#i think the reason why one works over the other for me is

[inthelittlewood]

Questions about Eyes And Ears AU

I had somebody ask for a brief interview regarding my storytelling for their university project and thought I'd lend a hand.

I thought those of you that follow the story might like the insight too, so here ya go:

When you first introduced the Listeners in Evo SMP, did you have a broader narrative or concept in mind, or were they more of an atmospheric element at that point?

The honest answer is that I didn't want to write too much about somebody else's character(s), that being Grian's Watchers. If I could write the conflict from the side of the Listeners then we could continue the narrative with a pre-designed opposing force but have them be relatively mute for the most part. Partly to build anticipation of when they might act or retaliate but it also worked for behind the scenes purposes too. If the series hadn't slowed/stopped as suddenly as it did, I definitely would have poked Grian to pick his brain about what story elements fit his original imagining of the Watchers. So it was mostly narrative reasoning but they also served a mechanical behind the scenes purpose of transporting us to a new area which was necessary due to bugs we'd encountered with world gen etc.

What inspired you to flesh out the Eyes and Ears AU more in recent years? Was that mostly a personal creative decision, or was it influenced by fan interest?

Honestly I hadn't premeditated too much their reintroduction into anything that I was working on. Sure I'd seen a little chattering here and there about the Watchers but I honestly just wanted to write an individual story beat (albeit a tropey one) of c!Martyn snapping and turning on Ren but that never came to fruition due to Scar taking us out. The plan was always to backstab Ren then say a cool line like "Red Winter is over, Red Spring has begun" or something else punny. Seeing the fevered reaction of the audience though gave me some confidence that I could try my hand at some layered or entirely post-production storytelling, so heading into Last Life I was all guns blazing.

The Eyes and Ears AU is quite open-ended — do you intentionally approach it with the idea of leaving narrative space for fan interpretation?

It really is right? Yes, it's a very mindful decision to leave it open-ended but not so much for the audience's benefit or interpretations, but to give myself creative freedom to take the story wherever I'd like to. Committing to too many power scale, multiverse or narrative shackles early can really strangle stories I've noticed (from reading comics and manga) meaning back pedalling or aggressive retcons are required to explore certain paths, which is rarely a good experience for the reader. I do enjoy their versatility and capability to be applied to any Minecraft or adjacent story too. Some might call it too broad, I call it malleable.

How do you feel about fans expanding the lore through headcanons and theories? Have any fan interpretations stood out or surprised you?

I think it's brilliant! People inundate my inbox on Tumblr seeking permission to write stories or create characters / AUs but I've literally no authority on that. I suppose it might be a different conversation if they were profiting off of those works, but 99% of people simply want to write for fun which I highly encourage!! I'll be honest that I haven't read a great deal of AUs or headcanons, my exposure to them is mostly via chat messages during lore talk streams or questions that come through regarding the Eyes And Ears AU. As a general rule I try to avoid reading too much of other people's works on the topic because I worry I'll accidentally regurgitate it in some way then stumble into plagiarism, you know? It's why I focus more on digesting stories outside the fandom whether it's manga, Sanderson books, reading old Japanese folk tales and the like. I can source inspiration from those on how to weave narrative and execute plot twists without having to glance in my front yard.

Has fan content (art, theories, animatics, etc.) ever influenced how you think about or approach the AU?

Oh for sure they have. It's literally why after every season we'll do a sit down stream and talk about the lore in detail. Figure out the puzzle and potential trip wires of plot points from the episodes and how we can neatly pack them into the pre-existing story. A lot of people wouldn't do that as they'd be precious about their work and believe their opinion is th only correct one, but I looooove soundboarding with the audience on it. I also take that mindset in game and sometimes think about the scenery of an impactful moment whenever I'm able to control / design it. I'll have little quips or quotes cooked in my mind for how I'd ideally deliver a blow or plot twist, buuuuut given the nature of the Life series you very rarely get to execute things how you'd like haha! I definitely wouldn't have done as many of the poems had their not been such a positive reaction to those. I often see individual lines or entire passages make their way into art pieces as typography or highlighted in animatics which is really gratifying. It's why I also put such an emphasis and priority on audio production in my editing. If I can craft something that feels atmospheric, driving and punctuating with music, staggering vocals or sound effects then the auditory portion is already done, they can focus solely on the visual aspect of things. I try and be as cinematic / TV like as my skillset allows for that reason.

You’ve mentioned trying not to fully canonise the AU, but still referencing it consistently — how do you balance telling your own story effectively, while trying not to involve other creators, particularly on the Life Series, when a lot of your time is spent in a group?

The easiest way to do this, is to not do it. For the most part the only storytelling done with the AU is done in post-production. I never name drop the Watchers or Listeners in world (believe me, I was as surprised as all of you when I saw that Secret Keeper statue in Secret Life!!) and in recent seasons they haven't even reared their head as an influence whatsoever. They're on holiday, they deserve it. But when they do whisper in my ear, they're motivated decisions that I would likely make as a player/character anyway because the win objective is always the thing I'm striving towards. I can just pepper angst around it to make things seem more manipulated rather than selfish ha. I think that's why the open ended nature of the Watchers has served me well because as much as they have a singular motive which is to feed on negative emotions, that can be achieved in so many ways ranging from bloodlust to deception, heartbreak to panic. It's versatile for storytelling. It can be in your face, or a slow burn.

What do the Watchers and Listeners represent to you, symbolically or narratively? Do they serve a specific function in the stories you tell?

The Watchers used to represent the audience when Grian first introduced them, but after departing EVO I've definitely breathed more of an egotistical and sinister air into them. They're very much a unique entity / faction now, they in some ways represent gluttony, selfishness and neglect in achieving their goals. The Listeners on the other hand, are a lot of the opposite traits, but I'm still wanting to explore how being the hard end of most conflicts can be dangerous. I want to explore that at some point, whether it be with infighting or failures. They shouldn't be seen as simply bad/good, they're just, different. It shouldn't be too hard navigating that nuance but I want it to reflect elements and motives that we find in our own lives.

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

To love me better

Tags: Yakuza Lord!Sukuna x fem!Reader, american!Reader, forced/arranged marriage, dark romance trope, dead dove, age gap romance (reader is around 21-22, Sukuna is 37), cursing, suggestive language, use of nicknames like “doll”, use of y/n, NSFW, MDNI, Sukuna is his own warning.

Synopsis: Yakuza Lord!Sukuna owns all of entertainment district. You’re trying to work to put yourself through law school. He has a proposition for you, and you have one for him. Chaos ensues.

An: Professor Higuruma has entered the chat. I’m sorry this part is a little short, but if I included the next scene in this part, it would be WAY too long.

Part one. | Part two. | Part three. |

*art creds for sukuna image goes to @.maru6 here on tumblr

You’re starting to believe that you dreamt the whole marriage negotiation with Sukuna.

It had been nearly a week since he sat you down in his office, and he’s been radio silence ever since. So, maybe you dreamt it all, or perhaps he decided against the whole marriage thing. If that was the case, you needed to start looking for other jobs.

Your Friday afternoons were reserved for Higuruma’s criminal law class. You sat at your desk, typing away on your computer that your student loan paid for. It was second-hand from a different girl who had just passed her bar exam. Her parents bought her the newest MacBook on the market as a present.

When you passed your bar exam, you’d probably buy yourself a two thousand yen cake from the grocery store. Maybe you’ll even splurge and spend five thousand yen on an ice cream cake.

You halfway hear your professor assign a plethora of readings spanning from case files to different codes of law.

"It's a good thing C's get degrees, huh?" a sheepish playful voice whispers from beside you. Your eyes glance over towards the guy next to you. You're able to immediately recognize him as Yuji Itadori.

Before Sukuna, you only took notice of Yuji since he tried to make friends with everyone, regardless of social status. Even if you've barely spoken with him, you feel a sort of kinship with him.

Now, your eyes immediately fix on his soft pink hair. While Sukuna's felt more like a dusty rose color. Yuji's was brighter -- untainted from crime.

"Is a C going to help you pass your bar exam though?" you whisper back softly, giving him a smile.

"You're so cruel~" Yuji softly whines as he dramatically slumps back into his chair. You quietly laugh from his theatric display. "And here I thought you'd be so kind and offer to help me study..."

You glance back towards him before scanning everyone else in the lecture. The majority of the other students were dutifully taking notes.

"Uh... why me?" You ask, cocking your eyebrow at the male before you realized how rude that probably sounded. "I mean, why would you ask me for that? Wouldn't you be better off asking the top performers in our class?"

"One of those pretentious jerks? Give me a break," Yuji rolls his eyes as he leans towards you. He's not too close to make you uncomfortable, just close enough to whisper without disturbing anyone. "Besides, you seem nice. Also, we sit beside each other everyday. Aren't those good enough reasons?"

Before you could even think to reply, Higuruma addressed the entire class. It was the end of the lecture period.

“Alright everyone, please remember to have a safe weekend and to stay out of trouble,” Professor Higuruma says from the forefront of the class. Students immediately begin to gather their belongings and shuffle out of the lecture hall.

"Let me know what you decide next week!" Yuji said as he rushed out of the door like he couldn't get away from the academic setting fast enough.

You finish up a few quick edits on your notes before saving them and promptly sliding your laptop into your bag. You thought about checking your phone to see if Sukuna had left you any cryptic messages, but you decided against it. It’s not like you were desperate or anything.

“Ah, Y/n, do you mind staying for a bit? I would like a word with you,” Higuruma’s voice spoke up. He wasn’t nearly as loud as he could be while lecturing.

Your body tenses as you slowly pull your messenger bag over your shoulder. “Sure…” you respond hesitantly.

He knows. He knows that you’re practically engaged to a yakuza lord. He knows that you’ve been dancing dangerously close to sin at Malevolent Mass. He’s going to report you to student affairs. He’s—

Your mind swirls with all of your thoughts Your brain was running so fast you could barely keep up.

The last student leaves the lecture hall, and you can hear the soft sounds of the second hand ticking from the clock mounted to the wall.

Your steps are slow and calculated. Higuruma was at his desk, collecting papers into his bag. He then looked up at you and gave you a calm, fond smile.

You try to ease your weary heart, telling yourself that he’d look much less happy if he had caught onto you.

"I apologize. I'm sure you must be busy," he starts out as he finishes packing up his bag. He straightened his posture, having to look down at you now that he wasn't hunched over. "I wanted to just touch base with you about your paper."

"Oh okay," you inwardly let out a huge sigh of relief, but your curiosity soon resurfaced. "What about my paper?"

"Don't worry. It was a great paper, y/n. I have read summations from licensed attorneys that pale in comparison to your paper." You narrow your eyes at him, feeling a gnawing sensation of anxiety sink in.

"But..?" you prompt.

Higuruma gives a knowing smile, appreciative of your inquisitive nature. "But I was wondering what made you write about spousal privilege... The last I checked you were looking to be civil litigation attorney -- not a criminal defense attorney. So, why would you want to research something like spousal privilege?"

You swallow thickly. You had found interest in spousal privilege due to your arrangement with Sukuna. Spousal privilege allowed for wives and husbands to refuse to testify against their spouse if it would indict their spouse on any crime. There were specifications on this law, and there were certain instances were spousal privilege couldn't be upheld. Overall, Japan looked to uphold the sanctity of marriage, and you looked to uphold your image by not being called to testify against your husband one day.

"Oh... I just found it to be interesting. I think it's good for all attorneys to be well-rounded, right?" you finally respond, giving your best attempt at bluffing the criminal defense attorney Hiromi Higuruma.

"You're most certainly right." He places his messenger bag on his shoulder. "I was just looking forward to you switching majors. It'd be a pleasure to steal one of Kento Nanami's best proteges."

You feel your face warm from his overzealous compliment. You were definitely not one of Nanami's best students. Still, you enjoyed the praise.

"I'm sorry to disappoint," you give a small laugh, consciously making an effort to joke with him naturally.

“Disappoint? No, no, you impress me.” His eyes meet yours, and for the first time since starting school, you see him for who he is. He had been nothing but kind, patient, and nurturing. He cared a lot about the subject he taught, and he tried his hardest to help his students learn.

Criminal defense attorneys get a bad wrap for being arrogant and pretentious to a degree, and that’s not exactly a lie either. You’ve seen Higuruma in court before. You know his persona can overwhelm a courtroom easily with his confidence.

“I really appreciate that, Mr. Higuruma.” You drop his gaze, letting your eyes rest upon the floor as a small smile curled up on your lips.

“You can call me Hiromi when we’re not in class,” Higuruma said as he walked towards the door. He held his hand out for you to follow him. “Well, if you ever have any doubts about civil law, please let me be the first to know. I’d love to have you on the criminal law side.”

You follow beside him closely, and you feel a warmth rush your cheeks as Hiromi hovers his hand over the small of your back. He wasn’t exactly touching you, but you could feel him there — guiding you.

“I promise I’ll come to you first if I ever want to betray Mr. Nanami,” you laugh softly, but your mind is racing, wondering where he was guiding you.

Coincidentally enough, a tall muscular figure with blonde hair was walking towards you two in the hall. “Who’s betraying me?” Nanami asked as he walked closer towards you and Hiromi.

Your eyes flicker back and forth between Nanami, Hiromi, and the girl who was standing beside Nanami. You took a moment, trying to place her here as a student, but you came up short.

“Stop trying to steal my students away from me,” Nanami lightheartedly scolded Hiromi with an eye roll.

“It’s not stealing if she decides to leave civil law on her own volition. I’m simply showing her the good side to law,” Hiromi responded. You feel your back arch a bit underneath his touch as his hand rested against your back now with more casualty.

“Ah yes, the good side. Also known as the side who gets troublemakers off the hook. Don’t forget, y/n. Civil law is all about holding people accountable. Criminal law is about being the least accountable,” Nanami said with a calm smile. Your eyes wandered towards Nanami’s hand, noticing it was also placed on the young woman’s back. What was going on here?

“Alright. That’s enough from you,” Hiromi warmly laughed. It was a laugh that put your nerves at ease. Still, your skin crawled where his hand was placed. Your mind flashed back to the club, remembering how it felt when Sukuna had his hand in that exact spot, guiding you to his office.

Sukuna’s touch oddly felt like a warm security blanket, while Hiromi’s touch felt like static electricity building. You knew you were about to get shocked.

“Miss Nanami, it’s always good to see you.” Hiromi bowed slightly with respect. You feel the weight of realization set in on you. That was Nanami’s wife who he was touching like that.

“You as well,” Nanami’s wife responded fondly.

“Alright. Let’s go, Destinee, before Hiromi also tries to indoctrinate you into some sort of criminal law degree.”

Hiromi merely laughed before guiding you away from Nanami and his wife. You felt your heart start to thud in your chest. Where was he leading you?

“You don’t have any other classes today, do you?” Hiromi asked as he looked to his side. He had to crane his neck downwards to look at you thanks to the size difference.

You bit your lip slightly out of nervous habit, wondering if you should lie to him. His hand felt heavy on your back, and a weird sensation of guilt was pooling in your stomach. You weren’t even exactly committed to Sukuna yet since you hadn’t signed whatever contract, but you two have a verbal agreement.

You had already begun to feel some sort of loyalty to the yakuza lord, and maybe that was because you knew he wouldn’t take seeing Hiromi’s hand on you lightly.

Still, you reminded yourself that your professor hadn’t done anything wrong yet. The hand on your back could be seen as a supportive touch. Perhaps he didn’t know how he was coming off right now.

“No, I was going to use the rest of today to write a paper for my economics class,” you say finally after a beat of silence.

“Aren’t you such a good student? Are you struggling in any of your classes?” he asked as he reached out and opened up the door for you. Your eyes blinked as you had to adjust to the afternoon sun beating down.

Maybe he was just walking with you out towards the parking lot. You quirked an eyebrow as you realized this was the staff parking lot though. Your dorm was in the complete opposite direction.

“Uh.. well, not really..” you replied sheepishly, trying to soothe your nerves. This just kept getting worse and worse by the second. “My lowest grade this semester is copyright law.”

“Mmph, yeah, that one is unnecessary tedious. You’ll rarely work on cases of copyright infringement,” Hiromi nodded thoughtfully. “Listen, I know it’s easy to get caught up with being a law student, so I was wanting to know if you wanted to grab a bite to eat together. We can chat about whatever you want whether it be about school or—“

A loud roar of an engine and tires squealing into the parking lot completely cut Hiromi off. You instinctively jumped back a little out of fear that the car was going to ram right into you.

A car that didn’t even look like it belonged on regular civilian streets came to halt right in front of where you and Hiromi were standing. The engine purred lowly as it sat idly in the parking lot.

Hiromi furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the car. No professor had the money to afford a Maserati GT2 Stradale.

Your eyes admired the car in front of you. In all of your time of living, you had never had the luxury of seeing such a car. It was completely blacked out, but in the direct sun, a subtle deep red tint shined through. It was flip painted. It was your saving grace — your prince charming. The license plate on the front read, R. SUKUNA.

The butterfly car door opened upwards, and you held your breath. You had never been more happy to see Sukuna in your life, yet you also felt confused. How did he get into the staff parking lot..? It was guarded by security.

Slowly, your future husband stepped out of the car, rolling up the sleeves to his black button-up top. Even while you were outside, Sukuna’s dominating presence filled the air.

“Can I help you, sir?” Higuruma asked, his face hardening at Sukuna. You wondered what he must be thinking about all this. Did Hiromi know about Sukuna’s status? He is a defense attorney, so it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility.

“No, but she can,” Sukuna gave a feline grin as he held out his hand and curled his finger towards himself, beckoning for you to come with him.

You took a deep breath, knowing that you really couldn’t refuse Sukuna. Also, you didn’t want to know what getting dinner with Hiromi would lead to.

“Ah, I’m sorry. Maybe a rain check?” you said as you gave a polite smile up towards your professor. His eyebrows furrowed, mouth slightly agape as he looked down at you.

As soon as you went to peel yourself from his side, Higuruma suddenly grasped your arm. It wasn’t enough to hurt you, but it was firm enough to stop you dead in your tracks.

“You can tell me if you don’t feel safe with him. You can give me some sort of nonverbal cue..” his voice was low enough for only you to hear. You were briefly taken aback by Hiromi’s kindness, but you also found it ironic how you felt less safe when it was just you and him.

“I’m fine.”

Sukuna watched interaction, and he cocked an eyebrow. He felt an unfamiliar tight feeling in his chest. The thought of him untucking his gun from where it was concealed in his waistband crossed his mind briefly, but he decided against it quickly. It would cause too much of a scene. Too many variables.

“Hiromi Higuruma, is it?” Sukuna asked, but he already knew the answer. “The famous criminal defense attorney who spends his free time teaching other future aspiring attorneys. How kind of you.”

“That’s me. I’ll ask again. Can I help you?” Hiromi’s hand hadn’t unwrapped from your arm yet. His jaw was tight as his dark eyes looked at Sukuna with suspicion.

“You can start by letting go of my wife.” Sukuna said as he took a step closer. His hands were shoved in his pockets, giving off a confident display. You could see the curvature of his muscles bulging through his shirt as if he didn’t already look big enough.

Hiromi’s eyes slightly widened as he looked down at you. All of the admiration and praise had melted from his gaze. You felt your heart drop to your stomach. It was as if you had disappointed him in some form or capacity.

He silently let go of your arm, conceding in the battle with Sukuna over you. “Nonverbal cue,” he muttered to you, still cautious that you’re maybe being forced to do this.

Little does he know, you’re the one who proposed marriage to Sukuna.

You walked straight towards Sukuna, not daring to look back at Hiromi as you didn’t think you could handle the look on his face.

Sukuna immediately enveloped your smaller body in his arms, giving you a hug that could only be described as a hug that a husband gives his wife. He had to lean down to fully hold onto you. You shivered as his nose and lips just barely brushed against the crook of your neck.

Your arms could barely wrap around him, hugging him back to fulfill the facade of being a happy wife. Your face was tucked into his chest, and his cologne assaulted your nose. His scent was deep and heavy with notes of cedar wood, leather, and tobacco.

Despite this being a facade, it felt safe and secure. Nothing could touch you right now.

In all of his time of working with accused criminals, Hiromi had never felt true fear until Sukuna’s eyes met his while he looked over your shoulder. He could practically see the red hues of Sukuna’s eyes darken as he stared him down. Hiromi could feel Sukuna marking you as his territory. It felt like time stood still for everyone.

“Let’s go, sweetheart. I have reservations for us,” Sukuna’s dark gravely voice broke the silence, and Hiromi watched as Sukuna placed his hand on your hip, guiding you over to the passenger side seat. He opened the door for you and made sure you were settled before shutting you in.

Sukuna shot one last glare in Hiromi’s direction before he got into the driver’s side and sped off.

Hiromi let out a deep sigh. How did such a pretty young student like you get caught up in this? His fingers came up, and he pinched the bridge of his nose as he pulled out his cellphone. He had to report this, even if it put you as risk.

It took several rings for the phone to pick up. “Yeah?”

“Gojo? Sukuna was just at the school. He was heading north.”

The other end of the line promptly went dead.

Taglist: @theuniversesnepobaby @lizatonix @starmapz @everywonuu @totallygyomeiswife @sukubusss @depressiondiaries @t4naiis @hishearttohave @soraya-daydreams @lulunx @s-1-xx @el-lise @prettyngeto @marifujioka @iheartlinds @gina239 @actuallynarii @shxyxyxxxx @krispycreamepie @emoedgylord @nina-from-317 @pandabiene5115 @paintedperidot @dissociativewriter @lmaoshush @ninani-nanina @sadrna @boisenberry77 @tojifush @erwinawesomeness @meanwhilesomewhereelse @safasz @kassfunk19 @moncher-ire @gradmacoco @riahlynn-102 @diduzzula @juiceeypeach

[ryesmind]

I feel this so hard BUT I think the best way to like combat the cons is to make showering more approachable and more enjoyable!

For me, that means splurging on getting an electronic body brush (big fucking game changer ngl) a scalp massager (manual for that one) and just HAVING these items makes me go from "Ugh I don't want to shower" to "Ooooooo but if I do I get to use my fancy things"

I have done the same thing with my dental care routine--I bought myself a water pick to replace flossing (because I'm so bad at manual flossing) and an electric tooth brush. The water pick is the main reason why I now go from "argh brushing my teeth noooo" to "BUT POWER WASH SIM IN MY MOUTH GO BRRR"

Now that doesn't solve every problem, but it does remove some dread over getting these things done and turns them into something nice actually!

I also think that there are methods of reducing the amount of steps for getting in the shower at the very least. Like how I hang up whole entire outfits for me to just grab and go rather than having to pull shirts and underwear and pants from a drawer. Keeping your towels on a shelf in the bathroom or on a towel rack next to the shower will also reduce the amount of things you Need to Remember To Bring With You into the Bathroom. I also recommend getting a shower basket for your shampoo, conditioner, and body soap (and other tools if you need it, like I comb out my hair in the shower so my comb goes in there) if you have more than one bathroom and need to grab your shit and go from one to another.

The idea is that you want to reduce the amount of "Steps" it takes for you to get into the shower in the first place to just "Grab a few things and go"

And bonus: if you have a hamper in the bathroom and make your outfits ahead of time (during laundry day), you'll have a minimum amount of steps coming out of the shower too--you just need to dry off, put your dirty clothes and towel into the hamper, and then put on your new clothes.

So yeah! TL;DR: use systems that work best for you to reduce the amount of effort it takes to get in the shower, to bathe, and to get out of the shower, because the more approachable you make body maintenance, the more likely you'll just want to do it.

showering:

pros: you get to feel clean. you get non greasy hair, non oily feeling skin, it just in general makes you feel better, more energised, refreshed.

cons: there are so many steps. oh my god are there so many steps. before getting into the shower there are steps. during the shower there are steps. and once youve gotten out of the shower? guess what!!! more fucking steps!!!!!!!! UGHHHH

[prettypieck]

ᴄᴀᴍ ɢɪʀʟ

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Xavier x Reader

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: cam girl reader and her sweet friend Xavier who sheepishly agrees to sleep with her for 'content', but ends up fucking her so good that it starts to look a little too real on camera

ᴀ/ɴ: This is my first time posting on Tumblr, so please go easy on my writing lol. I also wrote this at 2am hehe. 3.6k words purrrr.

ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: Xavier, Xavier smut, love and deepspace smut, MDNI!, backshots.., fingering, idk what else to put

It was one of those days... you counted through the tips you earned at the local cafe you worked at and realized you were short to be able to pay your rent this month. You throw yourself on your couch in frustration, it was time to do your little side hustle again, except the side hustle isn't actually that little. You log onto your account on your phone and see all the money you were making from your previous videos, if it wasn't obvious, you were a cam girl.

It was something you started about a year ago, you would only film solo on your bed with all the different toys you owned. However, you noticed recently that your views were beginning to tank, maybe you needed to do something different to bring the attention of your audience back.

You quickly post on your account about anyone having any suggestions for your next video. Immediately, responses begin to flood in with people recommending the same thing: film with someone. With the amount of responses you were getting, you would be able to pay rent for next month as well.

You throw your phone on the couch and stare at the ceiling. Fuck. Who could you film with? Who would actually be down for that? You close your eyes and think about your options. But you startle when you hear a loud thud coming from the floor above you and then it hits you.

Xavier...

Your sweet neighbor and dearest friend, maybe he wouldn't mind, but then again he's so reserved and quiet you don't know if he'll even say yes to it. You grab the pillow next to you and scream into it from embarrassment of something you haven't even done yet.

Fuck it, asking him is better than getting evicted. You get up and smooth down your outfit and try to be presentable before heading up a floor to his place. Your heart goes a million a mile as you raise your hand and knock on his door.

You stand and wait as you hear shuffling on the other side, he was coming to the door. When it opens, Xavier stands there with his ruffled hair and rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

"Y/N," he says in his soft voice, "come in." He opens the door wider and lets you in, you rub your arm and walk in. Why were you acting like you've never been in his apartment? You wanted to smack yourself to stop being so shy about asking this silly question. Maybe you need to ease into it...

"Hey Xavier, what was that loud crash I heard earlier," You ask as you walk to his couch and take a seat amongst all his plushies that he had. He walks over after closing his door and picks up one of the plushies off the ground and raises it to show you, "this is the reason."

You follow him with a look of confusion as he also sits on the couch as well, stretching his arms back behind the couch. He lets out a chuckle at your puzzled face, "I guess the plushie we won last week at the arcade together isn't happy in my home, I got up after my nap to grab some water and tripped on it."

You laugh at that, Xavier was always tripping and falling. "Maybe the plushie would rather be with me, I'm the one who got it out the claw machine after you basically wasted all our tokens," you tease him and at that he rolls his eyes playfully.

"Be my guest," he yawns again and raises his arms above his head in another stretch and that's when your eyes begin to wander. His plain white t-shirt just slightly stretched at the collar rode up when he raised his arms and you can see his abs underneath. Your eyes wander even lower where he's manspreading and you notice his grey joggers, and your throat goes dry at the obvious bulge right in the middle. Woah, he was packing. You snap out of looking when he stops and looks over at you, "What's wrong?"

You blink at him twice, "what are you talking about?" He tilts his head slightly, like he's analyzing you, making you more nervous. "You're really red, are you feeling feverish?"

You flush even more at that, why can't you control yourself. "No," you inhale sharply, "actually- I came here to ask you something." You grip the end of your shorts in nervousness and your eyes look around before you finally have the confidence to look at Xavier again. You see he hasn't moved his gaze away from you, he blinks and waits for you to continue speaking. You flush at his undivided attention, Xavier used to be shy when you guys first became friends, but now he has no problem holding your stare.

"Uhm, so you know how I work at the cafe," he nods at that and you continue with a sigh, "well... sometimes I can't make the rent, so I also have a second job and it's online. I make content and I was wondering if you could help me with it."

Xavier's eyebrows come together like he's thinking about something, "...content? What kind of content?" It seems like he's not following what you're saying, you feel like you're corrupting an innocent soul who clearly doesn't dabble in this kind of stuff. Suddenly, you feel like aborting this mission.

"You know what, never mind," you say quickly as you get up from the couch to leave, but you barely make it a step away before Xavier grabs your wrist. Your body is hot in embarrassment, but you turn to look at him still seated on the couch, he looks at his hand on your wrist before looking up at you.

"I'll help you."

You blink once and then you blink twice. "Really?" He nods and you sit back down on the couch when he tugs on your wrist lightly, you liked that Xavier was willing to help, but you needed to be honest about what he was getting himself into. You close your eyes for a brief second and then blurt it out, "I'm a cam girl."

It's deathly silent and you keep your eyes shut as your face flushes once again. After what feels like a minute, you open your eyes and Xavier is staring at you, but this time just as flushed as you are. You can't help yourself when you begin to ramble to help save this situation, "I understand if you don't want to be the one to have sex with me, especially on camera, even though your face won't be shown. I've always done everything on my own. This is also new to me, I just couldn't think of anyone else that would be willing to help me-"

You stop when Xavier interrupts you, "I'll do it."

"Really?!" Another nod from him and you throw yourself at him for a hug. He catches you as you say a million thank you's.

Eventually you are back in your apartment that same night after your shower to prepare to film with Xavier. You gave him a time to come over earlier and were now wearing your best lingerie under your robe and had done your hair and makeup. The camera was set up in your bedroom, you decided it was best to film and post the video later rather than be live. You were afraid Xavier would accidentally show face and you wanted to avoid the awkward parts with him being out there on the internet.

Finally, there was a knock at the door and you go answer. Xavier was dressed casually and you watch him as he looks down at you and then your robe before his ears flush and he looks away for a second. "Hey," you breathe and he gives you one of his small smiles as he enters your place. "Hi."

He takes off his shoes at the entrance and follows you to your bedroom. You glance at him, "are you ready?"

He smiles at you again, "yeah, are you?" You laugh a little at that, before nodding. The next five minutes are spent with you adjusting the camera while Xavier sits in the middle of your bed awkwardly, you were making sure to just show him from his neck down. Once that's set you click record and walk over to your drawer and pull out one of your vibrators.

Xavier follows your every move as you move towards him and take off your robe in one quick motion, leaving you in only your underwear and bra. He feels like the breath left his lungs as he trails his gaze down all of you and back up. You are beautiful. Perfect. He couldn't believe he was going to be able to hold you like this, touch you like this.

You crawl onto the bed and get comfortable between his legs as you look at yourself on the camera monitor. You were much smaller than Xavier, so your whole body and face was in view. "Here," you tilt your head back to look at his face as your hand holds out the vibrator to him. He flushes when he looks at it and then back to you, but you feel yourself pulse when you see the slight heat behind his eyes.

He takes it from you before hesitantly asking, "Can- Can I touch you?" Your heart races in anticipation as you nod at him.

Your body lights up with goosebumps when you feel his left hand trail up and down your waist. You guys hold each other's gaze, as you relax back into his chest. Your eyes drop to see him put the vibrator down next his thigh and he raises his right hand to gently grab your jaw. His thumb caresses your face as he stares at you, and his gaze alone makes you feel damp between your legs and he hasn't really touched you like that yet.

He continues his gentle rubbing and then his hooded gaze drops from your eyes to your mouth. You don't remember whether it was him or you to initiate it, but you guys begin making out. It's gentle, sensual. His lips are soft and every so often his tongue begins to peak through and you allow him in. Your tongues begin fighting for dominance and the kiss begins to get a little more heated, you reach your right arm over to the back of his neck to keep his mouth on yours.

Your body tingles as he hums into the kiss and breaks it to look into your own heated gaze before going in for another kiss. While this continues, his right hand reaches down to your thigh and he rubs it before moving your legs to be against his spread ones. This leaves you open right to the camera and you gasp lightly when you feel the slight breeze against your damp underwear.

Your body slightly jolts when you feel something rubbing against your clothed sex. You break the kiss this time and look down to see Xavier rubbing the vibrator up and down your sex before you throw your head back against his shoulder. He takes the opportunity to kiss your exposed neck and shoulder, as his left hand goes up to squeeze your breast through your bra.

You can't stop the hums and pants that leave your mouth before you can't take the teasing anymore, "more." "More?" Xavier leaves another kiss on your neck before looking down at your flushed face. "Then beg for it."

Your breath hitches, was this really Xavier? Your quiet friend who is the sweetest person you know asking you to beg him. But your body is so heated you actually listen to him, "Please, I want more. I want you."

You watch Xavier as he groans at your words before diving in for another kiss, this time you feel his hands at the waistband of your underwear as he pulls them off. You raise your hips and then your legs as you help with sliding them off. You keep your legs parted and when you guys break away from your kiss for the third time, you can't help but watch Xavier's face. He looks into your eyes before he looks down and groans again, "Look at how pretty you are."

"Touch me, " you beg with a pout on your face, "please."

Xavier wastes no time in tossing the vibrator to the side as his hand reaches between your legs and his finger grazes between your wet folds. "You're soaked," he says into your ear and your eyes rolls when he rubs on your clit for a quick second before going back down to your entrance, teasing you with his middle finger.

Your hips roll in attempt to get his fingers to fill you up, and when he finally finishes teasing you, he sinks one of his digits in. Your eyes roll back with a light moan and when he pulls the finger back out, he eases back in with two this time. One of your hands grips his thigh while the other holds on to the bicep of the arm that's in between your legs. Your hand nor your vibrator would have felt as good as his hand did.

Xavier was reaching spots inside you that had you writhing against him and moaning. He kept talking you through it, "you're doing so good baby." You feel yourself clench around his fingers at the nickname and he hums at that. "You like when I call you baby?"

You can't stop yourself from nodding your head. Your high was coming so fast, your panting louder as your body began to shake. Xavier clearly noticed this, pulling his fingers out at the last second to rub them against your folds, purposely avoiding your clit. You groan out in protest and he shakes his head at that, "Use your words baby. What do you want?"

You have no shame holding his gaze when you speak, "I want you to make me cum. Please."

He smirks at you, "good girl."

You don't expect it when he plunges his fingers into you and begins a deep pace that has you back on edge. Your moans get louder and your nails dig into him when you finally reach your climax.

You feel like you had the life fucked out of you, but it was hardly over. Xavier brings his hand filled with your juices to his lips and sucks them clean. That makes you only want him even more, and you get on your knees in front of him. Reaching the hem of his shirt to help him take it off and then the next moment you're both naked and making out once again.

You both can't get enough of touching each other everywhere.

Xavier positions you on your hands and knees in front of the camera. You both moan when he begins to rub himself against your folds. None of you seemed to care that he wasn't even wearing a condom, you just wanted him inside you already.

"I want you inside me," you whine and Xavier hums in response, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," you push your hips purposely back into his and feel the head of his cock dipping in. He lets out a grunt before tightening his grip on one of your hips and then slowly begin pushing in.

Your mouth falls open as your face scrunches up while he stretches you out inch by inch. Xavier was definitely more on the larger side, so you needed time to adjust. You can't help but let out little whines and pants, before turning your head around to look up at him from behind you. He felt like he could come just like this, the look on your face enough to send him over the edge.

"You're taking me so well baby," he praises as he finally bottoms out inside you.

At some point, you can't remember how many times you've came already. Xavier was relentless, changing the pace each time he made you cum.

“Look at the camera,” Xavier grunts hoarsely as he grabs your hair and pulls your head back. You let out a moan as you lift back to rest on your forearms, arching your back and looking at yourself on the camera. 

You looked more fucked out of your mind than you usually do in your typical content. You could see the skin around your eyes turning red from the tears, the blush on your cheeks and the way your reddened lips hang open with drool threatening to spill from the corners. And this is all due to the cause of one thing.

“X-Xavier,” you can’t help but moan out his name, knowing you’re going to have to cut that part out later to keep his identity a secret. He groans in response, his thrusts not stopping their pace, you feel him kissing your cervix with each one. He pulls out slightly more than halfway and then goes in with a grind at the end of each one. 

“Yes,” he’s breathless, “yes, baby.” You stare at the his sculpted body from behind you through the camera, biting your lip and whimpering as you can only see his mouth hang open. The rest of his face cut off from his height on his knees and the fact that this is how you’ll keep his identity a secret when you post it. But it’s hard when you can feel his name on the tip of your tongue once again, you want to chant it like a mantra. You want to see him.

Fuck it. 

You shake your head slightly and feel his grip loosen on your hair, and you turn your head around to look at him. The sight of him alone has you clenching around him and your eyes rolling, he was glistening with sweat and the look in his hooded eyes was darker than you’ve ever seen. His damp hair stuck to his forehead. Upon seeing your face as well, Xavier couldn’t help but moan, his brows furrowing, and he grips your hips tighter. You looked so beautiful like this, just like this for him. 

You begin pushing yourself back into him again to meet his thrusts halfway and your mouth hangs open once again. Both of you held eye contact, not bothering to even remember that the camera was still rolling with your face not in it. 

“Xavier you feel so good,” you slur your words as you feel so drunk off of every thrust he gives you. His dick was touching places you couldn’t yourself. Xavier was thinking the same thing, your pussy was sucking him in and he felt its pulse with every movement. The way you moaned his name made him even more feral. You felt what he was feeling and now he was never going to let you go. 

“Fuck it,” he says under his breath and you gasp as he suddenly presses forward and his chest is against your back. He wraps his bicep around your neck, using his elbow to prop him up as the lock around the front of your neck has you facing towards the cameras once again. 

“Like that,” you moan loudly as he continues to pound into you, squeezing your neck and face in his arm. Xavier’s face was showing in the frame now, he no longer cared to hide while fucking you for your content. This felt personal now. 

You can feel his breath in your ear as he pants and grunts right next to it. Yet you still can’t take your eyes off him on the monitor, watching him turn his head to nip at the shell of your ear and you can see his smirk forming as he makes a ‘hmph’ sound. 

“Like this,” he grunts as you feel his other arm reach down under you and find your clit. You squeal at the sensation added with everything else and if it weren’t for Xavier pressing you into this position, you would have collapsed. 

“Mmhmm,” you hum as he works you better than you can do with yourself and your toys. 

“Look at us baby,” Xavier’s head is right next to yours on the frame, both of you flushed, “we’re perfect together, this pussy was made for me. Gonna fill you with my cum and you’re gonna take it like a good girl.”

He accentuates the last two words with two hard thrusts. All you can do is choke on your own words as your vision goes white and you feel your walls clench around him. He lets out a groan of your name before you feel the warmth of his cum filling you up.

You both are panting and sweaty as you guys collapse and lay there for a second. You feel like you can't move. Xavier kisses your shoulder before getting up and clicking the end of the recording on the camera. He walks out of sight before coming back with a warm towel as he gently helps clean you up.

Xavier goes back to being the sweet man he's always been. And as he comes back into bed to cuddle with you, you realize you guys aren't going to be just friends.

[jungkoode]

5 SECONDS TO FREEDOM | prologue

˗ˏˋ debts unpaid ˎˊ˗

"In Tokyo's underground, there are only two currencies that matter—respect and reputation. When someone threatens to take both, you don't just race them. You destroy them."

next | index

⋆｡°✩ chapter details ✩°｡⋆

word count: 3.5k

content: street racing culture, debt collection, first meetings, midnight races, dangerous driving, Spanish endearments as provocation, the dynamics of Tokyo's underground scene, and your first defeat in nineteen months.

✧ author's note ✧

Soooo here we fucking go.

I've been obsessing over this story for months—I think we all know that lmaooo I think I posted the teaser like a couple months ago and I was devastated because it barely got 50 notes. But you know what, this was still in my head so I did write some drabbles—and I kind of shaped the prologue, which is what you’re gonna read below hahaha.

“But Kiki we just sent you 45 asks telling you to rest” AND I SAID SIKE??? No actually, I’m okay I promise! Usually writing different stories is what prevents me from burning out, because I get frustrated with the same storyline so it’s like… I write something else and my brain goes ‘yay thanks’. You know, ADHD—shiny new toy, mind dances to the music.

Anyways, so. I love this. I love this because as always I get to experiment with different personalities and psychological backgrounds and what I fucking love about these two is the masks they wear and how opposite they are. He’s cocky and arrogant, but in a different way FMU!jungkook is. She’s determined and ambitious, always pushing for more, but still very distinct from all my other Y/N’s because she’s handling different situations (you’ll see in later chapters).

And Hachiroku and Jaque aren't just racing personas—they're escapes. And what makes this delicious is that they're running from opposite lives. One from privilege, one from struggle. Both finding freedom in the same five seconds at the starting line.

And yes, the cars matter. They're not just vehicles; they're extensions of identity. The AE86 is legendary for a reason—not the most powerful, but perfectly balanced in the hands of someone who knows exactly what they're doing (sound familiar?). Meanwhile, the R34 Skyline is raw, unapologetic power held in check by someone who understands precisely when to unleash it.

AS ALWAYS—READ THE AUTHOR INTRO AND TW listed in the index post. This is a must before reading this story.

Fair warning: this isn't going to be a clean race. These characters are messy. They make decisions that will make you want to scream at them. They'll crash into each other's lives and leave debris everywhere, and the kind of attraction that feels like a guardrail giving way on a mountain pass.

But that's the point, isn't it? The most interesting stories happen in the dangerous curves.

So buckle up. We've got a long road ahead.

Ready? Light’s about to turn green.

Also. Notes for this one are pretty high, that’s intentional. Like I just wanted to post the prologue to have it out for a bit but I still need to work on the arcs and major plot points. So I don’t have the story fully shaped out for now, which is why I want this to rest and check for engagement and reactions. Seriously—don’t crash out, I know this one will take time and that’s absolutely my intention!

⋆｡°✩ read on✩°｡⋆

ao3

wattpad

Respect isn't given in Tokyo's underground—it's paid in cash or blood.

You roll the cherry lollipop against your teeth, counting seconds in your head like engine timing.

Two weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred and thirty-six hours since you left Kalo and his overpriced Supra in your rearview on the Hakone downhill, his taillights disappearing around the corner while you took the perfect line through the hairpin that everyone else brakes too hard for.

It's nighttime at Daikoku.

You cross one leg over the other, letting your heeled boot dangle casually off the edge of your AE86's hood. The mini skirt wasn't a random choice. Neither was showing up without your racing gear.

Because tonight isn't about driving—it's about collecting.

"Kalo's nowhere to be seen," Maya says, leaning against your car's hood, arms crossed. "Dipped hard."

You don't bother looking at her, just shift the lollipop to the other side of your mouth with your tongue. The neon from nearby signs reflects off the polished black and white paint of your 86.

"What?" Maya catches your expression. "I'm just saying. Word is he's been avoiding this spot since you embarrassed him."

"While still flashing cash at that club in Roppongi," you add, voice flat. "Buying drinks for anyone who'll listen to his bullshit version of what happened on the mountain."

You tug at one of the layered chains around your neck, watching the crowd that's gathered tonight.

The usual suspects are here—wannabes with more money than skill taking photos of each other's cars, veterans huddled around hoods talking suspension setups, scouts looking for the next race.

Everyone except the one person who should be here with your money.

"So what's the plan?" Maya nudges your shoulder. "Just gonna sit here looking pretty until he magically appears?"

You roll your eyes. "Since when do I just sit and wait for anything?"

"Fair point." She grins that wolfish grin of hers. "So?"

"So I track his ass down." You twist the lollipop stick between your fingers. "He owes me fifty thousand yen. But more than that, he owes me the respect of paying up and admitting I smoked him fair and square."

Maya snorts, exactly as you expected. "Called it. Knew you wouldn't let this slide."

"It's not about the money." You straighten up, adjusting your cropped leather jacket. "It's about the principle. You lose a race, you pay your debts. That's how this works. You don't just disappear like some amateur who can't handle defeat."

"Especially not when he talked all that shit beforehand," Maya adds, picking at her black nail polish. "What was it he said again? Something about how no girl could ever handle his—"

"'No girl could handle my power on the downhill,'" you quote dryly. "Right before I passed him on the outside of that corner everyone brakes for."

The memory brings a slight smile to your face.

The shock in his eyes when you appeared in his side mirror where no car should have been able to fit.

The desperate overcorrection that sent him nearly scraping the guardrail while you smoothly accelerated away.

"Exactly." Maya pushes off your hood. "So what's the first move? Hit his usual spots?"

You pull the lollipop from your mouth with a pop. "Already did. Club Seventh in Roppongi. The garage where his uncle works in Setagaya. That ramen shop he's always at in Shibuya."

"Stalker much?" Maya raises an eyebrow.

"Thorough," you correct her. "There's a difference."

A brief silence falls between you as you both watch a metallic blue GT-R roll into the lot, bass thumping hard enough to vibrate the pavement.

Not Kalo's crowd—these guys run with the Yokohama crew.

"Kenji might know," you say finally, referring to your mutual friend who somehow knows everyone's business in Tokyo's racing scene. "He mentioned Kalo's been hanging around some new spot in Meguro the past week."

Maya pulls out her phone. "Want me to text him now?"

"Already did." You tap your boot against the bumper of your car. "He's supposed to meet us here in—" you check the time on your wrist "—fifteen minutes ago."

"Typical." Maya rolls her eyes. "That guy couldn't be on time if his life depended on it."

You're about to respond when you spot a familiar face weaving through the crowd. Kenji, with his signature sunglasses despite it being well past midnight, making his way toward you.

You straighten up slightly, not wanting to appear too eager for information.

"Ladies," he greets with that irritating smirk of his, adjusting his sunglasses even though there's absolutely no need. "Looking dangerous tonight, Y/N. Someone's not here to race."

"Just tell me what you know about Kalo," you say, cutting through his bullshit.

Kenji leans against your car without asking—a liberty you allow only because he's useful.

"Direct as always. That's what I like about you."

"Kenji," you warn, patience already wearing thin.

"Fine, fine." He holds up his hands in surrender. "Your boy's been hanging at this new garage in Meguro. Place called Midnight Rush. Trying to get in with that crew that runs the Wangan on weekends."

You raise an eyebrow. "The twins' territory? That's desperate even for him."

"After what you did to his reputation?" Kenji shrugs. "Man's gotta find somewhere to start over."

Maya laughs. "Not how this works. You don't just reset when you lose."

"Exactly." You shift your weight, boot heels clicking against the pavement. "So he's there tonight?"

"Should be. They're prepping for some big run tomorrow. Word is there's serious money changing hands. He's trying to buy his way in."

The conversation halts as the distinctive growl of an approaching engine cuts through the night.

Not just any engine—something with a tune you've never heard before.

Sharp. Aggressive. Perfectly balanced.

Heads turn as a midnight purple Skyline R34 GT-R glides into the parking area, before coming to a stop under the harsh parking lot lights.

"Who the hell is that?" Maya straightens up, suddenly alert.

Kenji's expression shifts from boredom to interest in an instant—a rare change for him. "New player. Goes by Jaque."

You study the car, assessing rather than admiring.

Aftermarket body kit, but tasteful. Custom wheels. The stance is aggressive but functional.

Whoever built this wasn't just throwing money at it—they knew exactly what they were doing.

"Jaque?" you repeat, keeping your voice neutral despite your curiosity. "What kind of name is that?"

"Latino guy. Showed up about a month ago." Kenji lowers his voice, shifting into the gossip mode he lives for. "Been cleaning up. Undefeated so far."

Your eyebrow rises slightly at that.

Undefeated is a bold claim in this scene.

"Never heard of him," Maya says, voicing what you're thinking.

"That's because he's been running mostly on the Wangan line. Outrunning cops, taking stupid risks. The kind of shit that gets you noticed fast." Kenji's eyes remain fixed on the car. "Word is he beat Hayato's record on the C1 loop last week."

That gets your attention, though you're careful not to show it.

Hayato's record has stood for three years.

This guy has broken it in a month.

Who the fuck is this?

Your question is answered when the driver's door opens, and the crowd's murmur intensifies. A figure emerges, oozing the confidence of someone who knows they belong anywhere they choose to be.

Not tall, but with a presence that fills the space around him. Dark hair, sharp jawline, and a smirk that suggests he's already three steps ahead of everyone else.

"He drives like he's got nothing to lose," Kenji adds, a note of genuine respect in his voice that you rarely hear. "Like he doesn't care if he crashes or dies. It's... I don’t know man. Something else."

You watch as the driver—Jaque, apparently—leans back against his Skyline, surveying the crowd like he's taking inventory.

His gaze sweeps across the parking lot, until it lands on your group.

Or more specifically, on you.

He gives you a small nod, as if acknowledging territory.

"Looks like you've got an admirer," Maya mutters, nudging your ribs.

You shrug, unimpressed. "Looks like another ego with a nice car."

But you don't look away, and neither does he. It's a standoff of sorts, neither willing to be the first to break eye contact.

You've played this game before with countless racers who thought they were hot shit.

You've never been the first to look away.

"Don't dismiss him so quickly," Kenji warns, surprising you. "I've seen him drive. I’m dead serious, it’s not normal."

"Nobody's unbeatable," you say, finally breaking the staring contest to look back at Kenji.

Just because you had to look back at Kenji.

"Maybe." Kenji shifts uncomfortably. "But this guy... he doesn't race like a normal person. It's like he's got some kind of death wish, but with the skill to back it up."

You scoff, though something about Kenji's tone—the genuine concern beneath his usual bullshit—gives you pause.

"Death wish or not, a car's a car, and physics is physics. There are rules to this game that nobody breaks."

Maya's watching you with that knowing look she gets when she can tell someone's gotten under your skin, even just a little.

"You want to find out, don't you?"

"I want to find Kalo and get my money," you correct her, though your eyes drift back to the Skyline against your will. "That's why we're here."

You scoff at Maya's knowing smirk, about to tell her to shut it when fragments of conversation float over from where the newcomer stands. One word cuts through the ambient noise of engines and chatter.

Kalo.

Your head snaps toward the source.

The Skyline guy—Jaque—leans against his car, talking to a small circle of racers. His hands move expressively as he speaks, gold bracelet catching the neon light.

"Kenji." You cut him off mid-sentence. "Who exactly is this guy talking to?"

Kenji follows your gaze. "Nobody important. Some Yokohama kids trying to get noticed." He adjusts those stupid sunglasses. "Why?"

"He just mentioned Kalo."

Maya straightens beside you. "You sure?"

No mistaking it. Not when you've been hunting that name for two weeks.

"Excuse me," you say, already moving.

Maya sighs behind you. "Here she goes again."

You don't look back. Your boots click purposefully across the pavement, moving slowly. Not rushing—you never rush. But determined.

Three guys surrounding Jaque glance up as you approach, their expressions shifting from interest to wariness. They know who you are.

He doesn't turn immediately. Keeps talking, voice carrying a rhythm unlike anything you've heard in Tokyo. An accent that doesn't belong here.

Only when you're close enough to count the stitches on his leather jacket does he acknowledge your presence.

And even then, it's just a partial turn. Forty-five degrees. Neck cradling slightly to look at you sideways.

Performative, if anything. Like he knew you were coming before you did.

You cross your arms, weight shifting to one hip. His mouth twitches upward at the corner, eyes traveling from your face down to your boots and back up again.

Not subtle about it at all.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this sight?" Velvet slides from his lips.

One eyebrow quirks upward, the slightest movement. His Japanese is fluent but different—consonants softened, vowels stretched in places they shouldn't be.

You narrow your eyes. "You mentioned Kalo. What do you know about him? What's your relationship?"

He studies you for two full seconds. Not answering. Just looking. Like he's trying to read something written in small print.

Then he chuckles, using two fingers to move a thin strand of dark hair that's fallen across his view. The movement is unnecessary. Theatrical. Done for effect.

"Why so serious, princesa?"

It’s Spanish, the last word. You know that much, know from the way the word rolls off his tongue, deliberate, inserted where it doesn't belong. Like he’s testing boundaries, hoping for a reaction.

"I asked you a question." You keep your voice unimpressed.

"And I asked you one too."

He turns to face you fully now, leaning back against his car with the casualness of someone who's never been afraid of anything.

"But since you came all this way... Kalo. The Supra guy, right? The one who races like he learned driving from a video game?"

The description is so accurate you almost smile.

Almost.

"I hear he owes someone money," he continues, watching your reaction carefully. "Someone who smoked him on the mountain course two weeks back. Embarrassed him so badly he's been hiding like a scared rabbit."

His three companions take subtle steps backward, no longer interested in being part of this conversation.

Smart.

Maya appears beside you, silent backup. Though her presence changes nothing in his demeanor.

"And how would you know about that?" you ask.

He shrugs one shoulder.

"People talk. I listen." His accent thickens when he adds, "Es lo que hago." (It’s what I do)

"Is that right?" You don't react to the Spanish. "Interesting that someone who just showed up knows so much about other people's business."

"I'm observant."

His eyes lock with yours.

"For example, I observe that you're not here to race tonight. That outfit? Those heels?" He clicks his tongue. "You're here to collect. To make a point."

Something cold slides down your spine. Not fear—you don't do fear. Something else.

Being read so easily isn't a sensation you're familiar with.

"What's your name again?" You ask it like you've already forgotten, though you haven't.

"Jaque." He says it with a slight emphasis on the second syllable. "And you're Y/N. The 86 driver who hasn't lost a mountain race in what, two years?"

"Nineteen months," Maya corrects automatically.

You shoot her a look.

Jaque's smile widens. "Nineteen months. Impressive."

"If you're done wasting my time," you say, turning slightly, "I have a debt to collect."

"From a guy who isn't here."

He pushes off his car, closing the distance between you by half a step. Not enough to be threatening. Just enough to make his presence unavoidable.

"And won't be. Not tonight," he adds.

"And you know that how?"

"Because I passed him on the expressway heading in the opposite direction. About twenty minutes ago." He taps his wrist where a watch would be. "Running scared, looked like."

You clench your jaw. If he's telling the truth, you've wasted your night. Another dead end in your hunt for the coward who owes you.

"So you just happened to recognize a stranger's car?" Maya asks, skepticism heavy in her voice.

"A white Supra with that terrible aftermarket body kit and the Rising Sun decal on the hood?" He makes a dismissive gesture. "Hard to miss. Hard to forget, unfortunately."

That description matches Kalo's car exactly; and the sick feeling in your stomach tells you he's not lying, as much as you'd like him to be.

"Well," you say, voice cooling by several degrees, "thanks for the information."

You turn to leave, disgusted at having your time wasted. First by Kalo's absence, now by this newcomer who clearly just wanted to get your attention. Another night, another waste.

"I'll pay you double what he owes you."

The words stop you mid-step.

You turn back slowly, measuring every movement.

"Excuse me?"

Jaque's expression hasn't changed, but something in his eyes has.

They’re gleaning.

"Fifty thousand yen, right? I'll make it a hundred." He says casually, like offering to buy a coffee. "If you beat me."

Maya makes a small sound beside you, something between a scoff and a laugh.

"And why would I race someone I don't know for money I don't need?"

You almost laugh. As if this is about the money. You were born into more yen than he’s ever seen—this is about respect. About principle. About owning your loss when someone beats you clean. No excuses. No saving face. Just bow your head and pay what you owe.

But he’s not done.

"Because you're curious." He says it like it's obvious. "Because you've been the best for nineteen months and you're bored. Because you want to know if I'm as good as they say."

"As good as who says?" You roll your eyes. "I've never heard of you before tonight."

"Then I must be doing something right." His smile shifts, becomes syrupy. "But if money doesn't motivate you, how about this—I win, I get to run with your crew. Race in your territory."

You can't help it—you laugh. Short and dismissive.

"That's not how this works. You don't just buy your way in." Your eyes flick to his car. "No matter how pretty your GT-R is."

"I'm not buying," he corrects, that accent slipping into his Japanese again. "I'm earning. Difference."

You narrow your eyes.

Maya leans close to your ear. "You're not seriously considering this?"

You should walk away. This guy is nobody. A newcomer with a nice car and too much confidence. The racing scene sees them every month. They come, they crash, they disappear.

But.

Something about the way he stands there, utterly certain of himself, gets under your skin.

Like he already knows your answer before you do.

And maybe it's the wasted night. Maybe it's two weeks of hunting Kalo with nothing to show for it. Maybe it's just the need to put someone in their place.

"One race," you hear yourself say.

Maya's head whips toward you in surprise.

"One race," you continue, "and when I win, you pay double what Kalo owes me, and you don't bother me again."

"And when I win," he counters, not missing a beat, "I race with your crew. Simple."

"If," you correct.

"When." He doesn't back down.

One calculated step closer brings his scent into focus. Leather, naturally, but beneath it something that doesn't compute. A scent that belongs to ryokan inns and meditation halls, not this arrogant foreigner.

Hinoki.

"You're awfully confident for someone who knows nothing about me or how I drive."

"And you're awfully defensive for someone who's supposedly unbeatable." His voice drops lower, meant for your ears only. "What are you afraid of, princesa?"

The Spanish word again. A barb. Challenging.

"Afraid?" You match his tone. "I'm trying to save you the embarrassment. And the money."

He laughs, so genuine that it catches you off guard. "So it's settled then. You and me. Tonight."

From the corner of your eye, you see Kenji approaching, drawn by the developing scene. Others are watching too.

Word travels fast in this world.

"Fine." You extend your hand, a formality in this world of verbal contracts. "My terms. My course."

He takes your hand. His grip is firm but not aggressive. Just right. His palm warm against yours.

"Your course," he agrees. "But I pick when."

You raise an eyebrow. "When, then?"

His smile widens, showing teeth. "Now."

Death has a rhythm.

Tonight, it sounds like Daddy Yankee.

The mountain is yours—every curve, every shadow, every inch of guardrail. You've memorized each crack in the asphalt like the lines on your palm.

Yet as you sit at the starting line, engine purring, the midnight purple Skyline beside you blasts "Gasolina" loud enough to vibrate your windows.

He's not even looking at the road.

Jaque's got hand on the wheel, the other tapping the window frame in rhythm.

Kenji stands between the cars, arms raised.

You grip your steering wheel tighter.

Focus. Calculate. This is your mountain. Your rules.

"Ready!" Kenji shouts.

You check your gauges, settle into position, drop your breath rate. Your 86 is an extension of your body.

"Set!"

Jaque turns to you—actually turns his head away from the road—and winks.

Winks.

What the fuck is his problem?

Your jaw clenches so hard you hear teeth grinding.

"GO!"

You snap into the first gear immediately, launching forward as your tires bite into asphalt. Perfect traction. Perfect release. Your 86 shoots ahead exactly as calculated, exactly as it always does.

The Skyline stays even.

First corner approaches—tight right-hander with a nasty camber that catches amateurs by surprise. You brake at the perfect moment, downshift, feel the weight transfer as you clip the apex.

Textbook. Flawless. The corner you've taken hundreds of times.

The Skyline mirrors you exactly, staying in your blind spot. The bass from his music is still thumping through the night air.

Second corner. Third. Fourth. Each attack perfect, each line immaculate. And still, he's there. Not gaining, not falling behind. Just... present. Like a shadow you can't shake.

"What the hell is this guy playing at?" You mutter, taking the next hairpin with a controlled aggression that should give you an advantage.

Should.

Doesn't.

The Skyline follows, its midnight paint swallowing the moonlight instead of reflecting it. Through the next three corners, it continues—you lead, he follows, neither gaining ground.

Until the straightaway.

The road opens up, and you floor it. The 86 responds instantly, pushing you back into your seat. This is where your lighter weight should shine.

But the Skyline surges forward, twin-turbo engine unleashing a growl that slices the night.

He passes you.

Not aggressively. Not dangerously.

Just... efficiently.

Like it's the most natural thing in the world.

For the first time in nineteen months, you're staring at someone else's taillights.

"No fucking way."

You push harder, finding speed you rarely tap into. The gap closes slightly on the approach to the next corner—a sharp left with a cliff drop on the outside.

No guardrail. No room for error.

Normal people brake early here.

Jaque, as it turns out, is not normal people.

You don't brake until the last possible microsecond, throwing the 86 into the corner. The tires scream, traction at its absolute limit. You can feel them searching for grip, dancing on the edge of adhesion.

You exit the corner a car length behind him.

"Come on!" You slam the gearshift, pushing for more.

The next section is technical—five corners in quick succession. Your territory.

It's where precision matters more than power.

You close the gap. Corner by corner, inch by inch. Three more and you're on his bumper. Close enough to see his fingers still tapping against the frame slightly to the rhythm.

The next hairpin is your chance. The inside line is risky—there's barely enough room—but it's your mountain.

You know exactly how much space you need.

You dive for the gap.

For one beautiful moment, you're alongside him. Equal. Your front bumper inches past his door.

Then he does something impossible.

Instead of defending the line—instead of doing what any rational driver would do—Jaque throws his car into a drift so aggressive it sends the back end swinging wide, nearly touching the guardrail.

The move creates an arc that cuts you off, forces you to brake or crash.

You brake.

The maneuver costs him speed, should give you another chance to pass on exit.

But before you can capitalize, he's already accelerating out of the drift, the Skyline's all-wheel drive finding traction where none should exist.

"What the actual—"

The move was insane. Suicidal. The kind of thing that ends with twisted metal and sirens.

And he pulled it off like he was parallel parking.

For the final stretch—three corners and the last straightaway—you throw caution aside. Push beyond limits you usually respect. The 86 responds, giving everything it has.

It's not enough.

The Skyline crosses the finish line two car lengths ahead. You slam your palm against the steering wheel.

The taste of defeat is metallic in your mouth, foreign and despised.

You bring the 86 to a hard stop, tires protesting at the sudden deceleration.

The music still pounds from his car. That same goddamn song.

You throw open your door, adrenaline and anger propelling you forward. The cool mountain air hits your flushed face as you storm toward his car.

Because that last move? It wasn't just reckless—it was deadly. The kind of stunt that gets people killed on these mountains.

Words build in your throat. Sharp words. Words about respect for the mountain and death wishes and arrogance.

His door swings open as you approach. The music blasts louder without the barrier of glass and metal. He slides out with that same casual grace you saw when he called you princesa, when he winked before accelerating.

And something stops the words in your throat.

He shakes his head slightly, dark hair falling across his eyes before he pushes it back with one smooth motion. His other hand remains on the Skyline's roof, some golden ring catching the moonlight.

When he turns to face you, there's no triumph in his expression. No arrogance.

Just... satisfaction.

Like he's found something he's been looking for.

His eyes meet yours across the short distance. That smile appears again—not the cocky smirk from earlier, but something more genuine. Lips curved just slightly at the corners.

"Thanks for the adrenaline rush, mami," he says, voice carrying over the pounding beat of Daddy Yankee.

You've never hated Spanish music more in your life.

goal: 500 notes

taglist: @cannotalwaysbenight @taevescence @itstoastsworld @somehowukook @stutixmaru @chloepiccoliniii @kimnamjoonmiddletoe @annyeongbitch7 @mar-lo-pap @mikrokookiex @minniejim @curse-of-art @cristy-101 @mellyyyyyyx @rpwprpwprpwprw @jkrailme @graydolan12

next | index

© jungkoode 2025 no reposts, translations, or adaptations

[haikyu-mp4]

No complaints – Tsukishima x reader wc 642 – gn!reader requested by @tansypansydandy for A blast from the past, now hiring! edition<3

If Tsukishima wasn’t so incredibly good at making coffee and managing the shifts, he probably wouldn’t be working at the cafe anymore. He tended to plague the mood with a sour expression and negative attitude most days, which you found incredibly funny despite other coworkers complaining about it.

“Turn that frown,” you sang, putting your pointer fingers at the edges of his mouth to force it into a smile. One of your coworkers glanced up to see this and gaped at the fact that Tsukishima didn’t push you away immediately. “Upside down!”

Rolling his eyes, he brushed you off and turned away to continue his job. You were nothing but a nuisance. A thorn in his back. And the object of his affections.

He sure hoped you didn’t notice his red ears as he swiftly moved to the back room for restocking, yelling orders over his shoulder for you to make yourself useful. You shrugged, not minding him as you did what you were told. At the same time, you made sure to chat with other baristas when the moment lent itself. It was a busy Saturday, and you always enjoyed brightening the mood.

Tsukki watched from the monitors in the back, a frown on his face casting it in shadows.

You barely saw Tsukishima again until the rest of the baristas left, as you and he were on the closing shift. How you always ended up closing with him, you weren’t so sure.

“Lots to do in the back today?” you asked him kindly, just drying off the last cups from the dishwasher.

He hummed, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. “I enjoy that work more than being out here.”

“Because of the customers?” you queried, eyes still observing him as his nimble fingers wiped off the glasses with the bottom of his shirt.

“I don’t like people in general,” he concluded, stupidly thinking you would leave it at that.

“Even me?” You were laughing, thinking there was no reason for you to be an exception.

“I suppose I don’t dislike you. But I don’t understand why you like our coworkers.”

Tilting your head, you waited for him to glance at you before asking for clarification. “Why I like them?”

He shrugged, putting the glasses back on his face before moving to clean the coffee machine, which was the last big task. At the same time, you finished the dishes and scooted up on the counter closest to where Tsukki was.

“Why shouldn’t I like them?”

“You and I get more done. They’re… messy. And I don’t think they like me either,” he argued.

“You haven’t given them much of a chance, hiding in the back like a hermit and doing all the jobs we’d rather avoid.”

Tsukishima’s shoulders slumped, and he fully turned his attention to you, hands working a bit slower. “I just like working with you.”

“We can’t run this place just the two of us, Tsukki.”

His nose scrunched at the nickname. “We could.”

You jumped off the counter with a heavy sigh, lifting your apron over your head to hang it up. “Not on a Saturday, that’s for sure.”

You finished the closing routine mostly in silence, meeting each other at the back door to leave the building. Tsukishima locked up before tucking the keys safely in his pocket, ever so responsible.

“To the train station?” you asked, smiling kindly, just the way Tsukishima couldn’t seem to get out of his head.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

It was an agonising walk of brushing hands and sharing the smallest of glimpses into your lives outside the cafe. When you were alone and seated on the train, you checked your phone to see a notification from your work schedule app.

You were already scheduled for closing with Tsukki all of next week, and you had no complaints.

masterlist

[sorryitsmyfirstdayonearth]

Lie

(Sam Winchester x female reader)

Summary Sam never stopped wanting you. So when Ruby possesses you for a case and offers you to him, is he strong enough to say no? CWs: non con/extreme dub con! Do not read if that makes you uncomfortable. Scheming Ruby. Sam at his darkest. Possessed!reader. 18+. 1.9k words

Sam Winchester masterlist ⏐ SPN masterlist

It’s a bad plan, that much is clear, but it’s the only one you have.

When Sam shows up at your door, a year after you’ve last seen him, after what you had has ended, when he tells you his brother is in hell and that he needs your help, you should have shut the door in his face. But of course you don't.

Then, when you see her, the beautiful she-demon with the long dark hair and the face straight out of a classical painting, you should turn around on the spot. But again, you don't.

Why? You don’t know. You don’t know if you still have feelings for Sam, but the bittersweet pain you feel around him is somehow drawing you in, making you stay, making you help him. You see the two together and suddenly it’s clear, clear that there is something between them. Sam and Ruby. Ruby and Sam. You want him, and you hate yourself for wanting him.

At one point, you and Sam get into an argument, because you’re being dismissive of him and at the end of it, you look him up and down, disgust on your face.

“You’re so broken,” you say, and something sets in his face, something deep and violent.

The details of the plan aren’t important – the gist is that Ruby needs to not look like Ruby for a little bit, meaning that she needs to possess someone else. Sam’s against that, because of course he is, because he can never get off his high horse. The thought sneaks up on you before Ruby’s dark eyes even land on you.

“I could use her,” she says, and a shiver runs over you.

Which is how you end up willingly letting her in – not that she needs you to say yes, but she makes it a whole spiel that she wants you to. She disgusts you, but also you can’t deny that the double-meaning behind her words is making something twist in you. With Sam there in the same room, the air feels like it’s on fire.

So Ruby possesses you. She gets done what she needs to get done and then comes back to Sam, still in your body. You don’t know about any of this, because you are slumbering deep inside yourself.

Maybe it’s for the best.

Ruby doesn’t miss the way Sam scans your body when she walks in. She hasn’t missed any of the times he’s looked at you.

Is she jealous? No. She wants Sam for purely practical reasons. She needs him desperate and isolated. With Dean gone and the demon blood, he’s already pretty ruined. But she thinks there’s more to be done, there’s room for improvement. She needs him broken.

She tells Sam the work is done, and he says that means she can stop possessing you.

“Or,” Ruby says in your voice, “I could stay a little longer.”

It’s not like Sam couldn’t exorcize her with how strong he’s been getting. But he just frowns, not understanding, and Ruby wants to cackle. God, he is so predictable.

He’s gonna pretend he doesn’t want any of this, that this is wrong, etcetera, etcetera. He was the same when he started fucking her in her other body, the brain-dead one. But as usual, Sam Winchester will break sooner or later. That’s what always happens.

Ruby makes her intentions clear when she walks your body towards where Sam is sitting. Hips swaying, looking at him through your lashes. She’s basically offering you up on a silver platter, and Sam doesn’t move, pretends he has no idea what’s going on, the innocent lamb, until you’re right in front of him, run your hand up his sculpted chest, cup his face. Sam jerks back, horrified, disgusted.

“What are you doing?” he asks and his voice is actually shaking. Ruby could squeal.

“I know you miss her,” she says in your voice, then corrects herself: “Miss me. I miss you too.” Sam shakes his head.

“She wouldn’t have to know,” Ruby says, voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I can hide it from her, Sam. She never needs to know.”

Sam’s eyes widen. If he was wearing pearls, he would be clutching them now. Ruby likes this game, but sometimes she needs to fight tooth and nail not to roll her eyes at the sensitive hunter.

“No!” Sam says, getting up, walking away from her to the other end of the room. But Ruby knows, she can see. She knows Sam’s body well enough to see that he’s already responding. Maybe she’ll make him drink from you. She’d have to think of a lie to cover up the wound, but it might be worth it to drag Sam deeper into the arms of depravity.

Now Ruby switches her approach. She mimics you, your proper and decent and good ways, the way you are so fucking earnest, just like Sam. It makes her want to barf.

“Sam,” she says, and it’s coming out the way you say it. “It’s okay. Just be with me.” Sam’s eyes narrow at her and Ruby smiles softly.

To give Sam some credit, he holds out for a long time. Ruby almost begins to wonder if he’s not gonna do it. But when she drops you to your knees in front of him, begging to be touched, to be fucked, it’s more than even he can take.

Sam grabs your arm, wraps a large hand around your biceps and pulls you up, lips meeting in a hungry battle. She makes you hold his face and give a heady moan when Sam presses his mouth against your jaw, travels along its line.

She can see the turmoil in him in how to do it. He hates Ruby and always fucks her roughly in the other body, like he hates her guts. Uses her like she’s just a thing – oh, she would love for you to see him like that, to see your sweet Sam so depraved, so selfish. Ruby doesn’t feel any of it so she couldn’t care less, but if there was a real girl inside her, she’d be walking sideways the next day.

He loves you, though, or something like it, and the want and yearning and neediness comes out. His hands rip at your clothes, so desperate is he to get to the flesh and skin underneath, and Ruby makes a mental note to hide the clothes, or throw them away so you are kept in the dark.

That, or leave them for you to find. God, she’s a genius. Lilith would be so proud.

Sam fingers you open, then drops his mouth to your pussy, eats you out like a man starving. Ruby does her best porn star impression, throws your head back, grinds against him, moans, yes Sam, don’t stop, oh God, please don’t stop, yes, you feel so good, you’re gonna make me come so hard.

She fakes an intense orgasm, makes you whimper and your thighs twitch. Makes you grab the back of Sam’s head in the hope of somehow bringing him closer. He gives a deep groan, mouth still clamped to your cunt, and she feels the vibrations of it, even though they do nothing for her.

Then he lays you on your back. He takes his time grinding into you, careful not to hurt you but then Ruby makes you roll your toes, bite your lip, squeeze him inside of you, and he loses it. Starts fucking into you roughly, and with his considerable size, Ruby knows you’ll feel him tomorrow. She can’t help but smile at that and Sam, humongous idiot that he is, dips down, kisses your lips.

“I miss you so much,” he pants and Ruby wraps your arms around his neck, pulls him in because it’s the only way she can hide the broad grin on your face.

When Sam comes he wraps his hand into your hair, presses his forehead against yours. Looks deep into your eyes as his balls pull up and he empties himself into you. Ruby makes you moan again, brows pulled together while she pretends you’re having a hard time keeping your eyes open. She runs your hands over Sam’s back, not using her nails the way she does usually.

Sam moves to pull out of you, but Ruby holds him close with one arm, while the other wanders between your two bodies and she starts petting your clit. The smile on her is genuine. You’re a soft thing, and if the circumstances were different, Ruby might have her fun with you. She keeps rubbing, Sam watching in rapt fascination.

This orgasm is real, and Ruby feels it all the way to the roots of your hair. She can’t always experience what her meatsuit feels, but this time she does. The desperate whine she draws from you makes her shiver, and it takes her a long time to catch her breath.

Afterwards, she pretends to fall asleep. Sam knows of course that she doesn’t need sleep, but he seems to crave the illusion of it, the lie. He lies next to your body, runs his fingers over you ever so gently.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, and his voice is thick with tears and horror at his own actions. Ruby just keeps her eyes shut. You need your rest.

You wake up, stretch on the motel bed.

Jesus, you’ve never been possessed, but you didn’t think it would feel like this. Like a hangover, in a way. You feel soreness and you can’t locate it right away and when you do, it doesn’t make any sense.

“Hey, sleep well?” you hear and look over. Sam’s on the other motel bed, laptop propped up before him. His words are casual, but he looks unwell. Shaky, pale. His smile is forced. As you sit up, you wonder if he’s coming down with something.

You don’t remember falling asleep. You don’t remember anything from the moment when Ruby possessed you. As you look down yourself, you see your clothes and it startles you for a moment. You’re sure you were wearing something else. But maybe you’re wrong. Possession really is like a bad hangover.

Speaking of Ruby, she walks in from the bathroom, and just as you wonder what a demon needs the bathroom for, she smiles at you. A beautiful, soft smile, that could almost make you think she isn’t an abomination from Hell. You stretch your shoulders. Her eyes on you make you feel nervous. She won’t stop looking at you. Then suddenly she moves.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it,” she says, and she’s also trying to sound casual. You look over at Sam, and he’s avoiding your gaze. Something blooms in you, something uncomfortable. Something you can’t name but it settles in you like a heavy stone.

Ruby leaves and then it’s just you and Sam. He drives you home, the work done, and when you arrive, you turn to him.

“I’m sorry about what I said to you, about you being broken,” you say to him, because it’s the only reason you can see for his strange behavior.

 “That’s okay,” Sam says, hands wrapped tight around the steering wheel, staring straight ahead.

There’s nothing more to say. You tell Sam to call you when he’s in the area. These past days have made it clear to you that there is still something between you two. And Sam really seems like he might need someone in his corner right now.

You get out of the car and look back. It might be a trick of the light, but you think you see tears in Sam’s eyes. Then he drives off.

You never hear from him again.

[littlepaperboatyo]

I think the language of this does a good job driving home the real issue behind things like Ai use and factory farming for me, which is not so simple as Ai is bad or factory farming is bad. Both of these things are done for the sake of scale, "how do we reach as many people as we can?" and when that is your first value it drastically shifts all of your other values. Corporations care about quantity of consumers over all else.

A small language school would never consider using Ai because it would introduce many problems and solve none. Their values would be set on doing their best to serve their community and help people they know to better communicate. Introducing Ai doesn't help them make a connection with Mel's kid Alex who's having a hard time learning Spanish and also understanding why he should learn Spanish just to talk to his new stepbrother Javi. That requires being present and connecting with people, and holds the possibility of personally mattering in their lives. Instructor Aldo might be the perfect person to do it too, Alex thinks he's a pretty cool guy and he focuses not on Alex's feeling about his mom getting married but on what Alex knows about Javi. Maybe that kid is pretty cool and Alex is missing out by not being able to play with him. Maybe Aldo can enlist Javi's help and now when they're laughing together Alex is desperate to be able to understand the joke. Now Alex is understanding Spanish, and he and Javi start being able to hang out, and they're both feeling a bit better about their parents getting married.

Take away instructor Aldo, now there's an app. It's a pretty good app, and if Alex would engage with it he might start to figure out Spanish, but he's angry about his mom getting married. He doesn't engage, and he has this stepbrother he doesn't understand, and he's mad. and he's mad. and he doesn't learn Spanish. and nothing changes.

But people learn languages for many reasons and Duolingo does work for many people. And it needs to work for more people, which means that they need to do more work. Which means they need to outsource it. Which means Ai is looking like a good choice.

This is what monopolies are. Forget about business for the sake of business, there was a time before businesses existed. there was a time before money. in fact, it was about 2000 years ago. people would do things for each other because they knew each other and cared about each other. and even when money came about it existed so that people who didn't know each other could help each other and would often result in people getting to know each other. in fact this is how about every business worked up until the industrial Revolution, and even then it was still most of them. But then you get businesses that do too well, and no one competing with them. And it's not really about the lack of competition that exists in a healthy economy, it's moreso about what happens when your neighborhood store is supporting more than just your neighborhood. where do they get the supply for the demand?

they outsource it.

When you care about scale your community expands. You have to start thinking on a bigger scale which means you lose sight of the small scale. Your values change, and your values affect the values of the people you serve. They lose sight of their value just as you have. I see it every day, and I see it in myself. I work in a very busy store where I serve thousands of people a day. My boss calls it the neighborhood store. I serve thousands of people a day. I see so many faces and I do my best to block them out because it's too much. This is not uncommon, for the people in my store or plenty of other stores belonging to different companies. But it is not normal.

Yesterday people came to protest where we get our chicken. I serve thousands of people a day.

It is not possible for companies to exist at this scale and honor good values.

And it smoothes over and eradicates culture. We don't have different conversations with our language instructors. We don't have that one really strange grocer that you can have an interesting conversation with for half an hour while they're on the clock. We don't have small communities with their own values that can inspire it's own culture.

we have the global scale.

[link]

we been knew its just a nail in a coffin tbh

[gingiesworld]

The Scarlet Storm : Hydra Reborn

Chapter Nine

Wanda Maximoff x Fem GiP Reader

Warnings : Fluff, Angst

18+ MINORS DNI

Yelena woke the next day, sitting up in her bed. Sighing knowing that Y/N was just down the hall in her own room. Yelena headed straight into the bathroom. Doing her morning routine before heading down to the kitchen. Already finding Wanda making breakfast for everyone.

"Wanda, how has Y/N been?" Yelena asked as she grabbed a cup of coffee.

"She is adjusting. I think she is remembering more." Wanda said with a bright smile. "Was Y/N the only one to ever call you Lena?"

"Yeah. No one else would call me that." Yelena told her. Her heart racing at the thought of Y/N remembering. "Do you think?" Before Wanda could answer, Y/N had already entered the kitchen.

"Hey Wanda. Why didn't you wake me?" Y/N asked her as she grabbed a bottle of water. Yelena watched Y/N as she joined Wanda.

"You needed the sleep. You helped me a lot in here yesterday." Wanda told her. Y/N started to get the plates and set the table ready for everyone. Turning to finally see Yelena watching the two.

"Hey." Y/N smiled at her. Yelena couldn't help the tears starting to fall as she recognised the eyes. The eyes that she found so much safety and comfort in as a child.

"Y/N." She whispered as Y/N nodded with a gentle smile. "It's Lena."

"Little widow?" Y/N whispered as Yelena nodded. All of the others were stood watching as Nat looked over the scene with jealousy. Y/N remembered Yelena instead of Nat.

"Yeah." Y/N placed the plates down before pulling Yelena in for a bone crushing hug. Tears running down both of their faces.

"God you've grown so much Lena." Y/N beamed before the two turned to Nat. "Sister hug?" The two opened their arms for her. Nat running instantly into the embrace of her sisters.

"I can't believe this." Yelena whispered as the three pulled away. "We're all back together."

"I remember saying that I would never leave you." Y/N told her sadly. "I'm sorry that I was gone."

"You don't have to apologise. That was Alexei and Melina's doing. They worked for Dreykov when we were children." Yelena pointed out. Y/N pulled away from the two. A look of pain and anger on her face.

"They were the reason I lost you both." Y/N started to snarl. "They were the reason I was tortured and punished practically every damn day. It was all because of them, and god knows what you two went through."

"Y/N." Yelena and Nat tried to calm her down but neither of them working. Y/N was gripping the counter harshly muttering under her breath.

"Y/N." Wanda spoke softly. Gently holding Y/N's arm. Causing Y/N to divert her attention to Wanda. "It's ok. You're all safe here." Wanda whispered as she looked into Y/N's eyes. Y/N took a deep breath before she straightened up. Slowly turning around to see both Nat and Yelena with worry on their faces.

"I uh I need some air." Y/N mumbled before she walked passed everyone, outside the compound. Y/N didn't know how long she was out there for as everyone sat and ate their breakfast.

"I don't remember her ever being like that." Yelena said as Nat agreed.

"She has been through a lot. More than what we have." Nat told her. Although they shouldn't really compare their times with both Hydra and the Red Room. Y/N was tortured for nothing. Punished for even breathing while she was there.

As Y/N started back towards the compound after calming down, she was approached by some agents she thought were SHIELD.

"Y/N Romanoff." One of them asked as turned around to face them.

"Who's asking?" She asked, her accent coming out stronger.

"Hydra wants their property back." Another sneered before they started to attack. Even with the bracelet, they barely standed a chance. Y/N fought as hard as she could. Even as the Avengers were alerted about the fight. Wanda was the first to arrive. Using her powers to knock the one who had injected Y/N with a syringe.

The rest finally arriving as the others agents disappeared. Steve picked up the agent who Wanda had knocked out. Taking him to the cells.

"That felt like a bitch." Y/N muttered as she pulled the syringe from her neck. Looking at the now empty object in her hand before she collapsed.

"Shit." Wanda just caught her before she hit the ground. "Bruce. She needs Bruce." Wanda used her powers to carry Y/N to the med bay. The syringe in Nat's hand.

Y/N was out cold for hours. Wanda, Nat and Yelena remained by her side. Although they had been informed that Y/N was perfectly healthy. But she was injected with an unknown substance.

"Why didn't they fight harder?" Yelena asked as the two shrugged.

"Steve or Maria will get it out of our new prisoner soon enough." Nat said as she stood up. "I need to get out of here. I need to know why they came for Y/N now and why they didn't take her. Why they just ran." Both Wanda and Yelena watched as Nat left the room before Yelena turned to Wanda.

"You like my sister." Yelena stated with a serious expression on her face.

"What?" Wanda asked her. Confused by her statement.

"Y/N. I can see by the way you look at her." Yelena told her as Wanda chuckled. Shaking her head no.

"I don't even know her." Wanda defended as Yelena smiled.

"You don't have to know someone to like them more than you should. Or for them to make you feel something." Yelena stated as Wanda took a deep breath.

"I just lost Vis." Wanda whispered as Yelena shook her head.

"He died 7 years ago now Wanda." Yelena stated. "We have been back for 2 years. You are allowed to feel for someone else. You are allowed to move on."

"I'm just scared to I guess." Wanda whispered shakily. Tears in her eyes. "All I have ever known since I was 10 was pain, loss and suffering. But then Vis was there to pull me out of the darkness. He was the one to keep me from slowly disappearing and now he is gone."

"That doesn't mean that you should remain distant from something that could be amazing. Something that could change your life for the better." Yelena told her. "Take a chance on her. Maybe your whole future happiness lies with my sister."

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Taglist : @natashamaximoff-69 @canvascoloredin @wizardofstories @louxbloom @wandanats-goodgirl @the-ox-fan20 @ladyqueenxoxo @aemilia19 @wandaromamoff69 @mfd-101 @dorabledewdroop @marvelogic @dopeyouth @karsonromanoff @bimad @reginassweetheart @machyishere @gemz5 @pawiie @duckiekong @womenarehotsstuff @thatssomeplaygirlshit-blog (If you want to be added to my taglist, please DM me or comment)

[xjulixred45x]

About yuu!parent and Crowley, I can't stop my mind about some sounds from tiktok (from epic the musical)

And... It fit so much lol, let me just

Crowley: Did you know you talk in your sleep? Tell me, though who's (Husband/wife name)?

Yuu!parent (without thinking answering) : she's/he's my wife/husband

Then silence before crowley becomes crowley again and pretend didn't hear it. Meanwhile the first year and all yuus laughing on back, especially the yuu knowing their parents would never choose anyone else expect their partner even in different dimension

HAHAHAHAHA IT'S LITERALLY THEM

That's exactly what I was thinking when I wrote about how Yuu!Parent has Odysseus-level loyalty to their partner. No matter how hard the bird-head tries, they'll always prefer their beloved husband/wife.

The Yuus are quite protective of their mother/father for this very reason as well. They trust Yuu, but they don't particularly trust anyone at this school, especially Crowley, who seems to have taken a special interest in them since Yuu!Parent arrived. Occasionally, they see him trying to talk casually with Yuu in the hallways, or he uses one of the Yuus as an excuse when he actually ends up talking about something completely different, etc. And the Yuus DO NOT LIKE HIM AT ALL.

But they let their father/mother deal with Crowley (Yuu probably had to tell them not to do anything to avoid trouble). After all, they know Yuu!Parent, hell will freeze over before they cheat.

That audio sounds especially good after Book 2, when Yuu!Parent ends up in the infirmary with a blow to the head, and while their friends try to talk to them first, WILD CROWLEY APPEARS and tries to act confident and everything. But he just points out the sleep-talking, and everyone prepares for the funniest thing of the school year.

-"they're my partner, I'm married."

Total silence from Crowley, nonstop laughter from the first-years.

The first-years know this, the whole school knows it, except Crowley. And they act as a sort of squad to protect Yuu!Parent, both from people who want to take advantage of Yuu's non-Magical status or try to "interfere in their marriage," as the boys call it. Let's just say that since the boys see Yuu!Parent as a father/mother figure, they have a lot of respect for their partner, along with a similar esteem ("Dad should only be with Mom," sort of thing).

Jack is the most respectful in this regard and wants to know more about Yuu!Parent and their partner's relationship, as he sincerely finds it very worthy that Yuu!Parent is faithful to their partner despite not knowing if they'll return to their world, that they speaks of them with such affection and so directly rejects any advances (wolves are monogamous, so Jack fully understands why couples are so important).

Epel is the kind of guy who will go straight to the person bothering Yuu!Parent (Crowley), take Yuu's hand, and shove the other person's wedding ring in their face, without saying a single word about it. Epel LOVES Yuu!Parent because they lets him do everything Vil can't, hides him when Vil looks for him, and generally lets him be himself. Therefore, Epel doesn't tolerate anyone messing with Yuu!Parent or their partner (even if he dosen't know them either, they sound nice, SO HAVE MORE RESPECT, BIRDMAN!).

Ace is honestly the only one who doesn't understand at first why Yuu!Parent is so determined to be faithful to their partner, let's be honest. Especially when Crowley seems to put off their return home on purpose. But the more time he spends with Yuu!Parent and the more he sees the signs, the longing, the nostalgia, the good memories Yuu has with their partner, the more he understands. He definitely gets very creeped out whenever someone tries to flirt with Yuu, and he resorts to pretending Yuu is his dad/mom to scare the other person away. If that doesn't work, he'll just tell them straight up that they're talking to a VERY cute and VERY married person.

Deuce takes this VERY seriously, too seriously. Yuu!parent is like the father he never had, and the idea that Yuu's partner is waiting for them in their world (and they're also waiting to see them again) and that someone might try to take advantage of that angers him greatly, but he tries not to resort to violence. At least not physical violence. Deuce simply stands between the person and Yuu!parent, aggressively waving his arms while shouting that Yuu is happily married, not interested in being a cheating pig, among other things. He has spirit.

Sebek is like Deuce, but slightly worse and better. Sebek has definitely learned to be more tolerant of Yuu!Parent and absolutely LOVES it when they gives him typical parental compliments. You could say he respects them, and that respect extends to their partner and marriage in general. When someone tries to talk to Yuu!Parent romantically, Sebek will be all, "THEY'RE TOO OLD FOR YOU! AND THEY'RE MARRIED! GET AWAY FROM THE PARENT! THEY'RE MARRIED! THEY'RE TAKEN!" without taking a breath.

When Ortho joins, he expected different treatment for everything he did when Idia suffered His overblown, but he's so happy when Yuu!Parent treats him with the same parental affection! For this reason, Ortho isn't above threatening the birdman with violence if he continues to inconvenience the prefect with his attempts at courtship (if it were anyone else, Ortho would simply make annoying electronic noises or set off a fake alarm to make them go away).

Protecting the prefect is a team effort after all.

_______

(ESPAÑOL)

JAJAJAJAJA ES LITERALMENTE ELLOS

Justo era lo que pensaba cuando escribi el hecho de que Yuu!Parent tiene una fidelidad nivel Odiseo por su pareja, no importa cuanto lo intente el cabeza de pájaro, ellos siempre preferirán a su amado esposo/esposa.

Los Yuus son bastante protectores de su madre/padre por esto mismo tambien, ellos confían en Yuu, pero no confían particularmente en nadie en esta escuela, especialmente Crowley, que parece haber tomado un interés especial en ellos desde que Yuu!Parent llego a la escuela. De vez en cuando lo ven tratando de hablar casualmente con Yuu en los pasillos, o usa de excusa alguno de los Yuus cuando en realidad solo termina hablando de algo completamente diferente, etc. Y los Yuus NO LES GUSTA PARA NADA.

Pero dejan que su padre/madre lidie con Crowley (probablemente Yuu les tuvo que decir que no hicieran nada para evitar problemas). Después de todo, conocen a Yuu!Parent, el infierno se congelara antes de que ellos sean infieles.

Ese audio suena especialmente bien después del libro 2, cuando Yuu!Parent termina en la enfermería por un golpe en la cabeza, y si bien sus amigos/hijos tratan de hablarle primero, CROWLEY SALVAJE APARECE y trata de aparentar confianza y todo. Pero justamente señala lo de hablar dormido, y todos se preparan para lo mas gracioso del año escolar.

-“es mi pareja, estoy casado”-

Silencio total por parte de Crowley, risas sin parar por parte de los de primer año.

Los de primer año saben esto, toda la escuela lo sabe, excepto Crowley. Y actúan como una especie de escuadrón para proteger a Yuu!Parent, tanto de la gente que quiere aprovecharse de su estado no Mágico o tratar de “meterse en su matrimonio” como los chicos le dicen. Digamos que como los chicos ven a Yuu!Parent como una figura paterna/materna, entonces le tienen mucho respeto a su pareja junto a un estima similar(“papá solo debe estar con mamá” tipo de cosa).

Jack es el más respetuoso al respecto y quiere saber más sobre la relación de Yuu!parent y su pareja, ya que sinceramente encuentra muy digno que Yuu!Parent le sea fiel a su pareja pese a que no sabe si volverá a su mundo, que hable de ellos con tanto cariño y rechace tan directamente cualquier avance (los lobos son monógamos, por lo que Jack entiende perfectamente el porqué las parejas son tan importantes).

Epel es el tipo de chico que directamente ira a la persona que esta molestando a Yuu!Parent (Crowley), toma la mano de Yuu y le restriega en la cara el anillo de bodas a la otra persona, sin decir una sola palabra en todo esto. Epel ADORA a Yuu!Parent porque le permite hacer todo lo que Vil no, lo esconde cuando Vil lo busca, y en general le permite ser el mismo. Por lo que, Epel no tolera que se metan con Yuu!Parent o su pareja (aun si no los conoce, suenan agradables, ASI QUE TEN MAS RESPETO PAJARACO!).

Ace sinceramente es el único que al principio no entiende porque Yuu!Parent esta tan decidido en serle fiel a su pareja, seamos honestos. Mas cuando Crowley parece dejar de lado su regreso a casa apropósito. Pero mientras mas tiempo pasa con Yuu!Parent y mas ve las señales, el anehlo, la nostalgia, los buenos recuerdos que tiene Yuu con su pareja, mas lo entiende. Definitivamente tiene mucho cringe cada que alguien trata de coquetear con Yuu, y aplica la de fingir que Yuu es su papa/mama para espantar a la otra persona. Si eso no funciona, les dira directamente que están hablando con una persona MUY linda y MUY casada.

Deuce se lo toma MUY en serio, demasiado. Yuu!parent es como el padre que nunca tuvo, y la idea de que la pareja de Yuu lo esta esperando en su mundo (y el tambien espera volver a verles) y que alguien trate de aprovecharse de eso le enoja mucho, pero el trata de no recurrir a la violencia. Al menos no física. Deuce simplemente se pone entre la persona y Yuu!Parent, agitando agresivamente los brazos mientras grita que Yuu es alguien felizmente casado, que no esta interesado en ser un cerdo infiel, entre otras cosas. Tiene espíritu.

Sebek es como Deuce, pero ligeramente peor y mejor. Definitivamente Sebek aprendió a ser más tolerante con Yuu!Parent y absolutamente GOZA cuando le da cumplidos típicos de los padres, podrías decir que le respeta, y dicho respeto también se dirige a su pareja y matrimonio en general. Cuando alguien intenta hablarle a Yuu!Parent en plan romántico, Sebek se pondrá tipo “ES MUY MAYOR PARA TI! Y ESTA CASADO! ALEJATE DEL PADRE! ESTA CASADO! ESTA TOMADO!” todo sin respirar.

Cuando Ortho se une, el esperaba un trato diferente por todo lo que hizo cuando Idia sufrio su overblot, pero es tan feliz cuando Yuu!Parent lo trata con el mismo afecto parental! Por lo mismo, Ortho no está por encima de amenazar al hombre pájaro con violencia si este sigue incomodando al prefecto con sus intentos de cortejo (si fuera cualquier otra persona, Ortho simplemente hace ruidos electrónicos molestos o hace sonar una alarma falsa para que se vayan).

Proteger al prefecto es un trabajo en equipo después de todo.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[gallavichsreddie1128]

Jealous (John Walker)

Description: Bucky makes a comment about Y/N’s dress and John gets jealous

Word Count: 862

Bucky didn’t mean anything by it, well that’s what Y/N thinks. John knows that Bucky’s words came straight from his dick. It wasn’t a new thing, Y/N being hit on by guys but Bucky seemed to like doing it for one reason only…to piss off John. It works, every single time and this time was the last straw. “That dress fits you well.” Bucky says to her. The dress did fit her well and that’s why she wore it. It made her look good, really good. It was a celebration like any other after a mission gone well. Drinks, great food, music, the whole shabang.

Bucky said it as he walked by her, John standing next to her. If John had his shield on him, he’d probably use it but thankfully he didn’t. His eyes followed Bucky as he walked by them, glaring at the man like he had just killed someone. “John?” Y/N asked, concerned as to why her husband was glaring. He looked over at her, no longer glaring. “Did you hear him?” He said it right to her, of course she heard him. “Yes.” She said, “Why?” He looked at her like what she just asked was the dumbest question, “He just hit on you. For the billionth time.” She rolled her eyes, “Here we go.” She mumbled but he heard her.

“Here we go, what?” She sighed and turned to him, “John, he just said the dress fits me well and walked past. If he was hitting on me I don’t think he’d walk away.” She said, These were the moments that John thought she was very oblivious and stupid, though he never said it to her. “Why are you making excuses for him? That’s never okay to say to another man’s wife.” John yelled, luckily the music was loud enough that nobody else was paying attention.

“John, you’re being ridiculous. Let’s enjoy the party.” She yelled back and went to grab him but he shook his head and walked away. She sighed and Yelena came up to her, “What’s his problem?” She asked and handed Y/N a glass of champagne. She took it and thanked her, “Thanks! Well needed.” She said and nearly downed the drink.

“He’s jealous of Bucky.” She tells Yelena who was trying not to laugh. “Jealous? But you married him for some reason.” Yelena jokes, causing Y/N to scoff. “Yeah well he thinks Bucky is always hitting on me.” Y/N shook her head at the ridiculous thought. “He’ll get over it and realize that he has a hot wife.” Yelena said and Y/N laughed. John never did stay mad for long at these things. 

Y/N had a few glasses but was still sober as she stepped into her shared room with John. The party was still going on but Y/N hadn’t seen her husband in a few hours and got worried, “John?” Y/N called as she entered. John wasn’t there and Y/N sighed, “So he’s really mad?” She asked herself and took off her heels. She put them in her closet and went to find her husband. John was in the training room, punching a bag. Y/N always thought it was hot seeing him do that, all his little grunts as he punched.

“You done yet?” She asked him, causing him to stop. He didn’t even realize she was there, “You done with Bucky?” He asked, she groaned and threw her head back, “Oh god.” She wanted to kill him right now. “John, I can assure you that I don’t like Bucky like that.” She told him and he scoffed. “You did in the beginning.” He mumbled. She walked over to him, “What?” She asked. He looked at her, “You were all over him in the beginning.” He said and she nearly laughed, “I was not.” “Yeah you were and never even looked at me.” Her face softened a little at his words, she grabbed his hand.

“I was a huge fan of Bucky’s sure. But I don’t love him like that, not like I love you.” She held up her hand showing off her ring, “Does this ring not mean anything to you? Just think I wear it because I like jewelry?” She asked, causing him to laugh. “Bucky is not gonna take me from you.” She said and took his other hand, “No matter how many comments he makes about me.” John looked down for a second, thinking about how ridiculous he was being.

Bucky was probably doing it just to get under his skin and it was working. “Also how do you know I wasn’t looking at you?” She asked and he looked up at her, “Cuz I was always looking at you. I couldn’t believe how beautiful you were.” She smiled and pulled him to get, his arms going around her. She leaned up to kiss him but before she did, “Bucky’s room is right next to ours, right?” She asked. “Yeah, why?” He asked, confused. She smirked and ran her lips against his, “So we should go back to our room and you should make me scream your name so loud he hears.” She mumbles before kissing him.

[postsforposting]

I just got a reply to this along the lines of "we're talking about people feeling unsafe in fandom because of the things people put in their fiction, no one thinks fiction is real".

Lol. Hey Patrick, is this your wallet?

When you have absolutely nothing to substantiate your claims of """"unsafety""" beyond a piece of fiction, you are by definition treating fiction as if it's real. You are treating fiction as if it is a moral statement whose only purpose is asserting moral imperatives about the real world. That is fundie purity culture bullshit, and that is the only reason someone would seriously claim they are """unsafe""" because of fiction.

Fiction is literally defined as a crock of horseshit.

Listen: "Once upon a time Jack tortured a cat to death. The end."

Are you """unsafe""" now? Is the """unsafety""" in the room with us? Does Cruella De Ville make you feel """unsafe"""? Is Glenn Close going to skin your pets?

Now try: "Once upon a time Jack tortured a black guy to death because he is a Hitlerian supremacist. He also sexually enslaved a disabled queer because he says they are satanic drains upon good Christian society who should be made to earn their keep. The end."

Are you """unsafe""" now? Is the """unsafety""" in the room with us? Is Ian McKellan who played Hitler going to take over Germany and murder you?

Put up real life degenerate actions by real people towards other real people as evidence of """"unsafety""". If you can't, you are engaging in Qanon style gossip and purity culture.

"#this originally pissed me off" good. I am in fact criticizing real people who are treating other real people like shit. If you feel pissed off perhaps you should take your own advice and """do the work""" to understand why what you said is a shitty way to treat other people. Fiction is horseshit but your """"criticisms"""" against other people do in fact make YOU unsafe to be around, because you can't tell what's real and you are using that excuse to condemn other people.

Oh for fuck’s sake, people calling out racist writing in fanfic isn’t “censorship”. I say this as a fic writer but some of you need to get off your high fucking horse.

[missust3l3vision]

Puffy eyes

Description: After a long day of filming Arthur comes home to a less than happy girlfriend.

It was far from normal to be doing this, but here you were. Sobbing into the arm rest of your boyfriends couch. Arthur was streaming for one of his friends videos and had left you alone in his flat.

While he spent the day on the soccer field, being teased and throwing insults with his friends you were home. You had cleaned the living room and made lunch.

Was that the reason you were crying? No. Was it something to do with anything even remotely sad? Nope. You were watching a video of a baby duck and a baby pig being friends.

The water works were strong today. No clue why. After watching the video three times you finally put the phone down and began to wail.

You were sure if any of Arthur's friends were here they would take the piss. But they weren't, it was just you. Wrapped in a shirt that smelt like your boyfriend on his couch that was a shade of green you associated with him, and only him.

In your own head a little too much, you were unable to hear the clicking of the door opening. Worried he'd wake you up Arthur had entered silently. When he heard your cries this plan stopped.

"Baby?" He voice cut through the air causing your head to shoot up and see your boyfriend.

He had bags under his eyes and was wearing the new hoodie you got him. It had a few grass stains, but you weren't concerned with that. Seeing how concerned he was just made you feel worse.

"Hi honey, I was just about to get ready for bed" you said, sniffles sprinkled in between each word "How was your day?"

Arthur looked hurt and confused. You were clearly crying. But what about? Deciding on not pushing it he followed you to the bedroom. One detail he noticed was you not taking your phone.

After making your way to the bed, we got changed in the closet, telling you about the stream and that all the guys wish you could come to more events

"Sounds fun, maybe next time" you smiled, your eyes were still puffy but you had finally stopped crying. Arthur had that effect on you, he was like a deep breath come to life. "Baby could you please go grab my phone? I left it on the couch"

Without another word Arthur left to go grab it, the phone was warm to the touch and when he flipped it over he saw it was paused on a tik tok.

Becoming concerned he unpaused the video and was met with the same video of the duck and pig being pals. A smile crept on his face as he walked back in the room.

Plugging in the phone he got into bed and kissed your temple. You leaned into the kiss and have him a smile back.

"So...I guess I'm not bringing home any piglets home anytime soon hm?" He asked my face dropping before laughing. Him laughing alongside me. "I was so worried when I came home! I almost cancelled my shoot on Wednesday just to spend the entire week with you"

He explained, his smile unwavering. You shrugged

"I wouldn't mind if we took a holiday, my dad has offered us to go visit him for a while" you suggested "And before you ask, it is ducks and pigs that make me cry. One or the other is fine, but as soon as they cross I can't process it"

You two laughed, him eventually agreeing to cancel the shoot to come down. It would be nice to get out of London, as much as he loved it he knew you needed something like this.

Sure it was a duck and piglet, but he was almost positive there was something going on inside you that caused the tears.

Brushing your hair behind your ear he kissed you softly. His stubble tickling your chin.

"Let's get some rest, I think we both had long days" and with that, the two of you got into cuddle positions and headed to bed. You grateful for the man who held you, and him grateful for the woman who he held.

Before the two drifted off, Arthur made a mental note to buy you your favourite flowers tomorrow. He loved you in every way, but seeing you with puffy eyes broke his heart.

[paperstorm]

Thanks for the tags @nisbanisba and @ladyknight1512!

Work is published Wednesday for me, from the latest Missing Moments chapter :)

“We’ve run into a bit of a snag in the wedding planning,” he begins.

Nancy smirks. “They can’t find flowers the exact color of your eyes?”

“Carlos is already married,” TK blurts out, before he has time to second-guess.

He watches as Nancy keeps smiling for a moment as if she thinks he’s joking. TK wishes it was a joke, too. Then he watches her face fall and a deep frown wrinkle her forehead.

“I’m sorry, what?” she asks slowly.

After taking another moment to search her eyes, TK says, “You really didn’t know?”

“Didn’t – that Carlos is married?” Nancy splutters, far too loudly.

“Shh!” TK insists, pushing up to his feet so he can pull one of the ambulance doors shut. Nobody is near them as far as he can tell from this vantage point, but she still needs to lower her voice. “Keep it down.”

“Sorry, I’m – no, why would I know that?” Nancy shakes her head and gapes at him. “We barely knew each other before you moved here.”

TK exhales and sits back down. He rests his elbows on his knees and scrubs his hands over his face. “Because the person he’s married to is Iris Blake.”

“Iris – Michelle’s missing little sister?”

“Yeah. Except she’s not so missing, anymore.”

He squints back up at Nancy, and she’s looking at him as if it would be easier for her to understand it if he’d told her Carlos has a tail.

“Shit,” Nancy surmises, leaning back and crossing her arms. “When the fuck did they get married? And why didn’t I know that?”

“When they were just out of high school,” TK answers, to her first question. He can’t speak to the second one. “They separated not long after, I don’t know exactly when. But just never officially got divorced.”

Nancy’s staring off into space, her eyes slowly moving back and forth like she’s trying to fit pieces together in her mind. TK’s been doing a lot of that lately. “Shit,” she says again.

“Yeah.”

“I guess it kind of makes sense.”

TK’s eyes widen. “It does?”

“I just mean, like, it was always kind of weird to me that Carlos was so involved with Michelle trying to find her sister,” Nancy explains, tilting her head to one side. “It’s not like he was a detective assigned to the case or something. Michelle always just said they were old friends, but in the back of my mind I was always like … you’re in your 40s and this kid is like 22 years old, how is he your old friend?”

“I guess he was Iris’s friend.”

“That’s what makes more sense. I never knew that part.”

TK sighs. He believes her, and it does make him feel just a little bit better to know he wasn’t the last to know about all of this. He forgives Carlos and understands why the secret was kept, he hasn’t been lying when he’s been insisting to Carlos that that’s true. But sometimes it still hits him unexpectedly and makes him feel stupid for not having figured it out, despite there being no reason he should have.

“So, wait.” Nancy leans forward and lowers her voice as she asks, “Did they split up because Carlos realized he was gay?”

“No.” TK slowly shakes his head. “I don’t know every single detail, but Carlos always knew he was gay. Apparently Iris did, too. Carlos said they were best friends and they both felt lost and like they’d never find anyone else.”

“So, it wasn’t a real marriage.”

“I mean … not in terms of them being in love with each other,” TK relents, “but it was still a legal marriage. And they still never got divorced.”

“And you just found this out? Iris has been back for – ”

“I know,” TK interrupts. He shakes his head again. “Can you please not be mad at Carlos? He had reasons, and we’re okay. We talked everything out, it’s good.”

Narrowing her eyes, Nancy says, “Okay. Why are you telling me, then?”

“Hey.” The door opens to reveal Tommy on the other side of it with an eyebrow raised. “Are we working in here or gossiping on company time?”

TK’s stomach leaps momentarily into his throat, worried she overheard them talking, but Tommy gives him nothing to indicate that she did.

“Gossiping on company time,” Nancy confirms, and Tommy’s expression turns to a fond smile.

“Love it, but maybe get some restocking done while you’re gossiping.”

“Aye aye, Cap.” Nancy salutes her and Tommy shakes her head before she wanders away.

Tagging @theghostofashton @reyesstrand @strandnreyes @eclectic-sassycoweyes @carlos-in-glasses

@bonheur-cafe @actual-sleeping-beauty @herefortarlos @heartstringsduet @alrightbuckaroo

@goodways @lightningboltreader @emsprovisions @freneticfloetry @liminalmemories21

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[heeikeuu]

Veiled Within The Walls - P. SH

Main Plot:  Vampire! Sunghoon x OC Human! Liliana

Synopsis:  Her friends dared her to enter an abandoned castle alone, one that no soul has dared to step foot in and came back alive to tell the tale. Liliana, being stubborn, decided to do so anyway— refusing to believe their crazy stories, yet what awaits her there leaves a shiver down her spine.

Warnings: 5k wc, mentions of death/war, profanity, blood, suggestive, slow burn, ANGST, crack, fluff (sorry if I missed anything!)

A/N: Hello lovelies! Hope you enjoy this and I apologize in advance for the angst jhfdguedflsef. My inspiration for this was Sylus and Zayne myths from Lads.

⋆.˚♱ Recommended Playlist ♱˚

Chapter 1: Stop Bluffing!

The night was quiet outside, contrasting the sounds heard from Liliana and her best friend as they argued on the phone.

“You’ve been cooped up in that jail- sorry, room for 2 weeks now.” Sunoo reasoned, “you should come with me and the guys, we are planning to get brunch together on Saturday.”

Liliana let out a sigh, “I know but I HAVE to finish this before the deadline, noo.” Her tone defeated as she slumped into her seat, pouting.

“Lily, come on! Your deadline isn’t until next month, one day won’t hurt.” He whined. After thinking about it for a little longer, she hesitantly agreed. She cursed him for giving her the puppy eyes.

Saturday finally came after another uneventful week. 

Looking at the clock, it read 3:25am, hunched over her desk, Liliana decided to call it a night after finishing her book. She had a long day ahead of her in a few hours as she promised her friends to be there and not ditch them this time. 

“You look like a zombie,” Riki said as he opened the car door for her. 

“You look wonderful too!” The sarcasm dripped down her voice like venom as she got in. 

“Who pissed in her cereal?” Jungwon whispered to Sunoo who told him to shut up before she heard them. 

“Look who decided to grace us all with her presence!” Riki abruptly announced as he started the car engine once she got done buckling the belt. 

“Lilyyy, we missed you,” Sunoo dramatically fell on Jungwon who sat next to him.

“I missed you guys too, except for him,” she playfully pointed at Riki who was driving, “oh wow..” he let out making the others giggle. “Just so you know, you’re paying now.” 

Looking at him with a deadpan look before answering, “Bitch I’m always the one paying anyway.”

“Sugar mommy era!” The other two cheered. 

“This mommy will be out of sugar soon enough,” she retorted. 

Sunoo and Jungwon look at each other, “Ewww you made it weird now.” 

“Agreed,” the younger joined. 

“Why are we friends again?” She sighed in defeat.

“Because you love us very much,” Riki quipped with a grin.

Arriving at the cafe they used to frequent at. “ So did you guys hear?” Sunoo leaned in after they got done ordering, making the other 3 look at each other and lean in curiously. 

“What?”

“Did Jungwon finally grow the balls to ask his crush out,” Lily whispered back, making the younger hit her shoulder with no real strength behind it to not hurt her. 

“Ouch” It was her turn to be dramatic now. 

“Focus!” Sunoo whispered back urgently,

“SPILL IT DAMMIT,” Riki impatiently yelled making the other customers in the cafe eye their table. Getting embarrassed he bowed his head apologetically before turning to his friends. “SHHHH” he heard them hiss at him. 

“Anyways..” Sunoo continued, “have you guys heard of the abandoned castle that’s a few hours away from here?” they shook their heads, making him sigh, “okay so there is a story I read last week about how there is apparently a mysterious person living there. Soooo, we should check it out!” He finishes. 

“I don’t kno-” Jungwon is interrupted by Riki who is suddenly very interested. 

“We should check it out!” He grinned at his friends.

“Absolutely not! Lily reason with them!” He nudged her shoulder.

Waiting for her answer, “I agree with Won. Plus I have work to do, remember?” 

Riki and Sunoo let out groans of annoyance.

“Come onnn, I bet this will be fun! What’s the worst that can happen?”

“But-” this time she was interrupted by Sunoo who gave her the puppy eyes again.

“That trick won’t work twice on me, Noo.” She sighed. 

“Don’t be a wuss!” She heard the other boy shoot back. “I bet you’re just scared.” He smirked, folding his arms, he knew how to get her to agree. 

“Oh really? Fine then.” 

“LILY” Jungwon said before defeatedly agreeing too, not wanting to be the odd one out. 

“This is such a Horrible idea” Sunoo suddenly interrupted,

“Sunoo, it was literally YOUR idea,” she told him with a blank expression.

The rest of the morning was spent with the group chuckling and talking about things they had missed while they (mostly Liliana) were busy. Eventually, the group called it a day and all went to their respective homes. 

_______________________________________

Liliana's POV:

It's been 3 days since I went out with the guys. I can't help but think back to what Sunoo said at the café. l re-open the reddit link he sent to the group chat. Looking over the thread, a few people swore on their graves that they saw someone or something lurking in the castle. Though I had my doubts, I also had the urge of a white chick in a horror film to chase after danger. 

So, here I am, packing some snacks and water for the road trip with my unwanted children friends. 

Ding.

“I'm here.” The notification read from Riki who lived the closest to me. As much as we banter, he is like a brother to me whom I love dearly.

Making sure to turn off all the lights and lock the doors. I make my way out. 

“Sunoo stayed at Jungwons’ yesterday so we can pick them up and head out.”

I hummed in response, looking out the window. It was almost sunrise, the clouds scattered making the orange and blue hues of the sun ever so prominent. The crisp morning air only adds to the breathtaking scenery. 

“It's a beautiful day,” I hadn't realized I spoke out loud until Riki agreed.

“Yeah, we rarely get to see each other lately from work and uni, so it's nice to plan something spontaneous together like this.” His sudden sincerity made me feel guilty for not prioritizing my friends more. He must’ve noticed the guilt written in my face, “hey, it's okay Lily. We All got caught up with our own things.”

"I know but I ditched out on our plans too many times. I'm sorry.” My gaze fell to my lap as I spoke. He simply patted my head gently without saying anything more. A mutual understanding between us. 

After 2 minutes we arrived to pick up the other two. The drive was about 2 hours and a half. We didn't talk much, it was just peaceful silence where we enjoyed each other's presence and the sky outside. 

“Lily,” Jungwon broke the silence.

“Yeah?”

“Check this out,” he handed me his phone. Curiously I took it, reading the post out loud. 

“Long ago there was a lively big kingdom where vampires and humans coexisted peacefully until a war broke out. Humans started attacking, detaining, and killing many innocent vampires due to rising conflicts in the royal world. Though many were accepting of coexistence, there were still hostile humans and vampires alike. A young prince was said to be the next in line to become the king but the war came with a cost. His lover was a human– and the couple was promised peace once more to the land if they got married but the night of; she was murdered in cold blood by her own kind, to them she was a traitor. In a fit of pure rage, the prince retaliated by burning the kingdom down. Centuries had passed and it is said the prince lives alone in the castle still awaiting and yearning for his lover.” 

“What do you think?” He asked me.

“I mean, it sounds like a local tale made up to keep normal people away from the castle but I can't say I'm not intrigued.” I smirk.

“So they think some lonely and hot vampire is just randomly living there?” Riki snorted.

“Maybe, who knows,” I playfully responded. “I bet 20 bucks it's nothing though.”

“You have arrived at your destination.” The GPS spoke as Riki parked the car. 

Waking our sleeping prince, we get out of the car. 

“Damn, is it just me or is it freezing,” I pull my cardigan closer to my chest and cross my arms.

“Yeah, I could see my breath, look,” Jungwon said while demonstrating to us. 

“Okay,” Riki clapped his hands, “Liliana is going in first.” He announced. 

“Are you sure about this, Lily?” Jungwon asked with worry in his eyes. 

“Hell yeah! A bet is a bet, plus I will be fineee.” I smiled at the three. 

“Don't come back screaming if you see roaches!” Riki called out as I made my way there. I turn momentarily to flip him out and stick out my tongue. “You wish!” I shouted back.

In my peripheral vision, I notice Jungwon and Sunoo shaking their heads like disappointed parents. 

I continued walking, the building looked fairly worn out but still breathtaking. It was huge with black details stretching all over the walls. It was hard to miss the clear gothic elements which only further intrigued me. Though everyone called it a castle due to the visuals, the size was more like a big modern mansion. 

Finally reaching the main gates, I looked back to my friends who were a few feet away. 

_______________________________________

Chapter 2: Shadow 

Opening the gates with great strength, she lets out a huff.

The bailey was stretched with green grass and wildflowers that decorated it throughout, catching her by surprise. “If this place is really abandoned, how come it's so lively?” She thought to herself out loud.

Caw caw caw,

She heard the deep but piercing sounds of a raven. Looking up, she could've sworn to herself that she saw the shadow of a man too. 

“I must be imagining things..” Liliana reassured herself. The cold air made her skin cringe but she weirdly felt at peace here, an unknown sense of familiarity and nostalgia made her throat swell and heart ache but she couldn’t explain it. It smelled and felt like a distant home.

Lost in her own little world, she almost didn't notice the raven approaching her in curiosity. It tilted its head innocently at her. Finally making eye contact with the bird, she crouched down. Gently reaching her hands to pet it before the moment was interrupted by her friends worriedly calling her name from behind.

“LILYYY,” 

“THERE YOU ARE,” 

Their shouting intimidated the raven, making it flee. 

“NOO, wait!” She called out to the bird, pouting.

“Who were you talking to?” Jungwon asked first

“She officially lost it chat,”

“I don't even think she had a mind to lose in the first place, to be honest,” Sunoo agreed with Riki, making her hit both of them in the back of their heads. 

“Ouch!” They said in sync.

“What took you so long?” Jungwon, ever the more responsible and worried one asked again. 

“I just got lost in my own thoughts,” reassuring her friends with a smile. “And I was talking to a raven, FYI.”

“What raven? We didn't see anyone?” 

“What?”

“Told you she's getting too old,” Riki replied, shaking his head. Liliana raised her hand, making the younger quickly apologize. 

“Hey guys have you noticed how the flowers here are still-” turning to show them. “Dead..?” She finishes her sentence in utter confusion. 

“Lily, sweetheart, are you feeling well?” Sunoo asked, distressed.

“Maybe, it's time to leave this creepy place,” Jungwon announced. As they left, the unknown shadow stood watching them, her.

_______________________________________

Liliana's POV:

It's been 2 weeks since me and the gang visited that weird castle. I can't help but think back to what happened. I tried my best to ignore it but a gut feeling kept telling me to go again. 

His lover was a human– and the couple was promised peace once more to the land if they got married but the night of; she was murdered in cold blood by her own kind, to them she was a traitor. In a fit of pure rage, the prince retaliated by burning the kingdom down. Centuries had passed and it is said the prince lives alone in the castle still awaiting and yearning for his lover.

“Could it possibly be true?” I mumble to myself as I sit in the mostly empty library. 

“What could be true, darling?” The sweet old lady who owned this small library suddenly appeared, startling me.

“Oh goodness, me! Did I scare you? I apologise.” She said in a worried tone.

“Oh no, it's okay Ms. Charlotte, I was just thinking out loud again.” I assured her while making space for her to sit beside me.

“Sweetie, you have been sitting here for hours, have some tea, would you?” She offered me a cup, and I took it, thanking her. “Is something bothering you?”

“Oh, it's nothing..” I avoid her gaze. She gently grabbed my hands, “you can tell me no matter how mundane or silly it is.”

Ms. Charlotte was always so kind to everyone. She didn't have kids of her own but she treated us all like her own. She is a true gem.

I slowly tell her all my worries and the events that occurred. The old castle, flowers, the raven, and mysterious shadow.

Looking at her unreadable expression, “I probably sound crazy,” her eyes softened before she spoke again.

“I don't think you sound crazy.” She leaned in, “want to know a secret?” l nod. “That tale you read and all the others about vampires are not just tales,” noticing my puzzled face, she chuckled. “Our town has held- or rather buried many secrets of its past in fear and shame. Though we do not know what happened to the vampires afterwards. We did once live in harmony despite our flaws.” 

There's a somber look in her eyes as she continues. “Many lives were lost due to human greed. This town was built on the blood of the innocent, as the guilty ran the other way. It has been centuries since we last heard of vampires. Many believed they went extinct by ending their lives to join their loved ones once more, but it is till this day believed that the prince stayed waiting for his lover to come back and remember him.”

Shocked, I stayed silent for a few seconds. 

“I do not know how or why but I believe you are connected to that place.” 

After our long chat, bid her goodbye with a hug. Waking back to my place, I find myself lost in thought before finally deciding,

I should go back.

_______________________________________

A week later, Liliana finds herself back at the castle. This time all alone. Taking a deep breath, this moment would either confirm or deny all her suspicions.

she opened the main gates with force, the beautiful and quiet scenery welcoming her as the air blew at her face, the grass covered in wildflowers was present again instead of the dead land it turned to in a blink last time.

Caw caw caw,

The raven had returned once again making her speechless. 

“But.. How..?”

The raven approached her carefully now. She reached out, slowly and gently petting it. It was very friendly, making her wonder where it learned to socialize so well with humans. 

Beneath the shadows, he stood. Watching over her in silence. Too afraid to scare her off.

Since the day she stepped foot in here, he couldn't stop thinking of her.

Liliana didn't tell a soul about her whereabouts, she kept this place to herself.

_______________________________________

**Before The War**

“Hey Hoon!” She cheerfully called out to him in the flower field, holding a clover with four leaves, making him chuckle softly at her.

“I must indeed be the luckiest man alive- or dead.” He corrected sheepishly.

They laid there in each other's arms for hours enjoying the crisp air and clouds. 

—

“Hey Hoon!” She called out to him after not seeing each other for weeks. Running into his arms as he embraced her like it would be the last time.

—

“Hey Hoon!” Her tone was ever so cheerful yet there was something underlying in her voice this time. He hummed, his head resting on her chest, the sounds of her heartbeat bringing him peace. The night was quiet as they laid in bed, tangled in the sheets together. 

“What would you do if I left this world?” She asked, playing with his soft locks absentmindedly.

Lifting his head gently to gaze into her eyes before answering with absolute certainty. “I would wait for you in every lifetime. And if someone took you away from me, I would take away everything and everyone they cherish.”

Cupping his face gently, “I love you.” She responded with a kiss that he reciprocated with twice as much passion. Getting lost in each other. 

—

“Hey Hoon!” 

He looked at her curiously.

“Why do you hate the idea of me turning into a vampire?”

Shocked at her bold question, he stayed quiet for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. 

“I would never want to curse you with the same fate as me no matter how selfish I can be.” He gulped, “I would never forgive myself if you turned into a monster like me..” 

“But you're not a monster-” He interrupts her, 

“To you, I am just Hoon but.. To others I am no less of a monster.” The pain in his voice was evident as he avoided her gaze.

She gently held his big cold hands into her warmer ones. No other words were needed to be exchanged, her presence alone offered him more comfort than he thought he deserved.

**After The War**

It all seemed to happen overnight. The screams, the slaughter, the blood spilt, the lives lost. The place was in ruins as Sunghoon ran searching for his lover in the chaos.

“LILIANA!”

“MY LOVE CAN YOU HEAR ME!”

“LILIANA!”

He kept calling till his throat hurt.

There she was, with an open wound in her stomach as humans tied her on the burning stake. Her screams pierced the air as he ran to her pulling her away from the fire but he was too late.

“Hey.. Hoon.. wait for.. me.. please..” She coughed blood before peacefully closing her eyes forever. Even in her last moments, she smiled at him.

He cried loudly begging her to open her eyes again, to not leave him yet.

With his heart burning for his lover, blood covered his vision and arms as his heart ached for her.

She left and he no longer was just her Hoon but a monster seeking revenge.

_______________________________________

Sunghoon’s POV:

Waking up hastily from my nightmare. I stared at the ceiling blankly. Only it wasn't a nightmare but my reality. It was too early to contemplate the difference. Since that unknown girl entered the castle, I felt uneasy. 

Could it really be her? 

But if it was her, she would've remembered me…right?

My own thoughts turned into just her, and they haunted me every night.

After the day I watched her leave with her friends, I couldn't shake the thought of wanting to see her again. I wanted to confirm my suspicions, I told myself.

Then, she appeared again, and again, and again. 

Yet, I still couldn't find the courage to step closer to her. Every week, without fail she visited alone. She just sat there mostly in silence with a book and pen in her hands. Carefree of her surroundings. She would sometimes talk to herself out loud or to the raven, who seemed to grow a liking to her being around.

I watched her leave every time, in the dark shadows. Unable to find the right words to convey.

_______________________________________

Chapter 3: Names & Secrets

The weather was sunny and warm, it stopped raining for the first time that week. Driving to the castle, Liliana hummed along to the music playing on the radio. Whenever she was overwhelmed by the noise and world around her, she loved visiting the castle to sit there despite the pretty long road.

It was all worth it in the end, the fresh scent of flowers and the air just felt different.

The unknown presence around her didn't go unnoticed, it didn't seem to be a sign of any danger though so she didn't worry too much about it. But today, she wanted to explore the place more. 

Walking around the long hallways and just appreciating the architecture. Following behind her from afar, he stood. 

The raven sat on the top of her head as she spoke to it like it could respond.

“Hey, I just realized I never gave you a name,” she said casually.

“Caw!” The bird said.

Suddenly, she stopped walking to turn around, “why don't we ask our little stalker friend here for advice.” 

He paused. 

“How did she notice..?” Sunghoon thought to himself

“You're not exactly that subtle you know.” She smiled amused as if she could read his thoughts.

“She smiled.. Is she not afraid of me?”

Slowly coming on out, he revealed himself to her.

She walked closer to him, “So, does it have a name,” she pointed at the bird who flew to his shoulder. 

“No.” His deep cold voice made a shiver run down her spine.

“Why not?” She tilted her head, confused. It was a habit she never let go off. One that made his cold heart melt every time. 

“You ask too many questions.” His voice remained cold and dry. 

Liliana pouted, her big eyes shimmering in the sun making his cold heart swell more but his expression was still stoic.

The two fell into a pattern from then on. 2 months passed quicker than anticipated.

“Hey, ice prince,” that's what she called him since they met.

“Sunghoon.” He corrected her softly.

Not hearing him the first time, she tilted her head.

“It's Sunghoon.” He said more firmly this time, looking deeply into her eyes.

“That name.. Sounds so familiar.” Her thoughts were interrupted by him suddenly walking away. 

“Hey Hoon! Wait!” The nickname flew out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

His entire body stopped. 

“Did she just..” His mind turned blank but his face stayed neutral.

“What?” He blurted out loud, accidentally. Voice a little higher than normal. 

She smiled at him bashfully, “sorry, it just felt right.”

He tried to contain himself, “It's okay.. I don't mind.” His gaze softened before going back to that mysterious glint that captivated her.

“Okay, Hoon.” Her smile was just as bright as the day he lost her. 

This all felt like a sick joke from the universe to him. “Why can't she remember? And why did she have to find this cursed place again. Why does she keep coming back..” His thoughts in disarray.

_______________________________________

Liliana's POV: 

The next day, I sat on my bed ideally, and decided to call Jungwon for advice.

“What's up, Lily?” He picked up.

“Wonie, can you keep a secret?” I nervously asked. 

“Of course, is something the matter?” His tone is noticeably softer now. 

I confessed to him what I have been doing lately and about Sunghoon. Maybe it was part of my imagination but he suddenly went quiet after hearing that name.

“Won?” I speak, cutting the tension in the air.

“Liliana, did.. you.. say Sunghoon?”

“Yeah why-” He interrupts me, “isn't that the name of the vampire prince from the local tale?” He carefully asked and suddenly my world stopped as I remembered what Ms. Charlotte told me before.

“Liliana, are you somehow connected to him? If he wanted to kill you, he wouldn't have waited this long.” My eyes widened as we both tried to connect the dots.

Before we cut the call he told me. “I don't think he wants to hurt you but please be careful, if anything happens call me immediately, okay?”

Opening my laptop, I start to deep dive more and reread what I might have missed. I noticed no one has mentioned his lover's name. Packing my bag, I sprint to the library. 

I pushed the library doors open, the familiar bell ringing. The tension was thick, and it seemed like my unexpected visit wasn't all that unexpected.

Ms. Charlotte stood there with a warm smile, “took you long enough, sweetheart.”

Not knowing what to say, I felt tears cloud my vision. I had this strong feeling that I was supposed to remember something, or rather, someone but I just couldn't no matter what I tried. 

I kept going back to the castle as if somewhere in my heart I was expecting Sunghoon but something was blocking that from my memories.

“Oh, honey,” she embraced me warmly in her arms as I helplessly cried.

“It's not your fault.” She repeated gently, patting my head until I calmed down enough to talk.

“Why do I feel like a piece of me is missing?” I asked anxiously, looking at my feet that were shaking.

“Because it was taken away from you.” She held my hands as I looked at her with an expression mixed with both surprise and confusion. 

“400 years ago, you were the princess that was supposed to marry Park Sunghoon. After your own people killed you, he went borderline hysterical. Killing everything and everyone who stood in his way, because of his sins, the gods had cursed him with a fate to where you wouldn't remember him until the day he atoned to all his past sins.”

Trying to process her words, my body felt heavy making me faint when I tried standing up on my own two feet.

_______________________________________

Somewhere in her dreams, memories of her and Sunghoon appeared.

“Hey, Hoon!” She shouted cheerfully running to his side as he chuckled softly at her. Opening her hands, a ladybug appeared, “did you know that ladybugs symbolize good luck!”

—

Images of them holding hands, kissing passionately under the lit moon, embracing one another on the grass, and being tangled in the sheets all become distant and distorted as one memory plays vividly.

“LILIANA”

“MY LOVE CAN YOU HEAR ME”

“LILIANA!”

He kept calling till his throat hurt.

There she was, with an open wound in her stomach as humans tied her on the burning stake. Her screams pierced the air as he ran to her pulling her away from the fire but he was too late.

“Hey.. Hoon.. wait for.. me.. please..” She coughed blood before closing her eyes forever. Even in her last moments, she smiled at him.

— 

Waking up while gasping for air, she finds herself in a strange room. Recalling the dream she had, she felt her whole being and soul shake. She wanted- no needed to see him.

“You're finally awake?” Sunoo spoke, he had eye bags and looked worried sick.

“Lily!” Jungwon called out almost in disbelief.

The door swung open revealing Riki who ran into her arms. “You dumbass, had us all worried sick for days.” Feeling her throat bubble up, she apologized while sobbing uncontrollably. 

“It’s okay, Lily. We aren’t mad.” Sunoo reassured her, his hand rubbing her back.

“Yeah, but you do owe me 20 bucks now,” Riki tried to lighten the mood. Making the others chuckle at the silly bet they made months ago. 

“I need to see him, please.” She weakly called out, still shaking.

“Ms. Charlotte caught us up with everything.” Jungwon shared. 

“We will take you there but first, please drink some water and eat.” 

“But-” Sunoo cuts her off, agreeing with Riki, “no buts, you need energy to see him.” His gaze was soft but his tone was firm, leaving no room for debate.

_______________________________________

Final Chapter: Fate 

Sunghoon waited for her to visit again. Days passed and she never came. He began to feel his whole being scream, unable to leave the castle to go see her. The curse tied him down to this place. Away from her. 

She was his salvation and damnation.

“Is she okay?”

“Did she get hurt?”

“What if she remembered?” 

“Does she hate me?”

His thoughts spiraled as he paced back and forth for hours chewing on his nails until they bled. The metallic taste only made him more numb. 

In his disheveled state, it was all filled with her voice, scent, warmth, her. She consumed his soul whole. 

Stopping all his thoughts, in the chaos of his mind, her voice rang and echoed through the walls, calling for him. 

His body froze. 

“Liliana..?”

There she was, this time, she remembers. This time she won't leave. 

Liliana ran, but of breath, calling to him.

“Hoon!” 

“I remember now!” 

“I'm back!”

Not wasting a second longer, he ran towards the sound of her voice. This time, knowing it wasn't a dream.

Finally, they stood a few feet away from one another in the same garden they once always laid in. Breathless and eyes red from crying. She whispered as stray tears fell down her face, “I missed you.” But she still smiled. The wind blew, making her look ever more beautiful in his eyes as the sun set.

The next few moments are almost a blur as they embrace one another tightly on the grass, surrounded by wildflowers. Scared of letting go, of losing each other. But no longer feeling like they were missing pieces of themselves. 

“What took you so long?” He whispered softly against her hair.

The question was more rhetorical, yet she still answered him with one of her own.

“Did you always know?” Unable to hide the hurt in her voice.

“Yes,” he whispered, not wanting to hide or lie to her or himself any longer.

Lifting her head, she looks into his eyes. his hands reach out hesitant at first before she grabs them, covering him in her warm skin. Oh how much he missed her touch. He cradled her face, fingers tracing her skin in a familiar tune.

Lightly tracing her bottom lip with his thumb, his gaze moved towards her lips then eyes again, silently asking for permission. Without saying a word, she leaned in first, closing the gap between them.

The kiss started off so sweet but soon became more desperate. His hand moved with more urgency, wanting to feel her as close as possible. While his other hand held the back of her head, guiding her. Hating any distance between them. 

Gently biting her bottom lip, drawing some blood, making her breath hitch. His tongue carefully soothed the pain. Liliana blushed at his silent vow. “Mine.” it said with certainty.

Minds dizzy. Her body laid on top of him, pulling away to catch their breaths. Her hands stayed tangled in soft hair. His eyes shined a beautiful ruby red, his look alone claiming her soul.

Separated by the same cruel fate that bounds them. So close yet distant, their souls intertwine in an eternal rhythm that bled red of their love that no century or distance could break. 

_______________________________________

EPILOGUE  

Sunghoon slowly got accustomed to the human world after being sealed away for centuries.

“Hoon?” She called out to him half asleep, standing in nothing but his t-shirt in the kitchen, making him chuckle.

“Yes, my love?” He answered sweetly while fixing them breakfast.

Instead of saying anything, she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

“Come on, angel, I have to finish making breakfast,” he smiled, still not pushing her away.

She stood on her tippy toes, placing a feathery kiss on his neck, leaving a shiver down his spine.

“What was that?” He giggled, turning around to hold her waist, pulling her closer.

“Just wanted to say thank you. Is that so wrong?” Resting her hands on his chest. Her eyes glimmered with mischief.

Their mornings and days were now filled with each other. No longer aiming wordlessly and waking up alone, they found home.

_______________________________________

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[kino-der-infizierten]

THEORY ABOUT BREAK ON THROUGH!!!

WARNING: MAJOR BLACK OPS COLD WAR + BLACK OPS 6 SPOILERS

While Break on Through is loading you can hear "Perseus" saying things to Bell

“Do not trust Adler. Adler is lying to you. Do not trust Adler. Do not listen to Adler. He is lying to you. Find the truth. He is lying to you. Do not trust Adler.”

Perseus' lines in Break on Through loading screen

We know that Bell was a commander (when selected non-binary/classified gender Perseus' operatives call Bell "commander" in Ashes to Ashes) and Perseus' right hand which means there's a high chance that they were very loyal to Perseus, at the point of not telling anything at any method of interrogation the CIA used.

But it would be impossible to actually be him, and even if he somehow could get into Bell's head literally, he still didn't had no reason to, Volkov tells Bell Perseus wanted them DEAD and that is stated MULTIPLE times. He clearly was unaware that Bell was brainwashed and didn't willingly betrayed him.

“That makes this much less unpleasant for you. Perseus has been looking for this one.”

“Perseus has a large bounty on your head.”

“Perseus is paying me a fortune to smuggle his merchandise out of Europe. I bet he’ll pay even more when he finds out I’ve killed you.”

Anton Volkov's lines when Bell gets captured by Franz Kraus in Brick in the Wall.

So then while replaying Break on Through over and over came the idea that maybe the Perseus we see it's actually Bell's mind trying to break out of the MK-ULTRA brainwash

Adler says more about the drug used in Bell in Black Ops 6 when preparing that same drug for Harrow

“Its official name is phenosorazine, but MK-Ultra coined it "Separation". I've had it for a while. Let's hope it doesn't have an expiration date.”

“In most test subjects, it fragmented their psyche. A form of induced schizophrenia. We're gonna find the part of Harrow that's willing to talk to us.”

Russell Adler explaining about the drug used in MK-ULTRA in The Rook: Interrogation (Black Ops 6)

Bell's mind could've separated his loyal part from the rest, which was ""personified"" as Perseus, just like Harrow has her normal side and the 'crazy'(?) side in Separation Anxiety.

This part of Bell wanted them to break out of the brainwashing, using the figure of Perseus because they would listen to the man they were loyal for so long.

And clearly it wasn't only in the Break on Through intro that Bell's loyal part tried to break the brainwashing.

During the mission it gets to a point you enter Perseus' office(?) and it's full of notes, possibly what Bell was thinking during the interrogation/brainwashing, with some being like Bell actually talking with themselves, while others looks like someone else talking with them, which would be his "Perseus" side (not putting all of them here):

"На кого они работают?" → Who do they work for?

"Кто они?" → Who are they?

"HE ДОВЕРЯТЬ НИКОМУ" → DON'T TRUST ANYONE

"не доверяй никому, кроме себя" → Trust no one but yourself

"ОСТАНОВИ ЭТО " → MAKE IT STOP

"ПЦРУ или КГБ?" → CIA or KGB?

"Они хотят убить тебя" → They want to kill you

"Вы знаете, что боль больше?" Do you know that there's more pain? (??)

"Что они с тобой Долают?" What are they doing to you?

"ВЫ Должны БОРЬБА" → You must FIGHT

"УБИРАЙСЯ" → GET OUT

"do you hear it?"

"DO NOT TRUST"

"THEY WANT TO KILL YOU"

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"TELL ME WHO I AM!"

"MAKE IT STOP"

"WHAT IS HAPPENING?"

"WHERE AM I?"

"WHY CAN'T YOU REMEMBER?"

"WHO IS PERSEUS?" [medusa drawing]

"YOU ARE GOING TO DIE HERE"

"DON'T TRUST ADLER" [pic of Adler]

"PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN PAIN"

TL;DR

The Perseus voice we hear in Break on Through is actually Bell's side that's still loyal to Perseus trying to break out from the brainwashing