#my soulmate in this life and every life after

[hekate-gf]

my cat did something similar after he was recovering from cancer surgery he noticed i woke up at 2am everyday to uhh hit my vape and go back to bed and he began waking me up himself between 2-3am by pawing my face and would sit next to vape all happy like look mom i found it for you or he would beg for some pets in return and now i have a nightly ritual of waking up very early and just enjoying alone time with my cat that beat cancer and i give him all the pets in the world that i can muster before drifting back to sleep and waking back up at 5 for work. i wouldnt have it any other way i adore my cat more than anything in the world he is my soulmate and i will see out every single one of his days together with me if i have the means to do so. i have known my cat since birth since he was my 4th grade science faire project to weigh the runt vs first born and after my project was presented and he was of age, i got the first born black and white kitten and he is my valentines day baby boy and ugh i love him so much i wrote so much so quickly i will never shut up about Zayn the true love of my life and my bf knows this and respects this which is amazing because nobody has been there for me thru everything like my cat has. he is my son and i love him very very dearly

[solxamber]

Leona, romantic, and “September” by James Arthur. Idk, I just always strongly associated this song with him.

"I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life" || Leona Kingscholar

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠: September by James Arthur

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 580

𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐬: Fluff, Established Relationship

Leona remembers seeing you around back when you were both young. At first, he didn't think much of you—just another face in the sea of students, another voice in the endless chatter that he had no interest in.

But the more he saw you, the more you lingered in his mind, the more he felt like he had to talk to you.

Not that he'd ever admit it out loud.

So he does what any self-respecting, prideful man would do—he bribes Ruggie to drag you to the botanical gardens under some flimsy excuse, and just so happens to be there himself.

"What a coincidence," he drawls, feigning disinterest, stretching out on the grass like he owns the place. But when you plop down next to him, start talking about something mundane yet completely captivating, he knows.

It’s instant. The way he falls. The way you slip into his life so effortlessly, laughing at his sarcasm, stealing his fries, treating him like he’s just Leona and not the second prince of some far-off kingdom.

Even when he scoffs, even when he refuses to admit it at first, you are his friend. You are his.

And then, one day, you’re both sprawled across his bed in a way that feels so natural, as if you belong there. He’s half on top of you, lazy and heavy with the weight of an afternoon nap, and you’re giggling at something on your phone. The sound is warm, golden, wrapping around his heart like the sun after a storm. It’s infuriating.

He can’t let this go on. He can’t let another day pass without making you his.

So he grumbles out a question, as if he’s annoyed by his own need for you. “Go out with me.” His cheeks are flushed, his tail stiff and betraying him, and for a second, he almost takes it back—almost—but then you look at him like he hung the damn stars, and you say yes.

And when he kisses you for the first time, slow and deep and possessive, he thinks—maybe—he can finally look in the mirror and like who he is.

Every weekend, he waits for you. Waits for you to finish your errands, your work, your whatever so you can spend the whole day with him. Because he’s stronger with you, and weaker without you. You’re his soulmate, his lover, his home.

And when the weight of his title presses down on him, when the whispers of "never good enough" creep in, you’re there. Always. Holding him in the dark, chasing away his demons with nothing but a smile and the unshakable belief that he is yours.

Sometimes, he gets mad. He can’t help it. Sometimes, he snaps even at you. Sometimes, he’s too jaded, too bitter, too tired of the expectations forced onto him since birth.

But then you have the audacity to smile at him, that infuriatingly sweet smile, and he wants to drag you back to bed and keep you there until the world forgets both of you exist.

Until he can hear nothing but your laughter and the soft, whispered confessions you think he doesn’t catch when you think he’s asleep.

He’s going to love you for the rest of his life.

And as he lays beside you now, watching your peaceful expression as you sleep, his fingers ghost over the ring he keeps hidden in his bedside drawer.

He can’t wait to make you his family. And for you to make him yours.

Masterlist ; Valentine's Event

[girlwithbloodyfangs]

how consciousness is connected with manifestation

So I watched this youtube video called "Strange Experiences Of Consciousness That I Have No Scientific Explanation Or Proof For But That's OK" by goobie and dobbie.

listening to him, he shared his strange magical experience in his life, how everything is connected ,how everything is just a consciousness, how we all can feel the truth / existence / each other....because we all are somehow somewhere is connected with each other , might we are all one or maybe everything is just me/you and experiencing my/our imagination...i mean it could get a lot much deeper but one thing is for sure that everything is just an consciousness. i also recently discovered an instagram profile where this guy talks about after death experience shared by people while they were hypnothiest , he talks about some experiment which would have been done on people, like kids sharing their past life experience..they still remember their past life, talking about how we all souls have free will to experience things , we all have multiple soulmates....a lot of bunch things, overall focusing on the after death experience....i think everything is depend on your belief system, only if you allow things to be true, i think every possible thing that you can imagine it exist. things you have never imagined could also exist, in simple words possibility is infinite, as creation is already done all the possibilities already exists. This world is full of magic, creativity and art..we make things beautiful and strange at the same time. I find it cool to be honest. As that guy shared his dream experience in his video, how his dream was connected with strange things happening around him and somehow guiding him for good and giving him clarity in terms of his life choice...which is strange and cool at the same time..in conclusion everything is connected. I don't know, I just find this fact so mesmerizing.

So I would like to connect this information with manifestation :)

About manifestation, i think it's really just the easiest thing ever to experience your desire in 3D, cause everything is connected. right ? If I want something, I can just decide that I have it and for sure will experience it because it is meant for me ( not in future terms that I will but with faith and knowing that yeah, it's guaranteed ). because I know everything is connected so if i would focus on that one thought it would influence that thing and i would attract that thing in my reality. one thing i know for sure that everything happens in your favour and by your choice. If you have negative/positive beliefs (which most probably shapes your 3D reality) , if you want something different from your beliefs that you have built overtime, you can just take a break and think from a relaxed mind and decide what you want, instead of worrying and having fear or doubts. just give it a try, don't force it and imagine it. imagine things to be more easy and things always go with a flow as you favour it. manifestation is just deciding what you want and trust that it is meant to happen, well happy news for you because everything is connected (consciousness) it meant to happen. Another reason why persistence and repetition have been called the key to manifestation. Do yourself a favour trust that it's done, visualize as much as you can, affirm as you remember about your desire, think as "what would you think if you already have your desire", try to be in wish fulfilled, at the end of the day it is meant to happen so keep up with the faith and ignore those opposing thoughts.

Final talk about time!!!! well, it depends on your belief, if you think you can manifest instantly then you do otherwise you don't. As for a fact time is just an illusion/ imagination, it doesn't exist not even for your subconscious mind. So what you do to manifest things faster is by persisting, repetition ,being in the knowing state that it's done and keeping up with your faith. if something doesn't align perfectly in your 3D, please don't torture yourself by questioning, why? instead reaffirm with confidence and faith.

btw this is my first own blog, i hope it will be helpful to those of you who are new to manifestation and want to gain some clarity.

so, I would call this my today's epiphany or a journal. if it helps you, i am glad...have a nice day and happy manifesting.

~keep slaying ;) #girlwithbloodyfangs

[timesorceror]

So I started this rec list sometime in mid to late 2024 after listening to @thisweekinfandomhistory's episode on the Crack Van, where one of the hosts commented (and I'm most definitely probably paraphrasing here) about how rec lists are something of a lost art.

This, combined with my burning desire to write a primer on Dreamling (in the hopes it could perhaps one day get covered on the pod) was what pushed me to start going through my 30-something pages of bookmarks (of which those occupy slightly more than a third of my total pages of bookmarks) and start categorizing them in preparation for this list.

Sorry about all the parentheses; I've very likely got some rather loud undiagnosed ADHD and cannot for the life of me keep my brain from interjecting with every single bit of information, relevant or otherwise. But, I digress.

There are ten posts included in this monster of a fic rec masterpost, and they are divided between Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series. The reason for the divide is simple: Tumblr only allows 100 inline links per post, as I also learned from listening to the lovely ladies of the This Week in Fandom History Podcast.

The rec list posts are below the cut, along with a link to my masterpost Google Doc, an explanation as to the method behind my madness, among other things.

Oneshots - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crossover

Oneshots - Part Two Contains: Fluff / Happy Ending, Fishbowl Rescue, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, New Inn Is A Temple

Oneshots - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Accidental Vouyerism, Age Difference, BDSM, College / University AU, Centaur AU, Dragon AU, Dream Sex, Fantasy AU, First Time / First Kiss / Getting Together / Friends to Lovers, Fluff / Smut

Oneshots - Part Four (NSFW) Contains: Fishbowl Rescue, Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, MPreg / Breeding Kink, Nursing Kink, Omegaverse, Oviposition, Pacific Rim AU, Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Selkie AU, Sex Pollen, Shapeshifting, Star Wars AU, Stuck in An Airport AU, Soulmates / Soul Bond, Temporary Amnesia, Tentacle Sex, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Venom AU, Werewolf AU

Oneshots - Part Five Contains: Soulmate AU (No Smut), Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless

Multi-Chapter - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Crossover, Fishbowl Rescue, Fluff, Friends / Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together

Multi-Chapter - Part Two (NSFW) Contains: Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Swap, Canon Divergence AU, College / University / Academia AU, Creatures & Monsters AU, Dragons AU, Dream Sex, Established Relationship, Fairy Tale AU, Fantasy AU, Fishbowl Rescue / Hob Gadling Saves Dream of the Endless, Friends to Lovers, Fuck Or Die, Getting Together, Historical AU, Hob Gadling is Hope of the Endless, Hob Gadling Owns the New Inn

Multi-Chapter - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, Modern Setting / Human AU, Monsterfucking, Omegaverse, Past Relationship(s), Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Roommates, Sex Pollen, Soulmates AU, Temporary Amnesia, The New Inn is a Temple, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Vampire AU, Victorian AU, Werewolf AU

Series - Part One (A–L) Features series written by: acadethicc | AceDragonType | Aetheltrythh | Anonymous | apocryphal | Ardin | Aria_Lerendeair | aWordyBody | Bacota | BeatnikFreak | behold_me (feat. The_KickIt_Domain) | BuckytheDucky | chaosheadspace | charinabook | CourfeyracFredMariusCratchit | cuubism | dancinbutterfly (feat. Moorishflower) | Darci | Delta_Pavonis | Dira Sudis (dsudis) | everythingisconnected | foxish_nonsense | frihetkanske | GalaxyDreamStories | hardly_an_escape | honeyteacakes | IcePhoenix96 | im_not_corrupted | Ismene_Jane | issylra | Konstadt | LeotheLionathefootofOrion

Series - Part Two (L–Z) Features series written by: Lightning_glass42 | LikeMmmCookies | lithenemesis | LLflorence dreamling (LLflorence) | Maelstrom22 | MDJensen | Mondaysundayssadurdays | monobuu | MonstrousRegiment | MoonlightMav | Moorishflower | Mywayornorway | NyriaMizell | often_adamanta | Purplesauris | Sam_Salami | SerenAur | starsniper | softestpunk | Stormysaslytherin | slythernim | Sylcian_SPH_Legacy | tharkuun | The_Shy_One | TheFanficMustFlow | Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish | ThirtySixSaveFiles | Thranduilland | TimelessRiver | tinglingsensation | Torte | ObsessiveAgony | viiidispade | winterbucky (WinterLadyy) | Whoareyou0000 | zoomacroom

There will likely not be any more posts added to this, given the nature of how Tumblr posts work, but as I am still in the middle of my second run-though of the Dreamling ship tag's entire body of completed works, I will continue to update this Google Doc as I go (and whenever I comb through my Marked for Later tab and go through fics that are still there as well) that you may view at your leisure.

Note: this Google Doc is my personal fic rec list, and is not the be-all, end-all of Dreamling fics, despite how expansive it is. If there is a fic I have not added, it's very likely I did not read it because of a tag I'm not into (like Hurt No Comfort), or I read it and didn't bookmark it because I felt like I wasn't going to read it more than once. Or any other number of reasons, such as incomplete fics, which I rarely read these days unless it's a tag that I absolutely go feral for.

So don't DM me asking to add specific fics, please. Thanks. :)

I would like to explain that the Google Doc uses the tab function to separate the Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series, and within each tab, they are further divided using the outline function.

The way I chose to organize the Oneshots and Multi-Chaptered fics was to start by thinking of this rec list as sort of like a menu at a restaurant by picking a main tag that I feel is the focus of the fic, and then further organize them by a sub-catagory tag (for example, I have Moorishflower's fic, Radio Silence, under the broad umbrella of 'Alternate Universe Oneshots' which is further organized under the sub-catagory, 'Post-Apocalyse AU'). Mostly I tried to follow this method by selecting two tags from the tag list of the fic, however not all fics I wanted to include HAD enough tags to use, or they had a bunch of hyper-specific, talk-commentary tags that I felt were not very compatible with the system I had worked out. So there are a few fics that I had to categorize or sub-catagorize simply based on vibes.

Hopefully, that explanation was sufficient, and I know that – given the current state of the fandom in regards to NG – some of these fics may one day become orphaned or be taken down. Unfortunately there is little I can do about that other than to encourage you to download any of the fics you enjoy so that you may continue to enjoy them if they disappear.

The purpose of this undertaking was more to challenge myself (and my patience) to see if I still had what it took to make a proper rec list and also to truly get a sense of Dreamling's major themes, tropes, and common tags so that I could list them out in the primer I still want to write for TWIFH.

That's... pretty much why this exists, though along the way, I was moved to finish this project for the sake of creating a snapshot of this particular ship's fandom at this particular moment in time. Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen, but I'm glad to have done it, and I hope that any fandom historians, as well as current and future fans of Dreamling appreciate my efforts.

I would also like to give a special shout-out to the @mr-sadman Discord, which also has a fic library of at least some of the listed fics for the occasions when AO3 goes down for whatever reason, as a good chunk of Dreamling authors and artists tend to congregate there and are all a bunch of lovely and wonderfully derranged people who have supported me in this endeavor.

So please, enjoy. Go forth and read fic.

All my love, TimeSorceror

[redrose10]

so i was told 'maybe in another life' pt. 2 was a possibility and here we are.... PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU GIVE ME A PART TWO AND MY LIFE IS YOURS 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

I hope this lives up to your expectations…

There will be another part to this one too. Sorry

This is a part 2/continuation of this one here.

Non Idol Yoongi x Loan Shark Female Reader. Soulmate AU

Warnings: Violence, guns, kind of suggestive, mentions of orphanage, murder, swearing, name calling

*******************************************************

Over the years, lifetimes really, you grew to hate the idea of soulmates. You used to think the idea was sweet. The thought of being tied to someone else so tightly that destiny would force the two of you together somehow seemed romantic. If only your other half had felt the same way.

The last time you saw Yoongi in person he was a famous idol that you happened to have to work with while he was completing his required military service. Once again he rejected your soulmate status though. He told you to move on and find someone else like he had. Because just like he said he would, he married another woman who wasn’t you. She was an idol just like him. Famous, talented, and beautiful. The wedding photos that were plastered in every magazine and all over the city were beautiful. Even you couldn’t deny that he looked at her with so much love and affection, something you never saw from him. They ended up having two kids, a boy and a girl. He had his own little happy family while you struggled every day to get by. Yoongi went on to live a long successful life filled with fame, money, and happiness from what you could see.

You can still remember the way you felt the day you saw the news of his passing. There had always been a part of you that hoped that maybe he would realize his love for you, especially after it was announced that him and his wife had divorced. Then the two of you could be together and finally put an end to the lifetimes of suffering you had endured, but you never saw him in person again.

And in that moment as you stared at his smiling face plastered on your tv screen while the newscaster discussed the upcoming funeral it sealed the deal and forced you into yet another life once your current was over.

In this new life you no longer cared to find Yoongi and instead accepted the fact that you would be forced to live a million different lives possibly for eternity. All of this lead you to be the cold, bitter, ruthless person you had become today.

“Please!”, the man in front of you sobbed, “I’ll get the money. I promise. Just give me another week.”

You pushed the end of the pistol a little harder into his forehead sure to leave a mark. “That’s what you said last week.”, you spat, “I’m out of time. The boss wants his money or a body. Which is it gonna be?”

“Please. I’m begging you. I’ll have it next wee-“

The man dropped to floor lifeless as you put away your still smoking gun. “Clean this up and get him over to the boss.”, you ordered to one of your men before pulling out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up.

The first time you killed someone you cried yourself to sleep that night. Their crying, sobs of desperation, the way they called for their mother… You had nightmares for weeks. But now, years later, it was just another day on the job. Tonight you will go home, crack open a beer, and forget everything that just happened. It was the only way to survive.

“Let’s go. Boss sent the next location.”, one of your men spoke from the doorway, “Said it’s a big one.” You nodded and put out your cigarette before following behind.

You don’t exactly remember how you ended up as one of the lead loan sharks for the biggest and fiercest mob boss this side of the planet, but somehow you got there. You were orphaned at a young age. Bounced around from home to home most of which not equipped to properly provide for you which resulted in stealing to get what you needed. One evening you smelled something that made your stomach growl even harder than it had been. A steaming loaf of fresh baked bread was left out in front of a bakery to cool. You were starving and cold and after making sure no one was looking you grabbed it and ran. You didn’t get very far before two men caught up to you grabbing you by your arms. They carried you back to that same storefront and into one of the back rooms where you were thrown on the ground.

“We don’t tolerate thieves around here.”, someone spat before forcing cold metal against your head. You closed your eyes not having the strength or motivation to fight back and hopelessly just wished for it to be over soon. You heard another voice enter the room demanding the gun to be put away. After some protests by your captor and a stern warning from the other man the gun was removed from your skin and the grip around your neck loosened. The man who saved you left the room without a word. You never even opened your eyes to get a look at him.

Before you knew it you were being driven to a large mansion just outside of the main city. You were given a bedroom and clean clothing. Three meals a day were provided which was more than you’d ever had. All of this was free of charge, you just had to promise to sign your life away to someone they only referred to as The Boss.

Regardless of what others think, to this day you’ve never seen him. Haven’t heard his voice since that day he demanded your release in the back of the bakery he used as a front for a gambling ring. You agreed to work for him because you had nothing else to loose and now many years later you were his top worker being trusted to lead his teams while doing all of his dirty work. It gave you a comfortable life by keeping you fed and housed and most of all kept your mind busy to the point you hardly ever thought about Min Yoongi.

“Ready? Boss says he wants this one alive if he refuses to pay. Wants to take care of him hisself. Guess this one has been extra mouthy.”, Baek said next to you. Baek was your right hand man. One of the few people in this business you trusted.

“Good, means we can be a little extra rough. I need to let off some steam anyways.”, you sighed checking to make sure your gun was loaded.

In the middle of an old abandoned factory you found a group of your men standing in a circle hurling insults and expletives, a few threw in a kick or punch at the man who was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back and a blindfold blocking his vision.

“Alright boys, step aside.”, you said pushing your way through the crowd of taller bigger men that you were never afraid of.

“Great. The princess is here.”, one of them groaned. “Wonder how often she has to fuck the boss for him to keep her around.”, another scoffed. You cocked your gun and pointed it directly in the middle of his forehead, “Who I fuck and when or where I fuck them is none.of.your.business.”

“Whoa whoa whoa Y/N let’s put the gun down. It’s late and we need to get this over with so we can all go get some rest.”, Baek said while he gently, but firmly forced your hand down.

“Yeah watch your mouth bitch.”, another in the crowd said, but before you could figure out who was the culprit someone else decided to interject.

“I’d be happy to keep her mouth occupied for a while.”, the man on his knees said making your stomach twist into a knot. That voice was oddly familiar.

Your head whipped to the side so fast you lost balance and when you composed yourself and got a good look at him you froze.

That smirk. You could recognize that smirk anywhere. That same smirk has haunted your dreams for centuries.

[diamonddaze01]

welcome to....

The ANGST OLYMPICS

🥇Step into the ring of raw emotions and heart-wrenching moments with The Angst Olympics, a collection of Seventeen fics that will make you question everything you thought you knew about love, loss, and the ache of unspoken words. From bitter breakups to forbidden love, this anthology explores the dark side of human connection, where every moment feels like a delicate fracture, and every touch holds the weight of everything left unsaid.

Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of angst, as the members of Seventeen navigate the labyrinth of their own emotions—no holds barred, no happy endings guaranteed. This is not for the faint of heart.

🥈sign up for the taglist here!

🥉read on for commentary from @diamonddaze01 @ylangelegy @gotta-winwin @gyubakeries @lovetaroandtaemin @chugging-antiseptic-dye

BEAUTIFUL FOOL

🏃‍♂️ Athlete: barista!jeon wonwoo x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst | vaguely based on the great gatsby ❌ Penalty: really really sad (i’m not sorry) ⏲️ Duration: 5.1k 🥇 Highlights: Foolishly, Wonwoo let himself hope. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here. Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TEETH

🏃 Athlete: wen junhui x f!reader 🏆 Event: co -actors au | toxic situationship | based on teeth, thin white lies, easier, and youngblood by 5SOS ❌ Penalty:  suggestive scenes, allusions to sex, toxic behavior, alcohol consumption ⏲️ Duration: est 4k  🥇 Highlights: At night, in your hotel room, far from the paparazzi and the camera crew,  Jun makes you believe he’s not the devil you know, but the lover you want.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE LONELY NIGHTS

🏃 Athlete: kim mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: hanahaki au | based on bekhayali by arijit singh  ❌ Penalty: mentions of death ⏲️ Duration: est 4k  🥇 Highlights: And even if you never come back, even if Mingyu fades to nothing, he will carry you in his heart forever—because that’s what love is. It doesn’t leave, even when it hurts. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GOLDEN PROMISES

🏃 Athlete: xu minghao x f!reader 🏆 Event: failed soulmates au | based on raanjhan by parampara tandon  ❌ Penalty: N/A  ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: And so it began. Minghao, who believed in fate, and you, who didn’t.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

A PRAYER (I COULD NEVER SAY)

🏃 Athlete: lee jihoon x f!reader 🏆 Event: orpheus x eurydice au | based on khuda jaane by KK and Shilpa Rao  ❌ Penalty: major character death, heavy angst  ⏲️ Duration: est 3k  🥇 Highlights: Jihoon had never believed in God. Not in prayer, not in salvation, not in fate.  But then he met you, and everything changed. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE BROKEN VOWS

🏃 Athlete: choi seungcheol x f!reader 🏆 Event: ceo!cheol   ❌ Penalty: allusions to religion and the church   ⏲️ Duration: 2k  🥇 Highlights: The vows weren’t meant for you, but every word felt like a knife sliding between your ribs. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

HEAVEN’S WAITING 

🏃 Athlete: jihoon x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by hintayan ng langit (2018), hurt/comfort ❌ Penalty: mentions of death, discussions of life after death, themes of grief  ⏲️ Duration: est. 4K  🥇 Highlights: you’re two years late, you know? (or: you meet jihoon in The Middle, where he has overstayed his welcome.)  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD 

🏃 Athlete: soonyoung x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by the toshikazu kawaguchi series of the same name, hurt/comfort, magical realism ❌ Penalty: themes of grief  ⏲️ Duration: est. 3-5K  🥇 Highlights: you and soonyoung run a cafe that offers visitors the chance to travel back in time.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TAKE MY WORD FOR IT 

🏃 Athlete: junhui x reader 🏆 Event: inspired by NIKI’s take care, childhood friends to almost lovers  ❌ Penalty: N/A ⏲️ Duration: est. 1K 🥇 Highlights: when bitterness bites, novelty is nectar.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THESE DISTANCES

🏃 Athlete: seungkwan x reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: non-idol, inspired by mohit chauhan & pritam’s dooriyan ❌ Penalty: N/A ⏲️ Duration: est. 2K  🥇 Highlights: you and seungkwan are parallel lines— equidistant, never meeting— until one day, you aren’t.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

THE FINAL DEFENSE OF THE DYING 

🏃 Athlete: hunger games mentor!jeonghan x tribute!reader  🏆 Event: alternate universe: the hunger games, dystopian fiction, romance  ❌ Penalty: depictions of death, sex work, violence ⏲️ Duration: est. 3K-5K 🥇 Highlights: jeonghan has escorted twelve tributes to their deaths. he will do everything in his power to make sure you don’t face the same fate. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

WATCHING HIM FADE AWAY

🏃 Athlete: jeonghan x f!reader 🏆 Event: post-apocalyptic, conscious AI jeonghan ❌ Penalty: abstract death, wounds, hurt/comfort, angst, metaphors to death ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: It’s been 497 days since Jeonghan had awoken, only to realize he was completely alone. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

I KNOW THE END

🏃 Athlete: vernon x f!reader 🏆 Event: fluff, angst, bridge to terabithia au ❌ Penalty: heavy angst, character death, being childhood best friends ⏲️ Duration: est 3.5k 🥇 Highlights: Vernon crosses the bridge with you every year, holding his breath and making a silent wish to keep you next to him forever. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here. Watch the game LIVE --- here.

TO MISS THE MARK

🏃 Athlete: chan x goddess!reader 🏆 Event: heavy angst, greek mythology au ❌ Penalty: icarus’ story retelling, character death, heavy angst ⏲️ Duration: est 4k 🥇 Highlights: You watch Chan work his life away for his human ambitions, you watch him soar… fly, crash.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

WASTELAND, BABY!

🏃 Athlete: the8 x f!reader 🏆 Event: heavy angst, twd au, zombie apocalypse ❌ Penalty: character death, gore, blood ⏲️ Duration: est 2.5k 🥇 Highlights: Rumours say true love can heal infection.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

YOU BEFORE ME

🏃 Athlete: mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: hurt/comfort, athlete!mingyu, me before you au ❌ Penalty: life altering injury, very sad!, heavy sacrifice ⏲️ Duration: est 2k 🥇 Highlights: They say you can’t truly love someone until you give them your all - even if it kills you… 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

PICTURE YOU

🏃 Athlete: joshua x f!reader 🏆 Event: hurt/comfort, abstract storytelling ❌ Penalty: plato’s soulmate theory, angst, normal people aesc, miscommunication ⏲️ Duration: est 3k 🥇 Highlights: Plato’s theory of soulmates states that humans are never complete until they find their other half. What happens when they’re your soulmate but you’re not theirs?  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GLIMPSE OF US

🏃 Athlete: mingyu x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , exes to lovers , photographer!mingyu ❌ Penalty: drinking , implied sexual content , hurt/comfort ⏲️ Duration: 8.1k  🥇 Highlights: both you and mingyu know that your relationship ended a year ago. it was clear from the way you left and he never chased after you. then why do you still see glimpses of each other every time you’re trying to move on? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

CRAWLING BACK TO YOU

🏃 Athlete: vernon x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , exes , rockstar!vernon ❌ Penalty: drinking , mentioned drug use , missed opportunities and bad timing , closure , hurt/comfort (?) ⏲️ Duration: 3.1k  🥇 Highlights: hansol uses up his last phone call to you on your anniversary. only you’ve broken up, it’s four years too late, and you’ve already moved on. do you think his song still deserves a chance? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

2441139

🏃 Athlete: seungcheol x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , right person wrong time , arranged marriage!au ❌ Penalty: broke!seungcheol , forced break-up , mc is betrothed to someone else ⏲️ Duration: TBA 🥇 Highlights: seungcheol had always thought love would be enough to hide the obvious facts. he’s dirt poor and doesn’t have enough to give you, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, a comfortable life. but sometimes, even love isn’t strong enough to withstand the hardships life brings your way. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

REWRITE THE STARS

🏃 Athlete: wonwoo x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , forbidden love , royalty!au , princess!mc , peasant!wonwoo ❌ Penalty: major character death , slightly graphic , mentions of blood and injuries , physical torture ⏲️ Duration: TBA 🥇 Highlights: there’s a lot of things wonwoo isn’t supposed to want. yet, he wants you. never mind that you just happen to be the one thing that’s the farthest out of his reach.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

GLOOMY SKIES

🏃 Athlete: joshua x f!reader 🏆 Event: angst , friends to strangers , hanahaki disease!au ❌ Penalty: major character death , mutual pining , but at the wrong times , unrequited love , slight mentions of blood ⏲️ Duration: TBA  🥇 Highlights: you had sworn to yourself that you weren’t in love with joshua anymore. that it had just been a fleeting moment at the wrong time. then why were the bouquet of water lilies in your hand covered in rose petals? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Soul Like Me

🏃 Athlete: Joshua x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non idol AU, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff ❌ Penalty: Breakups, suggestive content, alcoholism, mentioned sex but no smut, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 5k-6k 🥇 Highlights: You and Joshua have been friends for most of your life, and you thought that you always would be. Turns out, your feelings for each other are much stronger than you thought, but love isn’t always enough to keep a relationship strong. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

I’m A Loser, Honey

🏃 Athlete: Vernon x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Angst, hurt/comfort, non-idol AU, some fluff I guess, heavily inspired by the relationship between Husk and Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel ❌ Penalty: Very unhealthy relationships, cheating, mentioned sex but no smut, suggestive flirting, alcoholism/addiction, Reader is a sex worker, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 7k-8k 🥇 Highlights: All Vernon wanted was to get you away from Jeonghan. If he’d known how your affair would end, he would have never gotten involved with you. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Never Enough

🏃 Athlete: Woozi x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol AU, angst, some fluff ❌ Penalty: Woozi’s personality is heavily inspired by “Are You Satisfied?” by Marina, arguing, toxic relationship, anxiety and depression, suggestive but no outright smut, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 5k-6k 🥇 Highlights: Jihoon was willing to do whatever it took to be the best, even if it cost him his marriage. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Ocean View

🏃 Athlete: Siren!Jun x marine biologist!reader 🏆 Event: Fantasy AU, angst, fluff ❌ Penalty: Suggestive content but no smut, major character death, unethical scientists, no happy ending ⏲️ Duration: 8k-10k 🥇 Highlights: Junhui knew that you were his soulmate from the moment that he laid eyes on you. What he didn’t know, however, was that his love for you would cost him his life.  🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Take This Heart

🏃 Athlete: DK x fem!reader 🏆 Event: Non idol AU, fluff, angst ❌ Penalty: Unhealthy relationship, depression, mentions of cheating, bittersweet ending ⏲️ Duration: 6k-7k 🥇 Highlights: All Seokmin wants is for his fiancee to act like she loves him again. 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

My Fair Lady

🏃 Athlete: Minghao x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, heavy angst, inspired by the myth of pygmalion by ovid ❌ Penalty: Character death, mentions of drinking, slight profanities (maybe) ⏲️ Duration: under 5k 🥇 Highlights: Minghao was proud of two things: his rationality and his artistry. But why did you have to burn both to the ground? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Worth It

🏃 Athlete: Jun x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, slight regency elements, inspired by Jun’s cover of ‘Worth It’ ❌ Penalty: hurt/comfort, angst, stableboy! jun ⏲️ Duration: under 2k 🥇 Highlights: “But I've left no room in my heart to turn back So if we're wrong, let's be wrong together.” 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

No Stone Left Unturned

🏃 Athlete: Soonyoung x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, futuristic setting, mentions of apocalypse  ❌ Penalty: Major character death, blood ⏲️ Duration: 1-3 k 🥇 Highlights: Soonyoung just has to find this one gemstone and he is all set. But in that process will he lose the gem he already has? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

Happy Ever After

🏃 Athlete: Seokmin x Reader 🏆 Event: Non-idol au, inspired by The Phantom of the Opera ❌ Penalty: Major character death, mentions of self-harm, alchoholism ⏲️ Duration: under 5k 🥇 Highlights: One last play for Seokmin but he can still feel the phantoms of your love. Or can he? 🏋️‍♀️ Warm-up: Find the teaser here.  Watch the game LIVE --- here.

[wardenparker]

In the Still of the Night, Epilogue

Zach Wellison x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

Grown up and looking to the future, Zach Wellison and bunkmate Shane Morrissey are working for a new cruise line that offers its guests a vintage Vegas experience on the Mediterranean. The romantic atmosphere is rubbing off on many of the crew members, and Zach finds himself to be no exception when he meets the beautiful lead singer of Shane's band.

But being wrapped in the seductive arms of an atmospheric cruise is a far cry from real life. How will their relationship fare on dry land? They can't know unless they try.

Rating: M for Mature but this blog is always 18+ Word Count: 7k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this story include: Cursing, alcohol, food, cooking, eating, discussion of clothing/costumes. Mentions of prison time served, mentions of past homelessness.* Fluff, sweetness, pregnancy (not reader). Summary: On the tenth anniversary of the opening of your night club, life is still an adventure for you, Zach, and all your chosen family. Notes: What an absolute joy these babies have been to spend time with! Zach doesn't get enough love and it was a delight to spend time with him on this little journey. Thank you to the mighty, faithful few who read along the whole way. We see you and we appreciate you every single week. 🧡

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10

“Has anybody seen my husband?”

The number of times that sentence has been shouted out in this building is probably too high to count, but surprisingly it isn’t you asking it today.

Zach is back in his kitchen, exactly where you left him two minutes ago to hightail it up to your dressing room. It’s not even Diana, who has taken the night off from the hospital to be here for the party.

It’s River that is calling out in frustration to find the whereabouts of her perpetually-hard-working soulmate, and you just laugh to yourself knowing he’s probably halfway inside an electrical closet or something right now.

“Yeah!” Keo snorts and points down the hallway towards the stairs that leads up to the offices and the apartment that you had built out of the old prop rooms for visiting performers. A lot of guest performers loved not having to incur hotel expenses or crash on couches when they were invited to stay. Plus, it had been used several times when daycare issues had arisen for staff, the family oriented atmosphere extending to bringing kids to work when necessary. “He’s fixing something with a sink?”

“Of course he is.” She throws up her hands and rolls her eyes with a dramatic sigh. “God forbid we hire a plumber. Or electrician. Or a carpenter. Nope it’s two hands and a tool box every time.”

“Isn’t that like- what he does?” Shane asks, grinning when she cuts her eyes over at him dangerously. “I don’t see a lot of cattle ranches in Brooklyn.”

"You never know." You chime in, matching your bandmate's grin. Teasing River is just a tiny bit too easy when it comes to her soulmate. "The hipsters are still everywhere. One of them might have turned their industrial walk up into an urban ranch."

“Don’t say that.” She huffs. “He’ll be there fixing the damn lighting!” Despite her currently attitude, she’s incredibly proud of him.

"Brighter for simulated daylight, or dimmer to be soothing for better tasting beef?" You tease, nearly cackling with laughter.

Her answer is a middle finger up in the air and a grin when you both stick your tongues out at her as she turns towards the stairs. “See if I save you a plate for when you get off stage!” She throws over her shoulder playfully, knowing full well tonight isn’t even the traditional dinner being served.

"Love you, baby!" You call after her, but lean against Shane's side to let your laughter subside until you sigh the rest away. "I tried to warn her before they went out, but did she listen? Nooo, she had to have her cowboy." It's all in good fun, of course. River and Darrel are head over heels for each other and have been since they met. If she occasionally gets exasperated with his chipper can do attitude? It's never that serious.

River had been delighted to get the call from you, a little relieved and very surprised that you had plans for the future that were ones that she could be involved with. You had persuaded her to join you, becoming the front of house management. Taking care of customers and handling reservations with the same chipper attitude that had made her successful during her cruise contracts. Coming to New York had been the best thing for her, and meeting the man who is currently head first under a sink right now is one of the reasons.

"Gimme just one second, darlin'." Darrel drawls when she finds him half under the staff bathroom sink. He recognizes her distinctive stride in the click of her heels on the tile. "Am I in trouble or is there another fire to put out?"

“That’s a loaded question.” She snorts, a smirk on her face. “What did you do that you should be in trouble for?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

A warm, soft chuckle sounds from under the sink, and Darrel folds himself slightly to be able to peek out from underneath to shoot her a grin. "Thought maybe you'd seen your office," he admits.

“What’s wrong with my office?” She demands, even as she feels herself melting at the sight of his grin. Damn him for being so irresistible.

"Nothing at all, darlin'." He promises her, since he wouldn't consider it wrong at all. The small room is filled top-to-bottom with her favourite flower to commemorate the night they met, and that is very right in his book. Ten years ago on this very day he'd come up to New York to be a part of the opening night of this club, and found his soulmate there amongst so many new friends.

“Oh.” She melts slightly at his tone, biting her lip and looking behind him. “Are you almost finished?” She asks. “I need to talk to you.”

"Yeah honey, just give me a few more minutes." He's tinkering, but he's good at tinkering and always has been. "What time is it? Opening time's coming up fast."

“You’ve got about twenty minutes.” She promises, smiling as she imagines his reaction to her news.

“Yes ma’am.” He manages another peaking grin for his wife before he disappears under the sink again. “Should be done here in five or maybe ten minutes. That’ll give me time to change.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you in my office?” Now that he’s said something, she’s gonna worry until she lays eyes on the office space. She had been so excited to talk to him that she hadn’t bothered stopping by it.

"Absolutely, darlin'." He calls back, making sure he's loud enough to be heard as he works. "I'll be as fast as I can."

“I love you.” She smiles as she turns and walks back towards the stairs so she can go to her office. Happy nerves twisting in her stomach.

Halfway back down the hall, you nearly run straight into River as you hustle back through the administrative area of the club. "Did you find him?"

“Tinkering.” She rolled her eyes but there is a soft smile on her lips. “God love him.”

"Not God," you hum, nudging her and smiling in turn. "But you. And it's still so fucking cute."

“Like you and Zach still aren’t over the honeymoon phase.” She huffs, wrapping her arm around your waist. “Two kids later.”

"Ugh I'm trying so hard not to think about them," you admit with a laugh. The two of you start down the hallway at a stroll with your arms around each other and sappy grins on your faces. "I thought I was going to be okay leaving the kids with the babysitter tonight but the longest we've been away from the baby so far is just a dinner date."

“Because you are an amazing mother.” She praises easily. “I can only hope I’m half as good.”

"When it happens, you're going to be amazing." There is not a single doubt in your mind about that. River and Darrel are fantastic pair and have a great relationship with their nieces and nephews. They've been trying to get pregnant for a while now but haven't been lucky, so your fingers are perpetually crossed for them.

Her smile lights up her face and she pulls you in for a quick hug. “Thank you.” She whispers, both for the kind words and for bringing her into the same sphere as her soulmate. Some might find it odd that you had slept with her soulmate, but she had just marveled at how the universe works.

"We're gonna have a hell of a party tonight." At the door of Zach's office, you blow her a kiss and wave as she trots off to head to her own. "Hey handsome." Your own husband has been at work for hours, but it's a relief to see him sitting down for just a few minutes with a glass of cold water before diving right back in to the chaos of the night.

“Hey.” He lights up when he sees you, setting down the water and reaching for your waist to pull you onto his lap. “How are you doing?” He asks softly, aware that you might be emotional about leaving the kids at home.

"Mom pains," you laugh, knowing what he's asking. "I'm excited for tonight but I miss our babies."

“I know.” He chuckles. “So when you want to sneak off to call the babysitter, you just do it.” He winks at you and caresses your hip. “Maybe we can sneak home early.”

"She promised to text me some videos while the kids are awake," you admit. There's no shame in that for you at all. "I was going to watch them between sets."

“Yeah?” He shoots you a grin. “Better than I honestly expected.”

"I'm trying to behave myself." When your first born was little you had been a little...hovering. Now that you have two, you're trying to remember to step back a little and breathe.

“Baby, I completely understand.” He flashes you a guilty look. “I might have installed those baby cameras we were talking about this morning while you were asleep.”

"You did?" Immediately perking up in his lap, you look like a cat that has just been offered a whole saucer of cream.

“I did.” He chuckles at your excitement and pulls his phone out of his front pocket. “It’s already logged in.”

"It's not about wanting to check on Carola, she's great." You've been lucky enough to have the same babysitter for the last four years, ever since your son was born. She's just finished her undergrad work at Columbia and is starting grad school and is the very best babysitter you could ever ask for. "It's about seeing my little angels."

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to explain anything to me.” He promises, leaning in and pressing his lips to your cheek. “I feel the same way. Now I can look in when I miss them.”

"So..." The grin you flash him is teasing. "That would be all the time?"

“You know it.” He laughs but you understand. “I should just have a tv put up in the kitchen.”

“It might save time.” Cuddling into his lap, you watch the little monitor on his cell phone come to life and feel your heart thud happily when the image you’re greeted with is your baby girl in her crib.

“It might, but then again, I don’t want the entire kitchen in my daughter’s bedrooms.” He trusts every one of his cooks with a lot, but that would be a privacy issue. The townhouse is a sanctuary for you and the kids.

“Couldn’t agree more.” Zach is a doting girl dad, but he isn’t crazy about keeping an eye on them all the time, and honestly you’re proud of the way the two of you have managed to balance parenthood.

“I’ll load it up on your phone tonight so we can check in whenever we need to.” The past ten years have been the best years of his life and he loves how the two of you have expanded your business, your relationship, your lives into what they are now. “Have I told you how gorgeous you are today?” He hums, his hands sliding up your thighs to your hips.

“Maybe.” The hum of a laugh bubbles up on your lips. “And if you tell me like that, I’m going to be pregnant all over again.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” He promises, even if you’ve just come back to work. Tonight is your first performance since blessing him with his second daughter.

“Of course you wouldn’t.” You can’t help but laugh a little as you turn around in his lap to press a kiss to Zach’s lips. “Making the girls is your favorite part.”

There’s a cocky smirk on his lips as he nudges his nose against yours. “Didn’t hear a complaint from you about making them. Most of the time you were begging for more.”

“Damn right I was.” Another kiss. And then two more because he’s looking exceptionally happy and handsome tonight. “Because I’m not an idiot.”

“I love you.” He murmurs softly. “You look amazing, baby.” You’ve been nervous about baby weight but he thinks you look incredible.

"I love you, too." The dress you have on is one of your grandmother's, just like you had talked about years ago. The tenth anniversary of your family-run supper club is a very big deal and deserves to be honored in the best way possible. "More every single day."

“I don’t know how that is possible.” He hums, even though he would tell you the exactly same thing. “Everything is prepped and the reporters we invited have already come through for a behind the scenes peek at the kitchen for pictures.”

“I still can’t believe we’re getting an anniversary profile done on this place.” It has settled in your heart like something calm and soothing after the excitement of so many years — but your grandfather’s family theater is now booming again and it has become a family business for so many other couples and young kids now that you could basically run a daycare for all the staff and it would be as fully booked as any other.

“I think the reservations are going to be months out after this.” Zach admits, feeling just as blessed. “I might have let them try everything we are serving tonight.”

“I think you should.” You hum softly, leaning your forehead against his. “You never know which bite is going to be the one that makes somebody fall in love.”

“Are you saying you fell in love with me because of my food?” He asks teasingly, knowing full well why the two of you are such a solid team. Both of you strive to love each other more every day. Respecting each other and working together for the life you love.

“I’m saying we have a constant stream of dates, proposals, and anniversary celebrations here for a reason,” you hum, letting another kiss punctuate your point. “And the bachelorette parties are starting to get more frequent, too.”

“So you’re saying we need to bring in those Chippendale dancers?” Zach snorts, shrugging slightly. “Have the special be bangers and mash that night?”

“That’s obviously exactly what I meant,” you tease back, nudging him before you move to climb out of his lap. “We’ll go themed from now on.”

He chuckles as he pats your ass in appreciation. He loves the way your body has filled out with the birth of your two children, although as a performer you had been fretting about fitting into your dresses. It had worked out in the end and he likes the fact that there’s a little more in some places. “Sounds good, baby.” He hums. “I know you sometimes need a break.”

“That’s what we have Jeannine for.” Keo’s soulmate had turned out to be a singer as well, and with her on board to join the band and become part of the club’s family, it had ensured that you both get good vocal rest and every guest got a fantastic show. Tonight you’ll be on together which is twice as much fun.

“And the kitchen staff is coming along so well, I could step back and let them run things with no worries.” He admits, smirking proudly.

“Which you would never do.” No, you know your husband far too well for that.

“It wouldn’t be fair to ask them to work the late hours if I’m not.” He reasons with a shrug.

“Mmhmm.” The grin never leaves your face. “It has nothing at all to do with both of us being workaholics.”

“Nothing at all.” Zach has been determined to help you regrow the inheritance from your grandmother. Wanting to pay back every penny it took to remodel the theatre. Even if you protest, he wants to be able to give the girls something.

“Does that mean you’re ready to work that cute butt off tonight?” It’s going to be nonstop, but you both like it that way. Right now it’s the calm before the storm — a storm that you’re so familiar with it might as well be your oldest child.

“Of course.” He huffs. “I have to uphold my end of this deal. Amazing food to go with your spectacular singing.” He never fails to praise you. “And I like the idea of doing all of this canapé style. Finger foods and tasters.”

“It makes it feel like one big party.” He comes to your outstretched hand easily, as though you had done kind of magic to draw him in even after ten years. “It’s going to be perfect. I can feel it.”

“Of course it is.” He smiles and drops a soft kiss on your lips, careful to not smudge your lipstick too much. “I get to hear an angel sing in the kitchen.” He had speakers put in the kitchen when he had it built so he could hear you perform.

“Still such a flatterer.” And you love it just as much as you always have.

“Not flattery when you are just telling the truth.” He promises.

“I love you too.” The promise will never fade, but for now you tug him out of his office — otherwise you really won’t get a single thing done.

The chaos of the kitchen is still ongoing, it won’t stop until the door is closed and the last counter is wiped down, but it is smooth. Everyone knows their roles too well to be in each other’s way and the design is supposed to make the kitchen flow seamlessly.

“Chef!” It’s a comment shouted at least a dozen times a night but Zach swings towards the sound. “We need a second opinion.”

There is a set of three prep containers set out on the counter, all of them bearing different sauces, and it's obvious that the time has come for decision making. There are a hell of a lot of things to sauce and garnish tonight and everything has to be perfect.

“What do we have?” Zach asks, smirking slightly at the way the two frown seriously at him.

"Horseradish cream for the steak and parsnip blinis," his saucier points out each thing that requires approval. Each thing is slightly off and the chef's keen palette is needed tonight to make sure everything is completely perfect. "The whipped herbed brie for the fig crostini. And the third is the sweet chili cocktail sauce for the shrimp."

Zach coats the sauces on the backs of two spoons. First the horseradish. He hands one to you since you have become so involved with his cooking. You still aren’t amazing at whipping up your own creations but you can tell someone what they are missing.

"Is this a test?" You tease, knowing that is sort of is and sort of isn't. He likes to have you in the kitchen with him and his staff has come to accept and expect the slightly unconventional input.

“Just tell me what you think.” He snorts, rolling his eyes as he takes a tentative lick of the spoon and hums.

It doesn't surprise you that everything that comes out of Zach's kitchen is good, but you perk up at the first taste of the horseradish sauce. "Oo, herby!" It's bursting with flavor, but you tilt your head to the side to try to actually think and provide a helpful opinion. It's...a little salty, I think? Acid to balance?"

He grins at your descriptions and he nods, taking another taste. “Lemon juice.” He agrees and looks at the saucier. “I think we add a tablespoon of lemon juice at a time until you get that balance.”

"Oui, chef." The bowl is taken away to be fixed and Zach moves on the next container.

“Now the Brie.” This one, Zach scoops up a small taste of the whipped cheese and hands it to you after taking the other spoon away to toss in the sink specifically for tasting spoons.

Brie is a thing that has become a big fan favorite on the appetizer menu, and with various cheese trending in many ways, Zach and his staff have been having fun with it lately. This whipped brie is like a spread that will go on a toasted piece of bread with sliced fig, toasted walnuts, and a drizzle of honey to make a delicious vegetarian bite tonight. The trouble is, when you taste it, it's slightly flat.

Frowning, Zach tastes it several times, discarding the spoon and grabbing another before reaching for the pepper grinder. “Just trust me.” He cautions when you look at him like he’s got three heads.

"I trust you." You tell him, but watch him put a surprising amount of fresh cracked black pepper into the brie spread. Once he mixes it up again, he puts some on a new tasting spoon and holds it out to you. "Oh–" Your eyes light up. "Damn that is good."

“Now imagine it with the fig and honey.” He hums even as he reaches for the other ingredients to put together a bite to make sure it’s cohesive.

“You’re an evil genius,” you grin, practically giggling as he assembles the bite.

“Not just me.” He has to give credit to his cooks, they have ideas that he will use in a heartbeat, and give them the credit for.

“It’s like a mad scientist that lab in here sometimes,” you tell them all, still grinning. “And I mean that as the highest compliment.”

“Sometimes.” He chuckles in agreement and nods. “The pepper gives it the kick it needs.” He tells them.

“Oui, chef. Got it.” One of his prep cooks nods and makes off with the container to go fix the rest of the batch.

“Now the sweet chili.” Zach knows that is one of your favorites and he just hands you the last spoon. “Sweetheart?”

“You know what my answer is going to be.” You almost cackle with happiness as he simply hands over the unexpectedly delicious concoction. “It’s always more spice.”

He snorts. “Every day you were pregnant, I would swear you would eat a gallon of Thai chili sauce and swear it wasn’t hot enough.”

“It wasn’t, and I will die on that hill.” Both of your girls had you craving as much spicy food as you could handle, and they’ve gotten the nickname the Firecrackers because of it. One taste of the sauce, however, and you hum in momentary confusion. For once there is plenty enough spice, but the balance still isn’t quite right. It’s like something only dipped its toe in the pool instead of going for a swim. “I think…” you look at him curiously. “Ginger? It feels a little light on ginger.”

Zach glances at the bowl and then at you. “I will never challenge your expertise on chili sauce.” He teases and Marcus, the assistant front of house manager, comes bustling into the kitchen. “Zach, your special guests have arrived.” He tells the chef breathlessly.

“Special guests?” That has your eyebrow raises instantly. Your husband has a few celebrities and other guests that sometimes make special reservations, but he hadn’t told you about any for tonight.

“Yes.” He smirks and reaches for your hand. “Come on.” He urges, knowing that they will change the sauce to add the extra ginger like you had suggested.

“Who’s coming tonight?” The reporters, obviously. A few friends of the club that have become regulars over the years. Some of the bands’ family members were able to come but not too many. It’s going to be a party, sure, but mostly one that people are going to pay to come to and slap all over their social media.

“Some people for you.” The years had improved things and grandchildren had mellowed them even more. So Zach doesn’t have to worry about your reaction when he opens the door to the lounge area to reveal your mother and father waiting. He had called to ask them to come out weeks ago, keeping it a surprise since they had never actually seen you perform here at the theatre.

"Dad?" Your voice chokes in your throat when the door opens, and the first person you see is your father standing in the darkened club. When your mother – who had long considered Tulsa the largest city in the world and therefore the best – peaks out from behind him, you almost sob outright. "Mom?"

“Sweetheart!” Your mother’s eyes widen when she sees that you are wearing a dress that belonged to your grandmother, looking glamorous. Like a celebrity. “Zach said that you wouldn’t be upset at us coming?” The relationship has much improved but now she worries about overstepping.

"No!" No, oh my god." You rush forward to hug them both, feeling bubbling and nearly giggly. "I'm thrilled! I never thought I'd get you two up here for...for anything, really." Given your mother's history, you had never pressed her to come and see you perform. You had always been good about bringing your daughter down to Oklahoma to see her grandparents a few times a year. Now that there are two grandbabies it was going to be all the more important – but here they are. Right in your city.

“Oh good.” Tom chuckles as he wraps his arms around you and folds you into a tight hug. “I told you dear. Especially tonight. This is special for them both. We are so proud of you.” He murmurs in your ear before kissing your cheek and pulling back.

You would normally blame it on leftover hormones and wacky sleep schedule from the baby, but you know the tears that you fan away from your eyes are just because you're so happy to see them. "I can't believe you're actually here."

“We are excited to see you perform.” Your mother gushes. “I’ve heard you sing, of course, but this is different.” She follows the theatre’s Facebook page. That and her grand babies is the entire reason she got Facebook.

"Well I hope I don't fuck up now," you joke, squeezing them both in another hug. "How long are you in the city for? Please say it's a little while? Gracie's going to be so excited to see you."

“Uh, well,” Tom shuffles slightly. “Zach said we were welcomed to use the apartment here for the next week?” He looks back at your husband, his son-in-law. “If something’s come up, we can get a hotel, but we wanted to spend some time with the girls.”

"A whole week?" Another squeak of excitement bursts out of you and you're nodding emphatically before you can even think about the action. "Absolutely, yes. That's amazing. And we'll make sure we have Darrel and River over for at least one meal while you're here. I know he'll be glad to see you, too."

“It’s so nice that he found his place.” Your mother murmurs, smiling at you and then moving to give Zach a hug. She has been trying to make sure that he knows that she is completely happy with him as her son in law.

"We all sort of...settled." In unexpected ways, for some. Darrel never thought for a second that he'd be living in New York City or working in a theater, but he's the happiest he's ever been in his life. You and Zach got your dream and then some. The club is thriving, your friends are happy, and your kids have a little built-in family that's always looking after them. It's perfect.

“That’s perfect.” She smiles. “I brought a few things that his parents wanted me to bring.”

"He'll be so grateful." Just as you are, making you turn and bury yourself in your husband's side with a grateful sigh. "Now it's going to be a perfect party."

Zach grins and kisses your temple. “I thought you might like this surprise.” He admits with a small laugh.

"It might actually be my favorite of any surprise you've ever given me." You promise him, returning the show of affection with a kiss to his cheek. For your parents, you have nothing but smiles tonight. "I'm going to let my staff know what table you guys are at, okay? Absolutely anything you want tonight, they'll make sure you get it."

“Oh, we don’t—” even as she beams at the idea of special treatment, she tries to wave it away but Tom stops her.

“Thank you sweetie,” he grunts as he takes her hand. “We will be cheering you on. Don’t be surprised if your mother starts crying.”

"I'll try not to look directly at you too often, or else I'll cry too." But you do make a mental note to yourself, and as soon as you go backstage again you're going to ask the band about adding your parents' song to the set tonight. Love Me Tender is already something you perform regularly so it shouldn't be a problem.

Marcus comes back into the room to escort your parents to the table he has set up for them, giving them a prime table. Ready to get their first drinks and get the night started.

"You're such an incredible sweetheart." You hang on Zach for a second after you disappear again, ringing your arms around his neck and shuddering out the happiest of sighs. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

“I didn’t do anything more than suggest that you would love to have them come.” He promises. “Your parents jumped at the chance.” He chuckles. “Maybe we can convince them to move here. Be closer to the grandkids.” It’s something he would have never considered ten years ago, but everyone has changed and grown closer. True happiness has a tendency of changing hearts and minds,

"We can toss it out as an idea while they're here and see if they're even interested." But to you, it sounds wonderful. The natural next best step, like when your cousin had gotten engaged and started house hunting around Tulsa, so you had simply sold them your grandmother's house.

“There’s a building that Darrel has been eyeing.” Zach admits with a grin. “It would make a perfect apartment for them if they did want to move.”

"Are you guys talking about flipping again?" You raise one eyebrow skeptically. Every year or two the two of them start theorizing about starting up a side business flipping houses or apartments around Brooklyn but they haven't done it yet.

“Would you be mad?” He asks seriously. “I wouldn’t touch the main accounts for anything.”

"Of course I wouldn't be mad. In fact?" In fact, you're still so glad that they have become close friends that anytime they want to spend together is more than fine with you, even ten years later. "If it ends up bringing in a little extra money, there will be a couple of kids whose college funds could benefit. I think River might finally be pregnant. She was acting a little mysterious earlier. But in an excited way."

“You think?” His eyes widen and he knows Darrel would be the happiest man alive if she was. “Fingers crossed.”

"Fingers crossed." The kiss you have for him this time is a little longer but still not enough to smear your lipstick, and you straighten yourself out with a happy smile. "Alright, I gotta go talk to the band. I want to make sure we put my parents' song in the set tonight."

“Break a leg, baby.” He always wishes you well before a performance and tonight is no different.

"I love you!" Even a few hurried paces down the hall, you stop to whirl around and blow him a kiss.

“I love you too.” He promises, winking at you before he drifts back into the kitchen to triple check everything.

This party will be perfect. He knows it. It’s the culmination of everyone’s hard work and he knows the articles will bring in even more business. Everything has been perfect.

******

The after party, as it turns out, is more like what your staff parties back on the cruise ship used to be like. After saying goodnight to your special guests and shutting the place down, the band and a few members of the house staff head over to Rick and Cliff’s apartment to unwind and enjoy each other’s company until dawn. You know that the parents will never make it that long, but you and Zach aren’t going to miss a chance to spend down time with friends.

“I think that tonight was a success.” Zach grins, running off adrenaline and exuberance as he walks alongside you. Practically skipping as he thinks about the murmured praise.

"You skewed my way of thinking about it," you admit, giggling when he practically skips along beside you. "I only care that my parents enjoyed themselves, and they had a blast."

“Are you happy that I surprised you with that?” He asks, watching as you seem to float on air.

"Pretty damn close to ecstatic." Reaching out with one hand, you snag his and thread your fingers together. The streets of Brooklyn Heights are quiet at this hour but not abandoned, and an old man walking past chuckles to himself at the obvious affection between you.

“I didn’t tell you just in case they changed their minds.” He admits. “Since your mother doesn’t care for traveling.”

He was right to be cautious, but you're grateful he even thought to do such a wonderful thing for you. For your daughters. "The girls will never know what a miracle it is that their grandparents braved the big city to come and see them."

“I know.” He chuckles. “When Gracie was born, I swear your mom wanted you to go have her in Tulsa.”

"She definitely asked." A fact which you hadn't told him at the time, because you had just laughed it off on the phone with your Mom and started telling her about your fantastic doctor in the city. "Didn't pursue it or make a fuss, but just...tossed the idea out."

He snorts. “Oh I can imagine.” He laughs. “She would have wanted you to have a home birth. Maybe in your gram’s house.”

"Can you imagine barging in on my cousin like that?" It's such a ridiculous notion, and you take comfort in the fact that it never even became a discussion. That your mother has mellowed in the years since everything came to light.

“Excuse me, I know I sold you the house, but can I give birth in your living room?” Over the years Zach has perfected the impression of you mixed with your mother. He uses that voice now to make you laugh at the absurdity.

You snort, laughing as you walk together. "Yeah, that would not have gone over well. And I would not have been happy with a country birth."

“You like your hospital drugs.” He teases, remembering how you screamed for the epidural last time. “And I don’t fucking blame you.” He snorted. “I make big babies.”

"Thank god twins don't run in your family," you grumble, shooting him a pointed look.

“I know.” He grins and winks playfully. “Ready to try for that little brother the girls need?”

"You're really into baby number three, huh?" Not that you mind. Not really. Having been lucky enough to have few difficulties during the births of both of your girls, it isn't as daunting for you as it often is for other women.

“Baby, when you’re done, we’re done.” He promises you seriously. “If our two girls are it, I’m gonna be the happiest girl dad ever.”

"I'm honestly not sure," you admit, and squeeze his hand gently as you turn the corner toward your destination. It's just another block away. "I've been focused on making sure the girls are good and making sure this party happens. I haven't really thought about the next thing down the road."

“Then we stay safe until you have a chance to think about it and if you’re done….” He squeezes your hand gently. “I’ll go get the snip.”

"We'll see." The sound of a third does make you smile, though, and you lean against his side. "We'll see."

He hums, knowing that means that you will want another baby in about a year. “Yes, we will.”

"That hum was knowing." And even as you raise an eyebrow at him, you know he knows. That he can read you like an open book. That from your soul to his, all the most wonderful things in the world are possible.

“That you’re going to be begging for another baby within a year?” He teases. “Yeah, baby, I know.”

"Am not." But you pout to cover the laugh that tells him you know he's right.

He chuckles and drags you closer for a kiss. “So you think that River is pregnant?” He hums. “Tell you what, if she announces it tonight, I’ll make sure I remind you how much fun trying for a baby is.”

"That is a deal." You agree happily, leaning into one – two – more kisses. "And she definitely is. Darry looked like he was floating on air tonight."

“Think that’s why she was looking for him earlier?” Zach asks, knowing how excited you were to tell him both times you figured out you were pregnant.

"Absolutely." At the bottom floor of the apartment building, you steal one more kiss and beam a smile right at Zach. "It's so hard to keep that kind of thin a secret once you find out."

“Then let’s go celebrate with our friends, my love.” He hums and smiles at you. “They deserve to be parents.”

"They deserve all the good things." All your friends do. You all work hard and give your all to everything in life. It's only fair that you should get as much happiness in return.

“Yes they do.” He couldn’t agree more and it shouldn’t be surprising that he has become such good friends with Darrel, but it’s a wonderful outcome.

You're the last arrivals because you insisted on closing down the club yourselves, and the first thing that happens when you walk into the apartment is both you and Zach have drinks thrust into your hands.

“What is this, a celebration?” Zach demands, holding up his glass. “All of you made me proud tonight. Be damn proud of yourselves!”

That elicits a cheer from the group, and various waves of laughter afterward at how in unison the cheer was. "Seriously, guys." You hold up the beer that was handed to you, pausing to be grateful for a moment that you decided to pump and dump tonight. There's plenty of milk at home. "Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. It's been ten amazing years and we look forward to many, many more."

River clears her throat and smiles. “This wouldn’t be possible without your vision. Any of this.”

"We have a big, beautiful, shared vision." You contend, smiling at your friend first and then the rest of the group. "A shared vision in a big, fabulous family."

“Speak of family.” She hums, Darrel grins as he steps closer to his wife and wraps his arm around her waist to drag her close. “We have an announcement. I hope no one minds.”

There are murmurs, a ripple of smiles moving through the group, and you step back happily. “The floor is yours,” you tell them, practically ready to shout with happiness for your friends. You were absolutely right.

River chokes up, watery, happy tears streaming down her face. “I found out today that Darrel and I are expecting our first of hopefully many children.” Everyone here knows they had been struggling with conceiving, so this is a happy miracle for them.

The absolute screaming cheer that goes up is louder than anything previous, and there are sure to be noise complaints from the people upstairs but no one gives a shit. You practically skip forward go wrap your arms around them both, happy tears pricking at your eyes. “I knew it?” You laugh tearfully. “Congratulations you guys.”

“Well, you’re going to be an auntie!” She huffs, tears happily streaming down her face. “Our little ones will be able to play together after all.”

“You’re going to be as amazing a mom as you already are an auntie to Gracie and Jess.” River has been there through thick and thin for your girls, and you could not be more grateful. It will be a privilege to be able to return the favor.

“I cannot wait to have the aches and pains.” She admits with a laugh as Zach moves to shake Darrel’s hand in congratulations. “You’ll have to go get pedicures with me.”

"Absolutely." Having shared with her that pedicures were one of your true pleasures during your pregnancies – mostly for the foot massage – you are more than willing to share that experience. "You're going to be so grateful to sit for as long as you can."

“I love you.” She is tearing up again, hugging you tight before pulling away. “Now, we just need to celebrate!” She picks up her glass of ginger ale.

"If there is one thing we're very good at," you hum, looking around at the group – the family – you've assembled. "It's having a damn good time."

The party quickly kicks into full swing, several of the cooks had already started preparing more food while at work. In a tradition that was born from the cruise ship, and had quickly become a favorite of all the after party guests.

These are the nights that plans are made. That plots get hatched. And in cases like yours and Zach's? The nights that dreams come true. There's no way of knowing what will happen tonight or happen at any party in the future. The only thing you do know is that you want to be there for every second of this family's future.

------ Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon   @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie @guelyury @lizzie-cakes @for-a-longlongtime @vabeachazn @purplerain04 @weho2kcmo @madnessofadaydreamer

ItSotN: @greenwitchfromthewoods @copperhalfcent @ariavitiellos @spishsstuff @76bookworm76

[starryhyuck]

hometown blues. (m) — PATREON EXCLUSIVE

pairing: alpha!johnny x human!afab!reader

words: 7.4k+

summary: you fail to recognize the only man you’ve ever loved after he undergoes a life altering transformation.

genre: angst, smut

warnings: twilight universe lore, soulmate!au, slight xiaojun x reader, slight jaehyun x reader, breeding kink, biting, marking, spanking, degradation, squirting, creampie, multiple orgasms

this fic is exclusive to the $5 tier on my patreon, which you can access here! below is a tumblr preview

“You look like you could use a drink.”

A cup is shoved in your direction, and you raise your eyes to see Jeong Jaehyun outstretching it to you. You wrap your cardigan tighter around your frame, your toes dug into the sand below. You smile hesitantly and take the offering from him, despite having no intention to actually drink its contents. He takes the spot next to you, plopping himself down in the sand to watch the waves crash against the shore.

“Where’s your bodyguard?” Jaehyun asks with a chuckle.

You scoff. “Preoccupied, I guess.”

Johnny and Jaehyun were close, being lauded in the town for their impeccably good looks. You didn’t know Jaehyun that well, only catching a glimpse of him at gatherings like this.

“You don’t want to join the circle? Donghyuck’s telling scary stories,” Jaehyun states. Your gaze drifts behind you, where people are sitting by the fire, hanging on to Donghyuck’s every word. The younger boy’s hands gesture about wildly as his peers ooh and aah during all the correct points in the story. “You don’t need Johnny around to have fun, you know.”

You narrow your eyes at him. “And I have a personality without him, you know. It’s simply that I prefer to be left alone, is that so hard for you to comprehend?”

His smile doesn’t waver. “You sure are a firecracker,” he muses. “Say, have you decided what you want to do after graduation?”

The topic has you squirming, afraid to admit you haven’t given much thought to it at all. Mr. Baek offered for you to work at his bait shop full time and you were accepted to the community college only an hour away, but neither of those options seem massively appealing to you. You don’t harness a liking towards being surrounded by fish all day or paying tuition when you don’t even know what you want to study.

You divert the subject. “I assume you’ll be heading to Paris as a model.”

His dimples peek out in full view. “You flatter me. Rome was calling to me instead.” He earns a giggle from you, which is enough for his smile to widen. “Hey, would you be opposed if I took you out some time-”

You gasp when Jaehyun is suddenly tackled to the ground, one hand wrapped around his throat. Johnny’s towering form hovers above him, pinning him down to the muddy sand while water pools around their figures.

“Johnny!” You exclaim, rushing to your feet and running over to him. His startling appearance attracts the rest of the party, who stampede towards the scene. You tug on Johnny’s arm, attempting to tear him away from Jaehyun, but he doesn’t budge.

He snarls down at his friend. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Jeong?”

Jaehyun’s tone is equally venomous. “What you don’t have the fucking balls to do.”

Johnny’s arm swings upwards but before he can permanently injure Jaehyun’s striking features, you grasp his fist as hard as you can. The bottom of your jeans is thoroughly soaked and your feet are screaming at you to take them out of the mud, but you ignore the blatant discomfort.

“Johnny,” you whisper in a gentler tone, heavily aware of the audience analyzing your every move. “Stop, please. Don’t hurt him.”

Your voice seems to be the only thing that knocks some reason into him, and Johnny withdraws his flurry of anger. He stands up, dressed in nothing but a pair of black jean shorts and a loosely fitted t-shirt. Despite the cold nipping at your skin, he’s unfazed by the weather, evidenced by the sweat pouring from his forehead. You move your hand to rest over his shoulder in comfort, but snap your fingers back when you feel the heat sizzling at his flesh.

“Johnny, I think you have a fever,” you say with concern, trying to have him look at you. However, his eyes are still focused on Jaehyun, who lifts himself off the ground with rosy cheeks. “Can you please sit down? I need to check your temperature.”

“If you know what’s good for you, you won’t talk to her again,” Johnny seethes.

Jaehyun shakily sits up, dirt covering his entire backside. He pushes back the humiliation of having Johnny display such a clear power play over him.

“Why? So she can spend the rest of her life waiting for you?”

Johnny moves to attack him but you’re faster, squeezing yourself between the two men and planting your hands over Johnny’s chest. You cup his cheeks in your palm, forcing him to look at you.

“Johnny,” you say in a calm voice, searching for your best friend in the haze of anger surrounding him. You’ve never seen him this prone to violence before, especially over something so minuscule in nature. Jaehyun was no threat to you, and as a longtime friend, Johnny should know that. “Just listen to me. Jaehyun wasn’t trying to hurt me.”

He flinches away from you, lip curled in irritation. He glances around, swallowing when he registers all of the curious eyes on him. He shakes his head, taking a step back from you carefully.

Clarity engulfs him. “I-I need to go.”

“You just got here,” you say with furrowed eyebrows, even though you doubt people would want him to stay after the scene he caused.

His stare shifts from Jaehyun to you once more.

“I’m sorry,” he says, but it’s not directed at the man he assaulted. He’s only looking at you, hoping to convey his regret through his eyes.

Then, he’s taking off, running through the crowd as they part for him. You watch his figure turn into a blur across the beach.

What the hell just happened?

want to read the rest? access the $5 tier on my patreon here!

[tododeku-or-bust]

Hey I heard that you've been having issues with some friends lately about politics lately and was wondering how you're.... dealing, I guess? I'm not American, but my 3 best friends of seven years are. I've considered these people my platonic soulmates and boxes of gifts are still sitting in my closet addressed to them.

But ever since the US. Elections this year, I've felt really sick thinking about people voting for the Dems after they livestreamed a genocide. And none of my friends particularly *like* the Dems at all and think they're complicit and need to do better, but they also did still vote for them in the hopes of not losing insulin/hormones/welfare money they need to live.

And I don't want my friends to suffer or die, but I also feel really gross thinking about my friends doing that. I've tried explaining to them that the Dems aren't any good for us, but they always retort that they need to try in order to live and I never know what to say.

I'm pretty new to any serious leftist movements and don't think I'd really be ready to meet people in a group like that so like,,,, should I keep trying to get through to them since they agree the Dems aren't good? Is that what you've been doing?

I've tried explaining my feelings to people IRL from my country and they all basically agree that "Americans just want to avoid Trump hurting them" and I feel really isolated and scared. This whole debacle has kind of crushed my belief in love and soulmates (platonic or otherwise) and now I don't see much point in continuing to be alive if I have to just cut off every person I've ever known or loved and be alone until I die.

I really hope you aren't experiencing the same feelings I'm going through and that something that makes you really really happy happens this week. And that your wedding goes well! Don't let anybody say you don't deserve to be happy!

Well I can't really speak on soulmates fr, but you wouldn't have to "be alone until you die" if you found community that thought more like you 😅 and I'm not saying that to be snarky, I am completely genuine. For all the peers whose respect I don't have for my beliefs, I have found people that did, that helped me feel reinforced. You said you're not ready to get serious, but when you are, just know that that's what these movements and groups are for! Maybe you'll find different soulmates there! Maybe it's time to let go of the old ones that served a different time for you.

I'm sorry that your friends are not on the same page as you, though. Me personally, when it comes to these things, I am absolutely a black sheep. But I don't try to convince people in my life anymore. I loudly let it be known where I stand so that they cannot deny there is another reality than what they see, that I will not be moving, and that's it. Convincing people who are more concerned with themselves than they are anything else has not served me. I don't talk to people who aren't trying to listen to me 🤷🏾‍♀️ When they're ready to actually listen, then get ready to talk! But the same way you can't persuade them (as of right now), you don't have to let them pressure you, either. I might just be jaded, though. I've allowed a lot of bridges to slowly burn. If they rebuild it, or stop the fire, then that's how it'll be.

Educating yourself is also a great way to reinforce your perspective; part of the reason I'm so confident is because I take the time to read. The things I can't put into words, a LOT of other people across many cultures have! So I'm not blind! I personally value my integrity above social standing, bc at the end of the day you're gonna die with you, and I'll be damned if I never stood for shit bc "clout" by people who only liked me for conforming lmao. I gotta like ME by the end of my life. And ik that's easier said than done, and it does disappoint very often but... I try to do it.

I wish I had better advice for you; I'm sure that was not the soft answer you needed 😅 I appreciate you reaching out to me, and I hope you find the strength within you to continue. 🙏🏾

[telemna-hyelle]

I'm a pretty big Twilight Princess Zelink shipper, so while I can't say I speak for everyone, I hope I can give a pretty good perspective.

Shared trauma is a large part of it--they both saw each other at their lowest points. They both had a close relationship with Midna, and after the end of the game, they have no one else who can understand all that they went through. Link, especially, seems to have the aura of 'ordon was saved--but not for me'. He's gone through so much, and there's no one else who can understand what he went through... except Zelda. There's a lot of shared grief and pain, and their love for Hyrule and the will to give everything to defend it--after the game ends, to me it seems incredibly likely that they would draw closer together. Of course, that isn't necessarily romantic, but it DOES have a lot of potential.

They also work well together, and to me, their personalities seem complementary.

Into the more my-personal-opinions/experience realm, for one, I LOVE the concept that Link and Zelda are kind of soulmates, from Skyward Sword (and potentially the First Hero and Hylia) all throughout time, always finding each other and falling in love in every life. I'm not adverse to other ships, there's plenty other ships i find adorable, but this is also a concept i enjoy, and it adds to the other elements i mentioned above.

And finally, and this is probably only true for me, but they're the Link and Zelda in Super Smash Bros and when i was little and was watching the SSB cutscenes, i thought their interactions was SO romantic. Especially when Link thinks Mario killed Zelda and rushes to avenge her----

anyway, yeah!

(also they would look GORGEOUS together, there's that too XD)

hey, hello, yes,

Zelda fandom, can someone please explain Twilight Princess Zelink to me?

*has not played the game but knows Zelda does not take a major role in said game*

[hyunteru]

WAR IS OVER !!!!!! CONGRATS YUN !!!! HOW DID IT GO ???

HELLO MEY !!! IT WENT WELL I THINK i like to think out of sight out of mind! but i finished relatively fast and was like the third person to leave so idk im kinda doubting myself but I THINK ITS OK !! THANK YOU FOR ASKING !! I MISS YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU

[fountainpenguin]

"... Oh, thank you; that's very sweet... But my husband's waiting in the minecar."

"Who's Crazy?" / "My Psychopharmacologist and I" (x)

Bonus Panels:

[captainkirkk]

Currently thinking about the AU where the gaang are all platonic soulmates

The political landscape is a mess post-Sozin's Comet, I'm not sure revealing the gaang are all soulmates would make things better or just muddy the waters even more

[tiredgeekgirl]

fellas it has been three months since the beach episode and thinking about neil and eva in any capacity still makes me ILL

[ghost-go-roasty-mctoasty]

How can mystery spot Sam be carry on Sam

[orcelito]

ok i am actually so very angry and there's literally nothing i can do to fix it. life keeps going on. she might even be happy. and fuck dude, i'll make sure im happy too, i was a fully developed person before she was in my life and i'll continue to be one without her. but God Damn, the fact that she can just do something so blatantly awful and unfair to me and then run off without any actual repercussions is just so fucking rankling to me.

like perhaps she feels guilty. she said she did when it was all going down. but it was just something she "needed to do". so obviously she didn't feel guilty enough or she wouldnt have done it like that lmaoooo

i really did deserve to have a good solid yell at her. but unfortunately, by the time i did see her in person i just wanted her out of my fucking life. so. no yelling was done, unfortunately.