#thanks for a great second day friends!!! love seeing all your incredible work <333< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[cinnamostar]

Hiii 👋🫶

I thought this would be a better way insted of commenting probably three parts 😅

Soooo this is about your newest chapter "Five dates to fall in love" :)

III LOVED THIS CHAPTER SOOO MUCH!!! 🫶🫶

Hyunjin's introspection on his actions and insecurities made him so relatable. I don't see him as a bad person, just someone tangled up in self-destruction, hurting others in the process. Yet, I find him relatable and approachable. Ofc this doesn't mean there shouldn't be consequences.

Another thing I wanted to mention: Your writing is a masterpiece—it's vivid, almost poetic. That sentence about guilt settling in his stomach was phenomenal ("The guilt that made its home in his stomach began to rumble, the bitter taste of it overpowering his sense [...]")! Reading it, I could practically see and feel his emotions (even while I was on work :D). Your storytelling creates such a immersive experience.

Now, back to the story—the market scene was super adorable, and their interactions were just delightful. The ending, though, that was the highlight for me. Reader struggeling between their anger and kindness felt so real.

I loved how reader reflected afterward and was like: "I can't place my emotions second." "There have to be consequences." (my word choices are a bit plain - I hope you get what I mean)

I mean - Reader doesn't have to be mean to him, but I'm so thrilled they prioritized their emotions and hurt over brushing it aside.

Even though I understand Hyunjin's perspective and believe in his remorse, it doesnt erase reader's pain. And that's why I appreciate how they stood up for themselves. It's not about being mean, but acknowledging and asserting their feelings. Your depiction of emotions is spot on.

In conclusion, I just want to express my admiration for your writing—it captures emotions in a way that feels incredibly relatable. I'm genuinely enjoying every bit of this story. Thanks a bunch for sharing your talent! 🫶🫶

I hope you are doing well & have a great dayy!! 🫶

OH MY GOSH HELLO :')!!! this is perhaps the sweetest message i've ever gotten abt my writing and it absolutely made my day, thank you so much <333

im so happy to hear it didn't come off as me trying to pin hyunjin as the bad guy in the story - i was worried it would feel that way with the beginning portion, but i also feel like its important to show that the reader isn't wrong in their emotions, and they also have a support system in place. that's also why later in the story i did my best to focus on hyunjin's own internal struggle with the situation because while what he did was extremely hurtful, he is still capable of recognizing his wrongs and can still feel guilty for it. and its not an easy change for him either! theres also the struggle of him accpeting this as truth now, which is hard when he has been living under another version of reality for two years! he's still human at the end of the day

i wanted the market scene to be exactly that, just a demonstration of the awkwardness of their relationship now, but as well showing that they can be friends despite everything that has happened. my issue with a lot of enemies to lovers stories is how easily the reader accepts the love interest back,,,, and i dont wanna do that because the reader's hurt still matters and one shouldn't throw their feelings aside bc someone else made a mistake and realized it. :o but still! i think it takes a lot of grace to be able to treat someone kindly after all that, so thats also why i added that layer of turmoil for hyunjin to struggle with LOL

my goal is just to show the depth of each of their emotions and perspectives! at the end of the day, theyre both good people trying their best in this silly mess theyre in

THANK U SM FOR YOUR COMPLIMENTS TOO ;w; this absolutely made my week and im sosoososos happy that i was able to portray everything properly!! THANK U I LOVE U AND I HOPE U HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY+WEEKEND <333 mwah

[tittyblade]

hello op do tell me what is the wangxian fic you mentioned in the tags of this post https://www.tumblr.com/tittyblade/711997184926711808?source=share i am very much interested in a fic with lots of gender

thank you so much and hv a great day <3

(x) HELLO IM SOOOO GLAD YOU ASKED BC IT MIGHT BE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE WANGXIAN FIC SERIES <3333

See all this and more for just ten dollars a month! by ScarlettStorm

its a modern setting OF au. wangxian met in college and theyve been friends for 10 years, obviously pining like hell and cant do anything abt it for the fear of it messing w their friendship LOL. then things change and they change.

the first book focuses on how their relationship comes to be. its got good conflict n even better conflict resolution <33 if you’re specifically asking for what the post says that doesn’t come until the second book i think? there are still QUITE gender parts in the first book too tho. especially if youre into fuckin around w gender presentation <3 there are certain scenes where reading it gave me so much secondhand gender euphoria. reading this series (n im not even done yet!) made experimenting w my gender both identity and expression wise so much more fun. its definitely a comfort series for me <3

some of my favorite bits abt this series:

lan zhan is autistic and his autism is written rlly nicely. making me reconsider trying to get a diagnosis bc of how relatable he is to me LOL

same with wei ying and adhd

they both fuck up but work thru it together. theyve got really good communication and honestly its so refreshing to read people in a genuinely healthy relationship (it gets worse before it gets better)

^i should add to that. its written from lan zhans pov and quite a few of the first chapters are. anxious. the narration reflects the mental state of the characters so reading those first chapters were a bit uncomf for me but TRUST me. it gets so much better. its still definitely worth to push thru it and keep reading it.

the gang goes to therapy bass boosted! not getting into more details bc spoilers. just read it. its written very realistically which i adore.

nie huisang is nonbinary n goes by they/them <333 incorporating it into my belief system. they’re also a. sort of indie fashion designer WHICH??? I LOVE???? they work w burlesque performers so you can get a sense for their creations <3333

ScarlettStorm, the author, is a burlesque performer herself!! she know what shes writing. which shes Good at. (shes also on tumblr so if youre seeing this HI. i adore your fics)

in the second book, you get social commentary thru the characters’ dialogues abt things like being queer, being a sex worker, etc. which to me felt INCREDIBLY satisfying to read. even just writing queer characters living a good life is a form of resistance.

the smut is like. really really good LOL. thats all im gon say abt it find it out for yourself

[winchestergifs]

🎉Winchestergifs 5k Partay🎈 Day 2 *☆ﾟ°˖* Rare Pairs / AU / Black & White ⤷ Bobby x Rufus

[wizkiddx]

I lovelovelovelove ur writing. Was thinking if u could do one where readers relationship w tom exposed bcos someone recognises her but she isnt famous? And its all backwards and caught out sort of thing

thanks for being so kind! also I feel like me narrator-y voice has gone WAY too far, what do u guys think? I won't be offended promise I just think it sounds so fucking annoying rn

Tom Holland x reader

summary: you run into possibly the most infuriating family members the one time u and ur boy are showing PDA

warnings = none I think :)

///////////////////////

It was a late late evening, on the last train of the night towards manchester, the British countryside plunged into darkness that appeared as a blank, black canvas out the rounded-rectangular windows. 

And although the serene surroundings were calming, the regular and rhythmic movement of the carriage on the tracks - you were more on edge. Your relationship with Tom had yet to be revealed to the world - though you’d travelled as part of his extended entourage before under the guise of a ‘family friend’. So now it just being you, Tom, Harry, Andrew and Rachel - you felt more exposed. Of course, you were incredibly grateful that Tom had planned this weekend away for the two of you (after a work commitment, hence the presence of his manger, makeup artist and Harry). But it was scary.

Coming out of Euston station, the earlier time meant the train had been more of a hive of activity. Kids running up and down the aisle, inevitably recognising Tom and then asking for a photo. Enough that you’d had to move a few seats down the carriage, so no one would associate you travelling with the a-lister. 

But after you’d past Birmingham and the clocks past eleven pm, everything had quietened down and Tom convinced you to come and sit next to him on the table of four.  Andrew and Rachel were taking use of their little duo seat across for you to catch up on some well needed beauty sleep. They’d all been working with Tom doing promo for his most recent movie in London so it’d been pretty 24/7.

That left you, with all the energy, contrasting greatly with the two flagging Holland boys. 

“Lets play heads up!” You announced to the much less enthusiastic faces round the tables. 

“You can’t play that quietly and the whole carriage dont want to listen to you screeching.” Harry rolled his eyes whilst slightly ripping into you, then picking up his phone - thinking that would shut you up.

“I can play quietly!” You huffed, looking for Tom for backing… which never came. He didn’t even need to try and defend himself before you whacked his chest in false-annoyance. 

“ It’s not a bad thing, just passion.” Tom murmured, desperately attempting to sweet talk your round - which of course, was not going to happen. 

“No way! I’ll prove it to you!” 

“Nonono darling, look I’m tired.” He straight refused, wrappings his arms round your shoulders to try and cage you in. He ended up with his back pressed against the window and your back against his chest. “Lemme just relax with my best girl.”  You huffed in reply, worming round in his clutch before eventually giving up and relaxing your head onto his collar bone. For the reasons previously mentioned, you did not for a second believe he was serious with this PDA. Just sitting next to each other was risky enough,  now he was very clearly hugging you in a public place. Arching your neck back, you were shocked he already had his eyes shut - looking perfectly contented and relaxed. 

“T, are you serious?” You whispered, making him crack one eye open with a questioning look. Instantly he knew what you meant, I mean, it was him that was most worried about people finding out about you - for your sake. His horror stories of previous relationships hadn’t helped, to the point now only your mum dad and siblings knew about your relationship to Tom - mainly for the sole reason your nan was the biggest gossip in the world and could NOT be trusted. 

“Course love, it’ll be fine no ones around and I got my cap on. No one will notice us.”

Foolproof. Or so you both thought. 

And honestly for an hour or so you relished in the fact that in a public space, your boyfriend was showing you physical affection. It was exciting, which meant as Tom’s arms grew lax round you as he slumped slightly in the chair your energy only increased. No one else was being any use either - Harry had his head in his arms on the table and similarly neither Rachel nor Andrew were conscious enough to keep you company. Finally you settled on playing a game on your phone whilst also ever so softly wiggling round on Tom’s chest, purely because you enjoyed the little huffs and the way he’d squeeze you tighter as he snoozed. 

You were engrossed in shitty little iPhone game when a person who was walking down the aisle slowed down, drawing your attention away from the phone. And then your heart literally dropped because you instantly recognised your uncle and cousin, who was 12. Worse though, they had most definitely clocked you. 

Of all people, your uncle and boy cousin too. Possible the best (or worst depending on your point of view) at winding you up, at messing  with you, for genuinely causing all chaos and mischief with you. They were most certainly not going to be discrete. They’d rib you till your dying day. 

“Y/n?” Your uncle spoke first, noticing the that the group you with all seemed to be asleep, so at least trying to be a bit sensitive. Not that it mattered on Tom’s part though, you instantly bolted up and away from him, making him groan as he slowly woke up. 

“Er yeh, I-um  fancy seeing you guys here. Why were you in London?” Because yes half your family did live in manchester - a fact you felt slightly guilty about, considering you couldn’t fit in a quick and explainable reason as to  why you were in that area of the UK during a ‘pop in’. So you’d chosen to keep the whole trip a secret too.

“We’ve been at the footie, could ask you the same question.” Your uncle smirked, noticing toward Tom, who now was blinking his eyes heavily - looking with furrowed brows between the two of you. 

Because yes, the cap had been great to stop people recognising Tom. Neither of you were to expect it’d be you that’d be YOU stopped by someone who noticed you. 

“Oh um… well er this is my friend Tom, he’s got a work thing in manchester so thought I’d tag along. What was the score?” Yes you described your boyfriend of 9 months as a friend, when it was clear to everyone you were more than that. Though frankly, you still felt sick introducing him as ‘boyfriend’ - that itself was cringe as hell. The reference to football was an in-vain attempt to distract them with the most-boring-sport-in-the-world talk. If only Tom had kept his mouth shut. 

“Sorry mate” His voice was a little hoarse, making him force a cough before stretching his hand out. “I’m Tom”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ritchie and this is Matt” Your uncle motioned to his twelve year old son who was smiling politely but his expression seemed to drop as he made eye contact with Tom. Blissfully unaware, Tom shook Ritchies hand your a soft smile. 

“How do you guys-“

“I’m her uncle. Tell you what, didn’t imagine bumping into my niece on the 11:30 train to manchester.” 

Tom’s face fell and he froze. You’d both been caught out. Massively. It couldn’t get worse, till it did. 

“Y/n is that Spiderman?” Because yes, Matt was prime Marvel fanboy age. And yes, of course his favourite hero was Spiderman. And yes, this would probably be the most exciting day of his life. And the most embarrassing of yours. 

It was at this point Harry was sufficiently disturbed, enough to make him sit upright whilst also backing away into the corner of the booth, watching from afar.

“I-uh” You didnt really want to say it, for the sake of that meant he was revealing this secret you’d guarded with your life. But at the same time, you had this overwhelming sense of pride for Tom because “yeh, yes he is spiderman.” Matt started jumping up and down like an overexcited boyband fan which made you laugh, heart swelling as Tom chuckled along beside you.

Yes by no means was this ideal. And yes you were now forced to tell your family (so ultimately the world) about your relationship. Maybe that wasn’t so bad though?

hope u enjoyed + thank you for reading <333

tagging: @hollandfanficlove @hallecarey1

[readyplayerhobi]

Flower | 15

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Fluff, mentions of smut

; Word Count: 6.4k

; Warnings: Mentions of smut, mentions of body issues, mentions of anxiety

; Synopsis: You finally decide to take a dip into the world of online dating and find the Flower dating app. One of the top matches for you proves to be a guy who looks to be your complete opposite; tattooed, pierced, a metalhead and oh…incredibly handsome. What happens when you throw caution to the wind and reach out to him?

; A/N: Thank you for all your love on this so far :3 I appreciate it so much! Please reblog this if you like it and leave me a comment so I can see what you think! Or send me an ask, your love helps to keep me going <333

; Flower Masterpost

-

Shuffling the player booklets in your hands beneath the coffee table, you laugh as your two best friends squabble with each other over the film that you’d all watched earlier. Chungha had thought it was great whereas Soyeon had been bored within ten minutes. Not even the combination of the ridiculously talented Christian Bale and...well...Matt Damon could gain her interest.

You kept quiet though, not wanting to gain Soyeon’s ire by pointing out that you very much enjoyed the film about the 1966 Le Mans car race. But you actually liked those kind of films. Biopic style films that is, not car films. They were actually one of your favourite genres to be honest. 

Soyeon just dismissed them soundly as Oscar bait and she truly hated to sit there and watch them, much preferring to watch a comedy or romance. You would admit that most biopic films often ended up just looking like they were engineered specifically for the Oscars... but you still liked them. Spotlight was still your favourite best picture winner of the last ten years and you’d die on your hill to make sure people knew that. 

Quickly dealing out the player cards, you wait for everyone to turn them over and see who they’re playing as. Chungha is the one to immediately whine, any arguments about the film forgotten as she begins pouting dramatically as she reveals her Dr Facilier character card while Soyeon punches the air in excitement as she reveals that she’d got Hades.

A quick glance at yours has you smiling, noting that Maleficent was always a fun character to play. Not exactly your favourite but she wasn’t as complicated as some characters. You glance over at Chungha with a smirk as you think that, knowing that she probably won’t win with him. Despite playing this game so many times, none of you still quite knew how to play him.

It felt nice to be with them both again though, the atmosphere playful and you felt yourself relaxing into happiness as you watch the two of them start to bicker quietly again to each other. With Hoseok spending so much time at yours nowadays, you often didn’t get to have your normal weekly board game night on Wednesday. 

Any time you spend with your best friends had usually been spent going out shopping heading to the cinema. Somewhere that wasn’t home and involved you actually having to go out at the weekend because as much as you love being home, you didn’t want to spend your entire life indoors.

But tonight, Hoseok wasn’t here and you were desperate to play some board games, almost itching to do so. You knew that he’d seen your extensive board game collection but he hadn’t queried it too much so far. It was, strangely, one of the few things that hadn’t come up in conversation and you’d been enjoying your time with him too much to break out the games just yet.

You were going to ask him to play with you though, maybe a game of Villainous like today or something, a nice two-player game that would ease him in to your beloved hobby. He’d mostly been mildly curious so far, looking over the collection you’d amassed over the years before he’d casually commented that the only board game he’d ever played was Monopoly, which had you cringing.

Yes, you’d teach him. And hopefully he’d like it and would keep playing with you.

Tonight though, was for your best friends. You’d invited them over earlier in the day, texting them while at work and hoping they would both be free. They hadn’t been, with Chungha actually being set to go on a date with her new girlfriend, Dahyun, and Soyeon was supposed to have been going out with her work colleagues.

Friday nights were busy obviously, but they’d both dropped their plans immediately to get to spend some time with you. None of you had properly hung out for over two weeks now and you were just as desperate to see them, socialise with someone other than Hoseok.

Because as much as you liked him, you needed people outside of him.

Hoseok hadn’t actually been planning to go out with his own friends tonight, but you’d awkwardly told him that you’d invited Chungha and Soyeon to go to the cinema and that you’d all be coming back here for a game or two. He’d taken it well, probably happy that you were investing time with your friends as well as him, and had made the arrangements with his own friends for the night.

You’d also shyly, very incredibly shyly to the point you’d felt like you were dying, asked him if it was okay to tell them that you’d slept together. That first time, so awkward and shy yet oddly perfect in your mind, had been two weeks ago. Hoseok had joked a few days ago that he’d awoken a sex monster because you’d probably had more sex with him in these last two weeks than you’d had in a year in college.

Okay, you were exaggerating a little but you couldn’t keep your hands off him. You fantasize about him at work and dream about him at night. It’s just...the sex felt so damn good, the pleasure he gave you so overwhelming that once or twice you’d even ended up crying which had bewildered you both. Particularly as you’d yet to orgasm during the actual sex.

You were still a little shy about your body, not particularly liking being naked still despite it all but every time, you felt yourself open up to him a little more. The knowledge that he desired you was intoxicating and you just didn’t understand why it felt so...good with him?

Hoseok didn’t really know either. He was more than okay with all the sex he was suddenly getting, you imagined it probably felt a little like a week long rainstorm after a six year drought to him, but you could tell he wasn’t entirely okay with you not orgasming still.

It didn’t bother you at the moment, you refused to let it because if you let your mind grasp onto that then you knew that you’d never let it go and you’d probably never orgasm during sex. Hoseok was accepting it so far, acknowledging that you knew yourself best and content that it wasn’t upsetting you but you didn’t want him to become stressed over it.

He was being a very good boyfriend in that on more than one occasion, he’d gone down on you first and at least you an orgasm that way. But even the idea of actually getting there during actual sex was daunting at the moment.

Which is why you wanted to talk to the girls tonight, tell them what happened and whether it really was as normal to not orgasm as Hoseok said. You maintained that you were okay with the sex as it was so far, but you’d want to at least try soon.

But you hadn’t wanted to do something he wasn’t happy with, so you’d asked for permission first. Which he’d given with a big grin, eyes sparkling with mischief and happiness. You’d been surprised how easily he’d said yes, as you were unsure whether you wanted him to discuss your sex life with his own friends.

You felt a little selfish thinking like that, but he’d accepted it without question. Just like he always did. It was almost like he understood that you wouldn’t entirely feel comfortable having your problems with sex discussed so openly, particularly given how experienced all his friends were. And they knew all about the girls he’d slept with previously.

You just...couldn’t handle being judged by them like that.

“Hellooooo?” Chungha asks, waving her hand in front of your face. Jerking back, you realise that you’d been a little away with the fairies for the last few minutes and you mutter out an apology, quickly grabbing the character board they gave you along with the green Maleficent character token.

It only takes seconds for you to set up your play area, placing the special white fate deck to one side and your normal green deck to the other side. Taking four cards from your normal deck, you check out the cards you’ve drawn with pursed lips, mind already racing ahead as you try to contemplate what your moves will be along with what your friends moves will be.

Soyeon starts out, moving Hades and collecting some power tokens from the little plastic token cauldron that was placed in the centre of the table. And then her eyes narrow, lips pursing out as she taps her index finger against them. She’s plotting, glancing between your board and Chungha’s before she grins at you, pointing one beautifully painted red nail at you.

“I’ll have your fate cards miss…” Huffing and rolling your eyes in an over-exaggerated manner, you take two of the cards and pass them over to her, leaning back on your hands and waiting for her to decide between the two. She reads them over intently, chewing on her inner cheek before nodding and handing you one back.

And then you watch as she puts Aurora down on your board, covering the top two actions on the location you’re at. Immediately you whine, pouting at her childishly and she just giggles as Chungha takes her own turn.

Soyeon’s smiles turn into frowns though when Chungha repays the favour quickly, taking her fate cards and dealing her a blow to her efforts to win. Villainous always ends up with all three of you getting progressively more aggressive with your gaming until it’s almost like you’re going to come to blows. But none of you take it to heart...after all, it is a game in which the best villain tries to win.

The first game passes by surprisingly fast, all three of you desperately trying to stop each other from winning but you were on the other side of the table to them. Which meant they couldn’t see your board properly, and you proudly placed the final curse on the board that you needed to win, grinning broadly.

“I win!” You chuckle, the sound bright and happy as they both stare at you in a strange mix of exasperation, annoyance and petulance. They take it in their stride though, smiling and congratulating you as you all begin to tidy up the characters.

As they place those cards and pieces back into the boxes, you deal out new characters and set up the boards for the new game. This time, with it being the second game, you all start to chat more.

And inevitably, the conversation turns around to your relationship with one tattooed, pierced metalhead. You could tell that they were interested in hearing more about what was going on in your relationship because you didn’t tell them a huge amount. Thankfully, they were used to that, but you knew that they were insanely curious about the unbelievably sweet man who seemed to be far too nice to be real.

Although...they hadn’t seen how the man seemed incapable of turning off the damn lights after himself. More than once you’d got frustrated at that, though he was getting better at it.

“So...you and Hoseok good?” Soyeon asks lightly, her voice doing that whole fake innocent thing that people do when they’re asking a question that they really want to know the answer to but don’t want to sound like they’re too desperate. Or nosy.

But Soyeon is definitely nosy, and you simply smile at her from above your card hand, currently pressed to your mouth.

You don’t act too coy though because honestly, you’ve been wondering how to get the conversation moving in that direction for a while. One thing you’ve never managed to do is be subtle in your conversations, as Hoseok had discovered, and it’d be obvious that you wanted them to ask about your relationship.

Which would just seem to be big headed in your opinion.

And yet despite wanting to talk about exactly this, you suddenly find yourself extremely shy about it. Slightly odd, you note to yourself, because originally you’d been shy around Hoseok and discussing it with your best friends without too much concern but now you feel shy talking about him with them and had plenty of conversations with ease with him.

Still though, you play with the cards in your hand, grateful to have something to distract your restless limbs with for a few moments. Chungha lets out a quiet sigh, taking a drink from the elegant wine glass you kept in the cupboards just for them before letting her chin rest on her hand.

“He’s treating you good right? I will kick his ass if he’s not. He knows that, right?” Her serious tone makes you snort with laughter, nodding slightly.

“Yes, he’s aware. It’s just...it’s still weird to me that we’re talking about me and not...either of you. When was the last time I dated someone for this long? Or even just dated!” At that point, you’re more rambling to yourself as your eyes widen and you gesture wildly.

The two women looked at each other for a moment before Soyeon makes her move in the game, shifting her character into a different location and quickly doing all the actions available to her.

“It’s slightly odd yes...I mean, I think this is the first time in years that you’re not immediately available do things with on a weekend. Or that you’ve missed board games night for consecutive weeks now. But I’m pretty sure we’re okay with that because oh...my god. You look so happy.” She smiles, pressing her hands to her chest and Chungha grins, nodding excitedly.

It makes you feel bashful, lowering your head to avoid their glances and you hear them both let out breathy laughs.

“Oh come on, you are! I mean...sure you don’t talk about him all the time but I’m not surprised by that. You’ve never been the kind of person to become obsessed about someone else. But it’s just...in the way you just look relaxed and content. The little hints that he spends a lot of time here like the toothbrush in the bathroom.”

“Or the extra shoes and coat in the hallway.” 

“And the men’s razor and deodorant. Plus the beer in your fridge. You actually have beer!” Soyeon says, eyes widening as she lifts up the long neck bottle in her hands. Sure enough, it’s one of Hoseok’s that you buy at the supermarket whenever you go to fill up your shelves. He never asked you to buy it, but you’d noticed that it seemed to be his favourite as he drank it the most.

So it found its way into your shopping trolley every week, along with his favourite cereal and a few other snacks he seemed to enjoy the most. You weren’t sure that he’d noticed that they suddenly seemed to populate your kitchen when before they hadn’t but you didn’t want to make a big deal of it.

Apparently though, that hadn’t gone unnoticed by these two.

“He’s just being comfortable. There’s nothing wrong with that. I want him to feel...well comfortable here.” You protest weakly, taking your own turn quietly before waiting once more. Neither of them say anything for a moment and another two turns pass by before one of them speaks again.

“There’s nothing with it, you’re right. We’re happy for you. We were just a little worried that maybe you weren’t entirely okay with him being over all the time. We both know how much you like your personal space after a while and how tired you get from being social.” Chungha says, her fingers running along the worn edge of the table while you detect a note of apprehension in her voice.

You feel warmth and happiness at their concern for you though, knowing that they just want to make sure you’re happy and that you haven’t been forced into something you didn’t like. Exactly like best friends should be like, even if they were ecstatic that you’d found someone like Hoseok.

Shaking your head, you smile at them both brightly as your eyes focus on the cards in front of you. “No, it’s...it’s nothing like that. I kept going to his at first but then he came to mine and...well...you know I prefer being here than anywhere else. So...I kept inviting him over and he seems to like it better here so...yeah. It just kind of...happened?”

Pausing, you bite your lip as nervous butterflies flutter in your stomach while your shoulders shrug.

“I...well...he doesn’t spend all his time here. And like...he’s out with his friends tonight so he’ll probably go back to his place but...I actually like him being here? I don’t feel...drained with him? Like, if I get a bit moody or feel like I need some time to myself then I just go to the bedroom and like, read or something. It works for me and he’s fine with it. I just...I don’t know, it’s weird. I actually don’t really like it when he’s not here,” Pausing for a moment, you frown slightly as you consider that. “I miss him when he’s not here.” 

Your words have your best friends practically squealing with delight, both of them vibrating in their places on the floor with ridiculously big grins on their faces.

“Oh my goddd! You’re both so cute together! I’m so happy,” Chungha squeaks, wiggling with her hands fisted tightly and an absurdly happy smile that makes her eyes crinkle prettily. “Seriously, you don’t know how happy I am for you. To see you smiling and laughing while talking about a guy, telling us you’re so comfortable with him that you actually want him here!”

Suddenly, she looks a little teary and you frown, wondering what’s wrong. Soyeon sees it too and smiles, rubbing at Chungha’s shoulders before looking over at you.

“We just...worried about you for a while. Especially when you’d tell us how much you wanted something with someone and to see you finally get it...with someone like Hoseok too. You really hit the boyfriend lottery there, holy shit. He’s so good for you, from what you’ve said and what we’ve seen of him so far. We’re just...so happy that you’re happy!” And now you’re crying, your eyes filling with hot tears that make your eyes sting as your lip trembles.

Looking away from them both, you steadfastly try to stop them from falling. You hate crying, even in front of your best friends. But hearing how genuinely ecstatic they are to know that you’re not only happy but flourishing with Hoseok hits all the insecure parts within you. All the parts that had been convinced for a long time that you’d never find anyone, that no one would ever find you attractive or ever enjoy your personality. 

You still didn’t understand why Hoseok wanted you when he could have someone so much better. Why he wanted someone who’s stomach wasn’t firm but a little soft, whose hips were perhaps a little more rounder and ass a bit bigger than you would like. Someone who wasn’t an anxious wreck all the time, who was more outgoing, who wasn’t as blunt and so much more.

But he’d chosen you. He spent time texting you, coming to your house and spending so much time with you and so much more. It was confusing to you, but at the same time you wanted to grip onto him so hard that he couldn’t get away.

“I’m happy.” You get out, voice a little strained and you cough hard to try and push away the emotions. And you want to steer the conversation away from anything too emotional, which is why you turn the topic to sex.

Bizarrely, you feel more comfortable with the idea of talking about sex with them than your innermost emotions. Maybe because you probably won’t burst into tears at your insane feelings of negativity that often swirl inside you.

“Erm...we…I mean...Hoseok and I...he...you know? Went down...on me. A few times actually. And err...two weeks ago we...you know.” Brows rising, you widen your eyes to emphasise what you’re saying and you watch in slight amusement as both of their faces change from being emotional to being shocked and excited.

“Oh...my god. You had that man go down on you? Holy fuck, was it good? Does his tongue piercing actually make a difference?” Soyeon bursts out, the words staccato as she practically spits them out, leaning against the table. Idly, you notice that your game has been near enough abandoned.

Still, her words send the visual image of Hoseok’s head between your legs slamming into your mind. You can almost feel his tongue against you, so hot and warm and wet. Squeezing your thighs, you try to hide the fact that you’d gotten turned on. And that said nothing for the next image that slid through your mind...Hoseok on top of you, his body solid and his breathing hard, deep groans as he slid in and out of you rhythmically.

Eyes widening, you swallow thickly and reach out to take a drink of your water. Chungha eyes you for a moment before snorting, evidently knowing what you’re thinking of even if she can’t be sure of the exact thoughts. But still, you go ahead to answer Soyeon.

“Yeah he...err...I wasn’t too sure because you know...I’ve never had anyone do that. But he sweet about it, pretty patient. I mean he’s always patient, he has the patience of a saint or something. And...err,” You feel yourself heat up in slight embarrassment. “Yeah...it was...really good. He, erm, he made me...you know.”

“Orgasm?” Soyeon grins and you sigh deeply, looking down and shaking your head in sudden amusement.

“You know...that’s the third time that’s happened.” That gets a confused look from the both of them and you inhale deeply, calming yourself as you decide to just say it. They’ve already freaked out once over just oral, finding out you had actual sex was going to blow their minds.

“Hoseok said...literally the same thing the other week when I got shy. We err...were talking about sex. And then we...did it.” You can tell that they both don’t quite realise at first, their faces blank. And then the realisation clicks and their jaws drop.

“Oh my god...oh my god! You...you’ve had sex with him? GIRL, WHY HAVE...you’ve just been sitting on this? I...oh my god, CHUNGHA, SHE’S FUCKED JUNG HOSEOK!” Soyeon practically screams, grabbing a hold of the other woman’s shoulders and shaking her violently before grabbing the BB-8 cushion off the couch behind her and punching it. You protest at that but it goes unnoticed because Chungha is squealing with excitement too.

“Holy shit, oh god...please tell us it was good!” She knocked over her character token by accident but none of you noticed, too busy being overly excited at your sudden sex life. Your sex life, what a strange thought.

Nodding shyly, you try to bite your lip to stop your smile but it doesn’t work, not when they both screech even louder. Anyone would think that they’d had sex with him, not you. But you knew they were so excited. Because even when you’d been in college, they’d known that you weren’t exactly underestanding why everyone raved about sex.

And now here you were, being all bashful about it and evidently having enjoyed it.

“It was...good. Really good. I mean...I didn’t...orgasm-” Before you can even get anything else out, Soyeon is interrupting with an outraged look.

“I’m sorry...a man that looks like that with his kind of track record in bed didn’t make you cum?” It’s Chungha who holds out a calming hand this time, giving her a placating look which basically told her to ‘chill the fuck out’.

“Don’t blame him! It’s not his fault,” You say sternly, surprising all of you with how strong and steady your voice is in your defence of your boyfriend. “I told him not to bother trying. Because...I’ve never even got close during actual sex and...I was a bit anxious anyway obviously. And I was worried that I’d get too stressed or upset if nothing was happening and he was trying to make something happen which just wasn’t going to happen so...I told him not to even try. I just...wanted to...you know...enjoy it with him. It was our first time you know?”

“How did he take that?” Chungha asks before Soyeon can interrupt and you give her a grateful smile, appreciating her calm nature. It seems to affect Soyeon, who quietens down and straightens up her game.

“I mean...he wasn’t like, too happy that I wasn’t going to...orgasm or even try. But...I mean...he agreed. I could tell he wasn’t entirely pleased with that during it but he listened to me. And he was so nice and attentive to me, gave me this whole system to use so that if I felt unhappy or uncomfortable then we would stop. Honestly, don’t get mad he didn’t try, that was on me. I don’t regret it either...I...I mean...we’ve done it again since and I asked for the same and...I really liked it. Maybe it’s because he’s actually paying attention to me or like...caring about me or maybe it’s just because he knows what he’s doing. But...it felt really good...even without an orgasm.” You glance down at your hands, smile bashful on your face as you think back on all the moments.

They had all been hot, obviously, but he’d been very careful with you every time. Even though you hadn’t orgasmed, you’d never felt so comfortable during sex with someone and you’d feel forever grateful to Hoseok for taking the time to make you okay with it all.

“I think I finally understand why people like doing it so much...even though I didn’t get any like...ultimate pleasure or anything...I still want to do it with him again. And again.” Your words go so soft and quiet as you finish off, getting very shy out of nowhere. 

Suddenly, despite wanting to talk to them and get advice, you don’t want them to know about those intimate moments with him. Because they were for him, not anyone else. The part of you that you’d kept locked inside for so long was slowly being brought out and it was for him.

“I er...I know I brought this up but erm...I don’t...I don’t think I want to talk about it anymore. I just...this is...it’s erm...our thing. And I think I’m going to work it out with him. I don’t...I don’t know, I’m being silly right? Or stupid? I just...I mean...he’s trying really hard and he’s going so slow. I just...if you tell me like...advice and stuff then I might get too stressed trying to do it and if I can’t do it then I’ll think there’s something wrong with me. So...we’ll work it out. Just...it’s good...it’s better than I thought it was gonna be and he’s really amazing with it. Please don’t think he’s being bad or mean or anything. Seriously he’s...yeah.”

The two of them don’t look offended at your sudden interruption into the conversation and you feel intense relief when they just nod with gentle smiles. You should’ve known that they wouldn’t be bothered about it but you got too into your own head sometimes. It was hard to believe other people didn’t think too hard about stuff when you would spend minutes analysing a single word.

“Hey, that’s fine. You do what you’re comfortable with, okay? That’s what we’ve always said in our friendship right? Don’t stress yourself out for us.” Soyeon said, reaching over the table to grasp at your hand with a supportive smile. Her long brown hair falls forward over her shoulder, curtaining her board from your vision and you simply smile in response.

Chungha grins, wrapping an arm around Soyeon’s shoulder and laughing loudly. “You big mush. This is because you’re due on next week isn’t it?” 

Surprisingly, Soyeon just nods and shrugs which causes you both to laugh. You both relate to her, the week before your period was often a russian roulette of symptoms which ranged from back ache to bloating to bad moods to stiff joints. Thankfully, you’d been on the pill for years now and so the more extreme symptoms had abated over time but Soyeon unfortunately always suffered from mood swings leading up to it.

“Thank you...both. Seriously. For...everything, you know.” They both stare at you before smirking, looking back down at the game that you’d all abandoned. Taking another drink of water, you feel your nerves calm down as the conversation moves away from something that had your blood racing.

And not just because it reminded you of pleasurable times.

“Well...we’ve still got a game to finish. And I’m gonna win this time.” With that, you all delve back deep into the game and start trying to do your best to fuck each other over enough to enable you to win. It’s with a deep whine that you lose again, causing you to pout childishly while Chungha wiggles in her little victory dance.

The sudden knock on the door causes you all to jerk in surprise though, pulling you out of setting up the new game. Kasumi who had been curled up asleep on her cat tree sat up with blue jewelled eyes wide and alert. Cooing to her, you reach over and run a hand over her soft head before looking in confusion at the tiny hallway.

“Is that Hoseok?” Soyeon asks, her own brow furrowed as she looks over the door too, her new character’s deck in her hand. Slowly, your head shakes in the negative as you stand and begin to move over.

“No...I mean...I don’t think so. It’s only 11pm, he normally stays out way later than this. And I thought he’d just go back to his place after.” But maybe he hadn’t, maybe he’d come over to yours instead. You’d never experienced drunk Hoseok before, only slightly tipsy.

Opening the door as far as the chain would allow, your eyes widen as you take in the sight of your boyfriend. He’s stood looking down at his phone, hair its usual messy after a whole day of running his hands through it while he’s just got on a plain black shirt tonight, covered by his favourite leather jacket.

Unlocking it properly, you open the door wide and look at him confused, arms crossing over your chest as he finally notices and gives you a big smile. His eyes are ever so slightly glazed but he’s not swaying on his feet, so you don’t think he’s drunk.

“Hey baby.” He says, voice completely steady and not even slightly slurred. Suddenly though, he frowns, hands coming up to cup your face. “Are you okay? You’ve been crying.” 

Trust him to recognise that immediately. Though, you’d be lying if you said it didn’t make your heart warm that he’d noticed even while tipsy. You shake your head at him though, giving him a gentle smile and telling it’s nothing.

He eyes you carefully for a moment before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to your lips. His breath and lips smell of alcohol but he seems fine as he moves past you, kicking off his shoes and shrugging off his jacket.

Heading back into the living room, you sit back down at the table on the floor and look back at him as he walks in. You’re suddenly incredibly aware of how small your apartment is with four people in it, particularly when Hoseok takes up so much space on his own given how big he is compared to everyone else.

Plus, he’s always your spot of darkness in an overly cute apartment.

Soyeon and Chungha greet him kindly, fully eyeing him without a care in the world. You’d warned him long ago that they were much bolder and open than you were and he’d just laughed, taking it in his stride. He was used to big personalities with his own friends after all.

“I thought you’d still be out?” You ask, picking up your deck once more and looking at the girls. They gesture to your board, indicating that it’s your turn and you hum lightly, moving your piece before beginning to go through the actions available to you.

“Yeah but...I got tired. I got called in early this morning and then they sent me to our other site which is like...a two hour drive away. Which would’ve been fine, but I was only there for half an hour and then had to drive all the way back. So I’m just tired and I want to go to sleep.” Hoseok has the slightest hint of a whine in his voice and you smother the smile that wants to spread at it.

Despite his big and scary looks, he was a huge softie who particularly liked being coddled apparently. Something you’d never guess looking at all those tattoos and piercings.

“Okay, but I thought you’d go back to yours tonight?” You’re aware suddenly that you sound more cold than you intend to, so you look at him and give him a smile to let him know that you’re not annoyed or anything. He smiles back, suddenly looking a lot less unsure of himself.

“No...I just...I forgot you’d both come over, I’m sorry,” Hoseok apologies to your best friends, giving an apologetic look which they wave off graciously. “I wanted to sleep here tonight.”

That sentence is said a little quieter than before and your stomach squeezes tightly before erupting into a flurry of tiny butterflies which batter themselves at your sides incessantly. He’d wanted to come to yours and sleep next to you tonight, that’s what he was saying but didn’t want to actually say in front of your friends.

Whether it was because he was embarrassed to say it or he didn’t want you to get embarrassed, you knew what he was really saying. Because you felt the same way when he wasn’t there in the bed with you nowadays.

You missed him, and he obviously missed sleeping next to you. He’d stayed at his place last night and you’d reconciled yourself to another night on your own. But he’d gotten a little tipsy and apparently just wanted to come to you.

“That’s fine, but we just started another game so I’m not going to be going to bed for a while yet.” A rarity really, because you always slept earlier than him.

“We can go if you want?” Chungha says politely, gesturing to the door and Soyeon nods as well, neither of them looking like they want to interrupt the two lovebirds. But immediately Hoseok is shaking his head, holding his hands out in a placating gesture.

“No, no! Please don’t. Finish your game, it’s fine. I’m just gonna go shower then go straight to bed, I’m too tired to stay up. It’s okay.” He smiles, moving over to you and crouching down to give you another quick kiss before standing back up, his knees cracking loudly. 

“I’ll probably see you tomorrow.” Letting out a chuffed laugh, you nod with amusement and grin even bigger when he leans down and kisses your forehead sweetly. “Night then.”

Hoseok says goodnight to the girls politely, not noticing the awed faces they both have on and once he’s turned around, you gesture at them to stop it. The poor guy’s going to get a complex if they keep it up.

As per usual, Hoseok showers at the speed of light and in less than ten minutes he’s already back out, freshly clean in his sleep wear. A final goodbye to you is given along with an overly exaggerated flying kiss which makes you squirm in embarrassment and just causes him to laugh happily.

The bedroom door doesn’t close all the way behind him, you never close it because of Kasumi and sure enough, there’s a tiny little chirp to your right. Looking over, you grin as Kasumi stretches, her back arching and tail fluffing itself up before she hops down from where she’d been resting all evening.

Brushing herself against you, she gives a soft purr of happiness before letting out a little mewl. There’s a brief moment to acknowledge Chungha and Soyeon, each giving her the requisite pats that cats deserve before she walks elegantly to the bedroom door and disappears inside.

Looking back at you, the girls give you a bemused smile and you shrug exasperatedly, a half smile playing on your lips.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, Kasumi loves Hoseok. She spends more time sleeping on him than she does me.”

“Okay but like...that’s adorable.” Soyeon points out and you just nod your head in response, watching as Chungha finally takes her turn after the interruption that had distracted you all.

“Yep, it is. But what’s even cuter is seeing how a teeny little fluffball managed to completely win over the big, tattooed metalhead. She’s got him exactly where she wants him and I think she might be at least a quarter of the reasons he comes over so much.” 

“The other three quarters is obviously the fine beer.” Lifting up her beer bottle, Soyeon smirks before swallowing the final frothy liquid inside as you give her a nod, the smile on your face taking away any sarcasm you might be going for.

“That’s exactly it.”

[staggeringsmite]

HELLO! just finished properly listening to your (amazing!) corruption arc playlist! I have many thoughts, and so I wanted to ask you about specific moments and/or characters that you associate with songs (as mentioned in your tags), as I am simply SO intrigued. (did you have certain songs that were added for certain character(s)? were any songs for specific what if's? etc.) also, please consider this a free pass to ramble about anything related to the playlist that you wish. it is SO excellent!!

AHHHH!! thank you jade (both for the compliment and the free space to yell about my thoughts here because when i get playlist brainrot i get it Bad <3) // the playlist in question

i think i'm genuinely going to do a song-by-song thoughts below the cut, but here are some overview thoughts/associations if you don't wanna read all of that or don't have the time!

overall this started with athena by nova twins! i thought the sp*der imagery and overall vibe was great for a more sinister look at the wacky (mostly) chaotic neutral party as they are, just going full lolth. i wanted the pacing to be semi-slow and then drop into the more rock-heavy reckless villain-y section before moving into a (?) bittersweet? i guess? end that feels a bit more like a question mark of if it was worth it.

i think this party is full of extremely interesting motivations to side with an evil power for their own gain/the benefit of the people they care about, and each one of them has a very complex relationship with that so things spun wildly out of control as a thought about this.

for songs i associate with specific characters here's an overview, but you'll notice there aren't a lot for fy'ra rai or orym which i get into a bit more in the song-by-song:

all: i come with knives, into the spin, steady/steady, control, bad dreams / lolth: million years, athena, diggers / dariax: diggers, plenty, hollow / dorian: athena, grenadine, dangerous / fearne: plenty, you should see me in a crown, black wave / fy'ra rai: home / opal: home, grenadine, black wave, you should see me in a crown / orym: i'm not calling you a liar, dangerous

song-by-song >:)

1. i come with knives (acoustic) - this song, zoowee, so i went with the acoustic version because i think it's a nice slow but sinister start and it very much gave me the feeling of whenever you begin as a character to question taking this kind of power, that is a Source yes that you can do whatever with but is rooted in temptation and associated with evil, is there any real justification for that which is not in some part selfish. "i come with knives and agony to love you" if that isn't the chosen ones to a T in their overall reasoning for even considering a deal with lolth. and as much as that may be rooted in care, and wanting to be strong and powerful enough to protect the people they care about, it is a painful way to love when you really choose that path once and for all.

2. into the spin - this one is based on "slow climb but quick to descend" and i love the instrumentation as a part of the overall vibe, but it's about sowing the seed here. planting even a hint of consideration in accepting the power of the circlet and lolth's words is going to need time for the person to mull it over, but once it's on it is On baby.

3. million years - this is what i mean by All In Baby, and while it isn't the playlists narrative point of anyone actually accepting the power for good, it is a glimpse intended to shake things up after an 8 minute slow start with the first two songs, and this is all about lolth who is a Chaotic Evil entity, who is a reckless and hauntingly destructive force <3

4. home - "everything you made will end up broken" i think this song to fy'ra rai is more of an omen, of everything that she cannot fix but wants to, knowing that she cannot make choices for the group and seeing the potential path they could wind up on and knowing that fundamentally if they go that way it is their decision no matter how much it will hurt her - for opal there is SOMETHING about the tone of this song that feels very much like her, and the complete lack of care it seems to have to rattle off mundane things to the intimate drama of the place, to omens, to demands/declarations i think it shows her personality well and how that pairs with a chaotic neutral entity being offered something like the power of the circlet

5. steady, steady - idk if this is necessarily everyone but the mix of you know when you're ready and i am ready to be the one, this is the song about taking the leap and grabbing for power and/or fy'ra rai and orym's feelings of diving in with them or resisting/leaving them

6. diggers - for lolth this is just the consistent "i've been waiting for you" in the bg which i found fun and disconcering but also i think this is the perfect party and perfect storm for her to convince someone to use the circlets power >:) - for dariax! it seems with what we know he doesn't really know that he is a divine soul sorcerer? unless that is a show he is putting up. still, i feel like him carrying the circlet is Very interesting as someone with a divine bloodline who is in a way being given/chosen for that type of power holding onto this artifact born from evil and perhaps being tempted by it & i think this song works as an interesting back and forth for him with the strange double-entity grab for him in a way

7. athena - truly just a banger that fit the vibes wayyyy too well and started this whole thing, it's loud and reckless and out for blood babey <3 - i think i associate it with dorian mostly because i also associate it with lolth and he is the closest to really taking that leap in canon (and also probably the first one the go if we're following this playlist like a story with everyone/most everyone going corrupt, though it can be read truly infinite ways these are just compiled songs) i think it has a certain flair and appeal that just makes me Feel like it's the song that would play the second dorian puts the circlet on (which! fun fact! decreases your charisma by 2! have fun beloved bard!) - i think it's a very intense conversation

8. i’m not calling you a liar - okayokayokay it's orym thought time bc there are sooo many worlds and routes for orym here and i truly have no idea where he would even end up in this hypothetical. do i think that orym loves these guys and wants to protect them? yes. do i think that he may genuinely take the pain of loving them and keep his morals by walking away and/or turning on them if they all go evil? maybe. do i think he also might love them enough to throw that away? maybe. in a party of all chaotic neutrals besides him without fy'ra rai he is surprisingly the wild card here. while they have each other and no one else, he has the teachings and wisdom of the voice of the tempest and a moral compass that does not align with theirs at all. so, something has to give! dorian's slide into chaotic neutral was natural, but i think orym would be giving up Much More of himself to let himself slide from neutral good to chaotic neutral. i have no answers only sad, sad hypotehtical questions and scenarios so i will just, leave you with "and i love you so much, i'm gonna let you kill me." - this song also comes here before the storm of the 3-5 because whatever way he goes i think orym sees it all happen before anyone else does.

9. grenadine - Do Not Tell Me You Couldn't Hear villainous opal and dorian say the lines "what a big heart i have, i'll be your savior now. what a real catch i am, all the more to pull you down." - i see this song as playful but more genuine for dorian in terms of Truly Really believing any action he does to protect his friends is justified and good to him in his eyes whereas this is a very playful song for a villainous opal - they both give off this vibe strongly though (could see this one for fearne as well but don't have a good a justification)

10. black wave - helloooooo my favorite druid and warlock?? going apeshit with power? more so than they already are on a day-to-day basis (esp given episode 6 combat)? that's what this song is about. "stumbling down the street i swear to god you don't wanna test me" - i also think they both have an interesting question with "what do i believe?" with fearne being of the feywild which is a place of considerably different moral standing to exandria and opal being so young that she doesn't have the world figured out at all <3 terrifying and upsetting when you get into those questions on a corruption arc <3

11. you should see me in a crown - okay i knooooow this one is on the dorian playlist BUT vibes for my brutal babes <333 something about opal’s whole personality and fearne confronting the mirror self But eventually choosing/heading down the path anyway?? impeccable i love it there’s very few other thoughts here

12. control - OKAY not only does this song Fuck but i put it as party wide because i think it transitions nicely into the end of the mix which is more of the “questioning this decision after going all in but not being able to turn back/was it all worth it in the end?” part - i mostly love the “though i like the idea of providence... i’m in love with control” repeated because! i think the circlet is very interesting in that it has been iterated many times over that though it has connections to lolth and she has some claim/twisted abilities with it, it IS just a power source. so, the idea of going all in and accepting this power is an incredibly interesting dilemma of “who’s in charge here? did you really put it on/would you have without these dreams and lolth’s influence? are you really in control?” i think this song really represents that admission/delusion of control in this situation.

13. plenty - okay this song in any context is just my Feywild/Faerie Vibe song so i think this trails back to my feelings about fearne leaning into that different set of fey morals along a corruption arc, and as for dariax i think this is about abundance! following through that mixture of divine power source and chaotic evil god origin over dariax and his chaotic history of vast and varied experiences in emon, i think this very much befits a corrupt version of him.

14. dangerous - this song makes me insane, and the first reason i put it on the mix was the “the dead are true believers. rest assured. we are all believers” really just made me think of a terrible and cinematic moment of them discovering the circlet with the dead aboard the ship ESP in the context of this playlist’s narrative where that was the point they were destined to claim its power and go through their corruption arc - “how does it feel to be your own deceiver?” is the main reason and feeling as for why i made this a dorian song as well in line with “don’t worry i would do anything for my friends.” bc i personally find dorian’s corruption arc to be disillusioned with his own intentions and takes a lot of convincing himself that taking this power for his friends is noble in the scope of this group’s collective morals and self-interest in keeping each other safe and prosperous so <3

15. hollow - woowee dariax corruption, at least in this scope, i think is very frightening to me in that i think he’s going full maximalist, abundant, greedy, impulsive chaotic evil if we’re realllly leaning into a villain arc but still many of those things if we’re just going “this group is the only thing that matters and i’ll do anything for them no matter the cost” - i also think this song has a tone of resentment towards this? apprehension a bit? recognizing that this is how the person singing is but not entirely enjoying or feeling justified in it? as impulsive as dariax is, i think he cares A Lot, and is even a character i could see pulling a reverse dorian and going chaotic good in a different story than we’re in? “so simple when i was younger” and “i’d be a dancer of a different tune” really give me angsty dariax vibes in the height of his corruption arc

16. bad dreams - “don't you worry about your bad dreams cause I'm not in them. don't you worry about what change brings cause you can't stop it.” WOOF i don’t know that this one really needs to be explained but it’s the climax and the descent all in one of the party/corrupted individual being too far gone in their decision to step back or be saved. i think the tone of the song lends itself well to a mixture of uncaring but also giving some question to if they regret it or not based on the narration of the crowd against them.

[softyoongiionly]

Tea and Tourniquets-The Beginning ☕️

(GIF is not mine)

There is something living in the forest beyond your village, something evil, something ancient. The only known survivor of this evil is a reclusive healer by the name of Min Yoongi. Rumor has it though, that the herbalist hermit may, in fact, be the evil himself.

Summary: You were told never to venture into the forest after dark. Stories of people going missing and, an ancient darkness, keep most of your quaint village paralyzed with fear. However, after another disappearance, you decide to do the unthinkable and, search for the answers yourself.

The darkness is real…and it’s alive.

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

Word Count: 15.5k

Genre: Supernatural au! Supernatural! Yoongi, his true identity will be revealed later on, Fantasy! Au, Tsundere! Yoongi, fluff, angst, smut throughout the story, slightly spooky

Warnings: slight spooky-ness? lmao thats not a word, references to death/dark themes, future smut, moderate angst

A/N okay so hello! I hope you guys are okay with getting this in two parts. I have the plot figured out but, I really felt it was best to release it in separate pieces. The second part may be just as long, or even longer, I’m not totally sure but, I truly truly hope you guys enjoy this! I’ve been working on it for months now. I love you guys <333

“A toast to our great explorers...Namjoon, Seokjin and, Jungkook, your commitment and bravery to our village is unparalleled, thank you for all that you have done and, all that you will do...here here!”   

The booming voice of one of your village’s leader echoes off of the walls of the pub’s cozy interior and, the clinking of glasses soon follows. 

Tonight, the village is celebrating the three men who have made it their mission to answer a question that has loomed over your world for centuries: 

What lurked in the ancient forest? 

Stories had been passed down through countless generations and, although, those stories have yet to be confirmed, the disappearances and deaths surrounding the forest, served as a warning to anyone who dared to breach the trees after sunset. 

“I think we should revisit the Yoongi theory again, he’s our only clear source of information...”  

The celebration had been in full swing for roughly an hour or so before, the men of the hour had made it over to the bar.  

Seokjin smirks knowingly, glancing at Namjoon, “That’s very true Jungkook-ah, so we should go visit him then yes? Perhaps he will have time for an interview?” 

Jungkook sputters on the bitter liquid in his glass, eyes wide and blinking owlishly at his elder brother, “Are you insane? If Yoongi is behind the curse, he is more evil and powerful than any of us could possibly imagine. My swordsmanship, as incredible as it is, would be no match for his powerful...sorcerer...demon...powers.” 

The younger boy trails off as his uncertainty grows, causing the two other men to snicker in amusement. 

“Kook, we have gathered no evidence that supports this theory. Yoongi has always been helpful to our people and, just because he’s figured out how to survive in the forest, doesn’t automatically mean he’s a demon...sorcerer or, whatever it is that you just said.” 

Seokjin continues to snicker through Namjoon’s explanation and, Jungkook huffs, slumping back into his chair, his brown bunny eyes rolling in annoyance. 

“Hyung, he’s got to be ancient by now, our elders remember stories about him as young children. Don’t you think it’s strange that he’s been around for so long? What if he’s...a vampire or something?”  

At his comment, Seokjin and Namjoon burst out in a fit of belly laughter, holding onto each other through their fit. You giggle to yourself as you bend down to place a clean glass onto the shelf, shaking your head at their antics.  

“A benevolent vampire who delivers medicine, free of charge, to a village of humans? Doesn’t sound like the type to senselessly murder by the hundreds...” Jin inquires as their laughter dies down,  Jungkook retreating further into his seat, grumbling to himself. 

“Leave him alone you two...” You admonish, a fond smirk still gracing your features as you continue to straighten up the bar, your three friends directing their gazes toward you.  

“Yeah, leave me alone....” Jungkook mumbles, nudging his foot against Namjoon. 

“We’re just trying to encourage him to be more logical Y/N, he’s new to our profession...it’s very easy to get carried away.” Namjoon smirks, still chuckling as he nudges Jungkook in return.  

“Hyung, with all due respect, it’s hard to be logical when all the evidence points to something...otherworldly. Besides, has anyone in recent times seen Min Yoongi? How do we know it’s him dropping off the remedies, what if it’s one of his familiars or something?” Jungkook urges, eyes going wide once again as he leans towards Namjoon. 

Jin brows raise, “Familiars? So is he a vampire or a witch?” 

“Maybe, he’s a vampire...witch...” Jungkook insists, slitting his eyes toward Jin. 

Namjoon snickers again, taking a sip of his whiskey before nodding to you, “Y/N hasn’t your grandfather encountered Yoongi? Can’t he vouch for his normalcy?” 

Your grandfather had been your caretaker since you were around the age of 7. After the passing of your parents, he had vowed to raise you as his own. Although your grandfather claimed to be a logical man, he often gave in to the mythical side of life or, ‘teahouse tales’ as he fondly referred to it. He encouraged your curiosity but, he always warned you of breaching the trees after dusk. During the day however, the two of you had spent quite a bit of time in the forest. Your grandfather loved researching the flora and fauna of the region and, you often accompanied him on his days out. If you were ever to go on your own, he had a few rules that he urged you to follow. 

1. Stay away from the blue frogs (they’re poisonous) 

2. Remember to pack an extra change of clothes (a swim in the lake is impossible to resist) 

3. Don’t eat ANY of the plants (especially the beautiful ones) 

4. Be home before sunset 

5. DON’T BOTHER YOONGI 

Pretty simple. You rarely ventured into the forest alone and, if you did, there was never a time when you felt compelled to go very far. There was no guarantee you would make it back in time before sundown and, there were plenty of sights to indulge in right at the forest’s entrance. You understood the first four rules without explanation although, one day, your curiosity got the better of you and, you asked your grandfather why he had included Yoongi on the rule list:  

 “Yoongi is a...solitary type. He doesn’t take kindly to strangers and, it’s just...best if you let him be. His cottage is quite difficult to find anyhow but, even on the chance you should see it, you’d be wise not to approach it.”  

“May I ask why?” 

“Yoongi is a medicine man and, a good one at that but, no one really knows how he procures his remedies, especially without connections to the mainland. There are rumors that he may be practicing spellwork...”  

“Spellwork? Is that legal?” 

“Well...our region has always been more forgiving of benevolent spellwork but, still, you can never be too careful...” 

“Have you ever encountered him before?” 

“I have yes, he didn’t do me any harm but, he wasn’t the kindest fellow I’ve ever met...there was something strange about him though. He had a darkness of sorts, something lingering...it’s hard to explain. He didn’t say much, only asked that I keep away from his cottage. Strangely compelling actually, he put me in a bit of a trance but, that could be my old age talking...just promise me, you won’t go looking for him ok?”  

“Ok, I promise.” 

You turn to your friends, pouring Seokjin another drink, “Well, technically he’s only seen him once but, according to him Yoongi was pretty strange...maybe Jungkook is on to something...”   

The responses cause Namjoon to groan whilst Jungkook simultaneously lights up, “See? Pretty strange, we have an eyewitness, from a reliable source, stating that Yoongi was strange...how’s that for evidence hyung?”  

“Lacking, severely lacking.” Namjoon answers immediately, “Yoongi is a man who chooses to live alone, in a forest that is notoriously known for being haunted...of course he’s going to be strange. Not to mention the fact that no one really knows how old he is so, his age could also play a factor in his behavior...” 

Jin nods thoughtfully, smirking at Jungkook as he once again deflates into his seat, “I think we’re dancing around the inevitable here...” 

“Which is?” Namjoon glances in his direction, annoyance starting creep into his features.  

Namjoon is not a fan of the fantastical and, rarely makes time for conversations surrounding these topics. 

“Jungkook may be right...”  

“Hyung…” Namjoon begins as Jungkook perks up, a jovial smile appearing on his face. 

“Right now, he is one of our theories yes?” Jin explains further, amused at the chaos his suggestion caused 

“He is not, I’ve just explained why its highly unlike_” Namjoon dismisses but, Jin cuts him off and continues.  

“Unlikely, Namjoon, not impossible...” Jin sends a pointed look his way and, you’re quite surprised considering the fact that Jin isn’t known for his serious nature.  “Yoongi is the only man who may have some insight into what happens in those trees and, as far as I know, he has been serving our village for years, there is no real threat in paying him a visit. I meant what I said earlier…we need to speak with him.” 

“Hyung, with all due respect, the threat isn’t Yoongi himself but, the journey…we don’t know where he resides, he could live miles and miles into the forest…what if we were unable to make it back before sundown?” Namjoon insists, wise eyes pleading with Jin to see his point of view. 

A pang of fear hits your chest at the thought of your friends being lost to the clutches of the forest, you decide to speak up once again, urging them away from dangerous choices, “You could always wait at the Archway, his remedies appear there every week, my grandfather believes he delivers in the middle of the night, to avoid being seen…” 

The three of them regard one another for a moment before, Namjoon reluctantly nods, his lips pursed in an attempt to release the tension in his face, “That’s…not a bad idea actually…” 

“The Archway is in plain sight at the edge of the forest, it would allow us a safe space for interacting with him…or whoever happens to show up.” Jin points out, nodding to Jungkook, the smirk reappearing on his face, “Maybe the kid should sit this one out…” 

Jungkook’s feathers are thoroughly ruffled as he sits up straighter in his seat, attempting to mask the obvious fear on his face, “What? No, Hyung…I’m ready, I promise, I’ve been training every day, I could take down anyone that comes through that archway…” 

Namjoon chuckles, some of his frustration starting to dissipate, “We don’t want to take down our witness before we’ve spoken to him Kook…” 

“Well, when we need to…I’m ready; I have your backs…” Jungkook vows, determination ringing clear in his innocent tone, his hyungs both smiling fondly in return. 

“That’s good to know, we’ll need a strong man on our side…especially since, you know, Yoongi is an evil vampire witch…” Jin retorts, holding in his laughter 

“Exactly!” Jungkook agrees enthusiastically, smiling at his hyung’s decision to accept his theory. 

His reaction causes the three of you to laugh, gratitude heavy in your hearts for the small bit of innocence still left in your village. 

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

The following morning you awake just on the crest of sunrise. Washed out light teases the edges of your window, casting a square shadow on the wall opposite you. It was a peaceful night’s rest, a rarity in these times so; you pull the blankets over you to shield yourself against the cold. You are currently resisting the temptation to slip back into the warm embrace of slumber until the shattering of glass jolts your body upright. 

“Grandpa?? Are you ok?” The shaky call of your voice wobbled in your throat and, you nearly slip on the wooden floor as you scramble out of your bedroom. 

“Grandpa!?”  Your tone increases in it’s urgency as you frantically scan the den, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. 

“Back here!” There’s nothing out of order in his tone but, that doesn’t stop you from hastily shoving open the heavy wooden door that lead to your back-garden. 

Your grandfather’s hearty laughter greets you as you stumble onto the patch of grass which was barely hanging on for dear life. 

“Good morning!” He chirps, looking up from the floor that’s currently covered in glass. 

“Are you alright? I heard…a noise and…” You’re slightly out of breath, your chest recovering from the tightness it had just endured. 

Your grandfather snickers and shakes his head at you, reaching for the wooden broom leaning against the side of the house. 

He’s tinkering again. 

“Did I wake you?” He murmurs, amusement coloring his tone as he sweeps up his mess 

“No but, you almost gave me a heart attack, I thought you fell…and, what did I tell you about conducting your experiments without proper lighting? You’re going to get hurt…again.” You grumble, finally feeling yourself calm down as he snickers again. 

“Alchemists get hurt all the time, Y/N, nothing to ruffle your feathers about…” He chuffs, smirking fondly at you as he scoops the glass into his mixing bowl, his brow furrowing in thought as he likely is thinking of ways to use the newly shattered beaker in his concoction. 

Your grandfather practiced alchemy which essentially meant that he spent day after day trying to turn things into gold: a dangerous and wildly unsuccessful hobby. 

“Yes but, you’re archaic and, if anything ever happened to you, I would be a wreck…” You bite back, returning his smirk as you size up the possibly lethal mixture. 

He pulls back in mock offense, eyes widening in playful horror, “Archaic?! I don’t look a day over 25, I’ve never felt better!” 

“That may be so but, you were badly hurt last summer weren’t you? And you couldn’t get out of bed for a month and, since I was the one worried sick about you, I have every reason to get my feathers ruffled…” 

Your grandfather chuckles, nodding in surrender, his fingers stalling on the edge of his mixing bowl “Alright, alright, I concede; I’ll try and be more careful.” 

Eyes narrowing in his direction, you nod, attempting to look firm as you adjust your dressing gown. 

“Thank you.” 

Suddenly, a large horn asserted itself into the atmosphere around you. The sound sends a sinking feeling into your stomach and, your grandfather’s playful gaze turns to one of pure horror. 

“No…not again…” He whispers as you pull a shaky breath through your nose, gesturing for him to come inside. 

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

BANG. 

A gavel near the front of the room slams down onto the cherrywood of the council desk, sending a jolt of panic through your chest. 

“Be silent! We will accomplish nothing with all of you quarreling at once!” 

The council sits at the head of your villages Home Room, the five of them clearly frightened and frazzled. The people of your village had gathered in wake of the horn, most of which were still in their bed clothes. At the sound of the gavel, the room settles but, the thick and unyielding tension still hangs in the air. 

“Tayeon has been taken by the forest.” One of your council members delivers the news with a solemn expression, their face stiffening as the crowd reacts. 

The announcement takes your breath away, your hand clutching Jin’s, who is currently sitting beside you, a solemn look on his face. His long fingers tangle with yours as he pulls a deep breath through his nose, attempting to mask the fear in his heart. 

Tayeon was a young boy, not yet surpassing his 7th birthday. You knew him well, he was a gentle soul, always giving to others, placing freshly baked bread outside of  people’s homes in the morning and tending to the weeds of the elderly. Any good deed he could manage, Tayeon would accomplish. 

And now, he was gone.

Vanished.

Just like that. 

Tears sting at the corners of your eyes but, you manage to hold it together, clutching Jin’s hand tighter as the council members continued to elaborate on the most recent disappearance. 

“His family states that he was sound asleep in his chambers and, when they awoke this morning, he was gone…” 

It was then, that you spot Tayeon’s family; both of his fathers are huddled together on a bench near the front of the room, Tayeon’s older sister, Minerva, consoling them as they wept.  

“How are we to know that it was the forest? What if he wandered off elsewhere?” A young man chimes in, you recognize him as Chanyeol, a young blacksmith from the center of your village. 

“The forest glows this morning does it not? That is your answer.” Namjoon is on the council this year and, his usual sunny disposition is replaced with stoicism, his jaw clenched as he responds to the inquiry. 

The forest was usually clouded in darkness, particularly at night however, following a disappearance, the space between the trees glows a dim ruby color and, occasionally you will see a faint violet light darting through the branches; this phenomena has yet to be understood. The entirety of the forest glows through the day and, the sun never rises high enough to constitute a full sunrise and, your village usually spends the day indoors, the light not sufficient enough to complete its usual routine. Livestock are brought inside, shops close down and, the kitchen serves only porridge for breakfast and, rice for dinner.  It felt appropriate however, the sun shouldn’t shine over a mourning village, it’s too intrusive. 

“I am no longer going to stand idly by as another one of our people vanishes. The answer is obvious, the only person living in that forest is Min Yoongi therefore, he is our prime suspect. Upon the rising of tomorrow’s sun, we must summon him for trial. He must face justice!” 

“But, Yoongi has been an asset to our community for years and, his remedies have saved far more lives than, have been lost.” 

“We have never had extended contact with him, we know nothing of his intentions, don’t you think it’s odd that he drops off his remedies and, refuses to interact with our people? How is he getting knowledge of our ailments?” 

“Exactly, he either has a spy on the inside or he is obtaining his information through unorthodox means…he could be a spellworker” 

“So what if he is? As far as I’m concerned, he is using his talents for good.” 

“Good? Do you suggest that the disappearances of our people are a good thing?” 

The bickering between the council members continue and, you find yourself shrinking into your seat as the volume of their encounter seems to grow. Tension rises in the crowd as well and, as more and more people join the conversation, the room erupts into chaos. Arguments are breaking out left and right regarding whether or not the village should arraign Yoongi and, just before the interactions incite a riot, your grandfather stands, his voice bellowing out into the crowd.  

“I have encountered Min Yoongi…” He announces, causing the storm of chaos to slow to a mere murmur, dozens of eyes darting towards your grandfather. 

“Mr. Y/L/N, with all due respect, several of our senior councilmembers have encountered Min Yoongi. Due to their unpleasant experiences, we only have further reason to believe in his wickedness. Now as we were saying_” 

“He saved my life.” Your grandfather chimes in again, slightly clouded eyes shooting a determined glance towards the council, his chest puffing out slightly. 

Namjoon’s brows furrow at his announcement, deciding to speak up for the first time since the council began arguing, “He…he saved your life? Would mind elaborating Mr. Y/L/N?” 

Your grandfather clears his throat, glancing at you momentarily before continuing. 

“When I was a young boy, I wandered into the trees…” A hushed gasp falls over the crowd as your grandfather tells his story, “I was searching for lavender and, at the time, it grew in tremendous amounts along the river…I wasn’t a great swimmer you see. I fell in and, Yoongi saved me. I’m not sure how he managed, as he was a slight man but, he did. He seemed to conjure the tides of the river to pull me ashore. I’ll admit, he was brash and left very little room for questioning but, he saw to it that I return to the borderline, safe and sound. As we parted ways, he warned me against returning to the forest and, told me to stay away from his cottage, should I ever find it…” 

“And did you…ever find it?” Namjoon inquires again, the entire room completely still as they await the conclusion of your grandfather’s story. 

He sighs then, hesitating a moment before nodding, “Curiosity is an illness I frequently suffer from…I went back the following week in search of his home. I wanted to express my gratitude…the journey took me half a day, I think, if I remember correctly,  but, I finally came across a small cottage nestled inside several massive dead trees. There were no security measures, no gate, no padlock, not even a guard dog. He was completely vulnerable to the outside elements…he came out as soon as I approached his home and, scolded me for disobeying him, he did accept my token of gratitude however…a large bag of coffee beans that I had procured from a merchant near the edge of town. He was strange; there was something…awry about him. I remember feeling very tired as he was speaking to me, he spoke a language I did not recognize and, the next thing I knew, I woke up at the borderline, completely alone.” 

Whispers fall over the room once again and, the people gathered in the home room glance earnestly at one another. One of the council members nod to your grandfather, 

“Would you be willing pay him another visit Mr. Y/L/N? We believe he  …” 

Alarm signals deep within your stomach, your head whipping to the front of the room and, then quickly over to your grandfather, “No, no absolutely not…he cannot make the journey himself…he wouldn’t make it back in time…” 

All eyes turn to you and, your grandfather attempts to placate you, patting your arm gently, “Y/N, it’s ok, please, I’m willing to make the journey if it means our people may finally have peace. I will leave at first light…” 

Namjoon, Jungkook and, Jin share your concern and, Namjoon attempts to reason with his council members, “Y/N is right, he shouldn’t go alone, there is no reason for that…” 

“Yoongi is an unpredictable creature…he knows Mr. Y/L/N and, according to his story, has been quite useful in the past, if we send a search party after him, he may feel threatened.” 

You shake your head again, stepping front of your grandfather, as if to shield him from their judgement, your heart hammering in your chest, “Please, there has to be another way, he can wait for Yoongi near the Archway, he can_” 

“Y/N please...settle down.” Your grandfather admonishes gently and, you feel frustration heating your cheeks whilst a lump forms in your throat. 

“It’s settled then, Mr. Y/L/N will find out where this Min Yoongi dwells and, attempt to gain insight into our cursed land, we thank you for your bravery…” 

The gavel jolts the entirety of the room and, with that; your world comes crumbling down. 

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

You’d be damned if the cowardly council-members sent your grandfather in the forest alone. No, if anyone was going to go, it would be you. You were willing to lay your life on the line to ensure your grandfather’s safety, he was all you had. After waiting until your village had fallen asleep, you packed yourself a small bag and, left. No looking back, you were capable of surviving; your grandfather had taught you all the necessary skills you would need.

The darkness of the forest however, proved to be much greater than you could have estimated and, half way into your journey, you began to grow increasingly uncomfortable. 

Something didn’t feel right. You felt like you were being watched or, worse, followed. The hair on the back of your neck stood at attention. The lump in your throat continued to grow as you focused all your attention on the path in front of you. You had found a crudely drawn map done by your grandfather that supposedly lead to Yoongi’s cottage and, had taken it when you left hastily in the middle of the night.  

Halfway there. 

A crack sounded behind you. It was subtle but, distinct, sounding very much like the splitting of wood. A step, perhaps. Your heart threw itself continuously against your sternum over and over, louder and louder until you felt your head pounding. You adjusted the bag on your shoulder, your feet picking up subtly underneath you, your eyes zeroing toward your intended direction. 

Suddenly, the rustling of leaves could be heard behind you along with the familiar crack you had heard moments ago. The noise causes your head to whip around in its direction only to be met with the familiar, haunting scene of the forest. 

It’s an animal. Stop being so paranoid. 

The wind had been twirling through the trees for quite some time but, at this moment it began to pick up its dance, causing the trees to ache and groan around you. The chill creeps its way through the thin material of your sweater as your arms curl into your chest, desperately trying to keep warm. You shouldn’t be here. You knew what it meant by making the journey into this part of your world and, you felt foolish that you had ignored the warnings of your people. 

Just focus, don’t lose sight of what’s in front of you. 

The sounds of the forest began to grow around you, like a sinister symphony, the pitch rising higher and higher as you were drawn deeper into its music. You carefully tug the hood of your sweater over your ears, which you were surprised hadn’t succumbed to frost bite. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a movement that stops you in your tracks. Blackness is rising from the forest ground, morphing and twisting into a shape that is twice your height, and half your width. A figure stands still momentarily, long arms like tree branches extending from its body as it seems to regard you from across the forest. All of the blood from your face drains; your heart halts its assault against your sternum as you stand, frozen in horror. 

Your hand moves slowly towards your bag, attempting to retrieve your dagger. Eyes squinted, you keep an eye on the figure, trying to understand its form:  Diamond-shaped body, upright with long spindly legs and arms to match, faceless until you catch a glimpse of something that makes your stomach turn. Insidious and arrogant, the figures blank face splits into a wide, toothy grin, the entirety of it nearly reaching either side of its head. 

Before you can take your next breath, the figure breaks out into a run, smiling all the while as it races toward you. You fall back, hands desperately trying to rip open your pack, frantically trying to defend yourself. Tears sting your eyes as the terror of your situation overwhelms you, you get ahold of the dagger, handing shaking as you hold it in front of you. The attempt is pointless and, you know it. Whatever this is, isn’t human and, it’s intentions were quite clear. You felt frozen, helpless, you screamed out in desperation but, to no avail. 

You were going to die. 

A flash of brilliant violet light illuminates the forest, blinding you momentarily, your hand coming up to shield your eyes. Everything happens so quickly, the creature that was pursuing you lets out a strangled scream when a wave of energy pulses through the forest. It’s powerful and knocks you completely on your back, haziness beginning to creep into your vision. Dazed, you lay on the forest floor as your eyes grow heavier and heavier, sensations of pain moving throughout your body. You hear a faint sound of leaves crunching as something seems to approach you. The darkness overtaking your vision prevents you from seeing anything beyond a figure, thankfully human, looming over you. 

“Foolish human, what on earth have you done?” 

With that, everything goes black. 

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

  The sound of bubbling is the first thing that teases your conscience back to life. As to the source of the sound, you’re still unsure but, it’s not the worst way you’ve ever been woken up. 

Wait…woken up. 

Are you waking up? 

Did you die? 

You don’t remember falling asleep the night before and, you’re beginning to grow restless behind the darkness of your eyelids.  

There is a faint sensation of pain winding around one of your feet and, you feel a very uncomfortable stinging across the right side of your ribs.  

“After all this time, humans are still insufferable creatures Meow, the only species who has managed to stall the evolutionary cycle…such a shame.”  

The voice is unfamiliar, crisp and condescending, it frightens you. 

“Human, your sleep cycle concluded 27 minutes ago…it’s time to wake up…” 

Human? Why is the voice referring to you as human… 

Your eyes pop open, a warm yellow light greets you along with a myriad of other images that you’re too disorientated to discern.  

The surface beneath you is a soft cotton fabric, looking very similar to a cot and, you finally gather that you’re in some sort of cottage. There is a figure standing behind a counter watching you, however you can’t yet make out the specifics of it. 

With your vision slightly blurred you attempt to rise from your horizontal position but, the searing pain in your ribs keeps you from doing so.  

“The venom has yet to take hold of your ribs so, I would advise against sudden movements for the next 17 minutes…” 

Your heart drops, “V..venom? What venom? What did you do to me?” 

The figure scoffs, “I saved your life…” 

The blur in vision begins to lessen and, after a few strong blinks you start to make out the image of the figure behind the counter.  

It was a man. Dressed in a black peasant blouse, his hands are braced against the counter; dark, almost feline eyes regard you earnestly from across the room, a scowl prominent in his features. He wasn’t difficult to look at but, the context of the current situation was preventing you from fully appreciating just how beautiful he was.  

“You saved my life by injecting me with venom? That seems rather counterproductive...” You bite back, nervousness hidden behind your tone as you awkwardly attempt to turn towards him.  

The movements prove to mildly successful as you finally prop yourself up on the side of your ribs that aren’t marred by discomfort.  

“The specifics of the procedure are irrelevant, although I didn’t inject you with anything...” The man corrects, rolling his eyes as he does, as if your statement was ridiculous. 

You’re frustrated with your lack of clarity and, you can’t help the budding panic, forming at the bottom of your throat. 

“Where am I?”  

“Somewhere you’re not meant to be...” He quips, annoyance coloring his pointy features as he scans your face, “your loss of memory isn’t surprising due to your injuries and, the impact from my spell...” He sighs as your confusion doesn’t seem to wane, slowly moving to step around to the front of the counter, “What’s the last thing you remember?” 

A deep breath is drawn through your nose as you frantically search your brain for answers. You remember entering the woods, the trees, the darkness, the fear... 

Oh god. 

You gasp then, eyes darting towards the stranger who was currently scooping, what looked like syrup into a turquoise bowl, “the creature...the smile, it...attacked me.” 

The man snorts, shaking his head, “If it had attacked you, you would be dead right now...” 

“I’m not entirely sure that I’m not...” You counter, wiping a hand over your face. 

You take in more of your surroundings as the fog in your mind begins to lift. A large, shelved apothecary cabinet took up the entirety of wall opposite you. Clear blue bottles of varying sizes lined the shelves, along with a potted plants that seemed to be overflowing down the length of the cabinet. The walls were made of grey and black stone and, stretched into a tall ceiling that seemed to be entirely covered in greenery. The counter the man worked at was littered with evidence of what had happened the night before: various herbs and tonics were uncapped and, a clump of bloody gauze was hanging out of the sink. To your left, another wall, paired with an archway and hundreds of books, led to what you presumed was the rest of the cottage.  

“Maybe this will jog your memory...” The man nearly hisses his declaration, seemingly threatened by your curious gaze. He held up a scrap of paper and, although you had to squint to read it, you could distinctly see that it was your grandfather’s crudely drawn map to Yoongi’s cottage. 

Oh…

“Yoongi?” You venture, feeling slightly threatened yourself. 

Yoongi’s feline like eyes, dark and almost menacing, glare at you from across the room. 

“You are a foolish girl, entering the forest past sundown, journeying into its depths...to find me. Have I not made it clear to your people that I am to be left alone?” Yoongi’s tone grows more and more frustrated and, you could sense what your grandfather meant by his lingering darkness. The wild mass of black hair on his head, his sharp features, his eyes look incredibly dark and, there seem to something peeking out from underneath his top lip, something you hadn’t noticed, they looked like fangs?  

“I’m...I’m sorry…listen, please, I didn’t want to disturb you but, a young boy disappeared from my village and, my people, they...tried to send my grandfather to find you, you’re the only one who can withstand the forest.” You’re not much for groveling but, there’s a pretty sizeable chance that Yoongi isn’t human and, you aren’t trying to press your luck.

His hardened gaze falters slightly, “You went in his place?” 

You nod, wishing desperately that you were able to sit up fully, awkwardly shifting your weight to the side again, “He wouldn’t have made it...they insisted on sending him alone...” 

“And you wouldn’t have made it either, you’re lucky I was out making my deliveries, or you would be enduring a slow, agonizing death...” He admonishes before, he turns to make his way over to you. You tense then, shrinking back into the cot, he notices your hesitation and scoffs, rolling his eyes. 

“If I wanted to hurt you, I would have left you to the creatures...I need to treat your wound, my venom will only heal the superficial cut, and it won’t prevent infection…” His irritation lessens, likely sensing your fear before nodding to your sweater.

My venom?

You hesitate for a moment. There is no reason to trust Yoongi, he is a stranger who, so far, hasn’t been very kind to you however, he did save your life and, you suppose that’s enough to trust him…for now.

A sigh leaves your nose as you move to lift up the white wool which, you could now see was decorated with splotches of your blood.

Yoongi kneels down beside you, collecting the sticky golden substance on the tips of his fingers and, slowly spreading it across the surface of your wound. His movements were surprisingly gently and, for some unknown reason, goosebumps erupted across the back of your arms.

“What happened to my ribs anyway? I only remember falling backwards….”

Yoongi is careful to avoid eye contact with you as his fingers work the honey over your skin, ignoring his own chaotic thoughts.

“The method I used for killing that creature…some of the material hit you and, cut your skin…” He keeps his answer as vague as possible, hurrying with his application before laying down another piece of gauze over the wound.

Your brow furrows, eyes flitting to his fingers, “What method did you use?”

Yoongi sighs, his jaw tightening slightly, “You ask a lot of questions.”

“Well, I came here for answers …” You retort, feeling frustrated by the lack of information he was willing to give.

Yoongi’s eyes darken with annoyance once again, pulling away from you as he finishes up, his expression hardening, “You are not entitled to answers. I saved your life; I don’t believe I owe you or your people anything else…”

His words perturb you and, you have to fight the urge to confront him as anger begins to bubble up inside of you.

“Yoongi, my people are growing restless, this is the 8th disappearance in two years…they won’t stop until they find answers…it’s what lures them back into the forest. “ You plead with him as he turns his back to you, beginning to clean up his work station, screwing the cap onto his bottle of honey.

“Your people have been warned on countless occasions, if they refuse to listen then, that’s not my burden to bear.” Yoongi insists, shrugging his shoulders as he places a few bottles back onto his massive shelf, “I advise you to stay here for a few days to allow for your body to heal but, after that you will be returning to your village. Until then, I ask that you leave me alone unless, you are in need of something…”

Your irritation with him increases as his brash responses continue, “I have to stay here for a few because of a cut?”

Yoongi turns back to you momentarily, “Your foot is injured as well but, if you think you can make the journey back yourself, by all means, be my guest…”

Looking towards your foot, you wiggle your toes, feeling a slight sensation of pain as you do.

“What happened to my foot?”

“You tore your anterior talofibular ligament…it happened when you fell.” His back is to you again as he arranges the bottles in a neater fashion, his tone one of disinterest.

“My anteater tylo what?” You press, shaking your head at his behavior.

He snorts at your pronunciation, a slight smirk threatening his mouth, “Your anterior talofibular ligament is a flat triangular band of fibers, that extends obliquely downward and lateralward between the adjacent margins of the tibia and fibula, on the front aspect of the syndesmosis…”

Your mouth hangs open as he delivers his explanation, frantically looking toward your foot in an attempt to make sense of what he was saying.

“That was wildly unhelpful…”

Yoongi turns back toward you, his sharp features unimpressed by your response.

“My healing of such a ligament should be considered more than helpful…”

“Am I able to walk with this injury?” You inquire, brows rising, mirroring his unamused expression.

He shrugs, “With minor discomfort, yes…”

A hand comes up with your question as Yoongi leans against the countertop, “…then why can’t I leave?”

“You are free to do as you wish however, if you leave now, you will die.” He explains, far too casually given the content of his sentence.

The sunlight shining through the window makes his statement even more perplexing and, you gesture to it as you respond, “What why? It’s the middle of the day?”

Yoongi’s lips quirk up, a smirk still threatening his mouth as he notices the irritation in your tone.

“Death can occur regardless of the time of day.”

You huff, eyes rolling in incredulity, still fighting the urge to raise your voice, “…yes I’m aware of how death works but, I thought your little light show got rid of that thing.”

“Sonum Aquarum.” He corrects you immediately as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?”

“It’s not a light show, it’s an aqueous blast of energy and, it requires hundreds of years of training. Also…” He stretches slightly, face turned up with arrogance and, you try to ignore the way his peasant blouse opens up to expose the pale skin of his chest. “…my blast killed that one creature. It did not eradicate their species. There are still thousands of them and, you are more vulnerable than you were last night, there would be no chance of you making it to the border before sundown and, I refuse to tell you the way back until, I’m sure that you’re ready.”

A defeated sigh leaves your lips then, realizing that until Yoongi was willing to take you back, you were stuck with him. The rumors made sense now, he was insufferable.

“Fine.” You surrender, trying to make yourself comfy on the cot, feeling capable of sitting up now that the pain in your ribs had subsided slightly.

Yoongi smirks then, feeling victorious that you had finally halted your questioning.

“You can make yourself comfortable down here. I will prepare meals for you twice a day but, there are fruits and vegetables in the garden should you get hungry, I can show you later. The bathroom is through this archway,” He gestures to the archway beside you that was filled with books, “and around the corner. My bedroom is upstairs; you are not permitted up there under any circumstances. I will be out during a few evenings to…”

He pauses then, cat eyes darting from side to side as he searches for the right word.

You smirk, raising your brows, “To?”

He rolls his eyes at your smirk, looking slightly uncomfortable as he continues, “Nevermind, don’t worry about it, just stay downstairs while you’re here and, touch as little as you can, I don’t want you messing things up…”

“Understood. I’ll stay out of your way…”

He eyes you suspiciously, desiring to question why you weren’t trying to argue but, he decides to drop it as he nods to the archway again, “There is a place for you to sleep through here, there is a fire burning most nights so, please be careful not to fall inside.”

“Is roasted human not your thing?” You quip, leaning back against the wall, already dreading the thought of being trapped in Yoongi’s presence.

There is something dark that flashes over his face for a moment and, for the first time since you spoke with him, you felt yourself growing slightly afraid of him. He smirks as he tilts his head slightly to the right and, when he does; you confirm that he possesses a pair of fangs.

“Human meat is too tough with very little pay off, I prefer the taste of their soul, it’s much sweeter…”

His words send a shiver down your spine, your lips pursing in an attempt to hide your obvious reaction to him. However, he can already pick up on the increase in your heartrate and, the change in your body’s chemistry, the knowledge pleases him. 

“You’re a demon then? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” You challenge him, not wanting to display any signs of weakness. 

“You asked me a question and, I responded. Now,” He averts his gaze, a satisfied smirk still lingering on his mouth as he looks up towards the ceiling, “…entertaining you has been thoroughly exhausting so, I’ll be retiring to my room for the day, there’s a plate of food in the other room, eat it..”

You roll your eyes, feeling extremely frustrated with his attitude but, the last few moments of conversation have advised you against testing Yoongi’s patience, for the time being at least.

“Sweet dreams.” You force a fake smile onto your face, something Yoongi can clearly sense, his face turning up in disgust.

“Mm.” He hums, unimpressed by your comment before, turning to head out of the apothecary, “…don’t touch anything.”

You shoot a thumbs up his way, wincing slightly as dull pain radiates in your ribs, still sporting your fake smile.

He rolls his eyes for the thousandth time before striding out of the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

“Don’t touch anything…” You mutter to yourself, bitterness prominent in your tone.

“What’s that?” Yoongi calls from the other room, his voice halfway up the staircase.

How the hell did he hear you?

“I’m just committing your orders to memory your majesty…” You call back, trying to appear nonchalant.

“Well, do it quietly then…” You can hear the bite in his voice but, given that he is in the other

room; you miss the smirk plastered on his face.

You roll your eyes, leaning against the stone wall, wishing desperately that you were home in your bed, listening to the sounds of your grandfather tinkering in your back garden.

A pang of worry rushes through you; your village likely thinks that you’re gone: taken by the forest, never to be seen again. You shudder at the thought, pleading with the powers that be that none of them come looking for you.

There were a million questions running around your head at the moment. Yoongi wasn’t much help in explaining what had happened to you but, there were two things you knew for sure:

1. There was something evil in the forest, something real and tangible

2. Yoongi wasn’t human.

An uneasy feeling asserts itself into your stomach… 

He said quite a few things that unnerved you: the bit about his venom, the mention of eating human meat, and liking the taste of human souls? Was he just messing with you? Was he serious? Should you wait long enough to find out? 

He did save your life. Why would he save your life if he was planning on harming you? 

Unless, well, he was planning on eating you? 

Fuck...what if he was planning on eating you? 

A shiver runs through your spine and, while the fantastical side of your brain really wants to run with the idea that Yoongi is some sort of monster, the logical side reminds you that not only did he save your life but, he saved your grandfather’s as well. You didn't like the idea of placing your fate into a stranger but, right now, that was your only option.  

With an audible sigh, you decide to hoist yourself up, carefully, because you’re still very sore. You scan the wall full of bookshelves, your brain going fuzzy as it catches a glimpse of a few of the titles, some you recognize but, some appear to be in various other languages. There were so many of them adorning the shelves, you couldn’t imagine anyone finishing all of the titles in their lifetime. Yoongi was known to be solitary however so, maybe all of his free time was divided evenly amongst healing, reading and, being creepy.  

Makes sense.  

Yoongi’s den is quaint and, if you were under different circumstances, you might actually think it was cozy. A sizeable, black, L-shaped sofa takes up most of the space in front of the massive and somewhat intimidating fireplace. Yoongi was right to warn you about falling in, the gray cobblestone structure stretches a third of the way up the extremely high ceiling, the crackling fire doing its job as it warms the entirety of the room. There are very few decorations apart from side tables positioned at either end of the couch both of which are carved from marble. There is a crème colored woven blanket thrown over the sofa as well as a few pieces of art that looked both expensive and imported. You wonder briefly about how Yoongi manages to afford marble and, expensive artwork but, given that he is likely a DEMON you decide that it’s not all that strange.  

You meander around the sofa, taking small careful steps to avoid causing yourself any pain. There is a cozy spot in the corner of the couch that’s calling your name and, although you’re quite sure that you slept a few hours through the night, you could feel your lids growing heavy once more.

The last 24 hours had been exhausting.  

Pulling the throw blanket off of the corner of the sofa, you snuggle against the plush cushions beneath you.  

Demon or not, the man had great taste in furniture.  

It doesn’t take long for the exhaustion to take over and, before you know it, you’re drifting off into a deep sleep.  

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

  “Meow, move out of my way, I’m going whether you like it or not. Your boredom is not my problem…”  The rasp of Yoongi’s voice is simmering just above your consciousness and, you feel yourself being slowly drawn out of your nap. 

As your eyelids flutter open, vision still hazy from your slumber, you panic slightly as you realize the room is pitch black. 

“Y…Yoongi? Is that you?” The voice that leaves your mouth is shaky and thick, your vocal chords clearly not ready for speaking yet. 

A deep sigh as let out from the figure in question before you hear the sound of snapping. At the conclusion of the sound, the entirety of the room is light up with a least 4 dozen candles lining every bit of free space in Yoongi’s den. 

You spot him near the door of his cottage, dressed in a black hooded cloak, an unamused expression on his face. 

“Obviously it’s me, who else would it be? Why are you awake?” He grumbles, black hair sticking up in all different directions. 

“Wait…how did you?” You whip your head around, amazement obvious in your features, “How did you do that?” 

He rolls his eyes, ignoring your question, “Why are you awake?”  You sit up, wincing slightly at the dull ache all over your body, his words causing your irritation to flare up, “Your voice woke me up and, I took a nap in the middle of the day, how long did you expect me to sleep for?” 

Yoongi’s face turns up, a mixture of shock and, amazement painting his cat-like features, his brows knitted together in scrutiny, “What do you mean, my voice woke you up?” 

“I heard you talking to your cat,” You explain, matter of factly, adjusting the sleeves of your sweater, wishing desperately that you had a different change of clothes, “Or I assumed it was your cat, unless someone else is here…” 

Yoongi’s pale face turns practically translucent, he rushes over to the arm of the couch, peering at you curiously, “I wasn’t…how did you hear me? Who are you? Did someone send you here?” 

Yoongi’s sudden interrogation alarms you and, it causes you shrink away from him slightly, “What? No? I told you why I was here, no one sent me…why are you freaking out?” 

Yoongi’s mouth opens and then closes it, his brain currently in full panic mode. In the midst of his crisis, a fairly sizeable black cat jumps effortlessly onto the arm of the couch. It perches in front of Yoongi, wide golden eyes boring into your very soul, an almost knowing look in its gaze.  

An uneasy feeling stirs in your stomach as you stare back into the cat’s eyes but, you point it out none the less, trying to ease Yoongi’s sudden nervousness, “This is your cat right? I heard you talking to them this morning too, it’s not a big deal, I’m a really light sleeper, I wake up at the drop of a pin…”  

Your words only increase his panic and, his wide eyes glance towards the cat and, then back at you, his body language stiffening, “You…you can see him?”  

You can’t help the laugh that comes from your mouth, “The giant cat sitting in front of you? Of course I can see him, are you feeling ok? Do you need a nap or something?”  

The cat’s eyes seem to glisten with amusement but, you do your best to avoid it’s gaze, something about it or him, as Yoongi had mentioned, was slightly off.  

“Who are you?” There’s acid dripping from his tone and, it frightens you, so much so that, you scoot further into the sofa cushions, your hands coming up in defense. 

“I’m Y/N? Do you not remember me? We spoke this morning? You saved my life?” You venture, the perplexity of the situation increasing your heartbeat. 

“I’m not suffering from memory loss human…tell me who you really are…”  

You hadn’t been close enough to him to really notice the color of his eyes but, you’re fairly certain that if they were as black as they are now, you would have noticed. 

Before Yoongi can speak again, his cat lets out a menacing hiss, its golden eyes narrowed in aggression. You flinch at the sound before you realize that the hiss wasn’t directed towards you, it was directed towards Yoongi.  

His eyes widen at the sound and he steps back, “What? Don’t give me that look, she’s obviously not who she says she is…” 

He’s talking to the cat as if the cat had the ability to understand him and, you wait on bated breath as Meow seems to stare intently into Yoongi’s eyes.  

A wordless exchange is all that’s needed before Yoongi relaxes slightly, his cool demeanor returning once more.  

You’re confusion however, has yet to wane. 

“Yoongi, I’m not here to hurt you, everything I told you is true.” You attempt to find his gaze but, he avoids looking at you, his eyes still black but, fading to a much softer brown, “Might I remind you that, the only reason I’m still here is because, you refuse to tell me the way back….” 

At that Yoongi rolls his eyes, “I’m not refusing because, I enjoy your company human, quite the opposite actually, I’m refusing because, you won’t be able to reach the border until you’re healthy, I think you underestimate how far away from home you are…” 

His words are paired with a snide expression, his eyes flitting in your direction. The information sends uneasiness into your stomach but, you have no choice but to take his word. 

 You won’t be facing the forest alone again. 

“How far are we exactly?  

He smirks, “Far…” 

His response frustrates you beyond belief: WHY WAS HE SO VAGUE? 

A groan leaves your lips as you slump back into the sofa, “Are you ever going to answer my questions properly? I don’t know how you expect me to feel comfortable here if you refuse to tell me anything…” 

Yoongi shrugs, “I don’t expect you to feel anything human, your feelings are not important to me…” 

This offends you, of course it does but, you’re don’t have time to get your feelings hurt. You want answers. 

“My feelings aren’t important but, my life is?” You press, brows knitted in displeasure 

Yoongi ponders this for a moment, pursing his lips and, nodding, “That’s a fair conclusion…are we done now? I have somewhere I need to be.” 

With a defeated sigh, you push yourself off of the sofa, stumbling slightly as you do, “Whatever.” 

You brush past him, ignoring the way he smells: (like fresh pine and, lavender) and, your movement causes him to flinch but, you don’t notice.  

Yoongi smirks again, pleased with your defeat, “Where are you going?” 

“Oh, you know, a place…”  

Yoongi’s smirk grows, feeding off of your annoyance, “You are permitted to look around downstairs but, I would advise you to keep clear of the leeches, they’re very eager, particularly when your blood is sweet…” 

A shiver runs down your spine and, you whip towards him, “Leeches? What are you talking about?” 

Yoongi has already disappeared through the doorway and, if you aren’t mistaken, you could swear you hear him chuckling as he does. 

Disgusting.  

The night ended up dragging on for quite some time. You busied yourself with looking through Yoongi’s collection of books, well trying to at least; the man has a least 8 billion of them. After the 12th or 13th you ended up falling asleep against the shelves in the apothecary room and, you’re pretty sure you had 4 or 5 nightmares involving leeches. 

Thanks to Yoongi… 

He had been out all night, doing god knows what and, didn’t return until sunrise.  

He walks into the door, sore and defeated, shrugging his cloak off and, placing it onto the rack beside his door. His brow is furrowed as he looks around for you, feeling slightly uneasy as he scans the cottage. 

“Human?” He calls out, trying to sense you, hoping that you hadn’t run off. 

Most people do… 

He rounds the corner into his apothecary before, his eyes narrow at his “cat” who is sleeping soundly in your lap.  

Leaning against the wall, he smirks down at your sleeping expression, lips pouted, brow furrowed slightly, (kind of cute). Meow wakes up then, sensing his presence, yawning and extending his chubby black paws, golden eyes peering up at Yoongi. 

“Don’t look at me like that…” He mutters before knocking his knuckles on the wall, “Human, it’s time to wake up, you must eat…”  

The sound startles you awake, your eyes popping open, bleary and confused. With a still furrowed brow, you look up towards Yoongi, unamused by his actions. 

“You could have chosen a nicer way to wake me up…” 

Yoongi rolls his eyes, “This is my home, not a bed and breakfast and, you were meant to be asleep in the den. Sleeping in such a position is going to prolong your healing process…” 

Upon rubbing your eyes, you notice that Yoongi’s cat is resting comfortably in your lap and, rather than bickering with Yoongi, you smile softly, fingers stroking against the cat’s obsidian fur. 

“Sorry…I fell asleep reading…” You are distracted by the creature in your lap, who is now purring and, nudging your hand, trying to garner more of your attention. “You cat is really cute…” 

Yoongi feels uneasy as he watches you interact with Meow, his confusion at an all-time high, “He’s not a cat,” He grumbles before extending a hand to you, “Come, you need to eat…” 

You’re perplexed by his response and, regard his hand warily, “What do you mean, he’s not a cat? Do you call him something different?” 

Yoongi ignores your question and, merely jerks his hand towards you again, “It’s been 15 hours since you’ve eaten your last meal…we don’t have time for questions…” 

You look up at him, grimacing at his outstretched hand before, a thought pops into your head, “If I eat, will you answer one question??” 

Yoongi’s mouth twitches, fighting a smile at your ridiculous request, “What do you mean IF you eat? You have to eat to survive so_” He cuts himself off, face wrinkled in confusion, “I don’t negotiate with mortals, now let’s go, I have things to do…” 

You’re whining at this point, your curiosity rising to an agonizing level, “Yoongi, please? I don’t know where I am, or who you are and, you keep calling me mortal or human, and, you talked about consuming my soul and, apparently there’s leeches in your house?? I was almost killed by a monster in the forest, my village probably thinks I’m dead and, I’m going to go insane if you don’t tell me SOMETHING…” You can feel the tears beginning to form in the corner of your eyes and, Yoongi looks as though he’s cringing in discomfort. You aren’t sure if your mini tantrum is just annoying or if he can actually sense your pain but, either way, he sighs, peeved that your emotions are even affecting him the first place. 

“Ok, fine, I’ll answer a few questions,” At his words, you perk up and he jerks his hand towards you again with a pointed look, “AFTER you eat.”  

“Eat? No problem, I’ll eat as much as you want…” You rejoice, a smile on your face as you take his hand, using it to rise to your feet. Meow scurries off of your lap as you do so, standing beside Yoongi, regarding you with a wise gaze. 

“Follow me…” He commands, leaving the room, insuring that he doesn’t move to quickly. 

Yoongi leads you through the den and, out through the backdoor. You’re expecting to feel the cool crisp air of the morning but, instead you enter another room, entirely enclosed by glass windows. Sunlight streams through the trees and, cast leaf-shaped shadows on marble countertops. The room is beautiful and, like the other parts of Yoongi’s cottage, the perimeter of the room is also covered in greenery. It seemed to grow out of the walls.  

“Sit…” He nods to the stool in front of the counter, before stepping around it and, retrieving a few things from his ice box. 

You don’t comment about his bossiness, although at some point, you definitely plan on mentioning it. You’re not a fan of being told what to do but, you decide that the nicer you are to Yoongi, the more he will be willing to tell you. 

“Your cottage is beautiful…” You murmur softly, eyes scanning the ceiling once again, feeling very much like you are in some sort of fairy tale. 

Yoongi is getting to work on some sort of pastry, long, nimble fingers beginning to kneed and, stretch at some dough. He doesn’t look up from his current task but, you can see his lips twitch again, “Flattery will get you nowhere with me human…” 

At this you roll your eyes, propping your chin against your hand, “I’m being serious. I’ve never seen anything like this before; we don’t have plants growing out of our ceilings back in the village…” 

“Eat…” He commands, pushing a plate towards you, complete with some sort of puff pastry along with freshly cut berries and, a dusting of powdered sugar. 

How the… 

“Wait, how did you_”  

He cuts you off, brows rising to challenge you, “Are you going back on our agreement?”  

“N-No I just…” You defend, completely bewildered at how quickly he just made your breakfast 

“Then do as you promised. I will hear your questions after you’re finished…”  

His tone never leaves much room for discussion and, you have to consciously remind yourself not to retaliate.  

He is starting to infuriate you… 

You merely nod though, saving all your quips for later as you dig into the food he prepared. 

The breakfast is delicious and, you don’t realize how hungry you are until you take your first bite.  

“Where am I right now?” You ask as Yoongi dumps your dirty dishes in the sink, your burning curiosity becoming too much to handle. 

Yoongi sighs through his nose, wiping his hands on a linen towel before turning to you, “That’s a very complicated question…”   

He regards you with a sage gaze and, you note that despite him looking around your age, you couldn’t help but feel that he was centuries older than you. 

“I’m listening…” 

“Let me ask a question first…” He wages and as you begin to protest, he silences you with his raised hand, “It’s important…” 

“Fine…” 

“Who gave you the map?” He inquires, pulling the scrap of paper out of his pants pocket, which is odd considering you know for a fact that’s he’s changed clothes since yesterday morning.  

“My grandfather…he says he’s been here before…” You explain, eyeing the map between his fingers, “He says you saved his life…” 

At your second comment, Yoongi cocks his head, “Did he give you any further details?” 

“You still haven’t answered my question…” You point out, growing frustrated once again.  

He sighs, lowering his hand to place the map on the counter, his dark eyes flitting around the room, “My house cannot be found by just anyone, I have it hidden underneath a veil, a protection spell. If you’re grandfather found my cottage, it would be because he possessed certain…abilities.” 

Yoongi’s answer surprises you, your brow furrows, “What kind of abilities?” 

He shrugs, not looking directly at you, his fingers picking at the edges of the map, “It can be any number of things but, regardless, if he did in fact, find my cottage, he must have done so using a spell…” 

“Would the map have been useless to me then?” You press, your curiosity overflowing, the eagerness to ask another question hot on your tongue. 

Yoongi nods, a smirk playing on his lips, “This map is nonsense, if you would have continued to follow it, you would have ended up back in your village.”  You lean back, confusion painting your features, “What? That’s impossible, he was planning on following it himself to come and find you…” 

“Well, either your grandfather never found my cottage in the first place or,” He regards you with a satisfied expression, delighting in your confusion, “…he left out the wrong map.” 

It hits you then; your grandfather fooled you. He knew you wouldn’t sit idly by whilst he essentially walked to his death. He knew that you were just the right amount of stubborn to enter the forest in his place, he knew… 

“Bastard,” You curse him but, you have to admit, you’re hurt by this conclusion. Why would he knowingly lead you in the wrong direction? Why wouldn’t he stop you if he knew you were going in his place? “Why would he do that?” 

Yoongi’s smirk has grown significantly and, you’re starting to grow uneasy at the thought of Yoongi actually being evil.  

“What is your grandfather’s name?” 

A deep breath is pulled through your nose, “Y/GF/N…he said you saved him as a boy, when he almost drowned in the river. He told my village that he came back to find you, to thank you…” 

Yoongi seems to perk up at your response, “I remember him…clever boy.” 

The man before you looked as though he was your age but, given the fact that he knew your grandfather when he was just a child, something isn’t adding up. This leads you to your next question, “How old are you?” 

His mouth twitches, “It’s impolite to ask someone their age Y/N…” 

Your brows rise in defiance, your patience paper thin, “My grandfather is 71, you should have aged significantly since then but, you haven’t, you look as though your my age.” A pointed look is sent his way, “You said you would answer my questions...” 

Yoongi chuckles at your eagerness, fangs peeking out from under his top lip, his eyes darkening as they finally look into yours, “Seven hundred and twenty seven…” 

Your eyes widen your heart dropping into your stomach as you try to respond calmly, “So, you’re a vampire?” 

Yoongi snorts, face wrinkled in disgust, “Heavens no. Vampires are awful creatures, dreadfully unrefined…” 

“Then, what are you?”  

A scowl is beginning to make its way onto Yoongi’s face as he is beginning to grow irritated by your tone, “I am beyond your scope of understanding…human.” 

He spits the last word, as if it’s meant to insult you and, you can sense the tension in the room. You know you have to dial it back if you want answers so you nod, conceding with his answer. 

“Fair enough. What attacked me in the forest?” 

He seems to relax slightly at your change in subject, “The creatures in the forest, the ones that are responsible for the disappearances of your people…they are the remains of an unaligned spell gone wrong. They feed off of organic energy and, slowly drain the life of their victims. Humans are their primary prey but, they feed off of larger animals as well…when the pickings are slim.” 

You rest your chin on your hand, intrigued, “How powerful are they?” 

“They are powerful enough to compel your people into the forest but, they don’t stand a chance against light, whether that be sunlight or aligned magic…” 

“Aligned magic?” 

“Magic that aligns with basic morals, magic that doesn’t seek to harm others or exploit the natural order of the world…” Yoongi explains, the timbre in his voice almost soothing as he continues, “The creatures are known as The Nahbbun, or the vicious but, they have been called many names over the course of history…” 

“Do they exist outside of our forest?”  

He shakes his head, “Not in this magnitude. A tainted space may contain a few of them but, this forest in particular, contains thousands of them…” 

A shiver runs down your spine then but, you can’t help your desire to learn more, “Because of the spell that was performed here?” 

He nods sagely, “The person responsible was exceedingly powerful; this level of darkness cannot be contained…” 

Attempting to take in all of the new information, you pause for a moment, collecting your thoughts. You notice that Yoongi looks, almost, defeated, as if the information he shared burdened him somehow. 

“What happened to the others? My people have never returned once they are lost.” You shift your tone to a gentler one, trying to ease into touchier subjects. 

Yoongi stiffens, “Your people are typically conjured away from my cottage and, I can only sense them if they breach my perimeter. Even if I have managed to intervene, they often slip out in the middle of the night…there have been very few I have been able to save…” 

“You saved me…” You point, eyes much softer as you sense his genuine regret. 

“Yes, well,” He coughs, looking away from you momentarily, “I suppose I did…that is unless you plan on sneaking out in the middle of the night.” 

Smiling, you reach out towards him and, resist the urge to giggle as he flinches slightly, “Thank you…for saving me and, for saving my grandfather all those years ago.” 

His expression shifts again and, if you’re not mistaken, you can see a bit of softness in his eyes but, he quickly composes himself as he waves you off, “Has your curiosity been sated for now? You have kept me held up for quite some time…” 

It’s only been ten minutes or so since this conversation began but, you don’t want to risk Yoongi shutting you off all together so you nod and offer one last sentiment, “I wouldn’t have come here…if I didn’t think it was my only option. I’m sorry for all the trouble…” 

A smile threatens Yoongi’s mouth, “You’re the least of my burdens human, don’t worry yourself on my behalf. Focus on healing so, you may return home, I can imagine your grandfather is very worried…” 

You nod, making your way off of the stool, “Thank you for breakfast…” 

He nods back at you, his lips pursed in an odd sort of smile, “I’ll prepare dinner for you at sunset…” 

You smirk to yourself as you head out of the kitchen, “Sounds romantic…” 

At your comment, Yoongi rolls his eyes, a minor sense of dread overcoming him as he feels his cheeks heating up at your comment “Don’t be ridiculous…” 

He hears your giggle right before the door swings shut behind you and, he does his best to ignore the way the sound warms his heart. 

“Humans are dreadful…” He grumbles to himself as he attempts to soothe the redness of his cheeks. At his comment, Meow, who had been listening in, meows at his feet, gold eyes looking up at him knowingly. 

“Quiet…” He hushes down at him before heading out of the kitchen and, quickly making his way upstairs to his room. 

Yoongi leaves the cottage that night after you fall asleep. The two of you had a relatively pleasant dinner which consisted of an exquisite plate of pasta Yoongi made, or uh, conjured from scratch and, cinnamon teacake for dessert. The conversation was scarce as Yoongi really doesn’t enjoy talking but, he responded when necessary and, kept his sarcastic comments to a minimum. 

Which is honestly all you can ask for.  

The evening ended as soon as it began as Yoongi was very eager to get you to fall asleep so, he could do whatever it was that he did after the sun set. However, you had yet to sleep a full night in Yoongi’s house.

Something always seems to wake you in the middle of the night. 

You are currently huddled up on his sofa bed underneath a thick woolen blanket when you hear the faint sound of meowing that seemed to be coming from above you. Yoongi’s cat is clearly not pleased with the fact that he’s disappeared.  

The cottage isn’t as inviting when you’re in it alone, in fact, the howling wind just outside of the walls, makes an uneasy feeling settle in your stomach. The scraping of the tree branches against the cottage’s exterior startles you momentarily before, you take a deep breath in an attempt to calm yourself. Meow continues uh meowing upstairs, the sound growing louder and louder. You’re beginning to wonder if something is wrong with him.  

Maybe Yoongi forgot to feed him?  

Another howl from the top of the stairs sends you stumbling off of the sofa and towards the noise. The floorboards creak beneath you as you approach the seemingly never-ending spiral staircase.  

“Kitty? Are you ok?” You call your voice unstable. 

Silence. 

With a furrowed brow, you place a foot on the bottom step, your eyes squinting as they peer upwards into darkness, “Meow? Come here kitty…it’s ok, Yoongi will be home soon…” 

The silence is deafening and, you feel that familiar sinking feeling in your stomach. The wind beyond the cottage walls seems to halt as the hair on the back of your neck stands up.  

“You…uh you don’t have to be scared ok? I don’t want to hurt you…I just want to make sure you’re ok…” 

You hear it then, the sound that makes your blood run cold: an insidious almost childlike giggle sounds from the top of the stairs and, you step back immediately, feeling threatened by the sound.  

“Oh, little human…it’s not me who should be scared…” The angelic cadence of the voice contrasts against the clear threat in its words.  

You feel the need to run but, you’re frozen stiff with fear, “Wh-who’s there? Who are you?” 

Another burst of giggles echoes throughout the cottage and, you desperately wish that the floor would swallow you whole.  

“You know my name…” 

“I..I don’t know your name, I…” You pause then, realization washing over you, “Wait. Meow? Is that you?” 

The giggle you hear now is much less threatening but, the movement in the darkness still keeps you on guard, “Yoongi gave me that name out of spite. Personally, I would have chosen something much more endearing…” 

Your hand is placed on the bannister as you desperately try to spot him, “I don’t understand…aren’t you his cat? How are you able to speak?” 

Meow snickers, tickled by your lack of knowledge, “Don’t you remember Yoongi warning you that I wasn’t a cat. Silly human, you really should pay better attention…” 

You do remember Yoongi saying something of the sort but, you had dismissed it as him choosing to be difficult.  

“Then, what are you?” 

Footsteps echo at the top of the stairs, light and delicate, as if someone is tip-toeing their way towards you. It makes your heart pound in anticipation.  

A man appears halfway down the stairs, causing a gasp to leave your mouth. He’s roughly the same size as Yoongi, with the same raven-colored hair atop his head, except there is a bit of orange peeking through. He, like Yoongi, possesses a quality that you can’t quite pin point along with an otherworldly amount of beauty. His features are much softer however, his pink lips plump and turned up in a playful smirk, his eyes heavy with mischief, his body sporting a minimum amount of clothing.  

“I am beyond your scope of understanding human…” The man deepens his voice, clearly mimicking Yoongi’s words before he bursts into another fit of giggles, “What a ridiculous thing to say…” 

Your words seem to stop in the base of your throat, unable to comprehend what exactly is going on.  

“You’re…uh, you’re…” You’re truly making an attempt to speak but, nothing seems to be coming out. The man notices and takes pleasure in your flustered state, another giggle leaving his lips. 

“What’s the matter Y/N? Cat got your tongue?” He winks and, you swear you feel like you’re going to faint. 

You thought Yoongi had managed to balance being both beautiful and threatening but, this man seems to take the cake as far as duality is concerned.  

“If you’re not Yoongi’s cat, then who are you?”  

Meow cocks his head, the moonlight streaming in through the window illuminating his naked top half as his hand comes up to push his hair back. It’s almost as if he is intentionally trying to distract you.  

“I am…a friend of Yoongi’s…” He begins, turning his gaze towards yours as he slowly starts to descend down the staircase, “We’ve known each other for quite some time…” 

You step back, still on guard, already growing impatient with a lack of answers, “A friend of Yoongi’s, who just so happens to shape shift into a cat…” 

Another giggle, a few more steps, Meow is getting closer to you, “Mhm. You’re growing frustrated aren’t you? I can taste it…” 

“I’m growing tired of a lack of answers…” You counter, trying to hold your ground as he approaches you. 

Meow smirks, his pupils dilating to the point of vertical slits and, you can’t decide if he looks more like a cat or a snake.   

“Ooh she wants answers does she? You’re quite nosy Y/N…I like that about you.” His tone is shifting to a slightly more sultry tone as he leans against the bannister. “However…I don’t give away anything for free…answers come with a price.” 

You don’t back down and instead, stand up straighter, “Name your price then.” 

His cat like grin grows, his eyes scanning over you slowly, drinking you in, “It’s nothing major…just a taste…” 

“A taste of what…” 

Meow’s eyes darken, “Of you…” 

You back away, all of the alarms signaling in your body, preparing to run.  

The man before bursts into another round of giggling, his head falling back as he braces against the bannister, “I’m only kidding. Goodness, you’re so wound up, if Yoongi had any sense in him, he’d be requesting to heal you in other ways, to ease your tension. It’s certainly the route I would take…” 

A shaky breath leaves you as you glare at him, “What are you?” 

Meow’s laughter dies down, however, his smirk remains, “Your people have many names for me…”  

Your brows rise, conveying that you are searching for a concrete answer and, Meow concedes, turning to the side to reveal his bare ribs to you. Squinting, you can see that he has a several black marks adorning his skin. You don’t recognize the language but, just before you inquire about them, Meow speaks up again. 

“Siren…” He practically whispers the word, a delighted grin on his face, “Do you know the meaning of the word?” 

Siren.  

You’ve heard the term from many of the sailors who reside in your village, they told stories of beautiful women luring their men to the ocean with their song before, devouring them whole. It was easy to dismiss their stories as drunken banter so; you never paid too much attention. However, you nod at Meow’s question, “Yes, sailors from my village have told stories containing that word…you don’t exactly match their description.” 

Another twinkling giggle, “We take whatever form we need to…human men are the easiest targets.” 

“Is that…” You pause, biting your lip, “Is that why you’re here with Yoongi? To prey on him?” 

“Mm I wish. He would be a delicious meal,” Meow muses, “but no, I am bound to Yoongi until I have paid my karmic toll…” 

“Karmic toll? What do you mean? 

 “I was a very naughty boy when I was alive Y/N…” Meow giggles, biting his puffy bottom lip, “ and an accumulation of bad karma is keeping me from entering Paradise. My soul was assigned to Yoongi for…correction.” 

Your stomach sinks, “You’re dead? Wait, if you’re dead then how can I-“ 

He cuts you off, “Ah yes, Yoongi and I were wondering the same thing…it seems as though you possess ‘the sight’.”  

“The sight?” You breathe, growing rather eager as you finally receive some answers to your burning questions.   

“Yes, it is believed that there are a select group of humans who have inherited the ability to see things beyond their mortal world. It’s a rather uncommon occurrence; personally, I’ve never encountered a human who could see me in my true form.” Meow stretches his arms high above his head, not unlike a cat, making a small noise at the back of his throat.  

“Is this,” You gesture to him, “your true form?” 

He chuckles, nodding, a sense of pride washing over him, “It is, lucky me right? Although, I often take the form of what my prey desires the most. However, with you, my true form seems to align quite well with your desires…” 

Your cheeks grow hot at his comment, your heart rate increasing slightly, “Can you still harm me when you’re dead?” 

A wide grin presents himself on Meow’s mouth, “What makes you think I’d be interested in harming you?” 

“Well referring to me as prey is quite a big tell Meow, what else would you have me think?” 

The grin never falters as he steps towards you, hungry gaze drinking in the sight of you, “I only kill when I have to feed and, I only play with those who come willingly…I’m not completely deranged.” 

“You…eat people?”  

He snickers, “No, silly girl, I consume their soul…”  

His response doesn’t shock you but, as your brain connects his statement with a familiar statement from Yoongi, you begin to grow nervous. 

“I prefer the taste of their soul…it’s much sweeter…” 

You pull at the sleeves of your sweater in an attempt to comfort yourself, feeling rather faint, “Yoongi mentioned consuming human souls…is he a siren too?” 

Meow pouts his lips, “Hmph no, he’d be much less of a bore if he was…he is something else entirely. My people have no name for him but…” Meow trails off cat-like eyes scanning the perimeter of the room, as if he were afraid of someone overhearing him, “I can tell you this, he is one of the very few creatures we sirens fear and, if I were you, I would watch my neck around him…” 

Meow’s words strike fear into your heart but, before you can respond, the sound of a familiar voice sounds throughout the room. 

“Jimin!” Yoongi barks, his tone sharp and unrelenting with a glare to match. 

Jimin?  

Meow giggles before you before disappearing with a light thud, shifting back into his cat form and, scurrying up the staircase.  

“Vile creature! Have you learned nothing???” Yoongi shouts at the ceiling, fists clenching at his sides, anger radiating off of him. 

Meow or Jimin’s laughter echoes against the walls of Yoongi’s cottage and you shrink away from the volume of his voice.  

Yoongi’s glare flits over to you, scanning your figure, “Did he hurt you?”  

You shake your head, backing away from him, “No…he…” 

He cuts you off with a raise of his hand, irritation heavy in his voice, “What did I tell about proper sleep? What are you doing awake? The remedy I gave you should have been enough to keep you asleep until sunrise…” 

Why was he laying into you? You did nothing wrong, in fact, it’s you who should be laying into him, demanding answers yet again. 

“Well I’m sorry but, your demon cat woke me up….” You spit the words, feeling furious at all of the ambiguity, “And then, proceeded to tell me that he was dead and paying for his sins, that included CONSUMING HUMAN SOULS! WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HIM?” 

Yoongi stiffens at the tone of your voice, his anger at an all-time high, “Watch your tone mortal, I won’t be disrespected in my own home…” 

“Tell me who you are…” You seethe your fight or flight response clearly ready to do the former. 

Yoongi steps towards you, the power within him ebbing and flowing against his body, his black pupils slowly taking over the entirety of his eyes, “I don’t owe you an explanation…”  

You back away slightly but, stand your ground, eyes narrowed in his direction, “Jimin said you were something to fear, he said to watch my neck around you. You owe me enough to ensure that you aren’t going to kill me…” 

He smirks, his eyes entirely vacant of color, “Jimin was correct. I suggest you heed his warning.” 

Despite the raging tempo of your heartbeat, you puff your chest out, taking a step in Yoongi’s direction. 

“I’m not afraid of you.” 

Yoongi’s breath can be felt against your face, his lips, wet and almost lingering against yours, “Really? Then why is your heart sputtering in your chest hm? Why does your body tremble in my presence?” 

There is something stirring within the pit of your stomach that you don’t recognize but, your anger overshadows it. 

“What. Are. You?” You press again, ignoring his other questions.  

His eyes seem to glimmer momentarily, a color flashing across the surface, his sizeable hands bracing against the wall behind you, trapping your body. Yoongi leans in and, for a moment you think he’s going to kiss you but, his lips make a detour over to your ear instead. Your heart is practically in your throat and, the odd sensation grows stronger and stronger within you. Yoongi’s lips brush over the shell of your ear, whispering a language you don’t recognize, 

“Sleep now human, before your mouth gets you in trouble…” 

Darkness envelops you and your body goes limp, causing Yoongi’s arms to come out and catch you.  

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

“Human…” A low voice rumbles beside you, slowly pulling you from your unconscious state.  

You know the voice but, the fog in your brain can’t quite place it, the only thing you can feel is a dull throbbing your temples.  

“Y/N…”  

It was Yoongi. 

Your eyes pop open, immediately on guard, your hazy vision noting that Yoongi was sitting on the arm chair beside the sofa. 

A white blouse adorned his top half, the ties loosened, exposing his chest, his hair damp, suggesting that he had just bathed.  

You sit up slowly, back away from his figure, “What did you do to me?” 

He rolls his eyes, “I subdued you. You were getting out of control…” 

“You drugged me? What the hell is wrong with you?” 

Yoongi scoffs, a smirk playing on his lips, “I didn’t use any drugs, don’t be ridiculous. You were being unreasonable; I merely helped you fall back asleep...” 

The frustration you’ve been feeling returns quickly but, the way Yoongi spoke to you, always dismissing you, made defeat spark in your heart.  

His brows rise, challenging you, “Are you going to behave now?” 

However, this comment ignites the fire within you once more and, your eyes shoot up to lock onto his. 

“Are you going to tell me who you are?” 

Yoongi can’t help but chuckle, your frustration beginning to amuse him. 

“No.” 

The fire is hotter now and, you have to resist the urge to reinstate your argument.  

“Then no,” You smirk, ensuring that the venom is present in your voice, “I’m not going to behave.” 

Yoongi feels something brewing in his body but, he does his best to ignore it. Although, there is something about the authority in your voice that gets to him.  

“You are peculiar you know that? Provoking me, disregarding my boundaries, do you not value your life at all?” He leans back against the back of the chair, dark eyes scanning your face.   

“I don’t value my life over another. Finding the truth could ensure the safety of my people…” You retort, the two of you locking eyes, palpable tension beginning to rise.   

“I’ve told you the truth human…” 

“You’ve told me part of the story,” You counter, nodding to him, your confidence growing slightly as Yoongi’s resolve tends to break. 

“Why are you so curious? The part that I told you is the only part that pertains to your people, the rest is-”  

He pauses, breathing out through his nose, breaking the gaze between the two of you. 

Emotion flutters in your heart, your eyes turning their attention towards the tree branches that brush against the window pane. 

“Yoongi…” Your voice is gentler now, trying to reason with him, “ …my parents died in this forest. They were explorers and, made it their life’s work to unlock its secrets. I don’t want their work to be in vain, please…maybe I can help you, maybe if more people knew the truth, we’d be able to stop the darkness...”   

As you revert your eyes back to his, you notice he’s sporting a disgusted expression, an expression that doesn’t reach his eyes.  

“You are naïve human, naïve and foolish. Just like your parents…” Yoongi’s words cut like knives, slicing through your exterior and, tearing you to pieces. “I have searched for centuries and, have yet to find a solution; you would be useless to me, knowing the rest of the story wouldn’t change that…” 

That’s it then.  

Your heart sinks, your face flushes and, the tightening in your throat is unbearable. 

Standing shakily to your feet, you sniffle, trying to keep the tears at bay before looking up at Yoongi, “Maybe you should have left me in the forest Yoongi, since I’m so useless…” 

He watches you rush out of the den, his chest aching at the sight of your sadness and, he suddenly regrets every word he said.

His defense was too strong this time, he took it too far. 

Yoongi’s words are caught in his throat as he ignores his desire to run after you and, he curses himself for being so hard-headed sometimes. “Wow Min that was harsh, even for you…” Jimin appears at the bottom of the stairs, smirking, his tongue licking over his pointy teeth.  

Yoongi sends a glare his way, “Do not refer to me so casually, Siren or I will ensure you never enter Paradise...”  

Jimin falters slightly but, presses him further, snickering quietly, “Apologies, my lord. I am merely confused; if you hate this human so much, why not consume her? I imagine her soul would be...divine...”   

Yoongi feels his blood boil over, “Because, unlike you, I’m not a degenerate...”   

Jimin chuckles darkly, stepping off the final step, “Why do you hate her so much? She is one of the better humans I’ve encountered…quite beautiful too…” 

Yoongi feels a pull in his stomach as he mentions your beauty, something about the way Jimin was speaking of you made him uncomfortable.  

Although Jimin, in general, often made him uncomfortable. 

“I don’t hate her…” Yoongi mutters, pushing himself off of the couch, wishing to retire to his room, alone. 

Jimin steps in front of him, mischief in his eyes, “You’re attracted to her aren’t you?” 

Another tug in Yoongi’s stomach puts him further on the defensive and, pushes past Jimin to get to the staircase. 

“Siren, I won’t tell you again…” Yoongi warns, venom in his tone, “…stay in line, or I will eternalize your sentence…” 

This threat does a number on Jimin’s desire to pester and, rather than risk feeling Yoongi’s wrath, he shuts his mouth and, disappears into a thin mist.  

As Yoongi reaches his chamber, he strips himself down to his undergarments and crawls under his duvet. He pulls the fabric completely over his head in a futile attempt to drown out his chaotic thinking, beyond frustrated with himself. 

He shouldn’t have spoken to you that way, he knows that. 

He knows that Jimin, however infuriating, wasn’t completely wrong in his assumptions.  

You do…intrigue him. 

He knows that you have good intentions; he can sense your purity.  

He knows that you possess something you don’t quite understand; the fact that you could see Jimin proves that.  

He knows that you have a strong moral code, one that isn’t easily manipulated, despite his best efforts. 

He knows that you’re argumentative, impatient and, passionate. 

However, he doesn’t understand you completely; he doesn’t understand how you manage to rattle his carefully crafted resolve. 

He doesn’t understand why he wants to protect you. 

Or why he finds you so endearing… 

So enchanting… 

Despite spending his life being feared, Yoongi finds himself completely and utterly terrified for the first time.

Terror aside, he knows what he has to do.

He has to tell you that your grandfather lied to you.

He has to tell you that not everything is as it seems.

He has to tell you the truth.

[ofhomeland-a]

hello happy new year ! even though i’ve been on tumblr on and off for almost like 8 years or something , i’ve only been writing dinah on tumblr since october 23rd and even though i don’t interact with nearly as many people as i’d like to , it warms my heart that this many people enjoy what i write ! they enjoy my portrayal and they share the same love that i have for my muse , and that means everything to me ! because dinah madani ? oh , boy ... she stomped into my own home and snatched my own heart from my chest ; i love her so much , and i love writing her character so much . so uh , i know this is such an ugly post , but i was taken by surprise when i took a quick look through my followers this morning .

first of all , i want to thank each and every one of you for following me and wanting to interact . i appreciate you all not only for enjoying my content and portrayal , but just for existing and getting through it all . you’re here , it’s about to be a new year , and i’m proud of you for that . 

second , i do want to shout at a few people real quick because that’s what people do on these things , right ?

CLOSEST FRIENDS

@agentstein / @catwalksilhouette / @brightwasright / @finaldisorder — we’ve been at this for almost a decade . we met on this hellsite and we formed a relationship on this hellsite and now you’re my best friend and fiance . you support me and indulge all of my weird ass ideas . nothing is too ‘ far out ’ for you ; you never make me feel insecure about my characters or ideas . love that for me . love that for us . you’re the best and i’m just so thankful we met on our jim and molly blogs so feckin’ long ago . you’re the light in my life , and the main reason i continue on . as with every relationship , there are bumps , but god damn we work through them like the champions we are . keep on keepin’ on , you funky little love bug . i love you more than life .

@kingoftheravens / @apogexn — *slaps top of head* this bad boy can fit so many creative ideas in it !!!! no but really , no matter how often i disappear , vicious is DEADASS always here to welcome me back with open arms with zero guilt trips or anything like that . we met ( briefly ) on this blue hellsite like 5+ years ago , and i always really looked up to her as a person and her amazing world building . she was actually one of the first people i met when i made loki all those years ago , so ofc when i saw her url floating around once i made brock , i had to reach out despite being scared to , and i’m so glad i did . <3 vicious , ily and you’re just spectacular . thank you for being such an awesome friendo .

@kupale / @hadncchoice — GOBS i know you aren’t here , but i miss you terribly . we’ve been through ... a lot together LMAO but we came out stronger because of it ! i’m so glad you decided to stick around , and i’m so glad we stuck with each other through it ! i know i speak for milo too when i say this , but you’re amazing . you’re a trooper and you’re going to keep trooping on . i miss you !!!! <3

@soulstcne — !!!!!! this is another one that is literally always here and ready to welcome me back with open arms whenever i disappear and decide to come back . i can never repay your kindness and patience , but i absolutely appreciate it more than anything . shauna is always ready to plot and just spitball ideas ALL day and i love it so much ! also ashley ?? whew , she’s just as amazing <333 

BABES

@zombleeds / @griefends / @whisperswar — MELANIE . ICB !!! i know i’ve said this 100 times , but i remember being in awe of your frank when i wrote on my bucky and i’m just SO glad i decided to reach out to you !!! i know once i stop being a massive potato , we are going to write beautiful and heart breaking things >) thank you for being so positively amazing !!!

@jigscw — i know we don’t talk often , but i just wanted to thank you for always indulging my random IM’s screaming about either dinah & billy or krista & billy . you’re honestly really easy to talk to , and your billy is just CHEF KISS . i love him !!! i love the way you write him ! the tone !!! HHHH everything . thank you for writing with me !

@cynicomplex — listen i know we don’t talk a whole lot , but i appreciate you so much ! i love how open you are to my dumb ideas , and you always support them ! i also love how much i love our two idiots here ..... they’re so dumb and i just can’t with them . i know we’ve only written a few things together , and haven’t really gotten too far in any of them , but the chemistry between dinah and devrah is undeniable ! soon they’ll see they belong together ... soon ... 

@affcgato / @readyforyours / @idumean / @takeseffort / @huntersprayer — i’m so glad i accidentally liked a random thread between you and someone else , because it MADE me reach out in order to apologize for being awkward . i’ve always loved your characterization , no matter the muse . you’re such a sweet and amazing person , i’m really glad we’ve started talking !! also , i just want to point out that fact that you’re incredibly strong , and i am so proud of you !! for getting through the BS that you did !!! and the fact that you’re able to come back ,,, <3 i really hope to plot with you very soon ( with any of your muses ! ) but i just ned to stop being Potato first !!! 

@tocxmply — I KNOW I’M A SLOW ASS POTATO , but we’re 2 replies into our thread and it’s already got me feelin’ some type of way . i love your take on bucky , i love your writing , and i love your dedication . thank you so much for not only following me , but also entertaining my ideas and helping me plot something wonderful . you’re wonderful !

@hakune — !!!!! we haven’t written yet , but when we do .... oh the dash isn’t prepared for it !!! i love your characterization , your write all of your muses with such dedication and love , it’s amazing to see . also your energy on the dash ? top notch . i’m living for it !! 

@warhunting / @blcckbiird / @knifesavvy — i’m sorry you have to put up with so much from shitty people in your inbox . every time i see it , it makes me so angry . but honestly , you’re such a strong person and i’m proud of you for continuing to do what you love ! also rick and dinah ? cuties . i hope to continue developing them in 2020 !

@ikumkani / @sundiety — wow ... your conviction . your energy !!!! your writing !!!!!!! i really admire you and T’Challa , like ... you write him and about him with such a dedicated passion , i can FEEL it radiating from every word ! i love the fact that i can hear his voice in my head with every word , and those headcanons ??? i can’t . also hold on a second , SOL CAME INTO MY OWN HOME and stole my heart , okay . i love her concept , i love her ! i love reading about her , and learning more about her . thank you so much for blessing my dash with your wonderful creations .

@putrifyre — i’ve said it once and i’ll say it 100 more times : I LOVE TASS . I LOVE HIM !!!! I LOVE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE ABOUT HIM . i love how emotional he is !! how loving he is toward his SO’s ! how Soft™ he can be !!! one wouldn’t expect it coming from someone like him , and that really just adds so much to his character ! i’m in love with everything you have for him !! and then you !! oh , you’re a gem ! i know we’ve only spoken a few times , mainly because i’m Shit with keeping up w people , but you’re so ,,, nice . you’re so easy to talk to !! 

@arrowfcrged — !!! omg I LOVE victor , and I LOVE his and dinah’s dynamic so much . and i LOVE how sweet you are ! you’re very welcoming , very fun , and you’re always up for plotting and tossing ideas around ! love that ! thank you so much for writing with me , and for inadvertently helping me figure out dinah’s own sort of vigilante verse . writing with you definitely assisted in fleshing her reasoning out , and it’s wonderful that i was able to do that with you <3

LOVELIES

@cthlicdevil / @warstrike / @boundedbygrief / @elataan / @lcdiablcblanc / @stormweathered / @riddel / @deferentially / @rouqehair / @deivll / @venomtm / @hoyled / @prcsopa / @sniperwithasmoke / @br6vo / @detectiev / @dunnithole / @wardogsong / @hittcr / @fbiartist / @huntreborn / @becomedeviant / @craene / @warcharged / @lasw3ll / @childhealcr / @standsready / @tlmebreaks / @codedhonor / @marredset / @aresblessed / @avocadefense / @fairdoves / @wristful / @falsedking / @hlekter / @miserybled / @cadisfly / @brightprofiler / @healsiick / @thestarskiller / @palespyder / @shitgiven / @ashtouch / @awbartonno / @hopeswrath / @geneticempath / @conflyct / @lucifeyr / @tapewormking / @suppetior 

happy new year , everyone ! let’s make it a great one <3

[shurisneakers]

espresso [2]

Summary: In which your best friend’s brother begins to set you up on dates when you mention that you haven’t been in a relationship in years, but things don’t go as expected.

Warning: swearing

A/N: this is my entry for the ethereal @bithors writing challenge!  huge thank you to @samingtonwilson, queen of everything, for beta-ing this fic and adding her magic to it. ily sam taal.

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous part- Part 1 || Espresso Masterlist

If you could narrow your times of intense regret to two main circumstances, one would be when you allowed Bucky and Rebecca to convince you that a roller coaster ride after scarfing down funnel cakes was a great idea and the other would be the precise moment your alarm clock shook the walls of your bedroom an hour earlier than usual after a night of drinking. 

You hadn’t realized how early Bucky had to wake up to go to work until the morning you experienced the latter circumstance. The constant slump in his shoulders the days he had work and the dark circles under his eyes suddenly made more sense.

You grudgingly tugged on a hoodie and leggings and left a note for Natasha on your way out saying that you wouldn’t be there for breakfast.

Stepping out into the crisp, cold air would be great on another day but all you could feel today was Jack Frost’s wet dream. Campus wasn’t completely deserted and you could see people looking more lively than you did, forcing your already unpleasant mood to shift into a mix of anger and jealousy.

You walked briskly to the coffee shop, sighing in relief when you pushed open the door and were finally enveloped in the familiar smell that every coffee shop smelt like. Fucking coffee.

Bucky was behind the counter, his back turned to you as he pressed a few buttons on a machine and leaned on the counter while it filled up the cup. As he looked up for a second, his eyes spotted you standing near the doorway.

A smile grew on his face as he beckoned you over, “Gimme five minutes, I’ll be right over. Go have a seat if you want.”

“How are you so confident that I came here to talk to you?”

“Oh, sweetheart-“ he tilted his head at you, “- we all know how much you hate the coffee here.”

“Well, everything here tastes like a discount version. It is morally wrong to drink this soulless donkey piss.” You made a disgusted face when you thought of the last time you put that shit in your mouth. Never again.

“Not everyone can afford Starbucks every day like some people I know, Mario,” he sang, putting a lid on the cup before handing it to the guy who looked like he could use a couple of years’ worth of sleep.

You furrowed your eyebrows. You didn’t know if he realized that his comment stung a little more than expected.

“Besides, you’ve never tasted my coffee.”

“Oh? You’re telling me your coffee can redeem this hell joint?” you narrowed your eyes at him.

“I don’t redeem it. I make it what it is.”

“So… a complete failure?”

“Like you? Nope,” he fired back, making you laugh. “Do you want something or nah?”

“Give me my regular. You know how I like it.”

“Coming right up.”

You took a seat in the booth near the window, sliding in all the way until your shoulders were leaning on the glass. There was dew on the leaves of the fake plants outside while the logo of the coffee shop was starting to peel off. You couldn’t say you didn’t aid the small scratches inching away at the giant sticker.

As you waited for him, your fingers pulled at the loose threads in the musty couch, while your eyes remained trained on him as he moved around to make your order.

His hair was shoved under a black baseball cap and he wore a grey t-shirt that was covered by the apron. You knew there was an engineering joke on that shirt, some geeky thing that he was unnaturally proud of.

You watched as he scribbled something onto the cup, biting his lip in concentration. Probably his nickname for you.

As he continued to shuffle around, you let your eyes close for maybe a few more seconds of sleep. You had Strange’s class in the morning, followed by Foster’s. Blergh.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” he asked as he slid onto the couch opposite to you.

“I just don’t get how you can do this every morning.” You opened your one eye to look at him. In front of Bucky was a to-go cup with Mario written across the front.

“I don’t really have another option.” He shrugged, pushing your cup forward. You took it with a sigh, feeling the warmth immediately creep into your skin.

“So what’s your master plan, barista boy?” You tipped the cup back, sipping on the hot liquid. He was right. It was kinda great.

His eyes flitted to the cup in your hand before looking at you again. “It’s pretty simple, really.”

“Do enlighten me.”

“I know a couple of guys. I send you on blind dates with them. If you like any of them, go for it,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging.

“That’s all?” You took a pause from drinking to narrow your eyes at him. “You woke me up at this ungodly hour to tell me that you’ll set me up with a few guys?”

“Damn, don’t sound so excited and grateful, I can’t handle it,” he muttered, sending you a smile.

“C'mon, James. I know you can do better than that. Even Nat could set me up with guys.”

“Yeah, but can Nat make you the best damn coffee you’ve ever had?”

“Nat can do everything,” you answered without batting an eye. “I mean it. You ever seen that girl write? Shit, I’d date her just for the love letters she could possibly write me.”

“Point taken. Isn’t her film festival coming up? How’s she handling that?”

“Incredibly well. She’s sleeping a maximum of four hours a night and is running on nothing but Gatorade and spite.”

“Great.” His eyes shifted to the cup again, before looking back at you.

“What did you do?”

“What?”

“What did you do to my coffee cup? You keep staring at it.” You opened the lid to look inside, praying that you wouldn’t find a dead lizard or something.

“Nothing! I swear I didn’t do anything,” he said defensively, leaning back with his arms surrendering.

“I promise,” he added when he noticed your look wasn’t faltering.

“Alright, Barnes. Coming back to the topic at hand-” you waved around between the two of you. “I know you can do better than that.”

“What more dost thy thirsty ass wanteth?” Bucky asked, smirking when you rolled your eyes.

“How many dates are you planning for me?” you asked after a pause.

“Five. Why?”

“What if I don’t like all five?” you raised your eyebrow, taking a sip of your coffee.

“Are you questioning my matchmaking skills?”

“What credibility do you have, really?”

“I watched two seasons of The Bachelorette,” he said, making you choke on your drink. “I’m like, a certified Tinder employee.”

“My original question still stands.”

“If you don’t like all five, you don’t like them. That’s about it?”

“That’s so boring,” you whined. “Make it interesting.”

“Jesus, Mario,” he exhaled. “Okay, fine. Here’s the thing.”

“Ooooh, shits-“

“Say ‘shit’ one more time in plural and I’m leaving.”

“Shit-“ you said, making him nod. “-s,” you added under your breath.

Either Bucky ignored you or he didn’t hear you, but either way, he continued, “If you don’t like any of those five guys, I’ll do one thing you want me to do. It can be anything.”

“Holy shits-“ he glared at you but you continued, “-If I asked you to strip your pants and walk around campus?”

“Yikes, but yes.”

“Do my homework for a month?”

“If I understand any of it, sure.”

“Tell me who the love letter you wrote years ago was to?” you asked deviously, making him freeze.

“What makes you think I still remember it?”

“So it was a love letter! Gotcha, you liar, liar, pants on fire.”

“Jesus Christ. How old are you again?”

“Irrelevant, move on. Will you tell me who it is to or not?” you waved off his question quickly, moving to the more pressing matters.

“I still don’t get why you want to know so bad, but yes. I’ll tell you,” he gave up, throwing his hands up. “But what if you like one of them?”

“Isn’t that a win, win? You get to keep your amazing matchmaking reputation and I get myself a guy.”

“Alright. Fine. You got yourself a deal.”

“Deal,” you affirmed, finishing what was remaining in the cup before reaching across the table to shake his hand firmly.

You pulled back soon after, gathering your phone and wallet, leaving him a five dollar bill on the table before he could argue. You adjusted the bag on your shoulder before giving him a short wave and a smile before wishing him a good day and walking out the shop in a slight hurry. You were already kinda late for class.

He sighed, picking up your empty cup and toyed around with it, reading the words he had written on it. He genuinely wondered how you didn’t see the letters in black ink across the front, but before he could worry too much about it the bell above the doorway rang, signalling the arrival of another customer. 

Making his way back to the counter hurriedly, he threw the cup into the dustbin before sliding under the counter and jumping back up again to greet the next person with a bright smile.

“Hi. Could I have a grande soy cinnamon no-foam, half caf, extra shot caramel macchiato?”

‘I fucking hate this job,’ Bucky thought, smiling and nodding to the customer in front of him.

PART 3

[keepyourpantsongohan]

Ayesha Liveblogs Naruto Shippuden S19

Lmao @ Shikamaru flirting with Temari before greeting the Kazekage #Priorities 

Why bother giving these kids the data from those chunin exams they were there they ARE the data

“You'd know more about the reason behind the interruption of the final rounds and its chronology” Shizune fucking calling out the Sand omg ‘remember when u tried to murder us? I do’

“She hasn't changed a bit” and u love her for it Shikamaru

Why is Kakashi even here lmao he doesn't have a team of Genin this time around it's just because he's competent and adorable I guess

The Team 7 outro I weep SP is really stabbing me in the heart

Fu is a handful and I love it

“You want to find some way to bond with the rebels?” historically that's actually worked out pretty well it seems

I'M SCREAMING ARE WE GONNA SEE SAKURA'S CHUNIN EXAM

“She just might be tougher than [Shikamaru]” Ino <3 Sakura 5ever

KAKASHI COME INSPIRE YOUR BABY GENIN SHE DESERVES THIS

I feel a little ripped off that Kakashi didn't get to be the Angel of Cheering People Up but I'm proud of Sakura either way and I am i n  l o v e with the idea of watching her Chunin exams

They were so excited to see Naruto it's a shame he's not real

This timeline where everyone takes the Chunin exams a year before Naruto comes back implies that there were at minimum 9 Leaf Chunin made in a single exam

It also puts very little distance between Neji making Chunin and Jonin but I guess to be fair Kakashi was made a jonin at 9

Hjghdskhfhlvhl Team Guy Dynamics:

Tenten: We're being split up?

Lee: We'll be on our own for this?

Neji: [already walking away]

SHIKAMARU INVIGILATES LIKE A SUPER VILLAIN WHAT A DRAMA HOE

“Thanks for having my back” Literally half of Shikamaru's screen time is flirting with Temari I love it

Neji why do you have to be so dramatic do you really need to use jutsu as visual aids in your explanations

THIS BITCH FIGHT BETWEEN NEJI AND THE SAND SHINOBI IS SO GREAT

Sand Siblings @ Gaara probably: Will you stop talking about Naruto for like ten fucking seconds

Neji stepping in to save his girl Tenten my heart

Fu is so cute omg “I want to make a hundred friends”

I'm willing to believe Neji can recognize a jinchuriki's chakra right away bc of his fight with Naruto

“Dwelling on the misfortunes of birth is meaningless” same Shira same

I have a hard time believing Sakura couldn't take down that scorpion without Fu but plot I guess

I CAN'T BELIEVE FU JUST ASKED THE KAZEKAGE TO TAKE A BATH WITH HER

“Gaara!” “Sorry, just thinking” Fuck how often does Temari have to shake Gaara out of thinking about Naruto lmao

Kiba has to spread his legs as widely as possible mid-air his philosophy is truly ‘Dicks out for Shinobi’

Ninja who are about to partake in infiltration, loudly: Scatter!

I also have a hard time believing that a Byakugan user of Neji's skill would be so easily taken in by genjutsu

Honestly Team Guy is prime OT3 material their teamwork is amazing and they lift each other up constantly  

This is the second time in this set of exams that Team Guy has helped not only their competitors but also ninja from a different village the Leaf truly raises their babies right

“I wanna know which one's more valuable to the village... is it the boulder or you?” Still working on the charisma thing huh Gaara

Every mission Team Guy goes on:

Tenten/Neji: Lee how about we think about this before we start-

Lee: JUMPING INTO ACTION

“Please apologize to him!” I adore Lee

I'M SCREAMING NEJI IMPLYING THAT HE IS RIVALS WITH NARUTO INSTEAD OF LEE HE'S TRYING TO BREAK UP THE BAND

‘Hey Shira what's your technique?’ ‘Breathing really hard’

“Two Heaven scrolls. When should I break it to them?” Further proof that Dad!Neji would be ridiculous he has trouble breaking bad news to friends let alone babies

Kiba @ Hinata: Pay! Attention! To! Me!

I fucking love how Kiba has no qualms about anything gross like biting a slimy guy ‘let me at him’, breathing into my dog's nose ‘of course’, running around covered in dog urine ‘just a Tuesday’

These episodes have reawakened the inner Kiba/Hinata shipper in me

“Forget I ever mentioned Naruto okay?” omg I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Kiba blush before but the second he was called out about Naruto there it is

“Their persistence is extraordinary” this is true about the entire village tbh 

It’s not fair of you to compare your shadow clone abilities to a boy with a chakra demon inside of him Kiba 

“I can tell just how hard Naruto trained out here” so what ur saying is that u smell Naruto’s sweat

Kiba’s sure ready to brag for someone whose plan was just playing dead

“It’s the fault of the whole team” I don’t remember this guy’s name but I have a feeling that if Minato were alive he’d love him

“No you’re wrong it was me” Ggfkjghdfkghkd Kiba pls why are you like this

“Be nice and give us your scroll” tru Shinobi of the Leaf 

The Look(TM) Neji gives Lee when he gets Tenten in a bad mood

TENTEN’S HONESTLY WATCHING NEJI FROM THE BUSHES WHILE HE TRAINS LIKE HE DOES NOT HAVE THE BYAKUGAN 

“We’re able to fight so aggressively because we know that you have our backs” Guy is such a supportive sensei 10/10 (no pun intended)

“How did they turn out anyway?” “I have my doubts about them” LEE PLS

Real talk does the Akatsuki not know that the person hosting these exams is a jinchuriki he is the Kazekage

“Hi there, are you guys cliff-climbing too? Hang in there” KAKASHI HATAKE WITH SHITTY TRAINING PUNS COMING 2 SAVE MY LIFE 

Honestly Guy is the only sensei who seems to train his own kunoichi directly because both Ino and Hinata have clan-based jutsu and all of Kakashi’s babies were taken in by the Sanin

“The great nations don’t understand pain” like half the Leaf Village is orphans what more do u want from them Ajisai

“The Hidden Rain will soon be reborn” “Does that mean you’re gonna be more friendly then?” suffice to say the answer was no

Love my Leaf boys who won’t let people from other villages be attacked in an unfair way even by their own fellow villagers

Lee realizing that trash-talking insects doesn’t really work lmao 

Props to Lee for not holding a grudge against Gaara because he was both the reason he was injured before the last invasion and also one of the invaders  

“Sensei, have I gotten stronger since the last Chunin exam?” “Well, you should have” Inspiring self-confidence with Might Guy 

What a gentle and peppy intro it’s a change of pace from the intense bops

Thank you!!!!! I still don’t understand why Sakura couldn’t take out the first insect because she’s like the strongest woman alive

Omg Ino gently taking Sakura’s hand to heal it my bisexual heart <3 

“Where’s Shikamaru?” “He’s seeing off the delegates from the Hidden Sand” HE’S FLIRTING WITH TEMARI MY BOI

I aspire 2 be as committed to avoiding talking about my feelings as Asuma Sarutobi

Tsunade just doesn’t have the energy to entertain student rivalry lol 

“You just broke my concentration since you kept peeking over at me” this entire episode is incredibly gay and I love it 

“Because of you, I’m going to the place where I belong” this is ninja code for gay marriage (see: Tenzo’s infinite Tsukuyomi scene)

I LOVE SAKURA SHE PICKED A FIGHT WITH A SCORPION TO GET DINNER FOR HER FRIENDS MY KIND OF GAL

It actually makes complete sense that Tsunade never intended for Ino to become a medical ninja because it’s not Ino’s strongest technique but it’s useful on multiple levels 

I don’t know what Ino’s future job is supposed to be but I hope it’s Head of the intelligence division bc of Inoichi’s legacy

Honestly Sakura becomes even more impressive when you consider every battle she fought up until the war she was consistently depleting her chakra it’s a disadvantage similar to Kakashi’s sharingan and yet she not only managed to keep from being hospitalized but also was able to fight the Akatsuki and perform surgery

Honestly what on earth is this Sasuke business what a non-sequitor

Take a shot every time Orochimaru kidnaps a child

The fact that Sakura braces for impact bc she won’t even consider dodging at the cost of abandoning Ino’s body nfdgbfdgjdhfb

“I don’t care about the Chunin exams, I want to have my revenge!” okay Anime Bride of Chuckie 

“He’s probably forgotten all about you and has already found a better partner” Kurama truly hitting Naruto where it hurts 

I’m so proud of Sakura she is absolutely fucking adorable 

“Gaara, let’s get dinner” I’ve never heard those words said so intensely

Why is the animation on this sand so much better than the animation on literally anything else 

“Make sure he doesn’t step foot outside” lmao @ Gaara’s siblings trying to babysit him even though he’s the leader of the village

FURTHER LAUGHTER AT GAARA SNEAKING OUT OF HIS ROOM LIKE THE TEENAGER HE IS 

“This will take a lot more than gutsiness to overcome” [Naruto in the distance: How dare u Neji]

TEAM GUY CUDDLING OUT THE SANDSTORM I LOVE THEM!!!!

“I told you I was right,” said Mikoshi, as he began to drown in a pit of sand

Oh my god Fu wants to make a hundred friends to end all wars what a gal

“He sounds exactly like the kind of guy I’d like to meet and become friends with” that’s actually sad both because she dies before she can really know Naruto but he does meet her eventually through the tailed beasts

“Well, see ya!” jbfjhdkfjhgkjh Team Jonin Sensei is truly a beautiful thing 

It takes the Akatsuki like three days to extract a tailed beast and this dude is trying to do it in 30 seconds good luck my dude

Poor Neji he can’t stand to disappoint other people 

“We can’t just ignore someone in distress” Team Guy Saving People During the Chunin Exams Count: 4 <333

Take a shot every time someone on this show fantasizes about Naruto

“Yes, but that’s only because he’s a fool” this might be the closest Gaara has come to insulting Naruto in years

I want so badly for Neji and Gaara to be friends I love lonely ninja boys

"Get ready Fu, you’re next!” “Okay!!” I’ve never seen someone look so excited to get poked in the stomach

“I thank you, Neji. Never thought you’d rescue me” Team Guy Saving People During the Chunin Exams Count: 7

Take a shot every time Gaara tells someone about his crush on Naruto

“I wanted to try to heal the hurt I’d caused everyone” Gaara <3

Why are there so many heaven scrolls that seems to be all that anyone has

Gaara @ all the exam participants: You get to be a Chunin! You get to be a Chunin! Everyone gets to be a Chunin! 

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED THAT AJISAI IS ONE OF THE BODIES OF PAIN I DIDN’T REALIZE IT UNTIL THE EXAM WAS OVER BUT THEY’RE ABOUT TO CONFIRM IT

Are we about to watch a montage of all the people who died since the Chunin exams 

Oh my GOD Fu trying to befriend Kakuzu RIP 

Well I guess Neji’s double promotion makes way more sense than him taking a Jonin exam like months after his Chunin exam but still what an arbitrary decision-making process

[vonseal]

what im weak for this week

so it’s been two weeks AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!!! next week, i probably won’t actually deliver anything either, as next week is when school starts back up and i need to prep for that!

for now tho, pls enjoy this! its long. 

edit halfway through: ITS VERY LONG. READER BEWARE.

clumsy touch by sarangway

i like fake boyfriends. i really like fake boyfriends. it’s a cliche that i am proud to embrace (tho, tbh, i embrace all the cliches). and who better to write socky fake boyfriend than @revetoile!!! it’s a nice, quick oneshot that i was so happy to read! <3

his ray of sunshine by SummerSnowflake

yet another really short drabble, but OH MY GOSH if it isnt just the cutest fluff you’ll probably ever read in your entire life! i loved reading it, and even if it’s short, it really made my heart all fluttery and warm!

sugar and fluff and all that good stuff by jimblejams

whats not to love about this fic??? it’s got the holy trinity of ships, binu and myungjin and socky, all wrapped up in one deliciously sweet oneshot that i’ve read at least three times since it’s been released. @jakganim came into the fanfic community with a bang, and i hope they never ever ever leave <3

where soil lies, a new beginning blooms by parkjinwoes

i’ve probably already recommended this fic before, but im going to do it again because it is the true love of my life! it’s based off of witchcraft, and i’m honestly still so so happy that @vocalpmh decided to write this for me! the myungjin is adorable, and minhyuk’s deadpan delivery is golden! thank you once again!!!

to kiss a rock by jinwoosmile

i, too, stand by the belief that myungjun would be the best kisser, bc have you seen those lips. this fic, tho, is really really fun. i like the creative ways in which minhyuk has kissed every member, and i like the CUTE SOCKY I LOVE CUTE SOCKY. @jinwoosmile blesses us with her fanfics. (go send her love and encouragement to get through these coming school days!)

im a mom by heybinnie

BOY IF YOU CANT SEE THIS HAPPENING THO. it was such cute fluff!!! i always love the creative ways in which @heybinnie writes; it leaves me melting into a pile of goo and happiness. this one’s a little shorter and features moonbin as the title character and it’s worth every single second of reading.

not an ikea story by Maye_C

@maye-c has always been able to capture myungjun’s dorkiness, childness, and yet maturity (sexiness, too, hOLLA) in her fics and this one just swung right into my heart very very very very quickly. it’s adorable and funny (I LAUGH SO MUCH) and every single bit as perfect as all of mayec’s other works, i love her and her writing!

ferris wheels series by aloharoha

i think i’ve recommended the first one in this series; if not, i definitely should have at this point! binu and ferris wheels and absolute precious fluff and it’s one of my favorite things??? also my sweet anon child wrote it, whom i adore, pls go love on all this writing <3

because it’s you by marojehca

did i like the myungjin at the end??? yes. i did. myungjin trash CONFIRMED. but all in all, this WAS a really fun story, and i’ve definitely been keeping up with it since it first came out. good job, sanha, good job.

take a picture (click, click) by floatingquietly

i believe the tumblr page is @floatingquietlyfic, but correct me if im wrong and just tagged someone random lol. THIS WAS REALLY CUTE! it was soft and nice and i loved reading it ;A; let jinwoo live, he has nasal inflammation 

mahogany by yehetno

@yehetno strikes again! she comes when i least expect it and when i most need it, it’s uncanny. this was really PAINFUL TO READ ACTUALLY it made my heart ache, but we have been gifted with the Happy Ending, and i couldn’t be more excited over that! great binu by a great human being!

the cat’s out of the bag by aloharoha

some more from my sweet anon! she’s such an amazing writer and im always in awe of the works! this socky was definitely no exception; i felt really giddy, and i was cheering BOTH sanha and minhyuk on the entire time. bless the cat for causing our two boys to confess ;D (when will my cats get me a cute boy)

hit me up by lee_dongminhyuk

my star anon has arrived! @lee-dongminhyuk wrote some amazing bullet fics (i’ll recommend those a little further down, getting A03 fics out of the way first!) and then this one is just SO GOOD. also it reads like an actual chat convo, with the topic at hand escaping once or twice before it’s reeled back in. also jinidiot. 

insomnia by parkjinchu

i can relate, dongmin! this is written so well and just so nice and pleasant to read??? but then again ,every single fic from @parkjinchu is my new favorite fic, i swear. it’s like god’s gift to earth lies in mary’s fics. bless u <333

the slushie disaster by Lunapie

i need to keep writing sad socky so luna can keep writing happy socky, AMIRITE, LUNA??? nah fam @moonbinpie SRSLY does have some really cute socky up in this here joint; just two teens being teens in the summer, and i loved reading a nice snapshot into their lives!

i want to keep these feelings forever by junhoonie

i like the socky we have recently. i mean, dont get me wrong, im always myungjin trash, but socky is soft and pure and i need this purity to cleanse my soul. THESE LITTLE CHAPTERS ARE THE MOST PURE OF ALL and i love love reading them <3 @donghyucklees is the incredible driving force behind these fics! 

out of the closet by jimblejams

i requested this. i am so happy i requested this bc i cried when it was published haha im weak. BUT SERIOUSLY, MYUNGJIN WEARING EACH OTHERS’ CLOTHES??? WHAT MORE DO U WANT. jordan strikes again with their amazing writing im going to die.

socky coffee shop au by @jakganim

tagging ur main blog BECAUSE I CAN AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE (but linking your fic blog so ppl can request, go go go request!). i loved this fic. i would give my life for this fic. it was perfect, from minhyuk’s infatuation to my fave part, jinwoo’s ring (keels over) and i need everyone to read this pronto.

puppy love by @jinwoostro

i love me some domestic astro adopting puppies because of sanha. also hiding puppies bc they’re weak for dogs. come on, it’s the purest premise in the world, written by lanna-kokobanna. 

bowling blues by @maye-c

i think i state every day (and multiple times in here) that im myungjin trash, but i REALLY LOVE just astro familial fics. just fics when they’re ASTRO, when they’re friends, when they’re just enjoying life together! and mayec delivers, once more, something pure and gorgeous! also bowling is hard.

college myungjin by @jakganim

i ghost-requested this. i was ghost-gifted this. tbh i was gifted this, along with the rest of the aroha community. I LOVED IT. I LOVE THIS WRITING SO MUCH AND I HOPE WHEN IM ON MY DEATHBED, JORDAN COMES AND JUST BURIES ME WITH ALL THIS WRITING

kid!myungjin bullet fic by @lee-dongminhyuk (part 2, part 3)

to be honest, i actually teared up at this one. especially part 2. gosh i loved it all but it was so rough sometimes, but it had such a nice, sweet, happy ending and i just wanted to clap and yell really loudly because i loved it so much! thank you for sharing it with me, my sweet star anon!

fashion designer binu by @astrofireworks

this was just complete perfection! it was cute and fun and short and also i am 100%$ behind the myungjin at the end. dO YOU HEAR ME, IM HERE FOR THIS SORT OF QUALITY CONTENT

Updated:

dream come true by TheOrgasmicSeke

THIS LAST CHAPTER HAD ME REELING HOLY COW MYUNGJUN GAVE HIM A HEART

stray romance by Alette

tbh if you havent heard or seen this fic, idk where you’ve been living, but there is GOOD REASON why it’s so popular, i cry

hot-line bin by peachybean

i laughed a lot. dongmin is all cool and composed to bin but he’s a literal mess to jinwoo, perfection!

full bloom by peachybean

I JUST NOW REALIZED ITS THE SAME FANFIC AUTHOR, NO WONDER BOTH FICS ARE SUCH AMAZING FICS

centaurus a by astrobinu

reading this always makes me feel like im floating around in space and clenching my teeth in excitement!

and if you ever have anything you think i need to check out, hit me up with that fic, fams. i dont even care if it’s your own. i check a03 regularly, so if it’s something posted elsewhere, pls let me know!

[inktae]

guess it’s time for my first follow forever with this blog! :’) I could never imagine I would reach this milestone so fast, especially after remaking and turning my writing around. and even if numbers are not really that important, it is still heartwarming and incredibly touching to see 6,000 people giving me and my writing a (second) chance.

not gonna lie, finally focusing on the kind of content I enjoy has brought some insecurities. for a long time I pushed away what I really wanted to pursue for many reasons: fear of being forgotten, loyal readers leaving because they did not like my new content, and losing what I had built online so far. even so, that negativity is ridiculously small in comparison to all the love I receive from those who do like what I write. I would have never imagined the immense amount of support I have right now, not with the kind of content I put out. after remaking, I was ready to start anew with a smaller readership and to see less attention being given to my works, to write at my heart’s content even if most weren’t going to enjoy it, and even though I would have been happy with that, it’s still incredible to see that has not been the case. if anything, the love I receive right now is way more meaningful than it used to be, because seeing people enjoying what I genuinely love to write is a feeling that I will never be able to describe. whatever the reason for this incredible luck I’ve had, it doesn’t take away from the amount of gratitude that has been growing in me for the last few months.

I am seriously beyond honored that you guys have allowed me to pour my heart into my stories the way I do, to make me feel confident enough to give more importance to what I like and not what others want from me. you all have helped me push away that hesitance of letting my imagination go wild for fear of it not being well received, which I know is not something many can say. I am really, really lucky to have such gentle, encouraging followers, with whom I’ve created such a positive environment here <3

this might only be a small blog on the internet where I just write fanfiction, but it has had a great impact in my personal life, and a positive one at that. I have improved my writing and my self-esteem, I have nurtured my creativity, I have met SO many people who inspire me and, most importantly, I learned that I need to stop trying to please everyone - because that’s just impossible. as long as I’m doing it for myself, that’s what matters the most :)

firstly, I need to acknowledge the readers who have stuck with me so far - both the ones who were there since pjiminnie, and those who are only discovering my blog now. I am deeply thankful for all of you, for showing me support and for giving my stories so much love and for motivating me without even realizing it. behind all of those ‘thank you’ messages, there is a smile and a warm heart and a deep gratitude that I’m unable to express with words. I don’t consider myself as good as some of you guys believe, but it is certainly a push in the right direction to find the confidence I hope I can achieve someday, and it is all thanks to you: unicorn anon, coffee anon, moon anon, tatertot anon, pillow anon, unrelated anon, n anon, titania, @war-of-hormoan, @mysweetkittae, @she-films-the-clouds, @casper-rose, @femme--almighty, @kateheartskpop, @parkjiminsjagiya, @twentynine-lin, @taenekiii, @vitae-min, @taequility, @kimre, @dimplecoups, @y-oongles, @gab-soon, @dreamingindoodles, @arisuna, @charizard-z, @jiminfully, @xobts, @chanyeolsaurus, @bangtanplan, @myooniverse, @mykye, @ananyak26, @ahmie-cat, @phiepster, @blue-eyed-fantom, @read-bangtan, @rousse97, @writingbarnes, @spellboundsangria, @azurepaperplanes, @btsugaplums, @awkward-bangtan and many many more I’m most definitely missing. whether you just shower me with likes or have sent me a message or two, your support to my blog means the world to me! thank you. ^^

now, there are a few mentions I need to make to show some appreciation to my favorite people (those marked with a ☆ have a lil message at the bottom, but everyone on this list are my faves :D)

@artsyjhope ☆ | @lthyl ☆ | @rolbi | @wonderer-ru ☆ | @spring-jealousy | @jeonbegins | @sugasgrowl | @mochiibebe ☆ | @blushoseoks | @jiminssi | @ttaewo | @kimvtae | @ohsuga | @versigny | @yoongihime ☆ | @yoonminnings ☆ | @chimneytaels | @gukvory ☆ | @taeverie ☆ | @4stigma | @sugajpg | @syubingseok ☆ | @kittae | @fhawn | @bxebxee | @thules | @chimdeer | @workofteaguk | @donewithjeon ☆ | @httpsung | @mytaeddy | @risinginfire | @jeons | @the95liner | @fromthe-seoul | @edenalieth | @triptaech | @seulin | @infiressi | @peachesjoon | @bts-for-life | @4soju | @hobibliophile | @cosykims | @jungkxook | @jungblue | @joonjeons ☆ | @pantaemonium ☆ | @helloblamebts | @taesblueberrymuffin ☆ | @dreamscript ☆ | @yoongsins | @pingkeujin | @kookingtae | @jeonsify | @minsvga | @parkjiminer | @dailydoseofdia | @jiminniemouse | @an-exotic-writer | @cuddleseok | @zephyoongist | @infireation | @ultraviolettae | @meetevil | @colourfulnoodles | @seoulscapes | @2seoke | @pjxmin | @taescup | @kairoseok | @kihyvvn | @tahyungs | @youmakemebacon | @myfeelsinink

@artsyjhope: thank you so much for approaching me, I consider you a very special friend even if we only started talking this year. you are one of the most caring, genuine people I know on this website, and you have a heart of gold. take your time with everything, and continue being as lovely as you have always been! I’ll always be here for you ^^

@lthyl: even though I already told you how I felt in the cheesiest birthday post ever, I can never pass up the opportunity to show my love! :D thank you for being here for so long. I am glad you have gotten to be part of my journey of growth as a writer, and I am also very proud of your own growth as I got to see you blossom into an amazing writer from a reader who only worried about showing her appreciation to others. it makes me happy to see you are also receiving beautiful praise now, after so long of just giving from that very big heart of yours ;v; enjoy this ride as much as you can, don’t let anyone bring you down, and never push yourself in any way! you deserve all the happiness <3

@wonderer-ru: I can already hear you saying ‘she’s lying! shhh! don’t listen to her!’ but I will never shut up! lol. people, if you haven’t checked out her writing, go do it now - it’s a magical ride you won’t regret. but fanfiction aside, I am glad I can say we have such a solid friendship (or at least that’s what I think ;D) that even if we spend days or weeks busy with our own stuff, we always go back to each other talking and fangirling like no time had passed. in my opinion, those kind of friendships are the best. thank you for everything, ily -3- 

@mochiibebe: I might not tell you often, but I seriously appreciate you as a friend who has also seen me go through many ups and downs, but has always been there with me, and I also hope to be there for you in the same way. you’re really special skies, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! ily and thank you for everything!

@yoongihime: sass is the cutest writer on this fandom and no one can tell me otherwise. you are so kind it almost makes me cry!! thank you for your endless support, people like you are the reason why I love tumblr. ;u;

@yoonminnings: VIV... we have gone through so much and even if you are not here as often as before, I will always keep you and our friendship in my heart. writing aside, you mean a lot to me and I will always wait for the day you come back, and I will receive you with open arms. ily so much! miss you ;^; 

@gukvory: ivory, my dear talented writer!! we might not talk much, but I could not pass up this opportunity to tell you how grateful I am for your presence on this website. I have been writing here for almost as long as you have, and it’s been an honor to see you grow through your different personas as I explored my own journey as well. I also need to thank you for taking your time to read the things I put out - my heart literally jumps and it makes my entire day whenever I see you have read something of mine, because knowing that someone with such overflowing talent like yours actually enjoys my works makes me feel like I’m doing something right. thank you for being such a great writer and person in general - I am so excited for the day when I can finally sit down and read your works without any kind of stress breathing down my neck, but for now, I will enjoy seeing you on my dash being your wonderful, kind self! ^^

@taeverie: jen is the proof that angels exist just saying.. for real YOU ARE THE SWEETEST, I love our conversations even if I’m terrible with replying, and I’m beyond thankful that you always keep them up and don’t get annoyed with me :’D thank you for being such a fun, talented person, and I hope to keep seeing you grow into an even better writer and an even more amazing person <333

@syubingseok: I HAVE SO MUCH LOVE FOR YOU NIKI. I feel like I need to protect you because you’re so nice and gentle and I really hope this website never ruins that for you. you have always been so nice to me to the point where I don’t even know what to do with myself haha. please continue being so positive and kind and humble because those traits are hard to come by. thank you so much for your friendship, and I hope to continue seeing you blossom into one of the greatest writers of this website because you really have the talent for it. ❤

@donewithjeon: michelle, I could not pass up the opportunity to include you here and tell you how amazing you are, both as a person and as a writer. you will always be one of my favorites and I hope to continue learning with your beautiful stories so I can improve and be as good as you. :’) I really look up to how level headed and mature you are, and you’re the best example as to how a bts fan should be. also, I am glad we started talking and got to share so many things that made us realize just how alike we are ahaha. I hope we can continue being friends, I enjoy our conversations so so much <3

@joonjeons: ALEXIS MY LOVE. without your cute cheesy messages tumblr would not be the same. we both have been here for so long and I’m glad we can still reach out to each other like no time had passed. I love you and I hope to keep seeing you around, you’re so special to me -3- (and I hope to be graced by your lovely writing sometime in the future as well! I will wait patiently, no matter how long that is :D)

@pantaemonium: I feel like I don’t say this enough, but I really, really look up to your writing and I will never stop saying it. you are a great inspiration to me and I can’t wait to finally catch up on all of your masterpieces. keep being yourself and take care lovely! muchísimas gracias por compartir tu talento <333

@taesblueberrymuffin: cindyyy *hugs* you’re so lovely and caring and your messages always make me smile. you’re so supportive and loving it’s unbelievable. I hope you know that I am always here for you whenever you need me :’)

@dreamscript: RYS I MISS YOU SO MUCH but I hope you know that I still consider you one of my dearest tumblr friends and that you’re so so talented and an amazing, funny human being that deserves all the love in the world!! I have so much fun with our conversations and even though it’s been a while since we spoke I still think of you dearly ❤

I am very sorry for this cheesy mess, but I didn’t know how else I could show how grateful I am. I don’t even know if there is anyone reading up to this point lol... anyhow, I love you all! -3-

[junker-town]

Oklahoma State’s Samantha Show is your new queen of bat flips

Oklahoma State pitcher Sam Show is lighting up the Women’s College World Series

Calling it a bat flip is a gross understatement. When Oklahoma State’s Samantha Show hit her second home run of the day — the home run that wound up carrying the Cowgirls over the Florida Gators 2-1 in the opening round of the Women’s College World Series — she lifted the bat up over her head and slammed it down on the ground. (OSU fans have already made shirts immortalizing the moment.) Technically, the bat did flip, tumbling end over end towards the dugout as Show rounded the bases.

No words #WCWS | @CowgirlSB pic.twitter.com/U1OZOhGKzY

— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 31, 2019

Was it a flip? A slam? A Gronk spike?

Show prefers “bat tomahawk.” “It’s funny, it’s something different,” she said on the phone, a few hours before her team took on top-seeded Oklahoma. “Personally, I’ve never seen a baseball player do anything like that.”

The East Bernard, Texas native is OSU’s marquee pitcher and hitter, with a 2.38 ERA, .333 average and 20 home runs after transferring into the program for her senior year. Show’s scrappy, no. 13-seeded squad wasn’t supposed to win at all in the super-regionals, much less defeat defending champs Florida State in Tallahassee. Their victory Thursday over Florida was program’s first World Series win since 1998, making the team textbook Cinderellas.

The textbook Cinderellas are still competing, hoping that their nothing-to-lose swagger will lead them to improbable triumph. Thursday’s game was hardly the first time Show has given a team bulletin board material. In fact, Show (conveniently, her last name rhymes with “wow”) has earned something of a reputation for putting a little extra juice on the bat when she knows she’s gone yard.

“It doesn’t happen every time,” she insists, explaining that she’ll only flip her bat if she knows instantly it’s out of the park — and if the run gives her team a tie or the lead. “Whenever the ball’s hit and I know it’s out, I have so many strong emotions inside me. If I could, I would just sit there and not know what to do. But obviously I have to run around the base pads, so my emotions come out in my bat.”

.@SamanthaShow03 may be in college, but her bat flip game (also her all around game) is major league ready.pic.twitter.com/iNNVrakLh4

— Cut4 (@Cut4) March 11, 2019

Just as it would in baseball, her propensity to flip has become a point of contention in softball circles. Before the Oklahoma State-Florida game, for example, ESPN spliced footage of Show and Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill talking about their approach to one of the sport’s most infamous “unwritten rules.”

“I don’t like bat flips,” Barnhill said in the clip. “I understand getting hyped and excited, but ... act like you’ve been been there.” Naturally, they aired it again once the Florida pitcher and her team had taken the L — and one of the most memorable bat flips the sport has ever seen.

“It’s funny, because my first bat flip was actually off her last year,” says Show, who faced off with Barnhill during SEC play with Texas A&M. “I understand pitchers not liking it, but I’ve never shown up a pitcher when doing it. It’s always for the team — for the girls and for our fans. If a hitter were to do that to me, I gotta tip my hat to them. If they’re crushing balls like that off me, then I can’t be mad because I know I’m leaving pitches where they’re able to be hit that hard and that far.”

Show had never considered flipping her bat until last season when Texas A&M hired a new hitting coach, Keith Stein. Stein had played baseball for the Aggies, and Show says he encouraged players to show out more in the batter’s box.

“When we did hitting groups, he would tell us to stand in the box and watch our ball go — and if you wanted to, to just kind of bat flip afterwards,” says Show. “Honestly, I had never really seen it done in softball — and I’ve had some balls hit off me that are probably still going. I wound up being the only one who did it in a game. It just kind of became who I am.”

Flipping her bat is just one facet of Show’s larger-than-life persona on the diamond.

She favors thick smears of eye black that inevitably smudge over the course of the game. “It’s always just been fun to me — it’s like my softball makeup,” she says. “Softball and baseball are dirty sports. I don’t want it to look as good at the end of the game as it did at the beginning.” In high school, she painted a K on each cheek — one forward and one backward — and covered them with green glitter. “Because, ‘money,’” Show explains patiently.

The pitcher’s walk-up song is a remix of the theme from Saw because she wanted “something that would freak the other team out,” says Show. “Something that would catch them off guard, so they would say, ‘What are we getting ourselves into?’”

courtesy of Oklahoma State University Athletics

That’s the question that’s long followed Show, for reasons both good and bad. She’s tall — 6’ — strong and ruthlessly competitive, sometimes to the point of abrasiveness. The same things that make her no-holds-barred style of play so fun to watch, her fierce individuality and relentless fire, have long made it challenging for her to connect with her teammates and coaches.

“She’s kind of a polarizing person,” her coach Ken Gajewski said in a postgame press conference last weekend. “She walks to her own tune.” In the same press conference, her teammate Madi Sue Montgomery explained that they had had a players-only meeting at the beginning of the year without her. “We just let each other know that if we took what she was saying and not necessarily how she says it, it was for the best of the team,” said Montgomery.

“I know that I’m difficult,” says Show. “Growing up, when my teammates weren’t always as serious about softball as I was, I never really had a lot of friends on my team just because my main goal was winning. I wasn’t necessarily liked, but I would do anything to win.”

She was immersed in softball early; her dad was her first coach, and her two older half-siblings played softball and baseball. But even when she was just dabbling in a sport, from basketball to bowling, her father insisted that she push herself to be great. Show credits him for her drive.

“He wouldn’t let me mess around, he wanted me to be the best,” she says. “By the time I was in middle school P.E., I would be out there with the boys throwing the football around and getting upset because they wouldn’t catch the ball, or playing dodgeball and literally throwing the ball as hard as I could because I wanted to win that badly.”

Male friends provided some solace. “I would go to watch them play baseball and wish that I could be out there with them, because of how competitive they were,” says Show. She also loved watching MLB players, and still takes them as a model for how she approaches the game.

“I really admire the way that baseball players play with so much swag and confidence,” she says. “Some of them are cocky and arrogant, but if that’s how you’re going to be you definitely have to back it up with how you play. They’re being true to who they are and having fun playing the game.”

courtesy of Oklahoma State University Athletics

Somewhere along the way, she lost that swag — the swag that came from breaking into the starting lineup as a freshman in high school and earning countless all-state honors, the swag that had her painting green glitter Ks on her cheeks because she knew she was money. At Texas A&M, she never performed to her own incredibly high expectations. “Going into college it was just a whole different world, and I was trying to be someone who I wasn’t,” she says. “The competitiveness in me kind of went away.”

Show went to her mom, who told her, “I want you to go out and be 10-year-old Sam.” “When I was younger, I threw hard but I never knew where it was going,” says Show. “I was effectively wild. But I needed that — to just kind of let loose and throw the ball as hard as I can and not really care what happens. I wish I would have done it sooner.”

Then came the bat flips, the Saw theme and ultimately her transfer to Oklahoma State, where she says that she found a staff that would be real with her. “[Gajewski] has honestly been the only person who would say those kinds of things to my face, and I think that goes to show what kind of coach he is,” says Show. “He didn’t shy away from the challenge, if you will, of coaching me. I would hope that I’m not as difficult to work with now, but I don’t know,” she concludes, laughing.

Now, Show has taken on a leadership role by encouraging her teammates to — you guessed it — flip their bats.

“If there’s one thing I can really get across, it’s that you’re going to be the happiest when you’re playing as you and not trying to conform, or be a cutout of who coaches want you to be,” she says. “You have to have so much confidence in this game, and there are a couple girls on the team who I could tell right off the bat didn’t have that confidence. You have to go in there thinking you’re the best hitter — that you’re better than that pitcher in the circle. Hitting home runs is hard. You don’t necessarily have to flip your bat but if you hit a home run, admire it and be proud of what you just did. I think we should admire our hard work.”

Show knows that attitude puts some people off, that they might see it as showy or arrogant. She gets booed, and doesn’t care. “The first time, I honestly laughed,” says Show. “In my head, as weird as it sounds, I was like, alright, I’ve made it. Like, people are watching me and they don’t necessarily like what I’m doing, but they’re watching me.”

Thanks to her bat flip, there are certainly a few more eyes on the Women’s College World Series. “As crazy as it is, there are a lot of people on Twitter who are like, ‘Now I’m going to start watching softball,’” Show says. “It’s growing the sport — for good or bad, at least people know that the World Series is going on right now.”

Forever Mood #SooWhat https://t.co/KlKBD09lOL

— T A 7 (@TimAnderson7) May 31, 2019

Show’s bravado and swagger have put her on the map precisely because so far, she’s been able to back up her big talk and bigger flips. Fittingly, her Twitter location is “BIG BALLER ATTITUDE” — an allusion inspired by exactly what you would expect.

“I’m a huge supporter of the Ball family,” says Show. “Lavar Ball and his attitude — the Big Baller way, just knowing you’re the best. That’s kind of how I’ve taken this year, just knowing that if I’m facing a batter that I’m better than them and when I’m in the box, I’m better than that pitcher. Reminding myself to be the best that I can be, and reminding myself to attack every day with confidence that no one is going to beat me at what I do.”

[buckleysims]

Meeting Jane Replies

@parystrange @my-simension @loyally-royal @bubble-sims @goatkibble @curmudgeonness @spladoum @sims3hasstoppedworking @mspoodle1 @willky12 @soloriya @belasims @sims3medieval @inabadromance @simmerjazen @declarations-of-drama @batsheba @alyssajolt @ithink-iam-happy

parystrange replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

Doesn't he even think what a little sister might mean to his other daughter? She seems like a lonely kid as it is.

I love this comment. Such an excellent point! To answer your question though, no, Theodore has not thought about how this will affect anyone but himself. At this point in the story, he is a vain, self-centered person whose main concerns are his money, his reputation, and his career in politics. Whether that will ever change or not remains to be seen, but if it helps I believe that he absolutely has the capacity to grow up and become an upstanding leader of the community as well as a good father and maybe, someday, a good husband too. He’s just not there yet.

parystrange replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

Eww I wouldn't want Kit touching my baby. She'd be covered in slime.

Bahahahaha, where’s the lie? XD I wouldn’t let a guy like him near my hypothetical newborn baby either, lmao.

Also, while I’m here, I just want to say thank you so much for reading and commenting, Pary! Even though we don’t always see eye to eye about everything, I really appreciate your feedback. It means a lot to me. :)

my-simension replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

This looks so real! Great work.

Thank you so much! :D

my-simension replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

"....and their eyes lock for what feels like the longest ten seconds of Maddie’s life." ;-;

I’m not crying. It’s just raining on my face. ;-; I know my writing is corny af, but I’m touched that you like/tolerate it anyway. <3

loyally-royal replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

Beautiful detailed set as always! You always have the prettiest surroundings for your stories.

Aw, wow, thank you! I spent a ridiculous amount of time on those two pictures, and hearing that you like them just makes all the effort and frustration worthwhile. So yeah, thanks for the feedback! I really appreciate it. :)

bubble-sims replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

his pose says yes, his facial expression says no... I dunno how to feel about that :(

Exactly! :D I’m so happy you noticed his pose! Theodore was/is very torn about how to handle the birth of a daughter that he doesn’t (and never did) want, and that sort of internal conflict is precisely what I was going for with both his facial expression and his overall body language and stance. So thank you very much for the comment! I’m thrilled that you picked up on that detail. <3

bubble-sims replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

the first two pictures are gorgeous, but the last one is just... I can't stop looking at it :') they'd make a perfect little family

Thank you! *hugs* It means a lot to me that you think so. <3

goatkibble replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

This set looks incredible! And Theo <3

*blush* Thank you, gk! I adore your sets (as you hopefully know by now!), so I’m really happy that you liked this one of mine. :)

goatkibble replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

Dear LORD! The woman has just dropped a kid in the last 24 hours and is already thinking about using her moneymaker to snag another man who isn't her legally wed husband *agog* I... honestly. No words.

Hm, I disagree. She’s not trying to “snag” Westley here. They’re just friends, and besides he is the one who is flirting with her. :P

curmudgeonness replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

How am I going to feed and clothe eight of them?

ROFL, Rob, you’re terrible! XD But yeah, Theodore is freaking out bad enough about having to deal with just one new baby, but I’m sure the presence of so many others is not helping his anxiety here, haha.

spladoum replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

O look! She totally took your money and totally DIDN'T have that abortion! Awesome.

Maddie’s reaction:

Theo’s reaction:

(Thanks for the comment, splad! You cut right to the chase, as usual! XD)

sims3hasstoppedworking replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

I thought exactly the same what Kylie lol!

Hahaha! XD And Theodore’s, like, “They’re not all mine are they?! O_O”

sims3hasstoppedworking replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

THEY NEED TO HAVE LIKE 15 CHILDREN TOGETHER

Westley would probably not be opposed to that, LOL. <3 He adores kids.

Anyway, thank you for reading and commenting! :D

mspoodle1 replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

It's always the smallest details that really make it come together as a whole. You did good!

Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. ;-;

willky12 replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

No words needed. Good grief where did you get all those babies from?! Must have taken you ages to do that! ;D

LOL, thank you Kylie! :D I used NRaas’s instant baby function (that comes with Master Controller) on some of the hospital staff to get a variety of different looking babies, hehe. That part actually didn’t take too much time since they were just burrito babies instead of resized toddlers. Decorating the nursery and hospital, on the other hand, took ages!

willky12 replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

So lovely, but now I am bracing myself :0

Haha! You know me well. No one in my stories stays happy for too long. ;)

soloriya replied to your photoset “Previous | Next”

omg that's so cute ^__________^

Thanks so much! :D It took quite a while to decorate and stage that scene (much longer than I thought it would!), so I’m really happy to hear that! <3

belasims replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

If I didn't know any better I would have thought "wow, that is one beautiful family!" Hopefully someday...someday. ;) Love the photos and setup btw!

Thank you, bela! I appreciate it! :D

sims3medieval replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

The most adorable baby Ive seen in sims! West is right, just as pretty as her mom:-)

This made my day. <3 Thank you so much! *happy tears*

inabadromance replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

awww

Thank you! :D I'm a huge fan of your blog, by the way, and I’m flattered that you even follow me, let alone like my pictures! I can’t stop grinning right now. :)

simmerjazen replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

Jane knows Kit is an evil bastard that can't be trusted. LOL it worries me that Kit has been there to hold her knowing what plans he had for that poor baby. :( I hope he hasn't done it yet. That's really my wish right now. I'm glad Wes went to see her. Wonder if he'll still be there when Theo arrives.

Bahahaha, very true about Jane and Kit! As for the rest of your comment, I don’t want to give anything away so I’m not going to reply, other than to say that it is a very valid concern. >:)

declarations-of-drama replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

I'm always too nervous to hold them - they're too precious and I go into panic mode that I might drop it lol x He did well - must be a natural

Oh, I am the exact same way! I didn’t even want to hold my baby sister when she was first born, and at that point I was 25 years old and had spent over three years working in childcare with babies and toddlers. Newborns are just so fragile and delicate, haha. But Westley is definitely a natural.

Thanks for the comment! :)

batsheba replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

Naaaww....

:D I thought it was a sweet moment too. <333

alyssajolt replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

NOOO KIT ALREADY HELD HER NOOO

So glad you noticed that! >:)

ithink-iam-happy replied to your photoset “She’s beautiful,” Westley murmurs as he peers down at the pink bundle...”

What I've waited for this! *_* <3

Thank you! ;-; <333