#make up obsession build your own palette

[headingalaxys-spicy]

So how about a Big county Y/n, Eventually Y/n is bigger than Russia 2x More bigger, they Have everything like everything, strong soldier like US, bigger army like China, and Powerful weapon like Russia, even happiest county like Finland [ btw i search it on google ] Dang like they can take The heck out of everyone, their most land or their whole country , even the yandere , so yandere!US, Yandere!Russia, Yandere!China, olso Yandere!Germany... So how would they react and act.. Eventually i am curious about this

- ⛩️ anon

While I can’t write a complete Mary Sue character (to me that archetype gets boring REAL quick) I think I did get pretty close. Afterall all good characters have some relatable weaknesses. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for your patience ⛩️ anon!

Yandere! America can go either way.

I can see him wanting to join you or plan out your demise. Depending on how many times you beat his ass in a war and how masochistic he feels like being will determine how he may just show up with a “treaty” that's rigged with a ton of caveats that make him seem that he’s in the position of the upper hand when he isn’t. The man's ego is being crushed right now, so go easy on him lol.

You absolutely get on him about some of the issues that he needs to handle, like health care and the quality of life for his citizens. Bro is definitely gritting his teeth and barring it but deep down he kinda just wants to be smoothed in hugs by you. Have you live with him and he lead but for now he can’t really think of a feasible way to do that.

He’ll actually become depressed that he isn’t number 1 in the world and will not show up for awhile. But trust me he’s been obsessively watching every video, news report, magazine cover, etc of you and your many successes. He’s even gone so far as to have some of his FBI agents go to your nation to see if it’s really as serene as the articles and stories make it to be and when they come back to confirm it. It makes him all the more depressed. Eventually, though he’ll come to the conclusion that the two of you should be married so that he can still seem like he’s the one on top. After all he has no intentions of allowing other superpowers like China or Russia to have you first. So the extent that after a few months of him being in a deep depressive haze. He’ll regain that vigor 100% concentrated on having you to himself. That also does mean that he’d go into some crazy war for you in a heated attempt at keep away.

Yandere! China knowledge really is power in his case along with wisdom

Since he’s mature and has seen the likes of this similar to Rome. He’s going to play it cool and not be rash. But on the inside, he’s contemplating how in the hell you got power like that in under the span of 100 years. He is going to do an in-depth analysis of your inception to your current-day success.

At meetings, he will make it a point to ALWAYS sit next to you he will either glare or bribe whoever dared to sit next to you with food, medicine, or better trade deals if they promise to NEVER sit next to you. That right is reserved for him and him alone. He will start building his relationship with you to see if he can extract extra information about your success and plan on if he can try to take you down and claim you for himself so that he can finally beat the likes of America and Russia altogether while having someone as lovely as yourself under his control. He will go out of his way to bring Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner to every conference doting on you and showing how versatile and refined his palette is. He will ask you your preferences and stick to them and they will be at the forefront of what he and his chiefs cook you for every meal. Eventually, he will get more intense by asking if you want to go shopping in Beijing, Sichuan Province, and Guangdong and dressing you in all of the trendiest fashions in China.

Since you tend to have no reason to fear for your own safety, your guard is down. After all, you’re the most powerful nation. But lacking the wisdom about some of the older nations' darker tendencies, you wouldn’t have anticipated that Yao began to poison your food. It’s not like it makes you vomit or anything, but you’ll be exhausted to the point where you’re unable to board a plane and would decide to stay with him for a while longer. After all, he’s being so kind and understanding.

Essentially what’s happened is that his Yandere tendencies have morphed into Munchausen Syndrom by proxy and you’ve fallen into his hands without you really taking notice of it. His wisdom, mixed with crazy yandere tendencies, wins this time.

Yandere! Germany being diplomatic is his forte

He’s definitely bought a few books on your culture, history, art, etc. He does keep track of all your happenings. He’s intrigued by how you were able to accomplish such feats in only the span of a century. He definitely admires your hard work and dedication to the improvement of your society and your people. And yes, he’s bought a book titled:

How to romance a (Insert Country Ethnicity here) for the hard-hearted German. Although learning from his mistakes in previous romance attempts, he does add some nuance and subtlety to his actions.

He’ll always allow you to have the opening comments in the world meetings and the closing comments. He loves hearing your lovely voice and will actively make sure that you have even more speaking time than America, China, and Russia. Blatantly showing his nepotism. He knows that he can score some points with you this way. He always has keynotes for you and what you need in his types up notes before every meeting and he will always ask if you need any help and if he can have some “private” side conversations with you about trade deals, alliances, and if his citizen s could be able to freely roam in your country if he gives you “x”. He’s extremely diplomatic in his attempts to woo you. Even though on the inside, he’s screaming, “Ja! Ja! I get to be closer to (Y/N) than anyone else!”

Slowly he will begin to pry on how you have advanced military technology and how you keep your secrets. He does have a secret notebook where he keeps track of all the things that make you successful and takes note of it. After all, you have to get to know your target well in order to take them down. However, once he figures out that taking you down would only have a 2% success margin he would move to trying to have a permanent alliance with you. So if he’s ever in a pinch, he can depend on his sweet (Y/N) to help him out, and in turn, he’ll be devoted to you in any way that you need.

Yandere! Russia just wants you to hold his hand dammit!

From the start, Russia won’t mince words: He wants to become one with you and you to become part of mother Russia. He’s the most direct about what he wants and he’s lived long enough to know that there are some bets you simply don’t take, and trying to be sneaky, wagging war, or trying to take you down from the underground will lead to issues in the future. So he will be forthcoming about his intense affection for you. After all why be afraid of him if he knows that you could already kick his ass? Heaven's sake, he even leaves his beloved metal pipe of pain at home. To show you that he is dedicated to becoming a good ally to you and that he just wants your attention and affection….

ALL OF IT. However, that does mean that he isn’t above being intimidating to others, particularly America, China, and Germany, during meetings. He tries to hold back that ominous dark aura that he has, and to some degree, it works because it does manage to evade your attention, and he’s able to concentrate it on whomever successfully managed to take the second seat beside you in meetings. (The four of them have managed to create a schedule on who gets to sit next to you and have all made a group chat lightly threatening not to sit next to you ever. All four of these nations understand that they can’t get into a hight level fight over you if they want to stay alive but also not have you intervene. Your disapproval of them in any way stabs them in the heart.) He does sit only about an inch away from you, and sometimes, his scarf will find its way around your neck on occasion in a loving manner.

“Oh, Y/N aren’t you cold, da? I can share my warmth with you.” If we're being honest, his behavior toward you is kinda cute.

He’ll always have some new draft of an alliance for you to look over, and with each attempt, he will bring in a bottle of your favorite booze, a large stuffed Russian polar bear, or other types of gifts. He’s trying to stay in your good graces while presenting himself as a gentleman. He’ll also offer to drive you back to your hotel or ask if you want to see a play with him or gaze at the nighttime sky. He will also take note of your interests and tailor his dates to that. Anything to keep you the hell away from the others. He also has a habit of grabbing your hand ‘by accident’ before the start of every meeting because he likes to feel your warmth. His motto in this scenario: “If you can’t beat them join them!”

[clambuoyance]

I really like your style. Was it intentionally designed, or did you just sort of fall into it over time?

I wouldnt say I intentionally designed it, as in I haven't sat down and Engineered a specific style, and instead it was more of me finding what I liked and wanted to incorporate into my style.

You could probably trace my style back to its influences. I used to draw really round shapes (I still do but like they were just ovals and circles...I guess i just like that shape) until I started watching How to Draw Anime tutorials in middleschool T-T (shoutout to Mark Crilley lol)

But when I first joined social media back in 2016, I found all these crazy artists with really unique styles that really influenced me. I was drawn towards artists like star_bite/prince_canary and rawrgyle/grassflu who have very dynamic expressions and character poses :0 (also they ended up working on a Batman and Superman project respectively and how wild is it that my icons from forever ago now work on projects aligned with my current interests!!!) And as you get exposed to different artists you get exposed to the many ways you can Draw things and along with your natural affinities towards certain things (such as me being attracted to Bright and Bold colors and Shaped styles) you kind of naturally build a style.

And part of that is also just having fun Trying things out? Sometimes I wouldnt even try to emulate their style as much as I tried to just...do what they were doing? As in making my ocs and putting them in fun poses, and doing color palette trends and such etc.

I hope that helped! If you're curious I can break down some of my style checkpoints over the years. As you can see there was still some major anime influence in my style back then when I first joined social media around 2015/2016

Around that time, I also discovered the fandom around the Cartoons popular at the time, so I drifted away from anime and drew things like gravity falls/steven universe/otgw etc etc so it got Rounder I guess. I really liked how stylized characters looked and got obsessed with Shape Language and assigning characters distinct Shapes (box vs triangle vs circle etc). I also read a lot of webcomics and stuff like that so those played a part I guess

And then around 2019 I saw more artists drawing anime fanart with really sharp angles, which was completely different but so cool to look at so I tried to incorporate more angles into my art. I still had that very cartoony style but tried to push the Sharpness a tad bit more if you can tell. (I think the name of the artist I liked was jeluto?)

I think around this time I also focused a lot more on color as well and did a lot of paintings then and whenever I did more Painterly stuff I tended to switch Styles into something Less Cartoony T-T

Then by 2020, I revamped my ocs, actually tried to break down and study my own style and how I would draw them, and my style kinda fell into a mix of round vs sharp edges I guess. I tried to give myself Rules which I would follow when stylizing a character to keep it more consistent and intentional.

Then in 2021 some of that Fun Part of stylizing characters into something more Cartoony kind of took a backseat as I focused more on Pose Work and Body Expression instead which I think helped a lot :0

And here's some recent stuff from the past year! Still very cartoony, but less so than 2016 I'd say, and still using really bold colors!! Still love my Soft Vs Hard angles B]

And overall have stronger pose work :) I'm sure my style will evolve as I learn more and experiment more, because one thing I want to focus on is backgrounds and environments :0

[pixies-and-poets]

Bramble’s Fanfic Collection

Hi friends!! I’ve been wanting to do this for a while: since I don’t, as of yet, post my work on AO3 or anywhere else besides here, I wanted to get together a collection of my writing. I will keep this post current, so if you are looking at this from a reblog, be aware that it might not be up to date unless you visit the original post!

This isn’t everything I’ve written in my life, of course, but it’s everything that lives here. I have much older stuff that I might port over here gradually if I decide I’m still happy with it. 

Nothing I write is too explicit, but it sometimes may deal with body horror, injury, death, and distressing themes such as depression and suicidal ideation. Content warnings are given on individual posts.

Fanfics are collected into general fandom categories below. Thanks to anyone who’s ever read, commented on and enjoyed my work!

Super Mario RPG

I first played SMRPG over half of my lifetime ago, but it never really captured my imagination until the remake came out. Being older, I felt like I was in a better spot to appreciate some of its more subtle themes, and became enamored with the Smithy Gang in particular. I haven't written all that much yet, but I'd like to do more.

The Forging - A Spear is born.

Smithy Gang Headcanons - My personal timeline and background from which I hope to eventually build more ideas.

Mack/Claymorton Headcanons

Mario + Rabbids

This is the fandom that brought me back to tumblr and got me to stick around, and also got me writing on my own again after ages of drought. Years ago I would have never believed that rabbids would get me to write so much, but here I am, and I’m grateful for it!

Most of these so far are about Woodrow and Palette Prime more generally, because that’s where my brain lives, and the catastrophe poet is very special to my heart. I’ll eventually branch out more though, I swear.

I write a bunch of Phandrow (Phantom x Woodrow) stuff specifically; it started out with me trying to justify a crackship to my own brain and then whoops! I became obsessed

Of Verses and Curses 

My magnum opus of fanfics, as of yet, and the longest work of fiction I have written independently in my life, this is a story of finding the person who loves you even if your passion in life seems to only bring failure and misfortune. It’s a deeply personal story built off a lot of my own feelings and struggles. It’s also a story about two gay rabbids who have never canonically met. [Phantom x Woodrow, also includes plenty of Dryad x Sweetlopek] 

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Music of the Night

The dark inverse to Of Verses and Curses, set in the Sparks of Despair AU created by @pastelprince18​, this is a far more upsetting tale of doomed love and unhappy endings. There is a monster at the end of this book.

(Body horror warning, especially at the end, so just be aware before you get invested.)

Chapter One - In Sleep He Sang to Me

Chapter Two - Do I Dream Again?

Chapter Three - Our Strange Duet

Chapter Four - To Glance Behind

Chapter Five - Those Who Have Seen Your Face

Chapter Six - Where Night is Blind

Chapter Seven - Angel of Music

Other Woodrow or Phandrow stuff

Bwahstrella’s Warning - an exploration of what might happen when you push the galaxy’s own disaster poet to the heights or the depths of his passion. [Phantom x Woodrow]

Poetry Slammed - Sweetlopek’s perspective of a certain boat incident. [Sweetlopek and Woodrow, platonic]

Happy Phandrow Things - not really a fanfic so much as a collection of thoughts/headcanons but they make me happy so they’re going here, gosh darnit!

The Eulogist - Woodrow necromancer AU. Not sure I need to say more than that. [character death and slight body horror warning]

Wolf of the Woods - An exploration of a Werewolf Woodrow AU! While not much in itself, people liked it; not only did it spearhead a lot of fun discussion/art, but it’s pretty much what got me writing again and therefore led to EVERYTHING above!

Unmerged - Not really a fic, but an exploration of an idea that makes me too sad to think about too much D:

An Appeal to the Heavens - In a time long past, a poor poet makes a desperate plea to the god he yearns to serve.

Pocket Poet, Part 1 | Part 2 - my one exploration of the Borrower AU: tiny Woodrow experiences the theatrical world of his lover, up close and personal.

Non-Woodrow Stuff (wtf, it DOES exist)

Something from Nothing - before we really knew what the Tower of Doooom was about, we had thoughts. Unhappy thoughts. [featuring Spawny and extra-evil Phantom]

M+R Timeline Analysis - Not a fic, but some background on how I view this universe.

Tools of the Traitors - A mini Super Paper Mario crossover between Kanya and Dimentio.

The High Seas AU

Sirens and Soliloquys - a pirate poet who bears a curse in secret is tempted by a siren's song, and gets more than he could have possibly imagined as a result.

Further worldbuilding and character background ideas for the AU!

Sea Legs - just a little more Phandrow silly sweetness

The Vampire [Phanpire?] AU

A Phandrow-centric AU that really speaks for itself, collaboratively created. Usually Phantom is the vampire and Woodrow his willing prey, but sometimes the roles are reversed, sometimes the ""victim"" is Prima Donna (Phantom's drag persona), sometimes they're both vampires- look, we like to have fun here.

As a general warning, pretty much anything in this collection will deal with blood and mild injury.

A Bite for Good Luck - my starting point for this AU, and its companion piece from Tom's perspective.

Burning Like The Sunrise - a little prequel to the above. A tale of passion at first bite.

One Paw in the Grave - Woodrow learns just how vulnerable a vampire can be.

Bat's Eye View - A vampire shows his beloved the world as he sees it.

Batsong - Lord Phan runs into misfortune; but thankfully, it's only of a rather amusing kind.

Various Vampire Phandrow Ideas: A Duet | The Lord's Protection | Thoughts on Sleep | Something More Than Blood | Nothing Wasted | Paeans to Prima Donna | Sacred Anatomy

Donkey Kong/Banjo-Kazooie/Rare-Playtonic Universe

A Donkey Kong’s World - this is a narrative record of the homebrew D&D campaign I was in, and includes elements from all of the things mentioned above, as well as Sea of Thieves and the Mario series. I’m including it here because not only was I involved as one of the characters, but I actually novelized most of the whole story (taking over from our DM who did the first few chapters) based on our session recordings. It was an extremely special experience for me, and is quite a long read, but if you’re a big fan of any of these franchises I think you might enjoy coming along with us. [Link is external and goes to the forum where the story is hosted.]

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (+ Bowser’s Minions)

These are years old, from before my tumblr hiatus, so they may not be quite up to my current standards... but I still like them.

Anamnesis - While Popple and Rookie plan their biggest heist yet, Rookie tries to remember who he is... and almost does.

Wallflower - In the quiet moments, Captain Shy Guy realizes just how much he cares about that silly Goomba... [Captain Shy Guy x Captain Goomba]

The Stolen Birthday - a little headcanon for a Popple backstory.

That’s all for now!!

[lonerwolfjay]

The Little Mermaid: Premiere Screening

On May 8th, 2023, I attended the premiere screening of Disney’s The Little Mermaid: Live Action and I’m here to share some of my thoughts. Just to be clear, I’m not here to spare anyone’s feelings and I could care less about how you perceive what I am about to tell you. These are my thoughts and my opinions and if you don’t like what I have to say, then that’s on you.

First off, I’ve been seeing other reviews that have said that this film is perfect. I’m here to disagree. The film wasn’t perfect. It definitely had its flaws. More specifically, the bland color palette and some pacing issues. But overall, I would say the the film was indeed enjoyable.

I can’t say that I’m 100% sold on the animals, however, they do emote and have their own unique personalities which is much more than I can say about that sorry excuse of a remake that was The Lion King.

My least favorite performance in this film would have to be Javier Bardem who plays King Triton. In almost all of his scenes, he only has one facial expression (I don’t think I saw him not frown once) and it comes off as very one dimensional. However, I have to give him credit where it’s due, he plays the overbearing father figure very, very well. And there is a scene where he gets a bit choked up when talking about Ariel’s mother, however, that’s pretty much the only scene where his character conveys any kind of emotion, that and at the end when he’s saying good-bye to Ariel as she leaves with Prince Eric.

The acting in this film is pretty decent. Melissa McCarthy definitely surprised me. I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts to play more villainous roles after this film.

Halle Bailey doesn’t act in this film. In just about all of her scenes, more specifically the fun ones, her persona on screen comes off as very natural and you can tell she’s just being herself. However, in the more serious scenes, it’s pretty apparent that drama isn’t her forte and that she’s still very green. But even still, it is somewhat believable.

Jonah Hauer King and Halle Bailey do have chemistry. While the trailers haven’t done a good job at showing really anything, it is there.

The land scenes look pretty dull. I don’t get why Disney’s become so obsessed with making their live actions look so stale. The Peter Pan and Wendy film that released last month had this same problem. But the difference between that movie and this movie was that this movie actually managed to push out a pretty decent story. The heart of the original tale was there.

Awkwafina as Scuttle was surprisingly hilarious.

Giving Ariel’s sisters new identities and letting them represent the seven seas, I got to say, was a genius move.

Newcomer, Jessica Alexander, delivers a chilling performance of Ursula’s human counterpart, Vanessa and quite frankly looks like she stepped right out of the animated film. I only wish she got to stick around a little longer.

I remember seeing all these articles about song changes that would be in the film. If there were song changes, they had to have been very minor because I didn’t even notice them.

The underwater world could be its own movie, quite frankly. While at times, the CGI was quite off putting, the world building that went into this film was quite impressive and in my opinion, that puts it at a bit ahead of the 1989 film. A bit. Not a lot.

A lot of audience members were in tears listening to Halle Bailey sing the new Part of Your World Reprise. Halle executed this scene beautifully and though it nearly took the entire movie, it was at this point that I finally came around to accepting the race-swap of the character Ariel. Trust me, I didn’t want to like this movie. I didn’t. In fact, I went in with the full intention of hating it. But after seeing it in its full capacity, I can definitely say that I was surprised by what I saw. I had my doubts, but Disney pulled it off. However, that shouldn’t suggest that Disney needs to start race-swapping all of their already established characters now. Don’t get me wrong. Halle Bailey did deliver. She WAS Ariel. But if Disney wishes to keep their brand, they need to start creating new, fresh characters that people can relate to instead of being lazy and making the same stories over and over again.

All in all, the live action Little Mermaid was a decent film. As far as adaptations go, it’s definitely one of the better ones and I’d put this right there with the 2015 Cinderella movie, maybe even a little above because of the music score and the effects.

Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy saved this movie. Again, while I don’t necessarily support race swapping, I will say this. You can cast whoever you want as Ariel, but if she doesn’t that voice, then the whole movie is pointless. I applaud Rob Marshall for finding the Ariel that was in Halle Bailey. Her overall performance I would say was outstanding.

Based on how the film ended, there is a possibility that a sequel might get pitched.

Nonetheless, If this film hits a billion at the box office, we may be in for a big problem with Disney.

[awesomehoggirl]

Hi hi !! So recently Ive been trying to get more into clothing and actually finding a style I enjoy and I was wondering how you found your own style ? I really like the way you dress and express yourself through your clothing and I kinda want to understand how you grew to know that part of yourself so that maybe I can learn about myself too. So yeah, my question is: How did you discover the way you like to dress ? Trial and error ? Just getting pretty clothes and seeing what goes with what ? Sorry if this is weird ^^' Hope you have a wonderfull day !!

HIIIII!!!!!!!! this might be a long one lol. putting a readmore

ive been into clothes and styling since i was a kid, but started building my own personal style probably when i was about 13? ive always been HUGELY inspired by certain style icons -- first it was my mum, who is very very stylish, but usually its celebrities :) i think my style 100% developed around my interests! when i was 14 and into indie music i wore lots of band tshirts, when i was 15 and obsessed with 90s movies i was quite preppy (still have all these clothes now btw, and i rework them to fit my current style!). now my style has 'settled' ive learnt its better to pull your favourite bits from different places rather than aiming to dress as 'one thing' -- girlish lacy vampiric stuff from old movies, sparkles, sequins, metallics and leather from 70s rockstars, silhouettes from the 60s and 90s and unique cluttered embellishments from the 2000s. so there was an element of trial and error but it was more trial and improvement, and it wasnt so much random as shaped around influences i already knew i liked. wardrobes are always made up of your essentials and your statement pieces, and for me personal style is all about putting personality into essentials you wear often. a great way you can do this is by thrifting them or finding them vintage! i honestly swear by buying vintage and i really dont ever buy firsthand anymore because you find such unique stuff. colour palettes do NOT need to be strict either, but it can be good to limit yourself so you can mix and match everything you own! personally i like dark browns, dark greys, navy, cream and black, and i usually swear off cool white, yellow and neon (though i make exceptions very occasionally lol). DO NOT underestimate accessories they are a cheap and super easy way to add a personal touch to any outfit! same with layering, though i say this because i am a notorious maximalist LOL you can disregard that if you prefer minimalism.

Umm i definitely got off track here. basically build off stuff you like, pay attention to what specific parts you like (materials? silhouettes? accessories? patterns or motifs?), buy unique and second hand, have a little bit of a colour palette in mind, do not fear accessories and layering, DRESS FOR YOURSELF there is no need to adhere to one named 'style' or 'core' or trend! oh 1 more tip sometimes before i look for clothes so i dont get overwhelmed i make a list to remind myself what im looking for: this could be a specific brand or piece, or just a collection of visual bits i like (for me its guitars, black cats, stars, crosses, silhouettes of girls, sequins and interesting slogans!) ALSO DOWNLOAD PINTEREST it is sooo good for style inspo and i always look at my boards before i clothes shop!

[magpies-gold]

I was raised a PC Gamer in the early 90's when everyone else I knew played console games, and my reflexes are terrible, so I gravitated to some unusual titles. “Most important”, to me, means the ones that influenced some aspect of my style/world-building/aesthetics or that followed me into my adult years. So, in no particular order: * Loom Baby’s first narrative puzzle game. I was five or six and there was fanart happening in Crayola crayons. Swan Lake is not Swan Lake to me. It’s the Loom soundtrack. I still want my own lights and sound distaff. Gonna pick @timmcosplay’s genius prop-making brain and make it happen someday. * Riven Parts of the world in Riven heavily influenced how I designed Tieke City especially, but also a lot of my fantasy-leaning aesthetics in general. Ugh why is this game so beautiful! * Shivers/Shivers 2 I’m packaging these two as one because to me, they’re a unit. This is where we can tell very clearly that I’m not curating. The sequel, especially, is not a good game. Not at all. Avoid! It’s honestly got some heavy issues with racism (big yikes), the ending is just.... stupid, just plain very, very stupid, and both have acting that is made entirely of the worst cheese. But something about the atmosphere in these games gets to me. Spooky empty museum, spooky empty desert town. Moody abandoned public spaces, especially with the weirdly vibrant colour palettes - I can’t pretend that something didn’t follow me into adulthood from these two. * Chronomaster Reboot era graphics, a story by Roger Zelazny, straight out of the dustiest of old-school science fiction novels, and Ron Perlman! Also Brent Spiner. I played this to the point of obsession at the time and I even have the one spin-off novel that was published. I could swear I held a sequel to said spin-off in my hands in a bookstore in Vancouver once, but the internet tells me that the book I’m remembering doesn’t exist. That haunts me a bit. My desktop computer has been traditionally named Milo, after Brent’s character, ever since it was a beige Windows XP machine. Also I hate Verdry. It haunts my nightmares. * Unreal I am still very, very angry at Epic for delisting the single player game for no dang good reason last year. It’s my favourite shooter. Ugly by today’s graphical standards, certainly. but it was striving for a level of beauty that blew me away in 1998. I loved all the details they put in, and I’d put hundreds of hours into exploring every single nook and cranny available and reading every tidbit of data that I could find - like how there’s a standalone (and rather tragic) story to follow if you explore Bluff Eversmoking super thoroughly with your translator.  Every few years I still get a hankering to fire this up and run around in it. Thankfully I bought it off GOG before it got trash-binned by its parent company. 

Need for Speed Underground, Midnight Club 2, Mercenaries: World in Flames, Black, Quake II.

Honorable Mentions: Mech Warrior, Doom !&II. 

[winniecouture]

A Glance into Elegance: Unveiling Houston's Wedding Dress Scene

Southern charm and cosmopolitan flair In the heart of Texas is mixed-up metropolis Houston. In the midst of this kaleidoscope scene revealed through its multiple layers lies a fairyland showcasing bridal wear that stuns and captivates every young woman who longs to find her dream wedding dress.

Tradition Meets Modernity

Thankfully, wedding dresses in the Houston scene combines tradition with a modern touch. There is something for every style and personality among the myriad of choices offered to brides-to-be. The city is also blessed with an incredible number and variety of bridal boutiques, designer studios and ateliers.

Bridal Boutiques: A Personalized Touch

Because the bride is seeking a touch of individualism in what she wears, bridal stores in Houston offer an intimate and personalized shopping experience. These beautiful settings compile collections in a range from classically elegant to modern chic, so each bride finds her own dress which is just right for the style she envisions for this special day.

Designer Studios: Haute Couture and Innovation

For the fashion-obsessed seeking haute couture and design innovation, Houston's designer studios are islands of elegant creativity. These studios have creations that combine luxury, artistry and avant-garde in a way tailored for wedding wear. They can fulfill brides' dreams of wearing something both opulent and unique on what is one day in their lives.

Diverse Styles for Every Bride

Every bride deserves to wear a wedding dress that truly reflects her own taste, and Houston's unique wedding gown scene is just what the doctor ordered.

Timeless Classics and Contemporary Trends

Houston's bridal shops offer styles from the glamour of timeless ball gowns to the clean lines of today. While the city's offerings include more traditional designs as well as cutting-edge trends, brides are able to explore an extensive palette of choices while looking for that perfect dress.

Inclusivity in Sizes and Designs

Inclusivity is of fundamental importance to Houston's designers and bridal boutiques. There should be a suitable dress for every bride, no matter what her build or style preferences happen to encompass.

The Enchanting Experience

But beyond these glittering racks of gorgeous gowns, Houston does provide brides-to-be with a fairytale experience during the dress hunt. City-based bridal shops place great emphasis on excellent service. Not only do customers receive personal consultations and fittings, but the whole journey of finding one's dream dress is transformed into an unforgettable story through ambience provided by them.

Conclusion: Where Dreams Come Alive

The hunt for the holy grail of wedding gowns becomes a compelling quest in booming Houston. This diversity in styles, openmindedness of acceptance, and attention to detail in creating unforgettable experiences make the city's bridal scene a beautiful symbol for the celebration of love and individuality through an astonishing display of elegance.

For brides beginning their wedding gown adventure in Houston, the quest to find that fairytale frock is not just about getting a dress; it's as if someone has opened up another chapter of your love story and you are tasked with weaving everlasting memories into its pages.

[surveysand]

five.

Do you have mean comments that replay in your head and haunt you? no. i'm proud of myself for how well i've grew out of letting other peoples' opinions of me affect me.

Did you go Black Friday shopping this past Black Friday? i don't think so.

^If so, what was the best deal you got? i didn't shop.

Have you ever seen a spirit? no.

Are you happy that the year is coming to an end? this is clearly an older survey, lol. but time is going by so fast this year. june has gone on forever, though, it feels like.

Have you ever bought a designer purse? yes, i have a heart-shaped kate spade purse.

What color was your senior prom dress? blush pink.

Would you ever consider a career in writing? probably not. i'm not too creative.

Have you ever purchased a YouTuber’s merch? If so, what did you buy? i bought the jeffree star/shane dawson palette (ew.) when it was released, but other than that, no.

Are you better at spelling or writing? spelling.

If someone signed you up for karate lessons, would you take them? no.

What was the last movie you watched? Would you recommend it to people? disneynature african cats, lol. my partner and i wanted to watch a nature documentary while eating dinner.

Do you update your Facebook relationship status when it changes? yes.

Do you want your own house someday? yes.

Are you superstitious? no.

When you go to McDonalds, what drink do you usually get? sprite or sweet tea.

Have you ever thought about your wedding? yes.

Would you rather see Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood in concert? taylor! she's one of my absolute favorites.

Growing up, did you see your cousins often? yes.

Where was your first job at? a dorm at my university. i worked the front desk.

Ever seen your parents make out? no.

What’s your dream height and weight? i'm fine with my height. i do wish i weighed less, but don't have a specific number i would want to be.

What do you do when your house loses power? call my electric provider. i live in an apartment building, so i can't do anything if we were to lose power.

What piercing do you hate? none.

Were you raised in a religious house? yes, but not super religious.

Do your parents get mad when your on the computer for hours? no.

Have you ever been asked for a nude picture? yes.

What’s your favorite thing about your crush/bf/gf? too many things to list.

What’s the worst thing? his farts, lmfao.

What song can bring you down? "ronan" and "soon you'll get better", both by taylor swift. such sad songs.

What would you do if your parent hit you? i'd fight back now, but my parents would never, lol.

Ever see yourself going to jail? no.

Last song you sang? "nothing new" by taylor swift and phoebe bridgers.

Has the last person you kissed slept with more then 3 girls? no.

Ever been tested for any STDs? no.

Do you think it’s weird when girls change in front of their bf/gf? no.

Get a new camera or new phone? new phone. i have a fairly new phone (iphone 13), but i don't use cameras.

Last person that saw you naked (can’t be yourself): my partner.

Ever kissed someone half-naked? yes.

Is being sweaty nasty? yes.

Are your parents embarrassing? no, not really.

Do you prefer dating a virgin? Or a guy who’s been around? i have no preference.

Are you blond? yes.

Do you like bacon? no.

Do you have an annoying dog? he can be, but i don't mind.

What was the first comic book you ever had an obsession over? i never have read comics.

What is your favorite thing to do on your phone? listen to music or watch tiktoks.

What color was your first phone? black.

Was your first phone a flip phone? no.

If you’re a girl, have you ever had an embarrassing period story? yes. the first period i ever got was in fifth grade. i knew what they were and, had i have been home, would've put a pad on. i remember it was specifically towards christmas break because our last class of the day, we were decorating gingerbread houses. i felt wetness on my butt and thought it was maybe sweat because the heater was on and i was wearing sweatpants. i went to the bathroom before we went home and realized the wetness i felt was not sweat and was instead blood covering my ENTIRE ass. luckily, i had a sweatshirt wrapped around my waist that prevented anyone from seeing/it getting on my chair. i went home and immediately threw the pants and sweatshirt i had been wearing away, lol.

What was your worst experience in high school? losing my best friend. she didn't die, lol, but did something super fucked up that i could not stay friends with her because of. i had been friends with her since first grade and this happened halfway through my senior year. luckily, i had other friends i could fall back on who i am still so grateful for.

[talonted]

Highstreet Gems: Affordable Beauty Favourites

Highstreet Gems: Affordable Beauty Favourites

Boots and Superdrug are my happy places and I could spend hours wandering around them, swatching products, seeing what’s new, phone in hand to read reviews as I go. Although I’m just as much of a sucker for the expensive, luxury products as the next person, there is a certain giddy excitement when I find some highstreet gems. So this blog post is dedicated to the products I use a lot that can be…

[haepii]

Limerence | PJS (05)

(n.) the state of being infatuated or obsessed with someone

Pairing: Park Jisung + Reader

Genre: Werewolf!AU, Supernatural!AU, series

Series: Neo Culture Pack Series Masterlist, previous part, next part

Warnings: Violence, Gore, Mentions/Use of Weapons (I.e., swords, daggers, knives), Mentions of Blood, Murder, Animal Death/Murder, Werewolves (if you don't like it, leave), Mentions of bones cracking/breaking, Mentions of witches/witchcraft, mentions of vampires/fae, mentions of werewolves (duh), Jealous/Controlling Behavious (I do not condone these behaviours in real life, but obviously this work is pure fiction and so are the characters in it even if they are based off real people), Mentions of terminal illness (a brief mention and flashbacks, it can be rather confronting and I have experienced the facing of this situation myself. I know how confronting and triggering it is, so please do not put your own mental health at sake for reading this fanfic).

Taglist: @peepsibo & @thesunsfullmoon

WC: 3.3k

Sitting in the girls' bathroom, her face illuminated by her phone, Chaerin quickly hid with her feet up, so she would not be seen, in the stall farthest from the door. She would never admit it, but the confirmation, from your own words, had been enough for them to... further investigate the depth of the relationship between you and Jisung. Thus, she ended up here, hiding in the girls' bathroom.

"(Y/N)?"

Hearing Renjun's voice from the other side of the door, laced with concern, too much for someone of his kind for a mortal like you, was... intriguing. Leaning forwards, she saw you, your neck scratched raw and red, cool sweat covering you face. She immediately got out her camera app, taking a photo of you looking into the mirror.

"CLICK."

Quickly covering her mouth, as she heard you sigh in relief, splashing the water on your arms and face, she sat dumbfounded as you quickly left the girls' bathroom, nearly as quick as you'd entered. Thinking only one thing to herself, as her thumb hovered over the call button; that was a close one. Hitting the call button she heard the ring.

[ring...]

[ring...]

[ring...]

"Yeah, babe?"

"They're mates, she's feeling the pull. Operation Dinner is a go, get word to Seulgi."

You knew what Jisung meant by slow was objective. In the moments he wasn't with you, all you could think about was him, but with the effects of the pull dulled by his presence, you had begun to feel normal again. Perhaps, you were not as normal as you had been before discovering that werewolves do, in fact, exist, but you felt a sense of familiarity in where you had found yourself.

Now, as you sat at the vanity in Ryujin's room, as she straightened your hair, while you did your own makeup, you felt like a teenage girl. With dinner fast approaching, you could see the nerves building on her face, glancing up from your eyeshadow palette mirror, and to her face. You could feel it too, how she stopped moving the straightener, and how your hair was being fried off.

"Ryujin..." You caught her attention in the mirror, only for her eyes to comically widen as she saw the spoke rising from her hair. You did the best you could to hide the fear for your hair in your voice, but your eyes had told a different story.

"Hm? Oh shit!" Pulling the straightener away from your hair, she assessed the damage. Analysing ever minuscule detail of your hair to make sure it was okay before continuing. Her focus now on your hair. "(Y/N)... I'm so sorry."

"No... I get it."

Seeing the tears well up in her eyes at her mistake, seeing how worthless she feels made a pain so sharp grip you like a vice. It is a pain that one can only feel when someone they love is suffering in silence. Instead, Ryujin just looks at you with concern on her face. "Are you sure you're up for dinner? You were sick this morning."

You looked at her as if she was crazy for suggesting you'd bail on dinner, if anything, you'd turn up even if you couldn't walk. Better yet, you'd turn up if you were unconscious. But you knew she didn't see it that way, leaving you to reassure her. "I'm feeling much better, and if me being here stops from shaming and comparisons between you and Areum, I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Sometimes I feel like you're just as nervous as me, you know?" For the first time in three years of being Ryujin's best friend had she told you what she was really thinking. Rather, she knew what you were thinking, but you had both the same nerves running through your head. "Like... you're worried that my mom loves you more than she does me, but you shouldn't be because I have you, who loves me and Areum too. I'm perfectly happy without her validation, because I have you, even if you are too good for me."

"Ryujin... where is this coming from?" You breathed out, tears of sympathy and sadness in your eyes as you turned to look at her, your hands on her arms. "What does your mother say when I'm not here?"

"She says I'm a 'no-hoper' because I want to go to fashion school in Seoul."

"Okay... for the record, I definitely don't think you're a 'no-hoper'. I've never seen anyone who can thrift-flip better than you." You smiled up at her, trying to make her see how truly talented she is.

"You're just saying that."

"No, I'm serious."

"I've also never seen anyone who matches their lip shade to their outfit better than you," You smiled, watching as a small smile made it's way onto her lips before you continued; "and I've never seen anyone who could pull off a wide range of statement earrings quite like you do."

"Thank you." Her voice breaks as she pulls you in for a tight hug. I, return, you wrap your arms around her, holding her in a strong embrace.

"If she says anything tonight I'm smacking a bitch into Christmas Eve."

"It's not even fall."

"Oh! For once let be incredibly funny like you are."

"If I let you do that, we'd be laughing at puns associated with different paint styles. Like the memes art history teachers put on their PowerPoints to appear relevant." She smirked, nudging you gently as you let out a laugh.

"Did you just attack me? In a very niche way?"

"Yes, and I don't regret it." She ruthlessly smiles as you chuckle any her antics, before your smile fades, and the look on your face has changed from a happy expression to a caring, loving expression.

"Sometimes, Ryujin... you have to let people love you for who you are, and not who they want you to be."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Sitting next to Ryujin in the Ahn's family room, in front of a loaded charcuterie board, the two of you were dressed in nice cocktail dresses. Naturally, Ryujin was in a more revealing halter-neck red dress with her hair up in a claw clip. On the other hand, you were wearing a beige linen dress, that had puffed sleeves with a matching headband. Slicing yourself a piece of Brie, which you proceeded to lather onto a herb cracker, you ate slowly, savouring the creaminess of the cheese and potent crunch of the cracker.

Just when you thought you could get through the evening, the doorbell rang. Mrs. Ahn, walked from the kitchen, gesturing for the pair of you to stand on the stairs behind her, as she opened the door with a beaming smile. "Areum! Oh, and Taeyong! It's so nice to see you two again, especially with your brother..."

"Jisung." The boy with the pink hair spoke up, Mrs. Ahn smiling politely.

You weren't sure you'd noticed it before, but Mrs. Ahn had a way of presenting herself to be this loving mother, who loved her daughters unconditionally and took in the occasional friend of the family. She had this way of presenting herself that made her seem much better than she actually was... and making it look genuine. "Ah, yes! Welcome to the family Jisung. I'm sure you've met Ryujin and (Y/N) at school?"

"Yes, yes I have." He nodded shyly. Mrs. Ahn could tell from the moment she saw him, that he wasn't the most outgoing, and that he always seemed to look at you. As did her future son-in-law, his eyes flickering to you every now and again.

"Wonderful! Come in, come in! I've just put out some cheese and crackers, if these two haven't already inhaled it all by now." Mrs. Ahn let out a laugh, pinching Ryujin playfully, as she stepped aside, letting the three newcomers into the house, before waltzing back to the kitchen to check on her roast ham.

The second she had waltzed out of the room, Ryujin squealed, and ran up to her much taller sister, which seemed to be the only thing that could tear the soon-to-be newlyweds apart. "Areum!"

"Hi, little sis." Wrapping her arms around her younger sister, Areum tightly squeezed Ryujin with a smile, before pulling away.

"Taeyong." Ryujin nodded respectfully and held out her hand for shaking, as if their relationship was purely business and he was not about to be her brother by marriage. Oddly enough, it was rather formal, you took it that the two didn't like each other very much.

"Ryujin."

"Oh..." Areum smirked, surprise crossing her eyes as she walked up the first step to pull you into a warm, sisterly embrace. "If it isn't the one who never comes over."

"I do! You're just never here." You smiled defensively, exchanging the small talks of 'good to see you again' and the very much extended sisterly embrace that made you feel safe... in more ways than one.

It was familiar too, the safeness you felt in Areum's arms. Similar to the safeness you felt with the pink haired boy, who, from the moment he'd walked in the house, had not taken his eyes off of you. With her arm still wrapped around you, Areum waved off dismissively. "Yeah... yeah."

Suddenly, you perked up at the chance to ask. "How's law school?"

"Amazing! I'm very passionate, you know?"

"I know... I know." You smiled at her, happy that she was happy.

"I'm not sure you've met my Fiancé." She smiled, leading you into the living room, where Ryuijin, Taeyong and Jisung had all been making conversation with Mrs. Ahn from the kitchen. Leading you over, she pulled Taeyong aside with a small smile. "This is Taeyong."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm (Y/N)." You would be lying if you said you were not intimidated in the slightest by this man. He was tall, and had that aura about him that commanded respect and authority as he stood in front of you. You almost felt compelled to bow down to him, but untested you smiled and put out your hand for shaking, similar to Ryujin.

"It's very wonderful to meet you." Taeyong smiled, shaking you hand. After this, you felt calm, like he wasn't some tough intimidating guy, like his aura put off. Instead, he smiled playfully at Areum before letting out a short laugh. "I've head a lot about you."

"All good things I hope?"

"Only good things, Areum over here won't shut up about you."

"I so do! Either way, I can help it, I love my two younger sisters so much!" Pulling both you and Ryujin into her arms, she kissed each of your temples first with a small smile on her lips, as Jisung let out a small laugh.

"Uck!" Ryujin practically jumped out of Areum's arms, before scowling at her older sister, knowing her mother would never let her go and touch up her makeup.

"Stop it! You know you love me." Areum let out an offended gasp at Ryujin's actions, her arms still wrapped around your shoulders. Taeyong sharing a knowing look with Jisung, as you placed your head on Areum's shoulder, Ryujin quipped. "I do, but I don't need you ruining my makeup over it."

"Alright, you two, cut it out! Dinner's Ready!" Once again, Mrs. Ahn walked into the room, instructing Ryujin to set the table, only for you to help as you couldn't bare to watch her do it alone without feeling guilty.

As yo set the table, watching as Mrs. Ahn placed out all of the dishes onto the centre on the mahogany table. "About time! I felt like I was gonna fade away if I didn't get a decent meal within the next five minutes."

"You look it too, is your mother still not back from Sweeden?" Mrs. Ahn spoke in a concerned voice, as if you were one of her own children.

"No, but she's in Seoul this weekend, apparently."

"Too many weeks of cup noodles." She tuts, examining you, noticing that you'd not been eating properly. Something about this gesture made you feel cared for by the woman, but you also felt guilty, as she gave Ryujin a warning look, which you could only guess being about you assisting with setting the table. Then, just like that, the mother quipped at you. "Come here for dinner, I'll feed you well."

"I couldn't impose on you like that, Mrs. Ahn."

"Nonsense! You're family, now sit and eat." She demanded as she began to sit down, after Ryujin poured everyone a drink and sat next to you.

At the head of the table, sat Mrs. Ahn, then To her left was Areum, right was Ryujin, then you at next to Ryujin, opposite Taeyong. At the far end of the table, sat Jisung. It was a cozy dinner, but it left your cheeks feeling pink as the table was so cramped that when you sat next to Jisung, your knees would touch under the table. Forcing you to feel the 'lightening in a bottle' sparks.

During the dinner, the conversation travelled from school, work, friends, family and then to the wedding. Neither you or Jisung had paid attention though, just stealing glances at each other, until Taeyong choked on his drink, cause Areum to let out a soft laugh, as Mrs. Ahn smiled innocently.

"I only think it's reasonable, Dear. When am I getting grandkids? Hopefully ones that aren't no-hopers like Ryujin." Mrs. Ahn let out a short laugh, her voice sounding all high and mighty but her tone was snobbish, as she explained. "Didn't I tell you she wants to go to fashion school in Seoul?"

"Mom!"

Tears had already begun streaming down Ryujin's face, as she stood from her seat. A look of betrayal crossed her face

"What! I'm only looking out for you, dear. You'd end up on the streets if you went to fashion school. You'd have no use for it." With a dismissive tone, Mrs. Ahn looked at her youngest daughter with an almost void expression. One so cold that if any outside saw it, you'd simply think the woman had one daughter, but you knew that wasn't the case as she turned to you with a much warmer gaze. "Don't tell me you're encouraging you foolishness, (Y/N). Surely you of all people want the best for her."

You knew the whole story of the Ahn's. How Mr. Ahn left when Ryujin was ten, because he had found some young and attractive, bouncier woman in Taiwan where his stocks firm was based six years before he'd eventually left. It was also no secret that Mr. Ahn never agreed to a divorce, as it would make the firm look bad, thus on paper, she was still Mr. Ahn's wife, but his mistress, who had two sons, one six, and the other twelve, was the real Mrs. Ahn in the eyes of his friends.

In many ways you pitied her, knowing she was the victim of a cruel man who refused to divorce her, back when she was young, twenty-eight at most, while Mr. Ahn was in his fifties. He'd always left her wondering, if Areum was good enough, had the perfect grades, perfect face, perfect personality, would he return? Maybe if Ryujin was too, if they'd both gone on to do amazing this, would he come back? So... she vicariously lived through her daughters, fighting for the affections of a man who, to put it simply, no longer loved her.

"I think you should let her live her life... instead of wishing your husband was home, because he's in another country with his other family and happy, doesn't mean you get to shame your daughters, Mrs. Ahn."

Ryujin had long since fled the room sobbing, leaving you following after her worriedly. You didn't glance back, but you saw Taeyong stop Areum from following, as you walked out to the back porch swing, which was around a dark corner from the light flooding out of the back door, facing out to the tree line on the side of the house. The swing was out of view from any windows, with only the light flooding from around the corner.

Frowning, you couldn't hear her sobbing anymore, as she sat lethargically on the porch swing. "I'm not in the mood for a lecture, but I am in the mood for some hot chocolate?"

"You'll talk to me then?"

"Yes, but hot chocolate first."

"I'll be back."

Walking back around the corner with two steaming cups of hot chocolate in your hands, you frowned, the you saw the familiar feline-esque features of someone you believed you could trust.

"Hello, (Y/N), long time no see, how's Jisung been lately?" Seulgi's voice taunted you, as Ryujin was now nowhere to be seen. You'd realised, the taunting voice of the girl who alway was off-putting to you rang in your ears.

Seulgi, in a way, had always made you feel uncomfortable, and unsafe. Now, you knew why, as she spun her solid silver dagger over and over again in her hand.

"Where's Ryujin?"

Seulgi let out a laugh, mocking you as she smiled at you, realised how truly clueless you were made her feel, almost as if she was being cruel. Almost. You were, in her eyes, like a naive lamb, who had unknowingly stumbled into a wolves' den, literally. "Oh, you didn't hear her leave?"

"I was... making her hot chocolate."

"Oh, I thought you were just being nice to me." She let out a short scoff, after taking one of the mugs from your hands and taking a long sip with a content hum leaving her lips. Then she smiled. "Thats sweet of you, though."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you meant to be spending the weekend with Chaerin and Taegwang?"

"Come on, Chaerin... this is a family affair, isn't it?" Seulgi called out, and as if she was stepping from the shadows, Cheerin stood behind you, a sharp silver dagger aligned tightly to your throat, as she gripped your arm, holding you in place. "But... this really is a shame I have to do this, (Y/N). I thought you were above dating werewolves."

Sighing dramatically, now standing in front of you with a sweet smile, the hot chocolate you'd made, which she'd just chugged down still fresh on her breath. Twirling a lock of your hair between her fingers, she almost looked sad. Almost. "Now... we can't hurt Areum... or any other their other little friends, but you? Well... as much as we're against it, this is for the good of other's but remember, we all really care about you."

Without another word, Seulgi stopped twirling the silver dagger on her finger, now plunging it to the hilt into your stomach as Chaerin released her hold. You slumped down to the wall, curling around the dagger as if it was the only way you'd survive. Just as quickly as the two girls appeared, they left, leaving you scared and confused as you were slumped on the ground.

"Taegwang... I just– I couldn't stay there, and I had no where else to go." With tears streaming down her face, Ryujin stood on Taegwang's doorstep, as he stood inside.

"Holy shit, you look like a hot mess." Stepping aside, without a second thought, he let the tearful girl pass through the doorway. "Come on, come inside."

"Thanks... where's Chaerin?"

"She went out to dinner... with Seulgi."

"Where's (Y/N)?" Areum spoke up, all of a sudden confused, as the table had been in an awkward silence for the last half hour, as the four sat in shock at what had just happened, as Ryujin had slapped her mother before running out of the house.

"I think she was in the kitchen. I'll help find her."

Mrs. Ahn spoke up, heading for the kitchen and then to check the bathrooms, while Areum agreed to check the back porch, going all the way around the porch as it wrapped around the house. Finally, she'd reached the far side of the house, almost not seeing you until she heard your shaking breaths.

Turning on the torch of her phone, she dropped to your height, screaming out in shock.

"Oh my... Taeyong!"

©️ @haepii 2022

[aliceblossoms]

Ready for the end

Third life! Grian x GN! Reader

Warnings: mentions of in game life ending, sinister vibes (?)

Synopsis: You had spent hours upon hours getting resoucres, building a disaster proof base, but not even that could protect you against a fight with mutliple people. So you decide to make a proposition to the only other person that matches your morals.

A/n: It’s kinda short, something that I had laying around but wasn’t ever going to upload. I want to write more hermit content though, so take this as a mild first step, i suppose. It can only go up from here!

A small smile formed on your face as you spoke, "Hermitcraft was peaceful… There were rules there, remember?"  

You leaned back, finally making eye contact with him as he stood there, unnerved at the change of character you had experienced at the simple switch of worlds. He had seen it happen, almost naturally, over time. He had watched from afar, hidden in the desert with Scar as his companion as a lone fort rose in the distance.

"There were infinite lives there, when something happened, you'd just come back." You stood up from the dark oak chair, the colour palette matching oddly well with the grim look of the rest of the fort, a smirk formed on your face as you watched him, "We don't have that privilege here, y'know? When we die three times it's done. Over."  

Shrugging your shoulders, you gave him a small, careless, smile, “Though I’m sure you already knew that.”

You narrowed her eyes at him, wearing the yellow letters of her name proudly signalling you were on your second life, "All of you lived as though your first two lives were what it all was about, your final life would just come by, and you'd see what you would be able to do when it occurred. Don't you understand? Our first two lives were only to prepare for our true purpose."

The puzzle pieces all started to fall into place.

The way you had created a large, fortress like, base in the middle of the mountains, far away from the other bases. The obsession with armour, potions, the weapons, and equipment. It was all to prepare for this.

"You called me here for a proposal." Grian spoke, looking warily, almost defensively, at the person in front of him. He wouldn’t die here, despite still having a green name to fall back on, this wasn’t where he’d spent it.

The shield was familiar in his hold.

"We know each other well Grian, I know you can appreciate chaos, so, what about we team up? I'll spare you until you reach your last life on your own, if you join my side when you do." You were the most powerful person on the server, diamond enchanted armour, the well enchanted weapons, and arguably, one of the better PvP’ers in the lands.  

Countless of hours of gathering and work had resulted in countless of resources, and the strongest equipment currently available anywhere. Your fortress was protected with natural defences and strong, blast proof walls. Layers of water and lava, courtesy of the nether, reinforcing it.

"You've started conflicts, wars even, before. I'd be glad to see you by my side when the time comes."  Your offer was interesting, you'd be able to supply him with whatever he would need when he last live came to be. You were a strong alley, maybe even the strongest on the server.

"What is in it for me?” He asked, letting you know he was seriously considering your offer.

A book and quill materialized in your hand as you pulled it out of your inventory, instinctively Grian wondered what other things laid hidden within your inventory. The smile tugged on your lips with mischief, as you tossed him the leatherbound book engraved with the word ‘contract’.

"I thought you'd might want to know". He opened it to read as you stepped back, sitting back down on your throne darkness, patiently for his response.

The offer was simple, and in his favour. He would join you once he reached his red name, though that still seemed far away with the green letters signalling his lives. For that, you’d kill someone for him, should he request to do so in one of his first two lives. If not, he could use the contract as a threat to the other server members. Above all, it was a leash on you.

"What if I reach my third life before you, then this will be useless." he asked, raising an eyebrow in question as a small chuckle left your lips. Your arms waved around you as your eyes found his, any humour and attempted joke gone from your lips, “You won’t. I’m sure of it.” If only he had realized then, the weight your words carried.

His eyes scanned further down the pages, “I’m sure you knew this already, but as of now, I already have a partner.” You nodded your head in understanding, “Though didn’t you say that would end the moment your letters stained red?”

The look in his eyes was far enough to tell you that though that had been originally the plan, there was nothing left of it know. He had sworn loyalty to Scar, and nothing would break that. Accepting the situation you sighed, “though I won’t give my life for him, I’ll gladly join the two of you in the dessert, or you two could join me here. His existence won’t make me change my offer.”

He looked up warily from the black inked letters staining the off-white pages, realizing how much in his favour this deal actually was. “Then what is in it for you? Surely my potential companionship couldn’t be worth this much.”

Grian was better at PvP that anyone cared to give him credit for. He was well enough versed in the world of traps, and would be a powerful ally when the time came. He was worth the offer.

A small smile tugged at your lips, “its quite easy, really. I desire blood to be spilled.” Only now did he seem to notice the dispensers placed above the throne of dark oak, as he warily stepped back. The situation seemed to dawn on him as your nails tapped idly against a button placed carefully on the side of the chair.

There was uncertainty in his voice, making his voice a few octaves higher than normal, though there was a hint of curiosity hidden within as he met your eyes, “I accept the offer.” His cursive signature formed black stains on the paper as the quill disappeared, and the book bound itself.

Seeing it happen, he tossed the book back to you, where you carefully placed it within the darkness of your enderchest as the lid shut itself, your fingers touching the edges of the button as your hand flattened on it entirely, a smile tugging at your lips as potions crashed from the ceiling and red surrounded you.

Like a phoenix you stood among the scattered items, Grian watched on from a safe distance as you reformed in the throne. Maybe it was the first time he had truly seen you without any items.

Red eyes opened to a new world, one that wasn’t ready for the group that had been created on this afternoon, "I am ready to become the villain of this story."

Y/N has one life remaining

[msotherworldly]

The Writing Medium You Don’t Know About

In several of my YouTube videos, I discussed the different mediums creative writers could experiment with to tell stories. I went over categories like film, television, comic books, poetry, web serials, and so on, but there’s one category I wanted to discuss further.

When I say “medium,” I’m not referring to genre, or even writing type (such as blogging or copywriting). Instead, I’m talking about the media form you use, such as writing a book versus a film, or a web comic versus an epic poem. Though storytelling is an old art, the way we actually tell stories is evolving all the time. Some of these mediums are relatively new, having only come into existence within the last two decades. After all, much of the mediums we know and love now - web comics, web series, or web serials - only, as their names imply, exist because of the relatively recent birth of the internet. 

The medium which hasn’t gotten mainstream attention, though, despite having an ever growing community, is the Sims story medium. Most creators writing plot lines for their characters do so out of fun, but if you’re making characters, planning plots, and putting together narratives, you’re a writer.

It’s strange, because nobody refers to the authors of Sims stories as “writers,” despite the fact that’s what they are. Most writers posting online learn quickly that few care when you post your chapters or share your characters - unless you’re offering writing advice, or you’re famous, you can end up ignored.

Yet the Sims story category seems to be an exception to this on some level. Creators share snapshots of their OC’s, obsess over their OC’s wardrobe choices, and post original story lines...and people love it. If you tell a Sims story, people will actually give your story a chance. 

It’s kind of like writing fanfiction - there’s a built in fan base, but the difference with the Sims community is that they’re engaging with your characters, your world, and your story. Other than the Sims packaging, it’s your original content. 

I make this post because I want to open writer’s minds to the possibilities there are for your work. There are so many mediums open to you, and I encourage you to experiment with them all - especially if you’re in a creative rut.

Writing Sims stories does come with some barriers to entry, if you’ve never touched the game before. For one, there’s the steep cost of the expansion packs when taken together. For another, there are the vast swaths of mods you’ll need to download to populate your world with the furniture, clothes, props, and hairstyles you’ll need to populate your paracosm. Finally, there’s the learning curve. You’ll have to learn how to use poses, how to build sets, and how to dress your characters (this last one sounds simple, but every character should have a distinct style and colour palette). The most advanced creators even add their own lighting and photo shop their pictures, but plenty of popular creators just stick with the game’s default look too.

This medium won’t be for everyone. I only mention it because seeing the work people have put out has opened my eyes to what storytelling can be. There is no right or wrong way to tell a story. Some writers put out novels through a traditional publisher, while others share content through video games (even before the Sims, Rooster Teeth - also known as the creator of the RWBY show - was using Halo to tell stories through it’s Red VS Blue series). 

Experiment. Find what you love. Then stick with it. You don’t have to write novels to call yourself a fiction writer.

[madsdefencesquad]

another kevison fanfic none of you asked for (also on ao3):

[Thread] Who's the nicest celeb you've met in real life?

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Kevin Pearson. Was an extra for one of his movies and couldn’t be any nicer. Chatted with us even though technically you weren’t supposed to. He joked around a lot and showed us pics of his family. Real top bloke.

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I met this guy once on vacation in Italy. We were at a table next to him and my newborn was screaming bloody murder, mom was in the bathroom. Couldn’t quite calm my son and I was getting real embarrassed with the loud noise. Some of the waiters came over to their table to ask if they wanted to move but Kevin shut them down immediately. Actually got a bit cross that they even suggested it. His wife suggested to rock my baby on the side to make him stop and he did! She knows a few tricks having twins and stuff. Also shared that joy/misery thing of being first time parents. Anyway, they left first (they got there earlier) and we learned after that they paid for our meals too. Couldn’t believe it.

replied: Wow. That’s the so fucking nice of them.

replied: Yeah made my wife cry haha

-

I’ve heard only good things about him too! My mom lives in Philly and his brother was running for city council a few years back and he was there and took photos with all the Korean mamas including my own and my grandma! apparently he smells really expensive :P

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Didn’t know that I was fully chatting up his wife at Starbucks until I saw a pic of them at the premiere for one of his movies. I’d be embarrassed by my god she was fantastic! 10/10 would’ve gone for it if I wasnt such a potato

replied: And wasn’t married.

replied: That too

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My daughter was an extra on one of his movies and says he’s the nicest guy and “such a dad” lol! And her dad’s a real “dad” dad so for her to say that about a famous actor is funny

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I used to teach his kids in my kindergarten class. Daughter’s wicked smart. I can tell you all the mothers would have a fit every time he’d come by to pick them up and if it’s not his wife or them together, it’s him. Very hands on. I’d say that counts for nice.

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Rocked out to a Lady Gaga show with him and his wife in Vegas. His wife and I are practically best friends now! We’re on first name basis ;)

replied: Sounds fun! What were they there for if you don’t mind me asking? Coz isn’t he like sober now?

replied to a reply: I think it was for a niece’s birthday or something? Couldn’t remember, was pretty wild night :P And I didn’t see any drinks.Even his wife wasn’t drinking I think? They were literally there to enjoy Gaga like the rest of us

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I love hearing stories about him like this because it always looks like he’s such a pretentious pretty boy jerk especially back in the day

replied: Getting your life sorted can change a man

replied to a reply: Yeah he’s pretty mellowed out since getting sober. He’s had that DUI and rehab stint but now he’s a real family man and seems to love his wife very much. Good for him.

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Doesn’t he remind you of George Clooney? Got married late and had boy girl twins and is loving life!

replied: True!!

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Not sure if everybody knows but his wife Madison is pretty big in the interior design space especially coz she like pretty much runs their fam construction business. I follow her on Insta and I know everyone has a crush on Kevin but I’d pick her over him any day!

replied: OMG YES SAME! She puts together these amazing DIY palettes and I’m obsessed! I’d also pick her over him any day even just to pick her brain

replied to a reply: She also recommends the best books!!!

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My mom’s in the planning side of construction and met his wife in West Chester. She did a presentation and afterwards her and my mom shared parenting tips like they’re in some mom club. Apparently she was the sweetest and her babies are adorable and also Kevin calls a lot lol

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Met him at the airport, wife’s a huge fan of the manny so sucked my gut to ask for a pic. When he found out it’s for the missus, he recorded a special vid saying his iconic line. Missus was over the moon. Real good fella

replied: MANNY SAY WHAAATTTTT

replied: That’s so nice

replied: He did for my mom as well! All the moms love him!

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Kevin Pearson helped re-build my grandparents’ burned down convenience store. Couldn’t thank him enough even if I tried

replied: Wow, that’s real generous. How are the grandparents?

replied to a reply: Thanks! They’re over the moon. They have a house near the area but gran said he’d come by with his kids from time to time. Even if gran didn’t want to, they always insisted to pay for whatever the kids wanted.

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Delivered the cake for his uncle (grandpa’s?) wedding and he gave a seriously generous tip. Oh and his wife packed me pigs in the blanket.

replied: Pigs in the blanket?! What in the middle school

replied: Apparently it was the uncle/grandad’s favorite or something and they double ordered. But who cares free food!

replied to a reply: Did it come with ketchup?

replied to a reply: Hot, wrapped in foil and handful of ketchup packets. I felt like one of the kids

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Not him but his brother who’s like a big shot in politics right now. Real top guy and had the best laugh

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This doesn’t sound real but I’ve bumped into him literally five times over the past year he’ll probably think I’m some stalker. Rarely saw him without his family and once his kid threw a ball at me. He apologised but c’mon you either throw a ball or bounce it no big deal. Besides, that kid has David Beckham’s kids manners. Real like English folk polite it’s insane

replied: That’s always nice to hear that celebrity kids aren’t spoiled brats. We know a few good of them are

replied to a reply: Celebrity kids are different from kid celebrities though

replied to a reply: Didn’t say they were the same? Just saying that for a kid of someone so rich and famous you’d think they’d be a bit more spoiled but they weren’t at all and was beyond respectful and that’s a testament to the parents.

replied to a reply: Agree. I’ve met this particular celebrity’s kids and mind you they’re teens now but god they were just awful and pretentious. Even more than their famous parent which is saying something

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Not him but I did meet that actress that was so embarrassingly flirty around him during the press conference of hat film he did a few years back. She’s a real bitch and so fake and I’m so glad she’s been dropped from the sequel

replied: Oh god yeah I remember her. She was so obnoxious laughing at everything he said like stfu it’s not that funny!!!! The secondhand embarrassment watching her and him being all polite about it *chills*

replied: She’s the worst. No talent

replied to a reply: I was an extra for some scenes in that movie and she was WAY worse and such a diva for someone unknown. Kevin’s a real nice guy though and just let her be. He talks about his wife and kids a lot but she would not take a hint!

replied to a reply: That is just embarrassing

-

Alright story time. Was working as a barista at a cafe and it was one of those really shitty days. He came in, ordered and waited and was all nice and took some pics with fans. Anyway, like I said shitty day so I mixed up his coffee order and got him two lattes instead of cappuccinos. Mind you, it was a busy asf day as well and I was the only one making coffees. He comes over and tells me and I apologise but by this time my manager’s already all up on my ass for serving Kevin Pearson incorrectly. He kept apologising to him and berating me till Kevin himself stepped in and told the manager off. But like calmly and stuff like it’s no big deal and people make mistakes whatever and I kid you fucking not he apologised to me too and said I was doing a good job. He probably won’t know how much that meant to me after an already shitty as day but it did. I made sure to make him the best fucking cappuccinos

replied: I’ve met him in irl too and he is this!

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I saw him sitting at a cafe with his daughter. Super nice. Asked him if I could get an autograph for my mom who’s a huge fan. He asked me some questions about her and wrote a really nice autograph, for her. His daughter stuck one of her stickers on there too and my mom loved that even more. I told him where she works (at a grocers) and he went out of his way to shop there the next day and made a point to look for her and chat. Great, great dude

replied: That is so fucking cool man. And your mom must’ve been so happy!

replied to a reply: She was over the moon! She loves his wife too! Apparently she was even chattier than Kevin haha

-

Met him at the airport. I was an employee and he had some TSA questions. Genuinely nice and friendly, chatted for about 15min. After he was set, we shook hands, he had his kids say thank you individually with a high five. Adorable. His wife was super nice and friendly too. Very good social interaction, would participate again

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Cristina Scabbia x Diablo: Inside metal and gaming’s most devilish crossover yet

Outstanding hack-and-slash remaster Diablo II: Resurrected isn’t just about polishing up the beloved original’s relentless fire and brimstone. In a striking collaboration with Lacuna Coil songstress Cristina Scabbia and bizarro YouTube star Mark The Hammer, it’s inspired the latest crossover between video games and heavy music, too…

When Cristina Scabbia first picked up the joypad, she had no idea she was steering herself onto a path that would still be throwing up juicy side-missions three decades down the line. A young teenager in northern Italy during the mid-’80s first generation video game boom, the future Lacuna Coil frontwoman didn’t have the spare cash for the cutting-edge equipment of the time, whose 128-colour palettes and blocky two-dimensional sprites felt utterly futuristic. When a local friend powered up David Crane’s 1982 masterpiece Pitfall! on their Atari 2600, however, it opened the doors to another world.

“I’ve been a gamer for quite a while,” her eyes light up at the memory. ​“I love video games. I love what you can learn from them. I love the stories they tell…”

Few games are as darkly compelling as Blizzard Entertainment’s legendary Diablo series. Bringing to life the dark fantasy realm of Sanctuary – a midpoint between the High Heavens and Burning Hells – its trio of classic titles chronicle the eternal conflict between mankind and the demonic legions led by Diablo, fearsome Destroyer Of Souls. When David Brevik’s original landed in 1996, it was a literal game-changer for the industry, raising the bar in terms of depth and detail, storytelling and character-building. 2000’s Diablo II raised it again, still revered by hardcore gamers as the greatest action-RPG of all, while 2012’s Diablo III brought the franchise into the modern era.

Fittingly, it’s against that shadowy backdrop that Cristina joins us today, to discuss Start Again, her musical collaboration with the minds behind thrilling 3D, HD remaster Diablo II: Resurrected.

Speaking from her high-backed gaming chair in front of an impressive PC set-up this morning, she looks ready for battle. A laid-back, dressed-down counterpart to her imposing onstage alter-ego, she is surrounded by stacks of proudly-displayed paraphernalia, from a plushie of Gremlins’ Gizmo and photos of her band, to figurines of her favourite virtual characters, spare controllers, and the ubiquitous energy drink refrigerator.

Anyone familiar with Cristina’s Twitch streams wondering if this might be a carefully-arranged studio space should think again. ​“It’s actually part of my living room,” she laughs. ​“There’s this big table that was supposed to be for dinners with friends, but as we would go out to eat instead, I decided to use it for something that I like, and filled it with computers, monitors and consoles.

“It’s where I play. It’s where I stream from. It’s the safe space.”

Diablo’s heroes work best when joining forces, and 30 minutes further north, in the town of Saronno, we meet Marco Arata – AKA YouTube sensation Mark The Hammer – Cristina’s collaborator on Start Again, and a playful like mind. ​“I was three years old when I first played on a Game Boy,” he smiles into the light of a bank of monitors, ​“and I never stopped.”

For readers not in the know, Mark is the uber-talented multi-instrumentalist who’s gained a reputation for uploading incisive, tongue-in-cheek videos to YouTube like Irritating Guitar Lessons and How To Create A Black Metal Song… Without Any Talent. Learning piano aged eight, he quickly graduated to electric guitar, bass and drums. He’s since been picked up as the live guitarist/keyboardist for Italian pop-hip-hop icon J‑Ax. The main Mark The Hammer YouTube channel has more than half a million subscribers, while its English-language alternative boasts close to 100,000.

Both accomplished, analytical, artistic minds, it feels key to Start Again’s success that the duo see gaming as a chance to switch off – less interested in graphics and game engines than narrative drive and world-building.

“Whenever you listen to a song as a musician, you have your brain working, thinking about what exactly is going on,” explains Mark. ​“I’m a big fan of acting and drama, too, and the same thing applies when you watch a movie. But when you pick up that game pad, you’re able to relax and [switch that part of your brain off]. It’s the only thing in my life that I can really say is completely relaxing.”

“I know that some people prefer creating groups or being part of a competition,” agrees Cristina, noting that Diablo, in particular, fits her play style ​“but I’m more of a selfish, solitary player. I don’t want to feel that competition while I play. I want to be able to relax and do things at my own pace, to have my own rhythm. I don’t necessarily think of games as an escape. For me, it’s a different world that I want to be part of, [parallel to] the real world. It’s not that I want to [run away and] live in the video game world. But when I’m playing, I want to stay there, I want to focus on what’s happening – I want to absorb all the vibes. It’s not just something that you’re watching: you’re part of it. You can choose your character. You can increase your power. You can pick your path and select your sides.

“There are things about this world that non-gamers could never really understand…”

Like all the best quests, it began with a message from out of the blue. Mark recalls the sense of absurdity, watching an email drop into his inbox that he couldn’t quite believe was real. “I remember opening the message and seeing that it was an opportunity to write [a song inspired by Diablo II] for the release of Diablo II: Resurrected. Oh, yeah, and you’ll have Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil doing vocals. I was just like ‘What?!’”

Having dropped video game soundtrack cover albums Hammer Games Vols 1 and 0 in 2015 and 2016 respectively, Mark had pedigree in the field, but he struggled to comprehend the opportunity for such a high-profile collaboration.

“This is the game that I bought as a 14-year-old when it first came out back in the year 2000,” he fishes out his original CD-ROM jewel case for an unsubtle flex, ​“and you’re asking me to write an official song to go with it? That in itself is mind-blowing. But to be able to do that with the greatest singer in Italian metal?! I thought it was some sort of strange spam at first. When I realised that it wasn’t, it became amazing on so many levels.”

Not a huge fan of YouTube (nor, presumably, of the hack-and-slash sub-genre), Cristina’s manager didn’t quite know what to make of the invitation. Fortunately, having followed one of Lacuna Coil’s old guitarists through a laptop screen and into Sanctuary all those years ago, and already a fan of Mark’s videos, she didn’t take much convincing.

“I was just like, ​‘Mark The Hammer? I follow him!’” she grins. ​“Then, when they told me the project was to write a song for Diablo II: Resurrected, I immediately said yes. If you look back at interviews that I did years ago, whenever they asked me what dream I had or what is missing from my body of work, I’ve always said that I’d like to write something for a video game. When this came along, it was like, ​‘Hello…’”

Cristina admits that she struggled with writer’s block over lockdown. Having watched her native Italy become one of the first countries crippled by the spread of COVID-19, she was unwilling to create music with the power to transport her back to those most troubled of times. Compared to the glacial pace of the music industry over the last 18 months, however, dropping in at crunch time in a massive game’s release schedule came as an invigorating change of pace. The first message exchanged between Cristina and Mark was on August 23, with the song due online to coincide with Diablo II: Resurrected’s launch exactly a month later.

“When you have a deadline, it can either throw you down or really speed everything up and add an excitement,” Cristina muses. ​“For us, it was definitely the latter. We were perhaps a little bit tense about not knowing each other. Any time you’re working with someone new, you ask yourself these questions: ​‘Is he going to be nice? Is he going to be an asshole? Is he going to have the same ideas that I have? The same creativity? The same speed?’

“As soon as we started to text, though, I realised that Mark was really relaxed, really funny. He’s like me. We would send and receive messages in the middle of the night, and get immediate replies. It was like we’d opened the floodgates on an ocean of ideas.”

A high level of fandom was pivotal. Diablo’s angels and monsters – Greater and Lesser Evils – seem like characters lifted from metal album covers to begin with, and the chaotic action that spills from the streets of Tristram and the slopes of Mount Arreat that go down into the depths of Hell could hardly be better suited to metalheads who’re never happier than when throwing down in the pit. Cristina and Mark’s preferred player classes – Sorceress and Barbarian, respectively – even mirror their onstage personas. To simply phone in the sort of crowd-pleasing banger either of these musicians could write in their sleep would be to do the project a deep disservice.

Cristina reckons that if Diablo were a band, it would be either Judas Priest – all OTT outfits, pointy edges and demonic imagery – or Rammstein, spewing sheer pyrotechnic bombast. Mark contends that the larger-than-life, battle-obsessed aesthetic of Iron Maiden might be a better match, pointing out that many of the most monstrous iterations of Ed The Head wouldn’t look out of place in its deepest dungeons. We’d argue that the ominous, folky atmospherics of peak Opeth even more closely evoke the playing experience, echoing Matt Uleman’s iconic original score.

In the same way that Diablo II: Resurrected marks an upgrade for players in 2021 while maintaining the original’s dark heart – dynamic lighting, three-dimensional rendering and high-definition presentation bringing the action sharply up to date – this song needed to pay respect while still packing enough heft to make an impact on metal fans in 2021.

“Diablo is such an iconic game,” nods Mark. ​“I knew the original score. I knew the original atmosphere. I knew where it had to go, more or less. But it was a challenge to make something new while paying respect to the original. There were parts where I wasn’t sure where I was going, but as soon as Cristina got really into the project and added her vocals, it felt like everything [clicked].”

“Mark’s involvement was crucial,” Cristina presses. ​“Looking at that original soundtrack, I was thinking, ​‘This is such a classic – it’s so iconic – but it’s not singable.’ It felt like putting a voice over the top would ruin it. But as soon as I heard the music that Mark had written, it changed everything. He made it singable. He created so many different parts, that offered so many different scenes, so many different moods. There are atmospheric parts, but there are also heavier parts. It’s like a journey, from beginning to end…”

Part sweeping re-score, part fan’s perspective love letter, part limb-swinging metal banger, the finished track feels like a striking bridge between worlds. Is the aim for fans who’ve yet to discover the pleasures of metal or gaming to be able to walk across it?

“The worlds of metal and gaming have always been strongly connected,” reckons Cristina, highlighting the fact that they’re both tightly-knit outsider communities fascinated by the dark and fantastical, which can appear intimidating to outsiders looking in. Although she and Mark will happily welcome new fans, the main priority was to write a great song, hopefully tightening the bond between communities that already exists. ​“It’s a lifestyle,” she gestures. ​“If you see a metalhead, there’s a strong chance you’ll be able to talk about games – or vice-versa.”

Indeed, the lines have increasingly blurred over the last couple of decades. Countless rockers found their way into the world via the legendary Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtracks. The Guitar Hero franchise brought songs as unusual DragonForce​’s Through The Fire And The Flames, Lamb Of God​’s Laid To Rest and Slayer​’s Raining Blood – not to forget Lacuna Coil’s Closer – into the non-metalhead sphere. Celebrities as high profile as Tenacious D​’s Jack Black have spearheaded their own digital-metal crossovers, while Avenged Sevenfold​’s M. Shadows cropped up as a playable character in Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4. Gamers have even increasingly taken to wearing branded T‑shirts a la those of their favourite bands, enabling them to recognise each other on the street.

On the other side of the coin, bleeding-edge artists like The Armed, Refused and Run The Jewels have recently been inspired to write specifically for games. Svalbard​’s Serena Cherry just started a one-woman black metal side-project called Noctule, dedicated to her favourite epic RPG. Hell, Cristina even tells us that pounding compositions by djent-influenced video game soundtrack maestro Mick Gordon are amongst the most listened on her personal playlist.

It’s down to a change in perspective, Cristina reckons, where intelligent eye for detail is now considered every bit as cool as a debauched hell-raiser attitude. Games’ intricate storytelling and epic design are recognised as on par with the finest parts of cinema, and e‑sports competitions regularly boast larger prize pots than those of their athletic counterparts.

“I was always part of the nerd world,” she says, with more than a hint of vindication. ​“A few years ago, it felt like it was almost something to be ashamed of to admit that you’re a nerd, as if you had this weird, ridiculous aura. But now, everybody – all these people who were never interested – seem to want to be involved in this world. I [sometimes think], ​‘Nah, you need to prove you’re really into it…’”

She’s not kidding. As if that massive cache of gaming equipment – from the original PlayStation to countless Game Boys and computer components – wasn’t proof enough, Cristina has even appeared as playable character The Shadow Sorceress in Iron Maiden’s ever-evolving Legacy Of The Beast mobile game. ​“It was such an honour, such a pleasure to create my own character and give all the directions for the outfit, which was basically the outfit I was wearing on the last Lacuna Coil tour before lockdown,” she grins.

Going even geekier, Lacuna Coil also just launched their own Horns Up tabletop card game, where players must fight their way to the front of the stage. ​“It’s something we’re all really interested in, but particularly our bassist Maki [Coti Zelati],” Cristina continues. ​“Every card is related to metal clichés. We even gave our fans the opportunity to see themselves on one of the cards…”

Although Lacuna Coil maintained their high-drama presence with September 2020’s Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse stream and June 2021’s live album of the same name, Cristina was keen to use the time off to introduce fans to her character away from the band, emboldened to set up her own channel on Twitch.

“I just wanted to learn new things which could enrich my baggage of knowledge,” she enthuses. ​“I’m already singing, already writing, but I don’t want to fixate on those. Life is made up of so many different things that can enrich my music and my creativity. I was already a Twitch user, watching other people play games, but I didn’t know what my purpose was. I almost felt scared at first. I am a singer. I am somehow an entertainer. I like to talk, which is clear. But it’s different when you’re talking to a lot of people for a couple of hours – or more!

“Eventually, I decided to keep it as informal as I could so that people could see how Cristina is at home. Cristina isn’t just the singer of Lacuna Coil: I have a house, I have a life, I have passions, I have my own personality. I just wanted people to discover that. Luckily they also like this quirky side of me, which feels like the opposite that dark goth lady that so many people know. As much as I didn’t have purpose in the beginning, there’s now such a strong community every time I go online – such a clean place to exchange good vibes!”

Even the persistent undertones of sexism and misogyny that have plagued gaming, she pushes, are a speed bump to be put in the rearview, comparable to what she experienced when first making her name in heavy music.

“In metal, I encountered the same problem,” she explains, bluntly. “[Women becoming a major presence in the community] was something new, and when something is new, people have suspicions and doubts. They don’t know how to deal with it. But there are a lot of female gamers now, and a lot of females in metal. It’s been normalised, which it should be, because games and metal are for everyone.”

As the world comes back up to speed, hectic schedules mean that attention is turning away from screens, and back towards studio and stage. Mark is churning out more and more top-class YouTube content. Cristina has a packed diary, with a tribute concert for late collaborator Franco Battiato at the spectacular Arena di Verona this week, and another secretive collaboration in the works, not to mention writing for Lacuna Coil’s 10th LP, which has just begun – her creative fires reignited by bringing Start Again to life.

Having dipped toes in the video game world, though, they’re both keen to return.

“I really hope we do,” Cristina says. ​“As a fan of video games, it’s such a great chance to bring together these different passions in your life. There are so many different things I’d like to do, and places I’d like to explore in this world, but time is limited!”

“I loved the challenge here, and the process of collaboration,” nods Mark. ​“If we could work together again when it comes time to make Diablo IV, that would be amazing. I’d love the opportunity to have my own playable character in an Iron Maiden video game, too, but I’m not sure that’s achievable!”

“I thought the same thing,” grins Cristina, ever adventurous, as we wave farewell. ​“Never say never!”

Diablo II: Resurrected is out now on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S and PC.

[brokenjardaantech]

absorbance of the deep (chapter 1: first contact)

written for a mermay prompts challenge. my prompt is ‘monochromatic.’

rated: M

relationships: simarkus, simon & josh & north, simon & daniel as twins

summary: 

simon was the quiet son of a lighthouse keeper in a small seaside village. his other half was the sea. no one knew exactly what was happening, but he had his friends, he had his twin brother, he had the ocean - and to him, that was enough.

also on ao3

---

It started long before Simon was aware of his connection with the sea.

Back then, he was still loved by his parents. Back then, he was still blissfully unaware of how different he was from other people. 

Back then, someone still cared when he went missing.

He of course had no recollection of the incident himself, being a baby when it happened, and all he knew came from his twin brother’s retelling of the event which he had learnt from their parents who decided that Simon’s lack of speech meant that he didn’t understand words at all even though he spent most of his time at home doing his own work or reading books reserved for people older than him. ‘Hag put us on the goddamned floor,’ Simon remembered the quiet fury of his twin brother as he paced in their shared bedroom. ‘God knows why she would do that. You could barely crawl, and either she forgot to fucking close the door or you somehow managed to open the fucking thing on your own, the next thing she saw after finally finishing cooking lunch was that there was only me, the door to the pier was open, and you were gone. They thought you were gone for good.’

Simon remembered turning his gaze towards the small stack of paper he was holding and rubbing the corner of. It was a copy of the newspaper article from the day he was found on the beach completely soaked in saltwater but very alive, one that took over most of the pages of the large sheet of inked newsprint they call the local newspaper found in the library and therefore required a few sheets of normal paper to photocopy the entire thing double-sided. Little Simon rescued from the beach! was printed at the very top below the name of the newspaper, and the article documented not only the facts - despite the sensationalised title - but also included a lot of interviews of the search and rescue team which seemed to care a lot about his survival and whereabouts, most of which Daniel and North firmly believed to be no more than a show. Simon believed them because he was never a good judge of people’s intentions. 

‘Half of the town thought you were really dead, the other half kept searching just for you to be washed up the beach in the middle of the fucking night and being discovered only the morning after,’ Daniel continued talking and pacing, and Simon had to look away because the movement was making him dizzy. ‘The rest you can find in the article. I’m not gonna waste my time reading aloud.’

Simon grabbed the worn dictionary, flipping to the pages with the words he wanted to convey and pointing his finger at them. but - how - about - dad - and - mum?

‘No fucking idea. Dad said Mum was hysterical.’

The rest Simon forgot because he was tired and he hadn’t been paying attention, and he supposed that it didn’t matter anyway because they stopped caring when he grew up from the easy, quiet baby to the too-quiet toddler who wouldn’t play with other children and scratched his own arms when things became too much. At first, the other children he went to school with left him alone with his sticks and stones which he assembled into shapes resembling the marine animals he remembered from the worn picture books in the kindergarten’s library. He didn’t necessarily understand the words, but the pictures were soft, the fishies were cute, the soft edge of the cardboard felt good in his hands, and they reminded him of a home he yearned for but never had, his obsession with the ocean starting when he was young. It was during these quiet times that another boy of his age approached him. 

‘What are you doing?’ the other boy asked. He was dragging a bag filled with books behind him.

Simon flipped his own book open until he found the page of the octopus he was trying to recreate with his collection of seashells that he found on the beach and a few sticks he found on the dirt in the garden behind the kindergarten, pointing first at the specific octopus he was assembling (there were five of them, he counted), then at the imitation on the ground. He hoped the other boy understood what he meant. He wouldn’t want him to scream in his ear and make them hurt just like the others. For some reason, they thought it would help him hear them better while in fact it was doing the exact opposite. He could hear them well enough; he just didn’t want to speak.

‘Are you building the octopus?’

Simon nodded.

‘May I watch you?’

Another nod, and the two of them sat on the same piece of log as Simon bent down once more to rummage in his collection of pebbles and seashells to complete his octopus, this time with an audience consisting of one single boy already a bit taller than himself. Halfway through the recreation, his companion retrieved a book, one with the same thickness but thinner pages and much more words, but Simon, engrossed in his project, didn’t seem to notice at all, having been sucked into his own world and become completely oblivious to his surroundings, and he only straightened himself as much as his uncooperative limbs could after the octopus was complete. Josh noticed it and put down his book just to be swatted by Simon’s flailing hand that felt like, ‘Look at my work.’

And to two boys, it was a work of art. With dirt as his canvas and random pebbles and sticks and leaves and seashells as his palette, Simon somehow manages to fit them together into a puzzle more detailed than the drawing he based it on, the different colours of nature somehow managing to form a harmonious combination of browns and whites and oranges and green. ‘It’s pretty,’ Josh commented. ‘I like it.’

Simon’s face blushed pink. Tilting his head to one side, he seemed to study his artwork intently for a few seconds before struggling with the zippers of his backpack as if he wanted to open them, and when it was evident that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish the task himself, Josh offered to help him, and he unzipped it quickly just for Simon to snatch the bag back and scoop every single piece of nature he used to construct the octopus with inside. 

‘What are you doing?’ Josh was shocked, but still he zipped up the bag because he didn’t want the contents to spill out. He would be sad if one of the seashells got lost.

Simon hopped off the log he was sitting on and dragged the backpack behind him instead of putting it on. A few steps towards the other side of the park, and then he turned around, beckoned the other boy to follow him with a wave of his hand, his blue eyes still glued onto the ground.

‘Where are you going?’

Simon pointed towards a familiar direction.

‘You’re going to the beach?’

A nod.

‘Okay. Let me pack up.’

By ‘pack up,’ he meant carefully placing his book in his bag, and soon the two boys were dragging their respective bags behind them on the road as they walked to the beach on foot unsupervised by any adults. The sky was a greyish white, the wind was strong from the upcoming rain, the sound of the sea lapping the shore was particularly loud from the silence of the village and the strength of the waves, but all the signs indicating a worsening weather were ignored, Simon determined to go to the beach and Josh too curious to back down from accompanying his potential new friend. Walking was easier when the ground underneath their feet finally changed from asphalt to soft sand, and their tiny footsteps were erased by twin tracks their bags left behind. Simon sat down abruptly just before they reached the line where dry sand gave away to wet.

‘What are you doing?’ Josh asked even though he was already sitting down.

Simon merely pushed his backpack towards the other boy. It took him a few seconds to interpret the action, but Josh got it quickly enough and unzipped the back for him. Simon then poured the contents onto the dry sand, casually shoving the bag to one side and then started reconstructing the octopus once more, and Josh was confused; if the boy wanted to make it on the beach, why didn’t he do it here directly? Why practise in the park first? But he also knew that he probably wouldn’t get an answer from the other boy so he watched the octopus materialise piece by piece instead.

Until he noticed something strange about the ocean.

See, even though they were literal children, they grew up with the sea in their view at all times, and they knew its personality and temper well. When to avoid the shore, when to avoid going out altogether, when to prepare for the worst - they learnt to watch for the subtle signs and act accordingly. But nothing, not from parents, not from school teachers, not even from teenage babysitters, could have prepared Josh for the sight of the sea lapping higher and higher around them while the sand within their ten-foot radius stayed dry as if there was an invisible dome surrounding the two of them. He turned inland and saw the tide converging in front of him, the space around his bookbag staying dry on its own, and he sought out the other boy because he was horrified, he didn’t understand. The wind was picking up. If they didn’t go now, the sea would swallow them.

‘We have to go!’ he says. ‘I don’t know what’s happening, but if we don’t, we’ll die!’

Simon continued to piece the octopus together on still-dry sand while being completely oblivious to his worsening surroundings. He didn’t seem to hear Josh at all.

‘C’mon!’ Josh tugged on Simon’s arm and received an impatient smack. ‘We need to go!’

Do not disturb him, human. Leave the devout alone.

The voice, deep and all-compassing and earth-rumbling, was as shapeless as the shrinking dry circle around them, and Josh didn’t understand, wasn’t sure if he wanted to understand. All he wanted to do now was run, but his way back was already blocked, the tide having crept up to them while the boy was trying to convince his companion to go with him, and now it was so far up that it would be impossible to escape unless he threaded through ankle-deep water. His books would be ruined.

I can provide a safe path out. But do not look back, human, or accept the consequences.

Those would’ve been big words for normal children, but Josh wasn’t normal, having read through the entire kindergarten’s library and had started inhaling the books in the small public library they had, and words were at least something he understood well; one moment he was surrounded by dark waters, and the other there was a path directing him to his bag of books and up the beach to the road, to safety, and he didn’t hesitate to run towards his bag and dragged it up the beach until he was running up the hill, the sound little feet hitting asphalt overwhelmed by the howling wind and raging sea. He spared a look back and discovered that his companion was gone, most of the beach having been swallowed by the rapidly-rising sea level.

He abandoned his new friend and he didn’t even know his name.

Horrified by his own actions, tears rolled down his cheeks as he slowed down his normal walking speed and went back to the kindergarten on foot where his teachers were waiting at the door. ‘Josh!’ one of them rushed forward and wrapped his arms around him. ‘Where were you?’

‘At - at the beach,’ he sobbed. ‘There - there was this boy with me and he’s gone!’

‘Another boy?’ a crackle of thunder, and their conversation was interrupted by a crackle of thunder. They hadn’t even noticed the streak of lightning tearing through the clouds because it was still bright, the clouds were not heavy enough to form anything other than a light rain, but it wasn’t like they cared about the inconsistencies between this rainfall and what they normally experienced anymore; all that mattered right now was that the weather was worsening, there was a child missing, and said child’s twin brother was currently -

‘WHERE IS SIMON?’ Daniel came blundering through before any teachers could grab him and clamped his tiny hands on Josh’s shoulders. ‘I’m asking you: where is Simon?’

Simon? Was it the boy’s name? Josh couldn’t think clearly. He left Simon to die. He was sorry. 

‘He was at the beach,’ he didn’t know why he wasn’t screaming like the others, but as the first bucket of rain poured down the sky, he could imagine the waves sweeping Simon away, dragging him into the deep alongside the octopus he spent so much effort creating, all evidence of his existence gone, gone, gone -

‘The sea took him.’

o0o0o

In reality, young Simon was doing much better than he thought; in fact, the place he ended up with was so good that he didn’t even want to go back on land, let alone with the civilisation living on it at large, the experience edged into his mind so vividly that he can revisit it whenever he wants to even in adulthood as long as he closed his eyes. With Josh gone, he and the ocean could finally be alone with each other, and he let the waves cover him, an invisible barrier protecting him from the cold water and preserving enough air to keep him alive. He blinked, tilted his head to one side while the wave on top of his creation seemed to hesitate to touch it, holding his breath as the ocean judged him. 

Don’t worry. Everything you made that doesn’t hurt us, I like.

He didn’t know what it meant back then, his mind too young to comprehend a promise as solemn as that, and neither did he know who ‘I’ was and whom ‘us’ was referring to, but looking back, it was part sincere reassurance and part lifelong vow despite, and now that he knows everything, he was glad that his love started early; it made growing up less lonely and terrifying; and despite his lack of understanding, he was immediately soothed, and he felt himself relax on the pocket of dry sand, clutching his open backpack and caressing the fabric because he thought it felt pleasant to his fingers. 

I’ll give you something even better.

At last, his octopus was swept away by the waves, his offering accepted by the other half of himself that he didn’t even know existed back then, and there was no fear in his heart when the ocean enveloped him, surrounded him, carried him to the depths where everything was blue because no other colour could reach that deep. He found himself liking the colour; it wasn’t complicated like the kaleidoscope of life on land, it didn’t send needles into his eyes like the sharp reds and oranges the fishermen used to paint their boats so that they could be visible when they were out at sea, it wasn’t complicated like the subtle blue of the sky when it wasn’t covered by the clouds. This was raw, simple, the only wavelength that the ocean allowed to reach him among all others, so it must be the colour of protection as well.

He didn’t know all of these, back then, but these are some of the conclusions Simon arrived at after years of sharing his life with the ocean. What he did know was that the deep blue was a pleasant colour, one that calmed him down so much that he wanted to go to sleep right there on the soft sand of the seabed.

Sleep well, starlight.

Unbeknownst to him, his other half was still wide awake protecting his land-dwelling counterpart. The current changed to maintain the temperature of the tiny body at the bottom of the sea, the sea animals were instructed to stay off course so as to not disturb his slumber, and the earth also slowed down in case the pressure would become too much and frighten the fragile heart of a human child. It also got to work, finishing millions of years worth of progress in mere hours to create a safe haven for Simon, and he was carried there so gently that not once did he stir while he rode the waves without him knowing, and when he woke up, he was lying on a bed of soft but dry moss located in a cave of stone walls and soft sand. His parents and his twin weren’t there to urge him to wake up so he basked in the warmth that seemed to radiate from the pale sand as he listened to the sound of running water nearby. He would discover upon his second visit to the cave that it was the murmurs of an underwater stream feeding a hot spring near the end of the cave. 

Time to get back, starlight.

He wasn’t in the position to judge or protest so he let the sea carry him back to his home on the surface. He couldn’t quite swim in the ocean yet and had a tendency to walk back into the water no matter how much inland the waves placed him; eventually they settled on putting him back on the pier outside his parents’ house/lighthouse, and although it was too close to the surface civilisation for their liking, it at least kept young Simon out of the water at last because he remembered jumping off the pier on his own and then landing into the water with his stomach first and the pain wasn’t something he would want to repeat. It was dark still when he was sent back to the surface and he didn’t want to be away from the sea yet, so with his tiny feet dangling off the side of the pier, he lay on the wood for hours watching the stars twinkle in sync with the dark waters kissing the beach glowing silvery in the moonlight, and then having to close his eyes as the sun painted the horizon a fiery orange and the clouds a deep purple. The sea stayed the same, however, the greyish-blue waves too choppy to glisten under the sunlight. The wind picked up as the land absorbed the energy from the sun and started heating the air, and that was how his parents found him: unconscious at the edge of the pier behind their house, a soft breeze smelling of the ocean feeding the fire burning what remained of his mind away.

[bibbykins]

Heliophilic Rain and His Pluviophile (M)

Yikes, it’s been a hot minute. That’s my bad. I have been having it a little rough with my job and so I’m in the process of finding another one and that among a billion other things is slowing me down. Which makes me wonder if I were to open commissions if anyone would be interested? I also would like to add there is a scene that could be triggering so proceed with caution, please. Either way, thank you for your patience as always, and I hope you enjoy!

Pairing: (Soft) Yandere! Yoongi x Reader Genre: Smut/Fluff

Word Count: 8.5k

Warnings: possessiveness, yandere tendencies, anxiety, unspoken threat of sexual assault, slight violence, oral, penetrative sex, cock warming, toxic relationship (he's yandere ya kno)

Summary: He was the rain just as you were the sun, both too transfixed with watching each other to get any closer. Few things feel more refreshing than drops of fresh rain on heated skin or the warmth of the sun on a gloomy day. It would be a shame to not indulge in the natural wonders of the world before you.

“Her voice was like the wind. I could listen until it was all that filled me. I could listen until she swept me away into the vast ocean of her presence. I would drown if it meant I would drift back to her. Her voice was like the wind. No matter how much I tried to catch it, I would get carried away. Suddenly, I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Suddenly, home was wherever she said it was, so long as she did so with that voice of hers.”

“His voice was like the tap of rain against a window. He was asking me to go out to see him, but there was something beautiful about the way I knew he wasn’t referring to me specifically. I was a mere onlooker to his presence. Even so, I would catch a cold if it meant I could reach him, even for a moment. I thought this, knowing I would never have the guts to go outside. I made peace with this until the taps on my window turned into knocks on my door.”

——-

The office had an industrial-chic style about it, filled with neutral tones and the clanging of chains for no other purpose except fashion donned upon its employees. The color palette was gloomy and soothing, just how Yoongi liked it, an aesthetic that his employees gleefully shared with him as well. Each morning, Yoongi would look out his office and admire his growing business, eyes never lingering on one place too long, he loved all of the office equally. This much rang true until he couldn’t tear his eyes away from your form.

“She’s like a breath of fresh air, isn’t she?” Hoseok placed his hand on Yoongi’s soldier as he watched you through the glass doors of the conference room you were currently introducing yourself in, “Don’t be too hard on her, she’s competent and hardworking, okay?” 

Yoongi could barely hear his friend as he lost himself in the way your eyes crinkled from a genuine smile adorning your face. You were his new host to one of the podcasts his company picked up. From the merger with Hoseok’s company full of his college friends, Yoongi went from popular podcast host and semi-popular producer to a CEO of Min Productions, famous music artists in production and performance,  who oversaw the production of music and several podcasts on several topics, and you were what he had initially dreaded.

From the merger, came money, but what also came with it was Namjoon, the PR head of the company Hoseok was a part of, being able to choose one of every five talents for Yoongi to build up, hopefully into fame. Yoongi had just reached his fifth host, the podcasts he chose mostly consisting of music commentary or general life talks from people with aesthetics aligned with his own. However, from the sea of neutral colors and low voices partaking in casual conversation came you.

You were a perky college senior with some light in your eyes still. You were a rare find and had no set style ranging anywhere from pastels to the grunge he was used to seeing, but what never changed was your smile. Your teeth made an appearance at least 10 times a day, judging by the third smile you had just flashed the crew in a two-minute time frame.

Your podcast, however, oddly betrayed your attitude. You ran a sex and lifestyle podcast where you asked questions most people were too shy to throw out into the world pertaining to the unspoken social rules of casual dating and sex. It was interesting, yes, but it didn’t align with the brand Yoongi had been building judging by the synopsis. 

The fuss he made to Namjoon ended as soon as he sat down and listened to a podcast of yours. 

—–

“I have a formal complaint I would like to file!” You proclaimed as Yoongi found himself listening to your most recent podcast, “Why the fuck can’t I get a sugar daddy my age? It’s almost like… like my age demographic consists mostly of broke-ass college kids living with their parents, in a dorm, or like ya girl, an overpriced apartment and not rich as fuck for no reason. Fucking whack, I’ll say it.” He unwittingly cracked a smile at your charm and sarcasm, “I spent one day on sugarbaby.com and had to watch vanilla straight porn at the number of wrinkly dicks I saw instead of profile pictures. That’s like the most boring porn. So here comes a Patreon plug for the brainwashing I will conduct on myself in case I saw anyone’s grandfather’s penis.” You had an unabashed charm about you that urged him to listen more, maybe just one more episode.

Yoongi found himself listening to your entire discography, even the less promoted music you released once every blue moon, which wasn’t half-bad. However, he couldn’t find a picture of you, most likely because you posted under the alias Sugar Sun. The only pictures of yourself being from behind.

“On this episode of men are trash: men are fucking trash. Hello all, Sugar Sun here, and let’s talk about my day,” Yoongi could feel his intrigue grow, as you kept releasing, your delivery became less forced and more natural, “I don’t talk much in class, believe it or not. I’m a stuttering mess and like two people know my name at my big ass university, so when I do talk and my shit hole of a lab partner yells at me in the middle of a presentation to speak up, I cry, in front of the class. But do I stop the presentation? No, I’m fucking frozen with fear, so I just continue with my tears and the presentation. Bitch, what the fuck I looked like a middle school drama kid doing a monologue in front of her math class for no fucking reason.” You took a deep breath, “In conclusion, I’m sensitive and men are trash. Now, to the podcast.”

You had gained more traction with your commentary on romantic life and general comedy, catching Namjoon’s attention, “Hello again, double S here, with a special announcement. I got like, an actual company to sign me! Wild, I know! I’ll get paid and have meet-ups and stuff, which means you lovely listeners will get to soak in my face and talk to me in person and really experience why the only orgasms I’ve had are self-made!”

—–

“Yoongi!” Hoseok tapped his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance you put him in.

“Sorry, she’s just-”

“Be nice,” Hoseok warned.

“Like sunshine.” Yoongi could feel the air enter his lungs as you sat down with a smile, “Like, what the fuck, Hobi?” 

His friend blinked, “Woah, shit, what?” He stifled a laugh, “You know, there isn’t a no-dating policy, right?”

“I’m well aware.” Yoongi rolled his eyes, “But there will be if anyone tries anything.” He spoke nonchalantly and Hoseok choked on air at his friend’s obliviousness while the glass doors of the conference rooms were opened, you pouring out from it, waltzing to Yoongi and Hoseok.

“Hello, Mr. Min and Ho-Mr. Jung, I’m Y/n, or Sugar Sun, thank you for this amazing opportunity.” You bowed as Hoseok shook off his bewilderment for just a moment to give you a small bow with Yoongi.

“I look forward to spending more time with you.” Yoongi spoke in his regular gruff voice, the same one that proclaimed to have your hand in marriage just moments before, “I find you’ll be a breath of fresh air to the company.”

“I also look forward to seeing how your podcasts go, you have a photoshoot in a couple weeks, right?” Hoseok smiled warmly at you as you beamed back to him. Yoongi swore the whole exchange was blinding.

“I do! I’m a little nervous, since it’ll be my big face reveal, and I don’t know how well I model.” You giggled and Yoongi found his new favorite song the moment you did.

Yoongi had a tendency to do this, whether or not he wanted to. He was a passionate man. He craved love and could see it coming from a mile away. Despite being one of the seven main heartthrobs of his college campus, he almost exclusively stuck to serious relationships, and he meant it when he said serious. Yoongi was a little, to put it lightly, obsessive. He was a jealous boyfriend, but he did his best to try not to be too overbearing. He was also excessively protective, and the women he dated were grungy free spirits who enjoyed the chase when all Yoongi wanted was to catch them then hold them for the rest of his life. Despite being blinded by his own passion, he could still see when it wasn’t going to last, having accepted to never find a girl to accommodate and sedate him when needed. However, when you looked his way, or he heard your voice, it was something more than a need being filled.

You felt your heart leap out of his chest, trying not to fall into Yoongi’s hands when you first saw him, and here he was, nonchalantly giving you an inkling of a smile. Maybe it was the lack of a solid fuck or a relationship, but you were definitely breaking some HR rules in your mind.

Suddenly, you became aware of the content you dished out. You talked about your sex life often, and he knows you’re inexperienced and terribly horny. You internally punched yourself in the face. He probably thinks you’re so weird. Yet, here you were, a huge fan of Agust D and now Min Yoongi was staring at you.

Yoongi smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ve had my experience with a face reveal or two.”

You returned his smile, remembering the day Agust D revealed his face. The whole world stopped, and you only fell deeper when you looked at his eyes, “I-I remember, I’m a fan.” You looked down shyly before facing him again.

“Funny, I am a fan of yours.” He spoke lowly as Hoseok had long walked away unnoticed.

You giggled stupidly, “A fan?” Your sunny smile beamed at him. He had always preferred rainy days, but if this was what the sun looked like, he could get used to being a little warm here and there, “I can hardly believe it.”

“I’m gone a lot and yet, your voice has a certain factor to it that draws people in. ” He mused as his eyes trapped you, “I wonder where you’ve been all my life.”

Just like that, the bubble popped. The chimes came to a screeching halt. The rose-tinted glasses were abruptly ripped off of your face. The magic cleared, and you were left with the realization that while you had damn near counted every interaction, no matter how minuscule, and he hadn’t cared to remember you until now.

“Here’s my personal cell,” He hands you a pristine card with silver numbers, “Call me if you need anything, and I mean it.” You take the card with a quaint smile that deflates

He’s never noticed you until now, of course. The answer to his thoughts was that you’ve been right here.

Before Yoongi could register the chill in the air without your smile, Hoseok came back, “Hey Yoongs, let’s go, we got a flight in a few hours.“ 

“Right.” Yoongi breaks eye contact with you.

“Have a good flight!” You smile, not as wide as before, and Yoongi sees it.

“See you Tuesday, y/n!” Hoseok waves.

“Don’t be late!” You giggle and as soon as they both are out of earshot, Yoongi grills him.

“You know her?!” Yoongi snaps as he enters the town car.

Hoseok blinks at him, confused, “Duh? I thought that was a given.” Upon seeing his friend’s puzzled face remain, Hoseok’s eyes went wide, “Holy shit, you don’t remember her?!”

The older male blinked in confusion, “I’ve never met her before?”

The younger businessman threw his head back as he placed his hands over his face in frustration, “She was in our forensics class and our history class last year’s fall semester and the year before!” He was exasperated, “Remember the super genius sophomore?”

Yoongi racked his brain. Last year? He had been dating some angsty theology major. How could he have let himself be blinded by a temporary fling when the love of his life was right there? He could kick himself at this moment. No wonder your smile faltered, you had remembered him, “Liar, you can’t be serious.”

“Dude, she tutors me to this day in history.” Hoseok deadpanned, “All she requires is I buy her meals that day.”

“How often do you guys have study dates?” Yoongi grits out as his friend snorts at the notion of it being a date.

“Your possessive is showing,” He snickered, “My girl is all I can see these days, no matter how cute y/n is.”

“I will end you if you touch her,” Yoongi doesn’t hesitate, “Especially with the way you treat girls,” His face scrunches in disgust before he grumbled, “But how often?”

“Every other Tuesday.” Hoseok smirked, “And you mean used to treat girls.” 

Yoongi huffed in agreeance.

—-

“Hello, party people.” Your voice entered Yoongi’s headphones as he leaned back on his hotel bed, “Sugar Sun here, in my bedroom. We’re calm, we’re casual, it is a Friday night and this one goes out to my fellow homebodies.” You switched off to play a song. Part of the contract you signed was that you are allowed to go live whenever you liked to encourage and tend to fans. You explained it was almost a tradition for you to set aside a Friday night in once a month for your fans and Yoongi found in comforting as he lay alone. 

Your taste in music was so unbelievably cute, he couldn’t help but smile at the lo-fi song, “And we’re back, hello all here and all who are joining as I speak. Today I took a tour of the studio my actual podcasts will be recorded in and holy shit, they seem to actually take me seriously as a personality and even artist, so expect some tunes soon.” Yoongi smiled at this, you don’t even know your potential, “I’m looking at the chat now to see if there are any questions, and- oh, yes, I did meet my boss. Yes, the iconic Min Yoongi. He is as dreamy as they say, but I have actually met him before.” Yoongi sunk a little further in shame, “Did he remember me?” You read from the chat, “No, of course not. I’m a voice, but no one will know me if I don’t use it.” You sighed out and he felt his heart clench. He was such a fucking idiot. “Which I don’t much beyond this mic. Am I scared to say this now that he’s my boss?” He held his breath a bit, “No, I doubt he’s listening. He said he was my fan, but he could just have said that to be a nice guy.” You laughed, a hint of sadness evident, “What a fucking disaster I must seem like if he were to, huh?” The sadness in your voice more prominent, “If he is, hi Mr. Min, please erase this from your memory, as well as my sophomore haircut.” 

The live went on as normal and Yoongi drifted to sleep to the melodious sound of your voice for the remainder of the flight. However, even in his dreams, you were just out of reach, and he couldn’t begin to put into words how much it killed him.

—-

You don’t know how you got here. You looked around at the shabby setup. This "photography studio” looked a lot, and you mean a lot, like it was a half-assed school set not long ago. You scoffed, throwing your hands up incredulously when you caught sight of a black couch. You really hated your manager.

The jackass was assigned to you and you were too scared to say how uncomfortable he made you. He treated you like a child, but the way he looked at you was too adult for your taste. He was constantly texting you and asking for photos of your face, which you were constantly rejecting. To top it all off, he wants you to call him Big Brother, not Oppa, Big Brother. You opted for Big Bro instead, since he won’t give you his name. No, to top it all off, he booked your photo shoot with a “friend” of his to “save the company money”. He asked you to show up in a dress no longer than your knees and you felt dumber and dumber as time went on for doing so. 

You stood in the middle of this studio-warehouse apartment waiting for this great photographer to show up. As you stood here, your initial thought was “how fucking ridiculous is that” but the longer you were there and the more you studied the ropes that were no longer as well hid, something in your stomach began to turn.

You were in actual fucking danger. This situation could not be a funny story if you didn’t live to tell it. Your eyes darted from different red flags in the room. A spot of dried blood scratches on the cheap wallpaper, bare plaster marks against the beige wall, a poorly-concealed camera you hadn’t noticed until now. Your chest squeezed when your phone vibrated. 

You could get out of here! All you had to do was send an SOS.

Hoseok: Good luck in the photoshoot from my other half and I! 

You smiled lovingly at the snapchat from the male, the more permanent girl in his life with a smile on her face and an encouraging thumbs-up. They were evidently on a date, finally, so there was no way you could call them to come get you. You would hate to bother them.

Mr. Min: Let me know how the shoot goes. 

You faltered over the message. He was professional as ever. Would he think less of you if you abandoned a shoot like this?

Yoongi agonized over the three dots that stared him down. He had to remind himself to blink as he watched the minutes tick by that felt like hours. What the hell were you typing?

It had been about a couple of weeks since you’ve been under Yoongi’s company and all had been normal. Your routine was the same, and so was his. Except for this time, you two would exchange polite texts on what the other would do.

Sugar Sun: Great song as always!

You would always send exclamation points or some sparkle emojis, even a sun here and there. Yoongi found himself unable to shield his cheesy grin at the texts you sent him. You were always the first person to praise his new work. He found himself craving your praise more and more, but he forced himself to remain professional.

Mr. Min: Loved your live.

He always used punctuation despite using fragments which somehow added an aura of professionalism that he effortlessly radiated in person. Nevertheless, you would always send back a sparkly thank you which made Yoongi melt. He prided himself on not overstepping boundaries by attempting to control your professional life. His self-restraint proved quite strong as he held himself back from taking you out to lunch or giving you special treatment. This restraint was put to the ultimate test when he found out you were assigned Hyungin as your manager. He was an unfortunate employee with constant reports that would ultimately be rescinded by the female employees.

He was a disgusting piece of shit, Yoongi deduced. Hyungin was the brother of the management agency contracted by his company, per Namjoon’s damn insistence,  and he was itching for that contract to end, and soon. Yoongi had to physically hold himself back when he found this information out, trying to respect you by not meddling or keeping tabs on you.

His resolve was a very thin string that was tugged and tugged as the days went on with Hyungin having total control over your schedule and an excuse to contact you 24/7. You were a strong girl and had not made a report. He had to respect that. 

Your lip began to twitch, a movement you quickly halted as you shook the fear off. Maybe you were overreacting. Maybe you were being stuck up. You weren’t like Yoongi, maybe you had to photoshoot in shabby places.

You: I’m kind of scared…

You shook your head, erasing the message and locking your phone. You huffed, it was 30 minutes past the scheduled time. Surely you had the right to leave? You heard the back door open and could feel the bile lurch in your throat.

Something was very wrong. You were not overreacting. There were several heavy footsteps and as they thudded through the warehouse, nearing your reaching form, you could not deny the quaking fear that traveled through your veins like electricity.

One? Two? No, four sets of steps. The uneven rhythm proved as much, too many for a measly photoshoot. Too many for you to take on all at once. The correct amount to hold you down. The correct amount to-

“Little sis, are you here?” A sickening voice called out and you realized the steps stopped with only his continuing. 

He was trying to surprise you. 

“Come on, dear, let’s get to know each other.” You could hear the predatory smirk on his face and you choked on a horrified breath as the fear pricked your skin and pierced your lungs.

You were choking on your own horror.

“Come out, come out,” He called and you were frozen, absolutely fucking frozen. 

Run.

You stood up, breaking into a sprint that was a hair too slow. You felt a calloused, obscenely rough handgrip your forearm with a vigorous force and you screamed. He was squeezing, and at this rate, your bones would surely snap, “Not so fast, little girl.” He stood next to you, breath pungent with halitosis. From peripheral vision, you could see his five o'clock shadow and you realized the size difference and the lack of camera. You couldn’t stop screaming, mimicking every cell in your body that seemed to yell,

RUN.

Just like lightning, you struck him with your head, harder than you knew you could stand. His nose gave you an all too satisfying crack and his grip loosened enough for you sprint again, this time more than quick enough to keep going. You heard the clamoring of footsteps and eventually, all you could hear was the sound of the wind as you turned corners you had no familiarity with, running until your legs could no longer carry you. 

Your legs finally shook you down to your knees in a part of town you barely recognized. You had passed through here once before as a freshman in college sight-seeing. It was a tourist spot and you exhaled on the sidewall as people stepped around you.

You heaved a breath that you swore you had been holding for hours with a small victorious smile. Your eyes scanned the area of regular people and your hands shaking brought attention to the purse you thankfully still had.

Without thought, you ripped it open, using your phone to call the first person you could.

“Y/n?” His voice was gruff, as if he was whispering whilst trying to talk normally, “Is everything okay?” He seemed confused, you had never called him before.

“Can you… uh…” You faltered after realizing the strangled sound you made, voice raw from the screams you let out, “…please come get me.” You nearly whispered.

“Send me your location, I’m on my way.” Yoongi didn’t miss a beat before adding, “Stay where you are, don’t go near anyone.” He ended the phone call and you followed his directions, dropping your pin. You sighed in relief as you took refuge on the sidewalk, draping the cardigan in your bag over your shoulder, securing it around yourself.

Yoongi shot up from his office chair, looking at his employees mid-powerpoint. His marketing team turned into ice at his gaze. His eyes were much darker than a moment ago, and his jaw was like stone, “I have an emergency to attend to, we will proceed at a later date.” The room nodded stiffly as their boss walked out, all of them unaware why, having been too scared to even try to listen to his phone call.

Never in Yoongi’s life had he sped so recklessly. You were 10 minutes away and something was wrong. Your voice had never sounded so vulnerable. He had never heard it that quiet before. You were in a plaza of popular building, and if you had a photo shoot today, this would not be near any studio at all. His blood boiled at the thought of anyone taking away your light.

He slammed on the brakes when he caught sight of your shrunken form on the sidewalk, your head jerked up at the sound as your entire body jumped. Why were you so scared? Your face had a small streak of makeup on the side of your face and his skin only flared as you scurried into the car and Yoongi began driving to a more familiar side of town.

“Please don’t take me home.” You pleaded, unable to face him due to the shame.

Yoongi chose not to prod, for the time being, only nodding in response as he drove. He could see you stare out the window at the passing building and he watched your shaking for curl into the car seat. He settled on this resolve of leaving you alone all the way up to the inside of his apartment until your lip quivered as you plopped down on the couch, eyes unwavering from its spot at your feet. Then, you began to cry. No, not cry, sob, sob your hardest and just like that, a single tear snapped the ever-thinning string of restraint he had left.

You were pulled into Yoongi’s chest as sobs racked through your body, you clutched his shirt as you soaked it with tears of fear, relief, joy, and you couldn’t stop. Hell, you could barely breathe. Even so, Yoongi held you as his expensive dress shirt crumbled under your grip and stained with your mascara and eyeliner proving not to be as water-resistant as you hoped. His grip was unwavering and when a hand went to stroke your hair, you could feel oxygen reach your lungs again. 

“It’s okay.” He breathed, “You’re safe now.” He fought the urge to clench his jaw again as you gripped his shirt harder.

Your breathing began to even as he whispered soft words into your ear until your eyes couldn’t cry anymore. The both of you stood there for what felt like an eternity, clinging onto one another as he felt the softness of your cardigan against his hands. You eventually broke the silence with a meek, “I’m so sorry." 

"Why is that?” He spoke softly, his last intent was to scare you.

“I ran away from the shoot, and I know it’s not professional but…” You shivered, “ He didn’t have a camera.” Yoongi could kill somebody, “He had three other guys with him.” Someone, no, all of them are going to have to pay, he concluded. Nobody involved would leave the ordeal with their lives intact. They would lose everything for trying to take his sunshine away, for making your light falter, for even a moment.

He ripped himself from you, to sternly meet your eyes, “Do not apologize for the swine you encountered.” Your eyes only reflected sorrow, “You’re alive, and that is what matters most, okay?” You nodded.

“You’re not mad at me?” Your voice cracked against your will as you looked up at Yoongi, eyes glassy and begging for reassurance.

He visibly softened, “No, Sunshine, I could never be mad at you.” You nodded in understanding, “But will you let me fix this for you?”

Maybe you should have known from the beginning. You looked at Yoongi, so eager to be your saving grace, eyes intense with intent, and yet his touch was so soft. A man in love was a dangerous man, you once read in a book. Yet, never in your life have you craved such a man before, and if Yoongi’s rage mixed with infatuation could measure close to love, you would take it. He was powerful, he was kind, and he was pleasing to the eye. He was offering you the world in that one question.

“Please.” You cast your pride aside, “They don’t deserve mercy.” An angry tear went down your cheek, “I’m so tired of trying to brave it, doubting myself, denying myself any chance of help.” You could feel the tear trickle with hot fury, “I’m so fucking sick of relying on myself.”

Yoongi was quick to catch the tear with the softest hand you’ve ever felt, “I’m here now.” He spoke with the utmost confidence.

Your relationship with Yoongi from that point for the next couple of months was interesting, to say the least. You had somehow moved in upon his request, him rationalizing it by saying they knew where you lived. Granted, he wasn’t wrong. Hyungin knew where you lived, but within two weeks he and the monsters you encountered were promptly locked in a very dangerous maximum-security prison. You decided not to dwell on how they took such a shitty deal with a well-deserved long sentence. 

Some things were above your pay grade, and you made peace with it.

Even so, he didn’t stop there. He could no longer stand on the sidelines anymore. That line blurred beyond recognition the moment he held you in his arms. He was essentially your new manager, stating he owed you at least that much after letting you fall into the hands of such a monster. Thankfully, the releasing of official statements and press conferences were received well. The victim-blaming for the nature of your podcast kept to an obsolete minimum. Your face still had not been released upon your request and you were able to move on, the media no longer covering the story as the sentencing was sealed.

The months passed in a flurry of Yoongi being awfully vague each time you asked about his personal life. He was constantly home outside of work, which you didn’t mind, but you didn’t want him to put his social life on your accord. You also had much less confidence in his infatuation for you then you did a couple months ago. Every time you tried to make a move, which meant a small brush of physical contact, he was not responding. The last time he gave you affection was the hug during your breakdown. The most you got out of him were a couple of head pats.

Like that did anything for you.

For crying out loud, you ran a sex and lifestyle podcast with no sex from the hot man you lived in the same home as.

Hell, the most emotion you see from him is the purest politeness you have ever encountered.

“Hello my listeners, welcome to the obligatory virginity talk.” Your voice was crisp in the mic as Yoongi laid in his bed, headphones in, listening to the newly released podcast. He was still a loyal listener, despite you living in his guest bedroom. He still could not get enough of your voice. If anything, he craved you more and desperately held himself back. He loved having you with him, but never did he think he would have to turn to rubbing one out during your more racy episodes or when he heard you pleasuring yourself in the dead of night. 

Not even his thoughts could satiate him with you right there, and yet, out of reach.

“It has come to my attention that many of you think I’m a virgin, not that it’s an insult..” He could hear the smile in your voice, “Alas, I am not, but that doesn’t change my hand being the most impressive thing my pussy has seen, I’ll tell you what.” You giggled at this, “No, I take that back, my magic wand is my BFF.” Yoongi shifted, wondering if you had your toys in your room. He had sent for all of your things after all. God, he could already feel his dick hardening. How pathetic you make him at the very thought of you fucking yourself silly, eyes rolled back, vibrator against your clit. He huffed, shaking away the thoughts, “ Anyhow, let’s talk trends I am late to, rare, I know, but what’s this whole spelling coconut with your hips riding someone business?” You pondered, “I haven’t ridden someone in a good while, and my dildo can’t tell me if it feels good, so I’m at a loss here.” You sighed almost longingly, “God, I miss getting fucked, but also romanced,” You groaned, “It’s been a rough as fuck dry couple of months, which didn’t bother me for a while considering… you know, but the world keeps turning and I stay alone but moving on…” You droned and Yoongi went into overdrive.

Did you seriously want to fuck someone? Like someone else? You were living with him now, why would you feel the need to have relations with anyone else? His fists clenched at the very concept. You couldn’t be talking for show, you were say too genuine. Before he could even stop himself, he marched over to his bedroom door, ripping it open.

Only when he did had did he realize that you were in front of him, hand raised to knock on the door, “Oh, hey.” You gave him a smile as you slowly retreated your raised arm, “I was just gonna see if you wanted to watch a movie with me?” Every so often you both would have a movie night in which you would try to understand his feelings with small touches and ultimately fail. Nevertheless, you enjoyed his company. Today, you were buying into an article’s advice and watching a scary one. Not that you were terrified, but you were a jumpy person. 

At this rate, you couldn’t tell if you were horny or just wanted affection.

Both, probably.

Your crush on Yoongi had only worsened throughout this whole experience to top it off. He was hot and kind who could blame you? And yet, he never made a single move as if he had no interest. God, what if he didn’t have any interest?

Your heart sank for a moment, “If not, I think I was gonna try to go out-”

“No!” Your eyes widened at Yoongi’s panicked tone when he cleared his throat, “I mean, I want to watch a movie, so you don’t have to go out.” He muttered and you nodded slowly. He could not have you going out, not after what he heard. You were craving other people. He couldn’t bear the thought.

“O…kay…” You smiled a bit, “Well, I picked a scary one if you think you can hang.” You gave him a sly smile before going to make popcorn. 

He smiled as he watched you prance to the kitchen. You were so beautiful and fun and everything he’s ever needed. All that was left was for you to be his, but he didn’t want to scare you away. He had to be a gentleman. He had to wait for the right time. That’s what Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung said. The only issue was that he had no idea what the hell that meant.

“You know, Mr. Min-”

“Yoongi.” He was quick as ever to correct you, “Please.” He sounded more desperate than usual and you nodded.

“Right, well I was just going to say that you have absurd taste in snacks.” You said with a chuckle, “All I ever see in you cupboards are coffee.” You wistfully sigh, “I need to go grocery shopping.”

The sound of you being so domestic-made Yoongi break into an ill-concealed smile as he settled onto the sofa, setting the oddly scary movie you chose up, “I can take you on Saturday.” You nodded when you finally found a bag of chips and sat next to the man of your affection with a cushion between the two of you.

You really couldn’t say what the movie was about, you had only seen it between the gaps in your fingers all while Yoongi watched it with a straight face. When it ended he said a short goodnight as always, except something in you, lurched out. 

“Actually, I think I may go out after all.” You swore you followed your mouth’s lead as opposed to the opposite. You just said shit and had to go along with it. Fuck, you didn’t want to go out. You wanted to stay home and be scared that there was a ghost in the closet, but now you had to get ready and shit.

“Why?” Yoongi stopped, hand gripping his door handle much harder than usual. 

You were taken aback by the question. It was valid, you supposed. But was it? How do you even answer that question? “Well, it’s been a while since I've… ya know…” You clicked your tongue, suddenly too shy to say,

“Had sex?” It was so blunt, and his eyes pierced through you and yet, you could feel your core tingle.

You were nothing but a sputtering mess, “W-W, I-I, Mr. Min-”

“Yoongi, y/n.” He spoke through gritted teeth as he stalked over to you. Despite the unconscious steps back you were taking, the couch brought you to an abrupt stop.

“R-Right, anyways, I-” You shut your mouth when Yoongi hovered over you with his presence alone.

“Say it,” He glared daggers into your form, “Say my name.” Before you could even open your mouth Yoongi groaned, slamming his hands on the couch on either side of you in frustration, “God, why do you want other people when I’m right fucking here?” Your mouth was agape at this, “I’m so sick of holding myself back.” He cursed, body pressing against yours.

“What do you mean? Other people?” You mustered and Yoongi let out a chuckle void of humor.

“I listened to your podcast about wanting to be with someone and getting romance and…” Yoongi seriously thought you had been referring to anyone but him? Him? Seriously? The hot man in the place you live? You couldn’t stifle your laugh which caused his rant to falter, “How is this a laughing matter I am-”

“So fucking dense.” You giggled, “I’ve wanted you to at least look my way for the past three years, and you seriously think I want to be with other people?!” You sighed, “I live with you for fuck’s sake, and you won’t touch me!” Now, you were letting your frustrations out, “I brush your hand, I touch thighs with you, I-I  scare the shit out of myself hoping you’ll at least hold me!” You heaved a breath, “And all you do is stay still!” You let out a frustrated yell, “The most attention I got from you was when I was almost attacked, is that what I need to do to draw sap from a fucking rock?!”

Yoongi flared at this, “Don’t ever think about putting yourself in danger.” He pointed at you, “I couldn’t take it, and I can’t take you not being honest with me, I thought you never noticed-” He was being a hypocrite, but he didn’t care.

“How could you say I don’t notice you when you straight up forgot I existed until this year?!” Yoongi was the one dumbfounded this time, and you took your chance to push past him, “I will go out tonight because I deserve-”

You couldn’t even breathe the next syllable before your back hit Yoongi’s bedroom door, his hands pinning your wrists above your own, the man breathing heavy. The air was thick with frustration as he gave you a stern look, “You deserve the world, I know,” The anger in you began to dissipate at his sincerity in his words, “And I am so in love with you, that I don’t think I’m worthy of giving it to you,” Your breath hitched at this, “But I don’t care anymore, because I would sooner kill someone before they put their hands on you, I’m sure you know I mean business, Sunshine?” You nodded, every cell in your body springing to life as Yoongi drew his lips closer to you, “So?”

You blew out a shaky breath with an equally shaky smile, “L-Love me? I-" 

"Say you love me, and I’ll do it.” He was more rushed this time, urgent almost, “I’ll stop holding back, and I will give you all that you deserve and so, so much more.” He was almost pleading.

What the fuck do you know about love? What does it look like? Sound like? Is it the way Yoongi smiles at your dumb jokes in the morning? Is it the way his voice sounds through the walls as he practices newly-written lyrics? He was a good man to you. He was an attractive man. He could give you the world, and all he wanted in return was your love. Could all of this be love? Could it be the way he’s made you feel the past couple of years, especially the last couple of months? 

Well, why the hell wouldn’t it be?

“I love you, Yoongi.” You breathed against his lips and he didn’t miss a beat in closing the gap so not even air could come between the two of you.

Electrifying all over again, but so, so different. This wasn’t fear. This was lust lighting a fire within you that Yoongi only stoked further as his silky tongue tangled with yours in a flurry of repressed emotions and endless unspoken confessions. His mouth attached to your neck and you let out a moan, quickly going to cover your mouth. 

He ripped your hand away almost instantly, “You’re rarely this shy when you’re in your room, why deny me your sounds now?” He growled against your ear and the pure sex in his voice only made you moan louder. He was the rain you had admired from afar, but now he was pressed against you, and holy shit, were you getting wet.

“Yoongi, I don’t know if I can wait, I want to cum so fucking ba-ah!” You yelped when his hand went to cup your sex under the long shirt you always wore. You were on your tippy-toes, too sensitive to press your full weight onto him.

“Such an innocent-looking girl with such a nasty mouth.” He squeezed you in his hand and watched in glory as your eyes rolled back, “Since you’re a fan, I’ll be nice.” He teased as he got onto his knees, dragging your panties down with him to the floor.

“Oh shit.” You let out a breath that was quickly stolen when his tongue pressed against your entry. He lifted your leg, placing it over his shoulder as his mouth lapped at your clit and you lost yourself in the feeling, moaning mindlessly.

“You taste like deliverance.” He mumbled against your pussy and this only made your eyes roll back at the eroticism in his words. You couldn’t even keep track of what he was doing anymore.

All you could do was feel. His tongue fucked you into oblivion as he held your hips still, determined to make you come with his mouth, and his mouth alone. He let out a lewd suck and you quivered at the sensation and action. He knew how to play you and please you that you did. His tongue entered you again and he let out a delicious moan which vibrated against your folds, “Fuck, you sound and feel so fucking good!” You cried out as his tongue made thick strokes against you that only sped up expertly as he moaned into you, “Can I cum, Yoongi?” You asked, a smart girl, he concluded. He smirked against you, full intention to deny your request until, “Please, my love, I want to cum in your mouth like a good girl.” You begged pathetically and he couldn’t refuse you. You had him wrapped around your finger and hardly knew it. He got to work quickly, tongue entering you again only to flick upwards and you groaned at this. Groans were quickly replaced by increased screaming as he stiffened his tongue and licked all around your sex. You began to scream his name like a mantra as you tighten around the muscle and came the hardest you ever had.

You slumped against the door, chest heaving, “You okay, baby?” The nickname from him elicited a tired smile. You looked down at the man, lips glossy as he licked them. He sat back on his calves and you wasted no time in diving at him on the floor.

Before he could react, you gripped him through his sweatpants and smiled when you realized he was rock hard, “Can I please ride you?” You looked up at him through your eyelashes and he knew he couldn’t possibly say no.

“Your wish is my command, sunshine.” He growled when you straddle him as he sat, legs spread and back against the back of the couch now. You gave a less than innocent smile as you reached for his member, delicate hands wrapping around him, only to pull it free and closer to your entrance, “Condom?” He questioned.

“Pill, I need to feel you, fuck.” You panted, against logical judgment, but it was lost when you pressed the head against your own entrance, “Shit.” You ground against Yoongi as his head lolled back.

He could hardly handle it as your hips twirled, the tip just outside your entrance. Finally, he had enough, and with strong hands pulled your hips to fill you to the hilt. Your mouth popped open in shock and pure masochistic delight as the pain only added to the high of lust Yoongi gave you, “Sorry, baby girl, I knew you would feel so fucking good.” He emphasized this with a thrust up, “Plus, I could hardly resist being deep inside you immediately.” He growled in sadistic pride as your face twisted in pain and pleasure.

“Hurts so good.” Your hips moved spastically, chasing another high with Yoongi deep inside you. Not once did you lift your hips. You wanted to stay full, and Yoongi was more than happy to oblige, “So good, I wanna stay like this.” You moaned out as he sucked on your neck, hands going under your shirt to grip your breasts with a fevor you craved.

“You feel like heaven.” He grunted against your neck as he littered it with hickey after hickey. You were his and the way you squeezed around him and clawed at his shoulder only spurred him further. 

Yoongi could feel himself twitching inside you and this only made you gasp as you gleefully squeezed around him, “Yes, yes,” You sounded like a prayer to him, “Cum inside me, I need it.” You were nearly screaming as he began to thrust into you at a rapid pace.

“Yeah? You want me to paint those pretty walls white, hm?” He teased you despite the strain in his voice, “Fuck it right into that pretty pussy of yours, no mine.” He grabbed your hips, working your body for his own high, “This is my pussy, isn’t it?" 

"Yes, it’s all yours, Yoongi!” You yelled and with that, he groaned as he came, ropes of cum that you could feel as his hips made good of his promise to fuck it into you. You milked him as you squeezed tighter before coming undone as you came with a scream that sounded like the next symphonic masterpiece to the fucked out man inside you.

You huffed a small chuckle against his neck as your curled your form around his, “So needy.” He teased as he went to remove himself inside of you only to be met with a squeeze from you that made him curse, “You’re gonna kill me, I swear.”

You giggled, “I like how you feel inside of me.” You shrugged before shivering at the empty feeling only to gasp when three fingers were shoved into you. You wiggled in glee, “Fuck.” Your breath hot against his neck.

 "You just like to be full, huh baby?“ You nodded shyly, "You’re perfect.” He chuckled as he used his other hand to stroke your back.

—-

“Announcement time, my dear listeners” You spoke in the studio, trying not to sound like it was through gritted teeth. You counted your blessings that you were alone, “As you know, your dear old Sugar Sun has promised a face reveal and I-Min Yoongi!” Well, mostly alone. You heaved a breath as you came against his mouth for the third time.

The man between your legs looked up at you, eyes way too innocent, “What? I’m waiting for my part.” He spoke nonchalantly despite the wetness on his lips.

“I’ll never get there if you keep making me cum and start over.” You glared and the man shrugged, “I got far enough, right, babe?” You pouted and watched his resolve crack, “Honeypie?” You pleaded and he faltered, “Love of my life?” He grumbled as he sat up next to you in front of the mic.

“Fine, go ahead.” He licked his lips.

“…and I decided to go a step further.” You smiled as the man next to you held your hand, “I will be doing a photoshoot to reveal my face and my collab partner to an upcoming song and my boyfriend…”

You looked to him, eyes twinkling, “That would be my cue.” He placed a quiet kiss on your head, “My name is Min Yoongi or Agust D as some of you may know, and I look forward to my career and life with this little piece of sunshine.” You giggled at this.

“So cheesy.” You gave him a bright smile nonetheless, “Crazy news, I know, but I secured the fucking bag, my dear listeners, he’s never getting rid of me." 

You were joking for the most part, but you didn’t know how right you were. You would not be away from him any longer. You were his sunshine, his little songbird, and his world all at the same time. He needed you like he needed to breathe. Now, you were his. You were his sunshine despite the rain he embodied. The rainbow between the two of you was too intoxicating to even bear the idea of giving it up. Even for a fraction of second. You were his. Every moment, minute, second, everything would be together. He was yours now and forever just as you were his. Blissfully and eternally in love.

"I’m too crazy to let go now.” You laughed as he kissed your temple affectionately.

So was he.

Buy me a ko-fi (it would make my day) 

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