oh my god, I can't be thinking about these things she's my mission partner! She was already sat down in a chair opposite Fury when I came in so I took the chair beside her.

Fury started talking first, "Thank you for both making the time to be here, as you know this is an undercover mission so, pack a bag that'll last at least 2 day and 2 nights. We can never predict what'll happen at these kind of events."

"Speaking of, what event is it and why exactly are we going?" I questioned

"Well I'm glad you asked. It's part organised by Darren McHugh, not a big name in any industry but filthy rich. Attending the party is Lauren Emerson, your target. All you need is information from her about a weapon Hydra is developing. Her father has every Hydra scientist and engineer in his pocket so, she'll know a lot. Now, she's interested in women which is why there is no men on this case with you. I need you y/n to seduce her and get intel while Natasha watches your 6 and looks for another possible target who, isn't confirmed to be there, but there's a good chance he will be.” Fury explained.

"What's the other guys name?" the other girl asked Fury responded, "James Scott."

"Is that all?" I ask

"Yes that's all. Here's your personal copies of the file and be ready at the quinjet in 30 minutes."

With that we both left but I couldn't help feel a pang of disappointment shoot through me at the thought of her flirting with other people. Damn I really need to snap out of this.

I got up to my room and pack my things. I also put in my red dress and black heels for the party and go to the quinjet. As I'm walking I see her already standing there. She catches me staring as I walk towards her and she extends her hand.

Reader POV:

I look over and see Agent Romanoff coming towards me, eyes trained directly at me. I offer my hand for her to shake and she does. "Agent y/l/n, y/n y/l/n."

“Natasha Romanoff.” She responds

With that we both boarded the ship, settled down and engaged in conversation. It was a long flight and we were going to have to spend the next 24-48 hours together so, may as well get to know each other. This conversation however turned into shamelessly flirting with each other constantly.

Time skip to when the ship lands and they get to the hotel (still reader pov):

We get the the hotel and Natasha asks for our reservation at the front desk. While she's doing that I take a minute to really take in this place because it's massive. There's a chandelier on the ceiling and art all over the walls. The architecture is beautiful and it has gold accents along every wall. It also smelt like vanilla, don't know why that's relevant but it smells nice.

I hear a 'thank you' and 'enjoy your stay' so I assume that Nat has got the key so I begin walking to the lift (elevator). I step in and so does Natasha just a bit behind me. She presses the button to the 5th floor and we stand in a comfortable silence for the short 10 second ride. The doors open with a ding and we step out and go look for our room. Natasha takes the lead and goes straight to our door and opens it with the key card.

"Wow Shield really outdid themselves with this one ay?" I think aloud

"Yeah, they really did." She agreed

As we were walking around the both of us were quick to realise something.

"There's only one bed." Natasha pointed out

"I was just thinking the same thing. I'll take the sofa I don't mind at all." I say trying to come up with a solution.

"No, it's okay I can." Natasha instantly tries to shut me down

"Honestly I'll sleep there it's fine." I repeat

"Look uhm, you don't have to but to save ourselves a very polite argument do you wanna just share it. I mean it's a double so..?" She nervously asked

"Yeah sure I mean, if your up for it?" I half mumble

"I'm the one who suggested it dummy of course i'm up for it."

I chuckle at her response and put down my bags by the bed. If I was being honest with myself I couldn't help the butterflies that formed when thinking about sharing a bed with her. Goddamnit, she's my superior I can't be thinking like this.

Natasha POV:

I brush my teeth and get changed in the bathroom whilst y/n orders room service. When I walk out she was getting changed so she only had a bra and pyjama trousers on.

"Oh.., oh! I'm so sorry!"

No sorry it's my fault I should've told you I was changing."

"It's fine, I mean we're both girls right? Nothing we haven't seen before."

"Yeah, yeah you're right, both girls."

"Never seen a girl with abs like that though."

The blush spread on her face faster than a forrest fire. She was flustered and I took great pride in knowing I did that. I made my way to the kitchen so I'd be ready for room service when it came.

Three knocks at the door alerted me that the food was here. I thanked the staff and put the food on the counter.

"Hey y/n tea's here!" I yelled to her. (It depends where your from but tea is just how we say evening meal, like dinner)

"Thank god, i'm starving." She gave me bright smile before plating everything up.

We sit on the sofa with our food and watch whatever trashy TV shows are on. We laugh at parts of it and it gives me butterflies, her laugh has quickly become my favourite sound. It's just so beautiful and care free, it also means she's happy which makes me happy. I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear her softly say.

"Hey you okay? Lost you for a second there."

“Yeah, oh um, yeah I'm fine just thinking."

“About what? You were very focused."

"Nothing don't worry about it. Anyway, it's late we should go to bed."

"Your right I'll take the plates into the kitchen."

While she was doing that I went to the bedroom and set up the bed. I was laying down when she came in, she tentatively lowered herself o to the bed and layer down facing me.

"You sure it was nothing?"

"It wasn't really nothing and I'm about to talk a lot and I don't want you to talk till I'm done okay?" I respond with a hesitancy in my tone.

"Go for it." she says.

"I like you, like really like you. I know it's wrong because I'm your superior and your not even out the academy yet but I'm 25 and your what like, 20, 21 give or take so it's not like it's weird. Also can you blame me? You're perfect. Everything about you is perfect. Even though we only just met I can't help falling for you y/n. I'm sorry if I've just ruined the friendship we built today but I really needed to get that off my chest."

I look her deep in the eyes for any kind of reaction to what I just said. After a couple seconds of processing she smiled at me. Probably the biggest smile i've ever seen her have. She still hasn't said anything so I speak up. "Well?"

She doesn't answer me, instead she gently grabs my face and kisses me softly. Our lips dance against one another as second nature. Once air becomes a problem we release from each other's grasp.

"I like you too, if that wasn't already clear."

She giggled like a school girl when I grabbed her waist and started peppering kisses all over her face. She stopped and snuggled closer to me and buried her head in my chest.

"This woman is the one for me" I thought to myself as I held her safe in my arms. Although I really wasn't looking forward to this mission now.

[hannie-dul-set]

who in enhypen would agree to platonically kiss you.

because i feel like i have to do this for every group i write, so expect me to word vomit a tubatu version soon after this one.

seventeen ver. / 127 ver. / dream ver.

heeseung: honestly you thought he'd agree without a second thought, but a smirk suddenly plays on his lips and he pulls out the "what if i don't want to? what are you gonna do?" and you'd rather die than have him bask in your mortification, so you turn around. run away. try to run away, but the bitch suddenly pulls you into his lap and oh. you can feel his breath on your lips. his grip is firm on your waist. you're actually about to fucking kiss him BUT— "ah. sorry. i changed my mind." | rating: 0/10 but maybe if u change ur tune from platonic to romantic, then he'd agree.

jay: "can i think about it first?" jay isn't one to jump into hasty decisions, especially one that can permanently change the trajectory of your ten year long friendship for better or for worse just so you can make some hairless bitch jealous. he thinks about it. he's thinking. he's thinking very hard about it, until one day he finally says okay "okay" "? okay what?" "let's make out" "??? jay i asked u that favor five months ago what do u—" | rating: 5/10 delayed but u got him?? to kiss u??? but??? now u have a new problem because park jongseong, what are we?

jake: he knows you kissed him at the party last night to get ur cheating ex off ur ass. he knows that and he was totally, 100% completely fine with it. he can totally pretend like nothing happened. absolutely. just doing a friend a favor. a buddy. a pal. a good 'ol mate. that is until exactly one month passes by and he suddenly says "oh damn haha happy kissmonthsary babe u have any more exes to drive away hahaha just asking haha." | rating: 8/10 you're sure a kissmonthsary doesn't exist, but how can u deny him when he's twiddling his fingers like a schoolgirl with a first crush.

sunghoon: flustered flustered flustered "i'm sorry? haha i mean ofc u want to kiss me who wouldn't hahhahaha anw ur joking right—" you aren't. sunghoon starts sweating and he's nervous and about to piss himself because if he says no, you're gonna think he's a LOSER (you already know he's a loser) a big fucking LOSER (sunghoon, you are a loser). | rating: 3/10 on the first try because the moment your lips touched he turned into stone. he may be a loser but he's a prideful loser so expect his score to increase with each try at his insistence.

sunoo: "hey sunoo, i need ur help. can i ki—" cue his aggressive side eye. cue the absolute look of disgust on his face at the mere insinuation that you want to kiss him without strings attached. how dare you. | rating: 1/10 because you did get to kiss him in the end. you did. but before that you had to ask permission from his parents (heeseung and jake), you had to meet his actual parents, you had to exchange vows at the altar, and— wait this isn't exactly platonic anymore isn't it?

jungwon: jokes on u jungwon orchestrated the whole thing that'll lead you to asking him. he gave you a lipstick as birthday present and he's like "sorry haha i'm not sure if it's a good one the saleslady said it doesn't smudge but idk." there it goes. seed planted. all that's left is for you to ask him if he....wants to help u test it out.....yanno.....as friends. and before you know it the red tint is now smudged between your lips and his, smiling victoriously into your mouth because yes. his plan worked. | rating: 10/10 because you suddenly have a dozen new lip products and "hey. should we test if these also smudge or not?"

ni-ki: "oh sure. go ahead." he agrees to it SO easily that you suspicious, eyes narrowed, but you set it aside for now and lean closer to his face but WOOSH. he's swerved away. "riki stay still, what are u—" WHOOSH. he's five steps away. you see the look on his face. the shit eating grin saying, if you wanna kiss me, come and get it and oh it's on, nishimura. | rating: 2/10 because you end up chasing him all over the parking lot and jake asked if he can join your game of tag.

[tenebrius-excellium]

What I keep thinking about in your au: is Toothless going to have to burn Hiccup's leg wound close because binding it with cloth is not going to work forever. Or is Toothless going to risk taking Hiccup to the village at night and hope no one notices them and bring Hiccup to his house? That's what I'm thinking about a lot. I'm also thinking about Hiccup getting sick and almost dying from losing his leg and Toothless panicking. Toothless having to take care of a sick Hiccup and while sick Hiccup calls out for his mom. Toothless taking care of Hiccup and wondering why haven't any humans have come looking for Hiccup(Gobber has been looking and let's say in this au Stoick has left already so he hasn't sent the village on a beach party) and that makes Toothless even more protective of the(his but he won't admit it) human. Hiccup after he gets better and gets a prosthetic leg, goes back into the forest looking for Toothless to thank him. Toothless being so happy the human isn't sick anymore. Which leads to them finally being friends and Toothless starting to take Hiccup flying.

Hey!

Your order of headcanons seem to go a little different than mine, which is fine! Just be prepared I guess that while the gist of the story stays the same for the both of us, we might have dreamed up individual details! Thank you for engaging with this, it makes me refine my thoughts and keeps me open to cool things that I might not have been able to come up with! For example, when does Hiccup return to the village in your mind? It sounds like Toothless is staying in the woods at first while Hiccup goes home. I on the other hand had wanted to drag out the 'Hiccup going home' part for as long as possible haha! But I'd be interested in hearing more!? Do tell O_O

In my version, I think Hiccup has no choice but to cauterize his wound himself, actually. There might be a burning piece of something left after Toothless fires a plasma blast at Hiccup and flies off, or, alternatively, Hiccup is able to make a fire and take care of his wound with it. I don't think Toothless is around yet when the necessity to cauterize arises - Hiccup must act fast since he's bleeding out and I imagine it's the screams of pain that draw Toothless back in, making him think "oh shoot what did I DO to that fleshbag!??"

Afterwards, yep, that'll be pretty traumatic. Hiccup will have to deal with the immediacy of his injury at the same time as he is trying to keep a weirdly-behaving Night Fury at bay. They're not friends here yet, and Toothless hasn't really got the chance to feel guilty or something because Hiccup doesn't let him see the pain yet. Hiccup is trying to defend himself, while Toothless is sort of trying to assess what the human is doing and what he needs and how he can be helped.

I do believe that there are several attempts to return Hiccup to the village pretty early on... all for different reasons and with different outcomes. The first one will fail because Hiccup is too weak. The second one will reveal that it is impossible for Hiccup to go back without exposing Toothless and causing him to be killed by the villagers in revenge for hurting Hiccup's leg. At the third try, Hiccup will ask Toothless "not yet". Because by then, he's come to understand the life of dragons, and he has become their friend, and he just wants to stay a little longer while he can.

I agree that Stoick should totally be away on the quest for the dragons' nest at the time this story takes place. It'll make for a nice parallel, and it will also keep Hiccup's activities safe. Gobber and the Berkians will most definitely scour the island day and night for Hiccup, but it might be more on Hiccup's part that he doesn't know about it at first (while he is sick), and then decides that he doesn't want to be found yet, for Toothless' sake.

If you've read through every hc I ever wrote about this lol, in my head it's Astrid who traces Hiccup down and reconnects the AU back to the original plot. What do you think about that?

[sugawhaaa]

BEOMGYU X READER

☆•[Behind closed doors]•☆

☆•{{ phones }}•☆

Warnings//genre:: arguing/shouting (not with beomgyu) vulgar language, mentions sex, friends to lovers, idol au

Pairing:: idol!Beomgyu x fem!idol!reader

A/N:: it's almost been two whole years since I first began this fanfic 😭 though it's not that big of a deal bc literally no one is reading it 💀

Chapter 3:: 🎤

Taglist:: @run2min

🎧::

Previous chapter

"Oh come on, Beomgyu would never think of me like that," You say as you kick off your shoes and jacket.

"That doesn't matter," She shakes her head. "It's how you think about him,"

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On Beomgyu's side of the story he heads back to his room, tired from his date. He flops onto his bed and rolls over to where his nightstand is. He takes his phone out of his pocket and plugs it in. He stares at his phone for a moment, thinking deeply about you and Soobin's words. "She'll be gone before you know it". Beomgyu sighs and opens his cellphone app, dialing your number and waiting as it rings.

On your side you were arguing with your members.

"You're not my god damn mom! Even if it was a date you have no control over what I do!" You defend yourself from Areum who is claiming you shouldn't be around Beomgyu anymore, especially in public.

"I admit I am not but I am warning you. The two of you being together could cause some big problems not only for you and him but all of us and all of his members! Think about others for once," She puts her hands on her hips and just as you're about to speak your phone rings. You look up at your unnie and she shrugs with a sigh. You pick up the phone.

"Hey," You say casually.

"Hey, can we talk about something important. About me and you?" Beomgyu says cautiously and you look up at Areum who can hear him through the speaker as well. She nods her head for you to go and you scurry of to your room while saying,

"Yeah give me one second," You go to your room and close the door. "What's up?"

"So I was talking to my members about us, just how much I like having you in my life and stuff..." He looks out the crack of his door to see his members enjoying themselves.

"Haha, me too but they were a lot less..." You glance out the crack in your door to see Yina and Areum talking. "I dunno, continue,"

"Soobin said something about you,"

"Oh," You assumed he said something along the lines of what Areum had been saying to you. Your heart races but not with that excitement and adrenline rush like when you're with him, it was more anticipation of a gloomy future between the two of you.

"And uh he said I should..." Beomgyu pauses, his hands trembling as his heart thumps in his ears. "I should...Invite you over!" He says as he lays back in his bed. You're taken aback by what soobin supposedly said.

"Haha, really?" You chuckle and relax against your bed as well. "I'd have to...ask my members about that one," You sigh and Beomgyu whines.

"Are you guys like a real family? My members feel like my brothers but yours sound like your parents, bleh," Beomgyu groans as he rolls in his bed, the shuffling picking up through his mic. You chuckle softly before replying,

"Yeah, things have been complicated lately, I...I'm wondering if this whole idol group thing will work out between us..." You sigh as you swallow the bitter truth.

"Either way you need to follow your dream, you don't need a group to be successful. Have you thought about going solo or something? Maybe going on Hiatus as an individual or as a group?" Beomgyu quickly responds, eagerly backing you up.

"We're still a new group there's no way the company would let us go on-"

"Not true! Xdinary heroes, heard of them? They went on Hiatus like a month after debut! It's worth a shot, talk to your manager and be honest," Beomgyu encourages hoping to give you at least a spark of hope.

"Be honest? My members are mad at me because I'm hanging out with a guy, I'm sure that'll work well," You say light heartedly but Beomgyu goes quiet.

"If I'm causing your group problems I can..."

"No! No, that's not what I'm saying," You quickly protest. "I'm saying...They won't let me be my own person, they won't let me make friends or go out," you explain.

"Bingo! Tell the manager that, and anything else stirring up conflict like...Mi cha?"

"No, I don't wanna tattle tail,"

"It's not tattle tailing if she's causing a real problem like this," Beomgyu says in a "matter of fact" tone.

"I suppose..."

The two of you continue your conversation until the late hours of the night. You talked about meeting up for a dance practice, talking to your manager and maybe going to their place for a night or two to escape the chaos at your dorms, not a bad idea, and before you knew it, you were asleep.

"Y/N, Y/N?" Beomgyu calls out but there is no response. He chuckles softly before sighing and saying, "Goodnight Y/N, I...I love you," He whispers the last bit before hanging up the phone. Little did you know your roommate was wide awake, Hana heard his every word of goodbye...

[Two week time skip]

You wake up bright and early, ready to face the day with excitement. You get up, eat breakfast, shower, and get dressed for the day. This evening you plan on going to the dance studio with Beomgyu and you are over the moon excited to spend some one-on-one time without being out in public; first though, you plan to talk to your manager. You dry and style your hair nicely before meeting the manager in her office.

"Sorry I called you so abruptly," You bow after closing the door behind yourself.

"No worries, take a seat," You sit down at the table and tuck your chair in, sitting up as straight as a board. "No need to be so professional," The manager chuckles.

"Right, so I wanted to talk to you about a pretty big subject," You nod and she looks at you, intrigued. "I think it may be a good idea for L.I.A as a group go on Hiatus," You say confidently but you are holding your breath.

"Is that right?" The manager leans back in her chair, thinking. "And why is that?"

"The members, we...we fight a lot lately. There's lot's of conflict between us all and it's effecting our performance," You explain and she's taken aback.

"Really? Even with Areum in charge?" She asks, surprise still in her voice.

"Yes, in fact she..."

"She what?"

"She is quite controlling over the members and we all feel a little overwhelmed," You explain professionally and the manager sighs.

"I understand but a Hiatus is a big deal, I will need to think about it. Have you discussed it with the members?"

"I haven't yet. I thought maybe we could start with you thinking about the ordeal before we advance into the others claims" You explain and she nods.

"Very well...carry on then. I will think of this more later,"

You leave the room politely before carrying on with your day. You also give Beomgyu an update, telling him you talked to the manager and she was thinking about it. While you were texting him you made sure he was still on board for the plan tonight and he was golden. You could hardly contain your excitement but you needed to pretend that it was purely professional.

The evening rolls around and you leave at about four pm to head to the studio, it's a very short walk, perhaps that's a perk of living in a dorm, however you are going to TXT's dance room. You cross your fingers that just Beomgyu is in there before knocking on the door. You wait for a minute but there is no response; you then push the door open to see three of the members in the dance room.

Soobin and Beomgyu are sitting on the floor, talking, and Yeonjun is up dancing. You feel a little awkward and out of place as you shrug your bag up your shoulder.

"Hey," you say shyly and Beomgyu and Soobin look up at you. Soobin smiles wide but Beomgyu's is wider. He hops over to you and welcomes you into the room.

"Y/N, I'm so glad you could make it," he puts a hand to your upper back as he walks you into the room. Soobin comes up to you as well bowing as he introduces himself.

"It's nice to see you again Y/N, how have you been doing," he stands up straight and you have to tilt your head up to meet his height, blushing slightly.

"I've been good," you chuckle as you admire his blond hair, the tips sweaty and dangling near his eyes.

"I've heard a lot about you, you and Beomgyu seem close," he puts his hands on his hips as he looks down at you. Beomgyu's cheeks flush at his Hyung's comment but you just laugh it off.

"Yeah, we get along easily but he was the first one to make the moves," you shrug and you see a switch flip in Soobins head.

"Oh, are you two a thing?" He asks and your jaw visibly drops. Yeonjun turns to look at you, alerted by Soobin's words. You and Gyu's faces turn red instantly flustered and trying to deny it.

"No, no," you chuckle awkwardly. "By moves I meant when we first met he was the one who engaged in conversation and stuff," you explain and Soobin nods.

"Shame," Soobin snaps in a little "shucks" motion. Beomgyu lets out a sigh of relief but as you engage with Yeonjun, who has been lured over, he can't help but feel that perhaps you do feel the same. But on the flip side, you responded so quickly to Soobin's question. Gyu felt like he was at a standstill.

Eventually, the other members clear out and you are left alone with Beomgyu in the dance room, however, he is one of the only men you don't feel scared being alone in a room with. Of course you need to warm up before dancing, Beomgyu was dancing earlier so he is stretched out but you haven't yet. He guides you through some stretches and asks for some of your Intel too.

"Okay so tell me your usual stretch routine," he looks up at you while pulling his arm to one side with the other. You list of some stretches you do regularly and he looks at you worriedly. "That...that's a routine...I guess, okay so some pointers here," Beomgyu helps you do some more advanced and full body stretches, assisting in some of the positions as well. While doing the cobra pose he stands back, looking at your form. "Okay close but your pelvis," he comes over to you, kneeling his hands hovering over your hips before looking up at you. When you nod he gently holds your hips, "Your pelvis should be either touching the floor or just hovering above it, yes just like that," he then puts a hand up to your upper back, right between your shoulder blades. "Tuck this in and toss your head back, slowly," he gently guides you into the correct position and you let out a little whine.

"Why does it hurt?" You gasp out and he chuckles softly.

"You're too tense, relax," he fluffs your hair making it go into your eyes. You blow through your lower lip to push them back out of the way. "Deep breath in and out," he instructs and you glare at him. "Do it!" He flicks your arm and you whine.

"Fine, fine," you follow his lead, breathing in and out slowly.

"There, now look in the mirror at your form, the way your chest and abs stretch out like a curve but your legs and pelvis stay straight, that's what you want," he points to the mirror and points to the parts he's talking about.

"It does feel a lot better..." you look at yourself in the mirror and the way Beomgyu is knelt beside you. You suddenly realize how close your bodies are, especially with yours so exposed. Your ribcage is poking out through your sports shirt and your tight pants outline your ass very vividly. You clear your throat and slide out of the position. "Thank you," you sit down in front of him. "Next?"

After the stretching session, he does some dances with you, mainly his because he knows them best, but he does the choreos to some of your songs too. You do a run-through of the choreo you think you do the worst on and he sits back, watching you.

"Okay, good performance I will say. You have great passion in your movements and you dance with this fire, burning up the stage because you're so hot," he jokes and you laugh, your cheeks flushing. "But I think that is also where your weakness falls, you need to flirt with your body when you dance. This song isn't intense, you're not gonna hear this song in a boxing ring, right?" Beomgyu explains as he pretends to box the air. "You'd hear this song in...a bar, in a video game when the love interests are flirting you know?" Beomgyu explains and you nod, following his description. "You need to act like it, picture the scene this song would be played in, it's helpful," he nods and dances alongside you this time, watching your movements.

You try to feel more confident in this new style and use Beomgyu's method, your eyes glancing over to him for inspiration. Flirting with him, how would your body language change? "Okay that was a lot better," he says at the end. "But flow, you need to relax. When flirting you shouldn't feel uptight, you like this person, you're chill you're cool they get it, you get it. Right?"

"I wouldn't really know honestly...I've never flirted before," you chuckle and Beomgyu thinks for a moment.

"Why didn't you say that earlier! I was using a bad example. Okay..." he thinks for a moment. "Noodle. You're a noodle and you want to be eaten!" He puts the bottom of his fist against the palm of his other hand. You look at him like he has a third eye.

"A noodle?" You arch a brow at him.

"Yes, and you want to eaten! You're slippery, wiggly but you still gotta follow gravity! Aka, the steps to the dance," he furrows his brows in determination and you sigh.

"Okay then...you're a weird dance teacher," you run through the dance again and his description actually helps...a lot surprisingly. Maybe he does actually know what he's talking about.

"Aye you're getting it now," He gives you a high five and the brief contact makes your heart flutter. You then hear your phone ringing from your bag. You follow the sound, Beomgyu trailing close behind, and pick up your phone to see Areum calling. You sigh and pick up the call.

"Get your ass back to the dorms right now!" she yells and both you and Beomgyu jump at the sound.

"Idols aren't supposed to curse," You quickly reply and Beomgyu holds in his laugh.

"Shut the fuck up and get over here! We're all pissed at you!" Her words begin to worry you and Beomgyu can see the change on your face making him worried. He puts a comforting hand to your back as you continue to talk to Areum.

"What did I do?"

"You went to the manager simply because I told you not to go sleeping around with other idols!"

"Say what? I'm not sleeping with anyone!"

The two of you argue back and forth for a while and you feel your blood boil as the conversation goes on. Beomgyu stays by you, not entirely listening to respect your privacy but it's hard not to. "I am tired of you trying to control everything I do! You have absolutely no right controlling who I am friends with..." You pause for a moment, choosing your word of choice but land upon..."Bitch!" You hang up and groan, shoving your phone into your pocket. "What happened to her argh! She used to be such a good leader but ever since Mi Cha tricked me she's been so entitled," You rant as Beomgyu looks at you wide eyed but not shocked, more like amazed.

"I see..."

"What am I gonna do when I go back to the dorms! She's going to bite my damn head off!" You panic, your heart racing at the thought of confrontation with her and Beomgyu senses your anxiety.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," He puts a hand to your shoulder, encouraging you to look at him. "I think it sounds like the two of you need some space," Gyu purposes and you nod.

"Perhaps you're right but where would I go for the night?" You look up at him and he puts a hand to his chin for a moment.

"Ah, I bet my members would love to have you over for the night hm? What do you say?"

To be continued...

[joelsbeard]

Domestic pre-outbreak!joel /no outbreak!joel hc's bc I can't stop thinking about my lil pookie bear

He loves whenever you take the time to make meals for him and sarah because he's always so busy and never has time to make anything. Not to mention his cooking skills aren't exactly the best, so its a godsend once you and him move in together and you start cooking for your man. For once in his life he consistently goes to work without bringing some shitty sandwich or getting fast food for lunch, and sometimes you'll even throw in a cute little note (or maybe not so cute 😈) that'll have him blushing for the rest of the day. You eventually start getting really good at packing him and Sarah's lunches, and she loves the adorable notes you leave for her and cute animal tooth picks you give her for her fruit. If you have extra time you'll even cut her food into cute little shapes or have a themed lunch like a bunny-shaped sandwich and fruits cut into flowers. If you have leftovers you give them to Joel and he opens it wanting to cry knowing that you put so much effort into making his little girl the cutest lunches. Sometimes his other crew members will notice his lunches with little rice panda bears or other cute things and they'll give him shit for it but it just makes him feel even luckier to be with someone like you.

One time he opens his lunch and finds a particularly spicy note and he has a hard on for the rest of the day :) and then he rushes through his tasks after lunch so he can get home to you faster and rail the shit out of you :)

One day you're in his car looking in his glovebox for something and you find all of the notes you've written him for his lunches, and he tells you he likes to keep all of them to read them especially if he's having a bad day or a hard time at work and needs to get through the day.

Even though he may not be the best cook (aside from a mean mac n cheese or fried chicken) he definitely beats you at grilling. No one makes brisket or steak as good as he does, as a Texan dad it's in his blood.

Although he always gets home tired after a long day of work, you're always there to greet him by running up to him and attacking him with kisses, saying "I missed you so much" and more often than not you'll already have dinner prepared, and he finally gets the time to sit down with you and his daughter for dinner most days of the week and you get to spend some quality time as a family.

Every time he sees you interact with Sarah he's so happy that you're such a great mom to her, he can't think of anyone better to take care of his baby girl

Sarah becomes your little helper when you cook or bake sometimes, and Joel will walk into the kitchen seeing you two giggling as you're making some brownies or some other dessert that Sarah requested, and you can never say no to her cute little face. Every time you go to prepare something she always says she wants to help, and she loves learning from you because you're such a patient teacher.

Sometimes you and Sarah like to let Joel sleep in more than usual on the weekends to give his body some rest after a long week a work, and you'll make him breakfast in bed. He pretends not to hear Sarah giggling as you two walk into your room and “surprise” him with a tray of an elaborate breakfast, and you tell him Sarah did such a great job helping make his coffee and pancakes.

The way this ended up being mostly about food was not planned haha but you know what they say, a key to a man's heart is through his stomach ;) and who wouldn't want to cook and bake for this man, no wonder he's always feeling like shit he never has any time or money to make nutritious meals for himself :(

[yandere-yearnings]

I know Laurent intro isn’t out yet, but if it’s ok can we have a bit of info about him? I really need to know if he is the pathetic type WHO SAID THAT

I understand if you want to keep the info secret until he makes his debut!

ask and you shall receive nonnie, i will absolutely give you more info abt him😌✨️ also, thank you for sending this in, anything concerning laurent always makes me the happiest🥺🩷 he'll hopefully be debuting soon btw!! his intro is mostly written, now i just need to salvage some time to actually finish it😔💔 and yes, he is definitely pathetic haha i will be expanding on that at a later date

With the way Laurent keeps up public appearances, it would be ridiculous for most to entertain the idea that he works in a field where there's more graves than grass. Under scrutiny, his smile alone is enough for people to turn a blind eye to the blood that stains his skin.

Somehow, he's even managed to claim the title of communal grandson amongst the elderly, and he's dutiful to it too — ever ready to lend a helping hand where needed.

Charming, charismatic, the textbook definition of 'sunshine' whose warmth will undoubtedly melt the coldest of hearts. Rival organisations fear his magnetism will lure away their best workers.

The unequivocal respect he commands wasn't built on power and influence alone, though they were important contributors. If you were to ask any of Laurent's men why they'd take a bullet for him so easily, they'd tell you it's because never once in their lives has anyone showed them as much compassion and sincerity as him.

To those under his wing, he's the reliable older brother that never lets them down. There is security with Laurent; in the way he listens, and the way he protects. Since he's aware of being a home to many, he hides how hard he has to toil to keep the roof from caving in.

Clover knows, ever his trusted right-hand. They've been best friends since childhood, so she's the only one who he can't fool. He depends on her for a lot of things — she insists he does. He tells her about how much he wishes this wasn't his reality, tells her about his guilt, his heartbreak. He tells her all about you.

As full as his heart is to pour out to others, love has never been good to him. Desensitised in a world of death and deceit, it's the only thing he's truly afraid of. He wants to trust you. Laurent thinks you'd be able to fix him.

That being said, it takes a lot of persistence and coaxing to get him to take your advances seriously. He's the type of person who'll pamper you with extravagance, but can't seem to understand why you'd ever want to return the favour.

Over time, you might just notice Laurent's habit of keeping the things that make him happy the furthest from him. If you ever ask him why, he'll deflect and change the subject — something Clover will tell you he does when he feels vulnerable. In any case, that'll be the first and last instance you'll see his eyes unmatching the rest of his cheerful façade.

Although not a quality that matches his job, Laurent is surprisingly gentle. He likes animals, and nature, and reading books under the low light cast from his lamp — a gift from the owner of the oddities shop in his hometown. You could join him, he'd never say no.

He has a lot of scars, and a lot of tattoos to cover them up. He knows he's got nothing to be embarrassed about, if anything, they're signs of loyalty. It's just, sometimes, all he wants to do is pretend he lives a normal life.

In the middle of the night, the stack of towering papers on the desk his sole company, Laurent finds himself thinking about you more often than not.

If there was no duty tied to his name, if he were anyone else and less of a coward trapped within constant tragedy, he'd have liked to reach out. He'd have liked to hold your hand.

[crazedmadscientist]

Mpreg being treated as a joke

Why do people treat mpreg like a joke? Especially non-gay mpreg. At least to some extent, I've seen people being in earnest abt mpreg in stuff like yaoi and mlm pairings, but outside that, it's always usually made fun of. I get that it's the element of "unexpected, unfamiliar territory, he got pregnant instead of her!" and stuff like that, but what bothers me is when they are treated like a freak of nature. This is specifically in response to all those mpreg jokes with hetero couples "nah, HE birthed the kids instead" and that one meme template

"Like haha, funni, otherwise it will never happen in canon tho."

Like, you do know trans male pregnancy is a thing, right? Not to mention seahorses.

When I laugh at those memes, too, it's because it's unexpected, but I also genuinely find it wholesome. It could be t4t, or that's just how it simply works in their universe. People can have world-building for vampires and stuff but this is where they draw the line, ig

And no, I do not have this pressing urge either to clarify each time that "haha, it's only a joke tho, I promise, cuz the female partner is still the one who will get pregnant!"

Why can't I find these memes purely wholesome? Even more, why cant i express the desire to see it in canon, and yea that's where i immediately get grilled by others. "Gross, that'll never happen! It's only a joke! You must have a fetish!" No? I'm one of those who barely has any fetishes in general. I would go as far as to say it's still valid sentiment, even if it is someone's fetish. People forget that fpreg is also a very popular fetish, but it's not demonised because it's the "status quo" or "normal".

Why can't mpreg be normalised? I am genuinely interested in seeing mpreg plot points or arcs of my favourite characters sometimes, or how their female partners deal with it, in ways that isn't just comedy. Why must this just be for female characters? There are so many additional things you could explore with this. T4T relationships, alpha woman x omega man, seahorse AU (swapped) or simply a situation where mpreg happened through magic or science

If you think you're being progressive by making alotta mpreg memes and stuff like "oh i need to get this man pregnant!" But then scrunch up your nose when it's actually canon and/or you come across fanfics on it, then newsflash, folks, you are in fact, not being progressive

[howlingday]

Jaune: Got the latest issue of X-Ray & Vav, so I'll read that when I get back...

???: So I told her, ...

???: Haha! No way~!

Jaune: (Thinking) Crap! It's Nora and her friends! I never feel safe when it's the three of them together. And it looks like they've dragged Ren into this, too.

Nora: (Laughing, Smiling)

Jaune: ...

Jaune: She's been getting really close to me a lot lately... She's like... like...

Jaune: Like a bear. One that keeps digging into a rabbit's hole.

Cardin: Yo~!

Russel: 'Sup~!

Yang: Hey...

Ruby: Yo, 'sup~!

Nora: Oh, hey.

Ren: What up~?

Cardin: Dude, I am so tired~!

Ren: Ah. He's looking for sympathy.

Russel: No, really! Training was savage~!

Nora: You skipped out on training.

Yang: Prof. Goodwitch was piiiiiiiiiissed~!

Cardin: Pssh! She's already scary as it is~!

Russel: Completely impossible to reason with~!

Jaune: ...

Jaune: How do they do it? How do they just blend in with girls so easily? Weak guy like me can't keep up with that...

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

Nora: (Playfully slapping Cardin)

Cardin: (Laughing) Stop that~!

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

Jaune: (Clutches his chest)

Cardin: Yo, Valkyrie... Offer's still on the table if you want it~.

Nora: I don't want it, though.

Russel: C'mon~! Give him a chance~! Heck, we can double date, right, Ruby~?

Ruby: WHUH?! U-Um...

Ren: If you'd like, I can join, too~.

Russel: See~? Everybody's gonna be there~!

Nora: I'm not going.

Cardin: Ah, really? Why don't you come with us to the bullhead at least and then we can talk about it there~!

Jaune: (Glaring at the group)

Russel: Huh?

Jaune: OH NO! THEY SAW ME!.

Cardin: Who's the weirdo?

Russel: He's been giving us the stink-eye.

Jaune: Wh... What do I do?! It's too late to run away, right? I mean, it's already awkward enough as it is, but...

Yang: Yo, Vomit Boy~!

Ruby: Yuh-YO~!

Jaune: ...

Yang: Whatcha doin' over there~?! C'mon over~!

Cardin: Huh? You know this guy? (Grins) What? You need somethin~?

Jaune: (Gulps) N... No...

Jaune: I... I...

Nora: ...

Jaune: NORA! LET'S GO!

Cardin: Huh~?

Jaune: Crap! I said that out loud!.

Cardin: Could you say that again? I don't think I heard you right~.

Russel: Say it again. Nice and loud~.

Nora: (Stands up) Let's go... Leader~!

Jaune: (Blushes)

Nora: Later~! (Runs to Jaune)

Cardin: W-Wait...

Russel: Huh?

Yang: Heh heh... Ready to go, Rubes?

Ruby: Huh? Oh! Y-Yeah!

Ren: Oh? (Follows the group) I guess we're doing this today then.

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

Jaune: Is it really okay to just leave them there?

Yang: Yeah. Those guys are so annoying.

Ruby: S-So annoying!

Ren: So, how's the drawing, Jaune?

Nora: Yeah! How's the pervert drawing~?!

Jaune: Wh-WHAT?! I... I draw, but I don't draw that!

Ren: There's no shame in pursuing erotica, Jaune.

Nora: Pervert Vomit Boy~!

Yang: Ew~! Vomit Pervert~!

Ruby: Vomit Pervert~!

Ren: I think you have what it takes to be one of the greats, Jaune.

Nora: Especially with that shaggy hair~!

Ruby: Shaggy hair~!

Ren: I can feel your aura just bursting with potential~!

Yang: That's not the only thing that'll burst from him~!

Jaune: I don't fit in with them at all...

Jaune: (Smiles)

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

Jaune: (Mumbling)

Ren: Hm? Did you say something Jaune?

Jaune: N-Nothing...

Ren: Really? Because I thought I heard you say-

Nora: (Looms) LEADER LIKES TO MUMBLE A LOT. IT'S BEST IF YOU DON'T HURT YOURSELF TRYING TO HEAR HIM.

[abaddown]

Breakup

OK, OK, I'm going to go home and break up with her. But what do I tell her? "I deserve better." Jesus, no, definitely not that. Even if that's true, only women say that. "You deserve more." Now, that's pretty good. But she's gonna start to get all unintelligent and tell me I'm good just the way I am. That's the way it is. Haha. "I want to live." That'll take the edge off. I might as well say I want to fuck half of Europe. Let's see. "I think we should be apart now so we can be together later." That's not bad, but I don't want to be together later. I'd spare you the hysterics, but I'd be constantly harassed about when that later was. "I'm in love with someone." That seems pretty definitive, but she'd want to know who the bitch was, and it would start a never-ending interrogation about where I met her, when we met, was the sex good, do I regret it, did I think about her, why I didn't tell her, blah blah blah blah... "I cheated on you." Same thing. Oh God, the easiest thing would be to just disappear without a word, never pick up the phone, never answer her texts again. Okay, it's a little bit of a chick thing. "I don't want kids yet." And then she says, "Neither did she. "I want a baby now." She'll end up saying she does too. "I need to focus on my career now." I'm sure her mothering side would come out and assure me that she'll be supportive, patient, that I can build my career, that she's there for me and won't abandon me in the hardest times. Too bad. Wait a minute! I should make her want to break up. Then how much unnecessary crying and screaming would be saved. I'd pretend a little bit, "Oh, no." and then that's it, hat, coat, goodbye. But it would be too long a process to wait. "Something's wrong, this isn't working." I can hear her saying, "But what, tell me what's wrong, I'll change, just tell me what I can do differently! I know you love me, it's just a moment of desperation, believe me, we can work it out!" No, we can't, I don't want to. Okay, I've got a big mouth now, but I actually loved her and I still love her. Just not the way it should be. Like she did me. But I don't want to hurt her. She's a sweet girl. If I said, "I'm sorry, but I don't love you the way I should and the way you deserve. I'm sorry.", you know what? She'd start to tear herself up, eat her insides out, cry for weeks and look for reasons why she'd gone wrong. I don't want to hurt you. That feeling either comes or it doesn't. Or it comes and then it goes. I'm gone, what do I do?

If you break up with a woman, why does she always, at all costs, try to convince you that you're stupid and don't feel what you feel? I can just decide if I want to be with someone or not. Women, I swear, think that we men are so mentally retarded that we don't recognize when we really love someone. God, how many times have I listened to break ups and say "I know you love me. Deep down, you love me so much, you just don't realize it. You're really going to regret this." It's simply impossible to break up cleanly, without scandal. What do you have to say to that? Fuck, is it that late? Look, she's calling again, asking where I am, what I'm doing, when I'll be home. I'm gonna have to talk to her and break up with her. I'm gonna go. I'll call you later.

- Hey, girl, I'm home. What's all this stuff, you going on a trip?

- No. I'm moving.

- You're moving? Where are you going? Why are you going away?

- Out. You know why. I can't do this. Listen, I think we should cut this short. I don't know about you, but I haven't been happy in this relationship for a long time, and I don't think you have either. I think the best thing we can do is just quietly accept that this is the way it is and break up. We have no reason to be angry with each other, so we can separate from each other peacefully. I've got some stuff left here, and I'll pick it up sometime.

- But hey, wait a minute. Just like that? Are you seeing anyone? What's the matter? You want to talk about it or work it out? You're just gonna throw everything away? I don't get it. Is it me? But I love you. Let's talk about it. Let’s fix it!

- Forgive me, but I don't love you the way I should and the way you deserve. I'm sorry..

***

Then she walked out of the apartment. And I've never felt more in love with any woman in my life than I did with her, staring at the closed door.