#so brighten ur screen lol

[boarwinds]

do u by any chance have a timelapse/speedpaint of the snowbaird piece you posted on jan 1st?? if so pls share it im OBSESSED with that piece and how beautifully you rendered the lilac dress

[intermundia]

Hi! I saw ur post about your birthday, so first off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Second, thank you so much for sharing your fics - they are genuinely so damn spectacular! I can’t really pick a favourite so in lieu of that I’m just going to rant about some favourable mentions :)

I’m a huge philosophy nerd, so your Symposium fic is the chefs kiss of fanfic and academia! I’ve reread it so many times now and, each time, I find another platonic element or link to the philosophy, and I basically scream with joy. Also mixing the Jedi with Plato’s philosophy is such an interesting and well-fitting mix! Like the realm of forms parallel to the force, obikin and the ladder of love parallel to their relationship, and obv the master apprentice dynamic so central to the symposium. Even the cave allegory in one way, like, once they start talking about love, obi wan can’t unhear it - he can’t go back from the light, in that regard. It’s so amazing to read a fic and keep on finding new things to love; reading it just brightens my day, and because I can’t send you an exorbitant number of kudos on ao3, please let this stand in their place <3<3<3

and don’t get me started on lex talionis! It’s such a gripping narrative!!! Like, for the first half/three quarters, there’s this slow decline in everyone’s mental state, relationships, and in general wellbeing. And it felt like I wanted to climb the walls, almost shouting at my screen, because if they would just TALK or THINK, but it’s like a tragedy because the CANT or at least as they are at the beginning they can’t, and that was so wonderful to read. A huge part of that was that I was already invested in the characters, so the stakes were raised from the get-go, but also it was the way you mirrored the drama of canon’s breakdown, and you managed to do that on a completely different playing field. And THEN you made them CHANGE!!! And it felt plausible! It felt in character! And all the hope and joy that they lost was returned, but it wasn’t the same, and that was okay!!! And to me, it felt like that decline and rise mirrored the way you integrated Roman history (I could very well be wrong lol); fall of the republic, rise of the Augustan empire - things are irrevocably changed, but they’re still standing! They’re alive! It’s so deeply moving and emotional, I can’t even articulate it as well as I’d like! Also, I was wondering, in LT, did u base any particular characters’ arcs on actually folks from Roman history? And what would you say is your favourite ancient person in general? It’s so interesting to see how ur Classics background informs your writing. In the most complementary way I can say it, it’s giving off ancient history Tolkien vibes, which is genuinely so inspiring to me as someone who wants to find their own writing niche

thank you so much for your writing, and I hope your next year ‘round the sun is filled with joy 🥳🥳🥳

yesss augustus was definitely a central inspiration for me for my fall of the republic story!! just as i think he was for lucas, with his ascension to supreme executive power and institution of an empire, the way he participated in and then brought a devastating period of civil war to a close, offering up long desired peace and security under his autocratic rule. he's a popular leader whose figure looms large as an example still after thousands of years. i wanted obi-wan to 'win' in the same way he did, usurping palpatine's claim to being that leader who took advantage of chaos to seize power.

i just think obi-wan would be such a devastating sith lord, brilliant and charismatic, who could outplay sidious at his own game, very much in the tradition of augustus's strategic decisions. obi-wan lies to himself about it, but his corruption is to always seek ever expanding circles of control. anakin and the clones have strong personal loyalty to him, echoing the loyal legions in civil war that swept octavian into power. padmé has shades of cicero and other republic figures who lost out and were removed from public life (i let her keep her life though ofc).

basically the whole political aspect was modeled on the fall of the roman republic haha you got that exactly right. i'm just so thrilled that you've engaged with the classical influences that i both consciously and unconsciously include in my stories. that's such an unbelievably kind analogy with tolkien, thank you!! there are just so many greek and roman figures that have fascinated and compelled me: homer and hesiod of course, pythagoras and heraclitus among other presocratics, aristotle's virtue ethics, and the moral philosophers of rome like epictetus and marcus aurelius are very dear to my heart.

other favorites are thucydides and herodotus, euripides and aescylus. pericles and alcibiades are fascinating figures. in terms of rome, cicero and catiline, catullus and horace, lucretius and seneca, virgil and ovid, tacitus and plutarch. the lives of antony and cleopatra especially are fascinating. so is alexander ofc, but i spent most of my time on archaic greece not the hellenistic period. i could keep going saljkdlkfdjsa but i will stop, thank you for the excuse to geek out!!!! it's always fun to think about, so i invent as many excuses to do so as possible haha

[pearl-blue-musings]

hello !! i am here to join ur wine event if that’s okay!

fave character: tendou

fave drink: root beer (lol)

comfort activity: reading

*can be suggestive if you want, but doesn’t have to be* :)

Hi hi Kurisu!!!! Ooooo I haven’t written much for Tendou but I can’t wait to!!

A bell chimes as Tendou leaves the chocolate shop, an exciting smile and a pep in his step. He hurriedly rushes to his apartment. As he enters his home, he quickly takes off his shoes and goes into the kitchen where his laptop rests. Tendou narrows his eyes to decide if he wants wine or your favorite root beer, shocked that he found some here in France.

He quickly opens up his laptop and signs in to FaceTime with you. The ringing starts and ends with your face brightening up his whole evening. “There’s my sunshine! How are you?”

“I’m on my lunch break, so I don’t have much time Satori. Ah I miss your smile so much!” You rub at your eyes sleepily and Tendou can’t help but grin at your tired gesture, wanting to kiss your eyes softly to help you ease your sleepiness. “I had to work a double the other day so I’m still trying to recover,” you yawn. You lean over from your screen and grab a can. “Do you have your root beer?”

Tendou chuckles and raises his can. “I sure do, sweetie pie!” He takes a sip at the same time as you and you and laughs at you when some of it gets up your nose. “Work was actually pretty good for me, the chocolate I’ve been making has been selling like crazy! I might be able to go solo and sponsor Waka-chan!”

You share his excitement and smile wide at him, taking another sip from your can of root beer. Suddenly some muffled shouting comes from behind you and your attention is taken away from him. Tendou looks at you with concern. “Baby?”

“Ah fuck, there was a big commotion I gotta take care of. I can call you later tonight?”

He nods and kisses the air toward you, “I’ll keep it on loud just for you! You’re amazing! And I love you so much! Go change the world.” You kiss the air toward him too and shut off your phone. Before he closes his laptop, he reminds himself to make you some chocolates to have sent to your apartment.

[susandsnell]

hey love, have u seen the new gotg/do u plan to? totally understandable if u can't look at crisp rat on the big screen again/if ur disneymarvelled out. also! what's ur favorite art house horror annnnnnnd ur favorite werewolf movie? hope ur day/night is going well!

!!! this was so sweet to wake up to this morning!

I have seen GOTG 3 and I was really pleased with how it turned out (for the most part, lol, but that I enjoyed an MCU movie as much as I did in 2023 is in and of itself a testament to Gunn's skill with wringing emotion from the popcorn pics and creative graveyard that is Disney right now). Peter Quill means enough to me as a character that I'm able to separate him somewhat from Pratt in my head, thankfully (as he made like...borderline homophobic comments in press for the film, to nobody's surprise). Really liked how well my girls Nebula and Mantis were done, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by a lot of Gamora's storyline given how much needed to be salvaged from IW-Endgame. Loved the gradual reveal that Rocket has been the emotional core of these movies all along, especially in those backstory scenes that let Gunn really show off his horror background. (Come on, that wailing mimicry/face stuff had to be a Silence of the Lambs reference! In an MCU movie? Fab.) It was a wonderfully emotional sendoff to a trilogy that has saved and helped me in so many ways, and I think the most meaningful choice of all is the shift to contemporary music symbolizing letting go of one's past and nostalgia and moving forward - an important character moment for the Guardians, sure, but also almost a jab at how modern Disney is riding on nostalgia and refusing to evolve. (May be a bit of a stretch, but considering the delightfully hammy High Evolutionary feeling like a continual jab at Disney management and Gunn's probably rightful anger at how the company's treated him, who knows?) I'm 90% disneymarvelled out, but once in a while, there'll be a fantastic work of animation from them or a pleasant surprise that'll play exception to the rule.

My favourite arthouse horror is very difficult to pick! (To say nothing of how it's kind of a hard distinction to pin down - people argue Ari Aster's works and Black Swan and The VVitch qualify, and I adore all of these, but don't quite see them as arthouse?) I'm going to go with Suspiria for now, with honourable mentions to Ganja & Hess, Possession, and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (I know this one's kind of a cheat because it's more revengey/crime drama than horror, but honestly how graphic it gets and the denouement arguably push it into horror for me). I have a big soft spot for Let The Right One In as well.

Werewolf movies are even harder because I don't often go in for them! An American Werewolf in London is a classic though, and the makeup effects are unforgettable. Other than that, flaws and all, Ginger Snaps and The Company of Wolves are both delights in their own ways.

My week has unforch been pretty wretched so far, but this ask more than brightened it up! <3 Hope you have a great time of day as well, and thank you so much for sending this!

[adoringhaikyuu]

you’re horny on your period 

characters: aone + atsumu + kageyama + kenma + (gn!reader) 

request: hey babes, can i request hq boys (of ur choice, but with tsumu on it pls) with a fem s/o whos on her period and very horny? lol, if ur uncomfortable with it i'll totally understand • by anonymous

warnings: horny tings, suggestive tings, period sex mentions but nothing actually happens <3

notes: everyone is 18+ in this !! the reader has their period obviously but there are no pronouns used so technically it’s gn :) i actually rly like this one!

aone 

you tried to get over it, but it was no use

it’d been an hour and you were still needy, an unsatisfied ache in the pit of your stomach and between your legs, not just because of your cramps

you were debating telling aone because you didn’t to bother him and period sex could be messy and some might even say gross

but of course, like the observant boyfriend he is, he noticed something was bothering you

aone walked into your bedroom, immediately sensing your discomfort. he stopped in front of the bed where you were sitting. his voice was gentle, despite his serious exterior but you could tell he was worried. “cramps?” 

you paused, deciding to speak before you changed your mind. “yeah, but that’s not really what’s bothering me...” 

he raised his brows, silently asking you to explain so he could help you.

“i...” you rubbed your thighs together, shuffling on the bed nervously as you focused your eyes on the sheets rather than his curious eyes. “i’m just feeling kind of needy?”

he stayed standing, “oh...would you like me to help?”

“yes–no?” you looked up to see him tilting his head at you, confused. “i just know some people find it gross and it can be messy, you know? don’t wanna be a bother.” 

“your issue is the mess?” 

you nodded and he hummed before leaving without another word. you sunk down a bit. you were fully prepared for it to go either way, but the rejection still kinda hurt a bit. you were about to go to the shower to take care of yourself when aone came back into the room, a towel and wipes in his hand. 

you looked up at him shocked, “what––”

he put the towel down and set the wipes aside, “for the mess.”

you immediately got up and pulled him in for a kiss, making his eyes widen slightly before he gave in, holding you by the waist. you mumbled against his lips, “i love you so much.” when you pulled away, you noticed the light blush and subtle smile on his face.

he licked his lips. “i love you too.” 

atsumu

normally when you were on your period, you wouldn’t let tsumu touch you tbh

period sex was a hassle

and normally you could control yourself or just take care of yourself on your own time in the shower or while he was out

but today for some reason, you needed him 

well you knew the reason actually––

as soon as atsumu came home, drenched in sweat from the gym, his grey tank top practically glued to his torso. you could see his neck shining and even his hair was wet, which you saw once he took off his cap. 

he set things down and immediately ran over to you on the couch to give you a quick kiss. “hey babe,” he grinned and stood up straight, stretching his arms behind his head, which wasn’t helping you at all. “damn that workout was intense, i’m beat. i’m gonna head to the shower, okay? then we can cuddle.” 

you opened your mouth but didn’t say anything, nodding instead. he smiled and headed towards the bathroom but he only made it about three steps before you stopped him with a call of his name, the sight of his back only furthering the feelings you had.

he turned back, “yeah?” 

you paused, “i um...” you sighed, “i need you.”

you could see a smile forming it’s way onto his face slowly, not wanting to get his hopes up too soon. he always wanted to help you out on your period but you’d never let him. 

“like need me need me?” 

you nodded “but we’ll only do it in the shower!” 

the smile finally burst on in his face. he made his way over to you again and planted a big kiss on your lips, groaning happily when you moaned lightly. 

“on second thought another workout doesn’t sound too bad.” he winked and smiled cheekily before throwing you over his shoulder and running to the bathroom, ignoring your yelp. 

“what got you so worked up anyway?” he asked casually, stepping into the bathroom. 

he set you down and you looked up at him sheepishly, “you...”

he grinned smugly, his hands reaching for your shirt. “oh i am so blowing your back out–”

kageyama

you tried to ignore what you were feeling, not wanting to ruin the moment since you and kageyama loved to do this every week

have a movie night and just relax

and you now he’d been working really hard lately so he deserved some rest

but you had a problem

you kept fidgeting in your seat next to him, trying to either relieve yourself slightly or make it go away, you weren’t too sure

and to be honest you weren’t really paying attention to it and kageyama could tell

after twenty minutes or so into the movie, he asked you what was wrong but you waved him off, assuring him it was nothing

but you couldn’t help but focus on him, the sharp cut of his jawline, the curve of his lips

then he put his hand on your thigh and you got to thinking of the feeling of his hands on you

and that sent you down a tunnel of unholy thoughts

kageyama felt your fingertips tracing the veins in his hands and tried to ignore it at first, keeping his eyes trained on the tv. but when you let your fingers trail up along his arm as well, his hand subconsciously squeezed your thigh and his eyes widened when you let out a quiet moan.

you both paused and kageyama turned his head slowly, eyes wide and looked at you, his lips parted. “are you–” he swallowed, trying to calm himself down. “okay?” 

you looked over at him, trying to act innocent. “mhm. just tickled, that’s all.” 

he nodded and turned back to the screen, and you tried to as well, but you kept glancing back at him, debating with yourself about whether or not you should say something. you didn’t want to be selfish and disrupt the movie, but you also couldn’t ignore what you were feeling, it was too intense. 

it lasted about five minutes before he looked at you from the corner of his eye. “you know i can see you watching me, right?” 

you felt your cheeks heat up and you huffed. “i’m sorry i just...” he turned to face you fully, curious and a bit concerned. his hand trailed up to your inner thigh, completely innocently and that’s when you decided you couldn’t hide it anymore. 

“i’m horny tobio.” 

his eyes brightened and he stuttered for a bit, “o–oh. well––do you want me to help?” he started to move closer but you looked to the side and he stopped. 

“it’s just––i’m on my period.” when he didn’t say anything for a few seconds you looked back to find him staring at you blankly.

he tilted his head and looked from side to side. “and?” 

you opened your mouth and closed it. “well...i’m, you know...bleeding...doesn’t that bother you? it’ll take more like effort and i know you’re tired––”

he cut you off, placing a hand under your chin, a shy smile on his face. “i don’t care about that. plus wouldn’t it help with your cramps?” 

you nodded, “well, only if you make me cum.” 

his brows furrowed, offended. “i always make you!” 

“yeah you do.” you laughed, taking his hand in yours, making him smile at you. “but are you sure you want to do this now? it might get messy.”

he leaned in and kissed your cheek before pulling back to look at you earnestly, his eyes a shade darker. “i don’t care.” he kissed you on the lips, “all i care about,” his hand tilted your head and pulled you closer, whispering against your lips. “is making you feel better.” 

kenma

kenma could tell something was off about you

he knew you were on your period but there was something else that he couldn’t figure out

he was waiting for you to tell him but you never did

the thing is, you’d just moved in together a few months ago and while you’ve had a couple periods in the same house 

(which he’s totally normal about) 

you haven’t done anything while you were on your period

normally you’d take care of yourself, but you felt a little self conscious about doing it in your shared house for some reason 

and kenma like never left the house

sure, he had his headphones on a lot but still––

so you were a little tense and though you thought he was distracted, he definitely noticed

kenma stepped into your room and you smiled up at him before going back to your phone, thinking he was switching from the ps4 to the pc set up in your bedroom. but he didn’t, he came and stood next to your side of the bed, making you look up at him in surprise. 

“oh hey ken,” you sat up, your legs pressed tightly together. “what’s up?”

he looked at you for a moment before speaking up. “nothing...what’s wrong with you?”

your brows furrowed, “what do you mean?”

he sighed. “i can tell something’s wrong...” he looked down, a bit shy. “i was waiting for you to come to me about it but you never did. was it something i did?”

your eyes widened, he’d noticed? “no––no you didn’t do anything wrong babe.”

“oh.” he nodded, crouching down beside you, resting his chin on the mattress. “then what is it? i can tell it’s not nothing.” 

you swallowed and set your phone down before looking down at him. “i just...” you sighed, “i’m kind of worked up...and i was too nervous to do something about it.” 

his eyes widened this time. “oh––”

you looked away. “yeah.” 

“well you don’t have to be nervous about that.” he stood up, a small smile on his face. “that’s perfectly fine.” 

you looked up at him, “oh, really?”

he nodded, “of course.”

you smiled, “oh thank you. so how long are you staying out for?”

his brows furrowed, “what? why would i leave the house––”

“wait you wanna stay?––” you paused, “well can you at least put your headphones on and close the bedroom door on your way out?” 

he blinked at you. “how can i help you if i’m not in the room?” 

you blinked back. “you want to help me?” 

he blushed and nodded sheepishly, “yeah...why wouldn’t i?” 

you stuttered a bit, “well i just––you know i’m bleeding, that could get messy...” 

he paused and glanced around the room seemingly in thought, and you figured that he was rethinking the whole situation until he spoke up again. “well i want you to be comfortable and the shower isn’t the best place for that...so how about i just get a towel to put here instead?” 

you stared at him for a few seconds, “each day i fall more and more in love with you.” 

he blushed even deeper and tried to hide his smile as he turned around, “shut up––i’m going to get the towel.” 

[yankyo]

Message Recieved- Part 2

Part two of the fuckboi Beej idea that @beetlejuicebeadoll thought of!

Warnings: mention of hypnosis, stalking, general creepy beej, light hints of sexual frustration

-----------------

Ding.... Ding.... Ding.... Ding

       You refused to look up, what was the point? You already knew which jackass it was that was spamming you this late at night. The only douchebag who never went on silent, no matter how many times you tried turning off the ringer. 

Ding... Ding... Ding... Ding... DingDingDingDing

With a few choice expletives snarled under your breath, you snatched up your phone, "Can you shut the fuck up already? I'm reading it!" You snapped to the empty air, hoping the bastard was close enough to hear you. Fuck, you barely had to hope, he never seemed to stray far now. You scanned the texts, your irritation growing with each word. 

🐞🥤: hey, hey babes 

🐞🥤: I'm booored 

🐞🥤: at least put on some TV or somethinggg 

🐞🥤: babes, stop ignoring meeeee 

🐞🥤: I'm dying heeeere 

🐞🥤: figuratively lol 

🐞🥤: hey, whatever happened to the sexy shorts?? 

🐞🥤: can we bring those back?? I miss them 

🐞🥤: babes, are u still ignoring me?? 

🐞🥤: baaabes 

"Don't you have something better to do with your life?" You snarled, glaring at the empty air. 

🐞🥤: not living, babes. 

"You fucking know what I mean, you dickbag!" 

🐞🥤: ooh keep talking dirty babes 

       You threw the phone this time, an almost too common occurrence ever since this creep decided to situate himself in his life. The fact that any of this could be common was crazy, but apparently humans could get used to anything and in the past few weeks of being haunted, you found that you were more irritated by the pervy spirit currently possessing your phone than actually scared. After all, all he could really do here was annoy you through the phone, he couldn't affect anything else or really cause trouble without you saying his name three times and since that wasn't happening anytime soon, the both of you were more or less stuck with one another. At least until you could figure out a way to get him out of your phone. 

       Ding, ding, ding the sound of your phone made you sigh, but you turned on the tv and just tried to ignore it now. Beetlejuice loved getting under your skin, constantly flirting and joking around, just trying to either make you blush or piss you off - usually succeeding with both. Every day ended with him begging you to say his name to no avail, and then every night he would torment you with stupid dreams. That was the worst part of it all. Every single time you tried to go to sleep, you saw him, could feel his rough hands pinning you down, felt his lips painting a sweltering path along your skin as he growled his devotion to you. You dreamt of those sharp teeth of his gleaming in the light, hovering just above your neck as a cocky smirk spread across his face, you had woken up begging for him to bite you, thankfully you hadn't said his name, but it was getting just far too close these past few nights. And the worst part was that no matter how desperately needy you woke up, you couldn't do anything but take a cold shower and try and not think about the promises he had hissed in your ear in your dreams while the fucking bastard acted like he had done nothing wrong. It was frustrating and even when you tried to ask him, he would just get all the more cocky with you and ask you all sorts of questions about your dreams as if he wasn't the one causing it. Prick. Well, you weren't going to just give him a free show - and besides, the idea of him just watching you was.... ding, ding, ding. God. Fucking. Dammit. 

🐞🥤: u know, babes 

🐞🥤: u've been looking awfully tense lately 

🐞🥤: I could help out u no.

You scoffed, shaking your head, but you didn't dignify that with a response. 

🐞🥤: nothing pervy ya know, a little massage

🐞🥤: I'm real good w/ my hands u know

🐞🥤: just an offer

Having his hands on you was the last thing you needed right now! Implications of what freeing him would actually do aside, if he was this distracting just living in your phone, you shuddered to think of the mischief he could get into if he was free. 

       "I'd be a lot less tense if you moved out of my phone and found someone else to fuck with." You deadpanned. 

🐞🥤: 😢 hurtful, babes 

🐞🥤: I LIKE being here with you tho

🐞🥤: ur pretty and cool and all, sides 

🐞🥤: u summoned me, can't leave til my name is called and all that 

How the hell that worked, you had absolutely no clue. You did know that swiping right on tinder did not equal a summoning, but then again, what did you know about summoning a ghost demon fuckboi? "Got anything else?" Why you asked, you didn't know. The smart thing would have been to just leave the phone there and go to bed, hope that you could get through the night without any more frustration, but the thought of going back to those dreams and not having an outlet for them.... yeah, not how you wanted to spend another night. 

🐞🥤: hmm 

🐞🥤: I've got one trick, but I dunno if U'll be up 4 it. 

You should back out now. You should just step away and find something better to do with your time. "What's that?" 

🐞🥤: Texting isn't all I can do. 

For a moment, you were confused, you knew he could somehow send pictures. They were blurry as all hell, but got the point across. And the thought of asking him if he meant what you thought he did was enough to make you want to self combust right then and there. 

🐞🥤: .... my voice is weird tho 

Oh. Oh. How did that work? "You can call me?" You pressed, curious now. Silence. The screen went black and a mass of unintelligible letters popped up as a distorted ringtone echoed through the apartment. Now would be a great time to collect your brain cell and run. Maybe to a church or something, stop being the main white lead in every horror film and perhaps not be possessed by a being you barely knew anything about - why were you answering the phone? 

       Static rippled through the speaker, the person on the other line drew in a trembling breath. 

       "Hey babes." His voice was low, gravelly, it sent a tingle down your spine. 

       "H...hey..." what were you even supposed to talk about now? "Your voice isn't weird." Perhaps it was the nerves, perhaps your own awkwardness, but thankfully Beetlejuice laughed, a soft, deep chuckle that somehow made you join in as well until the sound turned cold, intimidating, almost threatening. 

       "Just wait. You ain't seen nothin' yet." The desire to drop the phone and run was back, but you were glued in place. "Breathe, babes. Can't have you passing out on me yet." You exhaled a shaky breath you hadn't noticed you were holding in. "Good. Relax now, I ain't gonna do anything scary." Almost against your will, tense muscles relaxed and you leaned back against the couch, eyes falling shut. You hadn't lied, his voice wasn't weird, it was nice, almost too nice. Though he never raised his tone above a husky purr,  it filled you, his voice was your entire world. "Better. Now, what's got you so tense, huh, doll?" 

       "You do." The response was automatic, you couldn't have stopped yourself if you tried. 

       "Just me? Come on, that can't be it. You were tense when I got here." He was right, you couldn't blame all of your frustrations on him, there had been a reason you had been scrolling through tinder from the beginning, after all. 

       "I...." 

       "You can be honest with me, you know. You're lonely, just like me, aren't you?" The words were settling in your bones, dragging out those thoughts you had been pushing down. 

       "Yes." A breath, a relieved exhale that made your heart twist violently in your chest. 

       "Isn't it better to be truthful with yourself?" You found yourself nodding in response. "You can depend on me, I won't let you be lonely anymore.  You don't even have to say my name, just don't chase me away, let me stay by your side just like this." Just like this? How was this satisfying for him? Bound within your phone, invisible and formless, only able to reach out from within a screen - it had to be torture. 

       "Why me?" The question shocked both of you and the spell that had settled over you shattered. "How is this good?" You pressed forwards, and for once, you had rendered Beetlejuice silent. "Why didn't you just force me to say your name or something? Don't you want to be free?" 

       "I..." it was his turn to flounder.

       "Better yet, why stay here? Why waste your time on me at all? I'm not giving you what you want so why don't you just leave?" 

       "I just... I..." 

       "You don't know anything about me anyways, Beetlejuice, I'm not that treat of a person, why cling to me like this?" 

       "I DO KNOW YOU!" His purr had become a wail and even as your phone slipped from your fingers, his voice came through the speaker clear as ever. "I know you." He repeated, insistent. "I know how you speak to yourself when you're alone, how you laugh at your own jokes and console yourself when you're sad. I know how you like to fall asleep watching old crime shows, but will get so scared that you wrap yourself up in your blanket and walk circles around your home to make sure everything is safe. I know that you meet people just to shy away the second they try to get close. I know how your face brightens when you laugh and how your eyes dim when you're sad. I know you hate crying, so you cry in the shower so there'll be no evidence left behind." You were backing away from the phone now, how could he know all of that? He's only been here for a week, right? Your phone was shaking now, the screen sparking with green and blue and red. "I know you because I watched you. Because I love you. Do you know how long I've waited just to be able to talk to you like this? So you would know who I am?" He watched you? He called your name, the sound sharp, imploring. "I just want to be a part of your life. I don't want to be invisible anymore!" Scared wasn't an accurate enough word for how you were feeling in that moment. You felt as if you would be sick. You had to get away from here. Away from him. "W-wait!" As you stepped back, he called for you, as if he could sense what you were doing. "Don't leave me, please. I'll be quiet! I'll stop being so annoying! Babes!" 

       "Stop calling me that!" The scream echoed through the apartment and Beetlejuice fell silent, your phone screen turning a darker purple before it finally turned black - but you were already turning on your heel and running from the apartment.  

[floatservices]

wrong numbers/right answers

iwaizumi hajime/reader wc: 3.9k 

When Hajime had started catching feelings for the mystery number, he'd rationalised that it could never be you. Slowly but surely, his mystery texter had been getting him out the slump Iwaizumi had been feeling over his unrequited feelings, and instead of wondering about you, he was wondering when the next mystery number text would come.

But now you're her and she's you and his brain is going to explode. He doesn't have enough brain cells for this.

Curse this stupid, stinking crush.

“You've been on that damn phone for, what, 30 minutes now?” Iwaizumi growls, waving Oikawa's less than impressive test score across said boy’s face. “What are you, texting a new girlfriend?”

“Iwa-chan, I'm flattered you think I have a new girlfriend!” Oikawa’s ecstatic, typing with one hand and snatching away the sheet away with the other. “But no, I'm just trying to have a good time with our favorite classmate,” Oikawa metaphorically dangles you in front of him, and smirks as his friend’s eyes widen. “Oho, I’ve got your attention now, have I?”

Iwaizumi wrinkles his nose, trying to get the test back. “Shut up, shittykawa. If I knew her better, I'd apologize to her because she has to deal with the likes of you.”

The spiker makes a wild lunge for the test paper, because they came to his house to study, not so his disgraceful excuse of a best friend could tease him about a girl, but Oikawa leans just out of reach, his long arms stretching as far as they could.

“You wound me, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa chuckles, shuffling the paper under the cushion he was sitting on. “My test score wasn’t that bad, anyways-“

“You call a 52% a good grade?!”

“Well, it's a pass, isn’t it? I have more important things on my mind, anyways, like beating Ushiwaka, texting my favorite girl in class, don’t you have something to do? Oh, wait! I forgot that you were-”

“Shittykawa," Iwaizumi cuts in, a seething expression on his face, but Oikawa pays no mind. "If you finish that sentence-“

“-Socially awkward! You can’t even talk to her without blushing! But funny how that doesn’t happen when you talk to anyone else like that, hmm, Iwa-chan?”

Hajime gets up and launches himself across the chabudai, tackling Oikawa, a fist raised.

__

It’s 8am when Iwaizumi gets a text.

From: ??? To: You rinrin this is you right!?? buddy???!! pls send me ur jpnese lit hw I NEED HELP otherwise tatsuya-sensei will have me impaled bro my entrails will be sacrificed to whoever the hell Yamada Kai was, helpppp!

There’s a string of different crying emojis after that, which Iwaizumi finds adorable. He doesn’t know who this is, but it’s obvious that the poor guy went to Aoba Johsai. The woman who taught Japanese Literature was famous around the school for being a harsh marker and a harsher teacher style. They’d been studying Yamada’s works so far, and Iwaizumi expects whoever sent it was panicking- it was 8, school started 8:30, and English was their second lesson of the day (or it was for tomorrow, because Classes 3-4 didn’t have Literature today, but Iwaizumi assumes it’s today, otherwise they wouldn’t be this distraught.)

He glances at his watch- he had a few minutes to spare. He fishes his work out his bag, and he thanks God he's used his best handwriting (Tatsuya-sensei had caused quite the scene photocopying his work last time, showing off to the entire Class-2 how “insufferably illegible” his print was,) hoping whoever was behind the screen could read it. He takes a quick picture of it, making sure it’s not blurry and the script is clear before sending it off and hurrying out of his house.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You [sent: IMG20151219] you’ve got the wrong number but i’m from seijou too. this is the worksheet you mean?

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You aaa i’m so sorry for sending it to the wrong number!

but yes, it is the right one! thank you so much, i owe you one, mystery man!

Oikawa’s waiting for him outside as always, and Iwaizumi deliberately speeds up so he can walk past. Behind him, Oikawa makes a sort of whine from the back of his throat, quickening his pace to fall in next to him.

“What’s gotten you so cheery?” Oikawa asks, and Iwaizumi realizes he’s been smiling. He replaces it with a scowl, quickly shoving his phone in his pocket so Oikawa can’t get anymore curious.

“It’s no thanks to you.” Iwaizumi quips, and Oikawa pouts.

Iwaizumi only risks a reply when he gets to school, because Oikawa Tooru will never shut up if he sees him texting someone that is so obviously a girl.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You how do you know it's a guy..? for all you know i could be a girl, you know.

He gets a reply soon after.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You well, if you are a girl, i'm sorry!! i didn't mean anything  by it... also i kinda assumed you were a guy because of your handwriting.

He should be offended by that, right? Right. He’s offended by it. He's about to defend himself when his phone buzzes with another message.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You SHIT I'M SO SORRY THAT WAS RUDE TO SAY!! I BET YOU WON'T TALK TO ME ANYMORE

IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE IF YOU DO...

He blinks, an ungraciously amused smile making it's way onto his face. He leaves his phone alone for the school day, because his teacher has just walked in. He figured he'd reply to you after school, just before volleyball.

It's kind of a mistake, because he comes back to 12 more messages, each message reading a variant of "I'm sorry," the amount of sincerity in each message growing as the hours passed by. He figures it's time to ease the stranger out her misery, and begins typing his reply.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You no need to get worked up on it, lmao   you planned on talking to me again?

While waiting, he has enough time to go to the clubroom early and change out of his school uniform to his jersey. He's halfway through fixing one half of his laces when his phone pings.

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You it's because i thought i owed you one.... but i guess if you don't want to talk it's okay lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You i hope it's not me that offended you this time. i do want to talk. you seem... cool?

He hits the send button, rereads it, and recoils. That sounds awkward.

Iwaizumi starts typing more.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You besides, you don't know me. how are you gonna give back (whatever. i don't know how! you're the  one that wants to owe me.) if you don't even know me?

From: Crying Emoji lmao To: You won't it be funner if it's a mystery?

i guess... we could help each other out! anytime we need hw help we just call each other, like a private help line.

(also, why the question mark? of course i'm cool!)

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You i think that sounded less creepy in your head.  

(sure, you're cool. [heavy sarcasm, if you can't tell.])

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

is that a no?

(rude!)

Iwaizumi stares at the screen. Well, he didn't really mind. And whoever this was sounded pretty trustworthy, and not a random creep that pretended to be a Seijou student in their free time. His time to deliberate is cut short, because Oikawa slams the clubroom doors open, singing a Christmas carol Iwaizumi didn't recognise, along with Hanamaki and Matsukawa, who were discussing what kind of forfeit Oikawa had to pay today if he didn't set as well as he should; ramen or oden?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You fuck why not

i'll be looking forward to... being helped out? bye.. i'll talk later.  

my best friend is here and i'm not ready for him to annoy me straight to satan's asscrack.

Iwaizumi whips the phone away from Oikawa's line of vision, only letting him see his asscrack remark. (It backfired, because Oikawa spends all of the time from putting his shoes on to the start of practice whinging.) The boys slowly file out of the clubroom, Kunimi shutting off the lights as the door softly clicks closed.

Iwaizumi's phone lights up in his blazer pocket, a simple "see you later!" on the screen that brightens the whole room up.

___

It's two weeks later when Iwaizumi needs the help he's been promised. He opens up his chat- they'd just been talking last night about Seijou's annual fair, and what they each were going to do.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You hey english is kicking my ass

can you help a me out please

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao ofc !! what do you need help with

i would let u copy my answers but i feel like you actually have to learn english at some point phone-chan lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You the english were on crack when they

made up their language i swear

does the sentence "the star shine brightly" work

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

LMFAO

weh that's a trick question

"shone" is for no object and "shined" is for when here's no object. so like shone works for 'light' and shined can be for like

a car headlight

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You what the hell

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ikr english is crazy

you also forgot the "d" at the end lol

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You that one is on me that's simple

but the other thing isn't. aren't the both shining anyway? what's the point in having two. i hate this devil language i swear

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

if it helps no one really cares and i think

you could get away with either english has a lot of rules and no one follows them sooooo... it's whatever!!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

try telling that to fukuoda-sensei i swear that guy has a grudge against me or smthn

To: You

From: Crying Emoji lmao WAHAHAHA i had him last year.... he literally hates fun i don't think i've ever seen him smile

good luck with that phone-chan :P

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

one last question btw

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

ooh okay shoot!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You what's 好きな食べ物は揚げ出し豆腐 in english

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ...

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You don't tell me you don't know :(

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao phone-chan, if i say i'll make your agedashi tofu for the festival tmrw will you please stop making vague hints  towards it for the rest of the night?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You :)

To: You From Crying Emoji lmao the things i do for you, phone chan!

___

"Iwa-chan, don't eat too much." Oikawa says, blinking as he tries to process the sheer amount of beancurd his friend is wolfing down.

"Says the person who hogged all the milk bread once." Iwaizumi retorts, rolling his eyes. "This is one plate of tofu, unlike when you once wasted 2000 yen to buy the school's entire daily stock of milk bread so you could eat it." He pauses to finish another cube of his favourite food. "And school milk bread doesn't even taste that great."

"It was cheap, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa tries to defend himself. "Makki, Matssun, help me out here!"

Matsukawa only shrugs, and when prompted by Oikawa to give a 'real' answer, he sides with Iwaizumi, apologizing sheepishly.

"Sorry to admit it Captain," He chuckles, "But I don't really like school food anyways."

Iwaizumi shoots Oikawa a teasing smirk, and Oikawa's just about to say something when Hanamaki pipes up.

"I like it," Makki makes a non-committal gesture, and Oikawa looks happy with that. "I mean, sure, school food isn't that great but I think the milk bread is the only good thing about it."

"Like striking gold in a coalmine!" Oikawa nods his approval, and Iwaizumi just sighs. Looking around, he spots you out of the corner of his eye, looking as good as usual and serving a few parents and students. He knows he can't call you because he'd end up sweating through his blazer, so he asks another classmate instead.

"Okuhara-kun," He calls, waving to a boy in his class. "Do you know who made the tofu?"

The boy shakes his head. "Whoever it was came early to drop it off. It had a note with it though."

This gets Iwaizumi's attention. She'd left something for him? "Oh? What did it say?"

"Uh- this is an exact quote, by the way- 'Phone-chan, don't you dare!'" Okuhara replies, drawing out quotation marks in the air. When Iwaizumi lets out a loud laugh, he takes it for disbelief.

"Is it... really that funny?" He questions, looking bemused.

Hajime grins. "Not really."

____

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You you didn't even drop any hints!

all you gave me was a note that told me to go away

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao i knew you'd go looking, phone-chan! my intuition is as good as ever!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You unfair. that was like, my best friend's level of unfair.

so unfair that i'm thinking about moving my best friend back to the top of my favourites list :/

That was a bold faced lie. Oikawa had never been on the top of his favourites list: that was reserved solely for Makki.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao you wound me!

who is this best friend?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You

not telling lol

you'd know who i was then

To: You

From: Crying Emoji lmao spare hint ma’am?

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You you didn't give me any!

and you're the one who wanted to keep it a secret in the first place :/

...but fine.

he's on the volleyball team

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao oikawa!!??

To: Crying Emoji lmao

From: You ... :( yeah

see i told you!

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao actually, i don't know the vb team that well. oikawa's one of the only guys i know  because he's popular. and loud 

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You oh so i’m not popular?

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao aww phone-chan it’s not like that <3 ur popular in my heart :)

Iwaizumi curses at the blush that follows reading that. He will not allow himself to get flustered over that, it was a joke!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You gee thanks 

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao besides i still know the third years! i'm just saying i don't know them that well!!

hanamaki, matsukawa and iwaizumi. they're a close friend group, so i expect one of then is you

When he reads his name, he doesn't know whether to deny it completely, or confirm that it's him. Hajime puts his phone down and paces for a bit, wondering if he's fucked up. When he checks his phone again, chewing on his lip, he guffaws at the message they've left.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao ...judging from how you're not replying, you are.

but since i don't know which one, i'll decide on calling you phone-chan, yeah?

When Iwaizumi met whoever they were, he was gonna give them a lecture of a lifetime about not being a smartass.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You fine, yeah. i am one of them. but now you owe me a hint too!

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao

well, i suppose i do!

i'm one of the girls in the class that actually has oikawa's number. he half forced me to give it to him, actually, but it's still been fun talking with him.

(not as much as talking with you, phone-chan!)

and i also totally get why he's annoying.

Iwaizumi feels a tiny bit of jealously bubbling up- irrational, because he's only been texting them for about half a month. His friend's statement about liking talking with him more than Oikawa makes him a little pleased, because people didn't usually pick his pretty best friend over him (selfish, yeah, but he's tired of girls asking him to deliver chocolates to the setter and befriending him in hopes of getting closer to Tooru.)

But girls who had his number? Only the ones Oikawa actually had an interest in.

The grand total of the people in his class with the brunet's number was three, because as courteous and as flirtatiously he acts, he accepts and turns down people normally, and doesn't like hurting girls as much as his playboy rep boasts (Iwaizumi's always liked that about him.) The three girls he knew of consisted of Aoi, his ex, Reina, who unbeknownst to Oikawa at the time, swang the other way, and...

You.

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao i know that aoi, reina and (name) has his number...

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao well, one of them is certainly me!

we're both down to three, phone-chan. even ground!

Iwaizumi feels the world cave in on himself, reading the message over and over. Aoi was a nice guy, but he was also the same brand of pompous that Hajime disliked and Oikawa had found cute. They’d ended it horribly, so Hajime was decidedly not looking forward to the possible outcome that it was him, so he casts away the thought before it can solidify in his mind’s eye. Reina didn’t even like guys, so if you were you…

Huh. His mouth’s gone dry suddenly.

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You cool cool

 hey i'm gonna head to bed i gotta emotionally prepare for voluntarily walking into japanese lit class with tatsuya sensei on my ass

sorry to cut it short

To: You From: Crying Emoji lmao aw don't worry about it phone-chan <3

good night! and see you tmrw, whether we know it or not!!

To: Crying Emoji lmao From: You sleep well

Iwaizumi curses during the 5th hour of trying to sleep. Curse this stupid, stinking crush.

___

He wishes he hadn't asked. He's fine with his favorite crying emoji user knowing who he is, but knowing that it's you sort of struck a pang in his heart that couldn't be undone. He can't concentrate in class, and though he fights it because Oikawa's caught on to this habit, he finds himself staring at you instead of listening to the teacher. The whole situation was annoying!

First he thinks you're cute but he'd chalked it up to never working out because Oikawa had managed to snag your number. Then Oikawa assures him that it's platonic and they only talk about school work which is, to say the least, bullshit, because Oikawa can't actually text without getting distracted. His best friend has a tendency to rant about volleyball or start gossiping when his phone is within reach, and it's why his study sessions happen with Hajime next to him (and even with him, Oikawa still manages to get his grubby hands on his phone.) His best friend was absolutely up to something, and it had been killing Iwaizumi that he didn't know what it was.

And then he'd gotten that cute, fated, statistically impossible text from a wrong number, and fallen into a cute flirting-but-not-really routine. They were kind, sweet, and willing to help him with trivial things like homework and make him his favorite food.

It was easier not really knowing who it was! That was mean to admit, sure, but even when Hajime had started catching feelings for the mystery number, he'd rationalised that it could never be you. Slowly but surely, his mystery texter had been getting him out the slump he had been feeling over his unrequited feelings, and instead of wondering about you, he was wondering when the next mystery number text would come.

But now you're her and she's you and his brain is going to explode. He doesn't have enough brain cells for this.

Hajime sighs, looking away from you and back to his worksheet. Algebra stares back at him with no mercy. "I have no brain cells." He mutters, amending his thoughts. In the seat next to him, Oikawa chuckles lightly.

"You've got enough to stare at her, though." He whispers, and Hajime feels his blood boiling. "I swear, when the bell rings, I'm going to-"

The teacher clears her throat loudly. "Iwaizumi-san, if you could refrain from speaking until I've finished..."

Iwaizumi feels his hot rage flood into his cheeks as embarrassment instead. "Of course, sorry sensei."

You catch his eye as he averts his eyes from the teacher, and you smile encouragingly. Hajime thinks the knot in his forehead gets worse. He feels himself go hotter, somehow, and quickly goes back to looking at his math equations. Oikawa's still fucking smirking.

"Denial, Iwa-chan."

There's something fishy in the way that Oikawa texted the group chat about getting lunch. Firstly, Oikawa liked western food for whatever reason, and whenever he asked to go out, he would picked a pricey French place. The rest of the team would debate for about 8 minutes before usually settling on a cheap soba place near the town centre. He'd claimed it was for a post-midterms celebration, and since the Christmas holidays had started, they might as well go somewhere altogether, as a team.

But Oikawa's suggested this expensive ramen place (which... alright, it's not like Oikawa never eats Japanese. But he doesn't prefer it, and Hajime is paranoid about whatever plan his best friend has hatched) and instead of shouting at him to lower the price, Makki and Mattsun agree immediately. Iwaizumi knows Makki is broke this week, after having to buy a replacement volleyball for the one they popped while roughhousing, so he doesn't understand why he'd agree to blowing 2000 yen on a single bowl of ramen.

The rest of the third years decline or agree. Iwaizumi thinks this is for plausible deniability, to make him think it's all alright. But when Oikawa @'s him in chat to confirm for the coming Thursday, he grudgingly agrees. He's wanted to try that ramen place for a while, anyway, and he's putting too much thought into this. It was just lunch with the team. It's fine.

Then the coming Thursday rolls around, and he's been standing outside the ramen place for 5 minutes and no-one is here and he's going to kill Oikawa-

To: [crying baby noises] From: You oikawa i swear to god where the fuck is everyone. i'm going to aim every spike in practice to you i swear. yahaba would help me

To: You From: [crying baby noises] WAHAHAHA it's okay iwa-chan, someone else you like much better than our sweaty volleyball team is coming ☆⌒(ゝ。∂)

To: [crying baby noises] From: You die in a ditch

To: You From: [crying baby noises] you won't be saying that after ur first date! (☆ω☆)

here's her number, since ur gonna need it!

[CRYING BABY NOISES] HAS SENT YOU A CONTACT

Iwaizumi grumbles the entire time he's punching in the number, intending to tell you that you've been set up and you don't need to bother coming, but his phone shows up with an error that he's already got the number saved. He stares at the notification, blinking once, twice, before the elation sets in and-

"Ah, Iwaizumi?" You call his name, walking quickly towards him and giving him a bashful smile. "Sorry I'm late. I wasn't worried because I thought it was just going to be Oikawa talking my ear off, but he texted me to say... well."

He just says your name, blushing but still grinning. You chuckle, and the little display of happiness pushes him to at least try and say something, "Oikawa gave me your number, but..." Iwaizumi trails off.

"He sent yours too." You explain, pulling your phone out and, at last, he's given proof that you're the mystery number and his grin manages to get wider. The cool winter air bites less than it did before. "But I already had it saved."

"Me too." Hajime says, taking a step closer to you and taking a hand tentatively. Your fingers slip between his, and your cheeks are pink from more than just the cold.

"I had a feeling it was you." You admit, still looking at him the way you do in his dreams. "It's nice to finally meet you properly, Phone-chan."

[puppetsoftomorrow]

okay so imagine: the trapped in the tv ep but with only british tv shows - if ur not british i'm sorry!! hopefully this will still be funny for you lol

No one was fazed as the classical music rang out overhead, and Nate and Mick waited patiently for it to finish. The pair were stood next to a low table, set on lush green grass and under a backdrop of a clear blue sky and a large country house, with people milling around and chatting, just quietly enough not to be heard over the music.

The logo flashed faintly in the sky, and Nate coughed, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"Well, here we have a lovely piece - a mantle clock, looks to be 17th Century, possibly Russian," He started, tipping the clock back slightly to get a better look at it. "Can you tell me a little more about how you came to have it?"

"It stole it." Mick shrugged. "It looked expensive."

"And you'd be correct." Nate said, waggling his finger to emphasize his point. "Made by an early pioneer of this type of time-keeping, Rip Hunter, the craftsmanship is just - exquisite, and there's not even - oh, there's a small dent here."

"Probably from when I hit Rasputin over the head with it." Mick said, and Nate nodded sagely.

"Well, even with that, it's extremely valuable - you don't see many of these pieces, I'm very honoured to be evaluating it. What do you think it's worth?"

"From the age and quality, I'd want a couple million." Mick grunted.

"And what would you use the money for?" Nate asked, and Mick shrugged again.

"Put Lita through college. Some for the Legends, buy more condiments."

"That sounds fantastic. Well -" Nate started, then paused for an unnaturally long time. Everyone held their breath. "I think, at auction, it could fetch up to £3 million."

Behind them, the Legends cheered, Ava punching the air. Mick nodded, then picked up the clock in his gloved hand wand walked off, swinging it as he did so.

///

The music faded out, and Sara shut the book she was reading, smiling widely. The nursery she was in was quiet, the children having not yet arrived for the day. "I didn't see you there! I'm Sara - what's your name?" She said, voice bright and bubbly.

There was silence for a few seconds, and Sara nodded, despite no one replying.

"Ah, of course. I'm so glad you're here - I need your help." She stood up, eyes wide. "There's a giant octopus named Tagumo terrorizing the village - and we need a special treat for the bake sale! But who should we ask for help?" She scratched her head in an exaggerated thinking motion, then stood up and walked backwards to the large, colourful map that hung on the nursery wall.

"We could ask - Ava the Bureaucrat?" She asked, pointing at a point on the map.

Ava popped up on screen, dressed in her suit and surrounded by stacks and stacks of papers, threatening to topple at any moment. She gave an exaggerated shrug.

"No, she's too busy. Maybe Nate the Historian?" Sara said in a sing-song voice.

At the top of a pink castle, a hand was waving.

"No, he's stuck at the top of his castle. Maybe Zari, the Cat Chat celebrity?"

Zari was on her phone but started to wave as the camera zoomed in on her.

"Yes, that's it! We'll ask Zari, the Cat Chat celebrity!" Sara said, smiling widely. "Come on, let's go to Zari's house!"

Sara walked through the quiet streets of Waverider, avoiding the large chunks of stone that were being thrown her way by an angry octopus. It was a sleepy seaside town, with brightly coloured buildings and extremely predictable weather, and she loved it. She stopped in front of the yellow house and knocked on the door.

"No! It's mine!" "It's mine!" came the muffled voices from inside.

"Oh no! I think Zari's having an argument with her brother Behrad." Sara said, eyes wide. "Let’s see if we can help."

She opened the door, where Zari and Behrad were having a tug of war with a small bracelet. Sara stood, hands on hips, with an exaggerated frown.

"Z! B! What's this?"

"It's my turn with the totem!" Behrad whined, and Zari stomped her foot.

"No, dummy, it's mine! You used it to beat Genghis Khan last week!"

"Did you two forget our last lesson, when we learnt about sharing?" Sara said, and the two broke apart, looking distinctly guilty.

“No, Miss Lance.” They said in unison.

“Good.” Sara said, smiling brightly. “How about – Zari, you use the family heirloom to capture the giant octopus, whilst Behrad and I make a treat for the bake sale!”

The pair brightened up. “Sounds great! We can make a Behrad brownie!” Behrad said brightly, moving towards the kitchen, when Sara put out her arm to stop him.

“Uh oh, did you forget something?”

Behrad struck his palm on his forehead with an exaggerated sigh.

“Whoops! Here you go, sis.” He said, passing the totem over. “I’m sorry I wasn’t sharing nicely.”

Zari shrugged, slipping the bracelet on. “I’m sorry too.” She said, and the pair hugged. When they broke apart, Zari blinked.

“Wait -”

///

The tannoy overhead started to play classical music, overlaid with the booming voice of an announcer. "DC's University Challenge! With your host - Raymond Palmer!"

The lights went up on the studio and Ray sat at a desk, smiling widely at the audience, shuffling his cards.

"Good evening and welcome to DC's University Challenge!” He said, barely being heard over the sounds of the audience clapping politely. He waited until they’d started to quiet down before beginning again. “Our first team tonight is the Time Bureau, a secret government organisation that has produced several bureaucrats, a multi-million-dollar magical creature theme park and around a dozen clones. The organisation has just under 1,000 employees and ranks number two in the inter-governmental department softball league. Their team tonight includes -"

"Hey! I'm Mona Wu, and I'm reading creature care and getting in touch with my wild side!" Mona said, waving and smiling brightly.

Gary coughed. "Uh - Hello - I'm Gary Green, and I'm studying as an apprentice of the dark arts under John Constantine."

"I'm Nate Heywood, and I'm doing a second PhD deductive historical reasoning and turning into steel." Nate said, giving the camera a mock salute.

"And finally, their Captain -"

"I'm Ava Sharpe, from 2213, and I'm reading how to move on from clone based psychological trauma." Ava said, nodding with a tight-lipped smile. She looked at her team – they looked good, all dressed in the Bureau suits. She hoped it would be enough to beat their opponents.

After the clapping ended, Ray gestured to the other side of the studio. "Our second team tonight are the Legends, founded in 2016 by Rip Hunter. Although seen as the underdogs, they won a comfortable victory against the Legion of Doom in the first round, answering questions on the French Revolution, punk rock and African oral history. With a combined age that's impossible to calculate, lets meet the team."

"Hey, I'm Behrad Tarazi, and I'm studying the air totem - but if my parents are watching, I'm studying .... business." Behrad said awkwardly, fiddling with the bracelet around his wrist.

"Hi, I'm Charlie, I'm from before the concept of time, and I'm reading loom weaving - and also shape-shifting." Charlie said, waving to the audience and adjusting the Beebo mascot they had placed behind their team name.

"I'm Mick." Mick grunted. There were a few seconds of silence before Ray spoke again.

"And their Captain -"

"Hey, I'm Sara Lance from Star City. I did two tours with the League of Assassins and now I'm reading kicking ass across the time stream." Sara said, pointing her finger guns towards Ava and winking, which caused the opposing captain to blush.

Ray set the cards down. "Right, well, we all know the rules, so I'll just get started. Your starter for 10 is - in the novels of Rebecca Silver, how many breasts does the alien queen Garima have?"

Mick was on the buzzer, but Mona was quicker. "Three!" She answered excitedly.

"I'm sorry, in the most recent novel, Death of a Rogue, she is revealed to have a secret fourth breast. Another starter for ten - the 1995 film Swamp Thaaang, written and directed by Greg Berlanti, was based on the memiors of what creature?"

John slapped the buzzer decisively. “Swamp Thing.”

Ray nodded and the crowd went wild. “Correct. Your questions will be on marine life. How many penis’ does a shark have?”

The team formed a little huddle, and Behrad shrugged.

“Anyone got any -” Sara started, but John cut in.

"Two." John said.

“Are you sure?” Sara asked, and John nodded, wincing slightly.

///

“Welcome back to – Top of the Pops!”

The lights came up on the little podium where Astra was standing, holding the slim microphone between her fingers, and she smiled widely.

"So, your top five this week is Doctor Mid-Nite with ‘Year 3000’ at number 5, Ava and the Clones with ‘The One and Only’ at number 4, Rip Hunter and Wally West with ‘Careless Whisper,’ entering the charts at number 3, and that was the JSA, staying strong at number 2 with ‘Kids in America.’ But, coming in hot at number 1, with their new hit ‘American Idiot’, it's the Legends of Tomorrow!"

Astra swept her hand towards the stage, where the lights came up to rapturous cheers from the audience.

"We are the Legends of Tomorrow - and we're here to change your destiny!" Charlie shouted into the mic, just as Mick started up on drums. Nate’s hands hovered over his bass guitar, looking over to Sara, who winked at him as the chords of her electric guitar rang out over the cheering audience.

///

(shows featured are - antiques roadshow, balamory, university challenge and top of the pops)

not featured: ava's very short episode of 'who do you think you are', the legends very chaotic stint on strictly come dancing and a master chef ep where the only food they make is mush variants

okay should i keep going!! should i post this on ao3? i wasn’t gonna but if ppl want me to i can :) thanks for reading!!

[9noryn]

New answers!!

From questions asked in the ask-the-incuwives channel in the Seduce Me Discord Server!

From abil:  if your husbands had to stay in the abyssal plains after the events of the war, how would you feel? would you be okay with it?

Noryn would pack up and move with him lmao she's not attached to places, more so people so; of course there has to be a lot of talking and planning together, but she's pretty down to continue making things work from the plains side. She wouldn't have to worry about being found by Angels and get obliterated, big plus. She'd miss her sigil witch brother and her friends in the human world though; but she'll easily think about video calls and gaming and visits. The big make or break would be whether she can get hooked up with high speed internet in the abyssal plains

wait i just realized... the abyssal plains doesn't have internet yet

noryn's not gonna like this one bit; neither would matthew 

two gamers, in a dimension without games

((first order of business is to invent internet and get connected to human world, the first demon world hacker))

Bonus:

Midnight: Noryn starting up a tiktok channel for tiktoks in the Abyssal Plains that only the incubi and the wives see LOL

Midnight: no, she vlogs

Zio: hey demons its ya boi

More under the break!

From tkdigiboy: how would you react if one of the boy's ex-bf/gf or 'playmates'(sex for energy) came to visit or hang. would you let your husband do a one time fling for energy?

noryn's been friends with her exes, and their exes; so as long as things are chill, it's just like meeting anyone else from someone's social circle. it only gets weird if it's like... this person distracts matthew away from noryn a lot or otherwise gets in between her interactions with him

e_e they don't even have to be past lovers, anyone that does that will get on noryn's nerves and make her go on a jealous gifting spree, where in a fit of jealous frustration she buys a bunch of very thoughtful gifts for matthew to give to him later

regarding the one-time fling: emergency sure; but like, consent and all is one time and case specific

like if matthew is blowing up noryn's phone like "iM dY INNg OF SEX STarVaTION AND yOu'RE IN THE HUMAN WORLD" she'd be like ? ?? ? bE SAfe FIRST AND WE CAN TALK LATER

From Kantah: ooh what are the wives' hobbies? :0

Noryn hobbies: being an internet gremlin; tea brewing, drink mixing, bartending/barista; dabbling in potion making

From tkdigiboy: To noryn/zio: how well do you get along with simon and his wife?

pretty well!! though she thinks of simon and simone as mika's pets so whenever she visits mika she likes to try to befriend them and get matthew to play with him :>  simon's a lot less of a rascal when noryn can give him the attention he seeks

From Diva:  how long does it take Noryn to find out Divana’s favorite bubble tea since she cant magically know like usual [cause she’s a collective ton of different personalities]

Diva: Zio wait how long does it take for Noryn to figure out Divana's fav bubble tea after she god damn blue screens

Noryn: -sits there with window xp error noises going off in her brain-

Divana: I think this one died

Zio: poor baby; noryn would probably just blindfold herself and randomly mix ingredients and hope for the best. serving a chaos demon aint easy

Diva: Especially when Noryn Knows Alot of Things™️

From dari_baguls:  Idk if this is more for Zio or Noryn buuuut do you really have the cat stalkings Noryn wears in the game? I cried when I saw Noryn cause I also have the same stalkings and also (at the time) had short hair TvT just wanna know for research purposes

i do have them irl! Her outfit is based off of what i wore when the game was being made

She’d look like this in present day

Gotta refresh noryn’s design cause it’s very undergrad student vs her now working bartending professional :9

From Diva:  Oh no Noryn and Divana in the same room fucking around with potions

Zio: POTIONS POTIONS POTIONS in carrie's kitchen no less

Diva: Many things went wrong that day

Diva: M a n y

Zio:

Noryn: "can i come over to make sum poshuns" 

Carrie: "Of course,you dork"

Noryn: "Also Divana will help" 

Carrie:

Diva: 

Read at 3:45 pm

Zio: 

Noryn: "henlo? carrie u ther"

From tkdigiboy: Question to zio and kary: how do you 2 handle your husbands when their doing their usual routine towards eachother

Karygurl: Start making bets, make popcorn :D

Zio: when sam and matthew bicker; noryn stands aside and lets them get through their system if it's between them specifically; otherwise she's a participant in the bickering LOL they're a lot like rascally friends, and noryn is also a shit starter 

Zio: i headcanon that iri or twila like to occasionally stir the pot, like drop a small [controversial hot take] and watch the boys mcfreakin lose it

sam, matthew and noryn are all competitive casual gamers shit's going down there's no allegiances

From ☁bunny☁: jumpin in here: for all of the incuwives creators, especially zio n kary, how do you guys feel about people writing about ur ocs in their own stories? or drawing them? im writing my own interpretation of the story with my self insert and i love carrie and noryn dearly and would love to include them (and the other incuwives) but id only wanna do it if its cool with their creators first !

Karygurl: I mean please do!! I bookmark and save EVERYTHING that has even a tiny whiff of Carrie in it, I'm honored anyone would want to include her in anything ever

Zio: im flattered if your inspired to write in or draw my characters!! let me know if you want to collab too

Zio: do it do it; shout outs and cameos give me life

Karygurl: SAME Zio

Zio: plus if there's no story conflict, im down to adopt new dynamics/lore/etc from what people create

From Mari: What kind of things would you do to make your husband laugh?

To laugh? noryn would be an utter fool lmao and tell him an embarrassing story about herself (she's had a whopping 9 lives worth, there's no end to headass decisions and shenanigans when it comes to her); something like 

Noryn: "Babe have you seen our dog" 

Matthew, pouty but still hanging in there: "Huh? She's in the other room, right?" 

Noryn: "Now watch this. Bijo, cuddle attack!!" 

Distant pitpattering on the tile gets closer until Bijo, the apron wearing shibe, gets ready to jump with a soft woof

Bijo full-body slams into noryn

oh my god, noryn would do unintentional slapstick when trying to show matthew some new trick or skill

tkdigiboy to zio: pet peeve with matthew

probably him being a touch too open-minded and overly generous with his time to the point that he wears himself super super thin and tired. he's kind of that extreme of being too self-sacrificing? 

Noryn reminds him that he doesn't owe everyone he comes in contact with that kind of life-changing attention and focus, especially if those people take advantage of his kindness.

Noryn is very much "i have limited time and energy in this one body, I focus on saving the one person I can" whereas Matthew is the "I want to brighten everyone's day, and give them what I didn't have or give them something only I can provide"

While they have similar tastes and interests, their perspectives help the other grow into a healthier, better person.

[somemellifluouswords]

Patched Up Bonds

“ Can you do an ethan imagine where y’all are unofficial but everyone knows y’all are “taken” but yeah kinda angsty kinda fluffy please lol I love ur writing btw ! “

- Anonymous

Thank you for the request and your kind words! I love receiving requests because they’re all so different than what I tend to write typically. I changed what you might expect out of this idea, but I am more than ready to write something completely different than this. Hope you enjoy!

You smiled as you pulled into the driveway of your childhood home, unable to contain your excitement. First year of college was done and closed, and you were beyond thankful to be home for the Summer. The next four months of catching up with friends, getting together with your high school graduates, spending quality time with your family, and exploring parts of your hometown that had changed within the last year. 

“There she is!” you mother beamed running down the porch steps. 

“Here I am” you replied, wrapping your arms around her in a tight embrace.

“Let's get you inside” 

Follow her through the house, you seated yourself onto one of the bar stools, making conversation about what your family was up to since the last time you spoke to them. You listened intently as your mother spoke, stopping only to hand you a glass of water, and absently played with the petals of the flowers she always bought every week to brighten up the kitchen. 

“The Dolans are spending the Summer here too” she said suddenly out of the blue. You heart seemed to stop in your chest, your mouth dry despite the water you gulped down. 

“Really?” you asked, biting your lip. Your mother nodded, smiling at you softly. 

“They’ll be here by the end of this week. Said they needed a change from the hectic life of Los Angeles. And I don't blame them, it must be hard.” Nodding you began to tune her voice out, your thoughts wandering to how it had all changed a week before you left for college and he left for the glory of Los Angeles.

“Hun?” you shook your head, turning your attention back to your mother. 

“Have you and Ethan spoke?” And she regretted it instantly, noting the way your eyes welled up, the heavy lump you swallowed back in your throat, and without another word she wrapped her arms around you.

Summer after high school was coming to an end. Your bags were packed, most of your drawers empty, hangers hanging idle in your closet. There was a heavy feeling in your stomach, the worry of leaving for the next few months, miles and miles away. You wouldn't be home until Christmas.

“Can you believe we’re leaving?” you laughed softly at his question, leaning further into his chest.

“I don’t want to, but I’m going to have to” you sighed.

“Ethan?” he took note of the way your voice sounded the slightest bit scared, distant, despite the face you say between his legs, perched in the treehouse you spent watching the stars in one Friday nights.

Tonight was your last Friday.

“Were going to be okay right?” you turned yourself around, sitting on your knees before him, tears welling up in your eyes. You leaned into his hand, as he gently carressed your cheek.

“Of course we are babe” and with that he pulled you into his chest.

The next day you woke up in your old bed, body warm against the old sheets. White with pink peonies.

Your eyes danced across your room. The walls were still the same violet as you had last seen them during Christmas break. The posters and pictures were still racked to the wall before you, desk neatly lined with all your supplies from high school. Your rose, leaning against the frame, eyes drifting off to your bedside table, reaching for the bracelet you always wore once upon a time ago, right before things fell apart.

The boys had packed everything. Literally everything. None of their clothing was left behind, most of their belongings already shipped to their new home in Los Angeles. You waited patiently by the mailbox, eating for the tall boy with the messy black hair, dark brown eyes, and heart wrenching smile.

Today was the day. Today was the day they were leaving. And you weren’t sure if you’d even see him in person, feel him, taste his lips until Christmas break.

And then there he was, making his way towards you, a sad look in his eyes.

You took a deep breath, shaking your hands out. “This is it” you said, mentally telling yourself to not let your voice crack.

Don’t cry. You’re going to hurt him. Be strong. You need to be for him. You’re happy for him.

And then his arms were around you, flushing your body to his. “I’m going to miss you so much” his own voice was weak.

After some time you finally pulled back, leaning on your tip toes to peck his lips.

The kiss was soft. Gentle and passionate. Sad and sweet. Bittersweet. You both had to taste one another, devour what the feeling felt like, move on with no idea when these lips would meet again.

“I’m going to miss you too”

You lifted the bracelet, feeling the weight of it in your limp hand. Just this once, you thought, unclasping it, wrapping it around your wrist. You forgot how perfectly it fit, like things had once long ago.

“I have something for you” he pulled himself away, your heart sinking as he stepped back. He pulled something silver out of his pocket, something sparkly. 

“Your hand please” you raised your hand before him. Gingerly he wrapped the bracelet around your wrist, letting it fall cold against your skin. You smiled, tears threatening to spill.

“Ethan” Grayson called from a distant, a sad smile on his face.

And then his lips met yours again, lingering yet again. “I love you so much alright, so much we’re going to make this work” And then he was backing away. “I’ll talk to you soon alright?” You could barely get out a goodbye, stomach sinking, and so you nodded simply.   

As you watched the car drive away. drifting from your vision, you played with the bracelet around your wrist, clutching the silver “E” between your thumb and pointer finger.

Wiping away a stray tear, you pulled the bracelet off, letting it fall back onto your bedside table, as it once had months ago during Christmas break.

The week had seemed to rush by, greeting familiar faces, catching up over cups of coffee. You spent some time unpacking your suitcases, filling in the empty slots of your closet, trying not to think of how they’d be empty again in August.

And then the end of the week came. He was coming home. 

You couldn't sleep the night before his arrival, wondering if you’d be able to face one another. Tossing and turning uncontrollably, your felt lost. You missed him. You missed him so much, 

And frankly, even though he was a few houses down, like he’d always been since you were kids, you knew it would feel like he was miles and miles farther.

Phone calls, text messages, and face time calls. That was how you managed the first few months. But then came mid November, and you started to worry you were growing apart. You hadn't seen one another since the end of August, nor would your conflicting schedules allow you to visit one another.

Phone calls were cut short, not much said, and ending with what felt like false “I love you’s”. Text messages were always read with a tone of resent, annoyance. And every time you saw each other threw a screen the other looked empty. 

Until one night, as you sat outside your dorm room, not wanting your room mate to wake up, you let out the tears you held back. You couldn't be strong for him. Because you weren't sure anymore if he was there.

“I thought we were going to make this work” you said into the phone, voice cracking. 

You heard him sigh at the other end, could imagine him running a hand through his dark tendrils, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“We will.” and with that he cut the phone, the dead line ringing in your ears.

And that's when you no longer understood in what position you both were anymore. You didn't talk much, barely, eventually not speaking any longer. You decided to check up on one another through text messages, unable to speak.

You both yearned to be together, but couldn't wrap your heads around exactly how. And breaking up seemed like the healthy choice, but you both refused to believe it wasn't a choice at all.

Because you didn't throw away a love that was promised to remain strong.

So as December rolled around, and you packed your suitcase to go home fro the break, you imagined what you'd say to him. You imagined you'd run into his arms, kiss him hard, and never want to let go. 

It didn't quite happen that way.

“Maybe you should at least go say hello to the boys hun. You’ve been friends since you were children, and what you and Ethan had was special.” Your head shot up from your book, turning to face your mother as you sat on the porch swing.

“Have, mom. Have” and you turned back to your book, eyes boring into the pages.

“You won't know unless you try” her voice was soft, apologetic.

You knew she was right.

The sun was setting as you walked through the green grass, eyes stealing glances as you passed the Dolan household, afraid to see him outside or on his porch. But no one was out, and you sighed in relief as you passed by.

The treehouse was still there, in the big oak tree at the very end of the neighborhood. The treehouse you spent hours in playing, every day after school at 4:00PM when Ethan would come pounding at your front door, arms brushing as your walked to the ancient artifact.

You made your way up, carefully, afraid you might fall. When you were kids and teenagers, he always let you climb first, telling you he was right behind you, to catch you if you ever fell. 

Where was he now?

“You made it!” you smiled as you entered the house, warm engulfing your freezing body. You wrapped your arms around old high school friends, all who you hadn't seen for some time. 

Despite how great it felt to see everyone, you only had eyes searching for him.

“How’s your star quarterback?” someone teased as you pulled your coat off.

Not sure, you thought to yourself. “He’s well” you lied, inching away. 

You knew he’d be here. He had to be. 

You moved through the happy bodies dancing to old Christmas classic songs, smiling at the cheerleaders who you once associated with, most of them no longer with their football boyfriends. You were always the shy and quiet girlfriend from the team, the ordinary girl who wasn't a cheerleader. And like the others you always wondered how the star quarterback fell for his shy best friend.

You wondered where you went wrong as your fingers trailed over your old toys, eyes welling up at the corsage from senior prom that hung on the wall, fingers tracing the initials he’d carved in with a bobby pin from your hair that night.

You heard something, or better yet someone coming up, and you froze, turning around, leaning against the wall, breathing hitched.

Leaning against the wall, having lost your friend as she stepped into a game of spin the bottle, you watched the front door, carefully observing everyone walking in, even though you could spot him from afar in a heart beat.

And then suddenly time froze. The music seemed to stop. The loud voices were a mute. You thought your body was shaking, your mouth went dry, your heart pounded hard against your chest. 

His eyes caught yours, softening, smile fading, ignoring his old team mates as he froze. And then he was walking towards you, not breaking his eyes on you. 

And you couldn't. You told yourself stay, but you couldn't. So you turned, rushing up the flight of stairs you had no idea leading where, stopping as you closed yourself off at the end of the hallway, tears streaming down your face, tucking the bracelet he’d given you under your sleeve.

You didn't imagine him to have gotten taller than the last time you saw him. You didn't think he’d let his scruff grow out more than what he did now. He was broader, more muscular, but his eyes were just as beautiful, hair just as dark. 

You felt your knees go weak, letting the tears slip through, not bothering to tuck your bracelet under your sleeve, because it was no longer there. It hadn't been for some time.

You heard your name being called, his voice foreign.

Your name fell from his lips, soft and hurtful, voice foreign.

You didn't dare to look up as he leaned against the wall from you, dying to hold you close and kiss you, hear your voice, take away the pain he’d caused. He gingerly took a step, curing at himself mentally as you flinched. When his hands slowly cupped your tear stained cheeks, your heart fluttering at the familiar feeling of his calloused skin.

“I’m so sorry” he mumbled, pulling you close. And when you didn't fight, letting him pull you into his chest, wrapping your arms around him, he knew you sill had something. The need for one another was still there. 

“I didn't know you were here” you wanted to scream at him, cry at him, ask him why

“I needed to clear my head about something” your voice was soft, and he closed his eyes, taking a step closer to you, realizing how much he had truly missed you. 

“Ethan” you said, letting out a sob. “Why do we do this  every time?” his palms rested agsint the wall, surrounding you. He gulped, eyes pained, clenching his jaw. 

“I don't know, I don't know” he whispered sadly.

When the back of your head gently hit the wall, the music was drowned out, the only feeling of his lips against your mattered. You tugged at his shirt, pulling him flush. His hands rested against the wall, breaking contact with your lips only to mutter apologies and mumble the three words you were desperate to hear. 

After he drove you home that night, kissing you again, telling you that you both deserved a second chance, you spent most of your break together, catching up. Falling in love all over again, even though you already were. And it felt just like it had before. 

But the night you left for college again, you slipped the bracelet off your wrist, worried at the back of your head for another episode of what was to come when you departed from one another, another four months gone by without seeing each other. 

And it did, but the unbreakable bond compelled you to convince yourselves you were still together.

“We can't keep doing this.”

“I know” he replied, your heart sinking.

“Is it bad I want to though?” he asked, letting a tear of his own slip. 

And with that you fell into his chest, letting him hold you close, begging him to never let go.

Something changed that night. Something changed from then on. Because as you packed your bags at the end of Summer and he packed his, things would be different.

Because he’d been dangerously close to losing you, and you him. 

Because he drove you to the airport the night you left for college, kissing you hard, and watching you walk away, and when you turned back and smiled, bracelet hanging off your wrist, a smile on your face, he knew.

Your bond had been patched up. Losing you forever was his biggest fear. And he’d learned that the hard way.

[jungflowers]

ocean waves // t h r e e (taekook au)

masterlist << || >>

genre: College! AU/ light angst

pairing: taekook/vkook

word count: 1,264

read it on AO3 here!

summary:  Taekook AU in which Taehyung, an aspiring writer and professional cynic, learns from the mysterious stranger outside his cafe window that life is more than letters on a page

Taehyung had been pacing outside the door of the studio Namjoon had sent him to for ten minutes. Five of those minutes were spend wondering if he was at the right place. The other five minutes were spent wondering how he should enter, or if he should enter at all. Now, he was just thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, Namjoon’s name illuminating the screen.

professor kim (3:16 pm)

getting ur steps in?

there’s a window in the door lol I can see u

Taehyung whipped his head towards the door to see Namjoon smirking and waving through the window. He gulped in a big breath of air, got over himself, and opened the door.

“There he is!” He was greeted with cheers from Namjoon, sat in an office chair behind a computer mounted in front of a mixer, and two other strangers sitting beside him as he entered the deep maroon room. Inside, it smelled of vanilla and felt both warm and cool at the same time.

“Taehyung, this is Yoongi,” he gestured to a boy in a red supreme headband and a black sweatshirt and jeans that matched his dark hair. He was slouched comfortably in his seat and greeted him with a tired smile. “And this is Hoseok.” The other boy had a bright, heart shaped smile as he twisted excitedly in his office chair. He wore a jeans jacket over a gray hoodie that covered half of his wavy caramel hair, and adidas joggers on his skinny legs. They looked so cool, so much it was almost-no, definitely intimidating.

“Nice to meet you both,” Taehyung nodded shyly as the two greeted him with handshakes that shook him into the next dimension.

“Hoseok is a junior like me, and Yoongi’s a senior.” The blonde boy informed him.

“Lucky,” Hoseok coughed at Yoongi.

“Not lucky. Just one year deeper in student loans.” He replied dryly.

“So you’re all music production majors?” Taehyung asked.

“Yep,” Yoongi replied. “This overachiever, however, is double majoring in dance.” He wrapped his arm around the jumpy boy.

“Double majoring?” Taehyung’s eyes went wider.

“It’s hard work, but I just couldn’t choose one or the other. So now I’m stuck with both,” he chuckled.

“You say it’s so hard, but you practically came out of the womb dancing.” Namjoon teased, the boy responding with an arm wave as smooth as water, ending with a playful pop to Yoongi’s chin, gaining a threatening glare in return.

“So what about you?” Hoseok asked, Yoongi retrieving another chair from behind them and inviting him to sit.

“Literary Arts,” his eyes flickered down as his words slurred into mumbles. “It’s a bit lame, but-”

“Oh, so you’re a writer?” Yoongi asked, an intrigued tone in his voice. “Namjoon-ah told us about your work. Sound’s like you’ve got something special.”

“Oh no, I’m not that good, I promise.” He blushed profusely at the compliment.

“You’re too humble,” Namjoon teased.

“So what’s your dream?” Hoseok asked him, the question catching him off guard. “Where do you wanna end up with this?”

“I-I um...” he thought for a moment. “It sounds kind of crazy, but I want to study abroad. In Paris.”

“Crazy? That’s so dope!” Namjoon piped up. “They have a program here for that, you know.”

“No way,” Taehyung smiled in disbelief.

“It’s pretty exclusive,” Yoongi added. “Not many people get in, but it’s worth trying out. You should think about it.” He smiled.

“Maybe so,” Taehyung said, more to himself than anyone else.

“Speaking of exclusive, how come we’ve never seen you around? Joon hasn’t dragged you along to any parties yet?”

“I just transferred here this year, so I don’t really know anyone yet,” he laughed nervously.

“This month?” He asked.

“This semester, three months ago from Daegu. I guess I don’t get out much.” He scratched his head.

“You’re from Daegu?” Yoongi asked, putting on a strong, familiar dialect.

“The one and only,” he returned the favor, grimacing a bit at the thought of his hometown, but less so when he saw the look of pride that lit up Yoongi’s face.

“I like him already,” he told Namjoon, white cheeks brightening into a a gummy smile. Taehyung silently gave himself a mental fist bump, relieved that it was already going 10 times better than he had thought it would.

“Told you that you would,” Namjoon gave a dimpled smile. “Taehyung-ah, I wanted to show you this song. I need your opinion.”

“Mine? B-but Im not a producer..”

“Who said you had to be?” He patted him on the shoulder, putting him a little more at ease. “Plus, I need an unbiased opinion, from a non-musician’s perspective. The simplest advice is sometimes the best, and as simple as these two are, they’re still useless. I trust you more.”

“We’ll see how useless I am when I stop paying a third of your rent,” Yoongi glared, prompting Namjoon to rapidly mutter a series of apologies.

“I’ll try my best.” Taehyung rubbed his hands together in preparation, the word trust giving him a warm boost of confidence. Namjoon pressed a button on the computer and the music blared from the high quality speakers surrounding them. Taehyung almost couldn’t believe his ears. The sound he was hearing felt like something straight from the top charts. The sample was absolute perfection made even more perfect when a voice began rapping over the track. “Hyung, is this you?” He asked, unaware that he had begun bobbing his head to the beat.

“Yeah,” his smile held a hint of something akin to shyness. When it ended, Taehyung barely even noticed that his mouth had been hanging open until Namjoon asked him what he thought.

“Do you want me to be honest?” He nodded, eyes flickering with a hint of nervousness. “I think you’re stupid for not choosing music sooner.” His blunt honesty earned him a series of cackles from the three older boys. “Seriously, hyung, that was incredible.”

“I don’t know, it just feels like there’s something missing, but I’m not sure what.”

“Whenever I get writer’s block, I stop working. It sounds counterproductive, but it works. I just... let the idea come to me, I guess.” He spoke dancing around the point, unsure if he had offered any sufficient help.

“Wise words,” Namjoon nodded fondly as the other two mumbled enthusiastically in approval. Taehyung was struck with a pang of urgency when he checked his watch. He had less than 15 minutes until his Literature class all the way on the other side of campus.

“I’m running a little late, so I have to head out, sorry.” He apologized. “But it was nice meeting you all.”

“Come back often!” Hoseok chirped as Suga sent him off with a salute, lounged back in his seat with his legs crossed in a manner that radiated a tough kind of confidence.

“Oh- also, if you don’t mind, could you send me that song? You know, so I can try to help and not just because I’m probably going to replay it nonstop for the next month.” He caught himself before he closed the door.

“Of course, of course,” he beamed. “Catch you later.”

He exited the studio with a small smile stuck to his face, curious as to why he had been anxious in the first place. Too content to let his head get the best of him, he swallowed the bitterness that threatened him in the pit of his stomach as he half jogged, half skipped to his next class.

[sunnysidewrites]

Assassin!Seungcheol Pt 2 FINALE

THIS IS LONGER THAN WOLF!WONWOO BY 5 WORDS IM SCREAMING THIS IS OFFICIALLY MY LONGEST SCENARIO EVER!!!! bc i tagged her in part 1, im tagging @cheollies again bc she was one of the reasons why i was motivated ljdsfljdfl <3333 THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL FEEDBACK IM SO SORRY ITS LATE!!! THIS IS A WILD RIDE AGAIN!! ENJOY THE FINALE MY CHILDREN!!!! <333333

warnings: some violence, references to part 1, my tears and anguish from completing this

Part 1 | Part 2 (Finale)

Two months.

That’s how long it had been since you had contacted him

You sighed as you stirred your coffee

Yep, you guessed it, in the same cafe that all the workers know you on a first name basis

Why do I keep coming back here? You glumly chided yourself, your cheek resting on your palm

You check your phone for the twentieth time that hour, wishing to have at least some notification about his whereabouts

Even if it’s something like “hey i’m safe and don’t look for me”

Bc all you need is just some validation that he’s okay,,,, but nothing. No texts, no calls, no “accidental” video calls, no “hey loser where are you” to check in where you are,,,, all you get is a black screen

Even though you practically have your lockscreen ingrained in your head from the amount of times you’ve seen it, you still can’t help but choke up a little

A blurry candid of seungcheol holding out his hand about to smear you with his ice cream mockingly stares back at you

You shake your head and get up your seat as you pack your things

You’re done. You’re done waiting. You gave him two whole freaking months, an entire 60 days. Sulking around waiting for someone to come back to you isn’t your forte.

And that will end today, you resolutely nod to yourself and start heading out the door.

“You what?!”

He sighs and holds his hand up, “Please. Don’t yell. It’s early.” He reaches his hand out for a biscuit

“How can you even nonchalantly eat breakfast right now??! Do you even understand what you’ve done?!” Joshua smacks his hand, dropping the biscuit

“Um hEY--”

“You made it this far without him suspecting anything, which is a major surprise and accomplishment. But it will bite you in the butt sooner or later, Cheols.” He briefly flinches at the name but Joshua is just prESSING the issue

“He’s gonna kill you. Not only you but probably her too. This is way too dangerous!”

“jOSHUA! Please! I know what I did, and I absolutely have no regrets.” He shakes his head, a faraway gaze in his eyes. “I’ve killed many people before, but I at least knew the gist of why I was. But she,,,, she’s just a pawn in my dad’s game,,, completely useless”

Joshua leans back in his chair and blinks slowly

“You love her. Don’t you,” he says more as a statement than an inquiry

He takes his silence as a definite answer and rubs his forehead. “Seungcheol…”

“Look, he’s been giving me regular jobs to do, you know the usual. He hasn’t caught on… yet… And he has much bigger things to worry about.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s not keeping tabs!”

He sighs, ready to cut off the conversation. “We’re done here--”

And there he sees

He freezes, the only thing moving is his eyes on someone’s figure

You walk down the street taking in the bustling city view

Your eyes flicker to a table outside a store a few blocks ahead

You stop and squint your eyes. That wasn’t… was it?

You rub your eyes but by then the two people sitting there disappeared

You shake your head and continue walking, completely convinced you’re getting delirious by the second

You finally disappear out of sight and only then does seungcheol let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding

“Dude,,,, you have to tell her at some point”

“I know… I know.”

You barge and storm in the office with your arms folded

“I need to find someone.”

Your father looks up from his paperwork, his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose

“Y/N… can this wait?”

“I have been for two months and I’m sick of it. I need you to hire someone to help me find them”

“Sweetie, I’m really busy--”

“Dad….. Dad please. I have to. I need to.”

“....fine. I’ll have my assistant deal with it”

And you’re like yES OMG ILY THANKS POPS

He tells you to go to his assistant’s office a little ways down the hall where you’re greeted by the typical warm person

“Hello, Ms. Y/N, I haven’t seen you in a while!”

“Hi jeonghan!!! Look I really need you to find someone asap”

“Ah, yes, your father just notified me about that just now,,,, well I’ll do my best to search for someone in our team. Give me until the end of the day today?”

And you’re like oh my god he’s willing to put this fIRST :’)))))

“Omg that’s actually really fast,,, don’t you have more important things to do? I can wait a few days if that’s the case,,,,”

“No no! Ahah it’s fine you just hang on tight, I will definitely get back to you shortly!”

You’re like oH MY GOD YAY JEONGHAN U ARE SO NICE AND THE BEST NO ONE CAN COMPARE and you promptly hug him before leaving

“Yeah,,,, nice,,, that’s all I’ll ever be,” he wistfully smiles and lets out a small sigh

You come back to the office later that night and Jeonghan is like i found one of our best investigators/hackers!!!!

You’re like omg aju nICE

You and the woman walk to her “headquarters,” is what she calls them when it's just the room she works in lmao

The moment you both get settled you make it crystal clear

“Choi Seungcheol.”

And obviously you tell her a little more about him lmao

All you can see is her fingers flying over the keyboard and tons of files filling the screen

She spends a few more minutes digging but she’s like sorry babe none of them fit your description

And you’re like that can’t be right,,,,,

“Can you check the surveillance cameras? On streets and stuff?”

You tell her the date, time, and location of when you last saw him and she dives into another search party

“hmmm -- i foUND SOMETHING”

You see when he kisses you and you have to shield your eyes away from the impact,,,, your chest suddenly feels heavier

She senses this and gently places her hand on top of yours

“,,,,I’m sorry. We’ll find him”

She follows the cameras once he heads home and she’s like ok well looks like he’s staying in this beat up motel

She reviews cams even up to present day and still sees him leaving and entering the building and you’re like ok i’m sold and start to get up

She puts a hand on your arm and is like uh wait honey you aren’t going alone

“Well who else is gonna go??”

“Me. I was physically trained sufficiently enough for a bodyguard position, so don’t sweat”

She stands up and starts rummaging through her makeshift closet to pull out 2 bulletproof vests

You look at her stunned before breaking out in a grin

“I’m game.”

“You went back on my orders? Do you know what position you’re in?!” He barks

Seungcheol trains his eyes on the floor and numbly responds, “I didn’t think there was a reason to kill an innocent person who has no involvement in this business. It’s her father, no?”

His dad sighs and rubs his temples. “Son, you follow. I command. I guess you’ll just have to face the consequences for not obeying me, your own father… Tsk,” he distastefully clucks his tongue. “You actually thought I didn’t know this entire time. I knew you didn’t kill her that night of your romantic doings”

“I know,,, It just happened,,,, I had to do it to get her to trust me” stop lying to urself cheols smh we and mr choi all know ur whipped

“Just please leave her alone.”

His icy chuckle sends shivers down Seungcheol’s spine for the first time

“Ohoho,,, you thought you were the one in trouble?”

Seungcheol looks up at him with his eyes narrowed in confusion

And then they narrow in fury

“You wouldn’t.”

“Oh, but I most certainly would.” does anyone get the reference lmao #tb to part 1

“What did you dO TO HER”

“Guess you’ll both find out. Shall we?”

“This,,,, is where he’s staying at?”

You look at the paint peeling off the sign “Stay Inn”

The hinges of the battered doors are about to come off

Two streetlamps flicker lazily, yellow light pathetically illuminating the parking lot

“The footage doesn’t lie,” she says as she takes a look around. “Room 114, let’s go”

You and her cautiously creep up in front of the door and then kick it wide open

“....No one’s here.” And you can’t help but feel a lil disappointed :((

Both of you are looking around his room for any sort of clues but it looks like any (less than) average hotel room with clothes scattered everywhere and plastic plates littered around the table

Eventually you both ditch the place and you’re about to call it a day when she abruptly stops you

“Wait. i heard something over there,” she subtly looks over at the other side of the street

You hold your breath as she discreetly scans around the area and then

“geT DOWN!” She pulls your arm down as she drops to the ground

Your ears are ringing from the gunshots from the one right next to you and the one on the other side

“We have to leave now!” She scrambles up and tries hiding behind parked vehicles on the curb as she pushes you to move

You’re able to run down only a couple of blocks when you see another group of men coming at you in the same direction

You look to your right and there’s also another group

She curses under her breath before pulling you to another direction, “this way!”

You have to weave through miscellaneous objects through alleys and garbage cans

You’re pushing your legs as fast as you can despite the growing burning sensation LOL I LOVE THAT ALBUM STAN TALENT STAN SF9

You’re about to collapse when someone tACKLES YOU FROM BEHIND

“Mmfdffmlfj!!!!” Your cries are muffled behind their hand

The last thing you remember is her voice calling your name

“Try again.” You can barely make out the words before the frigid water hits your face

You cough violently and open your eyes

“Ah, you’re finally awake.”

In the dimly lit room your eyes try to adjust to the dark shapes and what seems to be in some sort of empty abandoned building

The man gestures to someone to brighten up the place and only then do you take a good look at who’s in front of you

The infamous Mr. Choi staring back at you, the very man your father has talked about countless of times

“Bring him out,” he orders as he keeps his eyes locked with yours

You hear the heavy grunt of the metal door opening and you instantly hear a voice that you’ve spent this entire time searching for

“Let.. me… go!” He spits out as he attempts to wriggle out of the men’s grips

He looks up and it’s all that takes him to still again

Your disheveled wet hair sticking to the edges of your face, the top you bought in the mall that one day now drenched in water, the dismay in your eyes

His breath gets caught in his throat before he angrily turns to his father and fumes, “Why is she here? Why did you bring me?”

He chuckles and strides to you with every menacing step

“Didn’t I say you would both find out?” He traces your jaw and you have to use every fiber of your body to not vomit on his polished Prada leather dress shoes

Seungcheol grits his teeth and violently thrashes around in their grip around him

Your breathing gets heavier as his hand drifts down to your neck

“Would be a shame to end things here… wouldn’t it?” He laughs before whipping out a gun from his pocket

“But let’s just cut out the games. You were meant to die on that night, but my idiot of a son couldn’t do it.” He points the head right in front of you

“So i’ll do it in his stead. Any last words you wanna exchange?” He gestures to you and his son

You look around to find any way out but all the entrances are utterly blocked by his guards

You slowly turn around to the rustling noise

“Stop it, Seungcheol…. Don’t act like you care.”

He looks at you in bewilderment and scoffs, “Act? You think I’m acting? I nearly risked my life to save yours! And this is just,,,, acting?”

“You were supposed to kill me that night. And you didn’t. That was your biggest mistake. You should have just ended things, not like the pathetic way you did over the phone,” your voice slightly faltered.

“It wasn’t a mistake! I wanted you to get away from this, to get away from me! Why can’t you understand that?” He was in disbelief; he practically saved you!

“You’re right. It was a bigger mistake on my end that I believed I mattered for once in my life.” He softens his facial expressions when you look up at him with a dead stare. “Y/N….”

You numbly turn back at the gun pointed in front of you

“So? Aren’t you gonna do it?”

He laughs at your provocation and merely shrugs

“If you say so”

You hear him loading the gun and just when you anticipate a bullet firing, you hear one but from behind you

The entire building is in chaos and smoke and dirt fill your vision

“Seungcheol!” Joshua and Junhui along with a whole team invade the space

He only points towards you and yells over the noise to have them focus on your safety

They nod and send the team over to help you get out of the guards’ grip

Joshua, Junhui, and 2 others are staying back to help Seungcheol as the rest of the group rushes to your side

As he’s ducking with his arms over his head, he pulls out his gun and manages to skim Minghao’s arm

He curses and holds his wound together while shouting something to another member

Soonyoung kicks the gun out of Mr. Choi’s hands as Jihoon and Seungkwan lock his arms with handcuffs

Two people who quickly introduce themselves as Wonwoo and Mingyu are on both of your sides with their arms wrapped around your shoulders

They’re talking so quickly that all the coherent words you can hear are “get” “you” “safety” “right now”

“Seungcheol??” You look at both of them, but neither are meeting your gaze

“He told us to get you first. He’ll be fine,,, he has the rest of the guys there”

“But what if he’s hurt?!”

Wonwoo quickly looks back at his shoulder and sees a few of the guards running after them

“There’s no time! We have to go right now!”

You finally burst out into the open chilly night air and make a beeline for the waiting van parked outside

They push you in first and once Mingyu slides in he immediately slams the door shut. “fLOOR IT!!!”

Vernon slams on the gas pedal and you’re off

The entire car ride is silent save for the heavy breathing from the adrenaline pumping through everyone

Wonwoo, the closest one next to you, puts his hand reassuringly on your knee

“We’re taking you to our headquarters, which is essentially our hideout,,, you’ll be safe there, I promise”

Still staring out the window, you numbly nod as he slowly removes his hand

When you arrive there, you do what they told you to: cleanse, get dressed, and hold on tight as they find a way to contact her father

After a somewhat relaxing shower, you emerge from the bathroom wearing a baggy shirt underneath a hoodie up to mid-thigh and sweats that were left outside of the door when someone named Chan knocked on it earlier

You walk to the living room where everyone is gathered around a circle talking about different methods of communication with everyone

“Oh, Y/N,” Wonwoo gets up and jogs to you. “Feel free to get something from the kitchen to eat. You can hang around the front or the back, but it’s really dark and cold, so we don’t want anything more bad to happen”

You flicker your eyes from his face to the other 3 on the couches

They slightly wave to you with a small smile and continue their discussion

You nod and thank him before heading to the kitchen

You grab an ice cream bar and a bottle of water before heading out to the front

You sit on a bench and look up at the starry night sky

Just earlier this morning, you were resolute to find him

And now fast forward to the end of the day, you were with his coworkers at their hideout

As you finish up your dessert, you brush yourself off and take a look around the area

You go around to the back and see a picnic table with folding chairs all over the yard

As you approach the table, you see a few polaroids that seem to be too familiar

“Wait… this was when we went to the cafe….”

You flip over each picture and see scribbles of writing on them

“The ice cream wasn’t as sweet as her”

You flip over each picture and see more writing similar to the caption before and realize all of the pictures are of you

The last one you flip over is the last night you saw him

He took a picture of you talking to your cousin,,,, you slowly turn over the picture

“This could have been me…”

“There you go again.”

You quickly put down the picture and slowly turn towards the voice

Seungcheol, all battered and bruised, is standing just 10 feet away

Cuts and scrapes are all over his face and arms, his clothes ripped and dirtied

He slowly walks towards you and you can’t help but to lean against the table for support

“Do… what?”

He stops in front of you, his face only inches away from yours

“Being irresistible. We’re not even together yet and you’re already wearing my clothes?”

“What makes you think we’re going to get together? Do you always want to kill your potential girlfriends?”

He gently places his hand on your chin and turns your head to face him

“No. Do you always go on a spontaneous hunt for a guy and end up almost dying?”

“That’s not fair; I didn’t know you were caught up in this shady stuff!”

“....Are you gonna walk away from it? From me?” He looks at you, a hint of desperation and anxiety in his eyes. “That’s exactly why I told you to forget about me”

You place both of your hands on his face, caressing his cheeks. “If we’re gonna make this relationship work, we’re gonna have to go over some rules about secrets”

He lights up at the word “relationship” and you can’t help but smile at his childlike grin

“You gotta stop that too”

He’s like ??? what do you mean

“Being vulnerable.” And you both seal your promises with a lingering kiss that tastes like coffee ice cream

[daniellerussells]

What's your skin care routine?

i don’t really do anything special tbh. i have combination skin and this is gonna sound so corny but my diet i would say is the biggest factor that helps my skin. i drink a lot of water, i limit my sodas and sugars and especially dairy, and i don’t eat meat at all. i try to incorporate leafy greens into my diet as much as i can. other than that i’m not too much of a work-out kinda girl so that’s as far as lifestyle goes lol.

for actual stuff i use, i use a sunscreen every day. i use the cerave sunscreen in the blue/white packaging and that doubles as moisturizer in the morning. i wear this every day, mostly on its own, and under my makeup when i wear that. because it’s winter and my skin dries out, i have cut down the amount of times i use scrubs, but i use the befine exfoliating cleanser, the one that has oatmeal and brown sugar, twice a week. the times i do use a scrub i follow up with toner (tea tree oil, diluted ofc, for the summer, and rose water/witch hazel in winter) and the clark’s botanicals deep moisture mask. and every night i wash my face with the cetaphil gentle skin cleanser. the fanciest thing i do is i would say about twice a month i treat myself to a face mask, and i either use the global beauty care dead sea wash off mask, or a home made one using avocado and honey when my skin is drier (though not at college bc messy tbh, usually at home)

i know sometimes skincare routines are super extensive and use a lot of expensive products and like i wanna be on that level but really ever since i just started wearing sun screen and making sure to not over-wash my face and to drink a lot of water, my skin has cleared a lot a lot. my birth control also helps. and just general kinda already out there tips is i always use a primer under my makeup to brighten my skin, i don’t sleep with my makeup on, i also have had to learn the hard way not to pick at my skin. eliminating stress can also help, i’m definitely clearer now that the semester is over… it all depends on climate, ur body, too many factors. this is rambly as hell but hope it helped in some way :~)