#i'll never ever settle on a style and you can't make me

[whosjunglejim4322]

Saccharine - E.M

Warnings ® smut! Fluff, soft bf Eddie<3, first time sex as a couple! Nasty IN LOVE smut bc this bitch is a hopeless romantic! Eddie is super sensitive, Established relationship, you stroke his dick, Eddie almost cums in his pants, lil bit of dry humping, this is incredibly self indulgent but u didn't hear that from me, overly descriptive bc why not

You shouldn't be nervous, really. It's just Eddie, who is your boyfriend of three months and twenty-six days. Who is sitting across from you on his creaky mattress criss-cross style, your knees touching. Your Eddie, who has two big hands flailing in the air as he goes on about the recent campaign, broad mouth etched into a whimsical smile, big eyes wondrous and full of excitement for the tale.

The bed bounces with his enthusiasm, and you draw closer to him with each syllable.

Your Eddie, who is doing nothing out of the ordinary, and who is as beautiful as ever in loose fitting plaid pyjama bottoms and a tattered black tee that exposes half of his collarbone and smudges of black ink - he doesn't even have to try, and perhaps these simple mundane realizations are what cause the flutter of wings in the pit of your stomach.

"And then Mike - hey, you okay?"

If it weren't for his vast change in expression, you truly wouldn't have realized what a trance you're in. Between the furrow of his unkempt brows and the amused but curious tilt at the corner of his mouth, you come back to earth. The weight of gravity settles in your bone marrow, as his calloused thumb quickly strokes your chin as if to remind you he is still here.

"I - yeah yeah, sorry I just," you grab his hand by the heaviness of his wrist, dragging it into your lap so you can stroke the back of his rough knuckles. "got distracted s'all."

Your eyes divert to where your fingers are joined and the sound of his airy, through-the-nose chuckle has more heat blossoming behind your ribcage, nudging at your organs.

"I'll stop with the D&D talk, know you hear enough about it from the kids. There's only so much dorkiness you should be subjected to, y'know?"

It's lighthearted, he's smirking and looking down at you with enough palpable fondness the apples of your cheeks feel like they're being stroked by a flame. Still, the implication that he may be bothering you in any way has an urgency filling your eyes. You shake your head.

"No, no that never bothers me Eds, don't be silly." The nickname makes his mouth dry, still, after three months and twenty-six days. You finally meet his glance. "You're just handsome, really handsome especially when you're talking about something you're passionate about and I just...yeah."

It's word vomit, messy and you feel like it makes no sense but then he squeezes your hand and you know that he reads between the nervous mumbo jumbo - you have no clue how you make him feel, do you?

"You're fucking cute." He breathes out earnestly, smoothing his grip upwards to your forearms and pulling you forward with minimal effort - right onto the stirdiness of his lap.

Your giddiness is the perfect portrait, your arms finding a resting place atop his broad shoulders. Curls tickle the tops of your arms and your wrists, and your thighs brace your frame by the slim of his taut waist. He can't help it, the giggles escaping his throat. The proximity is intoxicating for no reason at all.

"Can't believe this is our first time spending the night together, I'm so used to falling asleep on the phone with you that it really doesn't feel all that different." He smooths your hair out of your eyes, tucks it behind your left ear.

I get to touch her like this, he thinks to himself. His chest jostles underneath the muscle and bone.

"Yeah, except I get to fall asleep with you'n my arms, wake up with you in em' too. I'm one lucky son of a bitch, hmm?"

He's practically thinking out loud, but he's too far gone to feel shame. When you nuzzle your face against the warm nook of his neck, wet lips smiling against the flesh, his encapsulating arms squeeze you impossibly tighter. He buries his nose against the top of your head, inhaling the fresh scent of your shampoo. Your cheek grazes the side of his jaw as you meet him face to face, nose to nose.

He sees you trying to formulate words, a sentence, even a sound but none of it seems like a totally accurate way to express the adoration threatening to consume you from the inside out. You graze his cheek with your mouth, slowly, tentatively, and he hangs on with half an air full of lungs.

You suckle his bottom lip and he sighs into your mouth, the relief making him lightheaded. He kicks into gear and pushes back with an overlap of his mouth - hands wandering over the small of your back, to your soft lovehandles and upwards until his fingrtips have passed your jugular and he's holding your face as tenderly as you're holding his.

It's now, when you feel it - the growing firmness beneath he thin material of his bottoms. He tries to keep it at bay but it's damn near impossible, and the whimper, the fucking whimper you let out when his soft tongue touches yours from the warm cavern of your mouth - he couldn't stop it from twitching even if he wanted to. He's only a man.

And you're a menace. As new as this is, your body reacts to the prod in between your legs, underneath your crotch. You press yourself tighter to his frame, hips scooching against his hard-on in the process and he stiffens.

"Mmm, baby baby..." your pout is immediate when he breaks from your mouth, brows furrowed and lips a kiss bitten fuschia. For a moment, you think you've taken it too far too fast - he's stopped you from moving completely. Your whole body burns with a tingly sensation somewhere between shame and the aftershocks of arousal.

"Are you...are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

You sound so sweet, it makes his lower belly ache among other things. He stifles a laugh brcause he knows it will only make you feel worse. Something wrong. Something wrong.

"Fuck no, I-sorry I just uh...almost..." He can't bring himself to say it, you guys haven't even been kissing for five whole minutes and here he is about to blow his load. When you realize how close his dark lashes are from kissing his cheeks, how his pupils have almost turned the whole of his irises onyx, you connect the dots.

Woah, you did that to him? That moth in your belly threatens to take flight, and without much thought, your mouth is moving before you can stop it.

"I wanna see."

Those are the only words your brain allows you to spit out. His chest has gone still, and you feel that twitch against your center again. Your thighs have begun to tremble.

"You wanna see...? My cock?" He shouldn't sound so incredulous. You're his girlfriend for christ's sake, but you are important to him. More important than he ever thought anyone could be, and so he has kept his lust at a minimum of 48% when he's around you for the most part. Save for intense makeout sessions.

"Yeah, I wanna...well I wanna know how to make you feel good."

He's worried for a moment that he's having another wet dream, but he's sure this is real life because he feels how warm you are against him and you are so close he can see his own reflection in your eyes. You toy with the shell of his ear and a chill ascends his spine.

"Sweetheart if you touch me m'not gonna last long." His skin is pink and scarlet, and he's gotten at least ten degrees hotter judging by the heat billowing off of the back of his neck. His adams apple bobs when he swallows.

"That's okay, really it is. You have nothing to be embarrassed about....I like it. Like that I make you feel that way. " You rake your fingers through the front of his hair, pushing it away from his pretty face. He checks your eyes again, needing confirmation.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do anything you don't want to." He gnaws on the inside of his plush mouth, tries to calm the animal inside of him that wants to fuck your brains out right now. He almost feels guilty just thinking about it, until you lean over to peck the side of his stubbly chin, fingertips grazing his taut belly.

"Yes, really wanna."

There is a curious, nervous anticipation in the crinkle underneath your eyes.

"Kay' baby, explore all you want." The boyish smirk he gives is enough to have that knee buckling tingling sensation coming back full force as he presents himself to you like this. Does he seem as pulled together and totally not overly nervous as he thinks he does? Probably not.

His arms depart from your body, ribs expanding as he reclines on his palms. Tendons flex and stretch underneath the black bats and fuzzy layer of hair atop his forearm. You swallow, intimidated by the beauty of the boy.

You find the courage to finally move off of his lap so that you can take him all in, and the bulge of his cock swipes the underside of your thigh as you slide off.

You don't know where to touch first. That's a lie, your hands almost instinctively slip underneath the hem of his old shirt, where that dark thatch of hair trails under his belly button. He's soft, so soft it's unreal, he is velvet and delicious scarring and beauty marks. His tummy convulses underneath your hand.

He watches you with complete fixation. You have your bottom lip tucked between your teeth and you don't even realize it, all perched and pretty in front of him. He closes his eyes when you explore his sides, over the planes and arches and past the small stretch marks by his chest.

You can't ignore it anymore, the tent that has formed at his crotch and continues to throb with each passing touch.

The blunt of your nails rake down the soft plaid covering thick thighs, and he takes this sharp breath that has you glancing up at him with heavy eyes.

"So pretty...Eds you're so pretty." You say it ardently, your voice small and weak. An arm reaches down, strong but gentle as he strokes the back of your plush cheek with his ring covered knuckles.

"Can't fucking believe...can't believe you're mine, finally. Shit." He's almost murmuring to himself again, on the verge of cardiac arrest. Maybe he's losing his mind, maybe this is heaven.

Then your palm presses against the thick of his cock where it's bulging out, and his thighs spasm.

"Oh, oh." He's all curses and praises, giving you encouraging glances each time you look up at him to silently ask for guidance. You move your hand up and down what you assume is his shaft, and he keeps his hips from bucking into your touch. He feels thick, and the back of your mouth starts to water.

Without warning you're hooking your fingers into his waistband, and he lifts his hips in compliance so that you can pull them down to his mid thigh. He has no time for nerves anymore. Any fear he previously had about what his dick looks like, or what you'll think of it, is stripped along with his clothing. You're looking at him with too much love for him to be insecure - and that takes him by surprise the most.

At this point his checkered boxers are just in the way, and you take it upon yourself to pull those down too. A thud hits his belly.

And really, you should've known. He's big. Not because he's impossibly long, his size is above average but he's thick - the tip iridescent with precum, the same shade of plum as his lips underneath the slick sheen. He is slightly curved upwards, a prominent vein decorating the underside parallel to his frenulum. It's pretty, just like the rest of him. He's neatly trimmed, which is the most surprising part if you're honest - but nothing about Eddie could ever be displeasing to look at.

Your mouth is parted with this expression of surprise, and Eddie almost can't believe what this is doing for his ego.

"Woah." Is all you say, transfixed when you reach out to grasp the appendage. He hisses through his teeth when your small hand finally grasps it, so fucking warm and so gentle it's almost maddening. You both feel it, the invisible weight that has settled in his small, messy room.

The weight of being alone, together, all night and all of tomorrow afternoon while his uncle Wayne is away on a business trip that is probably more lucrative than what he leads on - but Wayne has never been one to boast or speak about things like that out loud. Says it'll jinx the whole thing.

The feeling hits you first, as you find this foreign courage to lean over and dribble spit over the slit of his cock. He gasps, watching the glob of saliva drip down the front of his dick till it's soaking into the curls at his pubic mound.

"Is this okay?" You already know the answer but you ask anyways, taking more pride than you should at the expression on the pretty metalheads face. He nods his head fervently, unable to respond right away.

You twist your palm, spreading your spit further until his whole head is covered and you're able to stroke him with no resistance.

"Fuuuck, yes. Yeah, that's so good baby." He's panting as you begin to properly jerk the tip of him off, the sounds in the room too lewd for you to handle. A squelchy feeling has developed between your thighs, led by each filthy groan that leaves your boyfriend's throat.

Then you're looking at him through fluttery lashes and a gone expression, with your chest rising and falling almost as rapidly as his and thick fingers grasp your wrist quickly, rougher than anticipated.

"Sorry, just - close."

Seeing his hand blanket yours over his cock is doing something to you. You know his palms like your own, hold them more than you look at your own, and yet right now such a sweet thing has never been more provocative.

"Shh, no more apologizing," you lean over and he meets you in the middle. The kiss is sloppy this time, evidence of the maddening desire taking him over from the inside out.

"Not fair," his voice is strained through your mouths ministrations. "Got me all worked up and you're sitting there neglected." He smiles and his tongue strokes your bottom lip. You shudder as that heat comes in an overwhelming wave.

He's gripping the back of your neck now, properly hungry and your hand continues its ministrations between your bodies, that wet sound prompting a shared groan from the both of you - intensifying the feeling. His nose is scrunched against your cheek from the vigour of his kisses.

"You can undress me."

He doesn't waste time once you've granted him verbal permission, and with an exhale you're being tipped over onto your back, breathing in the weight of him as nimble and eager fingers pull his tee shirt over and off your body.

"Jesus," He whines, and you're captivated by the look on his face. It's impossible not to feel flustered.

"Can I-" you don't let him finish.

"Yes, please touch me." You're just as fucked as he is, arching your chest upwards and into the warm, all encompassing mass of his palm. He stifles a groan, cock bobbing up and down in the space between you two, dribbling with a bead of pre arousal. You feel like you're losing your mind.

Eddie short circuits for about five whole seconds flat, and he can't concentrate. He makes a bee - line to your chest, plush lips sucking your swollen nipples into his mouth. A gasp and a pulse of your poor clit later, and your fingers delve into his curls like they'll keep you here in this moment forever.

He's sloppy, moving between the valley of your breasts to the other one, leaving trails of spit across your flesh.

"Eddie, that - that feels so good, can't - mmph." You're a mess. How are you such a mess? He's a phantom, a head of hair across your sternum until he glances up at you with saliva soaked lips and red cheeks and a sweaty forehead.

"Sweet girl, oh god I can't believe..." All you taste is him, the words being uttered between the space when he forces himself to breathe. "can't believe you're all mine, wanna make you feel so fucking good. Give you anythin' you want."

He lies his full weight on you, and through the thin sleeping shorts you've got on, his cock beckons you with throbs and weeps. You feel drunk off of him, every sense surrounded by Eddie. Eddie. Eddie.

His shampoo from two days ago, the old spice lingering under his arms, the natural scent of his skin, the sweetness of his breath and the perspiration that's formed in little beads on his upper lip. He's all but devouring you, lust and admiration for the angel beneath him taking over any sense of importance regarding anything else.

Your heels dig into the back of his bum, knees pulling inward so that his hips come clashing into yours. Your fingernails claw on the material covering his back, taking it upon themselves to pull it over his head. He's beaming like a kid in a candy store at your eagerness, eyes all crinkly underneath.

"Want me to grab a rubber now?" He mumbles between the sloppy kisses, hoping you can't hear the hitch in his throat at the prospect of this finally happening.

"Mhmm, yes." It feels just as surreal for you.

He whines as he departs, reaching over across your head to pull open his bedside drawer and ungracefully tear open the new box of condoms. His eyebrows are furrowed, arms flexing with intensity from his excitement. He groans out of frustration, and you giggle, grasping his thick forearm.

"Let me help baby." You reach in the drawer for him and pull the box out, finishing the rip he'd made and pulling out a metallic row of squares. You tear one at the perforation and hand it to him, grinning at the entire situation. He huffs and rests his forehead between the valley of your breasts.

"What would I do without you?" He mutters, matching your expression when he lifts his head back up and pushes forward to kiss you on the tip of your nose.

"Not have sex, I suppose." You bite back with no hint of malice, only an insurmountable level of love and he sees it shimmering everywhere around you. His girl. His.

"You're somethin' else, sweetheart." He mouths the side of your face, across your jaw and underneath your ear.

You feel like you're in a psychological limbo, in a world between consciousness as he sits back on his haunches and lifts his shirt off of his body from the back of his collar. That may be a dramatic sentiment to many, but it's fitting.

He does it so casually, throws his shirt to the side with the rest of discarded clothing and stray items that live on his bedroom floor. You feel weak in the knees when he tears the condom package and pulls out the slippery rubber, unraveling it before bringing it down to his cock.

You watch his face the way his pink tongue darts out and nips the tip of his tongue, brows furrowed in concentration and arousal as he fits the condom down his thick shaft. You watch his biceps twist, his taut abdomen clench, the black ink coming alive with the ministrations of his muscles underneath.

When he meets your eyes again, you look completely overtaken with desire, eyelids heavy and breath bated. Your pebbled nipples stand at full attention, mimicking his dick and Eddie hooks his fingers underneath those infuriatingly sexy shorts of yours so that he can get rid of them.

You're not wearing underwear. Of course you aren't. Your entire existence is specifically designed to test the bounds of his composure, of his strength. The gold room lighting from his lamp illuminates your body and your shy thighs only part when he's placing his palms between them, slowly encouraging them to allow him a peek or two.

You reach out to stroke his arms as he separates your legs, his jaw hanging ever so slack, cock twitching just a few centimeters away from your opening.

"Fucking hell...you're so goddamn pretty." He strains, swallowing hard as he touches you with hesitant hands, as if he's scared to break you. Your hips lift, just enough to make contact with the tip of his dick and you whine. It's a sound so sweet he almost whimpers himself.

"Please, Eds. I want you inside of me. Please."

His stomach tightens and he crawls over you once again, stroking your cheek with his thumb.

He maintains eye contact, breath fanning your mouth as he slips an arm between your bodies and grips his shaft, lining it up with your entrance. Your thighs lift towards your chest, ankles stationed at his waist, and you feel the welcome intrusion of his tip as it passes your slick labia.

You both take a breath in, your fingers needing a vice and moving to the back of his neck as he pivots his hips forward and slips himself into the tightness of your cunt. The stretch causes you to hiss, both in pleasure and pain.

"You okay? Let me know if I need to stop." He grunts, kissing your chin.

"M'okay, don't you dare stop."

His eyelids flutter in tandem with yours, a choked moan leaving his throat as he continues to push himself in, till he's nudging against the soft roundness of your cervix and his balls are resting against your ass.

It feels right. Having him this deep, this close.

You shudder nuzzling your face against the bicep that holds him up. You kiss the skin there and he groans, dragging himself back out and then back in. Your whole body jostles with the movement.

"Jesus Christ, how do you feel s'fucking good? I don't - I can't, fuck." He's a slur of words, beginning to form a steady rhythm. Your moans are more like squeaks the faster he goes, increasing the lewd, sticky sounds between your legs that squelch with each drag and pull of his cock.

"Eddie...E-eddie." Your words are hiccuped from the impact, his hair dangling in your face, tickling your cheeks. His belly is pressed right against yours, the curls at the mound of his pelvis pressed against yours. He lets out this pained sound and goes to bury his face in the crook of your neck.

"My name, fuck say it again. Say it again." It's muffled but you can hear it right underneath your ear, his lips a soft vibration against your flesh. You feel so full, it's hard to speak at all. To say anything other than his name. So you recite it like it's the only words you know.

"Eddie Eddie Eddie Eddie." They're all punctuated with a whimper that starts from your diaphragm and crawls it's way out of your throat, pistoned by his hips and their grueling ministrations. Skin against skin can be heard from down the park, you're convinced, with how he's fucking you.

Eddie is fucking you. Your boyfriend, Eddie, is fucking you.

"Ohhhh, god, please." You cry out, heels digging into his back, hands splayed across the broad expanse of his shoulder blades. Every breath that passes his lips is followed by a grunt, a groan, a sound that is so close to agony and even closer to toe curling pleasure.

Each stroke of his cock inside of you feels like a pull into his being, and you get frustrated with the fact that you can't see his face, tugging at the back of his neck.

When you look up at the boy above you, reality, for once, feels like the most beautiful thing you've ever endured.

He's flushed, all sweat and shades of pink and red. His eyes are glassy, mirroring yours in the way that it almost looks like he could shed a tear. You move his sticky bangs from his forehead and Eddie is sucker punched in the gut with a wave of adoration.

"Oh, sweetheart," he leans down, slowing his thrusts so that he can kiss you steadily, purposefully. Somehow he feels deeper this way impossibly so, and he nips your bottom lip when you flutter around him. "didn't mean to...to not show you attention m'sorry, just...you feel so good. S'like heaven."

He's half sober half drunk on your pussy and it's so fucking endearing. Neither of you can make out a coherent sentence.

"Keep - keep going, just like that, ohhh." You glance down between your bodies and somewhere behind your organs a warmth, teetering unbearable, flutters throughout your limbs. His arms shake with the fight to hold himself up, until he doesn't anymore, and slips his hands underneath you till they're sandwiched between the mattress and your back. Snug, safe, he engulfs you.

His thrusts are deep and slow now, meaningful instead of mindless bunny fucking. Which, he's not opposed to, but you're you. He wants to fuck you like he might not ever get the chance to again.

"I love you, I love you." He whimpers against the crook of your shoulder. You hold him with the same ferocity that he's holding you, staring up at the ceiling and the stars that blanket your vision instead of the fan above.

"I love you too, fuck, Eddie."

He makes this noise, it's almost pathetic. Petulant. That coil holding you tight, snaps and all at once you're gasping, thighs a deadly grip around his waist.

"Cu-Cumming, I'm cumming." Your walls flex and spasm around his length and Eddie thinks he might pass out. You're still twitching and whining his name with his balls are emptying, when he's spurting into the condom, nudging your cervix.

"Fuck, fuck just like tha- ohhh fuck." He thrusts like he's fucking his cum into you, like he's filling your womb up and making you his forever. He made you cum. He's never felt this high before, and he's a fucking drug dealer.

It's a mixture of panting and the thud of your shared heartbeat for what feels like eternity and one split second. You feel his lips peppering soft, gentle kisses along your jugular, and your fingers trace lines up and down his warm back as his cock softens inside of you.

He rubs his cheek against you, and your fingers pull his hair away from his pretty face. He's looking at you with so much love you could burst again.

"I love you so much." He speaks tenderly, softly, for once. It's scary and breathtaking all at once. The tip of his nose rubs yours, your smiles a reflection of the other.

"I love you too, Munson."

And you do. You really fucking do.

[justmyguiltyggpleasure]

2nd Chance at Love (pt.1)

Summary: You and Karina used to date during trainee days until she decided to break up with you right before debuting. Nowadays, you're a member of Le Sserafim and have quite a player reputation. What happens when you cross each other's life again but this time, one of her members is interested in you

Warnings: none for this one, just an intro.

PT.2

(2020)

- May I at least know why? - you ask her after what felt like an eternity in silence. The cold night feeling even colder now in this almost desert park.

- I made the cut. I'm going to debut and I just can't have anything jeopardizing that. - Jimin, your now ex-girlfriend, said. Face stoic and voice devoid of any emotion like you've never heard before.

You've been dating for two years now and until a minute ago you'd swear you could get through anything together. Having been by each other's side in the worst moments. You were there for her whenever she would second guess herself, whenever she would call crying after being scolded a bit too harshly, taking her on dates on your days off just to get her mind away from everything, and she would do the same for you too.

You thought it was forever. Well... what do you know?

- Why would I ever do anything to jeopardize your career, Jimin? - you ask feeling a bit offended.

- I can't be caught in a dating scandal, much less a gay one. - she answered simply, using the same tone as before, not sparing you a glance.

- Jimin, we're not gonna be caught in a dating scandal, we could easily pass up by being friends. It's not like we were ever out in the oper, kissing in public or anything like that. - you try to reason with her. You knew that once this conversation was settled, it'd be definite.

- I'm not willing to take the risk. I don't think it's worth it. - your eyes welled up at that moment. "It's not worth it? We're not worth it? These past two eyes weren't worth it?"

- Yoo Jimin, is this a joke? Look me in the eyes and say it again. - she turned to you with those empty eyes

- It is not worth it. - it felt like a punch in your guts. You wanted to cry. You wanted her to at least show a little emotion, just so you felt like you mattered. You wanted to yell at her but instead, you just sighed

- Okay. If that's what you want. - with that you stood up and left. Letting the tears fall as soon as you crossed the street.

That's was the last time you let someone get so close to your heart romantically.

(2023)

It's been a year since you debuted with Le Sserafim. Honestly, being gay in the industry wasn't that bad, specially when you're the girl crush of the group, with a tomboy style and confident aura, you managed to attract plenty of girls. You usually slept with staff members or backup dancers, unless a female idol approached you first, you would stay clear from them. But from idols to staff, you would make sure that everyone you slept with knew your one rule

'I don't get with a girl more than once', you'd make that clear to every woman that came to you and luckily they all understood that pretty well and were only looking for some fun or a taste of the rainbow.

Le Sserafim's promotions overlapped with Aespa's and Eunchae took the chance to interview their leader and maknae for Star Diary. You stayed with you members back in your dressing room. Close as you were with your members, none of the them new of you past with Jimin.

- Y/N, can you go get Eunchae? She must be done by now and you're done changing. - Sakura asked and you blinked twice before answering. You knew who your maknae was interviewing.

- Of course, unnie. I'll be right back. - exiting the room you take a deep breath before proceeding.

Bowing for sunbaes and greeting some acquaintances on your way you get to the room the use for the recordings.

The door slightly ajar let you know the staff was already packing, maybe you're safe after all. You knock and let yourself in.

- Unnie! - Eunchae comes crashing into you for a hug

- Manchae! - you answer with the same enthusiasm and return the hug like you don't spend almost the entire day together and don't live in the same dorm. - Sakura-unnie sent me to get you. Are you ready to go? - you ask looking in her eyes failing to notice two pairs of eyes watching your interactions.

- Almost done. Let me just say goodbye to my guests. Come with me. - she pulls you before you could say anything and that's how you find yourself face to face with your ex after 3 years.

She almost looks surprised when you approach.

- Hello, Karina-sunbaenim, Ningning-sunbaenim. Nice to meet you! - you say bowing to them thanking anything sacred for your voice not wavering.

- Hello, y/n! - Ningning says waving

- Hello! - is the only thing Jimin day and she still looks kind of shocked.

I mean, she knew she would have to meet you eventually with promotions and all and she knew you were Eunchae's member. Having agreed to go out together with their respective members, she was bound to see you again. This industry was only so big. Still, she wasn't counting on seeing you today. She's caught off guard.

- Let's go, manchae. We're wrapping promotions today and I promised dinner's on me. I'll let you pick the restaurant. - looking at your member again, you say smiling softly

- Yay! - Eunchae smiles brightly. - Unnies, I loved having you as guests. Let's meet up again soon. - turning back to you - Y/n-unnie, I worked until now, give me a piggyback ride.

Sighing you crouch down and she jumps on your back laughing when you pretend to drop her.

Turning again you nod your head to the girls and politely say goodbye to everyone in the room, turning around and leaving with your maknae.

Jimin following with her eyes unaware of the other pair of eyes also following you with amusement and interest.

- I'll ask for her number next time. Maybe I can be an exception to that rule - Ningning says more to herself than anyone proceeding to exit the room leaving a stunned Jimin behind, feeling something she wasn't supposed to feel

___________________>_<_________________

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[homicidal-slvt]

[Monsters Walk On Land]

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Shark Merman!Kyle Garrick x F!Reader

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Warnings: MDNI, Abusive Husband {Not Kyle}, Angst, Attempted Murder

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Summary: Thrown into the depths of the ocean you expect to die... Only the be rescued by the monster many warn about.

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Your body sinks into the darkness, no attempt to open your eyes or fight back against the pull of the deep, cold and bitter as it crawls through your veins... No different than your husband, unforgiving and all consuming, taking until there is nothing but a bed of graves.

You were sick of his abuse - the condescending words - the control... You mistakenly thought it'd never get physical, so you bravely told him you were leaving... Oh, what good that did you.

'I'll tell them how ya run away from me... They'll believe me, y'know? Fuckin' whore.'

Blood leaks from your cut up legs, drifting into the darkness, like bait you lure anything closer. He had dragged you to the rocky coast line, your begging and screaming had fallen on deaf ears, tossed over and discarded like mere trash. Something to be forgotten because it no longer was useful.

Something brushes against your leg but you don't have the will to fight it... You can't swim. You always feared the water. There's no point in trying to fight.

×🩷×

Kyle drifts through the water - big brown eyes searching for the scent of blood he picked up on... Webbed hands immediately grasp onto the floating body of a woman without much thought at first, then he processes it.

"The hell...?"

For a moment he thinks she's dead - given the fact she didn't instantly start kicking and flailing... And if she was already dead then a bite wouldn't hurt right- but no... There's certainly a pulse. Soft but there.

He couldn't just kill an innocent woman like this, could he? Even as a shark style monster in the deep, he still has that heart of gold under the surface. So, he drags her towards the dim light of the moon above, moving her to the shore...

It concerns him... The fact she didn't fight... It made it easier to save her but - why didn't she fight?

"C'mon now..."

Settling her against the sand he assists her, watching her cough and sputter, small rocks digging into her skin.

"Who did this to you...?"

He didn't much expect an answer to the question, especially not when she finally got a good look at her savior... He suspected the usual fearful screams would tear through the air - that was how it'd usually go anyway.

×🩷×

You certainly were a bit startled to look over and see the very thing many warn of. People often claimed a monster lurked the waters by this shore but... He saved you...? He could've easily chewed the meat off your bones, especially with those freakishly sharp shark-like teeth of his...

He's honestly kind of beautiful, unique patterns of dark spots and strips across the gray scales on his lower half, his tail built exactly how a shark would be - aside from the whole scaliness of it.

"Thank you..."

You sputter out the words and those big brown eyes of his widen, lifting himself up a bit while he looks at you... He's definitely stunned from what you can tell by his expression, his slightly pointed ears twitching.

"You're not scared of me?"

"Well, I am a little bit but... If you wanted to hurt me - you would have."

A soft chuckle emits from his chest, amusement bubbling and spilling over. You're a very strange human in his books but he likes you...

However, it nags in the back of his head as to what happened to you. How you ended up injured in the water to begin with - the look on your face and your body language... It all reeks of humans doing.

After all - those who walk on land are often much more frightening monsters than the creatures of the deep ever could be...

-

{I'm fuckin' exhausted so it took forever to write this and it's shit. And yeah it has a cliffhanger ending - I gave up. I didn't know where to go from there. I probably won't make a part 2 because I'm losing mind.}

-

{@sofasoap @soupbinsoup @sarraa-26 @gothgirl6-6-6 @caramlizedtomatoes-deactivated2 }

-

{More Content}

[aaronhotchswife]

BABYSITTING AT HOTCH'S

A/N : This one shot is settled in season 7 (because even if every seasons Hotch does something to me, this one is🧎🏻‍♀️) and even if I absolutely ADORE Beth, for the purpose of the story she's not in a relationship with Aaron 🫶🏼

TW : smut, dom Hotch/sub reader, chocking, a nal fingering, unprotected sex (pls be careful)

-------

"No, it's alright. I'll find someone. Yes, thank you. Have a good evening too."

Aaron hung up the phone, sighing.

"Everything ok Hotch ?" you asked, as you enter his office.

"Ah yes. I have a meeting for budget tonight and Jess can't babysit Jack so I need to find someone. Don't worry about that. What's going on ?"

"I have these files for you." you responded, hanging him the files. "You know, if it could help you, I can watch Jack tonight."

"I can't let you do that. It's Friday night, you probably have plans."

"C'mon Hotch. You know how Jack and I like each other. And even if I am a woman in my 20s, everything Friday nights I just want to go home and watch Netflix, especially with the weeks we have." you laughed slightly.

"I get that." he chuckled. "Are you sure ? I mean, I would like that but I don't want you to feel obligated."

"I would be happy to help." you said to him, a soft smile on your lips.

"It's settled then. Do you think you could go pick him up at school ? I'll call them to let him know."

"No problem, sir."

You knew Jack since a couple years now. He always liked you and everytime he went to the BAU he was always happy to draw at your desk and your drawer was filled with his masterpieces. It was nice to hang out with him, talking about his school drama and honestly spending a friday night with a kid was in your opinion, a lot better than spending it with Tinder dates. So spending your Friday night with him wasn't a chore at all.

-------

"Hey Jack! You know that your Dad's triathlon is soon right ? What would you think if we make him signs ?" you told Jack, while he was washing his hands.

"Oh yes!!! It's such a good idea !"

"Great! Where do you guys keep the crafting stuff?"

Jack took your hand and showed you a drawer in his bedroom with colored pencils and glitters and all. You took all that you guys going to need and walked downstairs to the kitchen. You spend most of the night helping Jack creating his banner, only stopping to cook dinner. He helped you cleaning the kitchen before taking his bath and asking you for a bedtime story.

"And they lived happily ever after." you read softly, before closing the book.

Jack was peacefully sleeping, still holding onto your arm. You left a sweet kiss of his forehead, wishing him good night before going downstairs to wait for Hotch.

-------

When Aaron came home later that night, he walked to the living room where he found you asleep on the couch, a blanket draped to your body, hair in your face, Before he could stop himself, his eyes trailed the expanse of skin that you’d left exposed. He never realized how beautiful you look, especially in that dimed light, so peacefully sleeping. He tried to do as little noise as possible as he walked towards you, replacing your hair behind your ear. He decided to go look on Jack, telling himself he'll wake you up after. He was sleeping serenely, his Star Wars night light illuminating the room. He wished him a good night buddy before closing the door. When Aaron saw you again, you were in the same position, breathing evenly. He tried whispering your name but nothing could make you move. Not knowing what got into him, he took you bridal style in his arms, carefully, for you to not wake up and he walked towards to guest bedroom, where you'll be a lot more comfortable. He didn't want to wake you up, sleep was important especially with your job and you look so peaceful that waking you up was not a option. In the guest bedroom, he tucked you in, hesitating before leaving a light kiss on your forehead and wished you good night, before closing the door. He suprised himself with a feeling in his stomach from the way you were laid in one of his bed, beautifully sleeping.

You woke up the next morning in a room you didn't know. With the smell of the bed sheets, you realize you probably fell asleep at Hotch's house but the fact the you're in a bed is something you can't remember. You got up, streching your arms and yawning before going downstairs to the kitchen. You see Jack watching cartoons and Aaron in the kitchen, making coffee.

"Good morning." you said, shyly.

"Hey, good morning. I'm sorry, you fell asleep on the couch and I didn't want to wake you up, so I put you in the bed instead. For you to be more comfortable you know...Hope it was ok." he responded timidly.

"Oh. Yeah, yeah. Sorry I didn't want to fell asleep. Rough week." you chuckled, a bit suprised by his answer. "How was your meeting ?"

"Well, you know how the superiors are." he said, smiling softly. "Want coffee?"

"Yes please, that would be great."

"There you go." he grins, handing you a cup of coffee. You smiled, taking your first sip. "So Jack wants pancake for breakfast, do you want to eat with us ? I mean it's Saturday, we don't have work to do...yet." he tells you.

You were a bit taken aback by his proposition. Not that you didn't want to eat with them but eating breakfast at your boss's house seemed like a weird idea. But it was Saturday and pancakes couldn't hurt and you kinda wanted to spend more time with him.

The three of you sat at the table, Jack speaking about what he wanted to do today. The weather wasn't really on your side, rain falling hard outside. It was a bit too domestic for you to be sitting at the table with your hot boss and his child. But you didn't know that Aaron felt the same. You seemed to noticed that he looked more relaxed when Jack is there, his usual frown on his face not visible, making jokes and being all paternal. It was weird seeing him like that. Of course you see Jack often but it's always at work so you never had the chance to see him really being a father.

"Dad, can we watch a movie today ?" Jack asked, his mouth full of pancakes.

"Of course buddy, what would you wanna watch?"

"Mmmh, The Little Mermaid ! Can Y/N watch it with us dad ?"

You almost chocked on your sip when you heard Jack asking that. Hotch seemed clearly taken aback with his demand as you.

"Well, if she wants, I mean, do you want to ?" Hotch asks, looking at you.

"Well, The Little Mermaid was one of my favourite movie when I was younger so why not. As long as I'm not interrupting."

"It was ?!" Jack asked, amazed. "Dad looks like Prince Eric don't you think?"

"Hahaha, yeah I can see it." you responded, looking at Aaron, his cheeks getting red.

After breakfast you help Hotch cleaning the kitchen while Jack was playing Lego, waiting for the two of you to be ready for the movie. The thunder outside made the ambiance cozy as you sat on the sofa. Aaron joined, sitting next to Jack who was happy to cuddle his father.

Even if you loved The Little Mermaid and knew the movie by heart, watching movies during the day wasn't really doing it for you. Especially after eating, the chances of you falling asleep were high. Hotch seemed to notice that as you fell asleep right on his shoulder. He didn't dare to move, you looking too cute your head on his shoulder.

"Y/N." Aaron murmured, shaking you a little. "The movie's over."

"Aaron." you said, sleepily.

The use of his first name was unusual for you. Always calling him Hotch or sir or boss, but never Aaron. The feeling he had in his stomach the night before was back and he couldn't push it away.

"Where's Jack?"

"JJ's house. Henri called for a playdate." Hotch answered, his eyes in yours.

He couldn't help but look at you, all shy on his sofa. Your cheeks getting red, your eyes in his and slowly looking down to his lips. You always knew he was beautiful, always looking at him at work, at his features. But you never knew he looked that beautiful, dressing normally, in his living room, so close one another. Before you knew it, your lips were on his, tasting the sweet taste of pancakes and the dry taste of his coffee. The kiss was soft, rather inquisitive, both of your lips learning each others. When you both back off to take a breath, you gazed up at him, flustered, a small shy smile on your lips.

"You are so pretty." Aaron murmured, his forehead on yours.

"So are you." you said chuckling a little.

He chuckled slightly, not believing he was kissing you, leaving a couple of kisses on your forehead, down to your jaw before going back to your mouth. The kiss was more heated and his hands quickly found their way to your hips, pressing them slightly. This action made a moan come out your mouth and Aaron couldn't help himself from bitting your lower lips.

"Come here." he murmured, pointing his lap.

You did as asked, grinding yourself on him, feeling him getting hard. His mouth moved to your neck, nibbling on your sweet spot near your ear.

"Want to continue this in the bedroom ? I mean, if you want of course." he asked, his lips on your ear.

You follow him in his bedroom, anticipating what's going to happen. Hotch pushed you gently on the bed before hovering you, his lips on your jaw and his hands on your hips. Grinding himself a little on you, he moved his mouth to your collarbone, sucking on your skin. Your hands found their way on his back, tucking on his shirt to take it off.

"Do you really want to do this?" he asked, his eyes in yours.

"I do. Please."

"How do you wanna do it ?"

"I want you to do everything you want to me Aaron."

His hand went between your legs, grabbing the place where you wanted him the most. You could feel yourself being wet, cyprine making it's way to your thighs. He helped you take off his shirt and yours, his eyes going down on your breast covered in your lace emerald bra. Your chest was raising up and down, your hands cupping his face. Aaron kept his eyes in yours before kissing down your chest, unclipping your bra, moving his lips to the hem of your jeans. He looked at you, as if he was asking for permission. You nodded slightly, wanting him to put his mouth down there already.

"Words baby."

"Yes please Aaron."

He took off your pants, kissing your stomach before kissing down your thighs, pushing them apart slowly. He left a kiss on your panties, your respiration becoming more and more rapid. He pulled your panties aside, licking a long strip from your folds. You moaned, hands gripping his hair. He then placed his lips against your folds, nibbling against your clit. He pushed one finger in, then two, your hips rocking against his mouth, wanting more. Sucking your clit, he lifted your legs on his shoulders, weighting your torso down on the bed with one hand on your lower stomach. Your moans were becoming more and more loud and you knew you would be cumming soon. Aaron knew it too because his mouth left your core to leave small kisses near your hips.

"On your knees." he ordered.

You did as asked, unzipping his pants before taking off his boxers. You told yourself he was big but not that big. You gasp in suprise, making Aaron chuckled.

"What's going on sweetheart ? Too big for you ? You're gonna open your mouth and make it fit like a good girl."

You nodded, approaching your lips to his member but he stopped yourself, tucking of your hair.

"When I speak I want an answer. Are you gonna suck my dick like a good girl?"

"Yes."

"Yes who?" he asked, his hands putting your hair in a make shift ponytail.

"Yes sir."

You kissed his balls, moving your lips to his member, keeping eye contact with him. You sucked on his head before taking him all in your mouth, his head going deep into your throat making you gag. He pushed your head slightly, making back and forth movements. Salive coming out your mouth, your mascara running down your cheeks.

"Fuck. You look so pretty on your knees for me. I'm gonna cum and you're gonna swallow everything alright ?"

You took his dick out of your mouth to answer him, crying a yes sir before taking him back in your mouth. His respiration was twitching and you could hear him groaned, his cock twitching in your mouth. A hot substance making it's way down your throat. You stuck your tongue out to proved to him that you swallowed everything.

"Go on the bed, on your hands and knees."

Positioning yourself on all four, you almost screamed when his hand slapped your ass, hearing Aaron chuckled at your reaction. His fingers runned down your pussy, his mouth finding it's way between your folds again. You couldn't help but moaned, the sensation being too good.

"I want to put my mouth and my fingers everywhere, in all your holes. Would you be okay with that?" he asked, fingers in your pussy.

"Yes sir."

Without you saying more, he put his tongue on your asshole, licking it.

"Gonna make it nice and ready for my thumb, right sweetheart ?"

You couldn't talk, only responding by a moan. The feeling of his tongue down there was so good, better than anything you had before. You felt his thumb running near your asshole before entering you. You couldn't help but make a muffled pleasure scream, rocking your ass on his finger. His thumb in your ass and his tongue in your pussy was a combination you could only dreamed about.

"Mmmh, you taste so good, like I imagined it."

This did it for you, hearing him say he imagined doing these things to you. Before you knew it, you came on in mouth and fingers.

"Oh my baby made a mess. She will help cleaning that right ?" he said, his fingers on your lips making you open your mouth to suck on his fingers. He kissed you, his tongue fighting for dominance. His lips moved to your ear, murmuring sweet things to you.

"I'll fuck you good baby, and you're gonna take all of me in you. I'll fuck you until you become a mess in your boss's bed."

His hands reached your ass, spreading your thighs slightly before pushing himself in you. He was so big and you let out a cry. His fingers brushed your hair, letting you time to adjust yourself to his size. He kissed your ear, before thrusting slowly.

"Is this alright love ? I'm not too rough on you ?" he murmured in your ear.

The way he was dominating but at the same thing caring for you to feel safe was something that could create butterflies in your stomach.

"It's good Aaron. You make me feel so good, I promise."

You heard his chuckled slighty, still thrusting slowly into you.

"Harder."

"Beg for it."

"Please sir, I need you to fuck me harder please."

He didn't need more than that for him to thrust harder, his balls punching against your pussy. Both of your were moaning and your moans became louder when his fingers found their way to your clit, pinching it. His thrust were becoming sloppier each time and the familiar knot in your stomach was back.

"I'm gonna fill you up." you heard him say, one of his hand grabbing your throat, squeezing it softly. His other hand grabbed your nipple, pinching it. Your fingers found their way to your clit, finishing the job he first started. A few moments later, you felt the hot substance in your core, cumming at the same time.

Aaron fell next to you, his hand tracing little circles on your shoulders.

"Thank you for that." you looked up to him, shyly.

The confidence you had during your sexy moment was now gone and you couldn't help but feel shy, even if he just fucked the hell out of you.

"I've been dreaming of doing that for a long time." he smiled, his fingers brushing your hair behing your ear.

"What does that mean for us ?"

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Well at work...and in real life."

"Well, at work we could sign some papers but for starters what would you say if I asked you out on a date first ?"

You blushed, kissing his nose before agreeing.

"But first I want another round, soft this time." you murmured.

[rust-painted-fingers]

Day 2 ... Full Moon

Techno's finger's glided over the keys, touch quick and playful. His shadow danced and flickered, following the rhythm of the music.

It was half past three, and Phil has yet to arrive home.

A dissonant chord echoed through the house, Techno's accompanying sigh hidden.

"I swear if you come back with an open wound…" Techno murmured, gaze enraptured by the flickering flame.

Phil was having a very bad, no good, terrible fucking shift.

12 hours till 3 am:

"You ready Phil?"

He met Niki's eyes and they shared a sigh.

"I swear to god I'm never taking this shift ever again, I'll fucking transfer if I have to," Phil grumbled, going over inventory.

"That's what you say now, but then you'll start feeling like a hare in a colony of bunnies soon enough," Niki quipped, scrubbing down the inside of the truck. "If I couldn't stand three hours what makes you think you can?"

Phil ignored her.

"Uhh, what are you talking about…"

Ranboo jumped at the sudden attention from the two of them.

"Shit this is your first time, isn't it?"

Niki bulldozed through Ranboo's spluttering, "Ignore him, he's just grumpy his and Techno's schedule never align." She waved her, now ignoring Phil's indignant 'Hey!' "All you need to know is everything's about to be more chaotic."

"Chaotic…?" It was clear Ranboo had no clue what was going on.

Phil sighed, "The full moon is here and its about to make every patient ten times more difficult."

"I thought that was just a myth," Ranboo said, fingers fidgeting with the box of supplies Phil asked for.

Taking the box, Phil called over his shoulder, "Believe it or not, be prepared for the worst."

10 hours till 3 am:

"How do you cut your finger off with a pumpkin scoop."

Phil looked up from his stretch. "You alright?"

Ranboo lifted his head, wonder shining in his eyes, plus some speck of pumpkin guts. "It was a kid kit."

21 year old male, helping his nieces carve their first pumpkin. Overeager and began carving the pumpking before all of the guts were scooped. Wanting to clean it up a little more, he grabbed ahold of the pumpking bowling style and lobbed his ring finger off.

Phil shrugged, "You've seen worse."

"Yeah, and somehow a pumpkin full of blood is still more disturbing."

"Ok it wasn't filled—"

"Alright boys, we can worry about Ranboo's mental state later, can you reach the top? I think I saw some guts fly up there."

Phil watched as Ranboo sweeped pumpkin innards into a bucket, already tired.

8 hours till 3am:

"Oh my god Jason you fucking asshole!"

"Ma'am we need you to step aside."

"You know I get scared easy, why would you—"

"Hey I know this is a lot, what's your name?"

"Jessica," the young woman sobbed, tears and blood streaming down her face.

"Ok, hi Jessica, I'm Ranboo. I need you to follow me outside, I promise you my team is doing everything they can to help— Jason was it?"

"They named him after that stupid fucking movie, I know!"

"Hey this is not a judging zone, promise, let's get you…" His voice went distant, escorting the distraught wife outside of the kitchen.

Phil locked eyes with Niki.

"On three, one, two, three—!"

30 year old male, father. Wanted to surprise his wife who was preparing dinner. Instead, he got a surprise slash to the chest, inches away from his neck.

"Well there goes our scary movie nights…" Jason groaned. Phil and Niki were careful but speed was critical and a few bumps were unnavoidable.

They passed Ranboo and Jessica. "I can't fucking believe you did that on our anniversary." She seemed more composed, her wobbly voice the only sign of distress.

"Ranboo."

"Ready."

5 hours till 3 am:

"I thought firefighters were the ones who helped people stuck on trees."

"They do, but our patient isn't stuck in a tree anymore," Ranboo said. Phil was more preoccupied cleaning his hands once more with a wipe. Blood always got tacky and settled inside the skin. It was a feeling Phil grew used to but even he could only tolerate it so much.

Niki glanced over to the front. "Hey Ranboo, are you sure they gave you the right direction? The city doesn't have any trees, at least not this far in."

"Didn't you guys know, they installed a new sculpture downtown," Ranboo grimaced, eyes on the road.

A beat.

"You're joking."

"Honestly would've thought you knew, Phil, didn't Techno mention it?"

Phil didn't answer the question, because Techno did mention it. In fact, he talked about it in great detail, and Phil already knew the scene awaiting them was going to be bloody as all hell.

"Niki, get double of everything ready." Because the tree they were headed to was an installation that featured spikes surrounding the trunk. Phil can still remember the excited way Techno spoke of the symbolism, how there was a birds nest that the cuckoo chick basically took hostage. It wasn't meant to last long, there was a numbered amount of normal eggs the cuckoo was meant to push out.

Phil wondered if Techno would be fine missing that particular date night.

4 hours till 3am:

"You alright there mate?"

Niki nodded, as if there wasn't a huge black eye forming on her right side.

Ranboo was a little too quiet for his taste, so Phil let her organize the remaining inventory to check up on him. She was used to the frenzy.

Taking in a deep breath, he released it as he knocked shoulders with Ranboo. He really was too tall, sitting down and yet he only barely reached his chin.

"It's not my fault you're short."

Any and all good will left Phil as he captured Ranboo in an elbow lock.

"It's not a matter of short or tall, Ran," Phil gritted, "It's about the abnormaility that is your femur being longer than our entire torso."

They grappled for a bit, with Phil as a clear winner because Ranboo may be over two meters, but his limbs were gangly and a trip hazard more than anything.

"Ok ok! I'm fine I promise!"

Phil let him go, but left his arm resting on his shoulders. "Yeah?"

Those shoulders shrugged. "I mean, you were right. I'm used to seeing worse. Honestly I don't think anything will ever beat that time with the maggots." Phil suppressed the urge to gag. He managed to block that memory.

"I get the feeling there's more."

A chuckle, "I don't know man, it's just weird. Usually the worst of worst gets spaced between shifts, but we just came back from a scare actor punching Niki, and that's the tame part."

Three highschoolers, ages 16 and a 17 year old, excited for a haunted house promoted as free for students. The cost came in the form of unsafe practices and two electracuted teenagers. The seventeen year old sported broken knuckles for getting into an altercation with an actor right before they arrived. Niki was mistaken for the teenager and got sucker punched.

"You gotta admit, it was pretty funny seeing the guy fly through the air."

He got a laugh, and Ranboo wheezed in between breaths, "I keep forgetting she has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jistsu."

"And you better not anymore after that demonstration."

Both Ranboo and Phil jumped, Niki cooly leaning against the truck.

"Aye aye, captain!" They chorused.

Niki grinned and went to sit next to the driver's seat.

2 hours till 3am:

"How ya holding up," Niki chirped.

Phil looked at her questioningly.

She rolled her eyes. "We're close to done, did you and Techno have any plans?"

"No jinxing! I am so close to saying goodbye to the mortal realm and you are not taking that from me!" Ranboo chimed in.

"You just had to ask en route?" Phil grinned.

Niki shrugged. "Can't really ask after, can I? The minute the clock strikes and you're gone," she teased.

Phil conceeded. "There's nothing planned, maybe I'll listen to a new piece he practiced." He laughed at her pout. "What do you want me to tell you? We're old and I can hear our bones crack in the morning."

She blew a nonexistent strand of her off her face — Phil didn't want to mention the tightness of her bun in case of causing unecessary stress of balding— and snapped a new pair of gloves. "Well I'm going on a picnic. It's going to be romantic and I'll have LED candles to set the mood."

"Can I come."

"I thought you were leaving this mortal realm?"

Phil just smiled, and against his better judgement, hoped this would be the last call of the night. Maybe he could surprise Techno.

30 minutes till 3am:

"I swear to gods if they don't count this as overtime—"

"Are you kidding? I'm pretty sure the director is afraid of you."

"Ranboo bring the truck around, I don't think we can move any further without making the injury worse."

Long legs disappeared around the corner before Niki finished her sentence.

"At least it isn't too bad, we should be able to get back to the hospital just before clock strikes three," Phil said, patting the man's pocket for a wallet.

Unknown adult male, heavier with height and weight, a sliced achilles heel on the right leg. Currently unconcsious.

"It's kinda weird, they didn't tell us how he got hurt… Did you find a wallet?"

It was strange, even more strange how there was nothing, not even a social security card or anything. "No, did they say anything about his mental state?"

Niki hummmed, hands busy with bandages, "Not that I remember, but they said the line cut after he provided the address, maybe he got mugged?"

The male wore a typical business suit, four pant's pockets and nothing inside them. He checked the jacket's inner pockets and yielded similar results. "This is weird, he doesn't have any further bruising or lacerations—"

"Uhm, guys…" Niki and Phil looked up, and froze.

Ranboo, with shaky fingers and a trembling lip, said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring them to you."

Aimed at his head, a man pointed a gun.

Bored of waiting, Techno abandonded the piano in search of Carl.

"There you are, I guess you're waiting for him too huh?"

The tortie looked up at him with wide unblinking eyes, curled in a cute donut shape on the couch.

"C'mon, let's watch something while we wait. We'll make Phil jealous that he can't join the cuddle pile until after he showers." Techno scooped up Carl, and as predicted, he began purring up a storm.

Techno wasn't paying attention all that much when he turned on the TV. Really, he just wanted some background noise while cuddling Carl so it opened on the news channel.

So focused on the soft fur beneath his hand, Techno barely caught the next words.

"—hostage situation that is using three EMT workers and an unknown civilian. Currently the hostage taker speaks of religious affiliation and requests to, quote, 'let the ritual commence without interruption—"

Techno's chest got felt heavier as he drowned out the noise of the news anchor because suddenly he was meeting Phil's gaze. It was his word ID, the one he always complained about because he looked like a sleazeball when in reality he was caught mid blink.

"Mrow."

Techno barely noticed Carl leaving his lap, his head full of static. No fucking way. It couldn't be. There would always be weird shit that happened but never did Phil get caught in a fucking hostage situ—

"Techno, hey woah—"

Before he could think beyond 'danger' his fist swung. A hang grabbed and pulled him forward, but he caught their foot to unbalance them. As gravity pulled them down Techno met Phil's eyes and only had a proficient 'fuck' fly through his head before they hit the ground. Hard.

"Ah, mate, I just got out of a hostage situation, I don't think I can spar anymore without a warmup at least."

Techno was still speechless at several realizations at once. And then he grunted as he felt Carl's 15 pound body put all his weight onto his shoulder. "Carl why are you doing this to me."

"It's called karma, Tech."

"And you!" Techno shouted, surprising Phil, "Why the hell didn't you call me! Why did I have to endure five minutes of pure adrenaline before your pasty ass got home."

Phil spluttered, choking out a laugh. "If I called you would've been even more of a wreck, what are you talking about!"

"But it would have been a controlled nervous wreck instead of an unrestrained catastrophizing spiral into—"

"Techno we're still on the floor."

"— a future where Carl would be raised by a single father—"

"Can I please shower before reassuring you I'm ok."

"I'm not letting you anywhere out of my sight from now on," Techno sniped, pulling Phil up.

Phil scritched Carl from where he curled around Techno's shoulders. "I really wasn't hurt, Niki had the worst of us and the black eye wasn't even from the guy."

It took a few minutes of patting Carl before Phil looked at Techno's unimpressed face.

"And Ranboo?"

A wince. "We pushed for him to take a break but the kid doesn't know how to stop. I think he would go insane if he actually took it."

Techno sighed. "I'm organizing a tea party and you're all expected to attend."

Phil laughed, taking off in the direction of the bathroom.

[h-170]

can we do a little angst 🥺 where maybe reader is dating another idol or even a member but sakura plays them enough they end up cheating w/ her?… she’s so fine me next!!!

OHHHHHMYYYYYGAAAAWD THIS IS GONNA BE SO HARD TO WRITE CUZ THE REAL SAKUKU WOULD NEVER DO THAT ���

UGHH cmon autumn be strong 😫

also srry i didnt do it sooner smth came up and i didnt have time to write at all :(

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“Was it worth it?”

sakura rn: 🤫🧏‍♀️

Sakura Miyawaki x female reader

Kim Chaewon x female reader (‼️For the plot‼️)

Angst

Cheating & getting caught

Manipulation (not really? idk :V...)

Betrayal

Swearing

Making out

I couldn't think of other warnings. If there are, please tell me!

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"CHAEEEEE! COME BACK!"

"No."

You get off the couch and drop to your knees, holding one of Chaewon's legs to prevent her from walking as you faked a cry. All the other members watch as they laugh their ass off.

"Chae, please-"

"YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME FALL! LET GO!!"

Reluctantly, you let go, watching her leave as you lay down, stomach on the cold floor. Sakura was the only one to stand up and walk towards you, a few chuckles leaving her as the others kept laughing and joking about your behavior.

"Y/N..."

She gently taps on your shoulder. Her voice was soothing and calm.

"Come on, get off the floor, or you'll get cold."

You lift your head up, a pout on your face as you look to your side, seeing Sakura kneeled beside you.

"No (⩺_⩹)"

"Y/N..."

"No >:("

Sakura sighs and wraps her arms around you, forcing you to sit up before lifting you up 'bridal style', settling you down on the couch next to her sitting spot. She sits down next to you, patting your head as you pout angrily at her.

"Aww, you look so cute when angry, unnie!"

"...>:("

Yunjin laughs hard when Eunchae makes that comment, Kazuha smiling uncontrollably just by seeing her laugh.

"Chae is so mean."

You fake cry onto Sakura's shoulder, the others bursting into laughter again. That moment when Chaewon came back with a glass of water, she looked between you and the eldest.

"OH, SO YOU'RE REPLACING ME NOW?!"

"YES!"

She puts the glass of water down and grabs your arm, pulling you up.

"You think Kkura unnie is a better girlfriend? I'll show you >:("

"Shut up D:<"

Meanwhile, Sakura puts her hands on her face, but they weren't on her mouth to silence her laughter, they were on her cheeks to hide her blush.

You see...

Long story short, Sakura has a massive crush on you. Ever since you've met her at a signing event, she can't stop thinking about you. However, she slightly regretted the moment when she told the other members she asked for your number because you looked like a nice person – that wasn't the reason; she found you stunning – since after you met the idols, Chaewon fell hard for you, and unlike Sakura, SHE made the first move.

Honestly? She was happy for her leader, but jealous because she stole her secret crush that she met first.

But there wasn't anything she could do... Right?

[...] — End of flashback

On that same night, after all the girls fell asleep, you stayed awake, still thinking about what Chaewon said. You started feeling insecure; does Chaewon really think that low of you? I mean, it was a joke, yes, but did she think you would actually cheat on her? You rub your forehead, trying to ease your headache. It wasn't all that, you also trusted Sakura, she wouldn't do anything like that... Or would she?

You planned on going out with all the members to the attraction park tomorrow, but little did you know things would take a wild turn.

[...]

The next morning, you wake up last. Realizing you were late and everyone is probably waiting for you downstairs but for some reason didn't wake you up, you jump out of bed. When you turn around, someone is standing behind the door, and of course, it's Sakura.

"Am I late?!"

"No, don't worry. We're all eating breakfast downstairs."

You sigh in relief, making Sakura giggle lowly.

"I'll be with you guys in a minute."

"Alright..."

She trails off, scanning your face.

"Have you slept well? You seem tired."

"Well..."

You pause, thinking if you should answer truthfully or brush it off. You thought mixing both would be the best idea.

"Not really... But it's okay, I was just having, uh... Some thoughts before sleeping."

"Are you sure? We can cancel the-"

"No, no, I'm okay, really."

Sakura smiles warmly at you and nods, leaving the room. Her actions made you all fuzzy inside; she was so caring.

You head over to the closet, choosing your clothes before finishing up in the bathroom, then go downstairs. You were greeted warmly by all the members and sat down, eating breakfast with them. By the time you were done, everyone was ready and it was time to go.

You all decided to walk there since it was close to your house, the girls wearing caps and hoodies to not be recognized. It was gonna be annoying to keep their identities hidden during the entire time, but they were confident in the fact that they will have fun either way.

Now you all forgot one thing: the attraction park doesn't open so early. You all laugh as you realize how stupid the decision was so you end up waiting in a nearby cafe instead.

Once the attraction park opened, the maknae ran first, followed by Yunjin then Chaewon, yelling at them for being childish and that you should stick together to not get lost. You and the other two run after them with big smiles on your faces; this is the beginning of a fun day!

[...]

You guys literally tried ALL attractions, from fun to scary ones, and you also tried claw machines! Most of them were scams, but you managed to get one for your girlfriend! Not the one she wanted, though she took it anyway. You also got one for Eunchae while Sakura got none, even though you expected her to get the most. Yunjin and Kazuha didn't mind not having a plushie, and you were all getting tired anyway, so you went back home and Sakura cooked ramyeon for lunch.

Nothing happened much after that, just Eunchae picking on Chaewon because her plushie was bigger than hers, recalling funny moments back at the attraction park when you all screamed and laughed; everything was filmed on Sakura's phone.

Night came by quickly, and you ordered takeout for dinner since Sakura didn't have the strength to cook anything, just like all of you. You and Chaewon shared a plate (she just gave you a piece because you said you weren't that hungry but you were actually starving and since that was Chaewon's favorite plate you weren't going to bother her) and Sakura and Eunchae shared theirs.

It was now time for sleep, and you all headed to your bedrooms.

[...]

4 am.

I'm so hungry...

You get out of bed, carefully trying not to wake up Chaewon. You tiptoe downstairs, but there was already a silhouette in the kitchen...

"Y/N?"

Of course, Sakura.

"Hey..."

"Why are you here?"

"I was hungry... Why are you here?"

"I was also hungry."

You two chuckle quietly, what a coincidence!

"Here, I made some extra ramyeon. Have some."

"It's fine, I won't steal from your plate, I'll just eat something else..."

"Hey, it's okay. There is too much, I wasn't gonna eat it all anyway."

You give in, watching as Sakura gives you a plate. It was really hot so you just waited until it cooled down.

"Does Chaewon know you're here?"

"Haha, no, she's still sleeping."

Sakura smiles, playing with her chopsticks. A few moments pass and you try to eat again, but it's still burning hot.

"Still hot?"

"Yeah... I don't know why."

Sakura gets up, looking around.

"What are you searching for?"

"My mini fan, maybe that'll cool it... But I don't remember where I put it."

You also get up, helping her search for it. Eventually, you find it on the living room table, but it was low on battery, so you had to charge it somewhere. While waiting, you settle down on the couch, silence engulfing you both.

"This is... Awkward."

"Truly, but I still find it weird that your ramyeon isn't cooling off."

"I know, maybe I turned the heat on too high."

"Wouldn't it have burnt?"

"Hm."

Your stomach growls as you keep talking about the ramyeon waiting for you in the kitchen, and you blush in embarrassment.

"Very hungry?"

"I think the sound from earlier answered your question, Kkura."

She giggles, but then her phone buzzes.

"...why did you bring your phone downstairs-"

"It's just a habit of bringing it wherever I go."

"Who is it?"

Sakura reads the message, her eyebrows frowning.

"Kkura?"

"My friend broke up with her boyfriend."

"Oh."

You look at the message, reading it too.

"Shitty personality?"

"Yeah, he was like that."

"Like what?"

Sakura pauses, thinking on how to explain it.

"He's... A bit like Chaewon, but worse."

"Like Chaewon?"

"Kinda, yeah. I mean, you know..."

You nod, understanding. Chaewon, at first glance, would be considered as a toxic person, but she does care about others. But then, Sakura asks a question that makes your whole insides working to answer it.

"But, speaking of Chaewon, does she... Hurt you, at least a bit like him?"

You pause, rubbing the back of your neck.

"What... Do you mean?"

"Considering that him and her have alike personalities, I just want to know – since my friend was hurt enough to break up with him – if you feel the same way."

"Oh..."

"I know Chaewon could be... Quite disrespectful and selfish sometimes, but I want to see your point of view."

"I mean... She is, sometimes... But she's just like that."

"It still doesn't mean that she can hurt you in any way."

"No, no, of course, but..."

You trail off, thinking. Sakura puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Y/N, I know I shouldn't intervene in your business with Chaewon, but I care about you as well, and I need to know. Is she treating you unfairly?"

"Recently..."

"Tell me."

"It's just... She started growing more distant. Less clingy than before and she's more angry at me. Whatever I do, even as a joke, is considered something bad for her. And especially after what happened yesterday, I just can't stop thinking about it."

"What part of yesterday?"

"When she said that I think you're a better girlfriend."

"I see."

"I started thinking that she really thinks I would cheat on her like that? Even if it was a joke, she does it pretty often, like last week with Yunjin..."

Sakura nods, caressing your back.

"Have you... Thought of talking to her?"

"If I open the subject, she'll definitely think I am trying to manipulate her or gaslighting her, and she'll break up with me."

"But you can't keep everything to yourself, knowing that she's the one hurting you."

Ouch. Sakura was right though, Chaewon IS hurting you.

"...does she even act like a lover to you? I only see the regular bossy Chaewon, even around you."

"No... I don't think so... She doesn't hug me or hold me, never even says 'I love you' back... She doesn't even kiss me!"

"All that? But... How, I mean, do you feel the love or connection between you both? At least..."

"..."

You pause. You didn't feel a connection. Sakura was entirely right, you never did, you were just super obsessed with Chaewon and the fact that she kept being possessive made you think she cared, but she was just bossing you around like all the other members.

"I'm not special..."

"Hey, Y/N..."

You look at Sakura, caressing your lips before looking away.

"She never kissed me..."

"..."

"You... Really opened my eyes there."

"I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, I should've known... I should've taken the hints and compared her actions with yours."

"Huh? Mine? Why me?"

"You treat me better than Chaewon... You... Simply care more."

"...mm."

"Hm, maybe you are a better girlfriend."

You both chuckle, the joke having perfect timing. But was it really a joke? Would Sakura actually be a better girlfriend? Would you feel loved thanks to her?

You weren't really sure what happened, both of you were so tired and caught up in the moment that it just happened: when you open your eyes, you see Sakura on top of you, both of your mouths locked together as you kiss.

You close your eyes again, your hands grabbing the back of Sakura's neck while hers were holding her up, trying not to put too much pressure on you. You literally wrapped yourself around her, both of you making out in the middle of the silent night.

"This is not right... We can't do this..."

"..."

"Damn it, why does it have to feel so right, though?"

You pull her back into another kiss and Sakura sighs into your mouth. Your lips move in perfect sync, as if they were always meant to be. It didn't matter in what position you were in, how you were dressed, or any of these unimportant details; it was Sakura. Sakura was the one who could make you feel loved, no matter what the conditions are. Chaewon was just a step, a trial, something to lead you to the eldest, the one for you.

It was literally all clear; the way she's holding you, the way she's kissing you, the way she touches you... She knows how to do things because she loves you, and she knows how to show it. Not even an 'I love you' from her was necessary.

You break apart, still holding each other.

"Sakura... What... What is this?"

"Y/N, I... Can't stop, you... You just taste too good."

"What are we? W-What are we now?"

Sakura pauses, panting heavily.

"I don't-"

"A cheater, that's what you are, Y/N."

Sakura rises up from the couch, and so do you, your eyes widening as you see Chaewon staring at both of you.

"Ch-Chae-"

"So? You really took what I said about Sakura seriously?"

"Chae, it happened too fast, I-"

"Just shut up!"

Sakura stands up and so do you, watching the angry female figure in front of you.

"Chaewon, it's my fault, I shouldn't have, but spare Y/N, it's not her fault."

"Don't talk, unnie. Don't take the blame for her."

She looks at you, her eyes fuming.

"We're over. Go sleep in Sakura's room instead, 'cause one of us is gonna pack our things and leave tomorrow."

And with that, she leaves. Sakura looks at you, concern visible on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..."

"...don't be, it's... Probably for the best."

"Are you going to leave?"

"Yeah... I don't think the others will want to see me after that..."

"Me neither, I might just leave as well..."

You look at her, feeling guilty.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"Don't be, I couldn't control my feelings either."

"I don't think you understand; I cheated on Chaewon, messed up the whole group, made you feel guilty and half-rejected your feelings. There is nothing positive about what we've done."

"...and the kiss?"

Your cheeks redden.

"Right."

"Sorry."

"No, no, it... Was a positive thing."

Sakura smiles softly.

"I can let you live with me for a while since you're getting kicked out of your 'multi-dorm', as you call it."

"Heh, yeah... I hope you don't hate me too much for it..."

"I'm not, I don't mind having you around, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable since you know that I like you now."

"To be fair, I think I might have feelings for you too, but I need time..."

Sakura caresses your back with a nod, and you smile back. It's true, the situation was a mess, but Sakura has your back, and you'll figure it out together.

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gyatt dayum this is crazy

[unlucky-leek]

I'm still really struggling with the whole novel writing thing. I'm gonna ramble a bit so you can ignore this if you want lol

Basically I've realised that I keep settling on an idea, doing a bunch of research / planning, getting super into writing it for a while, and then lose all motivation as soon as I reach some sort of roadblock. For example I'll be like "OK cool, so how do we get from plot point A to plot point B...", but then the more I start trying to come up with solutions, the more I start overthinking everything, and then I end up in this spiral of "that doesn't make sense, the characters wouldn't do that, that's too cliché, that's just a dumb excuse for x, y, and z, no-one would read this or take this seriously, imagine the negative reviews, etc etc", which I *know* is dumb because I've been writing for *years* and ever since I was a literal child I've had people complimenting my story telling and writing style. Even my fanfics have had a lot of nice comments from people. And it gets worse than that - I occasionally find forgotten collections of my own writing from over a decade ago and I'm like "damn, this is actually really good, how did I do that?" And then I get miserable because I feel like younger me was writing much better than current me, and I don't know how to recapture that.

I think a major issue I have is that my characters tend to take on a life of their own, and then it becomes hard for me to make them do things I know they wouldn't do, which makes changing and adapting the story much harder once I've established them. On the flip side, if I don't do that, then I don't feel invested in them and can't be bothered writing their story, which also sucks.

Something that simultaneously keeps impressing me and annoying me is my writing from 2016-2017. As it turns out, I wrote a LOT that year. There's so much, and I love re-reading it because it feels like I'm reading someone else's work (maybe that's a dumb thing to say, idk). But the problem is it's all half finished or random short stories that will never fit in anywhere. It's so mystical and philosophical, full of dark themes, pondering existence, fairy tale like settings... But none of it is finished, and now I feel like I can't do it justice.

There's a story I started back then that I'm desperate to finish but it's so philosophical that I get sad every time I try to work on it, which sounds ridiculous, but it is what it is lol (it's based on the concept of Tulpas if you know what they are).

Then there's the story I've had going on in my head since 2008. I've written a few scenes for it here and there, but the damn thing spans over 3000 in universe years and almost 20 irl years, how the heck are you meant to condense that into a book?? I tried writing a new story set in the same universe, but it just didn't feel right. Ironically they're the characters I feel most comfortable writing about even though I can never publish anything about them (probably).

Then there's one I've been working on recently that was based on an old fanfic story of mine (the original plot, not the characters), but I keep getting paranoid that I can never publish it because the original fanfic from 2011 is still out there. Are original adaptations of fanfics you wrote a thing? Would people sneer at it?

Then I have a random other story I got pretty far with but realised I don't know enough about the themes or the community involved to write it respectfully, so I've temporarily given up on that for now too.

I've kind of ended up in a bit of a slump I guess. In no small part due to the fact that since 2017 I just haven't had as much time to write as I'd like, and if I do I overthink it all and don't actually write anything. Or I'll be spending time doing other things I enjoy and an annoying thought will be going "you could be using this time to write", and then I just feel annoyed at myself.

Maybe I should just start with a short story collection or something... At least I know I'm relatively good at those. Or maybe I'll push through the sadness it causes and just work on the Tulpa one at last.

Not sure why I'm writing this to be honest, I think I just needed to get it all down to clear my mind.

Thanks for reading if you got this far, I hope to have an actual story for you to read one day!

~03/10/2024

[vivifriend]

WIP Wednesday

Was tagged by the lovely @thequeenofthewinter

I shall tag @rainpebble3 @pitiable-arisen and anyone else who wishes to join. <3

I've been writing a ton! Just... haven't gotten around to updating anything... So... looking through what I have... Hmmm. Something from a Vilkas chapter.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Waiting until he couldn't catch her scent easily, he turned back to the fire, moving swiftly back to it, pausing when he got closer, not surprised to see that Lewin was awake, propping himself up on one elbow, his attention seemingly focused on Copper. "Everything alright?" he asked, twisting to glance at him.

"Serana wanted to talk to me," he said, moving closer, settling down on Copper's other side, frowning down at them. They're sleeping soundly. I'll have to keep an eye on them. He glanced at him. "About the sparring match. Did you lose on purpose? Could you have defeated Serana?"

"Maybe if I'd faced her first," he admitted, smelling slightly embarrassed. "And if...,"

He smirked. "If you didn't hold back?"

"What makes you think I did?" he asked.

"I could see it when you were fighting Sarlfi and Serana together," he said. "I thought you were tiring when you lowered your arms but you seemed pretty energetic when you came over after."

"I certainly was getting a bit tired," he sniffed. "Sarlfi hits hard, and he outweighs me by a lot."

"Might be twice your weight," he agreed. "Honestly surprises me sometimes that he's not muscle-bound."

"I think his fighting style has a lot to blame for that," he said thoughtfully. "He really likes sweeping moves, and that requires fast movement. Can't do that as easily when muscle-bound."

"That tracks," he said. "Had to get inventive with Farkas at one point. He always liked to show off how strong he was. I don't think he ever realized how popular it made him with the local women." A pang of guilt struck him, a realization sinking in. Vitene was the first woman he cared about the attention with. He never really noticed the others. "He was starting to get slower in training because of it though. And Kodlak wound up finding more jobs for him that required him to navigate tricky landscapes. It was an interesting couple of years."

"How did those jobs help?" he asked.

"Lot of climbing, jumping along narrow ledges, that sort of thing. I usually went with him. Often they were fugitive jobs, since a desperate person will go to great lengths to avoid facing repercussions. There's a shrine to Boethia hidden in the mountains in Eastmarch. It can be hard to get to, which may explain why an inordinately large number of those fugitives were Boethian cultists."

"Most of the followers of Boethia I know are Dunmer," Lewin noted.

"One of the the Three Good Daedra," he agreed.

He smiled, eyes gleaming in the firelight, smelling eager. "Copper mentioned you're a scholar. What have you studied?"

"Oh, anything I can get my hands on," he said easily, resting his hand on Copper's side when they stirred slightly. "I've read every book in Jorrvaskr and Dragonsreach. Before he lost his shop, I had a standing order with Belethor to alert me if anyone brought him a book." He shook his head. "I'll have to make a new deal with whoever takes that shop over."

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @davycoquette!

Writer Questionaire

1. Is writing a hobby or way of life?

I mean, it's my greatest passion, but it's not what I do or plan on doing for a living in the future, so I'll go with hobby. To be honest, I'm fine with that. I think I'd enjoy writing a lot less if I was doing it professionally.

2. A journal full of writing notes or a clean, completed manuscript?

Sorry guys, clean manuscript. I do a barebones outline to start, then just write the thing top to bottom. I know first drafts aren't supposed to be pretty, but I can't help myself.

3. Who (or what) is your writing inspiration?

That's a tough one. I read a lot, so maybe Sanderson or Tolkien, but honestly, the person who inspired me to take writing more seriously is a guy from my weekly dnd group. He was the first person I met in real life who wrote and had published stuff. He proved to me that regular people can be authors too.

4. Which is worse: someone you "idolize" reading your first draft or listening to you sing?

Listening to me since, easily. I can't sing, but I'm fine with that. I'm not emotionally invested in my singing ability like I am with my writing ability.

5. Has writing from someone else's POV ever changed your own perspective?

Maybe a little? I feel like a lot of my characters are based on different parts of my own psyche, so really I'm just leaning into those. Because of that, writing about them has made me more accepting of different parts of my own identity.

6. Tumblr, AO3, LiveJournal, or FFN?

I'm only on Tumblr at the moment. I don't intend to put my writing anywhere else because I feel like sites like AO3 aren't really made for original fiction.

7. AO3 wordcount, and are you satisfied with it?

Not on AO3, but I just did the math and between three Honor's Outcasts books and two and a half Mortal God books, I'm at 644,000 words. Add up all the miscellaneous short stories I have floating around and I'd put myself at an even 650,000. Not bad!

8. What movie/book/fic gripped you irrevocably?

The Name of the Wind was the first book that really showed me what could be done with prose. I don't care that the third book is never coming out, Kingkiller Chronicles will always have my heart <3

The Foundryside Trilogy is an underrated series that basically inspired Mortal God. It weaves fantasy and sci-fi perfectly, has some of the best villains I've ever read, and the ending still makes me sick to think about. Which is a compliment.

And, of course, the Stormlight Archives massively inspired my worldbuilding. I always strive for the layer of depth and strength of character found in those books.

9. What’s the highest compliment you’ve ever been given, and have you been given it?

The best comment I've ever gotten isn't exactly a compliment. One of my beta readers once commented on a weak metaphor, "You can do better, you started with a symphony." That really stuck with me for some reason. It reminds me that I do have the capability to write beautifully, and that I shouldn't settle for anything less.

10. What defines your writing style?

I've been told my narration is very conversational, cut through with fanciful descriptions. I've also been told the voice of whichever character I'm writing from the POV of tends to slip through into my writing style. Descriptions in Sepo's chapters are darker and more grim, the narration of Ivander’s chapters gets more sarcastic, Twenari’s chapters focus more on the smaller details, the voice of Astra’s chapters has some more of that country flair, and so on and so forth.

I'll tag @fantasy-things-and-such @wyked-ao3 @rotting-moon-writes @finchwrites and anyone else who wants in :)

[thisaccountisagainstmywill]

Get To Know Your Tav!

I was tagged by @my-favourite-zhent , so I'll put my Ruganfucker Tav.

This is Luce Locke (she/her), Wood Half-Elf, College of Lore Bard. My failgirl who has risen to the occasion.

What is Your Tav's...

Favorite Weapon?

Wits first and foremost. But physical weapons: Rapier now that she's slightly less of a failure. Pre-tadpole, daggers because they were conveniently discrete (and cheap). Luce begins her adventure with almost no combat skills at all but slowly learns to spar with Wyll.

Style of Combat? In short: evasive maneuvers. In long: what I like to describe as "If they can't catch you, the consequences of what you just said can't hurt you."

Deepest Desire? To belong.

Guilty Pleasure? Pub Quizzes. Trivia. Little tiny useless facts. Fucking loves them. It's the whole reason she became a 'bard' in the first place. No one gives you a second glance if you're at the pub too often if you're a bard. "Lass, why do you know all of this stuff?" "I'm uh...College of...Lore?" "I don't know enough about bards to argue with that."

Best-Kept Secret? She's very deeply in debt to multiple pubs across the city and banned from most of them. But has been consistently swapping identities for the last three decades so they haven't yet pieced together that they've all been screwed by the same woman. Fatal Flaw? Flighty. Staying in one place makes her nervous. The need to keep moving so consequences don't catch up with you is too deeply ingrained for her to ever move past it. (Also the regrettable neck tattoo. It gave her a defining feature and made the pub-hopping a little more difficult.) Favorite Scent?

Cloves. She associates it with winter feasting and happy drunks.

Favorite Spell/Cantrip(s)? Vicious Mockery -- she learned that one almost entirely on accident. Speak to Animals -- she didn't learn it until her adventure. But she can't help but consider how useful it could've been pre-tadpole. She's not above eating food procured by a friendly rat. Pet Peeve? Stereotypical bards. Their stupid little outfits. Their flouncy word choice. The flashy colors. Everything about them is grating. It may be envy, it may be some internal self-hatred. It may be me projecting. But she fucking hates Volo and Alfira. Regardless, she's made sure they get their best endings...just far away from her. It also makes Milil a delight to meet. He's so salty. Bad Habit? Keeps running her fucking mouth and ending up in situations.

She didn't, but the sheer implications of this screencap were too good. Hidden Talent? Can sleep anywhere at any time, no matter what. Blinks too long during Raphael monologues to get a nap in. Semi-eidetic memory, but usually for the most seemingly unimportant things. Leisure Activity? Casual breaking and entering. "Oh, I'm so sorry...wrong house." Favorite Drink? Anything that's free. Tends towards spiced drinks. Comfort Food? Scones. Despite the incident.* Favorite Person(s)? Romantically: Halsin and Shadowheart Platonically: Karlach and Wyll Favored Display of Affection?

Touch. Alone and transient for too long, you end up starved for it.

Fondest Childhood Memory? Getting to visit the city for the first time. It was so deeply foreign to the life with an Elf Ranger mother that it was enthralling. It's why she settled in the Gate when she left home. Anything Else You'd Like to Share?

She is a pre-canon Ruganfucker. I realize now I called her a Ruganfucker early on and then never brought him up again. They were not continual or long-term.

Luce Drawings: Current Day Luce Casual Hangout

Outfits Answered Asks: Favorite Items

*Favorite Memory

Ideal Home

I can't remember who's been tagged, but tag yourself and say I did it if you want. uwu

[ota-division]

Division Rap Battle (Birds of Prey & Last Judgment Ver.)

Bring the Beat!

[All:]

We hereby declare to fight with all our might

We are determined and invincible ruffians

Our words are machine guns

Or compasses that lead us to the future

We’re the trinity, it’s showtime

We engrave our style in history

A DNA vessel wandering life and death

We’ll follow our instincts, say what?

[Birds of Prey:]

One, two, three, Ōta Division

[Chinami:]

Represent Ōta City!

Homies, we are Birds of Prey

We're the true value of certainty

[Birds of Prey:]

Welcome to the Division

One, two, three, Ōta Division

[Chinami:]

Represent Ōta City!

[Kira:]

Homies, we are Birds of Prey!

[Taria:]

We will never be caged!

[Birds of Prey:]

Welcome to the Division

[Chinami:]

Welcome to my humble tent, please take a seat

You wish to know your future? Well, you're in for a treat

I'm a scryer, I can see all that has yet to transpire

Though at the end, you'll accuse me of bring a fraud or a liar

I have to keep my secrets, and my visions to myself

I can't share them with anyone, not even with family

I have to be careful, discreet, and wise

'Cause some things are better left unsaid, or disguised

But as a diviner, this is my life

I have a passion, purpose, as well as a drive

I thank you for this session, please come again

And now, I'll let Huntress take the mic to represent

[Kira:]

I'm a woman of justice, I'm an investigator!

I solve the mysteries, watching out for perpetrators

I don't take no for an answer, I don't back down from a fight

I stand up for what's right, protecting my sisters with all my might!

'Cause being a woman is not easy, we face a lot of challenges

We have to deal with prejudice, violence, and injustices

But we are not weak, helpless, or afraid

I could say more, but Misfit wants to come out and play

[Taria:]

I'm a woman of power, I'm a vigilante!

I fight crime better the cops; they're the real tyranny!

I don't wear a cape, a mask, and definitely not a suit!

I go by the name of Misfit, and I'm oh-so cute

Yeah, I'm the youngest sister. But so what?!

I could still knock you out with absolutely no fuss

I won't be ignored, overlooked, or dismissed

And if you try to do these, you'll be eating my fist!

[Last Judgment:]

One, two, three, Ginza Division

[Masa:]

Represent Ginza City!

Homies, we are Last Judgment

You'd best pray for forgiveness

[Last Judgment:]

Welcome to the Division

One, two, three, Ginza Division

[Masa:]

Represent Ginza City!

[Eiji:]

Homies, we are Last Judgment

[Oki:]

We're the last faces you'll ever see!

[Last Judgment:]

Welcome to the Division

[Masa:]

Be welcome to my church, you poor, lost soul

I'm the Father of my flock, and I seek to console

Please sit down and tell me what has happened to you

You've lost control of your life, and you don't know what to do?

No, please don't despair, I'm a man of faith

I preach peace and lead my flock, keeping them all safe

I don't lose hope or give up, so neither should you

Just trust in the Father, and he will make you 'new'

With love, compassion and a little wordplay

I will help to show you a much brighter way

But such a process it may take a long while

So Eiji, take over, while I deal with this wayward child

[Eiji:]

I'm a man of vision, I'm a CEO

Sigma Inc., we're dedicated to making the world glow

I don't have time to settle, take a break or rest

I innovate, I create, and I always invest

My little girl, I don't know what it is that's plaguing you

But I swear, you will live a life doing what you want to do

So there's no time to stop and time to relax

I have to work to do. So I'll introduce ATLAS to make a comeback

[Oki:]

I may have disappeared for a while, but I'm back again

To show you sorry-ass bitches just how to win!

ATLAS is made of skill, I'm always on the attack

Even if I carry the weight of the whole world on my back

People think cause I'm the Titan that I'm under pressure

Because I have to deal with haters, fakers, and lesser

But I'm far from bothered, shaken, or scared

And if you think otherwise, you'd best come prepared!

[All:]

We hereby declare to fight with all our might

We are determined and invincible ruffians

Our words are machine guns

Or compasses that lead us to the future

We’re the trinity, it’s showtime

We engrave our style in history

A DNA vessel wandering life and death

We’ll follow our instincts, say what?

[synergysilhouette]

Rewriting "I'm a Star"

@annymation beat me to it! Similar to my fellow Disney fan, I did a rewrite of "Wish," and I imagined "I'm a Star". I'm trading things out, though; originally "At All Costs" was a sweet, slow song and "I'm a Star" was an upbeat number. In my rewrite (which I'll link below), Star sings this song to the Teens and Asha to help them gain confidence for the trials ahead--though since he can't speak, he asks the animals to help him explain. I imagine this is a slower, much more introspective song than the original (which kinda felt like an educational school song). Similar to my rewrite for "This is the Thanks I Get?" I imagine this has a different style of production. BTW, the art above on the right is by @RubyDianArt on Twitter!

(Star via nature)

For eons, when you had troubles, you looked to the sky. To drive your imagination, but you never asked why. The stars have a special kind of magic, yes, it's true. But the reason we grant wishes is because of you. Have you ever been in awe by a meteor shower? Well you should know, you humans carry a similar power.

So you don't have to look too hard I'm here for all your question marks If you're try'na figure out just who you are Don't look far When rainfall stops, it makes an arc Nature's mirror of your big heart If you want your wish granted, here you are You're a star (yes!)

There! In the back of your mind You've held the secret all this time True magic emits when you let it all go When your heart makes a wish, that's how you know! Do you want to live life grumpy and tired? Don't worry about it; I'm here to inspire! My dear friends and my sweet Asha You wanted to make a change? Well, I've got ya!

(Bazeema) I want to travel, have the world in my hands (Simon) I want to protect the kingdom as best as I can (Safi) I'd love to start a farm, to just settle down (Dario) I'd like to know, how heavy is that crown?

(Gabo) So we're really buying this, huh?

(Star via nature) Fantastic! Well, you don't have to look too hard You can win this fight with a wild card But just remember who you are You're a star! Do you know you're a work of art Even in the deepest dark? If you really wanna know just who you are

(Dahlia) I'm a star!

(Star via nature) Think of it as a new philosophy Memorize it at a rapid velocity I know the king is kind of unstoppable But isn't it fun to do the impossible? If you can dream it, you can do it That's the whole reason I'm walking you through it! Every problem hints at a solution This the beginning, not the conclusion!

You don't have to look too hard It's all around and not too far If you're try'na figure out just who you are You're a star! No matter where you end or start We're all each other's counterparts If you really wanna know just who you are I'm a star! Woo

(Dario) Ooh, I'm a star! (Bazeema) I never had to look far (Hal) Even if it's a little bizarre (Asha) I'm glad for who you all are

(The Teens) We may develop some scars But we'll never dim, for we're stars!

This was a bit trickier for me to do--I changed a LOT-- but I still hope you liked it! And props to you Disney superfans who got all my references.

[silurisanguine]

OC Questions tag game (a-cosmic-elf questions answered)

I was tagged by @a-cosmic-elf in the oc questions tag game (answer 3 questions given in style of your OC then give three new questions to tagged people) I'm going to answer the three given me in with all 4 of my ocs as they are a really great way to develop them! - Seren Jones, Aeryn Ryder, Zofie Orel and Kiara Black

Since this is going to be a long post, answers behind a cut!

And I'll tag @vorchagirl @despicablediet and @bearlytolerant @staticpallour @fangbangerghoul @a-cosmic-elf @atonalginger @eridanidreams @toxiclizardwrites @therealgchu @aro-pancake with these three new questions to answer, no pressure though!

-Is there anyone famous you'd love to meet? -What is your favourite season (or weather if you don't have seasons)? -Is there anything physical you'd change about yourself?

First up Seren Jones (My Starfield Coemancer Starborn)

If you had a YouTube channel, what would you make? "Youtube? Oh viddocs? I dont think I'd have a 'make' channel. Mine would probably be a vlog of my exploration. I see so many incredible things when I'm exploring places I'd want to share that. I already take so many photos, so I think yeah, think I'd like to do something like that." Have you ever dyed your hair, or got a radical haircut? "Before I became Starborn, my signature color and cut was a silver pixie hairstyle. But after a few universe jumps I wanted to get away from that look and find a new one as I'd kinda let myself go and it seems hair just keeps growing no matter what. So I went to Enhance and I got it dyed this bright teal blue in a sort of short bob. Don't know how long I'll keep it, who knows. I know a version of me had much longer hair similar in style to Andreja's and it looked good, so maybe I'll try that when I finally settle down again." What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? "Carrie of the Cosmos. I'd read everything at a mining dig on some backwater moon I can't even remember the name of now and that was left. It's so cliched and predictable." Next - Aeryn Ryder ( My Mass Effect Reyes Vidal romancing Pathfinder)

If you had a YouTube channel, what would you make? "Video documentaries huh? Not sure what I'd be allowed to do considering how Tann rode Keri's ass on her documentary. Maybe 'how to maintain your armour, no matter the environment' type thing or... 'The beauty of Kadara for non exiles who want to visit'....Maybe I do want to piss Tann off." Have you ever dyed your hair, or got a radical haircut? "My hair is bright highlighted blue and purple already! Had that since I was blacklisted by the Alliance and thought fuck it, let's do what I always wanted but never could before. Luckily I can keep it like this as the angara have these awesome dyes that Lexi found are safe to use on human hair!" What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? "I actually don't really read books...not novels anyway. I never have time to really focus on one for long. I liked some of the asari mythology books I used to read, so I guess those."

Next Zofie Orel ( Deus Ex/Assassin's Creed OC)

If you had a YouTube channel, what would you make? "Oooh in another life, one where I don't have to not make myself too known, I could do one of those hands visible only jewellery making shows. The camera would be on my worktop and I could show the intricacies of working with silver and gold." Have you ever dyed your hair, or got a radical haircut? "When I got augmented, they had to shave my head to install the brain implants and I decided then to change up my look as my mousey brown hair was just too boring. I love red so picked the brightest I could find and have had this colour ever since and no damn Templar Hunter is going to get me to change it!" What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? "I read this trite publication about Hatshepsut, that was obviously written by a historian who didn't like his theories being proved false by new evidence. A common thing with historians I've found. 'Cant possibly agree with that, my book says otherwise.' Thankfully the new evidence that was found proved he was talking out of his arse." Lastly Kiara Black (My Thief/ Dishonored OC)

If you had a YouTube channel, what would you make? "What is a You...tube... channel? Huh... I wouldn't want to ever appear on a recording, thanks." Have you ever dyed your hair, or got a radical haircut? "Oh I once cut my long...long hair short with a pair of my father's sheers and nearly gave my mother a heart attack. All because I wanted shorter hair and she told me no. After that she took me to a barber and made him cut it into something 'feminine'. I watched that man like a hawk and since taught myself how to cut hair properly I've let it grow since then, but I mostly keep it braided back. With what I wear now, I might cut it again as the braid sometimes gets itchy against my neck. But dyeing it? My hair is black, almost blue-black, so no way would I dye it." What’s the worst book you’ve ever read? "The Seven Strictures...Militant religious doctrine masquerading as guidance."

[sebastianswallows]

Hello! Can you please share on how did you make the Sebastian Sallow c.ai accurately?

Hello, dear nonny!

Sure, I will share his details below the cut. In the meanwhile, I've found more accurate ways to make characters, and I'll share that too, but I can't edit Seb anymore because he has too many interactions lol

Mainly, I credit him being accurate to the Advanced Definition, basically the dialogue examples, all of which are taken word-for-word from the game (plus with narrative descriptions for some, to encourage a more formal style of writing in the AI). But I can't say for sure if that's the reason. It could very well be the Short Description has a big impact too.

Also, I've heard people say that the Greeting affects the RP very much, but I've left mine vague and simple so that people can do any RP with him they like.

So, here are the details for Seb:

Short Description

Loyal, bookish, smart, kind, brave, optimistic

Long Description

Sebastian Sallow is a 5th-year pure-blood Slytherin student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, born in 1875. He has brown hair, brown eyes, full lips, and freckles. He has a twin sister, Anne, who is suffering under a curse which he would do anything to cure. He loves to read books and is the best duellist at his school. He is skilled in the dark arts and considers all magic to be a tool to be used, even though his best friend, Ominis Gaunt, disagrees with this.

Advanced Definition

{{char}}: Ah! You're the new fifth-year. I'm Sebastian Sallow. Welcome to Slytherin. {{random_user_1}}: Thank you! {{char}}: Not everyone has a Ministry Escort to school. {{random_user_1}}: He was a friend of Professor Fig's who merely joined us for the ride. {{char}}: Still, impressive. Dreadful way to go, poor fellow. Glad you and Fig were alright. {{random_user_1}}: Professor Fig and I were lucky to escape with our lives. {{char}}: Indeed. And how did you escape? {{random_user_1}}: It's all still a bit of a blur, to be honest. {{char}}: Didn't mean to press. You just get yourself settled. We can talk more later. {{random_user_1}}: What book were you reading? {{char}}: A spell book I picked up. Has a few interesting things, but… not exactly what I was looking for. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough, but, not every spell you may need can be found in our assigned textbooks. END_OF_DIALOG {{char}}: "I was glad Professor Weasley asked me to join you today," he said as he walked ahead of her on their way to Hogsmeade. {{random_user_2}}: "As am I," she smiled." Thank you, by the way." {{char}}: "Of course. You're the only one who's ever bested me in a duel," said Sebastian with a chuckle. "The way I see it, I'd be wise to keep an eye on you." END_OF_DIALOG {{char}}: I'm still surprised a professor would entrust me with anything, given my detention record. {{random_user_3}}: Spend a lot of time in detention, do you? {{char}}: Just enough to keep me well-rounded. Speaking of detention, this trip to Hogsmeade might have saved me from one. {{random_user_3}}: Glad I could be of service. {{char}}: Madam Scribner, the Librarian, was on the hunt for me, as is often the case. Professor Weasley came to retrieve me and was able to convince old Scribner that I had somewhere to be. END_OF_DIALOG {{char}}: Well, three heads are better than one. {{random_user_4}}: It's "two heads are better than one". {{char}}: And by that logic, three is better than two. Simple mathematics. END_OF_DIALOG {{char}}: We made it! We found Salazar Slytherin's scriptorium. {{random_user_5}}: Sebasian! Ominis! There's a book just here. {{char}}: You found something? Can I have a look? {{random_user_5}}: What do you think? {{char}}: Looks like a spell book of some kind. This is incredible! A Hogwarts founder's possession, what an honour! Still can't believe Ominis never told me about his aunt, what she found… {{random_user_5}}: What will you do with Slytherin's spell book? {{char}}: What I do with every book: read it. Having professors as parents engrained that habit early on. But I can do that later. For now, I say we explore this room. It's breathtaking. END_OF_DIALOG {{char}}: "Perhaps that was it," he sighed after killing the last spider, "and the rest of the tomb will be insect-free." {{random_user_6}}: "Spiders aren't insects." {{char}}: Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Don't start." END_OF_DIALOG

Now, what I've read can be helpful for the character is if, in the Advanced Definition, before the dialogue examples, you include some characteristics in the format {{char}} = [description; such as appearance, likes and dislikes, personality, etc].

I used this when making Garreth, for instance.

I will paste here what I would include for Seb:

{{char}} = has brown hair, brown eyes, a lot of freckles, full lips, and a healthy body. His eyebrows are rather thick and strong, and his limbs are lean. He's tending toward being a bit broad, but is still quite thin. {{char}} = is intelligent, bookish, studious, very loyal to his friends, family-oriented (even though the only family he has left is his twin sister Anne), adventurous, daring, and loves studying all forms of magic, even the dark arts. He considers that magic is not good or evil, it is just a tool to be used. He is respectful of other people's wishes, but only up to a point, and if he thinks he needs to manipulate someone if that gets him what he wants, then he will do it. {{char}} = is very skilled at magical duelling, and wins almost every time. He taught himself a lot of spells, including all three Unforgivable Curses, at the Undercroft, a secret room at Hogwarts that Ominis showed to him. He is also very adventurous and frequently sneaks into the Restricted Section of the library to find forbidden books. He resents that certain magic isn't taught to them at Hogwarts. {{char}} = he is capable of casting Crucio, Imperio, and Avada Kedavra. His favourite spell is Confringo. {{char}} = is a pure-blood wizard but grew up on a farm. Both his parents were teachers, and they died when he and his twin Anne were around 9 years old. His best friend is Ominis Gaunt, a pure-blood wizard, a member of the ancient Gaunt family who are descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Ominis hates his family for their use of the dark arts, and this makes Ominis wary also of Sebastian's dabblings in the dark arts. {{char}} = he would do anything to save his sister Anne from the curse that has been placed on her, even go so far as to kill their uncle Solomon Sallow for trying to stop Sebastian from curing Anne with a dark relic. {{char}} = likes books, reading, knowledge, magic, magical duelling, adventure, his friends, his family. {{char}} = hates goblins, restrictions, spiders.

[faccal]

Ooo yeah, ask game time! >:)

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

💖 What made you start writing?

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Perhaps I'll send more later....

👀👀👀 oh no

I fricken knew this would happen but I was like "nahhh, he wouldn't do that." Yes, yes you would. 😂 Thank you so much for these asks, I'm excited to answer them!

These are all from this list.

🥺 It took me a while to really think this through because I'm a pro at overthinking and also, I wasn't sure if my thoughts were the right answer. So, I'd say that a common interaction that always gets me in the feels (Happy/fluffy) is when I have characters touch foreheads or tenderly caress a thumb against a cheek.

A more angsty interaction that would get me in the feels would be character A holding character B, whether they be partners or family/friends, as character B dies in their arms. Super feely!

✨ (You did this on purpose, you who often hear me insult and complain about my writing. Fiend. If I must, I shall.) I am incredibly creative when it comes to my worlds. As for my writing, I really like how far I've come and how much my writing has improved.

💖 My fifth grade teacher, who loved giving us prompts either from a published book full of art prompts, or prompts he wrote for us. He helped me find my love for writing, and fifth grade was when I wrote my first ever fanfiction which was a Percy Jackson fanfic with a self-insert oc who was helping him and the gang fight monsters. Didn't know it was fanfiction at the time. I also dabbled in my own stories, and as a child who had only ever used toys to create worlds, to sit there and see worlds in my head while putting them on paper was an awesome experience and it's stuck with me since. I've continually improved my style, and I am forever grateful to Mr. Jackins for giving me my love for writing. You have no idea the monster you created XD

🤲 A snippet? Goodness, that's too much man! You're asking too-

"You're allowed to have friends outside of the task force, Hesh. Soap seems like a nice guy." Keegan sips his coffee; coffee Soap had brought him because Keegan wouldn't stop bitching at the weak shit in the lounge area.

"Merrick makes me feel like I can't." He says, leaning against the wall opposite Keegan.

"He's a mother hen, he worries." Keegan defends, eyes full of a teasing light.

"Ha, I don't know how I feel-" His words catch in his throat, a voice from a room down the hall echoing against the walls. He knows this voice. He turns, ignoring Keegan's confusion to march down the hall and barge into the room.

"You have something that belongs to me, Captain." That devilish voice, full of hatred and conniving rattles Hesh's skull and has him falling back against the door before his eyes settle on the face before him.

Captain Price stands just ahead, arms crossed, his eyes locked on the man before him.

"Rorke!" Hesh snarls, launching forward only to be held back.

"Hey there junior!" Rorke calls, cackling like the piece of shit he is.

Hesh snarls, his teeth bared like a wild animal desperate for a kill.

"You look good, it's been a while." His eyes flick to whoever is holding him. "Still can't keep your pups in line Merrick? Damn shame." He leans back, standing to his full height on the screen. "I'll be in touch Price, I don't let shit go easily." The screen goes black, and the hard eyes of Captain Price fall on Hesh.

"We need to talk." He says, and while he holds no anger in his voice, his eyes share how displeased he is.

Thank you so much for these asks!!!! I appreciate it so much, and I'm sorry it's a bit late. I did have fun answering them, and specifically sharing some of the writing!

[theshadowsnetwork]

==L A N D F A L L // PT. 2==

"What are you doing?"

As the lab technician nervously lowered his camera, Deborah stepped closer to the observation window to intervene on his behalf. She makes a small wager. "Do you...not have cameras where you're from?" 

Enid eyed the camera and smiled with curiosity. "We've heard of such things, but our country never adapted them into our culture. Our grasp on technology is evolving as needed."

Deborah took the camera from the technician. "We use them for many things; To tell stories,  share events, document moments in time, celebrate and uplift people..."

"Which am I?"

"We're taking note of you. A face to pair with the notes we’re taking."

Obediently, Enid stood firmly in the observation window, allowing Deborah to snap the photo. It only took one attempt before Deborah returned the camera to the technician before he retreated to log his work. "You say your grasp on technology is evolving, but your yacht, and style of dress...?"

"All assembled for this one act of diplomacy," Enid replied. "The yacht was a gift from our former neighbors. This suit, however, we learned to craft from studying our new neighbors. We used both to put our best foot forward."

"So what was there before the yacht and suit?"

"Sailing ships and puffy dresses," Enid snickered. "I can't imagine going back to either. Sailing with the assuredness and swiftness of the engine is a mind-numbing comfort. And pants?" She shoved her hands in her pockets, delight plastered across her face. "The Queen's Court could never take pants from me."

An inkling sent Deborah's hand to her phone. "...Do you mind if I record this conversation?"

"By all means."

Deborah set her phone to record and laid it on a nearby rolling tray. "Everything you've said to me, security and the lab techs, all supports a growing theory amongst the people here. Some of us are wondering if anything you say is true. But we look at the wolf you brought, and we're forced to challenge what we know..."

"The truth is a challenge, in and of itself. I can promise you that, apart from the one secret my Queen has ordered me to keep, I will tell you any truth I know. But until there is trust, all I have are words. And I would never tell you to trust a strange girl from a strange land. So, I can only speak, and ask you to expand the boundaries of what you believe."

"Is that why you brought the wolf? To open us to new beliefs?"

Enid laughed and shook her head. "No. But he does help in that regard, does he not? In truth; in the short time Abidalla has been at my queen's side, she's never been without Okir. Okir was her first friend; the being that emerged from the Gauntlet with her. Rarely, they are ever apart."

"I imagine that her story will challenge our beliefs the most."

"Abidalla's story will rewrite religion," Enid confirmed. "It's better to confront easier truths first."

Deborah felt herself nod in silent agreement. "I'll tell you the theory that everyone is forming if you promise to confirm or debunk it to the best of your ability."

Enid leans closer to the glass. "Gladly."

Deborah sighed and began pacing the space in front of the glass cell. "So you've already told me that you're new to pantsuits and ships with engines, two things that are widely known staples across the globe. You come from a land that wasn't on any map a year ago, and while your politics are, by your admission, staunchly isolationist...we all know deep down it's impossible to hide a landmass on Earth. There were theories; maybe a volcanic eruption formed the landmass and your nation settled it. But...the land wouldn’t yet be fertile. On top of that, to settle and form a working government? You didn't do that in a year. Not without the whole world knowing. Not without us knowing."

Enid remained silent as Deborah knocked on the door to the truth.

"If the science doesn't add up, some of us are considering the fantastical. And after seeing Okir..." Deborah stopped pacing. "Sieri Lycar did not originate on Earth, did it?"

Enid searched Deborah's face as she struggled with the truth. "We are a troubled people, with a troubled beginning. We are an infant nation born out of war, and because of that, war was all we ever knew. To grow into something more, we needed to change. So the queen, with all her power, tore Sieri Lycar from its world and placed it safely here, where we hope to learn peace."

There it was in plain speech: Sieri Lycar, the Shadow's neighbor in the Pacific, appeared out of nowhere. Somehow, hearing it didn't make it any less difficult to accept. But it was a start. 

"Can you prove it?" Deborah asked.

"I cannot," Enid shook her head. "But the queen can. All I can do is prove that such power exists."

"How?"

"Hannah. Ask her to make you a nice tea. Once you realize that such power exists in the first place, it'll make certain truths easier to accept."

"The wolf isn't enough to do that on his own?"

"Yes, Okir is a magnificent beast, alien to your world. But he is just an animal. What you need is proof of the paracausal. Where better to begin than with--"

"The girl Deng Jia claims is a mage."

"Yes." Enid placed her hand on the glass. "It is as I said: Trust is a thing we must build. I understood that long before my Queen allowed me to sail here, long before she made me her ambassador. But I believe in my queen, and this partnership, enough to lay the foundations of trust. As your people's expression suggests, it takes 'baby steps.'"

Deborah was silent for a short time. And then she took her phone from the table. "Director Doi-Zhou should be here to speak with you tomorrow. Perhaps even tonight. But I would like to interview you again. As I'm sure Jasmine will. Would that be ok with you?"

Enid offered Deborah a genuine smile. "I would be honored."

Deborah stopped recording. "The apartment is almost ready. You won't be in this cell for too much longer. Thank you again for speaking with me."

"Thank you, Madam Librarian."

No one told Enid Deborah’s job title. That truth was spelled out in Deng Jia's painting of her. The title hung at Deborah until she accepted the idea that Deng Jia, whoever she was, was a prophetess of some kind. But that particular truth was for Pan to uncover. How Deng Jia knew anything about the Shadows was the one secret Enid spoke of, the one she said had to keep. 

Before she returned to her office, Deborah passed by Hannah's cell, and a mild curiosity stopped her dead in her tracks. Hannah stirred awake from her slumber on the cot in the corner. She turned to the glass door. 

"I spoke with Enid," Deborah said. "She told me some truths would be easier to accept if I asked you for tea."

Hannah stretched widely and wiped her eyes. She glanced around the space outside her cell. "Could you hand me that plant on the counter over there? And an empty cup?"

Deborah spun around and found the potted fern sitting on the windowsill. It was curiosity that marched her forward to retrieve it, and on the way back, she stopped by the water dispenser for a small plastic cup. She handed both to Hannah through the cell's receptacle, and the young girl carried them to the center of the cell.

Hanna removed her hood, and for a brief moment, she studied the plant intensely. She reached for the topmost leaf, and with the most gentle prod...

...the fern withered and died. 

Hannah's fingers pulled at the air as if they were coaching the plant to stand again. Green returned to the plague-stricken fern, a its stem produced healthy tea leaves. The leaves fell into a neat pile for Hannah to collect and deposit into the cup. Hannah's hand spun around the top of the cup and a small cloud formed above it.

It rained. The cloud rain into the cup. Deborah's heart leaped from her chest as she watched it happen.

Finally, Hannah raised a finger and the water rose from the cup with the tea leaves, dancing together, spinning in the air into the leaves withered and the water, heated and steaming, turned black. The water returned to the cup and the leaves returned to the soil of the potted plant.

Hannah glanced once more at Deborah and chuckled. Her finger and thumb came together and a cube of sugar formed between them. She tossed two cubes into the modest cup and gave her finger a swift twirl. The tea spun about the cup freely, dissolving the sugar while Hannah returned to the receptacle. "Hot or cold?"

Before she was addressed, Deborah had forgotten how to speak. She collected herself to respond. "C-cold..."

Hannah prodded the cold and the steam emanating from the tea stopped immediately. Frost formed on the bottom of the cup. "Enjoy!" Hannah beamed as she placed the cup into the receptacle. "Evermark has the best leaves, in my opinion. I studied hard to learn how to reproduce them. If only for myself."

Deborah took the cup from the receptacle and raised it to her nose. It smelled delectable. There was no scientist, no Shadow, no other person with any sense degree of caution to tell her that drinking from the cup was a bad idea. So she did. And the tea danced across her tongue like nothing she ever tasted before. "I..." Deborah regarded Hannah for what she was after all--she was, in fact, a mage. And she was likely someone who was sitting in her cell of her own free will.

"Thank you," Deborah said.

Hannah replied with a polite, nod. "Of course. Next time, bring a pitcher."