#i should make this a series but i can’t bring myself to go and seriously read the feysand smut scenes

[whimsyfinny]

He’s a Winchester

Chapter 1

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: It's been a long time since (Y/n) and Dean's paths have crossed. Last time they saw each other it was ‘98 and they were young and living in the moment. Nine years down the Line, their paths cross again, but (Y/n)s longest kept secret is about to become Deans reality.

Slow burn (ish), mom!reader, eventual smut

Warnings: language, mention of drugs

Chapter Word Count: 2330

—-MDNI—-

A/N: wooooop new series! I'm trying something new with this one! As a mom myself I loooove reading mom!reader fics, so I wanted to write my own. It's a slightly shorter first chapter, but the following ones should be longer. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, reading your comments makes my day ❤️ and of course, this is proofread only by myself so pls pls let me know of any errors! I really hope you enjoy it. I also didn’t write this at 2am for once so brownie points to me hahaha

Photos from Pinterest

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Chapter 1

“Come on, (Y/n)! You have to tell me all about it! What was he like? Did you kiss? Hold hands? Where did he take you?”

I couldn’t help but smile at the rapidfire questions spewing from Kats mouth. Kat, the stunner sat opposite me with perfect dark skin and the inability to have a bad hair day, was my closest friend. We lived on the same street, drank at the same bar and both hated this small, slightly judgemental town equally. We bonded over the similarities in our lives - like both of us having fallen pregnant at a young age and being dealt the hand of having to raise our kids as single parents. Life was fucking hard sometimes (well, nearly all the time), but my son, Levi, and Kat, made this life worth living.

“Jesus Christ, ok! The date was ok.”

“Uh oh. ‘Ok’? That means it was awful, right?” she raised an eyebrow.

I took a gulp of my coffee.

“The date was ok. But he was…. Seriously not my type. He was too…perfect?” I winced as the words left my mouth, fully aware of how utterly ridiculous that sounded.

“Girl, ‘too perfect’? What the fuck kind of excuse is that?” Kat snorted slightly into her latte.

“I know, I know. But he reminded me of a Ken doll, ya’know? With his white jeans and his Armani sweater over his shoulders - that’s not really… me. The dude gets more manicures than I do. Plus he drives a Fiat Panda. Levi wouldn’t be caught dead getting in and out of one of those.”

“You can’t use your sons taste in cars to dictate the men in your life. That’s a low blow and you know it.”

“Ok then, you go out with Robert and tell me about all the kale facts that you never wanted to learn.” I leant back on the couch, clutching my coffee with both hands to bring some warmth to my fingertips. Kat did the same opposite me, leaning back in the plush armchair as we both took a second to glance out of the large café windows. This was our happy place, right here. It was the place we would come to when we first met and the boys were still in diapers. It was our happy place for the last nine years, and we would come here for every situation: be it a breakup, a catch-up, to discuss terrible sexual encounters or dire situations that need insane back-up plans. But we mostly came here to people-watch. Being the young, single moms that we were, we were constantly under the scrutiny of the small town, having every decision judged by the perfect Jeep-driving soccer moms and the old ladies from church. When we came here, to sit by this window in these comfy-as-fuck couches, it was our turn to do a little judging.

“Vicki Priestley isn't fooling anyone with those sunglasses,” I said, taking another sip of coffee as I watched the thin peroxide blonde across the street repeatedly wipe her nose with the back of her hand.

“Right? We get shunned for…well… fuck all, yet that Paris wannabe can snort coke on a Tuesday school run and everyone turns a blind eye? What a joke.”

“Amen to that,” we watched her for a few more seconds as she climbed behind the wheel of some monstrous four by four and sped off down the road.

“Did you hear that Mrs. Harris caught Mr. Harris with a young mistress? Apparently she works at the bank.”

“Oh my GOD yes I heard!” Kat exclaimed, leaning forward, “and as revenge she put Nair in his shampoo - he's completely hairless, even his eyebrows are gone.”

We both snickered as we raised our mugs.

“To Mrs. H for taking no shit.”

Conversation flowed as topics ranged from the new dessert parlour that opened last week down the road to the extortionate price of kids' Motocross gear.

“I mean the bikes are so tiny, why do they have to cost that much?”

“You're preaching to the choir babes, Toby just outgrew his boots for the third time this year,” Kat grimaced at the thought of how much money she'd spent already.

“Ouch, they're like what? Eighty bucks a pair?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah well, I had to get Levi a new helmet after that little dickhead from the tournament last month crashed into the side of him. That boy was more upset about the stickers he lost than the bruises he got,” I shook my head with a smile on my lips. Kat did the same.

“That's a tough kid you've got there.”

I sighed.

“Yeah I know. Despite never having met him, he's so much like his dad. It's a little concerning actually,” I laughed nervously, instantly regretting bringing up Levi’s father in front of Kat. I glanced up at her, taking a sip of my coffee in an attempt to hide behind the mug. The wiggling of her eyebrows being an indicator of her impending wrath.

“That man is the reason why you’re never satisfied with your dates. He set that bar waaaay too high.”

I scoffed. “He did not. We were young and he just swept me off my feet a bit, that’s all; with that ‘give ‘em Hell’ attitude and handsome face. Plus he had a great car.”

“Last time you said his face was ‘gorgeous’,” Kat cupped her face and fluttered her eyelashes, puckering her lips. I threw a sugar packet at her which she batted right back at me.

There was a moment of quiet as we both looked out the window again, my mind unable to stop itself from racing through old memories.

“Do you think he’ll ever come calling?” Kat asked, some sincerity to her tone. I sighed and slumped back further on the couch.

“I highly doubt it. He doesn’t even know that Levi exists. I tried calling him a few years back but some guy John W. had that number instead. I gave up after that. Plus, he had this kinda dangerous job, and normally if he showed up it was because something was going to go down,” I paused, looking into the dark liquid in my cup, “It’s probably a good thing that he hasn’t just shown up.”

“You say that, but you still have that photo you took together on your vanity.”

I shot her a look, pursing my lips and pinching my brows as she laughed, knowing she'd stumped me there. I quickly downed my coffee and checked my watch before standing and grabbing my bag.

“Come on, let's stop interrogating me and go pick up the boys before all Hell breaks loose at the track.”

“Mom it wasn't my fault, I swear.”

I slammed the car door closed and turned to the boy who stood close enough to be my shadow.

I turned around to face him with a stern expression, “so you did do it? After I called that boys mom a liar? LEVI.”

Levi, my son, looked close to tears, his bottom lip trembling.

“Mom, I'm so sorry! I'll never do it again!”

I narrowed my eyes at him before sighing, already exasperated, throwing the car keys into my bag.

“Did you at least stick to the golden rule?”

His answer was a vigorous nod, the tremble in his lip disappearing.

“‘Never throw the first punch; throw the second and finish the fight,’” he recited the words like a prayer.

“And…?”

“‘Always claim self defence.’”

I smiled and ruffled his soft brown hair.

“Good boy. What started the fight anyway?” I asked, guiding him to walk through the parking lot towards that new dessert parlour.

“He said I was weird for not having a dad.”

I looked down at him, eyes softening and I lifted a hand to rub his shoulder. It wasn't the first time he'd had this argument, and it likely won't be the last. Kids can be assholes. “And then he hit me when I said ‘at least my mom's boobs are real.’”

“Levi!” I stopped in my tracks and looked at him, mortified. I didn't even know where to start with that one. “Where-”

“Jamie from math class told me what ‘implants’ were… and he said that Brad's mom had them.”

He looked up at me innocently, and I knew then that he didn't fully grasp what he'd said to Brad - the kid he'd just punched between the eyes. I sighed for the umpteenth time and started walking again.

“Whatever, just… don't say that to anyone again, ok? You're gonna make me look like a terrible parent.”

“Ok mo- whoa! Look at that car!” It was Levi's turn to stop dead in his tracks as he stood in awe of the sleek black car parked by the sidewalk.

A black Chevy Impala.

“Oh wow,” my words came out slightly breathless, my mind suddenly racing to him and the conversation I'd had with Kat earlier that afternoon.

“So cool!” Levi gushed, walking up close to it but not close enough to touch.

“Yes, very cool. Now let's go inside before they run out of ice cream,” I ushered him to the door, reflexively looking over my shoulder, not knowing if I even wanted to see who could possibly be in the area.

The bell jingled as we walked in and Levi ran up to the counter, pressing his forehead to the glass. My eyes scanned the menu and I was pleasantly surprised to see they served coffee.

“What do you fancy kiddo?” I ruffled his hair again and waited for him to decide, and it wasn't long before he'd made up his mind. After ordering, we headed towards a small table-for-two at the edge of the room, and as Levi slumped down in his chair something familiar caught my attention.

A voice.

My heart quickly became erratic in my chest and my palms grew sweaty. I looked in the direction the voice had come from and was met with a slap in the face from memory lane.

There he was; the same wicked grin and mischievous eyes that had burned themselves into my memory. He dressed the same as he did nine years ago - right down to the necklace and leather jacket. He was engrossed in a conversation with another man, who looked slightly younger than himself, all whilst digging into a stack of waffles.

“Mom?”

The sound of Levi's voice snapped me out of the stunned fog I was caught up in and I quickly sat down, trying my best to focus on my son and not the man who was sitting only a few feet behind him. Levi looked like he was about to ask another question when a giant chocolate sundae and a coffee appeared at the table. I heard the waitress challenge Levi to finish the whole thing, but it was like I was listening to the world through water. My mind wouldn't stop racing. He's here. Do I talk to him? Will he remember me? Do I tell him about Levi? I hurriedly pulled my phone from my bag and sent her a hasty message before turning back to the boy in front of me, convincing a smile to appear on my lips.

“If you have room in that black-hole stomach of yours then you definitely could've finished your veggies earlier at dinner.”

He smirked slightly, like he always did when he knew he was getting away with murder, and it almost took my breath away. I saw the same smirk grace the lips of the man in the booth behind him. The mans gaze shifted to the side and when his eyes met mine - the same vibrant twists of green and gold that I have tattooed on my memory - I sucked in a sharp breath, my heart leaping in my chest as I tore my eyes away. I clutched my coffee cup, staring intently at the dark swirling liquid, praying to anyone or anything that I'd find the answers to my troubles in the bottom of this mug. The prickling on my skin was unshakable, like his eyes were on me and I was trapped under his intense observation, unable to breath. Minutes felt like hours, and eventually he and his companion stood before heading to the door. The moment they were gone with the bell signalling their departure, the air gushed from my lungs as I dropped my head into my hands, earning myself a confused look from my son. I offered him a reassuring smile which he accepted before returning to shovelling ice-cream into his face.

Just when I thought I was safe, I looked up and locked eyes with him. Our eyes locked through the window just as he opened the car door, leaning on it. It was like time froze, and for a few moments, despite my earlier urgency to not make eye contact, I was now unable to look away. My breath caught in my throat as a smirk pulled at his lips before he ducked down into the driver's seat, slamming the car door closed. I found myself chewing on my bottom lip as he tore out of the parking lol, that familiar rumble of the engine practically rattling the windows and, despite the noise, it was a comforting sound.

Once they were out of sight and the impala could no longer be heard, I sighed, pushing my hair off my face and running my hands through my hair. As Levi polished off the last of his ice-cream, my phone buzzed on the table. Opening it and reading the message, a small wave of relief washed over me as Kat confirmed that Toby would be at his dad's for once so she could come over to drink wine and discuss very important topics. She hasn't got a clue what I need to vent about yet, but I feel like tonight is going to be a very long night.

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Next Chapter: Chapter 2

@suckitands33 @jackles010378 @megara0224 @libby99hb @roseblue373 @hobby27 @calibootsgirl @lyarr24 @autistic-gothic @wattpaduser200 @spndeanwinchesterlvr @mxtansy @magssteenkamp @redmaro86 @slut-for-evans-stan @spookyysinsanity @localjisung @king-of-milf-lovers @xshortputax @jerksbitch @multifandoms-saidwhat @deans-baby-momma @writersxxx

[shadowqueenjude]

Exhibit C of cringey Feysand smut: Mr. Downward Arrow coming to his son’s image💀

The last line never fails to make me laugh, how can anyone read this book seriously 😭😭😭

like I get the goofiest image in my mind

[aggro-my-beloved]

Oh, My Darlin' Sam Collins x Reader Imagine

note: this was meant to be posted a lot sooner, but i struggled to be satisfied with the finished product. I've re-written this 3 different times and still am unsure about it so please let me know if you liked it by reblogging or interacting with me!

pairing: samuel collins x gn!reader

summary: post-quinn, tank has been trying to rebuild their social life and relationships with pack members. little do they know, their is one relationship david has been withholding them from kindling. when they make a surprise visit to solstice bar, however, the alpha's hands become tied...and the attractive bartender with the nice accent catches this wolf's attention — part of the pick your poison series!

warnings: mentions of alcohol, midwest emo band things, and protective alpha davey (he and tank are twins!)

wc: 1.8k

estimated reading time: 8.75 mins

“Sorry, I can’t let you in. We’re full.” David’s palm was inches away from Tank’s face. They suffered a momentary flashback of when they were kids and he would do the very same thing at their attempts to go on a rollercoaster they did not exceed the height requirement for, or trying to sneak into the theater for an R-rated film after buying tickets to a Disney feature. 

“Seriously?” They quirked a brow, going as far as to crane their neck and view the barren parking lot. If not for her vehicle tagging alongside David’s, Milo’s, and one she hadn’t recognized upon her arrival, a tumbleweed blowing past would be fitting for the sight. “It’s 8 o'clock on a Tuesday.” 

“Still busy. Asher’s here trying to kiss up to the staff to let him and Christian’s band play. Private meeting.” He scowls. While Tank enjoyed the live demos played before them, they understood it was not David’s favorite type of music. He doesn’t even label it as that. 

“I’m sorry, but wasn’t it you who said I should stop secluding myself from others?” Their slow-building anger urges some prominent veins to adorn their neck. David’s eyes try not to linger on the piercing bite marks credited to Quinn, the sight of them still makes his insides wrinkle with guilt. 

“I’m here to support the pack’s business. Here, maybe…” they pause for a moment to rifle through the knapsack hanging from their shoulder, “this will change your mind.” David rolls his eyes at their license photo staring back at him. Tank was arguably the worst pick for posing in pictures. If their eyes weren’t closed in the shot, the morsel of food jammed between their teeth was the focal point. 

David merely glances at it and deadpans. “It’s fraudulent.” 

Tank replies, “It’s not.” 

“You’re underage.” He tries.

“We’re twins!” They scoff. “The fact that you’re older by a minute says nothing about my naivety, Davey.” The tips of the bouncer's ears scorching something rosy makes Tank hum in delight. 

“I’ll…I’ll eat it.” 

“David, why are you so set on keeping me from your hard work?” Their brows are furrowed, and much like the siblings' stubborn attitudes, remain unmoving.

The truth is, David would love nothing more than to share his second home with Tank. He and Milo built this place from the ground up and cranked it into a full-fledged business with some help from old connections of Gabe. The only thing stopping him from letting Tank in was…

“Sammy I promise you—“

“Call me that again and the deal is off.” The vampire’s rasp shoots out like venom, coating the room in a tense air. 

“Alrighty, Mr. Collins,” Sam is nonetheless impressed with the alternate name—he releases an exhausted sigh to show it. Nevertheless, he allows Asher to plead his case. The younger of the two momentarily struggles to pull out the compact disc, and finally hands it to the bartender when he does.  “Just give it a couple of spins through this week and see what your customers think. It’ll grow on you, I promise.” 

“What in the hell is this drawing?” Sam brings the CD to his eyes to squint at the black squiggles across it. 

“What drawing? That’s our band’s name!” Asher clarifies with a small laugh. For being known to have sharp senses, this drummer could have him fooled. 

“And that would be…?”

“Howl’s Highway.” Asher flashes him a boasting smile. Sam only lets out an unimpressed grunt. 

“Subtle name. Definitely won’t come back to bite you in the ass.” 

“Sheesh, no wonder you and David get along so well.” Asher still has his roommate’s ten-minute-long speech echoing in his mind about how such an epic name was one step closer to a covert breach. 

“What’s your intermission consist of? Shifting mid-set and running out all our returning customers?” 

“Pfft, no..” Asher rolls his eyes, before shifting them down to the notes app on his phone and pressing the backspace button several times. 

“Hey boys, hate to interrupt your top-secret meeting.” An unfamiliar face draws Sam away from the disc, and he’s enamored by their aura immediately. He can sense they’re a shifter, most likely a wolf by the way David looms behind them with crossed arms. 

“Hey, look who finally emerged from their cave!" Asher chuckles and untucks a free barstool beside him. "Pop a seat, let me introduce you to Sammy--ahem, forgive me--Mr. Collins. This is one of our pack members, Tank."

“There’s no need for that. They’re just here for a plate of fries to go. Milo!” David alerts the chef. He hears a distant clatter, followed by a string of swears, and can only assume his colleague is checking his hair in the stainless steel frying pan yet again.

“On it!” 

“I’d also like a drink for my trip over.” Tank raises a finger and seats themselves beside Asher on the open barstool.“Have you closed the deal yet?” 

“I don’t know. Sam, have I?” Two pairs of eyes turn in the vampire's direction, but he only finds himself lost in one. A glance is enough to entice him, and though he’d never admit it, he’d be trying to recreate the exact shade of Tank’s irises in his dreams tomorrow morning. 

“Yeah, why the hell not?” He mutters, never breaking eye contact with the new acquaintance sitting at his bar. “What can I get for you to drink, darling?” They feel an unfamiliar scorch of their cheeks at the pet name but do nothing to object to it. This newfound sweltering in the pit of their stomach is something they’ve only felt once or twice, and they’d be damned to extinguish it. 

David, however, has different plans.

“It’s all good, Sam. I can make it. Go ahead and take your break.” David slinks behind the bar.

“But I just got here half an hour ago…” his southern drawl becomes even more present with the mild fear lacing his words. He becomes suddenly aware of how tense David’s stature is, and the clenched fists at his side. 

“Go take a break or I'll cut you early. Understood?” David snarls, and Sam takes a step back towards the swing door of the kitchen. A few seconds go by before he concedes.

“Yes, sir.” He retreats behind the kitchen door, both confused and frightened by David’s sudden change in attitude. As he’s wandering the kitchen to find any leftover appetizers from the lunch rush earlier in the day, his ears perk up at the hushed voices from outside. 

“What crawled up your ass?” He hears the Tank ask.

“Yeah, what did Sam do?” Asher jumps in.

“Nothing.” David insists. “What do you want?” Sam can practically hear the sneer in David’s voice, complemented by clinking glasses.

“Ooh, ooh, Bud Lite please!” 

“I wasn’t asking you, Ash,” a few seconds later, the noise of air decompressing and a bottle cap being flicked is heard.

“I want the nice bartender back. He seems less… aggravated.” Hot as fuck, is also another attribute Tank associates with him, but decides not to indulge. 

“Well the nice bartender just went on break, so it looks like you’re stuck with me.” 

“That’s okay, I can wait.” Sam snickers at their persistence. Milo turns his head to see what’s so funny. Sam waves him off and clears his throat. Perhaps the fryer is so loud, or the bar is so slow, Milo couldn’t care less to acknowledge the commotion outside of the kitchen. 

The wolf decides to break the silence when he brings the fryer baskets up from their grease bath and allows the fries to cool down. “Whatcha thinking for dinner? We’re fully stocked on everything from the truck this morning.” 

If he answered honestly and told Milo he’d lost his appetite, that he just wants answers as to why David has a sudden vendetta against him communicating with this pack member, that would only result in more questions. Instead, he eyes the shifter piling a styrofoam box with freshly cooked and seasoned fries and halts him short of his walk out the door. 

“Why don’t I send this out, if you make me a batch of those small hamburgers…the ones with the toothpicks in them?” Milo snorts, and genders:

“You mean sliders, Sam?” 

“Yes, those. I’ll be right back.” He spares him a thankful smile, and cracks open the kitchen door to concentrate back on the trio’s conversation. Sam isn’t sure whether he should feel disappointed that the focal point of their chat was back on Asher’s band. 

“Play track four—that’s my favorite!” The drummer suggests to David, who grumbles as he fiddles with the CD player stowed in one of the bar cabinets.

“What’s the name of the song?” Asks Tank.

“The Voices in the Basement Are Getting Loud Again and the Basement is My Brain.” 

“…oh.” 

“A side of fries to go,” Sam reintroduces himself by swiftly taking a seat beside the empowered person at the bar and offering them their still steaming box of food. 

“Oh,” their tone morphs to something of interest as they readjust their body to face Sam with a pleased smile. “Didn’t you hear?” Without breaking eye contact, they undo the tabs of the styrofoam box and flip the top open with ease. “I’m staying to eat now.”

“Ain’t that somethin’,” says Sam, who harbors a pleased grin. David clears his throat, now towering over the two with folded arms and an unimpressed glaze over his eyes. 

“It’s something alright.” 

“David, come help me with the trash!” Milo’s voice beckons the Alpha to stand down from the bar and retreat to the kitchen, much to his dismay. 

“Saved by the bell.” Sam jokes, before offering Tank a tilt of his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but…you seem like you can handle yourself in the face of trouble. Is he always this protective of his pack?” Tank’s fingers drum against the countertop as they ponder how to word their answer. 

“He’s just been wary about me hanging around vamps lately because of…some trouble I got into. Let’s put it this way, the other guy had it coming.” Tank tilts their chin up, unintentionally revealing a few of the remaining marks left by Quinn. Sam doesn’t need to study them hard to figure out the vamp was feeding out of spite, not biting for their equal pleasure. 

“I’m sure he did, messin’ with a member of one of Dahlia’s most reputable packs. Care to share this fella’s name so I can add him to my shit list?” He inquires.

“How about we share a drink first?” Tank smiles, before sliding the plate of fries closer to his direction. Eagerly, Sam plucks one from the platter and bites down on it, his fangs sparkling beneath the dim lights of the bar. 

“I know just the one.”

[torturedblue]

Part 2 of endless Disaster Twin parallels, the not so fun version

Part 1, the fun version

Considering the series shows Donnie coming off as autistic, he’s portrayed that way much more in fan art and fanfics, etc. We often see it in fan portrayals through an aversion to touch or his senses getting overwhelmed, etc. In the show I noticed Leo actually has a consistent aversion to anything with a gross texture too: like in the first episode when they’re all sliding down Draxum’s vines and he’s tripping over himself, the only one bothered by them “I hate this!”

He also starts flailing in a panic after a worm jumps on his face (and do I even need to bring up how the texture of worms ain’t all that enjoyable let alone on your face), recoils when that evil Hidden City massage guy pours hair serum all over his head, and he’s the most visibly repulsed when Raph gets trash all over them in the beginning of Battle Nexus: New York. So on multiple occasions he comes off as pretty texture or germ averse as well

Both also have insecurity issues about their role to the team: “If mystics can do everything I can but better then why would you guys even need me?” “I’m nothing without them!”

Ironically, in Many Unhappy Returns, Splinter thinks Leo doesn’t know what he’s doing and isn’t taking the mission seriously, saying he should’ve brought Purple. But in the same episode during fights with Shredder Donnie’s seen texting on his phone half of the time. Which is also very parallel to Leo making quips in the beginning instead of helping fight like Donnie and the others

In that same fashion, Donnie’s also goofiest when everyone’s acting serious in Insane in the Mama Train, while Leo’s the unserious one in the following episodes. Another role reversal from their norm

The show also portrays these two as feeling the most affected by Splinter’s history of emotionally distant parenting. Donnie constantly talks about his unmet need for parent-aged-adult approval/validation, and Leo shows his struggle in a more Leo-like way, constantly finding father figure connections in other people like Jupiter Jim and The Dunk. He also rejects/roasts Splinter a lot too, which seems more like a form of overcompensation; acting like he doesn’t totally need or crave Splinter’s attention. The exact opposite of Donnie’s methods. “No! I’m not going back to what’s-his-rat.”

“He’s my all-time favorite actor/role model/father figure!”

“That eccentric billionaire, who was kind of a surrogate father figure to me, has shown me a version of myself I don’t like.”

Leo acts like he doesn’t pine for his affection. I’m sure he sees the way Donnie openly, desperately goes after it when it’s offered and then gets crushed even harder with disappointment (ahem Turtle-dega Nights). No way Leo’s opening himself up to that. I mean come on how sad is the moment when Splinter says they should do something together and Mikey is so eager to jump on the opportunity before it gets taken away, only for Donnie to have to pull him aside and remind him it’s usually some kind of trick or he’s likely possessed? Just for Mikey to immediately respond, “You’re right, I always fall for this!” Ouch. Honestly considering Mikey’s empathy and emotional maturity in mind, the reason both he and Raph seem to handle Splinter’s lack of attention so well is probably also because in addition Raph became a second parent himself, and taking on that role like Splinter, he knows from his own experience that even though their dad doesn’t show it in the ways they wish he would, of course he loves them and what he does do to take care of them as a parent proves that

I think the parallels and direct contrasts between how Leo and Donnie show their dissatisfaction in their relationship with Splinter is probably the most developed and interesting one to me 💔

I mean Leo’s the only one who would actually say something like this to Splinter and you can’t tell me there’s not some deep-seated resentment in the way he looks and the way he says it…

So yeah. There’s the sad edition of Disaster Twins parallels. Let’s all cry together 😃

[yuseirra]

(Vague..hints about what 165 would be, I heard about it, I'm...scared to see that chapter. It sounds really horrifying, I can't phrase it otherwise.)

I think I'm going to jot down my feelings. I honestly feel so, so sorry for people who like this manga..; on the bright side it's been a work that's...imbued things in me to write and draw this much about myself but I wish that'd only have happened on a positive note.

I think the author is really being too much..;; They're being so cruel. For what? Can this story get across a proper message? That's what's most important to me and I can take it if I'm convinced it is but... This current route is so far from what most audience would believe as fulfilling or.. Feel happy about seeing. Unless this is fake and the last chapter has some sort of happy closure to it all.

I started reading onk after the anime came out last year and kept up with it, ordering the volumes and reading them. After Chapter 154 and listening to the opening for Season 2, I just thought, “Ah, this is what it is… This is it.” (If you read my oldest? theory posts about this work, this July, you’d know what I mean. I think I’ve figured it all out, and so far, nothing I’ve said back then has been disproven; on the contrary, it STILL makes the most sense.)

I have myself an idea of what this could be, but unless Ruby uses Amaterasu’s power to save everyone and bring them into a happy timeline in the final chapter, this is just...;;

Haha, seriously, this is... phew...

It’s true that Ai and the person she really loved had mutual feelings, but that person went completely insane and caused some incredibly serious issues, forcing Aqua to go after him with everything he had.

From how things are unfolding, I think these points have been confirmed.

We also learned that person was originally good enough to be called noble<I feed off this info like cow eats grass... That's the thing that keeps me going lol Kamiki is nuts...oh please...I really care for him

We know Aqua had a mission assigned from the gods.

For Ruby’s future, he had to capture their father, and this task required him to put everything he built in the story so far on the line.

I kind of understood this? Even if accepting it is a different matter.

No matter how important revenge is in Aqua’s narrative... it’s like, what should I even say? Kamiki ended up devouring Aqua’s story to such an extent that the latter part of the story feels overshadowed by him, and yet Kamiki hasn’t been explored in enough depth for that.

For those following Aqua, this progression feels incredibly harsh. Even if you were rooting for Aqua, the villain he’s up against should be properly fleshed out. Kamiki is full of gaps everywhere. Maybe some parts are intentionally hidden, but what they’ve done feels too much like a Deus ex Machina.

The things he’s been said to have done aren’t even within the realm of what an ordinary human could achieve, it's beyond logic. So unless he’s literally a god, it doesn’t make sense. That’s why I kept insisting he’s divine. When you look at the clues related to his character, there’s actual foreshadowing that supports this theory. If he isn’t, then nothing makes sense. I even wrote a post as soon as Fatal dropped. I just knew THAT had to be it.

There are so many actions he took that can’t be explained unless he’s something beyond human, things that even gods would need to intervene in, assigning missions to Aqua and Ruby. That’s the development that makes the most sense.

Even so, this plot is too much for fans who have loved and followed this series.

I kind of get it, but for fans who have been deeply attached and following this work(this includes me too), the final chapter… Even if there’s something to look forward to, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be worth getting your hopes up. And I'm usually a very hopeful person. It feels like the author wanted to try writing an ending like this, but even then, this... The last 10 chapters or so feel like they consumed all the preceding content.

If Kamiki had been more prominently featured and well-developed, that might have been different (I probably analyzed him more than anyone else out there, because there wasn’t much to go on, and I tried to understand what kind of person he was, filling in the gaps to infer his behavior and motives since his perspective was never shown). But Kamiki, who isn’t as well-developed as Aqua, now holds a weight in the story that makes Aqua sacrifice everything he’s built. I really wish they did both characters justice. I really liked them both.

In that case, he needs to be an unimaginably terrible villain. From what spoilers suggest, what he’s done is indeed severe. But if Ai truly loved such a person, and that’s flipped with the limited remaining chapters, the story becomes trash... Haha. Then what’s the point? I don’t know. That, I really don't wish nor see being contradicted.

Kamiki was kind but lost his mind. (Him being kind is something I never want to give up till the end. I just see it REALLY well too.) So he did a lot of things, I get that. But can something of this scale really happen in modern society, to the point where the protagonist must sacrifice their life?

If so, shouldn’t there be some justification brought in from outside the story to make it convincing? Hence, Kamiki is essentially a god, as suggested by his very name. He was a noble god who fell. There’s enough context, hints, and foreshadowing to support that. He was exposed to malevolence from a young age and became tainted by it. He probably did love Ai, which is why he wielded his power so recklessly, driven by madness to reunite with her.

But even with this, there’s hardly any explanation. Why he went mad, what he did with his life—it’s all glossed over in a few panels. If he’s the villain that the protagonist *must* defeat, there should have been more depth and depiction to fuel that narrative, but it’s incredibly ambiguous. The story just throws a few lines at us and expects us to believe, “He could do all this, so the protagonist had to die,” and that’s it. (That's why... I'm not really sure if they make it want to seem like he's THE bad guy either. Since it's rarely explored in detail so we can't sympathize with the victims if they exist and...hate this guy even more for it. That approach I agree with, because it shouldn't be that way if this story wants a message. But who knows. Scary stuff; it just makes you baffled and dumbfounded and go, "what is this?";; Again, it'd make me question, 'What kind of guy did Ai even love?' I do have my own answers for that. He's her previous divine husband who became hopelessly flawed upon losing her, THAT'S what, so it's not on HIM that he's turned out that way. But who knows.)

Do you think that’s convincing...?💦 I’m filling in the blanks myself, but this feels too much. Whether the final chapter is 50 pages or 100 pages, it can’t wrap this up properly unless Ruby turns back time to save everyone and bring them happiness. I’ve heard there are about 50 pages for 166, but isn’t that just two chapters’ worth? It’s basically the same as a double issue, and given how little content there’s been in recent chapters, even if they combine two, I don’t think it’ll be impactful.

I genuinely feel sorry for the fans of this series. Does this development make sense to you? I’m so baffled that I can’t help but laugh when I think about the plot. It’s not even funny; it’s just painful to watch. How many people would have wanted this kind of ending? I once wrote that over 70% of fans might end up hating the conclusion, that I have a bad feeling about the writer having some kind of personal ambition to create a "twist" and experiment on it out of their artistic desires - and if it ends like this, they probably will. It's not like I didn't see it coming. I did tell all the others who came to read this work upon reading my fanworks to wait until it's complete, there are some things I really appreciate about it, but I wasn't sure it'd progress on your usual, happy and safe route. It could have been that way. The answers were all there. There were many opportunities where there were chances of this story getting an ending many would be satisfied with,

And if I’m wrong about everything I’ve said here, I’ll be just as lost. I really won’t understand any of it. But I’m confident I’m right.

The traits of Kamiki match those of the husband of Ame-no-Uzume in at least ten ways. That god even had a story that said he drowned.(but if he really died, that's ambiguous and he is worshipped pretty well along with his beloved Amenouzume)That's just too much to be brushed off as coincidence, he's at least INSPIRED from that god.

I believe he was originally very kind. I can’t let go of that idea, because it’s been evident to me, and it sticks in my mind. But if that’s true, then this is the story of someone who was kind but went mad, and a son who became a vengeful spirit after his mother’s death. The mother, worrying about the father, left what was almost like a final wish: “If your father is still straying, won’t you help him with me?” But the son kills his father, thinking there’s no hope for him, and ends up dying himself in the process. If that’s really the story, then how... how can there be any positive message to take away from this?

I think I understand what’s going on. I think I do... but the story has been so unfriendly and, as a result, feels disrespectful to fans who have loved the series.

I'm actually thinking: if Kamiki IS Sarutahiko the god of guidance who's been TWISTED due to making EVERY possibilities of a future turn horribly wrong, are we WITNESSING his powers in real time?? Is THIS an extension of what he's capable of? because, I feel like.. He's been bringing sufferings to everyone including himself. Oh in that case I'd totally understand his pain. He really would be suffering. And he's THAT dangerous. What if this comic is being really meta, huh?? I think he doesn't want this either. Losing Ai just.. Totally shattered him I bet. But seeing how things are, I think it could really have been his powers that caused her to die in the first place, unintentionally though. I won't forgive the author if HE'S the one who's killed Ai AND he's been doing all these things in order to get her back afterwards, that is just...so rude. It has no point...

There’s still one chapter left, and I know it’s not right to make a judgment prematurely, but if things go on like this, it’s truly too much...; I genuinely feel bad for those who have loved this work wholeheartedly. And for myself... if it doesn’t end as I’ve thought, then I’ve been completely mistaken, haha. But I came into this with confidence, not about Aqua’s side of things(I thought HIM out of all should get a happy ending. I still wish for that to happen), but about what the story wanted to convey through Aqua’s parents. I believed there could be a meaningful message despite how difficult it seemed, so I took the initiative and interpreted it, drew a lot. If I’m wrong, I can only blame my insight... The story itself never changed; it just stayed there. But I was confident. I’ve never been wrong when it comes to instincts or analyses related to psychology. I thought I knew what this was...

I hope this work gets resolved in a way that is respectful towards its fans whom really cared for the series...they-we-deserve that as much as the authors deserve respect. We're in this together as a fan and the writers. We should care about each other.

[hiddenwritingsintheworld]

Cruel Summer Ch. 2

Cruel Summer Series (Coming Soon) | Chapter 1 | Donations | Thoughts & Feelings

You looked down at your lap, “yeah…that's why I’m waiting on a text, I told him last night that I wanted to be more than friends with benefits…I’m falling in love with him! You should see the things he does! And the things he says to me!” you got up and walked over to your bag, “anytime we have dinner together, he always makes me a paper ring, every time.” you pulled out the small clear container full of cute colorful paper rings made from different menus. “Okay, that's some wedding reception bridal party speech shit,” she raised an eyebrow. “That is seriously so cute.” you smiled pulling out a little notebook, “he even drew this cute little archway, from the spot where we first kissed one night in New York...on Cornelia Street.” you bit your lip grinning down at the drawing he’d made for you.

“Ready?” Your assistant brought you back from your mind. “I…” you let out a huff of air before the door opened and you ran out on stage grinning and waving at the crowd again. Megan, your assistant, who’d been with you since the beginning of your acting career, watched on the monitor in the back.

You grinned watching the crowd go wild as you laughed softly. “Wow…you know you guys are just amazing. Truly. I had no idea you’d be so much fun!” you laughed again as they cheered. “I wanted to take a moment before I started my surprise songs for the evening.” you laughed as they cheered louder. “You guys mean so much to me...my music, you know, is how I communicate a lot of what I'm feeling, what I'm going through, and expressing everything I can’t bring myself to say.” You smiled looking up at the nosebleed sections as they clapped and whistled.

You bit your lip a little as you laughed softly, “So…tonight's special because….” you couldn’t even get the words out as the crowd roared in excitement. “I think it’s just better if I show you! So, if you could turn your attention to the screen behind me,” you said, turning toward the screen, as the new album cover rolled out of the screen, you grinned, tears brimming your eyes as the crowd screamed out in excitement. Looking at everyone and walking away from the microphone to just take in the moment as everyone snapped photos, recorded you.

You looked out over the crowd, locking eyes with Chris again; his girlfriend was jumping up and down beside him, screaming excitedly, but he stared at you, smiling softly like he was proud of you. You looked away before walking back over to the microphone. “I had planned to sing you guys a very nice surprise song…but I’ve changed my mind….I’m going to debut a song off my new album!” you grinned and started to strum the guitar in your hands.

“Make sure nobody sees you leave

Hood over your head, keep your eyes down

Tell your friends you're out for a run

You'll be flushed when you return

Take the road less traveled by

Tell yourself you can always stop

What started in beautiful rooms

Ends with meetings in parking lots

And that's the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings and longing stares

It's born from just one single glance

But it dies, and it dies, and it dies

A million little times”

You laid beside him in bed, laughing as he told joke after joke, enjoying each and every moment with him. “I have a present for you,” you told him as you kissed his shoulder, before sitting up and wrapping the sheet around you as you moved over to your bag and pulled out a small box. You gave it to him and watched as he opened it. “Y/N….you didn’t,” he chuckled, pulling out the small burgundy bottle. “I can’t believe it. Is it the same one we saw in that shop?” he grinned as you nodded and curled up beside him again. “I knew how much you loved it, so I went back the next day and bought it.” you said softly as he leaned down kissing you deeply.

“I can’t believe it, this was the same cologne my grandfather always wore. I can never ever find it." He smiled and kissed you again. “That's because it’s discontinued. But you have this bottle, you can always keep it on your bathroom shelf,” you whispered as he smiled down at you. “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten baby, thank you” he kissed you passionately pulling you into his embrace.

“Leave the perfume on the shelf

That you picked out just for him

So you leave no trace behind

Like you don't even exist

Take the words for what they are

A dwindling, mercurial high

A drug that only worked

The first few hundred times

And that's the thing about illicit affairs

And clandestine meetings and stolen stares

They show their truth one single time

But they lie, and they lie, and they lie

A million little times”

Chris held a playful grin on his features as he stood on one side of the island as you stood on the other, giggling, a can of whip cream in hand as he held chocolate syrup. “If I disarm myself….are you gonna disarm yourself?” he smirked, raising an eyebrow. You laughed nodding, “Yes! But you put yours down first!” you bit your lip as he began to lower his, suddenly he squirted you with chocolate syrup all over you as you sprayed him with whip cream laughing loudly.

He darted around the island, laughing as you wiggled against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you. “Wanna call a truce Kid?” you laughed and nodded as you pressed your lips to his nose. “Truce.” you said softly. “Truce.” he smiled and bent down kissing you deeply again.

“ And you wanna scream

Don't call me "kid"

Don't call me "baby"

Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me

You showed me colors

You know I can't see with anyone else

Don't call me "kid"

Don't call me "baby"

Look at this idiotic fool that you made me

You taught me a secret language

I can't speak with anyone else

And you know damn well

For you, I would ruin myself

A million little times”

As the song came to an end, tears brimmed your eyes again and you kept your head down for a moment trying to will them away. The crowd erupted in cheers, applause, and screams. You looked up smiling at everyone as they continued to cheer. As you looked out through the crowd, your eyes landed on him again. He stared back at you with an expression you didn’t quite recognize. He looked away from you and whispered something to his girlfriend before walking off.

You smiled at the crowd and waved as you looked around, suddenly you dove into the stage and began getting ready for the next set. You looked at Megan as she eyeballed you. “You were not supposed to sing a song off that album. It doesn't even come out for two more damn months!” She sighed checking your social media’s. “Oh my god…..it's…everyone loved it.” she looked at you as you smirked “yeah….not everyone loved it.” you walked over getting on the platform in your final outfit of the night, “Let’s go make some memories,” you took a deep breath. Something felt better within your heart. He was finally understanding how he crushed you.

Coming up on stage, you grinned as the crowd knew what album you were singing from next. You laughed to yourself as the music started and they began to clap and jump around. You stood there in a blinged out tshirt dress, a fuzzy jacket and your diamond thigh high boots. You sang your heart out, dancing, smiling and waving at the crowd. You barely met Chris’s eye line again and when the show ended, you took your time bowing and waving around to the crowd as they cheered and applauded you.

“What an excellent show tonight!” Megan grinned at you as you walked backstage smiling softly. “I agree, it was great.” your head snapped around at the sound of his voice. Chris stood there, the petite brunette clinging to his side. The air was thick and the tension could be cut with a knife between the two of you. “Chris, hey!” you tried to snap out of it quickly. You smiled at him and his girlfriend. “Hi there! Did you enjoy the show?” you smiled asking her. “Hi! Hello! Sorry! I'm Ali!!” She grinned darting toward you.

You gasped as she hugged you tightly. “Ali!” Chris snapped, pulling her off of you. You looked behind you as the guards came running, “No it's fine. She’s just excited, it's okay, really I know them, they're friends of mine.” you smiled at the guards as they nodded and stood off to the side keeping an eye on her. “We’re friends?!” She giggled as Chris rolled his eyes a little. “You are my idol! I love everything you’ve ever done! Your music helped me through some very dark times in my life, you have no idea how much you mean to me.” Ali said quickly. You smiled sweetly at her. “Aw, Thank you Ali, yes of course we’re friends.” You grinned at her. “Why don’t I go get changed and we can hang out for a little bit,” you stated, looking from her to him. Ali turned to Chris and clasped her hands together. “Oh my gosh, can we Chris?? Can we please?!” she begged as he let out a breath, “uh yeah, but I'm sure Y/N’s real tired so we don’t wanna keep her up all night okay?” he smiled as she jumped up and down excitedly.

“Um, we’re staying across the street, The Inn at Meadowbrook, why don’t you come by and we can all grab some dinner at the restaurant in the lobby and then hang out on the back patio. It’s gated, no paps.” Chris smiled at you as Ali grinned. “It’ll be great!!” she watched as you laughed softly “yeah, absolutely, I’ll go change and meet you guys there.” you said as they smiled and left.

Megan followed you as you walked back to your dressing room. “Do you really think this is a good idea? Hanging out with him and her?” she asked as you entered the room. “It’ll be fine, I’m fine, and it might lead the press away from what else I’m working on.” you said smiling as you grabbed your lounge clothes and got changed. “I guess…just worry about what’s going to be said.” Megan sighed as you smiled softly. “It’s okay, just relax, and take the night off.” You walked out of the building, getting into your car quickly hearing fans screaming for you.

You’d managed to get inside the hotel without being seen and walked into the restaurant, noting how empty it was. “Rented it out for the night,” Chris said, coming up behind you. You turned and looked at him, looking him up and down. Dark blue jeans adorned his lower half, while a black t-shirt and red plaid button down fit his torso perfectly.

He stretched out his arms and pulled you into a hug. For a split second you wanted to bury your face into his neck and remember how it felt to be curled up with him. But, you knew better than that now. You knew he didn’t actually care about you.

You pushed yourself back and smiled softly at him, “best we don’t try anything other than a friendly handshake.” He threw his head back a little and gave you a “ah, I understand” before holding his hand out. You slipped your hand in his, holding it a moment longer than you should have before finally dropping it. “We can sit anywhere,” he spoke into the looming silence. “Oh, well why don’t we wait for-“ “hey!!!” Ally’s voice shot through the Restaurant loudly causing you to flinch slightly.

“Ugh couldn’t find the shoes I wanted to wear but it seems here my little Chrissy wrissy bear had put them in his suitcase!” She laughed, wrapping her arms around his as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Oh, isn’t that sweet?” You commented with a smile. Dinner was going to be….great.

Once seated, by a window per Ali’s request, you began looking over the menu. “They have a fantastic burger and fries here as well as an awesome tenderloin,” Chris told you, causing you to look up at him. “God you can be so dumb Chris,” Ali laughed and shook her head “don’t listen to him. He doesn’t realize what us girls go through to stay in such perfect shape. They had a great grilled chicken salad,” she buried herself back in her menu, before she set it down. “Be right back gotta run to the little girls room,” she kissed Chris’s cheek and got up leaving the two of you at the table.

You set your menu down and let out a small sigh, “I think I’m going to get my dinner to go…I’m pretty exhausted and…” “Ali’s a lot. I know. She’s not normally like this…..well she is but it’s usually much more toned down. Why don’t I go talk to her and you order?” Chris said as he stood. You sighed “Chris…does she even know about us?” You asked softly. He looked down before he shook his head. “No, I’ve never told anyone.”

You sat back and watched him walk toward the bathrooms, why were you doing this to yourself? You felt that familiar pain upon hearing, “No, I never told anyone.” He was the one who had your heart in a Vice grip, even now, and you thought having dinner with him and her was a good idea? You were clearly insane.

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[earthtoharlow]

Flashing Lights

Jack Harlow x SingerOC

Series Masterlist

02) Second Chances

Jack walked into his apartment, and placed his keys on the kitchen counter before walking towards the fridge for a bottle of water. The last couple weeks have been jammed packed, between making multiple appearances and long nights at the studio he barely had time to catch his breath. 

Tossing his phone on the coffee table and kicking his shoes off, Jack melted into the comfort of the couch with a soft sigh. Happy to be sitting down after a long day. He reached over to grab the remote, deciding to flip through the channels to find a movie. After not finding anything good to watch, he figured he would watch The Tonight Show since that was the only thing on. 

Jack didn’t know if it was his lack of sleep or what but Jimmy Fallon’s jokes were actually hitting tonight. He did always enjoy the thank you notes segments. Jack sat up a little straighter when he heard Jimmy announce the first guest of the night. “I’ve been wanting to meet this talented individual for awhile now, and she’s finally here. Please welcome, first time Grammy winner, Maryse Monet!”

Jack watched as the curtains opened and Maryse’s beautiful smile spread across his TV screen. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked with her half up half down hairstyle with her curls bouncing as she walked across the stage to Jimmy. Maryse wore a simple black mini dress paired with boots but she looked as beautiful as ever. Jack leaned in closer to the screen with his elbows on his knees, ready to learn more about her. 

“Welcome to the show, I’m so happy you’re here! This is your first talk show!” Jimmy says as he leans against his desk.

“Yeah! Kinda crazy when you think about it, so thank you for having me on!” Maryse replies with another smile, and waves to the audience in front of her as they cheer. 

“Of course, of course! I can’t have you on here and not congratulate you on your first ever Grammy!” Jimmy tells her and claps along with the crowd. Maryse covers her face shyly, trying to hide her blushing. 

“Seriously, thank you guys so much. It still feels like a dream that I hope I never wake up from.”

“And who would I be if I didn’t bring up what happened as you were going on stage to accept your award.”

“Oh what? Me, almost embarrassing myself!” Maryse said with a laugh.

Jimmy tries to hold in his laughter, and nods “Well, yes! Here’s the clip!” 

Jack relaxes into the couch again as they play the clip. He watched as he could be seen quickly walking towards the stage to help Maryse before she fell. He was glad he was able to reach her in time. The video turns back to showing Maryse with her head down in her lap, and Jimmy laughing. “I think my favorite part was your facial expression as you were about to fall.”

“Yeah, I think the only thing that was running through my head was “oh my god I’m about to eat shit in front of Beyoncé!””

Jimmy's head falls back in laughter before he reaches over and peeks over his desk. “I see you’re still wearing heels so it couldn’t have been that bad!”

Jack goans a little as he watches Maryse raise her leg up to show off her heeled boots.

“To be fair, these heels are a lot thicker than the shoes I was wearing to the Grammys!”

Jimmy nods before telling Maryse she had a point. 

“This clip has gone viral on the internet! They’re literally going crazy over Jack Harlow rushing over to save you. He’s so great, I love that guy!”

“Yeah, I honestly should send him a fruit basket or something to thank him.”

Jimmy nodded in agreement. “You definitely should! One of the biggest rappers in the world right now saving the day!”

Maryse leans against the chair. “My friends made sure to tease me before congratulating me that night.” She says with a shake of the head. 

“Yeah, we actually have your Instagram post that you posted after the Grammys.” Jimmy reached behind his desk to pull out the cardboard with your instagram post on it. 

“There’s Doja Cat reminding you about you tripping…”

Maryse leaned over the armchair to point at her comment. “Can I just add that she replied to this while sitting right next to me!”

Jimmy laughed again. “But my favorite part of this post was Jack Harlow himself commenting that he'd be your hero anyday!”

Jimmy and the live audience dramatically awed at Jack’s comment. Maryse couldn't help but smile. 

“Did you guys speak after the fact?” Jimmy asked. 

“No! I’m so upset about it! After I left the stage, I was dragged around doing interviews so I never saw him again to thank him. Not a lot of people know this but I recently got into his music and it’s amazing. I’m a huge fan!”

“Oh man! We gotta get you guys to meet! It’s only right!” 

Maryse looked towards the camera. “Jack Harlow, if you’re ever in town please contact me! I’ll treat you to lunch.”

Jack's breath hitched in his throat. Maryse was starting so intensely into the camera he felt like she was actually standing in front of him. 

“If you get any closer to the screen, you’ll be kissing it.”

Jack jumped and dropped the remote at the sound of Urban’s voice behind him. 

“Fuck! Man what are you doing here?!” Jack rubbed a hand over his face, before placing it over his chest to rest his fast beating heart. 

Urban jumped over behind the couch and plopped down before giving him a weird look. “I live here.” He said with a shrug. 

“not for much longer, if I got anything to do about it.” Jack mumbled.

Jack watched as Jimmy went to the commercial. Annoyed that Urban interrupted him watching the rest of the interview. 

“I don’t understand why you’re still sitting here and not immediately calling her.” Urban questioned him.

Jack rolled his eyes at his best friend. “Now why would I do that?”

“Dude, I know I’m high, but I’m not that damn high. She just got on national television and asked you out. She’s bold as hell. Besides, now’s the best time to do it. There wouldn’t be any awkwardness since she got that out the way when she tripped.” Urban shrugged once more before handing Jack his phone off the table in front of them. 

“I don’t even know her number.” Jack told him. “My brother, it is not the 90s you can slide in her dms and get it from her. Plus, is it not half of Neelam’s job to get important peoples numbers for you. She’s not doing her job correctly!”

Jack ignored him as he pulled up to Maryse’s Instagram dms and typed out a message. 

“Wait, it’s bootycall hours. I’ll send the dm in the morning.” Jack said. 

Urban snatched the phone from Jack before pressing send on the DM before Jack could stop him. “Oh man, you got it BAD. When have you ever cared about any of that!”

Jack huffed before taking his phone back. Jack isn’t scared to admit that Maryse was taking up real estate in his mind since that night at the Grammys. He played that moment over and over in his head. Maryse was beautiful, with an even more beautiful voice. Now after hearing that she was a huge fan, he was dying to meet her properly. 

“I just don’t want to mess things up before we even meet.” Jack said running a hand through his messy curls

“You dming late is not going to ruin anything, she probably won’t even see till morning anyway.” Urban said as he stood up from the couch and patted Jack lightly on the shoulder. 

“Now, you just reminded me. It is demon hours, and I’ve got some ladies to call.”

“Sick freak!” Jack yelled over his shoulder at Urban

“Yeah yeah, call me whatever you want.”

LIFEOFMONET

liked by dojacat, hallebailey, milaj, natewilliams, easymoneysniper, druski, Ciara and 378,045 others

lifeofmonet: What a time. Thank you @jimmyfallon

view all 6,046 comments

user: girl you find as he’ll I won’t u

user: you shooting your shot to jack 🫢

user: pick me, choose me, love me

user: step on me!!!

lilnasx: A STAR!

saweetie: DON’T HURT EM TOO BAD!!

user: need new music bad 😫😫

user: bitch you baaaaad!

user: I know Nate screaming and crying

Maryse groaned out loud at the name that just popped up in her phone. Her ex boyfriend Nate was calling her again. Ever since he found out she moved back to New York after leaving to live with Saweetie in California for a year after the break up he’s been calling her multiple times a day. 

Nate knew Maryse like the back of her hand. He knew she would always have a weak spot for him. No matter what. That’s the main reason why Maryse stayed in the relationship for so long. She was sick of giving him second chnaces. It hurt having to break up with the guy she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. She refused to keep setting herself on fire to keep him warm.

When her phone rung again for the fifth time in a span of 15 minutes, she decided to answer. 

“What do you want, Nate.” Maryse was sick of this. It was one o’clock in the morning. She could hear the shuffling of the phone in the background and loud music playing. 

“Damn girl, I can’t even get a hello” Maryse could hear the slur of his voice. Letting her know he was drinking.

“No, you can’t, where are you? I can hardly hear with the loud music playing.” Maryse had to pull the phone away from her ear before it busted her eardrums. 

“Come pick me up baby! The boys and I just went out for a few drinks before hitting a few clubs.” Nate says into the phone, she could hear him a little better now. She assumed he walked outside. 

“I can’t come and pick you up, and you know that.” Maryse sighed with regret. Wishing she never picked up the phone. 

“Damn, a bitch wins a Grammy and she start acting real Hollywood.” Nate cursed into the phone. 

“Don’t call me again, Nate. You can go to hell with gasoline draws on.” Maryse hung up the phone, not giving him a chance to reply back. 

“Stupid muthafucka.” She mumbled before throwing her phone down. 

Maryse grabbed her extra pillow before placing it on her head and let out a muffled scream. Talking to Nate always puts her in a bad mood. Nate brought out the worst in her. 

Maryse felt her phone chime, informing her that she had an incoming message.

“I swear to god, if that’s his bitch ass again…” Maryse says under her breath as she sat up in her bed to see who the message was from. Her eyes widened when she saw it was a DM from Jack Harlow himself. 

Maryse flipped over on stomach and kicked her feet up in the air. Her stomach was doing front flips reading his message to accept her offer for lunch. She wasn’t expecting Jack to respond so fast, or even at all. Maryse immediately messaged him back. “Thank god, I’d have been super embarrassed if you turned me down!”  It was 2am, so she wasn’t expecting a response until morning the earliest so Maryse was shocked when Jack replied back so quickly.

“I mean, I’d be an idiot if I turned down free lunch.” Maryse laughed at his response, as she was typing a response, another one came in. “I’m back in my hometown right now recording my second album, but I’ll be in New York next week for a couple meetings, will you still be in town?”

Maryse was starting to get giddy at the idea of hanging out with Jack. Quickly texting him back that she would still be in town. “Send me your number and we can talk details later this week!”

"hopefully, not during bootycall hours" Maryse laughed when all Jack sent back was the facepalm emoji.

As soon as Maryse got his number she immediately texted him how she couldn’t wait to meet him properly and wished him a good night. Maryse went to bed that night with a smile on her face. 

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

Maryse was in the studio sitting behind a piano with her songbook beside and microphone in front of her. She slowly starts pressing her fingers against the keys and starts singing.

“No more second chances, chances, Always tryna take advantage, 'vantage. I can't give him no more chances, chances So I'd rather walk away. It'd be wrong for me to stay, 'Cause that means you got your way.”

“That sounded great Maryse, that should be perfect for the chorus. Let’s take lunch and come back with you hopefully having at least verse one done.” Howard, her producer said from the control room, giving her a knowing look and leaving the studio. 

Maryse sighed before pulling her headset off. She had verses written, she just felt like the song was missing something. Walking out the booth she grabbed her phone deciding to catch up on the outside world before she got back to work. 

Turning her phone back on, she noticed 2 missed calls from Jack. Maryse immediately started to panic. She was supposed to meet him for lunch 15 minutes ago. Maryse cursed out loud before quickly calling him back. 

Jack answered on the first ring thankfully, she spoke before he could even say hello. “Jack, oh my god I’m so so sorry. I’ve been stuck at the studio all morning trying to finish this song and I completely lost track of time! I understand if you never wanna speak—“

“MARYSE!” Maryse got silent as Jack cut her off.

She could hear him laughing lightly chuckling in the background. “It’s fine, I promise. I get it, I’m also in album mode.”

Maryse sighed in relief. She still felt like the biggest asshole. She opened her mouth to apologize again before Jack cut her off once again. 

“Don’t apologize again!”

“You didn’t even let me get it out!” Maryse exclaimed.

“Are you still at the studio?” Jack suddenly asked her.

Biting her lip Maryse replied that she was indeed still at the studio and would probably be for the rest of the day. 

“Well, I cleared my whole day out to hang out with you, so how about you send me your location and I’ll pick us up some lunch and I’ll head over there to you?” Jack suggested. 

“You’d really still want to hang out with me?” Maryse questioned. She couldn’t believe that she basically stood him up and he was still willing to meet her, even if it’s at the studio. 

“Yeah why wouldn’t I? Now, drop me the pin!” Jack hung up the phone before Maryse could even reply back.

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

Jack couldn’t wipe the smile off his face watching Maryse laugh at his story. “Wait wait, so let me get this straight! You walked into the school's auditorium, got up on stage and performed Fergalicious?!”

Jack nodded, covering his mouth as he chewed his food. “Yeah, I was grabbing my crotch and everything! Honestly, looking back I’m shocked I didn’t get in more trouble.”

He watched as Maryse started to calm down from her laughter. Wiping the tears that had fell from her eyes from laughing so hard. “God, that’s freaking hilarious! The only thing to do now, is to make that principle eat their words and make a song with Fergie.”

“That would be a dream come true.” 

“Manifest that shit, it’s gonna happen one day and I’ll be in the audience cheering my ass off when y’all perform it! I won’t even say “I told you so” Maryse said, giving Jack a smile. 

Jack returned the smile and reached over and grabbed her notebook on the table in front of them. “Now, your manager CoCo said I could only stay to hang out if I helped with this track so let’s see what you got.”

“It’s a rough draft so sorry for all the scribbling on the pages.”

Jack responded without even looking at her while still reading the lyrics. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“This is really good, but I see what you’re saying about something being missing.” 

Jack watched as Maryse groaned in frustration next to him. “I think I’m just going to take a break and work on another song.”

Jack started shaking his head at her. “Absolutely, not. I think the song just needs a male perspective.” He reached in his pocket to grab a pen about to start writing in her notebook, before his pen hit the paper he stopped himself. “My bad, I’m just taking over. Is it okay if I write something?”

He watched as Maryse sat up and excitedly nodded her head. “YES! Go ahead!” 

Jack was surprised at how fast it took him to write his verse. After 15 minutes he was pretty much done. He got Maryse’s attention, who was playing around with some chords on her guitar. 

“You’re done already? That was quick!” Maryse questioned

Jack simply just shrugged. “I really like the song and relate to it, so it came easy to me.”  Jack walked into the booth and placed the headphones on and signaled for her to play the song. He loved hearing her raw vocals, so many artists these days used much autotune, it was a nice change. Jack started rapping as her chrous stopped.

Yeah

Second chances they don't come, so I be real

Walking out on me is just a hard-to-swallow pill

Told her I would speak my mind and always keep it trill

But still I can't pull short, no, that was not part of the deal

I know how to be accountable for everything I've done

Do you wanna walk with me? Just say the word and you can run

Away from everything we built, oh yeah, I know I fucked up once

And it's bad, so I can't front

Guess I'll just smoke this blunt, yeah

Jack took the headset off and nervously ran his hands through his curls. Maryse had gone quiet and was just staring at him.

“Was it that bad?” Jack joked. He watched as she shook her head, seemingly coming out her trace.

“Are you kidding me? That was insane!” She made the mind blown motion with her hands. Jack could tell she was getting excited because she was bouncing on the tips of her toes and couldn’t stop talking with her hands. He wished he could take a picture of the expression on her face without her knowing. It was the perfect mix of wonder, admiration and astonishment.

Jack was happy he decided to visit her at the studio today. When she didn’t show up at the restaurant he was disappointed and a little embarrassed so he was glad that she called and explained what happened. Jack had a feeling Maryse Monet was going to become a huge part of his life.

“Hello, Jack! Are you listening to me?” Maryse questioned him with her hands on her hips.

Jack couldn’t help but think she looked adorable.

“Yes, now I have an idea…what if at the end of the track we ended it with me leaving a voicemail?”

“Shit, that’s fire! And you were definitely not listening to me.”

LIFEOFMONET just posted a story!

AN: they finally meet properly! 🤭 let me know what you all think. The song in the chapter is called Second Chances by Kiana Lede (ft. 6LACK) amazing artists who you should check out :)

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[sirianasims]

We had dinner at the food stall behind the gallery, talking about everything and nothing. Paul asked about my costumes and I showed him some of my cosplays and even a few original designs on my phone. He could name every single character I’d done, and I was quite thrilled to discover that he was just as much of a geek as I was. I don’t know why I had expected otherwise, considering the kind of roles he played.

He told me he’d loved comics and superheroes since he was a child, so when the casting call for a live-action Llama Man series went out he had jumped at the chance even though he knew the risk.

And he’d been right. By the time the series ended, he was too established as Llama Man and casting directors were passing him over for more serious roles.

He didn’t seem to mind that much though. He said that being a lead actor was hard work and he much preferred smaller roles where he could have some more creative input. These days, he mostly worked on Llama Man: The Animated Series and a few other voice acting gigs.

After the gallery closed, we found ourselves on a bench outside. The night was warm. I didn’t feel like going back to my apartment yet, and Paul didn’t seem to be in any hurry either.

“Finally, the director told me that if I didn’t get it together, he was going to replace me with an actual llama next season. So, obviously I had to bring a llama for the launch party. He did not appreciate the gesture. Turns out very few llamas are house-trained.”

Our laughter echoed slightly in the empty plaza.

“You know, you remind me a little of my grandfather.”

“Ouch. You wound me. I’m not even forty, you know.”

“No, I mean, he was an actor as well. Conrad Richards. He loved pranks like that too.”

“Conrad Richards was your grandfather?”

“Well, he married my grandmother, but he was always grandpa Conrad to me.”

“That’s amazing. I was a big fan of his, actually. I liked how he always seemed to have fun with it, not like those actors who take themselves too seriously.”

“Yeah, he never took anything seriously. In every memory I have of him, he’s laughing.” My voice wavered slightly. “Sorry, I still miss him a lot.”

“Understandable.”

Paul took my hand.

“I wish I could tell you that it gets easier, but the truth is, it doesn’t. You just get better at carrying the pain.”

He looked away, seemingly lost in thought.

“When my father died, my mother told me that grief is just love that no longer has a home. It has nowhere to go. So, what you need to do is give it a new home. Surround yourself with friends and family. Love the ones you have left even harder. It doesn’t make the grief go away, but they will help you carry it.”

He cleared his throat and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. I immediately missed the warmth.

“Thank you, Paul. I mean it.”

“You’re welcome. Julia.”

We sat in silence for a moment. Then, he looked at his watch and smiled at me, back to his cheerful self.

“Sadly, as much as I’d love to, we can’t sit here and chat all night. I have to catch a flight back to the Valley in the morning. So unless you feel like walking me to my hotel to make sure I don’t get lost, we should probably part ways.”

“Sure. Where’s your hotel, then?”

He hesitated, his eyes searching my face.

“ZenView Heights. But -“

I leapt to my feet. “It’s this way.”

Paul grabbed my wrist and looked at me with a serious expression.

“Julia, it was a joke. And that’s way too far to walk. Are you really sure about coming back to my hotel?”

I tried to listen for that little voice in my head, the one that was supposed to warn me when I was about to do something stupid, but there was only silence. 

And Paul.

I nodded, slightly surprised at myself. Paul sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t even know what I’m doing any more,” he muttered as we walked to the street to find a taxi.

beginning / previous / next

[lo1k-diamonds]

Carnation 💜 Chapter 1

PAIRING: idol!Jin x OC

SUMMARY: In early 2018, BTS were at a crossroads: after working so hard to set foot in the music industry of South Korea, their sudden jump into stardom became something they never anticipated. Jin believed in his dongsaengs but was just as lost as them when his soulmate entered the picture.

WORD COUNT: 3.3k (Total: 25.3k)

GENRE: Soulmate AU, s2l

RATING: Teen (for drinking, cussing and tension)

WARNINGS: mild angst for talks of disbanding and burnout

(You can also read it on AO3, originally posted June 2023)

A.N. I have this poll I've been meaning to do about my soulmate series and to do so, I thought I should probably introduce those stories first 😅😋Jin's story is the first of the Soul Palette Series though it serves as a prequel to Call You Mine. I'm thinking of uploading each story's 1st chapter to give you all a taste 😋

Masterlist | Masterpost | Scroll my stories on Tumblr | Schedule and WIPs

“ARMY! I remember early this year. We were mentally struggling at the beginning of the year. While talking amongst ourselves, we even considered disbanding. I’m relieved that we got ourselves together and were able to bring good outcomes. I want to thank our members who helped me get myself together and the ARMYs who love us. Thank you so much. ” Jin, MAMA, 2018

January 3rd 2018

“It’s hard… It’s really hard.”

Jimin’s words were lost in the silence of the room as the seven Bangtan members looked either at the floor or at nowhere in particular while they went over everything that had been said.

Jungkook never knew anything else but that life with his brothers and had stated very clearly that he wanted to fight until he couldn’t breathe or move anymore. His passion was only matched by his perseverance because they all knew how hard he had it, how tough it was, and the sacrifices he had to make growing up totally lined up for that life only. It didn’t make the others feel particularly better, but they understood his feelings.

Taehyung was teary-eyed and looking at a random place on the wall. He was quiet, he had the tendency to turn inwards when he was facing something extremely difficult. He admitted he was unhappy with the constant pressure that sometimes felt like a gag, with the continual invasion of privacy, with the lack of control over what the future looked like.

Jimin understood his feelings and agreed. He pointed out the only silver lining — the ARMYs who supported them unconditionally and had done so from the start.

“It feels somehow… like a failure, to disappoint them like this,” Yoongi had quietly answered then. “Because we fought so desperately to be worthy of their love, and now that it’s getting so big… it risks being too much.”

“I feel so ungrateful, seriously,” Hoseok had said in contempt of himself, hiding his face.

“They would understand,” Namjoon said. 

Their leader was sitting on a table, stiff body clearly physically fighting that difficult topic with all its might. He would usually give them the stability they needed but at the expense of his own insecurities and doubts.

Yoongi had expressed he wanted to make music, purely and simply. “After all this time… I can’t see myself without BTS. We’re family, you are family to me.”

“Ah seriously,” Hoseok complained, cleaning his tears as were all others, to one degree or another.

“Hyung,” Taehyung complained.

“You choose to tell us your heart right now?” Jimin added, cleaning his eyes.

“Of course right now, keep going Yoongi,” Jin enthused, and Yoongi nodded with a small smile.

“My heart… would be incomplete without you guys. It would get lonely, in the studio too. My music… would get quiet without you guys. But I won't pressure you, because you’re so precious to me. I just want you to be happy.”

“Hyung—” Jungkook’s voice vanished in tears.

“We’re happy by your side,” Taehyung cried, hiding his face.

“We’re family, that will never change,” Namjoon declared, sniffling right after.

“But can we keep giving a perfect performance?” Hobi’s jaw was a firm line as he suppressed his emotions to be able to ask them clearly. “Can we keep this up? Because I’m not sure what I fear most: disappointing ARMYs, or disappointing ourselves.”

“It’s hard… It’s really hard.”

And now, there they were, staring at each other quietly. Until Jin decided to smile and say something, seeing that even Namjoon was stumped in his own thoughts.

“We should all sleep on it and not decide anything immediately. We started this together, we can decide this together. Tomorrow we can talk better about this.”

“But… we’re not disbanding, right?” Jungkook asked, voice shaking as he eyed his hyungs anxiously.

“No.”

“No, we’re not,” Hobi smiled.

“We’re talking and we should think about this. Jin-hyung is right,” Namjoon said, getting up. “We can think of ways that could make this work and of how to better ourselves. If we decide to disband, it won't be for lack of trying to figure this out.”

Every member got up except for Jin, who stayed behind sitting on a chair while everyone passed by him, and Namjoon, who heaved a deep breath and hid his face, the pressure finally cracking through. Jin could read his tension and stress like one reads the time on a clock, and as usual, he felt for Namjoon. He was the leader and felt like he was failing them at a deeply personal level, and it was so hard for him. He could act tough and provide everyone with the smarts needed, but deep down he was hurting and doubtful.

Jin got up and placed his hand on Namjoon’s shoulder, who then raised his head. 

“This is not your fault. If anything, you guided us well thus far. You’re also a member of BTS, so go and think about yourself as an individual, as an artist. We’ll talk about this again tomorrow.”

Namjoon rubbed his watering eyes and sucked it all in before nodding. “Thank you, hyung.”

“Of course,” Jin smiled reassuringly. “I’m going for a walk, don't wait up for me.”

“Now?” Namjoon frowned in confusion and Jin scoffed.

“It’s like ten pm, it’s not that late. I’ll be right back.”

He waved Namjoon goodbye quickly after getting ready and rushed out. He needed to breathe as well and the cold new year air would do him some good.

It was hard, it was really hard. However, he felt sort of stuck in a position where he couldn’t say much. Yes, it was hard, but it had always been hard for him. 

He was the oldest, not the leader but definitely the one that looked after them from the day he joined. From making sure Namjoon and Yoongi sorted their differences, to scolding Jungkook for staying in his room by himself, to reminding Tae and Jimin to do their homework, to ordering Hoseok to rest or else, to cooking for all of them— He had become the hyung they needed and he was very thankful he did. He would have never become who he was today otherwise.

But giving and taking care of them was a responsibility, not a chore. What really made it difficult was, well, all the ways he was lacking. He was scouted for his looks, what the heck was that worth?

He chuckled as he made his way down the street to his favorite park. His freaking looks when the others were rappers, lyricists, producers, dancers, and singers. Sure he thought he could act, but that didn't measure up to the others.

So he was always behind and that was really hard. He was the hyung, he had to set an example, but he was lacking in every single aspect of what would make a valuable member. But he tried. That was it, that's all he did. He heard the hate, the harsh comments, the criticism, and he agreed. He was behind, he was slower, he wasn't sharp, he had less vocal range, he—

He sighed, it was hard. But for them, he tried. He wasn't perfect, he was still lacking, but he had worked hard to improve in every way. He had to do it to be able to even show his face to his precious dongsaengs.

So now what?

He didn't want to yell at them for giving up when he had tried so hard, but a minuscule part of him wanted to. Not because his own work would go to waste, he was a better man now than he could have ever hoped to become, but because if they didn't deserve the hype, the praise, and love, then who the hell did?

No one deserved it more than them, absolutely no one! That was what truly made him mad — for all the bullshit they had to take, they deserved every fan, praise, award, and gentleness. They were incredibly talented and kind human beings, he believed they had so much more to do still. So why not stay together?

Was that selfish of him? Sure, every single one of them individually could achieve greatness, be it as musicians, artists, actors, what have you. But he… he loved being with them, being in the group. That life, that family, he didn't want to let it go. He didn't want it to end.

The end was… suffocating. He knew it would come one day, whether now or later, and in many ways it was healthy to debate the end and choose to continue. Only then could everyone be on the same page and happy with the future. But damn was it suffocating. It was worse than letting go of a first love, it was like cutting off a limb. He couldn’t live without them.

They had all done so much. He had managed to graduate from university while shooting and promoting and it had been the most draining experience yet. But he couldn’t hold them back, 2017 was the year of breakthroughs, of pioneering and his degree was in many instances not a priority at all. 

They finished the Wings tour while already preparing for the Love Yourself phase, where they finally had nearly full control of the full artistic process. He was so looking forward to it, it spoke of their fears and wishes to a visceral level. It was their message, ideology, and the footprint they would leave behind. Hopefully, if it was worth it, their legacy. They had to go through with it, the world had to see it.

But in order to go through with it, they had to decide. If the company was to schedule the world tour for the second half of the year then they had to commit. They couldn’t announce projects and concerts and then fall through. And that was where all problems started.

It was just too hard. They had fought so hard to have a spot in the limelight, but now they were basically being thrust into it successively and carelessly. 

Of course they never knew it would get this big, so at first it just sounded good, a worthwhile opportunity to do more, to reach further, to spread their positive message. UNICEF heard of the ‘Love Yourself’ message and one domino pushed the other. They just couldn’t refuse to use their voice for the greater good. They dedicated themselves to spreading the message, creating merch to donate to the cause, and to making ARMY proud. And in return, ARMY helped them reach new heights.

With every award, from Best in Music at the 9th annual Shorty Awards to Top Social Artist at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, they had hoped to bring someone closer to peace, fend off loneliness, and have more people enjoying their vibe. They were the first K-pop group to enter the Billboard Hot 100 with a single, 'DNA', and album, 'Love Yourself: Her'. They were thankful to their fans, who gave BTS the opportunity to be at the Billboard Music Awards in what was their first television appearance in the US, so later when they were asked to perform, they said yes. BTS was the first K-pop act to perform at the American Music Awards with DNA, and from then on the ball kept rolling. They filmed so many shows, Jin wasn’t quite sure what was what and when. And now they were just back from performing at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square, New York, and they couldn’t stop. The next phase was here, not even a week of rest and they were back in the company deciding things and planning. It was exhausting, hallucinating, frightening and that was why they were at the rope’s end.

The company wanted to profit from the wave, the producers wanted recognition, the fans wanted them to achieve new unsurmountable records every day and meanwhile, BTS was just left exhausted, trying to not bite off more than they could chew. Now the opportunity had turned into a heavy constant pressure on their neck that they couldn't shake off. They couldn’t say no, that would be spitting back at ARMYs, that could never be. It was just… hard.

He knew it was, he could see how draining it was but… he still wanted to push through. He didn’t know how exactly and that was what he needed to figure out, because as their hyung—

He suddenly stopped his thoughts and looked around, confused. Yes, he was there at Yeouido Hangang Park as was normal for him when he strolled. It was maybe ten thirty in the evening now, but the street lights made it look almost like daytime. There was no crowd at that hour, but there were still a fair amount of people either coming off work or going to work, or drunk after dinner or going to have dinner. He looked at those people passing him by from where he was seated on a bench and he wondered what was wrong with him. Clearly, everything else seemed normal.

Then what the hell was that hum? He looked down at his own chest and laughed in disbelief at himself. His chest was buzzing, almost vibrating. It was so comical, was he finally losing it with the stress? Was he sitting there, wondering about ways to help the members while his own body was calling it quits?

Tears came to his eyes, he was touched so deeply the hairs on his neck stood on end. He was definitely not above crying, that was not an issue for him if that would release his stress, but that was when he realized he didn’t feel stressed. No, the buzzing hum was warm and soft and gentle, like perfume, and he got up from the bench and started looking around.

Why was he looking around when everything looked absolutely normal and that feeling was deeply sprouting out from his chest? No idea. He just had to go, there was something he needed to find. If there was a perfume, there had to be a flower, right?

There was this unmistaken breeze guiding him somewhere, he felt like a paper wind vane being blown on in a specific direction, but he couldn’t see anything that—

He froze with wide eyes just looking at the woman rushing towards him like a gust of wind. He was standing right in her way, they were on a collision course, but she was looking down while utterly absorbed in the phone call she was having. That’s when he thought, Jin you idiot, you should have been listening, not looking.

The corners of his lips rose the second he predicted she would crash into him, which he absolutely wanted for some reason, but she subverted his expectations. His features went from cheeky to slumped when she dodged him expertly and just walked right past him without even looking up.

He turned to widen his eyes at her in a complaint, but she was walking steadily and quickly away without looking back. Well, he scoffed, how could she just focus so hard on her call or whatever that she didn’t see him standing right in her way? One should pay attention to their surroundings instead of—

He gasped, Wait!

It had to be her, there was no mistaking the happiness in his heart making it bounce around inside his chest. The wind was blowing him in her direction, it was her. Her, huh? He grinned widely in the last meters to get to her, he couldn’t believe he had found her.

He grabbed her hand and she immediately turned around with shock on her face. She had been saying something on the phone, but she was now muted just staring at him with big wide eyes.

He could tell her eyes were big and expressive just at that moment, but he wondered how they would look when she smiled. Her cheeks were pink from the start of the year cold, and the little cloud of steam in front of her small heart-shaped mouth as she breathed was freakishly cute. Her long brown hair was tied in a ponytail and her jacket covered her almost to her knees, not letting him actually see much of her.

He caressed her hand with his thumb gently as he smiled at her, giving her time to come to the same realization as him — this was it. Meanwhile, a tingly sensation was shooting up his arm and filling him with an indescribable euphoria that just confirmed his belief. His eyes were shining as his lips curved in a smile full of endearment.

Yet she was just shocked, staring at him. She had felt the breeze playing with her feelings, but she thought it was the stress, the burnout, so she just focused on getting home. But that tingly sensation… it had to be, right?

But how could it be him?! He was gorgeous, what the heck was that? It was hard enough to believe they had just crossed paths like that at Yeouido Hangang Park (what were the chances?!), but how could he be so… beautiful? Symmetrical? Proportional? Flawless?

Was he real? Was he a painting? A doll? Was he just a dream? Was she dreaming?

“What’s your name?”

Her brain short-circuited. “I’ll call you back,” she murmured without thinking, putting the phone down instantly.

His voice was beautiful too, but that wasn’t possible. None of that could be happening to her, how could destiny do that to her?

“Jaehwa,” she breathed, still quite unsure if she was dreaming, and kind of hoping she was.

He smiled but looked down, he was seemingly shy yet meanwhile she could only focus on his pouty lips. He looked so adorab— 

What the hell was she thinking?!

“My name is Jin. Kim Seokjin.”

She nodded, still with wide eyes though now they were staring at his chest as if she couldn’t face him.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, raising their hands still clasped together in between them.

She blinked, a deep shade of crimson spreading on her cheeks. She could barely breathe, this wasn’t natural. What was he, a reincarnated prince?!

She stammered, “I’m… I’m not sure about what’s happening.”

“I think we’re soulmates,” he told her calmly, like a summer breeze whispering a secret. She felt a shudder, that was not possible. How could he feel so… intimate with her, like they had no secrets, when she just met him. “You know, tingling sensation and all.”

She swallowed hard, refusing to blush even more, then she bit her lip. Right. She couldn’t even bring herself to walk away, no matter how incredulous she was. She couldn’t rationalize her way around that feeling, and her skin was still humming all the way to her chest now. Her heart was reveling in the feeling as if she had been waiting all along. Well, maybe he was right. It was absolutely impossible and ridiculous but… maybe?

She took a deep breath and adjusted her coat around her neck, preventing the cold from slipping in, and to do so she had to let go of his hand.

“This will sound weird but… would it be okay if I just gave you my number?” She asked and he blinked his long eyelashes in surprise. “I’m sorry, I’m just really tired and I fear I’m just hallucinating this whole thing.”

He chuckled, “I see, I understand. We’re both quite tired, I think.”

She looked up at him — he did look tired with dark circles around his eyes, despite his smile. 

He pulled his phone out of his pocket, “How about you give me your number and I message you in the morning? Then you know if you got a message, it’s because it’s real and this really happened.”

Her eyebrows furrowed for a second before she nodded curtly, “Fine, that sounds good.”

You can go here to keep reading [ao3] (this story is finished) 💜

[xoxomoonlightxoxo]

P&C | Ch. 8: Safe Escape

➪ Playlist (Spotify) l Series Masterlist

It’s finally Monday, a brand new week but the same state of mind. I’ve been a mess since the party, trying to avoid Jungkook and everything that reminds me of him. I can’t lose myself in someone I’ve just met. It’s pathetic but wouldn’t it be better for me to end something I know I won’t be able to finish? I’ve never been one to excel in the commitment department, so I’ve always looked for a safe escape. Will it hurt? Like hell, but leading him on would definitely be worse. 

I snap out of my thoughts, shaking my head. Who do I think I am? What if Jungkook doesn’t even reciprocate whatever I’m feeling? What if he simply has chemistry with everyone? The thought of it secretly upsets me but the guy does fit the role of a crowd favorite. 

Mira: Hey, are you free? 

Jungkook: Miss me already? 

Mira: Was actually planning your assassination … 

Jungkook: Relax Peaches, and anyways, I’m at the gym right now but should be wrapping up in an hour. Why? 

Mira: I wanted to drop off your clothes. Can I meet you at the gym? 

Jungkook: No need, I’ll drive to your dormitory. 

Mira: No, no, that’s ok. I’m gonna be out anyway. 

That’s a lie, but I know exactly how the story will unfold if we meet at our usual spot. It’s better to keep boundaries, I try to reassure myself. 

Jungkook: Whatever you say, Peaches. 

Mira: See you in an hour :)

--

After my second class, I waved Tae goodbye and made my way to the train station. The main gymnasium is on the South campus which is only a 15-minute walk but I’m feeling lethargic from all the nerves. Once on the train, I go over exactly what I want to say to Jungkook. It will be short and straight to the point, I reassure myself. 

All that confidence melted away once I entered the gym. It was busier than usual, actually, how would I have known, I’d been here twice. Nonetheless, I wasted no time in trying to spot Jungkook, who was sitting on the bench beside the reception. Walking towards him, he lifts his face giving me a bright grin, his bunny teeth peeking through. His hair freshly washed, the smell of his cucumber-scented body lingering between us. 

“There you are,” I say with a soft smile. 

“I'm glad to see you, how are you feeling?” he meets my eyes, pulling his gym bag over his shoulder. 

“I’m feeling better, thank you. Again, I wanted to apologize for the way I reacted,” I try to explain, shaking my head. He finds my flustered state cute, as he folds his arms and grins back at me.

“What?” I stop, looking back at him. 

“You worry a lot, did you know that?” he chuckles, bringing me in for a hug. “I’m just glad you are alright,” he adds. This is not going to plan. I try to move but his hold is firm, and as much as I try to resist it, my body is craving his touch. Pathetic. 

“Here,” I quickly step back, putting the bag between us. I can feel my heartbeat in my throat so I avoid making direct eye contact. Jungkook lets out a chuckle and takes the bag from me. 

--

“Do you want me to drop you off?” he offers, as we make our way out of the gym. I shake my head, knowing that the train station is right across the street. 

“Nonsense, get in, it’ll be quicker,” he turns his car, as I fall into another panic.

“No, no, seriously, I um … I have to meet Jiah on the way there anyways,” I lie, hoping he would give in. That is until we hear an announcement coming from the station megaphone “Due to some technical difficulties the train will be delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience.” Phenomenal, I whisper, rubbing my temples. I guess no one wants me to set boundaries.

“Hop in,” Jungkook giggles, opening the passenger door. I can’t think of another excuse, before finally walking towards him. He buckles me in, this time I’m less shocked by the action, which is not a good sign. I should not be getting used to his habits. Nonetheless, I say thank you and return a soft smile. 

“So where are we going?” I ask as he turns on the AC. 

“I want to show you something, do you mind?” turning his gaze towards me, he analyzes my face. I dare not to look back, my mind going blank.

“Is this considered kidnapping?” I reply, earning a chuckle from him. 

“It might be, want to keep you all to myself,” he quickly answers with a grin. It sucks that we’re both sarcastic because a small part of me wishes those words meant something to him. 

“Should I call the police now or when we get there,” I continue with the skit, laughing inside at how stupid we sound. 

“Will you visit me in jail?” he asks, with genuine interest in his eyes. I stare back with furrowed brows. 

“Probably not, I might send you a postcard though,” I grin, teasing his curiosity with more sarcasm. We both end up laughing. As much as I regret it, I feel safe and comfortable when I’m around him. I wonder if he does too. I don’t know much about him aside from his academics and poor judgment in picking a band name. Bulletproof Boys. What a goof. 

--

The drive ended up being longer than I expected. This might actually be the last thing I do, ever. All jokes aside though, I couldn’t help but doze off, feeling the fresh breeze on my face. Noticing my sleeping state, Jungkook lowered the radio and put his hoodie over my body, careful not to wake me. After another half an hour, I felt the car stop. 

“Wake up sleepy head,” Jungkook whispers as I shift in my seat. Rubbing my eyes, I try to make out our location. It’s a beach. Beautiful one, to say the least. 

“Here, put this one, it’s getting chilly,” he says handing me his jacket, which I put on over his hoodie. It’s as if my plan is going backwards. Nonetheless, Jungkook locks the car and leads the way towards the sand. The sun began to set as the sky radiated a beautiful palette of blue, orange, and yellow hues. 

“Where are we?” I ask, stumbling over the little rocks. Catching my form, Jungkook intertwines his arm with mine, letting out a chuckle. 

“This is my safe escape, I used to come here often with the boys when we were in high school,” he explains. 

“Your safe escape?” I repeat softly under my breath. How did the person I tried to avoid, bring me to the destination I created the distance for? I shake my head, looking up at Jungkook. 

“What?” he lowers his gaze, noticing my red cheeks. He lets out a soft grin, cupping my face and bringing our bodies closer. “You’re cold, can’t have you getting sick because of me again,” he whispers as I smile into his embrace. 

We walk on shore, running from the emerging waves like little kids. There’s no one else here, just the two of us. We laugh at the thrill of each other's company and watch the sun finally set. That is before, Jungkook quickly grabs his phone and pulls me in front of him. 

“Smile, I want to remember this,” he giggles, his smile growing wider as I pose for the photo. 

--

Before heading back, we decided to stop by a local dumpling place, where the lovely owner treated us to some specials on the house. 

“Do you know her?” I ask, genuinely concerned about the extent of her kindness. 

“Just a natural charmer,” Jungkook replies, sending a quick wink. I scoff, trying not to roll my eyes, as the lady brings us some fresh jasmine tea. We bow, and thank her for the food. 

“OH,” I gasped. “There's shrimp dumplings, I love shrimp dumplings,” a squeal escapes my mouth as I close my eyes in pure satisfaction. It's a dish that reminds me of home, my family, and my mom specifically. When I was little we used to spend every Friday prepping batches of dumplings with various fillings. Shrimp was always my favourite. Looking up, I meet Jungkook’s eyes which are filled with pure adoration. Leaning in, he wipes the bottom of my lip before ordering two more batches of dumplings. 

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m full already,” I quickly reassure him, nodding my head. He leans back on his chair and lets out a soft smile. 

“Whatever we don’t finish we can pack up,” he replies softly, analyzing every feature on my face, which in turn begins to flush. I break the eye contact and look around the place. 

“Oh hey look, there's a photobooth,” I point, getting Jungkook’s attention. After packing the food, we cleaned our table and made our way to the booth. It had lots of accessories to choose from. Glasses, hats, wigs, even full-on costumes. Rummaging through the shelves, Jungkook yelped in excitement, attaching a peach hairclip to a tiara before carefully placing it on my head. 

“Looking good, Princess Peach,” he grins, exposing his bunny teeth, and turning me towards the mirror. I can’t help but laugh, slapping his forearm in embarrassment. 

There were no Mario props but I did find an Iron Man hat and if I’m not mistaken that was Jungkook’s favorite superhero. Calling his name to turn around, Jungkook began to clap at my discovery, and with that, we were ready for the pictures. Princess Peach and Iron Man, what a duo.

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[restlessmaknae]

After saving the world together, the son of Aphrodite takes it upon himself to get your attention by visiting your archery classes unannounced - much to your annoyance and much to everyone else's amusement.

➳ Characters: son of Aphrodite!Ten x daughter of Ares!reader/you

➳ Genre: Camp Half-Blood au, greek mythology au, comedy, enemies to lovers

➳ Words: 2.6k

➳ Warning: mentions of blood, innocent lives taken, Ten is called stupid a few times (but reader is in denial, that's why)

➳ A/N: This story is part of my '5 words, 5 stories' series for which I wrote 5 totally different stories with 5 different band members featuring the same 5 words "I'm sorry, I love you". If you're interested in the other stories, check out this link! Otherwise, they can totally be read on their own. Dedicated to @dat-town❤️

➳ Check out: my NCT masterlist

➳ NCT taglist: @dat-town, @sweetjaemss, @winterbeartaehyungbestboy, @effulgentfireflies, @stories-inbetween-the-stars, @squiishymeow, @heyditseeey

“No, widen your stance!”

“I’ve told you, you should stand at a 90 degree angle to the target!”

“What are you doing? You are not Hephaestus at work! Straighten your spine, you fool.”

It was never easy to be at Camp Half-Blood, but when you were the instructor instead of the pupil, it was even more difficult. You knew that not everyone can be a skilled archer like yourself - for instance, the kids of Aphrodite had never been one for archery -, but at least they should seem like they were trying. They should listen to you instead of going after their own heads or daydreaming about their crush in a different cabin. You were their instructor, for gods and goddesses’ sake!

Yangyang, one of the Hermes kids, let out a frustrated huff after another completely missed attempt, and instead of aiming at the target, he put one hand on his hip while holding the bow in the other, ready to throw it to the ground.

“Yangyang, you better not-”

As soon as he heard your authoritative voice and noticed your deadly glare, he pulled his lips into a (faked) innocent, boyish smile. That boy was one for tricks and smooth talking, but you never gave in to such behaviour. You were the daughter of Ares, the god of war after all. You didn’t come here to be messed with - you were determined to teach everyone how to do archery even if they were a seemingly hopeless case. Like Mark Lee who - despite being the son of Apollo, so supposedly excelling at archery - could not aim further from the target each and every time. At least, he was trying though. Even after yet again falling for Yuta’s trick (thinking that he got apple juice from the son of Dionysus, not actual alcohol), being hungover yet again, he was here, making the effort to aim at the target (even though his arrows flew everywhere like a firework).

“I was just imagining myself in a fight. I didn’t actually want to act on my intrusive thoughts,” Yangyang reasoned with a grin, and you just shook your head.

“I must warn you that we will have field archery soon, so if you can’t bring yourself to do target archery now, that will be even harder. As in, the target won’t be in a straight line like now.”

“Yes, I might stand a chance then,” Mark chirped gleefully. “I can’t bring myself to shoot in a straight line, but with field archery, I might have some luck,” he added beamingly, and you respected his optimism even though archery scarcely had anything to do with luck.

Either way, you walked up and down the archery field, correcting postures and suggesting to change bows, taking your job very seriously. After basically saving the world with a few other demigods, you decided to stay at the camp instead of leaving and trying to head for college because you knew that this camp needed some heavy training if there was ever another mission to accomplish.

Even though you were certain you could take on the world yet again, the more trained campers there were, the merrier. Besides, you couldn’t be everywhere all at once - last time you might not have been able to go and come back from the Underworld if Johnny, Kun and the others hadn’t protected the camp from a flock of monsters unleashed from the Underworld. Hades and Zeus had a beef yet again, and of course you had to be the ones to suffer the consequences.

Though it was not only you who decided to stay instead of going to college after finishing school…

“Oh, look who we have here!” The mellifluous voice of Aphrodite’s son reached your ears as you turned around even before he could signal his presence. Your hearing was good, and he didn’t exactly have the lightest steps - unlike yours, you were like a shadow, trained to be invisible and go around silently.

“Ten…” You gritted through your teeth even before you came face-to-face with his grinning face. This boy had too much confidence for someone who walked around half-naked (most of the time) and missed being shot (sadly all the time) when he decided to visit your archery classes. It seemed to be his favourite pastime activity these days.

“Don’t I look dashing today?” He inquired proudly as he swirled around in his robe. Because the damn boy wore a bathrobe, except that he didn’t bother to tie it in the front, so his whole chest was out on full display - much to the entertainment of some girls in your class.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t decide to march into my class aka march straight into the archery field all the time,” you mentioned, completely ignoring his question, as you pointed around. Ten literally walked to the centre of the field where you were supposed to say your instructions about the next exercise. If he had walked out just a few minutes earlier, someone might have shot him. Mark Lee probably would have.

“I’m sooooorry,” he pouted, but anyone could tell that it was fake acting on his part. No one did fake acting better than the Aphrodite kids. “I love you, Miss Instructor, and I just can’t bear not seeing you even for a day,” he winked at you, and you acted as if you gagged at him.

Just because you had saved the world together once, it didn’t mean that you were anything more than comrades at best. Even though you couldn’t deny that he had been there when you almost had a nervous breakdown because you had doubted your skills… Damn it, why did he have to see you at your worst?

“If you don’t want me to shoot you straight through your heart, I advise you to leave,” you warned him through gritted teeth, but as expected, he turned the tables.

“But you’ve already done that. Eros has nothing on you.”

There were a few murmurs hearing that, and a group of girls blinked at the two of you in confusion. Even though there had been rumours about you two having developed romantic feelings towards each other during the mission, they had died down a few days after your return. However, ever since peace settled into the camp again, the rumours had grown stronger again, and Ten was definitely not helping the situation with his ever so frequent (and very much unannounced) visits during your classes.

“Besides, I don’t think everyone despises my presence as much as you do,” he added smugly as he winked in a few, shushing girls’ direction. They shrieked excitedly at the gesture, acting like stupid teenagers in those stupid teen movies you had seen on TV before you realised that they were a load of trash. Well, they were teenagers after all.

“Shut up, Ten!” You rolled your eyes, and you were ready to push him off the field when he looked back at you, his lips slowly curling upwards, curling seductively, and you knew it, you could feel what was about to come. “If you dare to say ‘make me’, I’ll shove you off right now,” you added before he could open his mouth, but that just fuelled his fire even more.

“Looks like someone knows me too well.”

“Looks like someone chatted way too much on our way to literal Hell.”

“Well, I can’t deny that I had a good time.”

“Well, I didn’t,” you bantered with him because you could not let him win this one. You were the daughter of Ares, you didn’t just lose to a guy with the IQ of a fish.

Ten was about to open his mouth, but Johnny showed up in his usual training clothes, and you knew that it signalled the end of your class because the campers were supposed to have his lesson after yours. Yangyang was overjoyed at the arrival of the son of Artemis while Mark Lee whimpered that he wanted to try some more to see if he could have any luck today.

“Bye bye, Miss Instructor!” Ten waved at you as he was scurrying away, and you couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Johnny.

“He leaves only when the class is over, that dumbass.”

“Not gonna lie, he’s trying hard to get your attention,” Johnny pointed out, bemused, and you couldn’t help but realise that there had not been any rumours about Ten being with girls since you had returned to the camp together. Flirting with girls? Yes, he was still doing that, but he was the son of Aphrodite, it came with his blood, but being with girls and seen kissing girls like he had been before your mission… you had not yet heard such rumours. Maybe that’s why everyone believed that you were actually together.

You shrugged though, trying not to think of the way he looked at you, the way he held your hand and squeezed it and the way he had promised you that everything would be alright when your plan had almost fallen through during your mission.

Back then, you had just escaped the Underworld together with Ten only to get to know from Persephone that Hades was currently outside, doing god knows what. Meanwhile, storms were raging, tsunamis flooded cities, drought dried out lands of crops, and ultimately, people were suffering and dying as a consequence. That’s what you had always hated about the gods and goddesses: no matter what, they could never find peace, and whenever they stirred up trouble, it affected humans in the human world. Innocent humans, women, men, children, parents, sisters, brothers… All because these so-called mighty immortals could not control their feelings.

Your best chance afterwards had been to visit Hermes because he always knew where to find someone. At least, he knew where to start finding him. However, instead of a direct answer, Hermes had told you that his roadways had been distributed due to the turbulence in weather, so he couldn’t have helped you. Instead, he had directed you to Anemoi, the wind gods, because they might be able to lend you their compass to tell you the direction of Hades. For that, you had to travel to the Tower of the Winds in Athens, and on your way, you had not only lost precious time but also hope.

With Hades’ rage, many monsters from the Underworld had emerged, and you had to constantly battle through them as they had started popping up out of nowhere. You had been hurt, sleep-deprived and very, very tired of this whole thing by this point, no wonder you had not been in the best mood while you had been walking towards the Tower of the Winds (and to do that, you had to go there after closing hours and turn off the security cameras around, so ultimately breaking the law here and there), and Ten had picked up on it.

“Are you going to stay silent for the rest of the mission?” The boy had asked, breaking the silence that had been stretched between you two ever since the son of Aphrodite had realised that you would not react to his words, let alone snap at him for his stupidest ideas.

You had continued walking forward sulkily, not in the mood for small talk, but he had grabbed your wrist, making you turn towards him. Your immediate reaction had been to fight back, but he had seemed to expect that, hence he had yanked your other hand away before you could peel his fingers off.

“Hey, I know you’re mad, but it’s going to be alright. We’ll put an end to this soon, I can feel it.”

“You and your optimism…” You had tsked snarkily, your mood not at all lifted by his supposedly motivational words.

“I know you feel like the weight of the world is on you, and I know you think that I can’t compare to you which is, in a way, actually true because you can kick ass better than anyone at Camp Half-Blood,” he had started again, and hearing that, your lips had curled upwards just a bit. Only a bit. Ten wasn’t one to flatter anyone but himself, so his compliment had meant a lot to you.”But let me share that burden with you, just for the duration of this mission. You can go back to hating me afterwards, but let me help whenever I can.”

“I don’t hate you,” you had blurted out, your voice coming out raspy after not speaking up for so long. Hearing that, the boy’s eyebrows had elevated, and his lips had started to curl into a smile, but before he could have continued, you had added: “I just find you annoying.”

“I prefer annoyingly handsome, but I’ll let it slide this time,” he had joked, and you couldn’t have found the will in you to go against him, not this time.

When he had let his features become solemn again, he had just stared at you for a few seconds, and you had this jarring feeling stirring up something inside your heart. You weren’t one to let anyone close to you, but spending so much time together while hopefully saving the world had undeniably brought you two closer and he had seen you in so many ugly and vulnerable situations (such as meeting your father on the way to Hermes, and having to hear from him that you had been nothing but a nuisance in his eyes because someone who was focused on battle all the time shouldn’t have made the mistake of having a child like you, a girl on top of that even though he had had many love affairs during his lifetime), seen you sleeping with your hands balled into fists, your knife by your side, seen you cry when some monsters from the Underworld had attacked a child, and you couldn’t have saved her… So yeah, the list was long by that time.

“If anyone can do it, it’s you. It will be alright, I promise,” he had told you, and this time, it had seemed convincing. You had felt yourself soften a bit, and may it have been because of your less alarmed body language or the solemnity of the situation, but the boy had squeezed your hand and you had let it, you had let him do so.

For once, you had wanted someone to hold you like that, so you wouldn’t need to be the one to always keep yourself together, and no matter how much you would have wanted to deny it, it had been him. The one you had supposedly found annoying and bratty and self-centered before this very mission.

“Hey! Are you okay? You had been zoning out a bit,” Johnny’s familiar voice brought you back to reality, and you shook your head in an attempt to shake off the remaining parts of the flashback. You swore you could have felt the ghost of Ten’s touch on your fingers though.

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I still find him annoying,” you clarified as a belated point to your previous conversation, and let Johnny smirk to himself all he wanted, you headed to your own cabin.

A voice in your head gawked at you though, repeating the same word over and over again: liar, liar, liar…

Maybe one day, you will be brave enough to confront your feelings instead of denying them, but that day was not today.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading the fic! Personally, I really enjoyed writing it as I love the setting and also sassy Ten is just iconic haha

As always, you can let me know what you thought through asks/DMs/reblogs.

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for NCT or for other bands/artists, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️

[dontmindme2600]

Hi again......If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

OH MY GOD I’D LIKE TO APOLOGIZE BECAUSE MY BAD BECAUSE I LEFT THIS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS AND TOTALLY FORGOT TO ANSWER THIS!! Anyways, top 7, in no particular order:

Hunter x Hunter: I’m not as into this as I was in middle school but it’s never left my mind. Definitely my favorite shonen, Togashi’s originality with the series is really refreshing. (I also love Yu Yu Hakusho by him!!) As weird as it gets the characters and story are always a blast to follow. The villains also go hard. I finished the 2011 anime and I have up to volume 13 of the manga! I’d love to catch up fully since it’s being updated again, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s something that I’ve always been inspired by even if I don’t want to make something that’s gonna be EXACTLY like it anymore lol.

Cowboy Bebop: I tried to limit myself to one (1) Shinichiro Watanabe anime for this list, but his other stuff fucks as well. I love Spike. (bet you never would’ve guessed!!) It’s hard to put into words in a way that doesn’t sound incredibly dumb. But. Every character introduced has their own unique worldview, backstory, flaws, etc. It sounds so fucking stupid because yeah, that’s what a character is supposed to have?? But this anime does that REALLY well?? I think what I’m trying to say is that the show does a great job of presenting different lifestyles and perspectives without worrying about making the audience uncomfortable. The anime is all about human connections and how they impact the characters and I LOVE that. It was also pretty moving to me, lots of great emotional moments. The episode where they find Faye’s old cassette recording and the one with Gren’s death will always stay with me. (Also the Andy one, but only because I think it’s funny as hell.) Watanabe is my favorite anime director ever and if you love Bebop I recommend checking out some of his other stuff as well! (Also props to an anime director that isn’t afraid of diversity in his character designs)

Witch Hat Atelier: I’m not nearly as caught up with this as I would like to be but!!! I love the writing, worldbuilding, and characters. I wish more manga were like this. Not like, aesthetically, but like quality wise. Everything is done really well and the art and paneling is GORGEOUS omfg. Also Kamome Shirahama is a very cool and progressive person and it’s just nice to read a manga by someone like her. I’m hyped as hell for the anime and can’t wait to see WHA reach a larger audience!! (Even with all the bad stuff it may bring, lmao)

Invader Zim: This one is probably the most different from the rest of the list lol. I’ll rewatch a few episodes of this every once in a while. It’s one of the only shows I watch that actually makes me laugh out loud. I also don’t think I’ve really seen anything else like it??? Sure there’s stuff that’s it’s pretty similar to but you cant really say, “wow, this is exactly like ____!” which is super cool. There’s not a major character in the show that I can say I hate or even just am neutral on, I love them all. I’m not usually a fan of stuff the gross-out humor it does, especially in the first season, but just about everything else about it just lives in my brain rent free. I think it’s a really unique and funny show and I just vibe with it stylistically as well. Seriously, I love the art style and just overall,,, edgy vibe. I absolutely do not care that it’s a kid’s show and I unironically think it’s super cool lmao. I know should probably check out some of Jhonen’s other stuff but I haven’t done that yet…

The Ace Attorney Trilogy: This one is more so just Shu Takumi in general. It’s a hard choice because I love Apollo Justice as well, and I also considered Ghost Trick (also by Takumi) but Agh!! The trilogy is the most iconic to me so I’m going with that. I just love seeing and interacting with all the unique characters the series has to offer. I’ve always liked how Takumi isn’t afraid to stray away from the generic skinny anime designs for his characters, it makes his characters feel very unique and memorable. He seems to be against having most of his characters be one dimensional, giving them their own struggles and aspirations, regardless of if they’re a “silly” character or not. I love it! It makes them more memorable and enjoyable than many other visual novel characters to me. (Please remember that I also love Ghost Trick holy fuck it’s so good)

Yakuza 0: I’m going to be 100% for real and admit that I discovered this series because of a bunch of stupid clips I saw of it on YouTube. It wasn’t the dame da ne memes, this was before that. But like, clips of all the silly stuff you can do in game like dance, receive a chicken as a gift for winning at bowling, assign said chicken a position at your real estate business, etc. So I bought it on a whim looking for a laugh. And. Holy FUCK. I did not expect the actual real serious story of this game to hit me as hard as it did. Just a good, moving story. I was THOROUGHLY emotionally invested in both Majima and Kiryu’s storylines by like, chapter 2 for both of them. I think it made me cry?? The fact that you can experience both that and the stupid shit, on top of the fun combat, makes it an S tier game for me. I plan to continue with the rest of the series (so far I’ve gotten through Kiwami 1 and 2 and loved them) but 0 has so far been my absolute favorite.

Pokemon: It’s not a perfect series but I always find myself getting back into it for a while every year. I’ve been a fan since I was just old enough to read, what can else can I say? I don’t have a super deep reason for this it’s just something that’s always been comfortable and fun!! The worldbuilding, story, music, and characters, really shine through in some of my favorite games in the series. And regardless of story, the gameplay is always fun.

It’s hard for me to determine my favorite anything but for this I tried to go by:

-How often I ended up going back to these

-How much each work made an emotional impact on me (not just the deep stuff, can also include things like making me laugh)

-How much each of these inspired me (like as in inspired my art or made me think “I want to make something like that!!!”) I think I’ve thought to that at least once for everything in here! It’s actually kind of scary because they’re all so different-

I’m probably missing something here but this should give you an idea!! If I spend any longer on this I’m just gonna keep changing it lolllll

[sesshy380]

Here is the reminder that no one asked for that I have a crackfic series where my longfic characters argue with the author. Also, it's the source of the only 'Holiday' themed work I have on AO3. If you enjoy it, feel free to head on over to AO3 and smash that little red heart ❤️ (and maybe check out the other insanity of this series...)

Title: Talking with Myself...'Kiss Miss' Edition

Summary: ♪ Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. The very next day...I've got a jar of dir-rt! I've got a jar of dir-rt!

(I should note that the summaries to the whole series are pure nonsense)

(also I should note that the red crayon thing is a running gag)

[Yami Bakura sitting in random space, giddily coloring with his red crayon while humming the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’]

Author: Whatcha doin?

[Yami Bakura continues his scribbling without looking up]

Y.Bakura: Letting the fat man know what I want for this ‘Kiss Miss’ thing. I’m all for hot chicks, but I prefer a new knife…and maybe some more red crayons. Seriously, just order a warehouse full next time. I go through a lot.

[Author tries not to laugh]

Author: Noted. So…besides a new knife and crayons, anything else you want? Something maybe someone other than Santa Clause can get for you?

[Yami Bakura lifts his head up and give the Author a dead-pan stare]

Y.Bakura: Hate to break it to ya, but his name is ‘Satan Claws’. No wonder you can’t write anything good. You obviously have that thing where the words are jumbled up.

Author: You mean dyslexia?

Y.Bakura: I’m pretty sure that’s the name of the device you shout at to Google things.

Author: No, that’s Alexa.

Y.Bakura: I guess you can hire someone named Alexa to do that for you…but you gotta make money off your work first. Spoiler alert: You can’t make money with fanfiction. I’m tellin ya, my stuff is Pulitzer material. No copyrights or trademarks, so you can earn all the coin from the publications.

[Author nods her head while still attempting to keep a straight face]

Author: You know what, I’ll just throw some candy in a stocking. I don’t know anyone that would pass up free candy.

[Yami Bakura is visibly confused]

Y.Bakura: But if you are the one putting the candy in the socks…then does that mean there’s no Satan Claws? Who’s gonna make sure all those people die from beatings?

[Author’s turn to be visibly confused]

Author: What???

Y.Bakura: You know…all the people eat a bunch of candy from a sock and end up with the curse of ‘die from beatings’.

Author: You mean diabetes?

Y.Bakura: That’s what I just said. Oh. My. Gods. You’re deaf too?! CAN. YOU. HEAR. ME? I. ONLY. KNOW. ONE. SIGN.

[Yami Bakura proceeds to flip-off Author]

[A tear escapes from the corner of Author’s eye as she still attempts to not fall on the floor in laughter]

Author: Don’t worry. There’s still a ‘Satan Claws’. I was just going to throw some non-cursed candy in your stocking. I’ll leave the cursed stuff for the fat man. You’ll know which is his by all the glitter. And I think I’ll give you your gift early.

[Author hands a copy of the future chapters she’s been working on]

[Yami Bakura quickly glances through them, a smile slowly forming across his face]

Y.Bakura: Murder? I get the opportunity to kill someone?!?!

Author: You’re welcome.

[Yami Bakura jumps up and enthusiastically hugs the Author]

Y.Bakura: It’s a Kiss Miss miracle!

Author: Riiight…by the way, it’s pronounced Christmas.

Y.Bakura: Author, since you were so nice, I’ll ask Satan Claws to give you some writing talent. Maybe some hearing aids too, so you can hear things properly. Maybe that’s your problem? You hear everything wrong so you don’t know how it should be spelled, which in turn makes it so much harder for you to be a good writer.

[Author shakes her head in amusement and walks away]

[Yami Bakura sits back down and starts scribbling on a new sheet of paper]

Dear Satan Claws,

First off, I am a huge fan of your work. Can I ask a favor from one great killer to another? Can you bring Author one of those puppies for disabled people? I’m sure you can find one that can type. Don’t worry if it can’t spell, Author can’t spell either. Spell check does most of the work in that area. It just needs some talent when it comes to writing plots. I’ve tried to help, but Author is just too nice of a person and doesn’t want to steal credit from someone as amazing as me.

Sincerely,

Murder Fluff Thief King Bakura

P.S. I’m all for free candy, but I’m already bound to a cursed object. Can you bring me some non-cursed candy? Author said she would leave me some, but double would be better.

[out-of-the-forest-i-come]

A Power Unbound Review

This is undoubtedly a five-star review and a new personal favorite! I've been waiting for APU for a whole year and I was so impatient I kept checking Freya Marske's tumblr to see if she had posted any news about the book for the entire year. I had high expectations and she met every single one of them and then proceeded to go far beyond that. So, if you loved A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth, don't hesitate to read A Power Unbound because it was incredible!

If you want a longer and much more detailed review, you can find it under the cut or on Goodreads

spoilers for A Marvellous Light and A Restless Truth, not for A Power Unbound. tw for the book at the end of the review

As someone who has lists of favorite books because I cannot bring myself to choosing only one, I think I very well may have found my favorite series of all times, and A Power Unbound is the perfect conclusion for it.

It picks up three months after the end of A Restless Truth, in which Maud, Violet, Hawthorn, and Ross managed to retrieve the second piece of the contract. Unfortunately, their enemies know they have it, and also know they likely have the third and final piece of the contract. And they will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. With the impromptu help of one Alan Ross, it is up to the protagonists to find the knife, protect it, and prevent their enemies from ever forming the Last Contract. A task which is easier said than done.

If I had to list everything I loved about this book, it would take me days because I would have to read the entire book aloud and stop to explain why I loved every single moment of it. Seriously. It’s one of these books where nothing was wrong. Were there things that surprised me? Yes. Were there things I would have written otherwise if I had been the author? Also yes. But everything made sense, and fit both the plots and the characters, which is how you know it’s a good book.

Beyond that, what is really important is how much it made me feel. Because what use if a book with a perfect plot if it doesn’t make you feel a thing? Thankfully, A Power Unbound can only make you feel as you read it. I went from happiness, to literal giddiness, to anxiousness, anger, excitement, and more, all of that in the span of a day. Someone watching me read probably would have thought me mad because of all the incoherent shouts I let out. It was a brilliant read and I loved every second of it.

The characters are truly the strong point of this book. It’s for them that I read this, and it’s precisely because of them that I was so impatient for this book to finally come out. When I saw that Hawthorn and Ross were going to be the two protagonists for this third and final book, I knew it was going to be delightful. And I was right. Their interactions were already amusing in A Restless Truth, now they were absolutely delicious. A mix of witty banter and exquisite vulnerability, their developing relationship made me squeal so many times! I especially loved how natural it felt. I knew, of course, how it was going to go, but it didn’t feel forced one bit. It developed at its own pace and I really appreciated how, just like in the two previous books, Freya Marske made sure to develop attraction before developing anything else. But when she got to the point of the ‘more’, she gave us everything we could have asked for. She especially promised big gestures, and I can’t say I was disappointed because some of those quotes were astounding. My poor little heart did not survive.

(As with the last two books, there were explicit sex scenes. Those were a little different though, in that they involved role-play surrounding power dynamics. While it makes sense with the characters and personally did not bother me, and while everything is safe, discussed beforehand, and consensual, if that is something you don’t like, you should probably be aware of that.)

But A Power Unbound did not revolve just around Hawthorn and Ross, and it’s another thing I appreciated. We finally got to see all the characters together, and I loved how the interactions between them developed! It was especially nice to witness Robin and Edwin’s and Maud and Violet’s relationships through the lense of other characters, and some time in the future. All the old characters were true to themselves: Edwin, just as adorable and intellectual; Robin, still impulsive and caring; Maud, kind and determined; Violet, smart and witty; not to mention Adelaide, who was a full-time character and a true badass! Despite this, I could see they had grown since the last time we saw them, and that was peak character arc on Marske’s part.

Finally, the plot was amazing. It’s true that I came here for the characters, but the plot did not disappoint either. The stakes were incredibly high from the beginning since this is the last in the trilogy, but they only get higher the more we advance in the book. The pace is well-mastered, alternating between faster moments and episodes of reprieve, and the plot points and plot twists had me gasping with emotions all throughout. I won’t say anything about the ending except that it is well brought about and makes sense, and that it did not disappoint me.

As you’ve understood from this whole review, this book is perfect from beginning to end. I have nothing bad to say about it and it was a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series. Those who have loved the previous two books should not fear; the third one will not let you down.

tw: explicit sex scenes, sexual role play, mentions of violence, blood and violence, major character injury, fear of death, near-death, mentions of suicide, killings and death, mentions of murder

[soul-dwelling]

A One Piece anime reboot for Netflix. 

Seriously? 

This is why the scourge of “let’s reboot this” / “let’s remake this” / “we need our own Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” is so tiresome. 

If I don’t elaborate on this, I at least want to summarize initial thoughts. 

It feels so insulting to say this reboot needs to happen because animation techniques have changed so much and hence you need a new version. That argument overlooks the groundwork that was done beforehand--and all the more galling as if people are ignoring how recent animators at Toei have exceeded what came before within the series, creating animation that is unlike what came before, that is using more recent animation techniques, that is getting so much more attention online for just how impressive and different it is.

I should be accepting that this new anime is happening when the announcement says that Toei is still producing it. So, maybe the same team working on current episodes will be involved, hence mitigating my worries that this is trampling over the work of the current animators, even if the older animators are not brought in.

I can appreciate that Toei likely has more than it can handle and can’t directly take on the animation for another anime right now, or that it makes sense to let another team of animators and another studio take a crack at this. But the goal should have been to let those animators and another studio do something new: a new series with an original story, a new film, maybe a video game, something that isn’t just re-treading old ground to stoke people’s nostalgia and keep the intellectual property current. 

That’s not even getting into whether this new anime maybe could improve the pacing--but, jeez, there’s already a fan project that was doing that, so is this just Shueisha getting pissed that someone else was doing what they could have done so they decided to seize the opportunity and do it themselves?

(And I’ll try to restrain myself from going on a rant about Netflix getting the anime, for various disjointed reasons: a company that has profited off of misogynistic and TERF-y comedians, a company that can’t figure out whether releasing everything all at once or weekly is a better model for distribution and longevity of a franchise, a company that based on their previous record may or may not bring back the English dub actors, but a set of conflicting feelings because they evidently didn’t fuck up the live-action One Piece and it’s not as if other corporations don’t have their flaws and it’s not as if letting Crunchyroll have a monopoly on anime is any better.)

[house-of-slayterr]

Medical Rant!

Bruh, you’re telling me instead of just giving me the medication I was previously on for 3 years with my last insurance, my new insurance decides I need to try other things first (if they bothered to read my chart, I’ve tried everything else already and half of them made me violently I’ll, which is why I was on the fancy expensive medication in the first place), and charges me fucking $85… for a god damn partial perscription!!!

They didn’t even give me a full dose of this medication that I already know doesn’t fucking work (so I’m not even gonna take it), for $85… that like an entire days of work at my job before they take away tax… this is bullshit.

To people who think disabled people are “lazy” and “leeching off the government” no the fuck we aren’t! They continuously punish us for not being able bodied, and then call us sensitive snowflakes for being upset about shit like this.

This is the 9th month in a row they’ve denied me my migraine medications. I get migraines so bad I have seizures and partial paralysis (this can last a few hours, or the worst one, a few fucking months). The reason for them denying it “you need to have more than 3 migraines a week” wanna take a guess as to why I don’t meet the requirement? Because when I was on the fucking medication, it was working. I’m being punished because my medication was “working too well” so now I don’t get to have it.

I fucking hate the medical system in America, it’s a god damn joke: I say this with confidence having been in medical school and worked in a hospital. This is literally the main reason I’m moving out of state and just upending my life right now. (Hence not writing as much, but once I’m settled I’m bring back all my old series and a few new ones, don’t worry 🥰)

The hospitals have just decided I must be faking everything (even though you physically cannot fake symptoms like seizures, low oxygen, bleeding in the intestines, ect…) and they want me to go to a specialty hospital because they’re too lazy to just test for rare disorders. But the specialty hospital has been ghosting me for 3 years. And I decided I’m sick of just waiting around to die since apparently no one’s gonna take my health seriously but me.

I can’t wait to start feeling better, and Hopefully when I move and get new state insurance and reapply for disability, I won’t have to work myself to the bone just to afford to function and live like a normal human. I’m done being a pushover, next health official to ignore or gaslight me, is getting fired off my medical team, and I’m going to report them. I don’t care if I’m “ruining their job” maybe they should treat patients like fucking people, they’re doing it to themselves and I no longer have any sympathy.

I promise, most people aren’t trying to swindle the system or trick you. Disabled people just want to feel better and not be in pain and constantly on the brink of death all the time. That shouldn’t be too much of an ask. Yet everyone still treats us like we’re in their way and making the world worse somehow.

If this racist as hospital treats me like I’m “drug seeking” one more time, when I’ve never asked for pain meds, and have literally denied them before so I wouldn’t be seen as a “pill junkie” and hopefully get real help. Also if they give me one of the medications I’m fucking allergic to one more time, despite it literally being AT THE TOP OF MY FUCKING CHART!!! I’m gonna scream. Stop trying to murder me!

Fuck the government!

Fuck the health care system!

And more importantly, fuck ableism and inaccessibility!