#i snapped and finished this in like an hour which i am proud of

[kitamars]

💭

[cwritesforfun]

Regina George x Fem!Reader: NYC

I think we’re all obsessed with Renee Rapp as Regina George …

Y/N = Your Name (I will use this sparingly)

I am trying second-person pov for the first time, don't be mad if it sucks.

hehehehehe

Regina's POV

I think the only person I've ever loved is Y/N. I always thought I would know what real love was when it happened to me, but I realized it too late. I lost Y/N because we just experimented with each other, didn't want to commit to dating or coming out, moved to different schools, made new friends, and graduated high school. I texted her one time and it was to tell her congratulations on graduating and she texted me the same. She even moved houses, which I didn't know until I drove there today and there was a new family there and they had no idea where the previous owners lived. I tried calling her, but it gave me her voicemail and I don't even know what to say. Where is she?! And on top of all of this, Mom is taking me to New York City because I've been moping. I don't want to travel.

Your POV ... 1 week later...

You're working at a coffee shop and you smile. You have been so happy in New York. Dad had us move out to Brooklyn to take over his brother's coffee shop and he's been really great. He's grown so much in the role of manager and owner. You work as the assistant manager on weekends and you're in charge of events. You have fun.

It's Saturday and the day has been buzzing with orders. You have never seen so many lattes made or bagels ordered. Truly, this is insane. To promote the business, you had done a 2-hour 50% deal on lattes and your regular customers went CRAZY then they told their friends. Dad would be proud.

You are sitting on your phone eating your bagel during lunch reading your book when you hear a familiar voice order an iced oat milk latte and a bagel with strawberry cream cheese. That's so fetch. You exclaim, "Regina George, is that really you?" She whips her head around to face you and her jaw drops. You say, "You should join me if you're not busy." She nods, grabs her order, and sits in the seat across from me.

You exclaim, "I had no idea you were in New York City." She snaps, "I had no idea you moved. You never told me." You exclaim, "You could've asked one of those times you called me and didn't leave me a voicemail." She asks, "I never knew what to say. If you got those, why didn't you call me back?" You answer, "I didn't know what to say either. I could've told you about the sudden move and made you plan a visit, but I guess I never thought you would agree after we stopped talking... I always felt bad about that. I didn't want to stop being around you. It was just easier at the time than well doing what we were doing." She nods and says, "I missed you." You reply, "I missed you too. My lunch break is over in like 5 minutes, but would you want to hang out while you're in town? My dad made plans for him and me tonight, but maybe tomorrow we can hang out." She replies, "I will have to check with my mom, but I think tomorrow would work. Do you promise to answer if I call?" You nod and answer, "Yes." You both smile at each other and it's like times are like they were in high school. You were happy in high school when you were with Regina, but you never knew if what you did together would lead to something real. You felt like a second choice and it was alienating. Breaking off your fling with her was good for you because it let you be independent at your new school and it let you start to figure out who you were a little. You were bisexual and you were proud.

That night, as you finish getting ready for dinner, you finally ask your dad, "Who are we meeting for dinner? You've been very secretive about this whole night. You just said to dress nice. You have me scared." He hugs me and says, "You'll enjoy tonight. I have a 50/50 chance of being right about that. You look gorgeous tonight, let's head out. We don't want to be late." We leave our house and we make our way to this pizza place that we love that has this fancy upper floor overlooking the piano and more seating. Honestly, it just looks fancy. The food is not bad prices at all, haha. Dad just likes to romanticize our pizza dinners.

We take our normal seats and you watch the pianist play Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. You know this song on flute and you love it.

Dad exclaims, "Sweetie, our guests are here. Say hi." You turn around and you see Regina with her mom. You gasped and said, "Hi, I'm so confused. Why are you here? Dad, I saw her in our coffee shop today. Did you plan this?" Regina says, "I thought it was weird that we were meeting people in the city because we know no one. Well, except you two and even I just found that out today." Dad says, "Sit down and relax, ladies. Mrs. George and I talked a few weeks back about how it was weird you two hadn't seen each other in a while. We planned this trip when Mrs. George said that Regina had been moping around the house for months and her last happy memory was with dear Y/N." WTF?!? She hasn't been happy since I was hanging out with her?! Regina asks, "How long have you two been talking? Does dad know, mom?" Mrs. George says, "Honey, this is different than that time with John from down the street. This was just a friendly parent-to-parent talk about our kid's well-being. I don't romantically see Y/N's dad. We talk like once a month about finances because I don't get it and your dad hates talking to me about them." lol ... family drama ... Regina slouches and crosses her arms angrily. Shit, she is not happy about something. You used to be so good at reading her. You're out of practice.

Pizza arrives at the table and we all eat while making small talk. Regina refuses to look anyone in the eyes, she just keeps her head down and keeps quiet. You hate this. You want to talk to her, not our parents right now. You nudge her and ask, "Do you want to hang out with just me after this? I could try cheering you up if you'd let me." She answers, "Sure," before turning back to her pizza.

Once pizza winds down, you exclaim, "Hey Dad and Mrs. George, Regina and I are going to go out for a bit alone after this. We will be safe and we will let you know where we go and when we plan to go home." Mrs. George says, "Oh before you leave, I should say, Regina's suitcase is in your dad's car in case she wants to spend the night at your place." Regina snaps, "I'm right here, mom. You're talking about me like I'm not in the room." Mrs. George snaps, "I'm sorry Miss Didn't Say Anything During Dinner and Is Rude To People and Stares At Pizza." OH FUDGE ... You grab Regina's hand pulling her away from our parents and outside the restaurant.

Outside, we start walking and you realize you are still holding Regina's hand. She probably doesn't even want to be holding your hand. It's not like this is a date. You drop it and ask, "Are you in the mood for gelato?" She answers, "Sure." You reply, "Great, let's go. It's like 2 blocks from here."

We walk in comfortable silence until we get there. I open the door for Regina and she thanks me as she walks inside. My friend, Sam, is behind the counter and Sam exclaims "Y/N!!! It's good to see you again!!! Guess what?" You ask, "What's up, Sam?" Sam answers, "Josh asked me out!!" You smile and say, "OMG!!!! You'll have to tell me all about it. I'm so happy for you. This is Regina, by the way. And Regina, this is Sam." Sam waves and says, "Wow Regina, you're really pretty." Regina replies, "Thanks. Could I get a small raspberry gelato?" Sam nods and I say, "And could you get me a small dulce de leche gelato?" Sam nods and asks, "So Regina, are you in town visiting Y/N? She has been rather lonely without you. It's always about you, you know." Regina half-smiles and says "What kind of things did she say exactly?" Sam answers, "She said you were pretty and you are. She said you were her best friend for a long time and you both really liked spending time together. She was scared to commit and she wasn't ready to come out. She said you were her crush for a bit in high school. She said..." You quickly interrupt and say, "I think that is quite enough, Sam. How much is the gelato?" Sam answers, "$8.72." You pay for the gelato then sit in a booth away from Sam. You hear the door open and see two families walk in with little kids. At least Sam will be busy and won't pay attention to us for a bit.

You exclaim, "I know tonight's dinner was terrible, but I'm hoping I can still turn around your night and make it better." Regina asks, "Is it true?" You ask, "Is what true? You'll have to be more specific." Regina mumbles, "The crush on me." You say, "Yes, it is true. I liked you a lot when we were experimenting together and then we broke it all off. It was tough and I had to heal from that heartbreak, but I didn't realize it was heartbreak until I came to the realization that I romantically liked you. And then you were gone and then we graduated and I had to move and the timing was never right. But, I do know three things: I am bisexual and I like you a lot and the feelings never went away." She smiles widely and says, "God, if we weren't by your nosy friend and in a gelato shop, I'd kiss you." You ask, "So. the feeling is mutual then?" She answers, "Yes... I am lesbian though." You reply, "That's pretty cool." She laughs.

After gelato, we hold hands and walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. We were close to it anyway, so why not walk there?!? Haha! Besides, during the day there are tons of vendors, and at night, there are just lots of cars and busy people. You love living in the city. The city also looks beautiful all lit up at night.

As we stand at this pier looking out at the water, Regina asks, "Can we have that kiss now?" You turn to her and answer, "Yes." You kiss and it's like you're the city being lit up at night. You feel bright and you see your future.

[lomltrentarnold]

belly — jude bellingham ₊˚ෆ

summary : jude hates nicknames but somehow it’s different when you said it or maybe it’s because jude has a soft spot for you.

🍓hana’s notes : got inspired by jude’s sleeveless pics hehe tell me what yall think <3 they’re just so in love with each other its sick || MAIN MASTERLIST

Jude didn’t have a lot of nicknames growing up. The most people would call him was Judey or Hey Jude. So imagine his surprise when one day you suddenly have come up with a new nickname for him.

“Belly!”

Your voice rings across the training field. multiple pair of eyes turned to look at you and your cheeks became warm at the sudden attention. What were you think was going to happen when shouting?

You sheepishly smiled at the players and coaches, apologising at the sudden interruption. “Sorry.”

Jude’s head snapped towards the familiar voice, seeing you fidget between your feet when you noticed that everyone was looking at you. He chuckled and shook his head, “I���ll be back boys.” he said to his teammates. Pretending like he didn’t hear a faint go get em lover boy, after he excused himself.

Your kept your head down to avoid being blinded by the sun. A sudden shadow figure loomed over you, conveniently blocking the sunlight from your vision.

“What are you doing here?” Jude asked, a smirk on his face at the previous moment.

You narrowed your eyes as you looked at him, “Wipe that smirk of your face.” you threatened. You were embarrassed, yes. But he didn’t need to rub it in.

He laughed, the weird part of you felt proud that you were the reason.

“Your ma sent me.” you explained, “She was wondering if I could come and pick you up. She forgot she had plans to meet up with her friends.” your sighed, pulling the strap of your bag back up as it kept sliding off your shoulder.

Jude nodded his head, “Oh, okay, then.” he took your sling bag off your shoulder and onto his when he noticed it kept slipping off. “I think we’ll finish in about two hours.” he nudged his head towards the tent that some of the staff were sitting at, “Wanna sit over there?”

You nodded as you both walked towards the empty seat. Not noticing the knowing looks that his teammates were sending you guys.

Jude placed your bag softly at the side of an empty chair. “You okay, here?”

You took a seat and smiled up at him, and Jude hates that fact that he felt his heart rate pick up at the sight.

“Yeah, I’m good, Belly.”

Jude shook his head, “You have to stop calling me that.” as he scoffed out a laugh.

You smiled, “But you look too cute when you’re shy.”

“What? Because of you?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

“I am not shy.”

“Oh? I don’t make you shy?”

“No.”

You stared at him which lead up to a little staring contest. It was normal like this with Jude, lighthearted teasing with no real intention (at least that’s what you tell your self) and waiting for someone to break first.

“Bellingham!”

You broke your eye contact when his name was being called.

“Stop your flirting and get back to training!”

Laughing, you look back at Jude to only realise that he was still looking at you. Brown eyes all mischievous and… fond. Huh, that’s new.

Jude smirked, making his smile lines show “I win.”

You rolled your eyes, “That’s not fair. I was distracted.” pointing to the coach.

His eyes trailed all over your face, up your eyes, down your nose and to your lips. It leaves your face all warm and your mind all mushy. The sun helps illuminate his skin, glowing and shiny from his sweat. His biceps bulging in a way that has you wondering what would happen if you hold it in your hand.

Whoa, this is all very new.

Since when did Jude Bellingham got you feeling giddy?

You tried to ignore the way it made you feel, more so because it was embarrassing to admit to yourself that you have been feeling more of these feelings around him.

You needed to get a grip. He’s your best friend.

His voice broke your train of thought, “I was distracted, but I still won.” he mumbled, eyes boring into your soul as he tries to gauge your reaction.

The teasing wasn’t new, so why were you getting nervous?

“Bellingham!” the coach yelled again.

Jude flicked your forehead, making you scrunch up your face. “Hey!”

He starts to walk away backwards, sending you a wink that have you rolling your eyes fondly, “Don’t miss me too much!” before turning around and jogging back to the training field.

You shook your head, puffs of laughter escaping your lips, “Idiot.”

Looking towards the field, you immediately made eye contact with Jude again. He waved at you, which you responded with a wave yourself. Smiling at you before almost tripping over his feet.

Your idiot.

[iaminfourthwing]

The Generals Daughter

Chapter XIII

The day that every first year, that is still alive, dreads, is finally here. Threshing.

The gathering hall is oddly quiet this morning, every first year lost in their own thoughts. Violet next to me looks a little green and minutes prior I saw Ridoc running to find the nearest bathroom or trash bin. I ate a little bit of fresh fruits because after all, I am nervous as fuck as well.

The general seemed so sure about me claiming a dragon, but right now �� I am not so sure anymore. The fact that I have to see him again, if I claim a dragon today, makes me swallow anxiously. If I fail … I don’t want to know what happens then.

My eyes find the bright blue ones Liam owns and he gives me an encouraging smile. He is one of the best in this quadrant, there is no doubt of him claiming a dragon. I bet he isn’t as nervous as everyone else here. Even Barlowe is quiet, and that must mean something but after all, he is just human as well.

A shiver runs through me as I can feel someone staring at me and when I look up, the startling hazel-colored eyes, that even follow me in my dreams, are studying me. He looks like he is somewhere trapped in his mind and even over the distance I can see the worry and anxiety radiating from him. I give him a small tight-lipped smile, which he returns.

Half an hour later we are all gathered at the entrance of the bowl-shaped forested valley, where we’ll hopefully find our dragons or our possible death. I had to promise Violet that I’ll let her go alone but I will definitely stay near her. I won’t take the risk and lose her. She is strong, she has proven herself over the last months, but the way Jack and his entourage look her way … I’ll definitely trust my instincts and follow her through the valley. When it comes to the dragons, there isn’t much I can do, that’s when I’ll leave her.

Dain stands beside her and whispers probably some instructions into her ear. He looks just as worried as I feel about her but even as he knows what she is capable of, he still doesn’t appreciate her strength. Idiot.

When we finally get the go, some of the cadets eagerly run into different directions while others walk slow, unsure into the valley.

Violet is around 50 feet in front of me, so I take a deep breath and start to go after her.

For around half an hour I simply just walk behind her as quietly as possible. A few dragons could be heard in the distance, even cadets screaming. The short girl suddenly halts. “I know you are here” she says, without turning around. My eyes widen. Fuck, she is good. I should have expected that.

“Sorry Vi, but I am not taking the chance and risk your life, without trying to protect you” there is guilt in my voice, but I know, I am doing the right thing.

“You saw me fight these last months, you saw me getting stronger and even then, you still don’t trust me? Don’t trust what I can do? Am I really that weak to you, that you desperately try to protect me? I know you have to do this because of my moth-“

“NO! I do not do this because of your mother! I do this because you are my friend, no, more like a sister! I believe wholeheartedly in you! I am so proud of you and your growth; you have no idea. But I do not trust Jack and his hounds. We both know you all alone have no chance against the four of them. I really just wanna help you” I finish.

For a few minutes she just stands there, looking at me with nothing but adoration. “You know, if we would have been into girls, I would totally kiss you right now” she finally says as we both continue our walk through the valley. I laugh. “But here we are, totally into boys we aren’t allowed to have.”

She snaps her neck my way, wide eyed. Oh, fucking hell. “You what?! You too?!?! Who?”

Shit. Me and my loud mouth. “Well … I mean- maybe- a certain ... cousin … of your … little crush” I stutter, admitting my interest in the handsome male.

Her jaw drops in pure surprise and shock. “HIM?! Oh my-“

We hear a little growl somewhere in front of us. I try to look between the trees and see … something golden? Oh no. Violet seems to have the same thought.

“The feathertail” we whisper simultaneously. We both step forward into the clearing, where we get a better view of the little dragon.

“Gosh, it’s so cute” I whisper. As if the dragon heard me she looks up … offended?

“Oh god, sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you” I say, panic dripping in my voice while Violet snickers quietly beside me.

The dragon looks curious at us both and steps forward when we hear something snapping behind us. Like someone is walking into our direction. I have an extremely unsettling feeling, who that could be. To small and quiet for a dragon, it's definitely a human. More like, a bunch of humans.

“You have to hide or fly away!” Vi whisper shouts to the little golden one. “Go! Fly!” We both run to hide behind the trees, but Vi stumbles over a branch and falls. “Shit Vi, you okay?” I ask her while helping her up. I think I heard a pop but am not sure.

“Damn it, my ankle … go hide” she hisses in agony.

Reluctantly I let her go and hide behind another tree. In the last second, I decide to climb the tree, hovering a bit over Violet and see everything that’s going to happen. And just a few seconds later Jack with his lapdogs come out of the tree line. Shit. I hate when I am right in the wrong situations.

“We have to kill this little thing! It’s a danger for everyone!” Jack says loudly.

Tynan, Oren and Trevor are behind him. While the other three are determined walking to the little golden dragon, Oren looks unsure whether he should join this shitshow. They seriously want to murder a dragon? Are they really that dumb? I can only hope some other dragons are possibly near and hear, what these pathetic humans want to do. Or at least a third year, that could talk some sense into them, even though with Jack there is probably nothing we could do besides throw him into a cell and never let him see the daylight again.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. What if one if the third years see us” Oren says. “They aren’t allowed to interfere” Jack shrugs.

“You can’t do this!” Violet says loudly, stepping out from behind the tree. Shocked I look down to her. Fucking. Hell. Violet.

I stay seated.

“And why not, Sorrengail?” Tynan sneers. “It’s against everything we stand for and believe in!” Oren still looks unsure about Jacks plan to kill the little dragon.

While they are insulting each other and Violet trying to get the dragon to flee, I feel something prickling in my head. Like … someone tries to ... reach me? I definitely need more sleep. This is getting ridiculous.

‘Oh, so now I am ridiculous?’ a feminine voice says in my head. I- HELLO?!

‘No need to scream, I hear just fine. Just because my ears are old doesn’t mean I am deaf.’

Oh fantastic. It’s sassy.

‘I need to help my friend before I can deal with you!’ I hiss in my head. I need therapy. Is there any therapist in Basgiath?

‘Well now you sound ridiculous.’ I try to ignore her, for now.

“I would advise against trying to do that” a dark voice echoes over the field. On the other side stands our wing leader and behind him, between the trees, shimmer … golden eyes. Sgaeyl. His dragon. And the way her eyes are fixed on the boys in front of Violet tells me how annoyed she is.

“And what if we don’t listen to you? You can’t do anything, Riorson” Jack mocks him. “That may be true, but Sgaeyl isn’t really a fan of bullies” To underline the statement, there is a deep growl echoing through the trees. Oh, she is definitely pissed.

Xadens eyes find mine and he smirks.

“Besides that, it’s not Sgaeyl you should be worried about right now” he says.

“Whatever” Jack growls and leaps forward into Violets direction. She throws a dagger with unbelievable precision into his shoulder and with a shout he goes down. That’s my girl.

While Trevor stays behind, Tynan and Oren attack together. Now I am thankful for the bow and arrows I grabbed as my weapon of choice, because the arrow I aimed landed directly in Tynans thigh. I jump down the tree and join the fight.

“Oh fantastic, the Generals little warrior princess is here too! Have you found yourself a dragon already? Surely Codagh or daddy must have bullied them to claim you!” Jack sneers and runs. First he says THAT again, and in front of the dragons too??? And then he runs? What a coward. But I can’t keep my focus on him when Trevor is attacking me as well. I hear Violet grunting somewhere behind me. Fuck, I need to focus.

‘Watch out!’ the feminine voice shouts in my head. ‘I know’ I growl back.

With my dagger I land a deep blow in Tynans abdomen. He screams in agony as I cut through him. He’ll bleed out if he won’t get any medical treatment. So far, I am completely unharmed.

I join Violets side in front of the golden dragon, to protect the little thing.

‘If she hears you calling her ‘little thing’ she’ll try to bite you’ there she is again. ‘Oh, so it’s a she’

‘Andarnaurram. Andarna for short’

Well thanks?

‘You’re welcome’

Oh, for fucks sake.

“Are you okay, Silver one?” I ask the girl next to me. “I’ll live. Hopefully” she says.

“I won’t let anything happen to you” I growl pissed. During the fight Xaden must have stepped forward, because he is not leaning against his tree anymore. As if he wanted to… to help Vi? Damn, talk about whipped.

Oren lays unconscious in front of us after Vi knocked him out with the grip of her dagger, Tynan stands behind him ready to strike again and Trevor is a bit more far away. My eyes are fixed on him because I know for sure he wants his revenge for the challenge he lost against me.

Suddenly, both of them look ridiculously shocked and Trevor runs into the forest. A dark shadow flies over the field and when I turn around, I flinch violently. The black dragon. He is incredibly big but not as big as the black beast. And he looks pissed. I move out of the way the same time as Violet.

Tynan tries to run away but his thigh is still wounded due to the arrow sticking in it and the blood loss of the wound in his abdomen. The black dragon growls loudly and then … there is fire. In just a few seconds there is nothing but the smell of burning flesh and death in the air.

Xaden and Sgaeyl are long gone.

“I can’t kill an unconscious man!” Violet suddenly says while looking up the dragon. What?!

“Yeah, that surely says something about them but not me.”

Oh. Oh my god. My eyes widen. The dragon, THE black dragon is choosing her! I am a bit jealous of her I have to admit.

‘Excuse me?!’ someone is offended.

‘Well while you are watching your friend bond with Tairn, I am waiting for you! There is a boy here, trying to claim me but I am just bored by him. You think you can finally show up?’ she asks annoyed.

‘What boy?’ I ask curious while I make my way to her. My feelings are leading me through the woods, leaving Violet behind me. Whatever happens now is out of my control. I just hope she can stay seated, or Tairn is catching her if she falls.

‘The one that just ran away from you before Tairn showed up’ she says.

The boy that run- oh HELL NO! Trevor! That is MY dragon, you fucker! I run through the woods as fast as I can to reach them. She chose me, so therefore he can fuck off. I reach the part of the valley, where she leaded me and step forward into the clearing.

‘Oh, now you accept me, little flame?’ she asks amused.

‘Little flame?’ Where does this come from?

‘Your hair is resembling fire’ Ah, makes sense.

And that’s when I see him, Trevor in front of a … massive midnight blue dragon. Amari, she is gorgeous. ‘Thank you, I can say the same about you.’

Furious, the boy turns around and glares at me. This is going to get dirty.

‘Show me, what you are made of and you will never have to fight alone anymore, little flame.’

Come on Trevor. I’ll rip you apart.

[jellyfishsthings]

Warnings: um smut... wrap it before you tap it, piv, fem!reader, academical rivals to lovers, probably the filthiest thing I have ever written... if you know me, no you don't

Part 1 , Part 3

Things since last week haven't changed much. Remus and I still had our rivalry going stronger than ever. Especially after the hallway incident, which ended up with him having a large red handprint on his cheek, indicating a really strong slap. In my defense, he was getting close. Ever since we haven't stopped arguing with each other, until…

"I can't work with her."

"It's impossible to work with him."

As quickly as the words left our mouths, we sharply turned to glare at each other. Completely missing Professor's McGonagall proud look.

"You are working together on this project. And you will present to me the best project in the class because you are both Perfects and have to give the right example. I don't care about whether you like each other or not."

Seething I exit the room with a newfound speed, and Remus closely follows behind my heels.

"Can you just slow down a bit?" He asks, and I instantly stop walking, turning towards him, waiting impatiently to hear what he has to say. "She's right, you know. We have to make this fucking project as perfect as possible. So I think we should call a truce." He slowly proposes as if this will simply fix our problems. I stare at him blankly, and I see his nostrils flaring. "Look. I don't like this either, ok? But I need the grade, and if it were someone else, I would just make the project myself. But since it's you … if we work together we could… We are at the top of every class for a reason. Just…." His voice eventually gives up.

"Fine," I say, "meet me at the library at 7. We have a lot of research to do"

This was how I found myself meeting with my all-time rival every day in the library for two months. The insults never stopped flying from one to the other, but surprisingly, we made a good team, and the project was almost finished. We are now accustomed to each other and our habits. Like Remus… when he read something for a really long time, he would remove his glasses and rub his eyes and his nose, smoothing it out after being scrunched up. Or when we got tired, he would share his chocolates to boost our morals and energies.

Many comments have been floating around the halls."How long until they fuck it out?", "God, he could eat her alive, for what she said to him.","He must be really smitten with her for putting up with her." ... Well, you got the gist of it.

Now, as I was getting ready for bed, a thought occurred. We never looked in the secluded area for any useful information. So, I put on my slippers and headed towards the library once again.

I slowly walk down the hallways, trying to get past Flinch. The great mahogany walls of the library greet me with a loud groan. I grab one of the oil lanterns that rest on the librarian's desk and head towards the restricted section. I find books related to the project and start reading them. Keeping notes under the candlelit room.

I could be reading for hours or mere minutes when I hear footsteps. I quickly blow out the flame and hide in the darkest spot I can find between the bookcases. As the sound of footsteps comes closer my breathing turns faster and more panicky. Good God I am going to get caught? Am I going to get detention? What am I going to do?

That's when I feel a hand close around my mouth. Silencing me. Wait …what? Silencing me? A familiar scent fills my nostrils.

"Stay quiet or else we are going to get caught." He whispers in my ear. His Welsh accent dripped like honey, his voice raspy and almost deathly quiet. Heat pools in my core as a dream resurfaces in my brain. "Stay quiet or else we are going to get caught." He says as he pounds into me while he has my hips in a tight grip, guiding back and forth.

As I snap out of my trance, I push his hand harshly off me. "What the hell are you doing here?", I whisper-yell at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?", he fires back. We stare at each other with our eyes slitted as we both breath heavily.

"How did you even know I was here?", I ask him accusingly, even though I have been caught in the act.

"The marauders map." He answers back easily as if that answer would ring a bell and not cause more questions.

"The what ?"

"I think he is gone."

"Oh really?"

"Why do you like to test me, woman?"

"Possibly because of your super nice personality or better yet because you're a prick."

He just returned the favor with a wolfish grin, notice the irony.

"Why are you smiling?" I snap at him.

"Oh because you are so nicely close to me and you haven't uttered a word about that." Just as the words leave his mouth I feel my cheeks heat. Jesus why am I blushing? At least he can't see it. "And yes I can see you blushing"

How did he…? Is he a mind reader?

"Also I am no mind reader, i just know you that well." His face is dangerously close now. The empty, now, library is ominously quiet and I can almost feel our breaths echo in the room. There is no escape, is there? His mouth is almost atop of mine, his breath fanning my face.

"Gosh why are you like this? Why must you test me until I snap? Why do I love it so much?" He says as his lips crush into mine in a bruising kiss that steals my breath away. He manhandles me so that our chests are pressed together and I am promptly sitting in his lap, feeling a long hard cock press against my clad yet soaking wet pussy. Insults fly out of our mouths in-between every heated kiss.

"Punk"

"Jerk"

"Dickhead"

"Oh you are going to feel that soon."

"Bite me, Lupin."

"If you insist."

We discard our clothes as fast as possible until he grabs hold of my thighs and he slams me on the flat surface of the bookcase.

Right opposite the window, it's so dark outside that our reflections fill my eyesight. His scarred, white freckled back in contrast with my tanned legs, due to all the sun exposure, that are wrapped around his waist and my arms in his shoulders. One of my hands is buried deep in his brown curled hair that is now buried in my neck leaving bites and hickeys as he bites, laps and sucks, leaving permanent marks behind his trail. While the other scratches his back, as my legs draw back and my back arches.

Horrified gasps sound in the room, mixing with my moans and his groans. My eyes open immediately, leaving their half hooded state, searching the room for intruders but not finding anyone until…. Of course, the portraits. Great I am about to get royally fucked by Remus Lupin and not only will I have to live with the memory of it but now the portraits saw what we were doing, I was catastrophically doomed, I laugh at the thought.

And Remus leaves his task and draws slightly back, enough for him to keep impossibly close but still be able to see my face.

"I love your laugh. And I absolutely hate the fact that I am not the one causing it. But that is going to change. Everything is going to change from now on, you bellend." The breath is being knocked out of my lungs. "And now I am going to fuck you. I reckon you are wet enough so as not to hurt." He says as his fingers play with my clit. "I would say you are quite drenched actually. You know I have been thinking of this, dreaming it even. Fucking you hard and deep, until you are nothing more that a brainless brat." Gasps and moans are his only answers.

"Thank God you seem to like that because I don't think I can hold back any more." He seals these words with a kiss as he enters me in one fluid motion until he is balls deep. Our mouths are open now as we try to catch our breaths and I stare at his eyes, trying to find the familiar mischievous dark green that haunted my every thought. His forehead dropped to mine as he started to move inside me at an insane pace. His balls are slapping against my clit as he hits all the right spots.

My back arches and my head falls back as my eyes close. I feel one of his hands slide up my back and rest somewhere between my ribs, commanding me to stay in place as I feel…. No this can't be right. My gaze moves to the window and what I see almost brings me right over the edge right there and then. His head is buried in my chest hiding all the toying he is doing at my breasts, paying extra attention to my nipples. Marking them up too.

"God I wish I could mark up our thighs and pussy too but that will have to wait."

"Remus, you prick, how dare you…" I say in a breathless voice my insult is lost in all the pleasure I am feeling.

"Yes, how dare I make you feel all this pleasure. Huh?" He mouths in my chest as he has his lips wrapped around one of my tits.

"I am close" I whimper

"I know, sweetheart. Let go for me. I've gotcha."

I don't know what actually sent me over the edge. The nickname, the command, reassurance, a mixture of all of them? Well whatever it was it rocked my world. I never thought an orgasm could last that long or be so powerful. It was literally dripping down my thighs to his and then falling to the ground. Embarrassingly so. He had finished too. His face was buried in my chest trying to catch our breaths.

He turns to look at me, smirking. Oh no. I already know what he is going to say. And I won't be able to say no.

"Ready for round two?"

words: 1.741

[itoshi-s]

*escapes from jail* street racer! rin taking you in the back seat of his car with your legs thrown over his shoulders until the expensive leather is soaked with the slick of filthy, post-race frenzy sex

RIVER !!!! U CANT KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS :((((((((((((((((((( the way i am sooo dizzy thinkin abt this i hope it throws u back into the street racer thot hours bc thats what u deserve for riling me up !!!!!!! >___<

street racer! rin who's well known not only for his smooth drifting and steel concentration on the roads, but also for his foul mouth and short fuse. his temper isn't something to be toyed with - but sometimes, these newbies just don't know about it (which seems impossible, given his authority among the streets that makes everyone shudder) or are simply dumb, with the way they want to try and rile him up.

street racer! rin, who already has the worst frown etched into his sharp features, doors of his metallic navy chevrolet courvette slamming as he get out of the drivers seat. he's tall n strapping as he approaches the other car, a glitter to his turquoise eyes and perspiration gleaming along the back of his neck. there's a crazed look in his eyes, adrenaline steaming off him in waves as he nearly hauls the other guy out of the vehicle. "that's how you want to fucking play? huh? fuck right off. son of a bitch." he snarls, slams the guy (who, by the way, looks no older than nineteen - but the ravenette doesn't seem to care) against the side of the car and gets ready to swing.

street racer! rin, who does many not necessarily favorable things - but when he wants his dopamine rush, he does it fair. he knows that his way of getting his fill is dangerous enough - and that there's a pair of open, warm arms and lovesick eyes waiting for him back in his roppongi penthouse - or, if he gets lucky, standing by the finish line and looking out for him to reach it first. that's why no matter how good it feels, he makes sure to come back to you in one place. and no fucking dipshit trying to play dirty, purposely getting way too close to grazing the rear of his sportscar and trying to leave it tumbling to the side, will get away for stopping him.

street racer! rin, who lands the first punch that's enough to leave the kid stumbling to the side, blood splattering onto the concrete, but the white noise dies down as soon as he feels sharp nails digging into his bicep - a familiar voice reaching his ears. he whips around, frenzied eyes searching for yours, and it's almost visible, the way his shoulders slump and broad frame relaxes upon the sight of you. "stop it," you breathe, heat still red on your cheeks as you drag him away, instead grabbing his face to pull him down for a messy, needy kiss. he nearly groans against your mouth, hands firmly resting on your ass to pull your frame as close to his as it can physically get. "y'won. made me proud, as always." you whisper, hot against his parted lips - and the cold sweat that crashes down his body is better than anything he's ever felt.

street racer! rin, who has you folded in half in his backseat barely fifteen minutes later. deep grunts bounce off the fogged up windows, air thick with lust and the leather squeaks as your clammy skin drags along it. his pace is relentless, hips rutting up into yours so heavily it makes your head spin and thighs burn from the way he has you spread so nicely - hamstrings pressed flush against his chest, one hand wrapped around your throat and the other pushing your ass higher up, creating an angle that makes you cry. "mhm- just like that. fuck." it's low and guttural, searing on your skin as he presses an open mouthed kiss to your jaw, already bruised with his need and affection. "my good luck charm. knew you'd be there." he snaps his hips against yours, tilts his pelvis so that his cock buries so deep in your cunt, you almost feel him in your guts. you whimper and give him a teary eyed look as well as an urgent nod, at loss of words from the rough treatment he gives. "couldn't pass up on seein' me like that. on being a sleeve f'me. right?" your mouth falls agape in a muffled sob, eyes rolling backwards and back arching as the head of his cock nudges your cervix. unsatisfied with the lack of verbal answer, he grabs at your jaw, fingers digging into the bone, and looks at you - "right?" he repeats, but this time, there's a desperation to his baritone that pulls the trigger and leaves you babbling. yes, rinnie, all - all f'you, baby. wanted t'see you so bad, need you so much.

street racer! rin who is absolutely smitten with you - his prettiest arm candy, the most passionate lover, and future wife that he'd be ready to drop this fucking racing nonsense for, if you ever did as little as ask. rin, who plows you into the seats for hours more, leaves the leather soaked through with your filth - and knows that you're the only thing that gets him higher than all of this.

[sky-fire-forever]

Happy DADWC day! How does some Fenris/Anders/Hawke sound with a bit of ❛  do you ever wonder what it would be like if things were different between us?  ❜

Thank you so much for this prompt!! I'm actually really proud of this one! For @dadrunkwriting

My Hawke in this one is Scorpius, who uses they/them pronouns.

The clinic is nearly spotless from Anders’ thorough clean of the place. He’s been scrubbing the entire area from top to bottom since this morning, trying to rid it of the bloodstains and stench and mysterious mold that grows on the walls. He wants this to be a place of healing, which isn’t made easy when the place is filthy. 

Not that he often has time to clean it. If he isn’t tending to patients, he’s out with Hawke, neither of which leaves a lot of time to actually give the place the cleaning it deserves. Which is why he takes every opportunity that’s dropped into his lap and holds tight with everything he has.

He’s no sooner finished tidying up when the doors burst open and Fenris storms in, supporting a limping and bloodied Hawke.

Anders jumps up immediately, tossing his rag away in favor of his staff. “Maker’s breath, what happened?” He leads Hawke to the examination table and gently sits them atop of it.

There’s so much blood that Anders doesn’t know where to begin searching for a wound. He begins frantically pushing at Hawke’s clothes, anxiously searching for whatever the cause of Hawke’s condition might be. He can’t heal it if he doesn’t know what it is.

“We got into a fight, what else?” Fenris snaps. “Can you heal them or not, mage?” There’s a growl to his voice, one that Anders knows well from whenever he’s concerned or freaked out by something. 

“Yes, of course.” Anders pulls at Hawke’s robes, tossing them aside to get a closer look at their body. “Where were they hit? Do you know?” 

“Everywhere,” Fenris growls like that’s of any use. 

“Did they at any point hit their head?” Anders needs details if he’s going to see Hawke through this. 

“How am I supposed to–”

“Fenris, please!” Anders turns to fix the elf with his best glare. “I need your help if I’m going to heal them.” 

Fenris grits his teeth, but doesn’t lash out again, which Anders takes as progress. “Yes, they hit their head after an arrow shot them in the leg,” he says, speaking slowly as though to control his anger and get his thoughts in order.

Anders nods and summons his healing magic to his fingertips. It comes as naturally as breathing to heal, to help, to undo the damage done by destructive forces. Ironic, considering what a destructive force he himself has been known to be. 

He brings his magic to Hawke’s head, watching their face as they hiss in pain. 

“I know, love,” he says sympathetically. “I know it hurts, but I need to repair the damage.” 

Head injuries can be rather nasty if not taken care of right away, which is exactly why it was the first thing Anders asked about. He pours his magic into repairing any damage done to the brain and skull, taking care not to worsen any of the injuries. When he’s done, he sets to healing the damage in Hawke’s leg. 

It takes almost an hour to cure Hawke of all of their ailments, patching up each injury as he discovers them or Fenris tells him about them. By the time it’s over, Hawke lays fast asleep on the examination table, drooling slightly as they dream. 

Anders is exhausted. His mana is spent and he’s completely drained, emotionally and physically. It hurts him to see his partner in so much pain, to be forced to be the cause of some of that pain in order to heal them. 

He takes a step away from the table, wiping his brow and sighing. “There. That should do it.” 

“They’re… alright, then?” Fenris asks from where he’s been sitting in the corner, watching on with rapt attention. 

“Yes, though they should rest as much as possible.” Anders watches Hawke fondly, taking in the sight of the drool smeared across their lips and catching in their beard. They’re beautiful, even like this. Even still drenched in blood after fighting for their life. Even out completely cold. Anders doesn’t think there exists a condition in which Hawke wouldn’t be absolutely beautiful. 

Fenris nods. “I should… take them back to their estate, then.” He pauses, as if uncertain. “Unless I should take them back to my residence in order to have someone watch over them?” 

“I can be at home with them,” Anders says easily. “I was just about finished in here anyway.” Except that there are now new bloodstains to be cleaned. Oh well, those will just have to wait. 

Fenris clears his throat. “You misunderstand. I would like to be with them.” 

“Oh.” Anders blinks, caught off guard. He can’t blame Fenris for wanting to be with Hawke to make sure they’re alright — he’s just as much their lover as Anders is, after all — but Anders still finds himself almost forgetting about Hawke’s relationship with Fenris at times. 

There had been a time when it had been just Hawke and Anders. For three years, in fact, after Fenris had walked away and Anders had stayed. Sometimes, on his worse days, Anders wonders if Hawke ever would have chosen to be with him had Fenris not walked away first, but Hawke is always quick to soothe those fears the moment they catch wind of them. 

This relationship between the three of them is still tenuous and new. It’s still in its infancy and Anders doesn’t want to do anything to break it. 

“Of course you can be with them,” he says hurriedly. “As long as… well, I’d like to be there too.” 

“Of course.” Fenris looks just as uncomfortable as Anders feels, which brings Anders some amount of relief. 

They wake Hawke just long enough to coax them back to their mansion, using the cellar entrance located not far from Anders’ clinic. They manage to get them through the estate without any trouble and tuck them into bed together. 

Hawke looks up at them both as they snuggle beneath their sheets, their mind still addled from exhaustion. “Look at you two, getting along.” They beam at them both. “I love you both so much.” 

Anders and Fenris look at one another, a blush rising to each of their cheeks. “And we love you, Hawke,” Fenris says in a softer voice than Anders has ever heard from him. “Now you must rest.” 

“Healer’s orders,” Anders adds. 

Hawke nods sleepily and less than a moment later, they’re out like a light. 

Anders smiles at his sleeping lover and brushes some of their hair back. They’re still quite bloody, but that can be dealt with in the morning. 

“Do you ever wonder what things would have been like?” Fenris asks out of nowhere. 

Anders turns to look at him. “Pardon?” 

“Do you wonder what things would have been like if things were different? Between us, I mean.” He gestures to the three of them. 

Anders doesn’t like this line of thinking. “What’s the point of wondering? Things are how they are.” 

“I think about it often,” Fenris says, either not picking up on Anders’ discomfort or not caring. “If I hadn’t walked out that night…” 

“Do you think they would have chosen you?” Anders blurts out before he can think better of it. “If you hadn’t left, do you think they would have been happy with just you?” 

Fenris eyes Anders curiously. “No,” he says after a long pause. “No, I think they would have loved you just as much as they do now, if not more.” 

Anders is honestly surprised by that answer. “You truly believe that?” 

“I do.” Fenris is silent for a moment. “I do not believe any relationship between Hawke and myself would have lasted if I had allowed it to continue,” he says. “I sometimes think this is the best way it could have been.” 

Anders scoffs. “Even though it includes me?” He can’t keep the note of bitterness from his tone. 

Surely Fenris would rather be with Hawke on his own, without having to share them with Anders. They’re like two wolves who have decided to share a piece of meat: there will always be too little for each of them and they’ll both be left hungry. 

Fenris watches Anders with an expression Anders can’t read. “Do you feel dissatisfied with your relationship with Hawke due to my inclusion?” 

“No,” Anders says quickly and he realizes it’s true. Hawke never leaves him out in the cold if he needs them and they’re just as doting and loving towards him as they’ve always been. It’s simply… different now. Now Anders can turn his head and see that same affection directed towards someone else. 

Sometimes seeing it makes his stomach twist with envy, jealousy brewing in his heart. A part of him screams that it’s unjust for him to have to share, to not get Hawke all to himself, but he knows that part of him isn’t true Justice. 

It’s just his own pride and jealousy and ego. He knows that, has always known that. He’d known it from the moment he agreed that Hawke should be allowed to pursue a relationship with Fenris. 

Sometimes it stings, but then he thinks of how happy Hawke is to share their love. The smile on their face when they look at Fenris is so similar to the smile Anders sees when Hawke looks at him and who is he to deny Hawke more happiness? All he wants is Hawke’s happiness. 

And Hawke needs someone there for them when Anders does what he has to do. When he betrays them and their trust, he needs them to not be alone. Fenris can make them happy, can help with the decision to put a knife in Anders’ back for his crimes. He can make it easier. 

“They love you,” Anders says. “That doesn’t stop them from loving me too.” 

“It does not,” Fenris agrees. “They are someone capable of much love.” 

Anders nods and takes a seat beside Fenris. “Thank you, Fenris. For being there for them.”

Fenris sits silently, but Anders understands. 

[agoodficforchii]

Henna Headcanons

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Pairing: Alhaitham, Ayato, Diluc, Tartaglia (Childe), Zhongli x Reader (Separately)

Summary: Genshin characters when they see you putting on henna

Word Count: Around 200-300 for each

Warnings/Extra Notes: Mentions of Eid, Mentions of marriage, Reader mentions wearing henna for weddings, Not proofread, Lmk if there's more!!

Alhaitham:

He actually reminded you about getting your henna done

Normally you’d forget about it until the last minute and then panic (no this is not from experience shut up)

And you had forgotten again this year until Alhaitham asked you a question,

“[Name], do you do your own henna?”

You do! You were so proud of it and were about to show off until you realize 

Oh no. You didn’t have any and he just reminded you about it. 

Probably why he asked you because let’s be honest he already knows the answer to that question

You had been staring at your empty hand for the last minute, while Alhaitham was staring at you. His question made you remember your henna or lack thereof. It also made you realize that it was the last day before Eid, meaning the already crowded bazaar would be even more crowded if that's possible. Alhaitham stared at you for a minute more before getting up from the couch with an exasperated sigh. Snapping out of your trance, you looked over to where Alhaitham was grabbing his keys while walking towards the door.

“Are you just going to sit there and stare or get up so we can get you some henna?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

You practically jumped out of your seat and ran towards the door with a slight blush dusting your face. Whether it was a blush out of embarrassment or because Alhaitham was going out on one of the busiest days of the year just for you, you'll never tell.

Ayato:

You did your henna with Ayaka

Like you were sitting in one of the rooms doing your henna when Ayaka walked by and saw

She found it beautiful so she asked if she could watch you putting it on

You obviously weren’t gonna just let her watch.

So that's how Ayato found the both of you putting henna on each other 

Ayato had just arrived back at the estate and all he wanted to do was spend some time with you before having to fill out the mountains of paperwork that awaited him. Walking past a slightly open door he heard his sister asking you a question,

“Ah [Name], am I holding it right?”

Now Ayato would normally leave you two alone but he was also really curious. So, he pushed the door open as quietly as possible to see what was happening. The sight that greeted him was one that made his heart skip a beat. He knew you and Ayaka were close, something which he adored, but seeing you guys interact would always make him fall harder for you. Especially now, seeing you share something important to you with his younger sister. While you were helping Ayaka apply her henna, he noticed your own. He couldn’t help but feel proud seeing how talented you were. He stood there for a few more minutes, unnoticed, before deciding to quickly go and finish his work. After all, how could he not spend all night with you after that sight?

Diluc:

You guys were in the dining room and he was watching you apply your henna

He was so serious about watching it too

Like he would watch you intently, ask questions, and listen to you tell stories about it

While you were talking about when people typically wear henna you brought up marriages

And ohmygod are you saying you want to marry him??? 

Diluc couldn’t take his eyes off you. Everyone knows that he’s always looking at you or for you. But right now he couldn't stop looking at you because you were applying your henna. He couldn’t help it either! You just looked so cute concentrating so hard on making the most perfect lines you could. You were talking about when you would typically wear henna when you mentioned something that literally made Diluc’s heart stop.

“My mom used to tell me how on her wedding night my father spent hours finding all the little references in her henna. I’m sure she exaggerated, but I can’t wait to pick my henna for our wedding.” You said so casually, even ending with a giggle. You didn’t even look away from your hand.

Those words rang through Diluc’s ears. Our wedding. Your wedding with him. Sure he knew he wanted to marry you, but you mentioning it like you were just talking about the weather did something to him. You were still talking but he couldn’t bring himself to fully pay attention. He was too busy thinking about what kind of ring to buy you.

Tartaglia:

He would be so excited about it

Also wants to help you

But sucks at it, it’s okay though because you’re there

Would want to also get henna done

Omg he would brag about your amazing talent in his letters home

You were just peacefully looking at henna designs when suddenly your front door slammed open. You would’ve been terrified if you didn’t hear Childe’s voice approaching your house. You moved over a bit on your couch to let Childe sit down. He started talking about anything and everything but quickly noticed how your attention wasn’t on him but on whatever you were putting on your hand. He got pouty really fast but recovered even quicker. He decided that he would help you. Well, he tried, but it wasn’t too great. You ended up forcing him to sit quietly and just watch you. He got bored though, so he started begging you to get matching henna designs. You decided to just give the two of you simple hearts because it was the fastest cutest thing you could think of. That led to Childe talking about how his family would love you because of how amazing you are. But hey that’s better than him “helping” you.

“Aww babe, you’re so good at this. My s/o is so talented! Tonia would love this, I can’t wait until you meet her.”

Zhongli:

He made you henna

LISTEN IF HE CAN SPEND HOURS MAKING YOU TEA HE WILL MAKE YOU HENNA

Ahem anyway.

He made you henna and applied it for you because he’s perfect like that

As you were walking home, you prayed Zhongli would already be home. It had been a long day and all you wanted was some tea and the presence of your boyfriend. Reaching your front door, you quickly unlocked your door and rushed to take off your shoes. You threw your keys into the mini tray on top of the shoe shelf near your front door, when you noticed Zhongli’s shoes. Knowing he was home you were now even happier to be there. A strong stench of something hit your nose as soon as you entered the house. It smelled like…henna? You were confused since you hadn’t bought any yet and even if you had, why would your house smell like it? You found your answer after you walked into your kitchen. There was a bowl of henna sitting on the countertop. Zhongli walked in shortly after you, and you knew that this was his doing.

“Hello darling, how was your day?” he asked with a small smile.

You also had a small smile on your face as you spent the rest of your day talking to him as he helped you with your henna.

Notes: lol. hi. haha. ANYWAY a week late but here's my Eid post. The diluc one has my whole heart ngl, when will it be my turn to do that. Hope those of you who celebrated Eid had a good one!!

[phoebesspikytitties]

baby, kiss it better (pt 1)

Hi!! This is the first fic I've ever published and the first smut that I've ever successfully finished, and I am very very proud of it :D

This fic is about 2.8k words of Julien and Lucy taking care of Phoebe on a bad day where she really, really needs it. Enjoy and please leave feedback below !! <333

- 🌸

TAGS: throuple!boygenius, boygenius smut, sub!Phoebe, dom!Lucy, dom!Julien, praise, bondage, cunnilingus, fingering, hurt/comfort, fluff and smut, light choking, slight verbal degradation/humiliation, name-calling, porn with plot (sort of, if you squint), tooth-rotting fluff, sexy and sweet, they just love each other so much ok!!, brain is mean sometimes, and sometimes cure to mean brain is hot sex with the women you love, I don't make the rules this is simply how it is

It was their first day off from touring in weeks, and Phoebe had woken up on the wrong side of the bed. It felt like no matter what Lucy and Julien did, they got snapped at or ignored or eye-rolled. After about two hours of sharing bulged eyes and shrugs across the shared common areas in the suite when she wasn't looking, they both decided it was time for an intervention.

"Phoebe?" Lucy approached the door separating their two-king suite followed by Julien knocking gently.

"What do you want?" came the muffled, disgruntled reply.

"Lucy and I are worried about you, princess. Can we come in?"

There was silence for a moment, then a huff and shuffling noises from inside the room as Phoebe moved to open the door. When she did, Lucy and Julien saw how dark her eye bags had gotten and how tangled her hair looked in a curtain in front of her face. How she had managed to go from perfectly made up last night to entirely a mess this morning was beyond them, but it only served to worry them further.

"You guys have nothing to worry about, seriously," she said gruffly, turning away at the last word.

"Right, yes, of course. We can see that all is perfectly fine in Phoebe land," Julien said sarcastically. Lucy elbowed her in the ribs, giving her a look that said let me do the talking.

"Pheebs, you know we don't buy that. Can we please come in for a second?" Lucy says.

Phoebe stays with her arms against the doorway and her head tilted to the side, not wanting to look at the boys in case they saw the tears welling up in her eyes. Lucy, sensing the shift, forced Phoebe's eyes to look into hers with a finger under her chin. Upon seeing the tears streaming down her face, she pulled her into a hug, which Phoebe melted into immediately.

"I- I just- I didn't realize how bad it had gotten until we had time to think, time to breathe. I don't know what's wrong with me but I never feel like I deserve you guys and all you do for me and I'm afraid that I'm faking it all and I'm really just an awful horrible bad person and I-"

Her sobs cut her rambling short as she buries her face deeper into Lucy's shoulder, breathing in the scent of her hair and trying to ground herself. Lucy stroked her hair and held her tighter as Julien held her from behind, kissing along her shoulder blades and whispering reassurances into her back.

Eventually, sobs became sniffles, and Lucy broke the hug momentarily only to pick Phoebe up fireman style and move her to the bed. She struggled slightly at the gesture but relented, realizing that she didn't have the strength to walk anyway. Lucy laid against the headboard, bringing Phoebe to lay back against her and use her boobs as pillows. Julien acquired a tissue box and snuggled up beside them, and they lay there until Lucy broke the silence.

"You don't deserve to talk to yourself that way, Phoebe. You are NOT an awful person, and you deserve our love." Her tone was intense, almost short with how heated she got at the prospect of someone she loved so much not understanding how much she was worth.

Phoebe looked up at her with a tearstained face, attempting a smile. "I wish I could believe that, Luce. I really, really do." Julien cupped her face with her hands. She looks up at Lucy in a silent question, and Lucy nods, giving the go-ahead for what she would say next.

"What if we showed you just how much we love you?" Phoebe's eyes widened, their lips getting closer.

"And how would you go about doing that," she asked, teasingly now, eyes flicking down to her lips.

"For starters, how about we put that mouth to better use, princess?" Phoebe’s eyes fluttered shut and she nodded slightly, and that was all the prompting Julien needed.

She pressed their lips together hungrily, moving to be on top of Phoebe and slotting a thigh between her own. Lucy watched in wonder as the two loves of her life made out in front of her, taking in the sight. Eventually she decided she wanted to make things interesting, so she reached to grab a fistful of Phoebe's hair.

She tugged lightly at first, testing the waters, and Phoebe had to break the kiss to throw her head back. Having been given her opening, Lucy leaned down into her lips, tangling her hands further in her hair. She broke the kiss with a teasing bite to Phoebe's bottom lip, causing her to moan as Julien looked on with eyes blown wide.

"Do you need us to take care of you, angel?" Lucy asked, smoothing the hair she had just tangled.

"Yes, yes please," Phoebe said, her senses still overwhelmed.

"What's your word, baby?" Julien asked, being the only one of the three with any room left in her brain for logistics.

"Salt," Phoebe said.

"Good girl," Lucy praises, leaving chaste kisses along the exposed part of Phoebe's neck.

Phoebe leaned back, exposing more of herself to be explored by Julien and Lucy. One of her greatest joys and stress relievers on tour has been letting them have control over her and her pleasure, and she felt herself starting to slip back into that familiar headspace as Lucy started to kiss her again, slower this time.

They moved so that they could undress, starting with Phoebe's shirt and shorts and leaving her in just her underwear. Julien took one of Phoebe's breasts into her mouth, sucking appreciatively at the exposed skin. She latched on to her nipple as Lucy latched on to the other, coaxing whines and moans out of her. Phoebe felt the wetness between her legs at the sensations and the thought of being dominated by both of them at once, pressing them together in an effort to get any friction at all.

Lucy noticed, breaking off from her nipple with a loud pop to say, "So desperate for release already, aren't you, pretty girl?" Phoebe nodded, pushing her hips up into empty air.

"We can't have you closing your legs when you're supposed to be relaxing, can we?" Julien said, breaking contact with Phoebe and raising her eyebrows at Lucy suggestively.

"Oh no, we can't have that," she replied, smirking in return to Julien's expression.

Phoebe watched this exchange and threw her head back with a groan, knowing that whatever this meant for her would be deliciously torturous. While Julien broke off to grab God-knows-what to use on her, Lucy kissed her once again, moving her to be in the very center of the bed. She grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head, causing Phoebe's back to arch. Lucy slotted her knee between her thighs, pressing up with just enough pressure to drive Phoebe crazy. Lucy smirked at Phoebe's needy expression, bringing her other hand to wrap possessively around her throat. She pressed ever so slightly, watching as Phoebe gasps with eyes rolling back into her head.

"Please, Lucy, please, I need to feel you- your touch, your mouth, anything please," Phoebe whimpered, surprised at her own desperation.

"Awwwww, so needy already, baby? I bet you're dripping, aren't you? Such a pretty little mess for us." Lucy spoke lowly in her ear, pressing her knee harder onto where Phoebe needed her most and biting down harshly near her collarbone. Phoebe moaned, feeling like she had entered heaven.

At that very moment, Julien re-entered the room carrying an assortment of things; ropes, a leather paddle with a heart shape cut out of it, lube, the black-and-red sparkly swirled vibrating strap-on Lucy had bought for times like these, and a pair of leather cuffs. She tapped Lucy on the shoulder so that she could move and Phoebe could see what she had coming.

Julien smirked as Phoebe’s jaw dropped open. Her eyes widened, taking in all of the things that Julien had brought to use on her.

“You like what you see, baby?” Julien put the stuff down on the bed and went to take her own shirt off, Lucy following suit. Phoebe turned to bury her face in the pillows, suddenly too aware of how exposed she was to them.

“Now she’s shy, is she?” Julien laughed teasingly, sidling up to be beside Phoebe again and turning her back around to press short kisses all over her face.

“Remember, we only use what you want,” Lucy reminded her, now in her underwear only.

Phoebe’s eyes raked up and down her body before responding, “Fuck, I want it all.”

Lucy giggled at her eagerness and moved back down to give her a short kiss, motioning for Julien to prepare the rope. She shimmied Phoebe’s underwear down her legs, kissing down her stomach causing her to shiver as she did so. She stopped at her pussy, taking in just how wet Phoebe was for them.

“God, you really are desperate, aren’t you?” She teased, trailing her fingertips along Phoebe’s inner thighs as she attempted to close her legs again.

“Ah ah ah,” Lucy said, forcing them apart and grabbing the rope from Julien. She quickly and efficiently tied one leg to the bed frame, then the other, effectively restraining her from hiding herself from them. Phoebe looked on in shock and arousal as Julien grabbed her hands and tied them to the bed frame above her head.

Once they had made sure nothing was too tight, Julien nudged Lucy aside to kiss Phoebe passionately. She tried to move her hands to tangle in Julien’s hair but they didn’t budge, held securely in place with her thoughtfully tied knots. Julien trailed kisses down her jawline, stopping to nip at her ear. Phoebe tried in vain to close her legs, whimpering and becoming more needy by the second. Just when she thought she might cry if she didn’t get some relief, she felt Lucy’s mouth on her inner thigh, right next to where she was dripping for her. She inched closer as Julien began leaving hickeys down her neck and chest, taking her nipples between her teeth and biting down just enough to make Phoebe feel like she was on fire. At the same time, Lucy’s mouth finally found her center, licking up the wetness that had gathered there. She took her clit into her mouth and sucked, and Phoebe moaned, hips bucking into Lucy’s face. Julien pulled her hips down harshly, digging her nails into the skin there.

“Such a needy whore for us, aren’t you? Look at you all tied up, bucking your hips into Lucy’s face like the pretty little slut you are. I bet you could come right now, couldn’t you, gorgeous?” Julien’s words shot straight to Phoebe’s pussy, a whole new wave of arousal washing over her. It was almost too much as Lucy’s fingers entered her, fucking into her at a rough pace, mouth still pressing wet kisses to her clit. Lucy curled her fingers up, hitting a spot that made her cry out as her eyes rolled back.

Lucy continued her efforts for a few minutes and soon Phoebe’s legs were shaking, and then tensing, straining against her restraints.

Lucy pulled her mouth away from Phoebe’s center, her thumb keeping pace on her clit as she said, “Go ahead, angel, give it to me,” and that was all it took.

Phoebe came with a cry, the added sensations of the rope around her wrists and ankles enhancing her orgasm in a way she didn’t know possible. Lucy fucked her through it as Julien came up to kiss her neck softly, letting her ride out her high.

When Lucy finally took her fingers out of her, Phoebe was open-mouthed and panting, sweat glistening on her brow. Lucy brought her fingers up to her mouth and rested them on her lips.

“Open,” she said, and Phoebe immediately obliged, sucking them into her mouth and moaning at the taste. Julien set about untying the knots and came back around to kiss Phoebe sweetly once Lucy’s fingers had been sucked clean and Phoebe’s wrists and ankles had been freed.

“Look at you, my love. You’re so pretty, so absolutely perfect for us. You’re such a good girl for us angel,” Lucy said, coming to lay down beside her and stroking her hair out of her face.

Phoebe turned to look at her, eyes shrouded in her afterglow. She turned to see Julien beaming at her from her other side and let the smile tentatively spread to her own face.

Lucy leaned down to kiss her, letting Phoebe taste her sweetness on her face.The moment Phoebe registered that she was free to move her limbs again she was pulling Lucy on top of her, reveling in the comforting weight of her. Julien came to snuggle into them, pushing Lucy so that there was room for her on top of Phoebe, replacing Lucy’s lips on hers. They dissolved into a pile of giggles and limbs, eventually settling so that Phoebe was between them again.

Julien and Lucy each took a wrist in their hands and set about kissing all over the rope marks, and Phoebe’s smile grew wider. Lucy turned to the bedside table where there was a full glass of water, courtesy of Julien when she had gone to get her bag of tricks, and made Phoebe sit up and drink some.

“Luce, do I haaaave to? I’m so comfortable,” she said, pouting at the thought of having to move a muscle.

“You either drink the water or I spank your ass sore, and you’re still going to have to drink it after that,” Lucy says, surprising even Julien, who’s jaw almost hits the floor.

“I meeeaaann…” Phoebe giggles suggestively, causing Julien to laugh in disbelief and Lucy to roll her eyes fondly.

“Next time! Now, seriously, drink this before your drop catches up to you,” she laughs, forcing Phoebe’s head back with the glass and effectively spilling half of it on the bedding.

“God, ok, fine!! I’ll drink it myself,” Phoebe says, taking the glass and downing the rest with as much grace as she can muster in her fucked-out state.

“How- how’d you like that?” Julien said, taking the glass out of her hand and waiting expectantly for her answer.

“God, I don’t think I’ve ever came so hard in my life,” Phoebe responds, cheeks reddening as she turns to bury her face in Lucy’s cleavage. Lucy laughs, running her hands through her hair.

“We know how much you love being all tied up for us, baby. Wanna see how the other toys feel next time?” Julien says, gesturing towards the pile of assorted goodies, still unused.

“Yes please. Can we try something with the strap and the paddle next time?” She asks timidly, turning to look both of them in their eyes.

“Hell yeah,” comes their unison response, sending all three of them laughing again.

“Thank you guys, seriously. It means the world to me that you want to do this for me.”

“Of course we do, princess. Are you feeling any better than before?” Julien asks, turning over so that she’s spooning Phoebe’s side.

After some contemplation, Phoebe’s response is, “I feel a lot lighter than before. But, I think I could be even floatier with the help of that little devil right there.” She gestures towards the paddle specifically.

“Awwww, I love my little pain slut,” Julien says, leaning in to kiss Phoebe slowly.

“Hey, that’s OUR pain slut, thank you very much!” Lucy exclaims in mock offense.

“Ladies, ladies, please, there’s enough of me to go around!” Phoebe says, and they all laugh at their own ridiculousness.

Eventually they manage to untangle themselves from each other to go get cleaned up and put their bathing suits on, deciding to spend the rest of their sunny day off at the hotel pool. Phoebe is glowing and so are Lucy and Julien, happy to see the pink in her cheeks again. When they get back to their room, they detangle Phoebe’s hair (much to her annoyance) and fall asleep in her bed together, intertwined and warm in each other’s arms.

Right before passing out, Phoebe musters up the energy to whisper, “I love you.”

“I love you more,” comes Julien’s response.

“I love you most,” comes Lucy’s.

[alexandraisyes]

WHOA LOOK GUYS ITS MOON

Now that I have your attention. . . I have been working on a Sun and Moon Show AU recently, I'm calling it "Twisted Celestials" due to both the nature of the reality they end up in, as well as the way their designs... twist when Sun does done fucks up.

I'm currently halfway through character references and cards. Each character gets a flat color reference sheet as well as a close-up "character card". There are ten characters, which means there are twenty artworks just to start the AU. I have finished five, so I'll be posting them for your fine dining. It takes about 5 hours to do both a sheet and a card, so about 50 hours to do the rest of the characters, so please bear with me haha. The summary and artworks are under the cut.

I've been very excited to share this AU, I've been talking about it on my server and on the SAMS server. I can't currently say too much, but the basic thought that got me started was, "What if, when Moon reset and Eclipse came in boasting with the star in hand... Sun just snapped?"

Sun loses control of his emotions, done does fuck up, and tears up their reality, as well as the neighboring ones (since we know the Multiverse is canon in the SAMS). Which means that if they showed up after that episode, they don't exist here. Helps keep things simple. I'll go into greater depth about how the new reality functions, who goes where, current and future dynamics, etc at a later time.

Currently planned for the AU: - The rest of the references and cards - Lore implicative artworks - Smaller animatics that mostly touch on the background plot - Two full-blown animatics that are for the lore - A series of written works that will be posted on my main Ao3 account

Non-important artist note, but I giggle going through these. I've uploaded them in chronological order of when I drew them, and you can see how I've had to relearn faces. (Earth doesn't count, she's purely machine and is literally built like that). Very proud with how fast I picked up the trade again, and Blood is such a pretty man I-

*Ahem*

Anyways, hope you're as excited for this as I am to share it with you.

Also, the finished artwork of Moondrop that I showed the sketch of at in the beginning to catch your attention.

[takeurexam]

dynasty || VIII

genre:

non idol au, time travel, romance, rivals to allies to friends to lovers, crown prince to emperor taehyun, reader gets appointed as an concubine, inspired by korean history

pairing(s):

taehyun x reader

(warning, this does not reflect the REAL idols personality, and no smut will be written to respect the idol, and i am not comfortable as well, and the taehyun in this ff is not the actual taehyun)

story:

in which you, an excellent law student about to graduate collage suddenly gets dragged into the past, meeting the famous-fawned over emperor of the kang's dynansty. but you getting dragged into this mess was beyond a mystery, and it seems like you have something deep to discover. meddling with the past is a risky decision after all.

dynasty masterlist

"Im going to miss my dear rice soup." You sigh as you finish devouring your second bowl of the famous beef broth you ate at your first day in the new town.

"I'll definetely bring you some when we visit." Soobin sips on his broth after he says, he drops the bowl to the table as hums, satisfied from the taste.

Hobak then aggresively slams his third bowl to the table, "Agreed! The royal meals there are good, but sadly they despise the familiar taste of rice soup because it's 'peasent food' according to them." He sighs as he chews the remaining rice in his mouth.

"I think I leave tomorrow morning, its been a blast anyways." You giggle as you remember your experiances together exploring before you comepletely devote yourself to become a concubine.

Being a concubine is ass, but it will all become worth it once you become successful. You might even become the empress! And the advantage of knowing the future emperor personally would be pretty cool to use around the palace.

"Well, its getting dark, so we should head back." Soobin looks around at the dark orange sky covering the bright blue sky a few hours ago. You and Hobak nod as the three of you pay up for your meals, and probably your last rice soup for a while as you three head back to Soobin's residence.

While the three of you walk down the dirt path, lit up by the lanterns hanging around the houses around the area, you three strike a coversation.

"Hey, what are you two planning for the future?" You cross your arms, "I'm pretty curious."

"Honestly for me, I probably plan to work in the palace one day in the royal court. I hate the palace, but I want my parents to be proud of me." Soobin mumbles as his fingers reach his chin.

"Me? Probably be a person with high status or something." Hobak grins, "Being rich is cool." He giggles along with you, as raise your palm for a high-five.

You three stop on your tracks as Hobak raises a brow at your action, "Oh, yeah, you dont know." You clear your throat, "This is a high-five, you just raise your hand and clasp your palm to another person." You demonstrate with your two hands as the two men watch, astonished.

"Thats cool! High-five." Hobak does it with you as you both laugh. "You got it!"

"We learn so much from you. Its as if you have an advanced mind- living in the future." Soobin chuckles as you laugh hard, "What if I am?" You smirk.

"What?" Soobin pauses.

"Nothing!"

The three of you laughed it off as you called it a night, as the three of you enjoy the moment in hand, late night laughter along with your friends felt like a blessing in disguise.

"Psst!"

"This gives me deja vu."

"Same." You reply as you feel the gears of your brains moving as you wake up, feeling a sense of deja vu from this very moment. "Reminds me of mom." You keep your eyes closed, and cant tell who the two people were waking you up.

Immediately remembering you had to move in to the palace today, you quickly sit up and open your eyes to see Soobin and Hobak sitting beside your matress, already dressed up.

"Shes up." Hobak snaps his fingers right at your face, as you blink several times. "Some ladies are coming to dress you up for today, so you have to wake up and mentally prepare yourself."

"What?"

You were not informed of this beforehand as you stood in one of the rooms of the house meant for dressing up- your dress stood infront of you as some court ladies bowed beside it as Soobin stood beside you.

"It fits you." He laughs as you feel yourself merge with the floor, feeling deadpanned. "I'll be heading out with Hobak now. We'll be watching you on your way." He pats your back as you still sink.

"Oh, by the way." Soobin whispers, covering your ear with his hand, "These court ladies are from Daedo. I requested some women I know from Daedo to my brother to ensure you have a nice experiance."

"Woah?" Your mouth agapes, "You really are something, Choi Soobin." You hit him gently in the chest as he laughs before stepping out of the room.

You look at the beautiful outift infront of you- a hanbok with a red top and a shade of dark blue for the skirt. The skirt is decorated with printed flowers below, and the top with printed flowers around the collar and doves.

"Oh-kay!" You look at it mesmerized, with your mouth dropped to the floor, "Pure harmony! I'll totally serve wearing this." You step closer and take closer looks around it, admiring it even deeper. "Are you ready, My Lady?" The court ladies ask.

"I'm ready." You nod at the court ladies as they prepare you to wear the beautiful outfit for your first day. They wrap the robes around you as you stand there like the letter 'T' as you watch them wrap you as if you were a sushi roll.

They shower your hair with accesories, along with your face- making it look more alive than it was before. It made you glow like the sun as your beauty shined through out the room.

"You're glowing, My Lady." One of the court ladies smile as you nod, "Agreed. Your hardwork paid off!" You look into the mirror right infront of you as you gently touch your face, as if you were a delicate item.

"I will serve bad bitch up here." You let out an horrendous giggle as you keep looking at the mirror, admiring yourself- as the court ladies think about getting you checked to the royal physician later on.

General Beomgyu prepared his horse as he watched the other men working on your palanquin, making it well designed and fit for you. He watched as his cousin's palanquin also sat beside yours, as she was getting ready too inside the house.

He sighed, hoping his plan will be executed correctly by you. He hopes you could replace the empress soon enough and eliminate the remaining pieces of the Cheol family from the royal palace and change the course of the country.

"General Beomgyu~!" You sing out as you rest an elbow on his shoulder, as he shaked up a little at your unannounced arrival. "You really owe me some rice soup soon." You sigh heavily, "Rest assured, your name will not be in shambles as long as I am your representaitve." You dramatically cover your hand on top of your head, taking in the moment.

"Are you always this dramatic?" He lets you do your moment as he continued standing there like he was before. You remove your elbow from his shoulder as you look infront of you. "Is that a parade float?" You eye it carefully.

"Palaquin." The General corrects you. "Uh huh. Okay, okay." You nod as you turn your head to the other palaquin beside you, "Who is that for?" You point towards it.

He crosses his arms, "Concubine Choi." The name dosent ring a bell for you, not that you've heard it on your history lectures.

"Is she your sister?" You tilt your head, still looking at the palaquin. "Cousin. She is my father's selected concubine to offer." He answers.

"Cool." You nod, looking back at the General beside you, checking him out as he wore his usual black armor and his ponytail. "You're returning too then, how cool." You ramble on, speaking to yourself while Beomgyu wished he could just make you shut up, but he was kind enough to not do anything to you.

A moment of silence washes between you two, as you think hard. "If I were to change the flow of history, what would happen?" You widen your eyes, "I did speculate that I may have been sent here for a purpose, and usually in k-dramas they do something to change the flow of history or something."

Beomgyu notices you making weird faces, but he ignores you thinking you were just on the first stage of insanity.

He hears some court ladies giggling to themselves, and he assumes the concubine he mentioned was finished getting ready. You dont notice as you stare into space that some ladies were making such noise, as Concubine Choi merely ignored the two, and walked over to her palaquin.

"General, it is time to take our leave." A Eunuch suddenly appears beside him. He nods and orders the eunuch's to prepare the palaquin for you.

"Oh, we're leaving." You stretch along with a yawn loudly, "Is there like a parade or something?" You click your tongue.

"Please get on the palaquin." Beomgyu coldly glares as you shiver and seek assistance from the Eunuch's and get on the palaquin, which was well decorated.

The palaquin was simple, yet it gives off a impression, with the beautiful silk curtains, the paintings- it is almost near to perfection, for you, of course.

You spread your legs out of habit as you make yourself comfortable, feeling the advantages of being a silver spoon.

All palaquins gathered their way to the palace, with the people of the town watching and talking about the ladies.

"Oh- Hobak and Soobin!" You wave at the two standing in the crowd as they wave back, as you make sure to flash them a wide grin.

"This is the life." You sink into the seat as you waited for the palaquin to reach its designated location for you. You raise your arms to the back of your head and lean over them, with your legs stretched.

Somehow, you fell asleep.

So here you are now, inside your now assigned chamber, as it was decorated nicely and simple, and since you weren't officially an imperial concubine, their chambers are way fancier than the one you were residing in.

You heard that General Beomgyu carried you over to your chambers, since the real gathering was still tomorrow morning, and you all arrived about at sunset- he let you sleep soundly, but you were now wide awake.

"Im already missing my rice soup." You feel boredom take over you as you sigh and rest the side of your face into the table, "This is so boring."

"Why did I even agree to this in the first place?" You begin talking to yourself, trying to make up the emptiness you felt, "If I wasn't dragged to the past I would've been a lawyer by now. Saving cases... blabla..."

"What am I even supposed to do in this timeline? I'm literally just a normal person that cant fix their problem in the past or something." You murmur as you finger comb your hair, feeling grief.

"I miss my apartment, my soju, my friends, my bird, my phone and my albums." You sit up properly and palm your hands together, lowering your head.

You hear a knock at your door, "Come in!" You shout.

<previous chapter

>next chapter

taglist: (open!)

@stormy1408

a/n: sorry for the short chapter LOL im pretty busy nowadays, but i'll make sure to update <3

see you next time, @takeurexam

[yenqa]

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU — TEASER

READ HERE!

in which...

you hate heeseung. you hate his snobby little voice, his stupid little glasses that are too big for him, his nosiness, and his ability to prove anything or anyone wrong easily. you hate hate hate the way you try to avoid him, but somehow he’s always around, and he can’t see how much you hate him. you swear nothing could make you like him, but after you get caught in a sticky situation with him playing your knight in shining armor, you realize that maybe he isn’t so bad after all.

pairing — heeseung x fem!reader

genre — one sided enemies to lovers, highschool au, he falls first she falls harder, oblivious x obvious, tutor x tutoree (kind of), childhood friends (ish because the whole one sided enemies thing) to lovers, long fic

wordcount — teaser is 1005! fic est. 9k-13k words (hopefully not too ambitious)

warnings — profanity, kissing (no suggestive stuff or nsfw), miscommunication, parties/underage drinking, name calling (bitch, whore, stuff like that), food

featuring — lia of itzy, miyeon of g-idle, hyung line of enhypen (sorry maknaes too many people), ocs : sooyun + teachers

disclaimer — i am not saying this is an accurate representation of these idols or trying to sexualize them at all. this just something i do for fun.

release date — hopefully by mid march?

taglist — open! send an ask or comment to be added!

yenqa — watched the movie on the plane and i was kind of obsessed… but this does not follow the movie plot, i just thought the title fit

YOU WATCH AS THE SNOW FALLS SLOWLY TO THE GROUND

A blanket of white has got you and the guests at your house locked in for the night. You weren’t very happy with these strangers staying at your house for the night—In fact, you had just been completely shut down by your dad when you asked him to kick them out. It was obvious why he did that, but this definitely had to be your least favorite christmas out of the eight you had been through.

You snap out of your thoughts, continuing to eat whatever you had left on your plate, hesitating when you saw the amount of vegetables still left.

“Mom! I’m full.” You try to hide your plate from her, showing her instead a pout with a hand on your stomach. 

It didn’t work—obviously, so you were stuck at the table, a frown on your face as you forced in the greens. Across from you, a boy your age, who didn’t seem to mind, he almost looked like he was enjoying it.

That’s impossible though, no one likes vegetables. Maybe he was doing it so Santa would get him an extra special gift?

You grumble when he finishes his place, showcasing his plate that had been licked clean to his mom. He stared at you for a second looking down at your—full plate then looking back at his mom, she said “Great job Heeseung!”. He returns his plate to the table with a smile. 

Stabbing your fork back into your food, you stuff it into your face, hoping that you would enjoy it as much as Heeseung did. Again, it didn’t work, and the bitter taste returned to your mouth.

After what felt like hours of groaning and complaining, you had taken the last bite of your food, a proud smirk on your face when you made eye contact with the boy from earlier, who only smiled at you in return. 

Throwing away your plastic plate, you realized that now it was present time, and Santa just had to reward you for your good deeds.

Rushing over to the tree, you spot everyone gathered around the area, opening their presents. You run to your present, recognizing the wrapping paper from last year. Looking at your mom for approval, she nods and you tear apart the paper, lifting up the box inside.

You squeal when you see the picture, you had been begging your mom for weeks for a Lego set, specifically if it was minecraft themed. And Santa had gotten you just that. You hug the box, squeezing it. You exclaim a loud “Thank you Santa!” before running up to your room to assemble the build.

Reading the directions, you start the house, quickly getting confused on how it isn’t looking like how it does in the picture. 

“I think that’s the wrong piece.” A voice says, you whip your head around to see the same boy who sat across from you.

“Who are you?” Your eyebrows furrow at the sight, confused on why those were the first words he said instead of “Hi!” or something.

“My name’s Heeseung—Um, my mom told me to come upstairs and said we should be friends. Do you want to be friends?” 

You huff, “I’m Y/n. Also no, I don’t want to be friends, you’re mean.” You force your legos together, frustrated already with the pieces. You continue to reread the directions, pushing—what you think are—the exact legos to the board. But it doesn’t seem like it’ll fit. Maybe if you push it harder?

“Oh—okay.” You jump slightly, too focused to realize how he's been watching you for the past few minutes. “Do you need some help?”

Yes, you need help. But did you want to accept his help?  . This was your christmas gift from Santa, you shouldn’t have to share.

Glancing at the picture then to the building that had looked like an abstract rendition of it, you let out a sigh. I mean, it wouldn’t hurt, right? “Yeah, I guess.”

He takes a seat on the carpet next to you, focusing hard on the directions before breaking off the wrong pieces, reassembling it so you’ll be on the right track.

“Does this go here, do you think?” “No, it goes here.”  That was a summary of what the conversation was between you, and somehow you were always the one asking the question. Sighing, you lean back, taking a short stretch break before starting again.

You’re shocked at his speed and efficiency, it almost seems like he’s always a step ahead of you. Geez does this guy ever slow down? 

The roles are quickly switched as you are sitting watching him instead. Rummaging through each box only for his eyes to lighten up one he finds the right one. You watch him for a while, getting a break that you very much needed.

You hope that he waits for you to finish it, or that he doesn’t completely do it all by himself because again,  it’s your Christmas gift, and he wouldn’t do that, right?

Not right, because apparently he’s a machine—he finishes the build. He stands up, pushes his stupid glasses up also and smiles at you, heading to the door. You think he’s going to say something else like “Sorry for taking away your present!” instead, he thanks you for sharing and happily skipping away. 

Heeseung. Even his name infuriates you. He was very unpredictable and you hated that. Why did he just do that? He’s so rude. People don’t make sense—especially boys, they have cooties.

Your head was filled with calling him the rudest things you could think of—You even said a few curse words.

Though later you realized that you probably would never see him again, you were ecstatic, so ecstatic you had disassembled your legos just to rebuild it, to completely forget about your bad experience with the boy. 

Only two weeks later were you disappointed to see that same boy, sitting across from you during dinner once again.

perm taglist — @jwnghyuns @ja4hyvn @trsrina @redm4ri @badmuni @yeokii @enhastolemyheart @softpia @s00buwu @ox1-lovesick @boyfhee @hanniluvi @teddywonss

yenqa © please do not copy, steal or translate.

[i-like-ratsssss]

♡First Night

Sodapop x M!Reader (Request by @Massivecreationdinosaur)

You were getting ready for your date with Sodapop. It’s y’all first date and Soda wanted it to be special. “Mama!” You called, rushing out of your room. You were wearing a simple beige sweater with some jeans. You walked over to the living room, grabbing your boots. “I’m ready! I’m gonna head out,” you grabbed your jacket before going over to the front door. Your mama walked out of the kitchen, holding her wallet. “Alright, honey, here’s $10. Just in case,” she says, placing a small, loving kiss on your forehead. You smile, taking the bill. “Thanks mama, I’ll be back by midnight!” You holler, placing the bill in your back pocket. You walk out the door, waving to your mama. Soda wanted to bring you to the drive-in for your date. To his research, tonight was supposed to be a romance movie. After jogging for 15 minutes, you see Soda at the entrance, smoking a cig. Only to look cool, which was cute. “Hey, PepsiCola!” You say, grabbing the cigarette away from him. His face lit up, grinning cheekily. “Hey sweets, ready to go in?” He grabbed your hand, walking in. You nodded, smiling happily. As you got in your seats, he placed his hand on your thigh. “Want some popcorn? Maybe even a coke?” He asks, his face heating up. He looked sweeter than normal and it looks adorable. “Sure, my mama gave me a $10 bill,” I grab the bill, putting it in his palm. He smiles, taking out his wallet. “Thanks, love, I’ll maybe get you a treat too,” He gets up, placing a sweet kiss on you cheek before walking to the concession building. He walked out with a large popcorn bag with two cans of coke. He gave one of the cokes to you, sitting next to you. “Alright, got the popcorn, I put extra butter cause it’s tasty,” he put one hand on his chest, seeming proud of himself. You chuckle, patting his shoulder. “Well, thank you,” he placed the popcorn bag on his lap, scooting his chair closer to yours. “No problem!” You laid your head on his shoulder, waiting for the movie to start. During the movie, Soda was way too focused on you and smiling the whole time. You finally noticed, turning towards him. “Soda? You good?” You ask, blinking curiously. He snaps out of it, grinning. “Yeah, I’m great! You’re just really nice-looking,” he says, scratching the back of his head. He looked a little nervous to say it out loud. Him being his normal sweet self. “That’s real sweet, PepsiCola.” He looks away, holding the popcorn bag tightly. He stuffs his mouth with a few popcorn pieces before speaking again. “Am I your pretty boy?” He asks, his tone embarrassed. You rub his head, smirking at him. “Yes, you’re my pretty boy. The prettiest boy I’ve ever seen,” he softly rests his head on your chest as you continue rubbing his hair. He didn’t seem to put any grease in his hair tonight, made this moment easier for you. You took the popcorn bag, placing it in-between your thighs. Soda felt extremely calmed, you continued watching the movie, starting to mess with his hair more. As the movie ended, you were finishing off the popcorn and already finished your coke. You stole Soda’s coke, seeing he was comfortable on your chest still. You were smaller than him so he had a small space to lay. The movie credits started rolling and you tapped Soda’s head, waking him up. “Soda, the movie ended,” Soda opened his eyes, sitting up. As he rubbed his eyes, a grin grew on his face. “Alright.. wanna go over to the park?” He asked, standing up while taking the popcorn bag and placing both empty cans in the bag. You stood up, nodding. “ I would like that. I told my mama I would be home by midnight,” you answered back, taking his other hand. He smiled, walking towards the trash. “Well, it’s seems to be around 10:30 so we should be good for another hour and a half!” He exclaimed, kissing your palm. “Seems like it.” You both walk out, walking closely together, holding hands. Soda climbs onto the spider-web plaything as soon as you get to the park. He holds his hand out for you today. “Come on handsome! It’s a lovely night.” “Yes it is, Sodapop. Yes it is..”

The End!! Hope it’s good!! Squeakk! Squeak!!

[the-albster]

Open Mic Night

I thought I was going to have more time to finish this one this week, but alas, college life and extracurriculars have caught up to me. Still, I am very attached to this piece, and I have had this idea for a while. I hope you enjoy!!

Word Count: 2,468

Content Warnings: mild panic attack, self-deprecation, mention of a noose in song lyrics

Summary: Pari signed up to sing a favorite song of hers at an open mic night, and all of her friends come along to watch. It's dark and snowy, and she's getting more and more nervous. She admits she's scared when she's in the bathroom, and Kariah helps her out. Pari gets up onstage and performs, any nerves immediately fading. All of the friends applaud and compliment her, and it ends in a group hug and late-night food.

Content Used: "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons

Art By: @eventidebrine

_________________________________________

It was a cold, snowy Monday night. A very anxious Pari was walking briskly through the snow, holding gloved hands tightly with Kariah, wearing her guitar on her back. Behind them was the rest of the friend group; Faith, Christine, Todd, Marisol, and Tristan. They were all happily chatting amongst each other (minus Faith and Christine, who were arguing again,) and Pari had it completely tuned out.

“How are you feeling?” Kariah asked, squeezing Pari’s hand. She looked gorgeous in her champagne-colored puffy jacket. Pari wished wearing her hair down everyday didn’t bother her as much as it did; her ears were pretty cold from her hair in her signature bun.

“Fine,” Pari said, but that was not what she meant.

Tonight was the yearly open mic night. This one was different from most; you had to sign up in advance in order to be able to perform. Todd said he had heard rumors that it had gone on for almost three hours last year, so they were doing this to shorten it. This year, Pari decided on a whim that she would try to sign up for a position, not expecting for there to be one open for her.

But there was exactly one. Which meant that she was performing in front of an audience.

Pari wasn’t the type that had stage fright normally, but something about this was daunting. Maybe because of the rawness of the song she was playing, and how she would be able to see every single audience member. Also, all of her friends insisted on going along, and none of them had ever heard Pari sing. Todd had heard her tune her guitar, but he had never heard her playing a full song, and he especially had never heard her sing.

What if her voice wasn’t good? What if she was too quiet?

“Honey, you’re not fine. You forget that I can see right through you.” Kariah squeezed Pari’s hand tight. “You’re going to do amazing.”

“You got this, Pari!” Marisol squealed, skipping forward to walk next to her. She was wearing a beanie, her hair now about pixie cut length, and her jacket was so big on her that it didn’t look like she could move her arms. Pari glanced back at Todd, who was looking at Marisol fondly. She smiled softly at him, and then looked back at her.

“Thanks, Marisol.”

They arrived at the cafe moments later, and the anxiety was beginning to overtake Pari. She took a deep breath and then, as a form of comfort, made sure she had everything.

“I have my guitar… Kariah, you have my backpack?”

“Yep. And I looked at your list. Your shirt, skirt, headband, brush, makeup, and heels are all inside. I triple checked.”

Pari breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re perfect. Thank you.”

Todd stepped forward to be near Pari, and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Pari, you’re gonna be great up there. I can’t wait to hear you sing.”

“And,” Kariah added, “I’m proud of you for trying something new, even if it’s scary. You’re going through with it even though it scares you, and that is bravery if I’ve ever seen it.”

“I don’t feel very brave,” Pari snapped, and she looked down, guilt already filling her heart. “Sorry. I’m just nervous.”

Tristan came up from behind Pari and wrapped her in a big bear hug, patting her shoulder roughly, yet it was comforting. “You’re gonna kill it, Par!”

Pari looked back at Christine, who nodded at her. “You’ll be fine.”

Faith shoved her girlfriend and leaned forward. “You’re going to, like, kill it out there! I don’t know why you didn’t want me to ask daddy to record it professionally.”

“I’d rather not feel like I’m on a news show when I’m performing,” Pari responded. “Also, thank you guys.”

Feeling supported by her friends, Pari walked inside, taking a deep breath. It was, thankfully, right between performances, so nothing was interrupted.

“Y’all go find us seats. Todd, save me one up front. I’m gonna go with Pari to get ready.” Todd nodded and grabbed a program as Pari handed him her guitar. He led everyone to their seats as they all grabbed programs. Tristan handed a couple to Pari and Kariah, and Kariah opened it immediately.

“We have four performances to get you ready, Par. Come on, let’s go find the bathroom.”

Pari took Kariah by the hand, and Kariah briskly led Pari to the restroom. It was a small, yet surprisingly clean single-stall bathroom.

“You go in the stall and change, and I’ll get your makeup and stuff out and get ready to doll you up.” Kariah reached into the bag and handed Pari her clothes. Taking a shaky breath, Pari took them, and she slipped into the stall, shutting the door behind her.

The more Pari thought about the performance, the more anxiety she began to have. She had signed up for this because… well, one, she didn’t think there would actually be a spot for her, and two, because she wanted to give back to her community by participating in a local event. And she wanted to do that, but the idea of going up on that little stage and completely letting herself go in front of all of those people sent a wave of nervousness throughout her body. She would be performing, something she didn’t normally do, and she chose a song that made her feel vulnerable. No one had heard her sing. Kariah was the performer, not her.

Soon, the thoughts came rushing back. “I’m not good enough.” “I can’t do this.” “Everyone’s going to laugh at me.”

And as soon as Pari was dressed, she crumpled to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Kariah knocked on Pari’s stall door, and Pari moved just enough to open it for her. She sat down next to her girlfriend, brushing a hair out of her face.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong?”

“I’m…” It was hard for her to admit it, but she did. “I’m scared.”

“Oh, honey…” Kariah wiped a tear off of her face. “Can I hug you?”

“Please… please do.”

Moments later, Pari felt Kariah’s arms around her, and she melted into them, holding onto her so tightly. She was shaking, fearing what was going to happen when she got on that stage. And now that she was crying, it was going to look like she didn’t want to be there. She did.

She was just scared.

“It’s going to be okay,” Kariah whispered, stroking her hair. “You’re going to do great. I’m so excited to hear you perform. You’re going to be the best part of that open mic night, and deep down, you know it.”

“No, you’re only saying that because you’re my girlfriend.”

“I’m saying that because it’s true. I know you’re scared. Trust me, I’m always scared before I go up onstage.” Pari looked up at her, eyes red, and Kariah smiled softly. “It’s true. The pre-show jitters exist. But once you’re up there, and you get started, it’s going to be fine.” Kariah let Pari go and then stood up, bringing her up with her. “Come on. Let’s do some warm ups.”

“In the cafe bathroom?”

“In the cafe bathroom.”

Pari wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Kariah gave her one last hug and then twirled her around. “Follow what I do, and the pre-show jitters will be gone.”

She led her through some tongue twisters, some energy warm ups, and some stretches. By the time they were done, there were two shows left. As Kariah began to do Pari’s makeup, she looked into her eyes.

“When you get up on that stage,” Kariah said, “imagine you’re in the music practice room. Think of the song that you’re singing, and how it resonates with you. Feel the music, feel the moment, sing your heart out.”

Pari nodded, a soft smile escaping her lips, feeling much better. “Thank you.”

_________________________________________

“Ugh! I, like, love the arts, but I came here to see Pari! When does Pari get to go?” Faith flipped through her program and huffed.

“She’s next, dumbass,” Christine pointed at the program. “That was 11. Pari’s 12th.”

“I’m so excited!” Marisol exclaimed, leaning forward to rest her head on Todd’s. “Todd! Are you ready to see your sister perform?!”

Todd nodded, leaning his head back to look at Marisol. “You know it, babe.”

Kariah was sitting front and center, staring at the stage in anticipation. She was wondering how Pari was doing while she was back there waiting to go. It had only been one performance, but Kariah felt like it had been so long, and she was ready to see her girlfriend shine in the spotlight.

Then, moments later, Pari came out.

Since Kariah did her makeup, she knew how pretty Pari looked, but something about the cozy lighting in the restaurant made her look gorgeous and elegant. Her skirt flowed behind her slightly, and her hair was neatly tied into a bun on her head. Kariah was in awe of how gorgeous her girlfriend was, and the more she looked at her, the more excited she was to see Pari perform.

As they were sound-checking Pari, Faith leaned forward and tapped on Kariah’s shoulder. Kariah turned around. “Hm?”

“You did her makeup, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, you did, like, amazing. Pari looks really pretty right now.” That made Kariah smile. Faith, the expert of fashion and makeup in the friend group, gave her a makeup compliment. That made her feel special.

“Test, test.”

The crowd began to quiet down. Kariah looked up at her girlfriend, so excited. She was sensing the nervousness coming back to her by the way she was tensed up onstage and by the look in her eyes. Pari looked out at Kariah, who smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Hi, I’m Pari Shepard, and I’m going to be performing one of my favorite songs. It’s called ‘The Cave.’ I hope you enjoy it.”

Pari took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and Kariah began to smile wider than she had in a while.

And then, she began to play.

As Pari’s fingers moved along the strings of the guitar, Kariah could see the nerves and the tenseness in Pari completely vanish. In fact, as she began to play, she noticed a small smile creeping onto her face. And the music itself was gorgeous. Kariah was expecting her to go up there and play some chords and sing along, but Pari played lots of little, intricate notes that formed a beautiful melody. Kariah was gazing at her, and she couldn’t stop smiling. She was so proud.

And Pari’s voice! Her Polish accent just barely shone through, making her voice sound gorgeously unique. Though her voice was soft, it was still clear, and it filled the room. Everything about Pari was ethereal. Kariah took a quick glance at Todd next to her, who had a look of pure pride on his face.

“I’m so proud of her…” he muttered. Kariah smiled wide and listened as Pari sang.

“But I will hold on hope

And I won’t let you choke

On the noose around your neck

And I’ll find strength in pain

And I will change my ways

I’ll know my name as it’s called again…”

Kariah could tell that the lyrics really meant a lot to Pari; the idea of overcoming struggles and finding strength in hard times. She didn’t want the singing to end. She was lost in Pari’s beauty, her talent, and honestly, just everything about her. The way her eyes sparkled as she sang something meaningful. The way her fingers strummed the guitar. The way she rested the guitar on her knee as she played. The way she smiled as she sang. The way it was so clear that Pari was up on that stage doing something she loved.

God, Kariah was so in love with her.

When Pari was done singing, she looked out into the audience, tears filling her eyes as she smiled. “Thank you.”

The room filled with applause. Kariah stood up, screaming, “Go Pari! You did it, honey! I love you so much!!”

Pari walked off the stage, her eyes watering and her body trembling. The adrenaline must have rushed when she went up there, and now that she was done, it was fading out.

“Pari! Oh my gosh!” Marisol was bouncing up and down. “You did so good!”

She smiled at Marisol’s compliment, and she set her guitar against a chair. “Thanks, Mari.”

Kariah took a step forward, taking Pari’s hands. “You, my Pari, were amazing up there. I’m so, so proud of you. I love you more than anything.”

“Thanks, babe. I love you too.”

Pari leaned forward and gave Kariah a tight hug, and Kariah kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to wipe the tears off of her girlfriend’s face. Those tears were likely a mix of emotions from the song and emotions from getting through that performance. They made Kariah begin to tear up as well.

Kariah felt Todd’s arms around both of them, and then Marisol joined. Tristan came up behind Todd and put his hand on Pari’s shoulder, hugging her too. Faith stepped forward and tried to drag Christine along, but Christine wouldn’t budge, so she joined the hug on both of their behalfs.

The group hug made Pari feel seen. Happy.

Loved.

Like she was lovable.

“Thank you guys for coming…” Pari said between tears, “and thank you for this. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you guys supporting me.”

“Wanna stay and get food?” Tristan exclaimed as the hug dispersed. “It’s on me!”

Everyone cheered and nodded, and as Pari was walking, Christine tapped her on the shoulder. She held out her hand, which Pari took, and they shook hands.

“I knew you had it in the bag, Par. Nice job.”

Pari grinned and nodded. “Thanks, Christine.”

Todd stepped forward and squeezed Pari. “You really did. You put yourself out there, and I didn’t know you could sing OR play like that! What other secrets are you keeping from me?”

A soft chuckle escaped Pari’s lips. “None. Thank you, Todd.”

She went and rejoined the rest of the group, sitting next to Kariah and leaning over on her shoulder. Being on that stage sent a new wave of confidence through her, and lit a fire in her that maybe, just maybe, going on a stage and singing with her guitar was going to be a new passion of hers.

Kariah looked down and brushed Pari’s bangs out of her face. “I really am proud of you.”

Pari smiled and looked down. “Thanks. For once, I’m proud of me, too.”

[dirtanddistance]

Squamish50 Race Recap: Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me

"Won't make my mama proud, it's gonna cause a scene // she sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream // GOOOOOOOODDDDD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! You're a Coast Mountain girl, and you run in the woods // oh mama, IIIIIIIIII'M JUST HAVIN' FUN, on the trail in my vest, it's where I belong, down on these // COAST MOUNTAIN TRAILS, I'm gonna keep on running on these COAST MOUNTAIN TRAILS, I'm gonna keep on running out in WEST CANADA, I'm gonna keep on running on these coast mountain trails, coast mountain trails"

Phew. Now that that's out of my system...

When I was growing up, the concept of 'peer pressure' never made much sense to me. I was not intrinsically tempted by drugs, or alcohol, or skipping class, or the social points that might have been gained by participating in such shenanigans. Outside of what that might say about me as a person, it led to an interesting revelation as I got older: my so-called peers back then just weren't doing anything interesting enough to make me feel compelled to join. All of this changed the moment I encountered my first overnight relay race in college. I was sold. Things would only escalate from there. My mama was not proud. There were actual fights over these endeavours. It culminated in me running my first ultra before I even had a bachelor's degree, setting my life in a direction no one predicts for their child.

It would come as no surprise to find me signed up for a 50 mile race eight years later in an entirely different country, if you had much of a background on ultrarunning. And after watching the 'vlog clip' my husband so charitably took of me at the finish line vowing that I would never do such a thing again, a seasoned member of the ultra community would have laughed and said 'see you next year'. Which is where our story begins, one year after the infamous 'never again' caught on film.

I did not feel an aching desire to run farther than 50 miles again, or even to do that particular event again. I had achieved my Gary Robbins hug and shiny medal, I had proven whatever it was that I needed to prove (see, dad? Not all ultras are just 'a few more miles than a marathon' AND I'm alive to prove it!). Cue, peer pressure. I wrote a silly little race report talking about how much I cried and a few of my friends read it and talked about it and were like 'that sounds great I'm in'. And if there's one thing I can't abide, it's my friends and peers going on an endurance adventure without me. A whopping three or four months had passed by the time it was sign-up day so there I was at 7am on a Friday before work on Run SignUp and the group WhatsApp open as we all digitally shared the high of registration day and collectively ignored the implications of signing up for a 50 mile race.

Fast forward to last weekend and we're all at the starting line hemming and hawing about how we didn't sleep so well last night, and we're scared, and 'just gonna go out there and have a good time'. My little brother was texting me, because unlike here in BC it was a godly hour of the day in Florida and he was at the ready to remind me that he had gone to a T-Pain concert the night before, and that T-Pain is a resource in times of need (?). This is salient because one time in high school, my cross country coach told us to do a particular warm of exercise with the kind of energy and enthusiasm we would have if we were rushing the stage at a T-Pain concert, so referring to Tallahassee Pain when I am going for a run will always resonate. Yes. The T stands for Tallahassee. Not Tylenol extra strength, which may also resonate during long runs. Anyway, I put all my worries away in a mansion somewhere in Wiscansin, we snapped a start line selfie, and off we went into the brief dark.

The first couple of miles slipped away as I kept up with a few much faster compatriots. I got Travis talking about his upcoming trip to Japan, which is a subject I can listen to/speak about endlessly. Alas, being the personality hire of the run group meant that I would fade to the back fairly early, and eventually we reached the first climb of the day, DeBeck's hill. This was where I broke last time. I was crying. This isn't even to the second aid station. Full blown tears, panic attack. I was determined not to break this year. I made everyone I knew very aware of my goal for this year: do not cry before aid station two. I'm very happy to announce I did achieve this goal, but was almost brought to ruin on the Midlife Crisis trail as I discovered TRAIL LORE. Trail lore is in fact the best part of not being a complete hermit during your race, which was my other, unspoken goal of the race - interact with fellow runners enough to become emotionally invested in the outcome of at least two other participants beyond just 'wow I hope everyone has a nice day'. The fellow behind me as I was hot stepping from rock to rock about to throw up and/or throw myself down the hill goes 'don't rush! I'm not trying to pressure you! Don't fall, my friend built this trail and he wouldn't want you to fall!' Right there we almost got the first cry of the day. Not because I was panicking or sad but because THAT WAS SUCH A NICE THING TO TELL ME! PEOPLE ARE LOVELY! I was then provided the added details that this friend designed that particular singletrack run when he turned 50 to prove he could still do hard things. Which, if true, is way more wholesome than my interpretation of the name Midlife Crisis, which was that the trail is so stressful that 31 is going to be my midlife with the years this trail is taking off my life span.

I rolled into aid station 2 at Alice Lake without a tear having been shed, and ready to hit the bathroom. I ran into a fellow trail homie from the run club at the bathroom line (so, like a regular club? Very brat.) and rolled on. I thought briefly 'wow, I wish my husband hadn't had a combination migraine-food-poisoning-slash-general-itis and thrown up last night making it very unlikely that he'd make it to the first crew aid station in time' but mostly I was proud of myself for not crying and it was time to carry on to my previously favorite section of the race.

Corners is the best trail ever because it's pretty and flowy and there are wildflowers everywhere and fun signs that say that you might get zapped by the powerlines overhead. It's also where the professional race photographer hides out and catches you when you're running at a decent clip with a pretty background. I was so confident going into these parts. Then I watched the gal ahead of me almost eat some dirt. Not too bad, she recovered quick. Couldn't be me. Except a few minutes later it was me, fully supermanned out on the ground, covered in the gritty sandy stuff and bleeding. I hopped back up and kept moving, knowing that sitting around evaluating myself would probably just make it all hurt more. Blood streamed down my leg, but it seemed nothing particularly important was hurting as I resumed my journey. Ah well, I thought, maybe this will just make my race pictures look more badass. Another familiar face caught up to me, which was quite a surprise because I do not have any idea how anyone I knew could possibly be behind me at this point in the race. It was nice to have someone to whine about my fall to, and who also admitted to having taken a little tumble himself. We rolled into Aid Station 3, and I declined having anything done about my bloody leg because, well, what was there to do? Fall on the ground or not, everyone is coated in layer upon layer of dust and sweat out here anyway. We trekked on to the little loop that would eventually lead back to AS 3 and slowly parted ways as I kept a conservative pace. Then it hit me - the ground again. This time, not only was the knee bleeding again but I got my left hand pretty good, with blood streaming across it from a few difficult to evaluate spots. At this point I was big sad. I let myself cry a little. My finger HURT where it was cut. I gimped along feeling sorry for myself until my brain generated the thought 'you're having an Eren Jaeger moment' while looking at the blood streak across my palm. I had the power of God AND anime on my side now. I dragged my sad little self back to the aid station when miracle of all miracles occurred. There was a familiar face with a volunteer vest on on. I don't think I'd ever been so happy to see someone in my life. Before I could say anything, I was pushed into a camping chair and another volunteer was swiping away at the blood and dirt with a paper towel and some saline spray. Not exactly how I would do it, but hey. It became obvious that while gnarly, these injuries were probably not life threatening and I was probably gonna make it. After a little bit of whinging and snacking and the affirmation of 'see you at the finish line' (this will come in handy later), I wandered back into the woods for the trek up Galactic.

Galactic is, like, the most fabled section of this race. If you look at any race report, or even the race description itself, this is described as kind of a piece de resistance. It's a hella long incline is all it is. You're in the woods, walking upwards, for longer than you would like to be. It's just inclined enough that an amateur like myself does absolutely zero running for like, half an hour straight. It's a drag. It's also not particularly 'hard' in the sense of being technical, or super steep. Last year, this was an unremarkable section of trail for me. I was feeling pretty okay having conquered last year's Most Wanted incline on DeBeck's and thought nothing of the trudge up the hill. And then my subconscious came out to play. Covered in blood and dirt and with like, half the race or more to go, the 'why are you doing this' crept in. Now, I also faced down this question last year, starting like 15k into the race, so not having to wrestle with it until several aid stations in is actually a good thing. However, I was out there with my little vest and my little philosophy minor degree ready to Conquer The Question of Purpose in Ultramarathoning, and the answers were not looking good for me. I was deconstructing with every footstep forward. Is there intrinsic value in pain? And if there is, what is it? Why am I out here alone? Time doesn't exist and I have no concept that it has probably been less than an hour since I spoke to a friend and would probably either find more friends or make more friends as the day wears on. I am alone in this forest, and I am going to cry about it. Like, ugly cry. Sobbing, gasping, this-character-is-being-hella-overacted crying. I want to quit RIGHT NOW. But I told Tam I'd see her at the finish line. And like, it'd look kinda lame if I DNF this for no good reason besides getting too sad. At this point, I determine that it's probably time to Eat Something, so I pull out the super dense gel sugary thing I picked up at the aid station to avoid eating my own carefully curated snacks. And what would you know, approximately 5 minutes after consuming 200 calories of pure maple syrup with added salt, the world suddenly seemed less bleak and finishing this race seemed like a less awful proposition. My new attitude and I finally rocked up to aid station 4.

Aid station 4 was uneventful until we heard over the radio 'first female has cleared Smoke Bluffs'. Oof. The aid station volunteers graciously reminded those of us who had just been confronted with our weak paces that those who are finishing now did not get to spend time having snacks at the aid station. I took off, and found myself chatting with a fellow from Squamish. It was his first ultra, with an eerily similar story to my decision to run this race the year before - the 50k sold out too fast and thought, 'eh, how bad could 50 miles be?'. Officially invested in my unknown friend's fate now, we eventually rolled up to Aid Station 5, which I refer to as the family tailgate aid station. At first, I looked about helplessly for my husband without the faintest clue whether or not he'd even gotten out of the house. I wandered over to the medical tent where the nice medic scraped the hell out of my knee using alcohol swabs. Honestly, this might have been the worst part of the whole day if not for what was in store between aid stations 5 and 6. Finally I caught site of my spouse and parked myself in the grass to eat a sandwich and whine some more while he recorded it as a 'vlog' to share with everyone else I know. He had in fact remembered to bring the Scandinavian Swimmers I had emphatically requested the day before, but I ended up forgetting about them moments after he told me he had them. I considered letting them squeeze the cold water sponges on me before I headed out, but thought better of it when I contemplated the water cleanliness and the oozing scrape that we decided against bandaging for the sole reason that no bandage was going to adhere to me at this point in the day.

I rolled out of the aid station around the same time as my new friend, and we continued on our little trek. At this point, my right knee was starting to do The Thing. Previously, only my left knee had been known to do The Thing. It's a sharp sharp pain on the outside, near the knee cap when I land on that side. Sharp enough to make you not want to land too hard because that leg might buckle from the pain. It wasn't so bad, and only every few steps, so I got by just fine walking more than I wanted. Until I didn't, and it hurt with every downhill step I was taking and I started crying again because THIS TRULY SUCKS. I didn't even do anything to that leg! I did not bring this upon myself except by maybe having been born with kinda messed up legs that turn inward instead of straight ahead but I DID NOTHING WRONG! I will add at this point, this section of the run (despite being reassured that all distances are as marked and completely correct) at least FEELS exceptionally long compared to how it's advertised. You think you're almost to AS 6 for a VERY long time. As I cried about the unfairness of life, I remembered I had put every kind of OTC medication one might even think about needing in my vest, so I popped a couple of ibuprofen and grumpily walked on. For some reason, despite being an entire doctor, I never believe that ibuprofen could fix MY problem. It is a solution for someone else. Fortunately for me, ibuprofen doesn't care about my skepticism and went to work, rendering my knee functional and capable of being run upon and allowing it to carry me to Aid Station 6.

Aid Station 6 is kind of a letdown. Not because it's not fully stocked and staffed by fantastic volunteers - it absolutely is. Every aid station is a 10/10. It's just wedged between two very exciting aid stations where you get your crew and there is generally a lot of activity and cheering. However, a familiar face again saved the day when I realized the ice water bucket manager was in fact another run club friend. This friend in particular I had pressured into running the Valley Vertikiller as a fairly new trail runner. I was not, in my current state, doing a great job of selling the idea that trail running is a fun and safe activity, but his enthusiasm and selfie taking renewed my spirits and made me believe that I could make it to the next aid station, which would in turn mean that I could make it to the finish line.

It was at this aid station that I started to chat with a couple of ladies; the conversation with an aid station attendant about the insanity of doing this race multiple times had come up, so naturally I was prepared to contribute to this conversation and inform them that I was, in fact, completely unhinged. As we rolled back into the woods, these ladies were talking in miles which was my second cue to start talking, because where there are miles there are, typically, fellow Americans. These lasses were from Colorado; when I mentioned I was originally from Florida but had moved out to BC, they, without skipping a beat, went, 'wow so a total upgrade'. Ahhhh, to be amongst my kind of people. This was not their first 50 miler, and had come all the way out here to run it. I passed my original compatriot somewhere during this phase, which flew by in good company as I pulled ahead and in to aid station 7. Aid station 7 has you run across a bridge and going downhill for a bit. I saw a few folks standing before the aid station on the sideline; I assumed it was just course marshals or someone taking down bib numbers for checkin. I spotted my husband with his Real Camera, and as my brain slowly processed the blonde girl cheering for me by name (as an Experienced Runner, I am now conscious of when I have my name printed on my race tag and no longer become completely frozen in horror when I hear my name called by enthusiastic strangers) as not just a random volunteer with a lot of energy, but my BC Bestie Elise! And then as I got to the aid station proper, I realized that I was in the presence of my husband, BC Bestie, AND my Aid Station 3 trail angel friend! As disoriented and overstimulated as I was by this, it was honestly magical, I almost cried, and I reluctantly accepted/delivered the most disgusting hugs I've ever been a part of. I was truly ready to tackle the final 8 miles now.

The last section of the race includes an additional unpleasant climb that kinda never ends, but did include an exceptional sunset. As much as it meant knowing I'd be rocking up to the finish line in the dark, the striking purple and orange on the horizon as I crested the false peak on my way up Mountain of Phlegm was first class. As we finally neared the stairs, I chatted with a woman who was here from Alberta to do the 50/50 (for those of you fortunate enough to not know what that is, it means running the 50 mile race on Saturday followed by the 50k race on Sunday). It rained just a little bit, and I wished her good traction and tacky surfaces for Sunday (and warned that if it rained too much that slippery might be a concern to monitor). When we reached the stairs, the course marshal eagerly assured us that we were done with the stairs! Which was quickly disproven upon reaching several smaller flights of stairs... sigh. After this betrayal, we eventually made our way out of Smoke Bluffs to the sight of a disco ball and Von Dutch blasting on a bluetooth speaker in the parking lot. Fortified by the power of brat summer imbued in that melody I took off onto the pavement princess section of the race. Several very, very enthusiastic high-five soliciting children ambushed me with their excitement and encouragement as I ran past the hostel I was staying at, onto the final stretch of road.

You might be thinking to yourself at this point, wow, she's run 50+ miles in the woods without encountering a single bear! What luck! And you'd be right, except then I encountered a bear. On the street. Walking down the opposite side of the road. This is an inconvenience, and I suppose I should have exercised better bear manners. I gave it the little bit of 'hey bear!' I could summon and basically hoped it would continue on its way down the street because nothing was going to delay me from reaching this finish line right now, not even this unbothered black bear. Fortunately, he or she seemed utterly unmoved by my antics and continued on down the street as though they were also a taxpaying member of the community and I barreled down the street and into the finish chute where I was immediately granted my second Squamish50 Gary Robbins hug and the attention of many friends who had to witness my (again) overstimulated and disoriented presence. After a finish line group photo, it was time to start recombobulating, relaying stories to Toby and Elise, and drinking an orange juice juice box like any good Floridian would.

While I haven't quite sorted out my running purpose deconstruction, being reminded that I was the reason someone else signed up for something challenging or ridiculous seems like a good enough proxy for now. I hopped on the results page as soon as it was up to ensure my Squamish and Colorado friends also made it across the finish line (yes, they did!). I only made it four days before I was talking about signing up for my next ultra (not alone... not ready to do that again), which may be a new record turnaround time.

I cannot sign off without reiterating how absolutely blessed and lucky and fortunate I felt to have so many familiar, happy faces out there on the course last Saturday. From my other pals running the race that I felt I couldn't be the only DNF of the crew, to the volunteers and friends that came out to cheer me on and my ever-attentive forever race crew member Toby, this race reminded me that no matter if you're racing or just out for a run, going fast or taking it easy, the real magic of running is the folks you meet along the way. Without this sport, I honestly don't think I would have had some of the most important relationships and experiences I've had in my life.

Tune in next time for my musings about my mid-race existential crisis and the ever elusive 'why do I run?'!

[total-drama-takes-takes-2]

tti episode 2

“Last time on Total! Takes! Island! 22 campers participated in their first challenge: a one-thousand foot dive into shark-infested waters. Most campers took the plunge, but a few were feathered and tarred by their teammates- and me! In the end, it was Fren who walked the dock of shame, and Ass who lived to play another day. Who will go home this week? Find out today, on Total! Takes! Island!”

Another beautiful morning in Wawanakwa- that is, unless you’re a camper being woken up bright and early. 

“It’s 6 AM!” Bonnie yells out the window as air horns blare over the intercom. 

“Rise and shine, sleepyheads!” Chris shouts through his megaphone. “It’s challenge time!”

The campers collect outside of their cabins, groggy and tired. Frollo arrives first, carrying his Bible with him, much to Max’s annoyance. “Are you really gonna bring that thing with you everywhere all season?”

Frollo looks thoroughly unamused. “Yes,” 

Julia steps out next, yawning and rubbing her eyes under her glasses. She glares at both Max and Frollo as they stare at her before being ran into by Michael, who wasn’t watching where she was going. 

Mal is, of course, up bright and early, smiling. Ass stares at her with heavy bags under their eyes. “Morning person?”

“Nah, just snuck some coffee from the mess hall before Chris came out here. Want some?” She offers a thermos. Ass smiles and accepts the gift. 

“Morning, campers! Hope you had a good night of sleep, because your next challenge starts in eight minutes!” The crowd responds with a groan, much to Chris’ delight. “Time for your twenty kilometer run around the island!”

“Are you kidding me!?” Caesar shouts. Chris rolls his eyes. “You know I would never joke about torture,”

Chef walks up behind the crowd and blasts an air horn, shocking all of the campers into running (with the exception of Bonnie and Caesar, who sigh and walk instead). 

“Well, this blows. No one’s even had a huge meltdown yet,” Bonnie says, hands in their hoodie pockets as they walk. 

“Oh, they will,” Caesar chuckles. “Trust me on that.”

Bonnie shrugs and keeps walking at a steady pace as the two pass O, who's wheezing on the ground. 

The inside of the mess hall looks like a refugee hospital as the campers who have arrived already lie on the floor, the benches, the tables, panting and coughing. Joner groans for water, weakly holding a hand up, which McLovin (lying beside him) shakily high-fives. 

Peter and Sha-Mod come bounding in, breathing through their mouths. Even the picture of Lightning is red-faced as they complete this leg of the challenge for their team. 

“That’s everyone, McLame,” Patrick snaps. “Where’s our prize?”

“Oh, no,” Chris says. “This is just the beginning!”

Everyone groans. “Don’t worry, dudes, I’m sure you’ll love this part!”

Chris pulls a drawstring by a pair of heavy purple curtains and reveals a glamorous buffet, lined with every fattening, carb-heavy food you could imagine: breadsticks, mac n cheese, potatoes in all forms, a ham and a giant turkey, beans, and with dessert to spare. The whines and groans of the Fujoshis are stifled as they stare in ecstasy, and then dig in.

When they finish up, Chris giggles. “Ready for part two?”

“Part two?” McLovin groans. “Wasn’t this part two?”

“Just the beginning, my friend, just the beginning,” the host chuckles back. “It’s time for the Awake-a-Thon!”

“Don’t worry, dudes, this is an easy one! Your only goal is to stay awake!” Chris chuckles. “Whichever team member survives the twelve-hour marathon wins!”

---

MAL: “Well, I can’t say I’m proud of myself for not remembering this from the original season, but… something possessed me seeing that food. After a week of inedible garbage, it was like seeing my Twitter account finally being unsuspended after a month on my alt!”

---

10 HOURS IN

“We are ten hours into the Awake-a-Thon, and miraculously, everyone remains awake,” Chris says softly, gesturing to the contestants behind him. 

Mal sits on a patch of dead grass, using the uncomfortable surface to keep her awake. She turns to Peter, who’s looking like a zombie. 

“Hey, are you-”

And with that, Peter falls backwards and is out cold. Mal sighs. 

“One down,” McLovin mutters, mildly annoyed. 

Courtney shrugs. “Could be worse, right? I should’ve known this was coming, I've seen the original a thousand times.”

“I don’t blame you, that stupid run put my brain on the backburner. And those beans were really good,”

“Agreed,” they smile. 

The Anons are faring much better without having had the feast, though they look more “sickly and fatigued” tired than “warm and comfy” tired. 

Austin turns to Kelly, eyes tired. “How’re you holding up, baby?”

She yawns. “Well. You?”

“A little bummed we missed out on that groovy meal, but glad I have you to keep me company, eh?” he winks, earning a little blush from Kelly in return. 

O raises an eyebrow at the two from a few feet away.

---

O: “Listen, I try not to watch Total Drama too much, but I know an alliance is forming when I see one. If I’m gonna make this, I’m gonna need friends.”

---

O turns to Joner and tries to smile. “Hey man, how’re you holding up?”

He smiles back. “Tired, but good! How’re you?”

“Could be better. Hey, listen…” O points to Kelly and Austin, and then looks back at Joner. “You seem like a friendly guy, right?”

“I try!”

“Well, from one friend to another, I’d watch out for Kelly and Austin,” he mutters. “There’s an alliance brewing there.”

Joner’s eyes widen. “An alliance?!”

“You bet. And now both of us are at risk cause Kelly and Austin are the nicest players on the team. There’s no way anyone would vote them out,”

“Well… I don’t know, I’m not the biggest Austin fan,” Joner yawns. “He didn’t treat my buddy Michael very kindly yesterday.”

“Well, we’re in the minority on that. Look at them!”

O points. Kelly finishes a flower crown of daisies and dandelions and places it on Austin’s head. A butterfly lands on his shoulder and a beam of sunlight pierces the clouds and washes over them. 

“I see what you mean, man,” Joner says. “Who else can we get in on this?”

“Well, who else do you think would hate to see nice people having fun?”

Both turn to Max. 

FIFTEEN HOURS IN

Courtney’s head droops, and they’re only awoken when McLovin shakes them violently. 

“Jeez,” they mutter. “I almost lost myself there. Thanks, MC.”

“No problem. Just gotta… stay on top of the game…”

Courtney and McLovin are out seconds after. 

Michael’s eyes close for a moment too long and Max immediately splashes her face with cold water. “God! What the hell!”

“Don’t you dare fall asleep,” Max hisses. 

“You have a lot of energy in you for someone of your size,” Scary comments. 

Austin nods. “Like a baby chihuahua, baby,”

“My great-great-great grandfather on my mom’s side was the best chihuahua breeder to ever live,” Staci yawns. “True story.”

“Yeah, that’s fascinating,” Max says, taking a seat far away from everyone else. 

O and Joner make eye contact and take the opportunity to sit beside him. “You’re not that short,” O says. “My uncle is 4’9 and he’s a heavy weight lifting champion.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s just that Austin, huh?” Joner says. “Always making trouble.”

“Not making enough trouble, if you ask me,” 

“Yeah, that too!”

Across the way, Patrick slumps over, dead asleep. His headphones slip off and reveal he’s been listening to Madonna. 

Joner coughs, redirecting the attention back to him. “Say, if you wanted to, perhaps, join an alliance with the two of us.. Keep us safe… we wouldn’t mind,”

Max yawns. “Yeah. Whatever,”

O silently pumps his fist and nods, then sneaks off with Joner to fist bump. 

20 HOURS IN

Michael and Staci are out cold on the ground. Kelly and Austin lean on each other, and O and Scruffy keep kicking each other in their sleep. 

Scary’s eyes are open, but they’re not moving. 

“Can someone check if… if she’s dead?” Max mutters. Joner steps up and stumbles over, poking his shoulder. Scary coughs.

“Not dead. Asleep,”

“Damnit,” Max groans, before promptly slumping forwards and tumbling to the ground, fast asleep. Joner winces. 

---

JONER: “I was sitting there, like, if we lose, it’s gonna be on me,” he yells at the confessional camera, eye bags still heavy. “And then Max will drop the alliance and throw me and O to the wolves! I can’t let us down like that! and I especially can't leave Michael and McLovin alone. It's really hard to notice, but... they're not too close.”

---

“Gotta stay up… gotta stay up…” Joner murmurs, slapping himself every other sentence. 

“Congratulations, campers!” Chris says merrily. “You’ve made it to the 24 hour mark! Let’s kick things up a notch with some good old fashioned... fairy tales!”

“God, no…” Julia groans. 

“Once upon a time, there was… a quiet, sleepy village,” Chris says in a soft, soothing voice. Chef plays the harp nearby, adding a melodic tune to the dreary reading. “And in this quiet, sleepy village… nothing happened… ever”

Sha-Mod and Kitty collapse into each other, bonking their heads and getting knocked out instantly. 

40 HOURS IN

“And then they totally left their underwear in the guy’s car,” Ass chuckles. “And that’s why I’m not allowed at IHop anymore.”

Mal laughs. “You’re funny. These things really happen to you?”

They shrug. “I guess so. I think there's just something about me that attracts crazy people. What, you have a normal life?”

“Not quite, but not as exciting as yours,” she says. “I run a TD blog. A really popular blog. It’s nothing exciting, but crazy shit happens,”

“Crazy? Like what?”

Mal's eyes narrow at Courtney, who's fast asleep across the way. “Well…”

But when she turns back to Ass, their eyes are closed and their body is limp. Mal doesn't hold up for much longer after.

Frollo reads from his Bible, looking tired but not uttering a peep. 

“Ugh, how are you doing that?” Julia asks. 

“Doing what?”

“Not falling asleep reading that thing,”

Frollo looks up at her. “This “thing” is the greatest work of non-fiction ever made. It’s riveting. I'm in Leviticus right now,”

Julia yawns. “Don’t you dare,”

“Leviticus 18:22 says-”

Julia collapses. 

50 HOURS

“Listen, I really didn’t want for it to come to this, but you all give me no choice, really,” Chris sighs, pulling a book up. “I’m sure you’re all familiar with A History of Canada: The Pop-Up Book?”

Caesar groans. “God, no, please,”

“I wasn’t finished yet, compadre. This is the revised edition, with an additional thirteen chapters!”

The remaining players groan. Bonnie gives in immediately, slowly dropping. Caesar gasps. “Bonnie, no!” But it’s too late. 

That leaves only three- Frollo- still reading his Bible- Joner- fighting for his life- and Caesar- already worried about looking like a zombie tomorrow. 

“Chapter one-”

Joner lets out an earth-shattering groan, catching everyone's attention. He then sighs in defeat, curls up into a ball on the grass, and falls asleep, all his remaining effort gone. Frollo blinks, unamused, and Caesar swallows a lump in his throat. 

“Oh, come on!” Chris shouts. “This is taking forever!”

Caesar sighs loudly and stands, pacing around in circles to keep awake. A few of the fallen soldiers begin to wake up and watch in dead silence as time ticks down. Chris continues reading. Chef comes out with glasses of warm milk and cookies, which are refused. The sun sets again and the sky turns a deep shade of blue. Caesar’s steps are much slower now, but Frollo’s eyes keep drooping- it’s only a matter of time before one of them collapses. 

“This is terrible. Honestly,” Chris says, crossing his arms. He turns to Chef. “Should we make them fight each other?”

“At this point, I don’t think they’d stand a chance,” Chef shakes his head. “Something’s gotta happen eventually, right?”

Caesar’s eyes (now barely open, even as he paces) flit over towards Frollo, who’s been on the same page of his Bible for hours now. 

“You done with that yet?” he asks, barely able to speak. Frollo ignores him. “Come on, it’s not like we have anything better to do.”

Frollo looks up from his page and glares. “I don’t fraternize with the homosexual,” 

“Woah, buddy,” Caesar holds up his hands defensively. “This is a kid’s show.”

“Stop talking to me, filthy wretch,”

Caesar looks over his shoulder to Chris, who shrugs. Then, he gets an idea. He takes a seat on one of the logs around the campfire across from where Frollo is standing and forces a smile. “You know it isn’t real, right?”

Frollo shakes his head. 

“It’s just a bunch of stories loosely based on events that might have happened,” Caesar grins. “It’s less concrete than, um, RuPaul.”

“Silence, you infernal-”

“Watch it, we’re on TV,” he chuckles. “Me, personally, I was never a “God” guy. I spell it with a lowercase G and everything.”

“Enough!” Frollo stands, seething. “You will not take the Lord’s name in vain!”

“Oh, but I just did. Not that he’s going to do anything about-”

Before Caesar can finish his sentence, Frollo spins and launches the heavy book directly at his head. It hits his hair, bounces back, and smacks Frollo straight in the temple. Frollo blinks and then falls backwards. Chris stands in bewilderment, a huge, shocked grin on his face. “Is he out?”

Chef approaches and looks him over. “He’s out,”

“He’s out. He’s out! Finally!” Chris laughs. “Thank God for pompadours! Caesar wins! The Flying Fujoshis win!”

The Flying Fujoshis swarm Caesar, cheering (the ones who are awake, anyway) and the challenge officially ends as Caesar falls asleep and slumps over on Bonnie. 

---

“Anons, you put up a good fight today. Unfortunately, your remaining player was a homophobe. Sucks to suck,” Chris smiles. “You all know the drill- no marshmallow, and you’re out. Forever! Haha. Okay:”

“Staci, Scary, O, and Michael, you’re all safe. 

Next up is Kelly,

Austin,

Max, 

Julia, 

And Scruffy.”

Joner looks at Frollo nervously. Frollo blinks slowly, holding an ice pack to his head.

“Joner, you’re up for elimination for willingly giving up and possibly costing your team the win against Caesar. Frollo, you lost, big-time! But only one of you will be boarding the boat of losers tonight, and the other one is safe. And that person is….”

“Frollo. Joner, time to pack your bags,”

Joner sighs and looks to the team. “It’s been a blast, everyone,”

Michael frowns and stands, running over to Joner and giving him one last goodbye fist bump. “You’ll be missed,”

Joner smiles. “I’ll see you, man. You and McLovin better win that million for us!”

She frowns deeper. “Right. Me and McLovin,”

---

MICHAEL: "That was… rough. Even rougher considering that leaves me completely alone. And considering that Joner has been my best friend since elementary school… This has not been a good day for me,"

---

Chris watches curiously, and then waves Joner goodbye as he walks down the docks. “That was tough! Who’s gonna be hitting the road next week? And who will suffer blunt-force trauma? Find out on Total! Takes! Island!”