#there is barely any content of them .. if anyone knows of any of them id love to see it!!

[seafoamsol]

Moving in!

[ameliora-j]

‧₊˚ piercer!ron weasley x reader ‧₊˚

so anyway this has been on my mind since i got my nipples pierced specifically bc of the way i was moaning like a lil bitch in the piercer’s chair 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

content → piercer!ron, needles, nipple play, voyeurism, slight pain kink, praise, nipple piercings, blood mention, lightheadedness, 18+ BLOG MDNI

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡

you’re anxious as you walk into the shop, but you know you have to do this. it’s been years upon years since you’ve wanted this specific piercing—ever since you turned eighteen to be exact. you called on one of your breaks at work, asking if the tattoo shop did nipple piercings.

the kind lady connected you with the shop’s piercer—who to your surprise was a man with an english accent. after telling you the price, he asks specifically for cash. when you see the exact cash amount in your wallet, you figure it’s a sign. anytime that you plan in advance for any kind of piercing or tattoo, you lose the confidence of going nearly the day of—so it’s now or never.

when you walk in, a girl with bright pink hair looks around to see if anyone was available for a walk in. most of them were half asleep, and you feel bad for waking them up from their naps—but they don’t seem to mind. you’re surprised that they aren’t busy on a saturday evening, but a brunette man with round glasses stands and stumbled to the desk, ready to ask what tattoo you have in mind.

“um… hi… i called earlier um a-about… about nipple piercings” you stammer shyly, unable to hide the blush growing on your cheeks.

he wasn’t overly muscular or large, his small amount of tummy pudge peeking out as he stretched his arms high above his head, revealing more ink lining his torso.

“oh!” the man nods as he turns around and walks towards the back. “ron! piercing” you hear a soft grumble and a deep sigh—not of annoyance, but from just waking up. a tall redheaded man with broad shoulders appears. he has sleeves of tattoos lining his arms and some small tattoos on his hands. there was a small stud piercing beneath his eye, a few tattoos on his face as well.

you feel as though your breath is knocked out of your chest as he smiles at you, a small whine leaving his lips as he finishes his deep stretch. “sorry, i just woke up” he chuckles.

“oh no, don’t worry… i’m surprised you guys aren’t more busy tonight” you say, and he nods in agreement as he grabs the papers.

“i know, i was thinking the same thing” he chuckles, grabbing a pen. “i just need you to initial and sign this paper and then i need your id” he tells you, handing the paper and pen over to him. you nod softly and do as he says, passing over your id and scanning over the paper, initialing each line.

it isn’t long before you’re done and he comes back up to the front, leading you to his small section of the tattoo shop. “go ahead and sit right there” he nods, pointing to the tattoo chair as he looks over his tool tray and all that he has. you sit down in the chair, making yourself comfortable as you take your bag off and adjust yourself.

you learn quickly that ron isn’t much of a talker, but thankfully neither are you. he already has his tray set up, asking you a few quick questions as he moves everything over towards you. “so… obviously i don’t have a privacy curtain, i’m sorry about that” he blushes a bit as he finishes washing his hands. “If you just… bare with me a bit” he chuckles nervously.

he looks around his small station, noting that it’s basically out in the open. he’s a sweet man, you learn quickly, so you smile at him. “that’s alright” you reassure him. you wiggle a bit in the seat, still slightly anxious. “i’ll be fine” you nod, more so assuring yourself than him this time.

“go ‘head and take off your shirt, and then if you can just pull down your bra for me” he nods, turning around towards his desk and getting a little care package ready for when you go—wanting to give you at least some semblance of privacy while undressing.

when he turns back around, his cheeks tint pink as he looks first at your boobs then up at you. “you can just turn and face this way” he nods as he rolls over in the small circle chair. you do as he says and face him just as he turns to his tool tray. though he doesn’t have a privacy curtain, he uses his large body and broad shoulders to cover your breasts from the other piercers and the large windows—there were no other patrons in the shop besides you, so this made you feel incredibly at ease. “have you had your nipples pierced before?” he asks.

“no, never” you shake your head. he notices the tremor in your voice and gives you a little reassuring smile. he can tell you’re anxious, and he’s doing everything he can to ease your nerves. “i just have one rule for all my tattoo artists, piercers, nurses… anyone that comes near my body with a needle” you ramble a bit as you list the different occupations.

he chuckles a bit as he nods, grabbing an alcohol wipe to clean your nipples. “what is it?” he hums.

“don’t count.” you say seriously. “i don’t want 1, 2, 3 or 3, 2, 1… if you count i’ll tell you to stop and just go home” you tell him. ron laughs a bit harder, his orange curls bobbing as he nods in understanding.

“alright, i can do that” he nods. “i’m just gonna clean them, and then i’ll mark them and show you, and after that i’ll do the piercing” he informs you, and you’re nodding along with each thing he says. once you’ve gotten the nitty-gritty out of the way, you keep your head down, watching his arms and his body as he works. “do you have a preference of which one you want me to do first?” he asks.

“no” you shake your head. “just go for it” you giggle a bit, and he smiles at you. ron takes a gloved hand, starting with your left tit and gently pinching your nipple between his fingers. he flicks it a few times, his brows pinching together in focus as he plays with your nipple in order to get it hard. you don’t even notice ron has the needle in his hand until you feel it piercing through the sensitive skin.

you suck in air through your teeth, squeezing your hands into fists as you try, but fail, to bite back a whine. “breathe… breathe, it’s okay” ron whispers softly, inching a bit closer to you. “you can squeeze my shoulder if you need to… you won’t mess me up” he says softly. his movements are slow and deliberate, taking time to not mess up your piercing as he pushes the needle through to the other side.

a moan of pain tumbles past your lips once more as you squeeze his shoulder and grit your teeth. “owowowow” you whine, trying your hardest not to squirm or cringe away in pain.

“i know, i’m sorry” he murmurs softly. “you’re doing so good, we’re almost there” he whispers. just as he says that, you feel the needle poke through the other side, and you let out a sigh of relief. your relief is short lived as he pushes the jewelry through the new hole he just made in your body and another high pitched moan tumbles past your lips. “there we go…” he says softly, gently rubbing your side. “i just have to screw this in and then i’ll move on to the other side” he tells you as he grabs the ball end of the jewelry.

the second one is nowhere near as painful as the first—going in much easier as well. however, it still has you making those pretty little sounds on that are making ron’s cock harden as he wonders what other sounds he can pull from you. “that’s it” he praises gently, nearly having to physically restrain himself from placing a kiss to your delicate skin. “you did so good” he hums, beginning to clean the spilling blood.

“thank you” you smile at him as he finishes up, letting you know you can redress and beginning to clean his station. as you pull your bra back up and grab for your shirt, the room begins to spin. you squeeze your eyes shut and take a deep breath, a small smile gracing your lips as you become slightly loopy. “um… can i lay down for a minute?” you giggle softly.

“yeah of course!” he smiles as he turns to look at you. “are you lightheaded?” he asks, walking over to his mini fridge. when you only hum and nod in response, he hands you a capri sun and a pack of scooby-doo fruit snacks. “here… sugar will help” he tells you. he sits in his chair as you pop open the capri sun, now done cleaning. “eat the fruit snacks. all that sugar will help.” he tells you softly when he notices you only drinking the juice.

you nod lazily, squinting your eyes open as you make a small rip in the package. “yanno usually i’m paid to see my tits, not the other way around… and you didn’t even compliment them” you sigh, your head still spinning a bit as you smile lazily. you bite back a giggle when you imagine the blush that you definitely know is coating his cheeks.

his only response is a chuckle, and you think that’s the end of it until you’re checking out and paying him—now ready to actually stand straight and be able to drive your car. as you hand him the money, he gives you a care package, a cute sticker, aftercare instructions, ointment and alcohol wipes, a lollipop, and a blank card with his name and number. “text me a picture when you have the gauze off so i can make sure they look alright… maybe then i’ll compliment them” he winks slyly.

suddenly, you’re the one blushing as you walk out to your car.

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡

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[psychic-refugee]

Wenclair as a ship in itself I understand. It can be fun, and interpretation is up to the fan content creator. Wyler, Wenvier, Enjax, Wenclay and AroAce Wednesday I think are all equally valid interpretations. Just as any other combination.

Shipping non canon relationships is a choice made by personal preference.

I less understand the expectations of Wenclair being actually possible to become canon. I feel like it’s only possible in the sense that “anything is possible” because no one can ever truly predict the future.

However,

Tim Burton does not have a history of producing LGBTQ+ focused projects. There are barely any background characters that are prominently and explicitly queer in his long CV.

The Ottingers are outliers and background characters with a second of screentime. I have doubts we’ll ever see them again, and honestly, they are the farthest I think Burton is willing to go.

Millar also doesn’t have a history of writing main cast LGBTQ+. He and Gough only reference the relationship between Enid and Wednesday as “friendship” and “sisterhood” when confronted with the idea of Wenclair. (NME, 24 Dec 2023).

Netflix has a documented poor history of treatment of shows with prominent lesbian leads (First Kill, I Am Not OK With This, and Warrior Nun).

Given all of that, I’m also not in the writers’ room, so time will ultimately tell if my skepticism is warranted.

Nonetheless, there is overwhelming evidence that Wenclairs have detrimentally affected Jenna and Emma. I don’t see them wanting Wenclair to happen and they certainly aren’t entertaining the mere possibility of it any longer.

Jenna has not mentioned Wenclair in a positive light since that one interview in Teen Vogue, 9 Dec 2022. It’s been over a year since; a lot of stuff has happened. Plenty of reasons for Jenna to have changed her mind.  

Emma made a non-committal comment about “how anything is possible” when it comes to S2 and Wenclair. (Variety, 30 Jan 2023)  But, again, that was over a year ago and a lot of toxic behaviour has happened since then.

Just as with Jenna, Emma has a lot of motivation now to not support Wenclair becoming canon.

Emma also pushed off the possibility of Wenclair beyond S2, she gave the excuse of Wednesday needing a “season of singleness.” Id. Wednesday WAS single in S1, she never claimed anyone as an SO. It sounds more like Emma was a hostage trying to appease her kidnappers by telling them what they wanted to hear. She pushed off the idea of Wenclair to a season that’s not guaranteed to materialize. That’s called passing the buck. If S3 never happens, then she’s not responsible for adhering to an implied promise of Wenclair being possible at all.

Now, Emma has made it a point to stress that shipping is fine as long as it doesn’t cross over into real people. (NME, 27 June 2024).

Wenclairs failed to do that in a spectacular fashion.

Emma admits that Wenclair was a joke they told amongst themselves when it first became apparent it was a popular ship. Id. Wenclair is “funny” to them because they never intended for it to be a ship, but fans choose to interpret it that way.

People ran with Jenna’s comments, but I believe she was supporting it in jest in the way Emma reported in June. Jenna even framed Wenclair only happening in “a perfect world.” (9 Dec 2022) She said it would only happen in an impossible circumstance. I don’t get how people took that to mean she was trying behind the scenes to make it happen, or that it was a secret interpretation fans were meant to figure out on their own.

I think if she knew how much her “fans” would sexually harass her and Emma with the idea of Wenclair, she would not have said it at all. I think with how careful Jenna is with what she posts now, she knows better to say things off the cuff or in jest.

Wenclairs have taught her harsh lessons on how to interact with social media and interviews.

I think it says a lot that Jenna has only been photographed with her stylist in the past several years. She has had plenty of opportunities to do pictures with the cast since filming started, specifically Emma and yet…

Wenclairs have been so rabid and hostile to anyone challenging their fantasy that she only feels safe being seen with Enrique Melendez, her employee, or her family. That’s not normal.

I think there’s a reason why Wenclairs hyperfocus on Jenna making the ship happen and not Emma.

Jenna clearly doesn’t mind doing roles that involve sapphic elements (Miller’s Girl and The Fallout). The same cannot be said about Emma. Wenclairs are so quick to jump on Jenna’s CV of “kissing women” and pointing to that as proof of her queerness. By THEIR same logic, what does it mean if Emma has not done any role where she kisses women?

Jenna’s a great actress and I think could have chemistry and a rapport with a tree if the script called for it. I think she didn’t mind the idea of Wenclair at the time (regardless of how farfetched the possibility was or that it was never originally or seriously considered), but I don’t think she ever intended for people to interpret her characterization of Wednesday that way.

I think both Jenna and Emma regret implying or joking about the possibility of Wenclair as the fans started to sexually harass them on IG with comments on how they are for sure lesbians (neither have stated so) under their posts that have nothing to do with the other as well as everywhere else. Neither can celebrate their own separate accomplishments without Wenclairs mentioning the ship or obnoxiously asking “Where’s Jenna/Emma?”

Wenclairs also post explicit art of Jenna and Emma’s likeness in public forums such as Twitter/IG (and tag them or send it to them directly), and harass male coworkers Jenna has romantic scenes with (Finest Kind). Emma’s male co-star in AGGGTM has also experienced harassment.  

Jenna has outright said she quit Twitter because she was sent explicit AI art of herself right after Wednesday took off.

I 100% believe it was sent by a Wenclair account and it was sexual Wenclair art, given the timing and their appalling behaviour to date.

“I ended up deleting [Twitter] about two, three years ago because of the influx after [Wednesday] had come out, these absurd images and photos, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it…It was disgusting, and it made me feel bad. It made me feel uncomfortable” (Entertainment Weekly, 25 Aug 2024) (emphasis added).

I think Jenna coming out and specifically saying there would be no romance for Wednesday (Digital Spy, 8 June 2023) after the December 2022 article is another direct consequence of Wenclair harassment. She changed her tune very explicitly and Netflix has not contradicted her, nor have the showrunners, writers, or Burton ever shown committed support for Wenclair. At most it’s “we’re open to it,” and that was before the harassment got as bad as it is.

Jenna’s playfulness is completely absent in all these interviews since Wenclairs started to harass her. Whatever they were “open to,” the Wenclairs shut it violently.

I wasn’t aware until recently that the Wenclairs were so creepy, invasive, and lacking even the barest of social graces that they were also harassing Jenna’s family.

Here is Aliyah, Jenna’s sister, scoffing and clearly exasperated by the shipping. I highly doubt this frustration comes from being asked just once, she’s probably fielded this question way too many times. She no longer follows Emma on IG.

There are also reports of other IG Lives by Aliyah outright stating that the shipping was out of control and detrimental to their family. Of course Wenclairs are completely crickets about this.

It’s bad enough Wenclairs shove their personal fantasies in Jenna and Emma’s face, but they do it to their siblings? Likely when the siblings were minors or barely adults as Aliyah is only 20.

Emma in the Variety, 30 Jan 2023 article also says her sister would show her stuff, meaning her family was also getting exposed to it.

The latest Vanity Fair article states that Jenna won’t ever make any romantic relationship public. (6 August 2024). She states that her relationships are “hers” and that her fans can’t separate the real her and the celebrity they have built up in her head. Id.

She makes an effort to use gender neutral terms when it comes to a romantic partner. I respect that she doesn’t want to come out as either heterosexual, homosexual, or anywhere in between or outside of the binary. That is her choice, I think there’s a vast difference between keeping things private and being in the closet. Either way it’s also NONE OF ANYONE’S BUSINESS.

But I think it’s undeniable that even though she would get a lot of support if she were queer, Wenclairs have made it so unbearable that she won’t reveal a partner or come out at all.

Wenclairs have made it unsafe and hostile for her to acknowledge her own sexuality publicly, much less a partner.

I think it’s too late for Wenclairs to back off, it looks like they already ruined the friendship or at best drove it underground if the total lack of social media content of them together is indicative of anything.

If they are still friends, then they don’t trust Wenclairs with knowing about it and don’t want to share it with them. It looks like Jenna doesn’t want to share any friendship publicly anymore.

Unless it’s to promo movies or a brand deal, she rarely posts pictures on social media anymore. It’s very rare she posts personal pictures of herself doing non-work outings. She’s keeping her personal life extremely close to her chest.

How exactly do Wenclairs expect a friendship to survive constant, sexual harassment? How can they hang out together when everything they do together is sexualized? Why would anyone think the actresses would encourage a storyline that would invite more?

How do they expect Jenna to support Wenclair to become canon if it means her future male coworkers will be harassed? If it means any romantic partner who isn’t Emma in the future will be harassed? If it means that if she were indeed involved with Emma, that there would probably be a bigger explosion of porn that is shoved in their face?

How do they expect Jenna or Emma to support Wenclair if their families are being harassed about it?

Wenclair has been a curse upon them, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

[orions-choker]

could you pls maybe write rough dom lars x reader :P

if not just kirk x reader smut i will take that shit any day of the week i fuckibg love him there’s just no lars content for me to chew on ANYWHERE atm so thought id ask :)

A/N: I hope this is okay for you! I haven't published anything with lars yet so I'm not sure how well I write him. I hope you enjoy either way!

Warnings: Dom-Sub undertones, Name calling, face fucking, filming. Word Count: 2,124

Being asked to work on the production team for Metallica was like a fever dream. She hadn’t been told much when she had been hired, nothing more than she was about to film every waking moment of them producing their new album. It had her bouncing off the walls in excitement, her first big moment in filming.

She was nothing more than a camera operator, however that also meant she was most intimately in the boys’s space. Y/N wasn’t exactly sure how she thought they would react to her shoving a camera in her face nearly 24/7, but it was somehow worse than she could imagine. It was made very clear how much the boys opposed being filmed. Everyone except Lars.

Lars was entertaining to say the least. It was almost like he lived to be in front of the camera. It gave him every opportunity to speak about whatever he felt like, and everyone had to listen. She almost felt bad for the editors who would have to comb through the footage she got of him, knowing the majority of his babbling wouldn’t be viable for the finished project.

It was endearing, the way he got excited and animated. She noted his accent thickened the longer he spoke, the more comfortable he got. Y/N gravitated towards him for that reason, it felt like she was filming the Lars show rather than the entirety of metallica. They developed a bond. It made her feel warm and fluttery the way he would call out to her as soon as she arrived for the day.

Everyday except for today. When she arrived at their studio where most of the filming was taking place, no one had given her any warning for the shit storm she was about to walk into. With the camera heavy on her shoulder she waltzed into the recording booth, immediately the tension in the room blanketed her.

The producers gathered around looked tense, all four of the guys were recording in the booth together looking more annoyed than anything. Most noticeably Lars was far more aggressive on his drum kit than she had ever seen before. She nearly winced as she began recording, focusing on the producers rather than the band.

“You’re still off time Lars.” Someone leaned forward into the studio mic as the song they were recording came to an end. The anger radiating off of the Danish man was palpable. The fury in his eyes may not have been directed towards her but she felt small anyways.

Y/N tuned out the argument that ensued between Lars, the producers and the rest of the band. She hated it, the feeling like she was invading their privacy, but this is what she was hired to do so the tape continued to roll. Eventually they finished the session, recording a copy of the song that at least to her untrained ears, sounded really good.

Lars had stormed off practically the moment the session ended, tossing his drumsticks off to the side. This was the first time she had seen him so pissed. She would have left it alone if it weren't for the urging of her director to go after him. Everyone knew Lars was especially sweet on her and if anyone were to get footage of this it would be her. Hesitantly Y/N followed him into one of the many smaller lounge rooms in the studio. Suddenly the weight of the camera felt unbearable as she peaked her head around the corner. He was sprawled on the couch, head tilted back against the cushions. His bare chest heaved as he gathered his breath from the workout that came from playing the drums. “Not right now Y/N.” He warned her as he lifted his head to look up at her and the waiting camera. She frowned knowing they wouldn’t be able to use this clip now that he had addressed her directly. Though it gave her the opportunity to speak now.

“Sorry Lars, I don’t want to.” She apologized genuinely as she moved around the couch, settling down on a chair opposite from him. “But I still have to do my job.” She focused the lens, and through the viewfinder she could clearly see the displeased scowl on his face.

Slowly he pulled his body up into an upright position. The glare he sent her way wasn’t like anything she had been subjected to before. She shied away as best she could while holding the camera steady. “Oh fuck off, blow me.” He spat at her. Something in her stomach flipped, it had been clearly meant as an insult but the way the vulgar words dripped off his lips left her feeling…conflicted.

She wasn’t supposed to but she shut off the recording, heaving the heavy technology from her shoulder and placing it down on the coffee table in a form of a truce. There was a flash of regret in his eyes at the sight of her wounded expression. However her next words caught him off guard. “If I did, would it help?” She asked softly.

The boldness in her words left Lars speechless for once. She stood up, moving to slide the lock on the door. “It was a fucking joke Y/N.” Lars sputtered out, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. His eyes widened in disbelief as she dropped to her knees in front of him, her hands coming up behind her head to pull her hair back in a messy ponytail. “Are you serious?”

Y/N shrugged with a small smile. “Good stress reliever right?” She said, placing her hands nervously on top of her knees. She wasn’t sure what had come over her, but she hated the tension between the two of them when he was angry, and of course her attraction towards him was undeniable.

For a moment she watched the gears in his head turn before he laughed dryly. “Fuck I didn’t know you were a slut.” The name should have upset her but it sent a strike of electricity through her core instead. His hand suddenly came up to roughly grab her ponytail in his fist. Tugging her forward towards his crotch as he pulled his growing hardness free from his shorts. “Go ahead then, suck me off.”

The grip he had on her hair was painful, her brows furrowing lightly at the way her scalp ached. Obediently she opened her mouth, her tongue laying flat as Lars guided the head of his cock between her lips. The groan it incited from him had Y/N eagerly leaning forward to take more in. As she went to move Lars tugged her back, clicking her tongue at her. “No, don’t move, whores don't get to take control.” Y/N whined at his harsh words, the way he guided her head up and down his length at whatever pace he chose. She felt powerless against him and it excited her. She relaxed her muscles to allow Lars easy control over her. He wasted no time in setting a brutal relentless pace, her throat constricting and gagging around the girth as he slammed himself into the back of her throat. There was a mess of spit and tears dribbling across her chin.

“Aww fuck, Y/N.” Lars groaned, slurring his words through his accent. The sound had her desperately shoving her hand underneath the waistband of her jeans, rubbing at her wet heat through her underwear desperate for relief. She let out a soft moan around his cock and suddenly he stopped moving.

She was pulled off with an aggressive ‘pop’. Her breathing was ragged and heavy as she looked up at Lars confused. Roughly he pulled her to her feet, grasping her hand and pulling it from her jeans. “Who said you could touch yourself?” He spat out. A blush spread across her cheeks in shame. “This is about me isn’t it? Not you.”

Suddenly he was pushing her forehead, his hand sprawling across the small of her back as he tugged her jeans and underwear down her skin in one go. She shivered at the cool air dancing across her warm flushed skin. “ S-sorry!” she gasped out, her voice weak from the abuse her throat had just received.

“You will be.” He laughed, his fingers traced along the outside of her exposed entrance, up through the wet folds before pulling back and leaving a heavy slap across the flesh of her ass. Her body lurched forward from the sting. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” Suddenly his breath was ghosting across her ear, his voice softer and more tender. “Is it okay if I fuck you?”

The way he made sure to ask even with how clearly eager she was had her smiling. She nodded quickly, wiggling her hips back against him. “Yes, please.” Her voice was laced with desperation. The grip he had on her tightened eagerly. He pushed her head further down against the couch cushions, spreading her legs further apart as he stood between them.

She felt fully exposed like this, face down, ass up, in the middle of the lounge. The only thing separating them from the numerous people in the studio was one lousy lock. There was a sudden protrusion against her entrance, the prodding head of his dick against her dripping hole forced a gasp from her lungs. In one smooth movement he slid into her tight wet heat.

He moaned above her, a little lighter and whinier than she expected. His hands came to rest on her hips as he pushed himself flush against her ass. “Fuckin’ tight for a whore.” He huffed as her walls constricted around him. With the angle they were at Y/N could practically feel him in her stomach, the slow drag of his cock inside her as he pulled out was intoxicating.

With a quick snap of his hips she was getting pushed further into the couch. Her toes curled as he picked up pace, the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room. The cushions did little to muffle her moans as he fucked her relentlessly in couch. Her hands scrambled to hold onto something as her body went limp against him. “Fuck so good, so fucking good for me.” He groaned.

“Please, can I please touch myself.” Y/N asked desperately, the ache between her legs growing unbearable. Instead of answering Lars draped his body across her back, one hand snaking around her waist to press his fingers against her clit. Just like the rest of him, his fingers were rough, fast. He worked her clit at a matching pace that sent her over the edge.

A broken moan spilled past her lips as her stomach tightened, her release gushing over his cock like a wave. Her walls spasmed around him as he slammed into her deeper than he had before. It sent a wave of pain through her core as he hit her cervix. A sudden warmth spilled inside her as she milked him of his climax.

His breath was heavy in her ear, their skin stuck together with the sweat that had formed over them. As his cock softened inside her she felt the mixture of their cum spilling down her shaky thighs. Lars groaned, wrapping his arms around her tightly as he fell to the side onto the couch beside her. It was an awkward angle they way they both were lying on the couch. Their limbs tangled together nearly falling off the edge.

“You know, they gave you a lot of shit for being on time, but that felt pretty well timed.” She attempted to joke. It worked, the way he snorted behind her. “Did it help?” She asked softly, craning her head to look behind her at him. She was surprised as leaned forward to press his lips to hers, and she was suddenly aware they hadn’t even kissed before they fucked.

Lars nodded slowly. “Yeah, it helped.” He hesitated for a moment. “I didn’t mean it when I called you a slut by the way.” He assured her with a comforting squeeze. It was probably the sweetest she had ever seen him, fucked out and sleepy. Suddenly his eyebrows raise. “Did you mean to film all that?” He asked, gesturing to the camera still sitting on the coffee table, perfectly facing them.

Y/N sat up confused. “No, I turned it off.” She assured him, turning her head to look. Then the flashing red light indicating the tape was still rolling caught her eye. The color drained from her face. Distantly she could hear Lars’s laughter as she stared down the lens, her ears ringing. “Ah, fuck.”

[yanderes-galore]

Sombra needs a yandere alphabet! Please, I'm desperate qwp

Of course! We need more Sombra content anyways ^^ Decided to borrow a GIF off Tumblr this time.

Yandere Alphabet - Sombra

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Breach in privacy/No privacy, Isolation, Kidnapping, Blackmail, Somewhat soft yandere, Overprotective behavior, Possessive behavior, Drugging, Possible poor uses of Spanish, Breaking and entering, Forced/Dubious affection, Jealousy, Forced relationship.

Affection: How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

Sombra is a yandere that knows just about everything about you. She spends the first part of her obsession stalking you and hacking into any personal info she can get. The second half is when she acts on her obsession.

I'd say Sombra's obsession is mostly tame. She's really hard to detect as a yandere at first, right up until it's too late. By the time you know about Sombra she already has you moved to a secure location off the grid.

Blood: How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

I have a feeling Sombra isn't big on being messy. She prefers to keep her hands clean and instead isolates her darling through manipulation and lies.

She's someone to blackmail and threaten others to get her way more than outright murder.

Cruelty: How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?

Sombra would make sure the area she keeps you in is isolated yet cozy. No one may be able to find you except her. That way she's the only one you have to rely on.

She sees no need to mock you. She cares for you more than anyone else (She cares for Sigma, but not in the romantic sense). She plans to take care of you and hide you from Talon. If anything, having someone like her on your side should be an advantage.

Darling: Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

She tries not to, Sombra's not a monster (In her eyes). She respects you more than most would. She still treats you like a human even in your new isolated home.

She's just... looking out for you? That's why she keeps you away from others!

Exposed: How much of their heart do they bare to their darling? How vulnerable are they when it comes to their darling?

Sombra is rather secretive so she isn't very vulnerable. Although you can tell by the tone of her voice when she talks to you and the gentle behavior of her actions that she cares. She doesn't wish to deprive you of comfort unless she has to.

She may be busy at times due to monitoring many networks and looking for any signs of you being searched for, but she cares. She won't pour her heart out entirely to you but she will indeed show she cares through little actions.

Fight: How would they feel if their darling fought back?

Disappointed and a little amused. She understands your fight, after all she took you from home like some abandoned animal. However... she sees this as just a little hiccup from you.

If you fight her she'll be sure to discipline you afterwards. It's hard to pinpoint her location due to her invisibility tech. She'll just surprise you and restrain you.

"Nice try... better luck next time, eh?"

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

Not a game and while she thinks its funny at first, it gets old. She originally thinks it's funny as she knows you can't leave. You won't even know where to go and she wiped any form of ID you had to keep you as hers.

Yet when you keep trying she begins to get... bored.

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Sombra is very tame compared to other Overwatch yanderes I've covered, but here's what I think.

The worst experience with Sombra is your abduction. You had no idea you were being tracked or stalked. Right up until she slips into your room.

It's scary as you had no idea of Sombra's existence in your life up until now. Sombra has been watching your life like a hawk, absorbing every little piece of information she can get on you. She's been in the shadows of your life... completely out of sight.

Then she's suddenly in your room, pinning you to a wall with a drug injected in your neck. You don't know who this woman is or why her gaze is so intense. Then when you wake up... expecting it all to be a nightmare...

You wake up in a room with her standing over you, a loving grin on her face.

"Welcome home, cariño."

Ideals: What kind of future do they have in mind for/with their darling?

Sombra has fallen for you by chance while searching through your files. Part of her feels a need to protect you from the corruption of this world, while another part of her just wants you to herself. She plans to start a relationship with you... even when she keeps you so isolated.

She tries to convince you your love is unique... different from normal... special, even.

It's different from normal alright... yet not in the good way.

Jealousy: Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

If Sombra is jealous she can hide it well. She tries not to concern you with it and it most likely happens early on in her obsession. If she's jealous of someone she gets to work on finding dirt on them.

Sombra will then use blackmail on those around you to keep them away from you. This makes it easier for her to wipe your presence from the world and isolate you. Then she can simply pluck you away from your old life.

Kisses: How do they act around or with their darling?

Sombra seems like she could be flirty, teasing, and affectionate with you when she wants. She took you in because she loves you, of course she wants to show that. As a result expect her to show/give affection when she's back from her missions.

She'll kiss you, hold you, cuddle you, etc. She'll try to cheer you up if you seem upset, which you most likely are considering the situation. What's scary is she seems like a genuinely loving girlfriend.

If you met her any other way, maybe that's what you could be.

However... she stalked you, drugged you, and acts like it's all okay. No one else knows about you now. It's just you and her.

She likes it that way.

Love letters: How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

As stated before, Sombra's "courting" is primarily just stalking you. She spends her growing obsession gathering all sorts of information, pictures, and videos about you. She even does it all while you are unaware.

If you were also part of Talon, it's a different story. She'd be her usual persona while doing everything behind the scenes.

Again, for the most part you have no clue about her obsession until it's too late.

Mask: Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

I'd say so. She's always been secretive so she can mask her true nature/intentions well.

Naughty: How would they punish their darling?

Sombra isn't too big on punishment. She'd be a yandere who prefers to just lock you in a room more than anything physical. She wants to hear you admit you need her... only then will she let you out. She hates to hurt you though.

Oppression: How many rights would they take away from their darling?

Just your freedom, your life can be somewhat normal besides the isolation.

Patience: How patient are they with their darling?

Very patient, it comes with her job.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

She'd have a really hard time, she acts stoic but if you died she'd be devastated.

Regret: Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

A little but no.

Stigma: What brought about this side of them (childhood, curiosity, etc)?

Hard to say when it comes to her, maybe curiosity?

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

She tries her best to comfort you. She doesn't want you upset, she wants to love you. As a result she'll pull you in to comfort you.

"There's no need to cry... I'm here."

That's most likely why you're crying.

Unique: Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

She works much more in the shadows than most yanderes/isn't obvious.

Vice: What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

None, she keeps her weaknesses locked up well.

Wit’s end: Would they ever hurt their darling?

She tries not to.

Xoanon: How much would they revere or worship their darling? To what length would they go to win their darling over?

Not a worship yandere but would go to great lengths to have you in her care.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

A long time. She can wait months to years to strike.

Zenith: Would they ever break their darling?

Most likely mentally.

[scyfozoa]

feed me more kouming content pls i wanna know more abt their dynamic and how they ivercome their struggles pweaseeee

thank yoy for this ask im Not normal about them um . Um . um . gonna just ramble. yapfest incoming

Kou and Gaming met when they were both 14 – a little bit after Gaming ran away, their first meeting was in the pharmacy as Gaming was being treated by Baizhu because he got injured while working (was younger and less experienced in combat back then), and Kou brought back some meds Baizhu asked for. They talked for a little bit, but didnt think much of it at first.

Sure, they both wanted to be friends, but they werent sure if that would work out. Gaming knew how loud and extroverted he was, and he could see Kou was more of a reserved type, barely talking at all. He was simply worried that he would scare Kou off. Kou, on the other hand, could see Gaming was liked, had a group of friends – and the half-adeptus simply didnt think someone like Gaming would want to be friends with someone like him – Kou was always anxious, scared to talk, ofter losing verbality in social situations.

But Gaming ended up at the pharmacy more and more, at first because of how reckless he was, sometimes for deliveries, but with time, he started showing up just for Kou – he didnt say it though, always conveniently "was nearby, so I figured id visit".

As they got closer and closer, they both realized that despite them being polar opposites, some parts of them were really similar.

(b4 next part starts, i hc gaming as autistic and trans ftm because i can..... plus it fits his story ngl look at rhe event!!!)

Complicated family dynamics, their struggles with being trans, them both being autistic and how that affects them, their sense of not belonging anywhere — are the things that connected them, to name a few. They understood each other better than anyone else, felt safer with each other than with anyone else — sometimes it felt like these two were speaking the same language, while the rest of the world talked in a language unfathomable to them. And as the years passed, and they got closer, it was on a Lantern Rite when they were 16, when they finally confessed to each other under the glowing lanterns in the sky – far away from everyone else, as Gaming knew how overwhelmed Kou got in such gigantic social events. It was after that, after their confession, that Kou promised him that when one day, Gaming finally gets to perform infront of everyone, being the center of the celebration, he will be cheering him on from right there, always being his biggest supporter.

And he kept that promise, watching his boyfriend of already 2 years, being the center of the celebration, blinking away the sting in his eyes, never having been so proud before.

They know each others struggles and always do the best to help – Kou always being Gamings no.1 supporter, even when Gaming felt like it was going nowhere. Gaming treating Kous scars like any other part of his body, and sometimes leaving a few kisses on them when Kou is having a really tough day.

Now, some more miscellaneous stuff. When Kou is free, he always comes with Gaming to just be with him while Gaming practices his Wushou Dance, dancing along while Man Chai jumps around him. He is his biggest supporter after all. Sitting on the sideline, Kou takes it as a great opportunity, and pulls out his favourite sketchbook. He cant be blamed, as Gaming's energetic and fluid motions make for great anatomy practice — and the sketchbook would be just that, if not for the numerous pages of random doodles of Gaming, of his face, his body, just him. Luckily, Kous reflexes allow him to hide the sketchbook the second Gaming finishes and turns to him — he would rather explode than let anyone near that sketchbook.

Kou has trouble sleeping through the night, so he often naps a few times throughout the day — in his room, on a tree, away from anyone. But when him and Gaming are together, Gaming often lets Kou nap on his lap or his shoulder. (gets paid back for it in kisses when Kou wakes up)

They both have sensory issues, but Kous are way more extreme — so when theyre out getting dim sum, Gaming always offers to pick out the parts that are inedible for him. (unless its something inedible for him too...)

thats all foe now.... sorey thats its lackluster + messy, its 2 am as im writing rhis bc i NEEDED to ramble... ill write somethign more comprehensive soon i prommy... (+ the fics are pretty comprehensive !!) if u want more of them feel free to ask or dm me... i love them so much theyre geniuely my everything .. have some koumings that i didnt post

[dra-and-sdra2-hot-takes]

Harassing your best artists does not a good fandom make

disclaimer: i won't be naming the two artists who were harassed for obvious reasons, and i won't be naming any of the specific person(s) who did the harassment both because they* don't deserve credit and because i don't want to start a fight with them* but to give a lesson to both them* and people who stood idly by and let it happen.

these two artists are some of my favorite in the fandom. while they're both still somewhat active in the fandom, [artist A] has said they* feel disillusioned with the fandom based on its treatment of them* and, well, i can fucking see why! and while i haven't seen [artist B] comment on the harassment directly, i can imagine they* aren't enthused either.

i've had multiple people in this fandom tell me personally that people have come into their inboxes and told them to unfollow/block A and/or B because they're* "problematic" for reasons including but not limited to "drawing nsfw of the another cast" [as if they aren't fucking confirmed to be adults]

and, to top this layer cake of the disgusting treatment of these two artists, i have literally seen, and i am not the least bit joking here, someone's DNI including the line "if you support [artist A] or [artist B]... DNI, they're gross" the audacity. the fucking nerve. to put two random tumblr/social media users in their* shitty little '~do not interact~' list. two users who have done nothing wrong and whose only crime is drawing fiction

setting aside that harassment is.... you know.... always wrong, all the time. this is not how you build a good fandom. there are other good artists in the fandom. but A and B are my as well as many others' from what i've observed. they do a lot of good in this - and i cannot stress this enough - very small fandom.

if you do not like these artists (or any other artist), say it with me now, block and move on. add their usernames to your "filtered content" list if you absolutely musn't see them*. although the claim i've seen of their* mere mention being horrifically triggering for certain people is... odd, to say the least, and reeks of attempted ostracism, just like the backtalking they* recieved in random people's dms.

and of course it is not just these two artists experiencing bs like this in the fandom but their situation speaks to how such a toxic fandom like ours treats even our best and britest.

conclusion: stop harassing people. that's the bare minimum. perhaps don't mention people by name in your 'dni lists'. and realize building positive community is necessary for this and any other small fandom to thrive.

*they/them/theirs pronouns used exclusively to anonymize the people involved in this story because the identities of the people here is not the point. i'm not trying to use an incorrect pronoun for anyone involved here, just protect their identities.

p.s.: i don't control you, dear readers, but i can at least ask you please don't speculate about the identities of anyone i mentioned in the post. kthx

[ID: This blog has no DNI. Please be civil and respectful to everyone under my posts!]

[ts-witchy-archive]

Hello! I've seen a bit of wiccan (?) things for a while, if I were to start I wouldn't even know how to start though. (my autistic ass does not leave the house and my mom would probably think it's weird to make strange concoctions of things) I also don't really know how deities work and how do you find out which one your communicating with? Tbh I've always felt like someone is around but whatever god it is seriously fucking hates me /hj Been better since I started medication but like the luck I have is 50/50 good bad and that is probably not normal. If you answer this it'd be very helpful.

Hi! Thanks for the ask!

I just want to start by defining a few terms for you :)

Wicca/Wiccan: A pagan religion that focuses on nature, magic and witchcraft. It was founded in the mid 20th century and Wiccans primarily worship 2 Gods which are personifications of nature.

Witch: Just a person who practices witchcraft. It's a non-gendered term and a non-religious term/practice. Not all witches are Wiccan but all Wiccans are witches. Witches can be absolutely anyone

Personally, I'm not Wiccan so I can't really tell you much about that but if there is one thing I know, it's witchcraft! There are many different places to start but I'm going to condense it down as much as humanly possible. It'll probably feel like a bit of information overload so just try to take it slow and relax. Enjoy the learning.

My favourite book for beginner witchcraft is 'Witchery: Embrace the Witch Within' by Juliet Diaz. She is a fantastic author and wonderful human. Everything about the basics of witchcraft you could need is in that book (imo). You should be able to find a pdf online if you can't get a physical copy.

As for youtube channels with solid content:

Harmony Nice: She covers everything Wicca. She has a playlist with all her Wiccan/witchy content witch is linked here

The Witch of Wonderlust: Olivia has been a favourite witchy youtuber of mine for a while. I wouldn't recommend jumping into her videos without any prior knowledge but once you have a grasp on the bare bones it should be okay. Here is a playlist she made with everything you could possibly need when beginning witchcraft. SOrt through the videos and see what peeks your interest.

The Hearth Witch: Another wonderful account if I remember correctly. Her videos used to be on the longer end (30-60mins) so if you have a short attention span then maybe not but she has a wealth of information.

I also recommend joining a few discord servers, following a few pages on tumblr just to get acquainted with the community and terminology.

Okay, on to the deity work situation. Deity work is generally considered more intermediate in the witchcraft community. key words being 'Deity WORK'. Worship is completely fair game. Setting up an altar, praying, leaving offerings, doing activities in devotion to the deity is absolutely something you can do relatively quickly.

As for IDing a deity, most people do it through 'divination' which is things like tarot, a pendulum, dice, bone throwing, and other ways. Most people also ask for signs that a specific deity is 'reaching out' to them or wants them to pay attention. You can also politely ask someone who is volunteering their time on tumblr or a discord server to find out for you via divination. If they don't say their doing free readings, obviously, don't ask.

Finally. luck is luck. It makes no sense for a literal God to hate a human. We all have periods of shitty luck and awesome luck! I wouldn't blame that on anything. Sometimes bad things just happen unfortunately. But sometimes amazing things also happen, even if it's just as small is finding 5 cents on the footpath.

That was so long. Congrats if you made it to the end because I nearly didn't when writing this. I hope this helped a bit. Feel free to reach out if you need a hand with anything. Thanks :)

[hunterssm00n]

Ready or Not

"Are you... one of my friends playing a prank on me?" It had to be. I didn't know where any of my friends would have gotten the Ghostface voice-changer, or why they would have even wanted to do such a thing.

The voice on the other end of the phone huffed out a laugh, and those same tingles went down my spine once again.

"No, but I'd like to be your friend." | Ghostface/OC |

part 1 of 2

also on ao3: here

*cw includes explicit sexual content, unspecified male Ghostface, dirty talk, dub-con, stalking, breaking and entering, criminal behavior, explicit language, praise kink, serial killer behavior, and voice kink* MDNI - 18+

♡˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ♡

hunterssm00n © All rights reserved by me. I do not allow this work to be used or adapted in any way without my permission.

Ready or not / here I come / you can't hide / I'm gonna find you...

It always begins the same, doesn't it? Young, cute woman, home alone, watching a scary movie and making a snack...

When suddenly, out of nowhere, the phone rings.

It's after eight - who could be calling at such an hour?

The number doesn't come up on caller ID; the name reads unknown. Could it be any more ominous?

It rings, and rings, and ri-

"You could just, like, not answer," I said out loud to myself, shaking my head of long, dark hair at the TV screen for what seemed like the fiftieth time. The young woman on the screen paid me no mind - the dumb bitch never did - as she tearfully answered the phone once again to plead with the killer to leave her alone; to please stop calling. I sighed, taking a sip of my vanilla Coke as I leaned back on the couch. I'd seen this movie about a hundred times, and I still was amazed at how dumb some of the characters were. The outcome was always the same, no matter how much I tried to warn them to Don't answer it! Look behind you! For fuck's sake, don't hide under the bed! And no matter how many times I knew I was just talking aloud to an empty room and my TV screen, I still continued to do it. I decidedly did not think about how that was very similar to the textbook definition of insanity.

Regardless of my annoyance about the unwise decisions some people make during horror movies, I genuinely loved watching them. My friends and family thought it was weird that I enjoyed scary movies so much, but I didn't really care what other people thought of me. Movies were my escape, and I always felt at peace when watching my favorites. 

The young woman on the screen was now running away from her patio window after a chair had been thrown through it, her tear streaked face pulled into a grimace as she ran wildly down the hallway away from the killer. I found myself wondering, not for the first time, what I would do in that situation. Would I hang up and call the police? Hide? Escape the house? Honestly, I liked to think that I'd grab the biggest fucking knife I could find in the cupboard and stand my ground. Though I was slim and athletic, and barely reached five foot six, I knew that I could put up a fight if necessary. But maybe escaping the house and running to my car would be the safest, smartest option. Who knew, though. Thinking about it didn't harm anyone, though; one couldn't be too prepared. But one definitely could be unprepared. 

I was taking another sip of my Coke when my phone rang suddenly, scaring the daylights out of me and nearly making me drop the can and spill the addictive, sugary liquid all over the place. Wiping my mouth, heart pounding in my chest from the suddenness of it, I laughed to myself at the irony of the situation: Here I was, watching a scary movie, alone in my home at night, and then, dun dun dunnn, my own phone rings in real life. Rolling my eyes, I remarked out loud, "Ooh, spooky," and made a mental note to not answer the phone. But the more it rang, the more I wondered if maybe I should. If someone was calling my landline at eight fourteen at night, it could be important. My cell was charging in the other room- maybe whoever it was had tried to reach me on there first, and when I didn't pick up, they called my home phone. Ugh, it better not be work. I decided to just let it go to voicemail- if it was something emergent, I would pick up... unless it was work. Then I would pretend that I had fallen asleep early. 

My plan failed, however, when I heard the telltale beeping of the answering machine that signaled the mailbox was full. "Shit." I muttered, leaning over the arm of the couch to look at the grey and black box, as though willing for it to share its secrets with me. It didn't help that my landline didn't have caller ID like most people's did- it was older, but since it still worked, I couldn't justify buying a new one. This was why I'd been counting on the answering machine picking up and being able to tell that way, instead.

Stop being a little bitch - man up and just answer the phone. If it's not anything important you can just hang up. Besides, who the hell else would be calling at this time of night anyways besides work or family? 

Before I got the chance to pick up, the answering machine hung up on the caller. For a moment I dumbly stared at the phone and the answering machine, and then I shrugged and turned back towards the slasher film that was still playing. The girl on the screen was now being chased by the killer, his long, black cloak flying out behind him as he ran after her, gleaming knife raised high in the air.

It was at this moment that the phone rang again, and this time I leaned over towards the end table and picked the cordless, white handheld up off of the stand. If they were calling back so soon, it had to be something important. Maybe it was my mother. And since I hadn't answered the first time, mom, if it was in fact her, was probably wondering if I had fallen and cracked my head in the clawfoot bathtub; or if I had finally decided that going to bed at eight o clock in the evening was not, in fact, too early. As if. 

Without thinking any more about it, I reached over and answered the phone. "Hello?" 

"Hello, Kail." 

The voice startled me, and it wasn't any I'd been expecting; not the voice of my mother, or of my boss wanting me to come into work. It was a man's voice; low and pleasant, almost a purr, with a hint of a rasp to it. Come to think of it, it sounded a hell of a lot like- "Um, hi. Who is this?" I asked, equally pleasant but also wary. A bill collector wouldn't have greeted me like that - definitely not. It had to be someone who knew me; knew my voice. And only people that were close to me called me Kail - most just called me Kailey. And I didn't have many close friends, and definitely none that were guys. Guys wanted to get in my pants, not be my friend. With my long, dark hair, large dark doe eyes, and womanly athletic figure, I knew how men looked at me. And, hey, I wasn't above being a little bit of a tease.

"Just an... admirer." The voice was nice- really nice. It was an exact replica of the voice from the Stab movies, and also the Ghostface killings that tended to happen throughout the years in Woodsboro. Living there had its nightmares.

I leaned back on the couch, really wishing the house phone had caller ID right about now. "An admirer, huh?" 

"Yeahh," the voice purred, and I found myself pressing the phone closer to my ear to take it in even more. It sent a chill down my spine - a good kind.

"Okay, well," I tried wracking my brain for someone, anyone, that had been super interested in me lately. Maybe someone at work - someone I talked to every day. I worked in the inventory department at the local hospital in Woodsboro, and I wasn't super friendly with any of my coworkers; we all got along, but I tended to keep to myself. I liked to think that I was pretty observant, but no recent incidents stood out to me. No strange guys, no creeps following me or watching me from afar (that I'd noticed, at least). "Do I know you, Mr. Admirer?" 

"Maybe." was his reply. His voice sounded so damn amused, even only saying one word.

'Maybe'... Okay? Well, that certainly doesn't help me.

"Are you... one of my friends playing a prank on me?" It had to be. I didn't know where any of my friends would have gotten the Ghostface voice-changer, or why they would have even wanted to do such a thing. None of my friends really watched scary movies, and most of them did not know the number for my house phone. 

The voice on the other end of the phone huffed out a laugh, and those same tingles went down my spine once again. Whoever this is, their voice is sexy as fuck.

"No, but I'd like to be your friend." came the bemused reply to my question.

...Hmm, now I was really wondering who this was.

"Well," I began, smiling to myself and letting it seep into my voice, "it's kind of a weird time to ask to be my friend, on a Friday night at eight pm."

Now the voice on the other end chuckled, the sound deep and low, and cascading over me like a warm waterfall. The feeling ended with a zap straight down between my legs, and I squirmed on the couch, eyes flicking briefly to the movie that was still playing, but at this point was nearly forgotten about.

"Is there ever really a bad time to make a new friend?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes playfully, even knowing he couldn't see it.

"I guess not. So, tell me, friend, how'd you get my number?" I reached for my drink, wracking my brain trying to figure out who this possibly could be.

"It was in the phonebook," he answered, lightly. Why did everything he said sound like he was flirting with me? And why was it so hot? 

I guessed phonebooks were still a thing (maybe for old people), but I could tell his answer was teasing, and probably not truthful. But maybe it was? It would certainly explain a lot. And it would mean that whomever this was on the other line had to at least know my name, in order to find me in the phonebook. I didn't know how many Kailey Miller's lived in Woodsboro, but it couldn't be that many. 

This speculation still wasn't getting me any closer to an actual answer, but... maybe that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe some mystery was good, and also added to the attraction I was currently feeling. 

At this particular moment, the female character in the movie that was still playing gave a particularly piercing scream, and I reached for the remote in order to turn it down. 

"Are you watching a scary movie?" he asked, and I nearly laughed once again at the irony. Here was a caller with a (sexy) voice that sounded just like Ghostface, and they randomly called me while I was watching Stab. And now they were asking me about a scary movie. What the actual hell.

"Y-Yeah," I didn't know if I should answer him, or hang up the phone, lock all the doors and windows and call the police. "I am."

"Or do you normally have hysterical, screaming victims chained up in your house?" he added playfully. 

This got a laugh out of me. "Oh, yes - you've figured out my secret. Promise you won't tell the police?" I hoped I wasn't laying the flirting on too thick - it kind of made me want to gag. My normal idea of flirting was making sarcastic comments and inappropriate jokes. But understandably to some people, that could be pretty off-putting. So unfortunately more often than not, I found herself trying to dum things down for the sake of others around me. 

There was a pause, in which I could hear him breathing on the other end of the phone, and I really wondered if I had scared him off or if he was about to hang up. But then he spoke: "I won't tell if you won't." 

The words sent a chill down my spine, and the way he managed to make something like that sound so creepy and so hot at the same time was beyond me. And maybe I was crazy, but goddamn was it sexy. I'd never felt so attracted to another human being. Ever. 

And then the power flickered in my house. 

I wondered if I’d imagined it, at first. My house was on the outskirts of Woodboro, surrounded by trees and green, but it hardly ever lost power since I was still technically in town lines. My mother had been very adamant about making sure we remained in the town, for the sole purpose of being close to everything that necessitated being close to. Be that the school, jobs, the hospital, the drugstore, etc. and we hardly ever lost power. My mother had long since moved out of the area to a different town, but I had inherited the old house, and was very proud to call it my own. Right now, however, I was questioning the choice of location.

I found myself looking up at the light above, wondering if it had actually flickered, or if I was finally officially losing her mind. 

“Whatcha looking at?” 

The question didn’t quite register at first, but when it did, it felt like everything paused. I slowly reached for the remote next to me on the couch cushion and paused the movie, wondering if he’d really said what I thought he’d said - what I was certain he’d said. “What… What did you say?” 

“I said: Whatcha doin?” 

I shook my head, feeling my stomach twist uncomfortably for the first time since I’d answered the phone. “No, you didn’t.” 

Suddenly a feeling crept over me like I’d never experienced: I had never been so certain that I was being watched. And I’d also never been more aware that I was sitting in front of a clear window with my back to it. 

Cold chills washed over me like never before, and I felt like I’d been plunged into a frozen lake. Survival instincts took over, and I slowly sank down on the couch so that I was no longer visible from the window behind me - however, I could still be seen from the front door, and the side window to the left of the couch. Especially with the lights on. So naturally, maybe not the smartest thing, but my first order of business was to kill the lights. I quickly got up and ran the short distance to the front door, and flicked off the light switch, at the same time flipping the locks on the front door, as it hadn’t been locked before - but it sure as hell was now! 

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this - or ever feeling like this. 

“Who turned out the lights?” came the playfully sinister voice from the other end of the line. I’d nearly forgotten I was still on the phone, as silly as that sounded, for that was the whole reason for all of this current madness and fear. 

The fact that he was watching me was now quite apparent. The outside of my home was surrounded by plenty of trees and brush to hide in; lots of shadows in the dark. And aside from my porch light, there was only one street lamp outside, directly across the drive from the house. And it was inconsistent when it came to whether or not it would be working, at any given moment. Either way, as I peered out through the window that looked out across the porch, I knew that I probably wouldn't be able to tell where he was hiding. And the fact that he knew where I was, but I didn't know where he was, scared me inexplicably beyond words. 

Swallowing hard, I tried to hide the tremor in my voice as I spoke into the phone, "Listen, if this is a prank, congratulations - you've had your fun. Now, now get the fuck out of here before I call the police." 

A warm, breathy chuckle followed closely after my words, and I crept back away from the window towards the couch, "This isn't a prank, Kails. You should know that." 

I shook my head in confusion, "What do you mean? I don't understand - I should know what?" I tried to wrack my brain for anything that had happened recently that would indicate that I was deserving of a 'prank' like this. Sure, I had enemies - but so did everyone. But none that I knew of that would go this far to prove a point, or any of which that knew where I lived (that I knew of, at least). And again, I really didn't think any of my friends would want to pull a Ghostface prank on me - they were all freaked out by the murders, rightfully so, and they were all pretty straight laced for the most part. The more I tried to come up with answers, the more questions I had. 

There was a pause from the other end of the phone, a brief one, while my hand felt around on the couch cushion for the TV remote, wanting to turn the movie off to eliminate that source of light as well. I was crouched on the floor, eyes nervously darting around at all the windows and the door to make sure no one was trying to break in. And then, he said: “You want this.” 

My hand froze on the couch cushion, as did my whole body; as did my very breath. “W-What?” 

“Yeah, that’s right,” His voice was so husky and warm, and despite my fear I felt a pleasant tingling in my lower back, my heart beginning to race for a different reason. “You’ve been thinking about this for quite some time - wanting it, dreaming about it. You think nobody would ever understand. You think it’s wrong to want something so dirty. But it’s not wrong. And I understand.” 

I still hadn’t managed to grab onto the remote - I was forced to listen to what he was saying with my cheeks heating, red in shame, and… something else. What was even going on? What the hell was happening to me? 

“I don’t know what you think you know,” I began, a tremor in my voice, though I tried to make it as serious and steely as possible, “but if you’re trying to scare me, good luck. It’s you who’s gonna be fucking scared if I have to come out there with my gun.” 

He chuckled again, and the hair on the back of my neck rose once again at the sound. “Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have a gun.” 

While I internally bristled at the confidence of his statement (and at the fact that he was absolutely correct), I also preened at the pet name as well as the tone of his voice. And, not that he needed to know this, but I absolutely did not have a gun. But damn, would one be helpful right about now. “As long as you leave now you won’t have to find out.” 

“Feisty girl,” he hissed, and I heard some rustling in the background of his call for the first time. “I can’t wait to see how feisty you truly are.” 

“I can’t wait to see your fucking face when the cops show up and arrest your dumbass for trespassing and harassment.” I finally was able to turn off the TV when my hand found the remote. If this was a prank, it was long past the point of being funny. Now I was just plain pissed off - and scared. “I’m not kidding, asshole, you’d better leave, or else.” That fine tremor was still in my voice, and as much as I tried to project it to make my voice sound more aggressive, I could barely get it out at an audible octave. Right now all of my energy was being expended on thoughts of survival and on what to do next. 

This was probably a prank, though. It had to be… right? If I went into work on Monday and someone was going around talking about how they pranked me and ‘she was so scared, dude!’, I was gonna lose her effing mind, and heads were gonna roll. As soon as I found out which jackass from the hospital came here to terrorize me on a Friday night, I would make them regret it. But until then, I would feel safer with a weapon of some kind, and with the police alerted. They took these Ghostface pranks very seriously. 

“Why would I leave now?” the voice questioned, and I heard a noise that sent my pulse skyrocketing even higher than it already had been: the sound of footsteps on my front porch. “We’re just getting started.” 

I barely registered the telltale scrape of the mailbox cover being pulled down from against the outside wall of the house next to the front door - where the spare key to the house was kept - before I bolted out of the room with terror hot on my heels. Who was this person, and how did they know where I kept the spare key to my house? The exact spot? Granted, it wasn’t a very hard spot to find, but still. He had found it with no hesitation whatsoever - he’d had a preconceived idea of where it had been before he even came up onto the porch. That meant only one thing: whoever he was, had been watching me. For a while. 

And now he was coming into my house. 

♡˚₊‧ ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ♡

AN: I do not own the Scream franchise or any of it's characters, but Kailey is my own OC. I also do not own the song 'Ready or Not' by Razakel. The above photos are from Pinterest, and attached are the links to the original images.

part two coming soon

[thegreatestjournalistofalltime]

Trust & Conflict (closed to @corxner )

(please note that the victims' names in this post—or future posts in this thread—were all totally made up and used to add some depth to the story. any similarities to a person, or the name of a person, living or dead, is purely coincidental. this applies to any further names made up for the fictional victims in this story. also, please be aware that this thread contains dark themes, which will be tagged for anyone who may need it.)

A librarian by the name of Janice Berr had been brutally murdered going home from work one night. Someone had punctured a hole in her fuel tank, it seemed, and followed her. She was found in the woods, near where her car was left with the front, driver's side door and trunk wide open. Judging by how many times she had been stabbed, and the state the wounds left her in, it was determined to be a crime of passion.

Maybe a former lover? Maybe someone had an axe to grind? However, there were no leads. Everyone seemed to like her, and any potential suspects had airtight alibies.

Freddie had heard about the case, of course, but these sorts of things happen all the time, unfortunately. It didn't quite fall into her purview.

When Faye Riche, a counselor, turned up in much the same way (except in her own home), that was when Freddie looked into it a little deeper. There were similar markings left by the murder weapon in each case. Both victims were women. Both murdered at night, seemingly in a rage. It had seemed a pattern was emerging.

That was until a new body was discovered in an abandoned parking lot. All Freddie knows is the address, where she is driving to now, and that the victim is a man with the same markings left by what seems to be the same knife. She has the heat on. The night is cold and her drive is a silent one.

When she arrives, she can see that the usual lot are there already. Jack Crawford stands a short distance away from the body, speaking to a local detective. Will Graham stands, seemingly in a trance, putting himself in the shoes of the killer. On the ground, she can barely see the body with the CSI team blocking her view as they carry out their work. She recognizes almost all of them—Beverly Katz, Jimmy Price, and, of course, Brian Zeller—but the fourth… She's never seen him before. He seems younger than the others, and she takes note that Will walks directly over to him after speaking with Crawford about whatever he just imagined.

Meanwhile, over at the crime scene…

Crawford walks over to his team at the body. "What do we know?" he asks.

Price is the only one of the four standing. He holds the victim's wallet in his hands, looking through its contents.

"Carl Getty," he answers, looking at the man's driver's license, "forty years old, and judging by the ID card I found, he works at one of the local high schools in the area."

"He's got some scraping on his hands, and there are little pieces of gravel in the cuts," Zeller says, holding Getty's palms up for Crawford to see.

"The gravel seems consistent with the paving in this lot," Katz adds, "and he has a laceration on the back of his head. He was struck from behind."

Will had been taking it all in, but when they finish, it's he that turns to the only one that hasn't spoken yet.

"What did you find, Faust?" he asks softly, encouragingly.

However, before an answer could be given, Zeller interrupts, saying, "Shit… Freddie Lounds is here. How did she find out so fast?"

Will looks up towards the direction of the barricades and sees her. He begins walking over to her and, sensing that there might be an issue, Beverly follows after him.

With someone looking after Will, Crawford turns his attention back to Faust.

"Yes, what did you find?"

[rottytops]

squid thoughts after finalfest...

readmore bc i dont think anyone cares or even knows who runs this blog anymore but anyways

squids huh...........i have such a weird and intimate relationship with splatoon, i was SO into it when s1 came out i literally wouldnt shut up about it, i was on fucking. SQUIDBOARDS everyday pre-release sucking up all the info i could on splats, and i played it to absolute death too. at the end of s1 for final fest i was in a really weird housing situation bc i was leaving college and my like 2 month lease at my apartment i couldnt afford was running out, but i dont think i had a tv or something? so i had to use the apartment's like...public office room to play that final fest at like 2AM (i was team marie of course)

then splat 2 happened and i think splatoon was like, my entire life for several years no joke. i fell into a big splatoon community, got really into making splatoon art and OCs, had tons of splat friends, it was kind of a whirlwind. splatoon was the launching pad i used to get into freelancing commissions which is really funny in retrospect because i could not and still cannot figure out how to draw the inkling mask to save my life.

those were really really fun days and i still consider 2 the peak of my interest in the series as well as my favorite splat game + idol group, the good days in my splat fanbse didnt last forever though since my mental health and the difficulties of freelancing ate me alive in a way that im only just now recovering from, but that doesnt tarnish the memory or anyhting, the friends i made during s2's run are some of the closest ive ever had and im still with them even today, so i guess in a way splatoon 2 affected my life in a way only comparable to like...the disgaea series which is REALLY SAYING SOMETHING

but that brings me to 3 which is definitely when i fell off of the splat boat and wanted to move on. to be honest a lot of drama happened post 2's end that made me not wanna look at splat 3 at all but of course i caved and bough it anddddddd barely even played it, lol...i missed a ton of the catalog battle pass things and didnt feel the need to play that much, i didnt even get side order until like 2 months ago... it makes me sad to think that something so important to me is just not quite for me anymore, even if i love it dearly, part of that i think is just ive accepted im REALLY BAD AT SHOOTERS no matter what. a million hours in 1 and 2 and my aim is still super bad, i was able to get all X rank in S2 but in S3 i can barely land my shots or use my brella and had to swap to the 52 gal...its embarassing! i think id get really into a splatoon RPG or something, so maybe they just need to make a splatoon spinoff for me to get absurdly hooked to it but for now im pretty content closing a book on playing the games

but man, final fest made me realize how much splatoon has done for me over the years, i think ill always adore the world and its characters, even if i dont keep up with the games very much. im a little miffed team past won beecase even if i love the squid sisters, i reaaaally dont wanna see them doing more idol stuff. let those bitches retire!!! theyre like 30 now and still doing the same songs and outfits they wore nearly 10 years ago!! aauuhg, though i guess me caring so much about virtual squid idols shows how much the series still means to me...

i dont have any closing thoughts and i dont think anyone read this far either but it does feel very nice to word vomit on my blog which i. do not do. anymore. for some reason..

i love splatoon a lot i think, maybe i should just draw squids without playing the games...i think ill do that...

[aguineapigcouldntdothis]

this is so long please read if it interests you and skip if it doesnt i genuinely just couldnt stop thinking of things to add.

i used to wonder why antisemites would constantly make up criticisms about zionism that are either blatantly false or a misunderstanding of facts. especially when jewish antizionists have consistently been able to find real criticisms of zionism and analyze them based on jewish history and personal experience (tbh i dont consider any goyim to be antizionist or zionist but that's not the point). it's definitely not a problem of "valid criticisms of zionism dont exist". even when i dont agree with jewish antizionists i usually understand how they got to their conclusion and i find it fully respectable. also when i say factual/valid criticisms i dont just mean shit i personally agree with. im a zionist with plenty of criticisms about the movement (yeah I know it's ironic). all i mean by that is a criticism of zionism that is backed up by facts.

imo antisemites either explicitly or implicitly know that if they look up factual criticisms of zionism they'll also have to learn about the positive stuff. it's all intertwined. to a lot of jewish people this isnt that big of a deal. we're raised to ask questions and we're taught how to formulate a good argument from a young age. its pretty normal for us to critique things that we generally support or find postives in things we generally critique. however, goyim are much less likely to be raised this way. obviously some are but the dichotomy of good and bad is much more prevalent in goyische culture than jewish. of course we know some shit is good and other shit is bad, we're not fuckin idiots, but nuance is integral to us.

i dont know what it feels like to be raised in a culture with a strong difference between good and bad. it doesnt make sense to me at all. however id assume that that upbringing combined with social media, which favors quick, shocking information, would result in something like goyim constantly glazing over factual critcisms of zionism and just making shit up. the made up shit is simultaneously more gut-wrenching and easier to digest due to its simplicity. it's really fucking hard to accept that zionism is so complex if youve been taught that things are always just good or bad. and even harder if your activism began and ended with social media instead of a medium that favors long-form content.

you cannot research zionism without being whacked in the face with nuance. its the reason i research zionist history more than zionist theory because that shit is so confusing sometimes (said with love). learning about zionism isn't an easy task at all. ive been doing it seriously for around 5 years and casually since i was a small child and i still learn shit every day. if i studied zionism for hours every day id probably still have something to learn when i die.

antisemites do not like being called antisemites, so they try to learn things about jewish history and then fail. they dont actually care about the information they just want to seem like they know something. they are not doing this for the benefit of jewish people. they wont actually spread true jewish history or recommend jewish creators that could share correct information. they'll instead say bare minimum shit that makes themselves feel proud for saying the word "jewish" and their followers are making death threats towards zionists.

ive seen some goyim say some factual things about zionism and stay in their lane while doing so, both things i rlly appreciate. and time and time again they're met with antisemitic conspiracies, death threats, doxxing, etc. not as much as jewish people are but still a lot. most people are not ready and may never be ready to support jews through the good and the bad.

this ties into the idea of the "innocent" victim. the one who is pure and kind, who never said a bad word about anyone and saved baby mice from fires. this idea of the innocent victim exists in war, abuse, crime, literally anywhere where someone's human rights are violated. however even if someone is innocent in a particular situation most people are not 100% good and innocent all the time. there's a few exceptions like babies (although i do know some babies that are fucking assholes) but in general people are a mix of good and bad.

jewish people do not shy away from being both good and bad. we embrace it with open arms and even though we try to improve our bad traits we dont fear them. "the only good jew is a dead jew" is fitting because when someone is dead you can make so much up. you can pretend they were incapable of every doing anything even remotely bad. you can say the poor jew who died was your biggest inspiration even though you scoffed at them every time they opened their mouth.

and this is why antisemites hate zionism so much and love making up false critcisms. because it throws concepts like black and white morality, the desire to consume information quickly, and the innocent victim into the fucking mud. then it punches it and steps on it and kicks it. anything and anyone that favors simple information over complicated information, not matter how incorrect, is going to have a hard time discussing zionism. people want to know things, yet sometimes they dont wanna actually put in the work to learn the correct information from good sources because that's hard work and antisemites do not want to put in hard work regarding jewish history.

if you believe im gonna solve antisemitism singlehandedly then who the fuck do you think i am. this isnt going away anytime soon. however you can do shit to help. study zionism on your own time and develop your own opinions on it. i highly recommend focusing on 1-3 specific topics trust me it's really confusing otherwise. teach others about it when you feel safe to do so. share resources with them and encourage them to do their own research. maybe point them to a specific aspect that relates to an interest they already have, and if you're mentally able to handle it call out antisemitic misinformation. a lot of people will not listen but there will always be at least one person who just needs a little bit of help starting.

anyway i may do actual research on this in the future because observations and i might turn it into a proper essay. I'll write one version where i say fuck and another where I don't.

[ghastlybin]

Siyeon angst? I couldn’t think of any details so I guess just make me cry

Hello!! Thank you for your request! You said make you cry so I am hoping this does, however I do recommend you (and anyone else reading) to please PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS FIRST before you proceed. I will bold it so y’all know where it’s at in this info dump of an introduction. I know this isn’t for everyone and I also don’t want you to read and then get mad at me later because I did warn you. And I’ll warn you again before I get to the actual request, so PLEASE proceed with caution!!! Thank you again 🫶

•••

Pairing: Siyeon x Reader FT. JiU, Dami, Gahyeon, SuA (mentioned), and Yeosang (Ateez, short feature)

Word count: 8,516 (about. I edited it so there are probably more or less.)

Genre/contents: Dystopian! AU, Angst, *maybe* fluff but you gotta squint REALLY hard, Sci-fi-ish themed with an attempt at some horror elements. Correct me if I’m wrong ofc

••••••••••••••••••••••

TW: character death + mentions/implications/ semi description if not full, mature/foul language (cuss words. Lots of them), blood, guns, depression, self-loathing, self-sabotage(?), a lot of unresolved traumas, abandonment issues? I basically made this hella depressing.

••••••••••••••••••••••

Synopsis: In a world affected by a mysterious collapse that brought on strong beings known as “the colliding ones”, You are a part of a team tasked to prevent the third collapse before humanity becomes completely extinct in exchange for total freedom and an overall better life.

Note: again, PLEASE READ THE TRIGGER WARNING SECTION FIRST!!!!! I WOULD RATHER Y’ALL BE OKAY THAN FOR ME TO HAVE NOTES!!! Your mental health comes first, I promise you it won’t hurt my feelings and yes, I do need therapy, no, I can’t afford it, yes, I overthought posting this and yes, I do feel remorse but please remember this is also entirely fiction and based off a dream I had once and a few songs I listened to on repeat to try and get a feel of the general plot. & Yes, I did use dreamcatcher songs as names for certain things and yes, I added Yeosang because I love him. I also love Dreamcatcher too otherwise I wouldn’t be writing for them please don’t hate me because there isn’t really a happy moment, although I did try at the ending. Keyword, try.

But anon said make them cry.

Blame anon. (Joking, joking.)

“We have plenty of time.” 

Gahyeon twiddled with the analog sticks on her worn-down tablet that was moments away from shutting down completely if she kept refusing to ‘get a new one’. 

Minji walked over and took the tablet away in one swift movement as the ‘game over’ screen covered the screen.

 “Hey! I almost beat-“ 

“I’m about to beat your ass!” 

You crossed your arms, angrily shooting glares in the direction of the guard that forced you into the room with the rest of your team members. 

Gahyeon closed her gaped mouth upon realizing that you hadn’t meant that threat towards her. She reached for the tablet, only for Minji to walk away from her with it still in her hands and towards you and the guard. 

“What’s going on?” Minji put her hand on your shoulder in an attempt to pull you further away from the guard who wasn’t intimidated by you.

Gahyeon watched on from the torn-up couch, picking some of the fillings inside the cushions out of habit. 

“That one,” the guard narrowed his eyes towards you. “Was caught trying to sneak into the prison sector.” 

“Prison sector? That’s across the fucking town! I was trying to get into the holding center! I have the clearance too, dumbass.” You held up your ID card, to which the guard swiped it out of your hand to take a closer look. 

Minji let out a sigh, taking the card from the guard and holding it in the same hand she had confiscated Gahyeon’s tablet with. 

“I swear you guards are let in on the bare minimum!” You scoffed. 

Minji nudged your arm with her elbow. 

“Go sit down- And be quiet.” She ordered. 

You walked over to Gahyeon with reluctance, yet you had some understanding that you shouldn’t act like that. 

Especially not to a guard with slightly higher clearance than you. 

That would change soon. 

“Where is Yubin?” You whispered as Minji stepped outside of the room and into the hallway with the guard. 

“She’s being debriefed on our mission.” Gahyeon messed with the filling she had pulled out of the couch, the boredom getting to her. 

“Why were you in the prison sector?” 

“Holding center,” You corrected. “I wanted to see something.” 

“Ah. You wanted to see something.” She smirked, pulling more of the filling out of the cushion. 

You stared at the filling in her hands, each fiber ripping apart the more Gahyeon pulled each end apart.

Siyeon was the glimmer in your eyes when you would smile. She was the feeling of a weight lifting off of your shoulders after a stressful day. 

Her very presence was like warmth to you after a harsh blizzard- And you had experienced many blizzards since the first ‘collapse’ in the earth years ago. 

You never believed in love or the possibility of being loved. Not since the collapse had taken everyone from you. 

Those who were arrested, those who died, and those who left for a better, safer, land. 

You loved Siyeon. 

Siyeon loved you. 

Those moments with her, getting ready with her, laughing with her, all of those times she would come to you crying because of something bothering her. Every time you’ve cried to her for something bothering you, although rare. You were used to having suppressed any and every emotion to the point nothing hurt you. The deaths of your friends at the hands of the colliding ones only angered you. The beings that appeared first during the first collapse. 

The beings that multiplied during the second collapse. 

The beings that were receding in preparation for phase three. 

The third collapse. 

You never shed a tear. Not until you met Siyeon. 

She was the first- And the only person to have helped you feel again. 

You remembered how it hurt to just feel. The images of your friends being ripped apart or flung in far away distances at an inhumane speed played like a slideshow in your mind. 

“It will hurt a lot less to just feel rather than not feel.” 

You never understood what that meant by that until she showed you.

“Y/N! Hurry up! Do you want to live lavishly or stay in this hell hole of a city?!” Yubin snapped her fingers in front of your face. 

You zoned out. Of course, you did. 

“Shit, sorry! What were you saying?” 

“I didn’t say anything. I was waiting for you to get up. Minji wanted us to meet her at rendezvous E.” 

You racked your brain, trying to remember the briefing so you weren’t going in completely blind. 

Besides, pissing off Minji and maybe Yubin was the last thing on your to-do list. 

You stuffed your hands into the pockets of your jacket as the frigid outside air bit into the bare parts of your skin that hadn’t been protected by some form of layered cloth. 

You followed Yubin across the train tracks, carefully jumping down from the platform to not splash into a puddle of melted snow, and especially watched out for ice, knowing how the traction on your shoes wasn’t as good as they were before. 

Yubin looked back at you, an impatient look on her face, though she abstained from saying anything. 

You huffed, creating a cloud of smoke in the frigid air. You and Yubin were both startled by a cracking sound tearing across the sky. 

“Hurry! Grab my hand!” Yubin yelled, holding out her hand for you. You did as she said, taking her hand before she roughly pulled you under the cover of the roof of the second platform. 

Snow- Highly acidic snow- began to float down, sizzling on any surface or plant life growing in the area, whether it had barely grown or if it had already withered from previous snow storms. 

“Thanks.” You watched the snow flurry run its course. The longest recorded length had been about six hours. 

“The colliding ones must be on the hunt again.” You mumbled. 

Yubin fumbled with the lock to the door of the entrance to the platform. 

You remembered where Rendezvous ‘E’ was. 

It was the place Siyeon left you.

It was an ongoing battle, waking up every day and convincing yourself that maybe today, humanity would be worth it. 

No. 

It was worth it. 

A world where the innocent could abandon the steps of surviving and learn the steps of living. 

What constituted living? 

No longer waking up and wondering if you would have a home? 

No more families were torn apart by the famine or poverty that was brought on during the first and second collapses? 

Is living truly any different from surviving? 

“What are you thinking about?” Siyeon wrapped her arms around your shoulders from behind. 

“Huh?” You were dumbfounded. Unaware of where you were. 

Siyeon was back. 

“You were staring out into space again,” Siyeon rested her chin upon your shoulder, “something on your mind?” 

“Oh.” There was a slight pause. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” 

Siyeon smirked, moving to stand in front of you to meet your eyes. Deep down you wanted to resent her for leaving you after all this time. 

You couldn’t. 

“That was three different answers.” 

“I was just thinking, what if we don’t survive the third collapse?” You shared your fears with her. 

Something the ‘old you’ would’ve never dared. 

Siyeon’s mouth curled into a slight pout. She shook her head, resting her hands on your shoulders. 

“You can do it. I believe in you.” Siyeon smiled. 

That smile. You hadn’t realized how long it had been since you last saw her. 

You had just realized she was standing in front of you. She was back. 

You engulfed her into your arms, earning a giggle from her in return. 

“Took you long enough.” 

You wanted to cry. You wanted to scream. You wanted to ask her so many questions that have been left unanswered for however long it had been. 

You also wanted to run away with her and drop the whole mission entirely. Y

ou couldn’t bring yourself to do that, though. Not to Minji, Yubin, Gahyeon, or even to Siyeon. 

Siyeon held onto you for as long as you held onto her. Maybe you wouldn’t have let her go if given the option. 

You let go of her when Yubin entered the room. You ran down the chain of events that lead you here into this very room. 

You and Yubin crossed the train tracks and the platforms, and you narrowly avoided the acidic snow flurry. 

Anything, after Yubin got the platform door unlocked, had become a blur. 

Siyeon took a step back, looking at Yubin as she walked toward you holding a map in her hands. You looked at Siyeon, who suddenly became quiet in Yubin’s presence. 

“Minji and Gahyeon are reading to move on to rendezvous V.” Yubin showed you the map with a sticky note marking the different rendezvous points. 

You glanced at Siyeon, who shrugged in response. You knew what you had to do, however. You’ve done this mission before. 

Only, there were more people on your team. 

Now it left you, Minji, Yubin, Gahyeon, and now Siyeon- if she decided to rejoin. 

“Let’s get this over with.” You put so much authority into that one sentence, that even you started to believe you could pull the mission off. 

Siyeon smirked, a sense of pride filling her from the inside out. You smiled, knowing she was proud of you. 

Siyeon was the first person- Since the collapse- that told you she was proud of you. 

Proud of you for waking up every day. 

Proud of you for surviving an attack against the colliding ones. 

She was proud of you for just being you. 

“You can do it,” Siyeon whispered, giving you two thumbs up with a wide grin.

Yubin folded the map, “I forgot the ammo… One second.” 

She groaned as she left the room- if you could even call it that, and you were alone with Siyeon again. 

“You’re not rejoining?” A hint of disappointment in your tone when you looked back at Siyeon. She shook her head after a moment of hesitation. 

“You’re leaving? Again?” 

“I’m not leaving. I never left! I just… Needed to get away from the city.” Siyeon defended, although she understood your hurt from her departure. 

“You left me.” You reiterated only this time you hoped it was low enough to where it hadn’t reached her ears. 

Siyeon stepped closer to you, regret on her face. “I never meant to hurt you.”

 “I’m happy to see you again.” You stood your ground, not having the urge or wanting to cry anymore. 

“I’m happier that you are safe. But,” 

“There’s a catch.” 

“Why not…” Even then you couldn’t say it. Not immediately. 

Why not take me with you? 

The rest of the sentence burrowed in your mind, itching to come out. You wanted to know. 

You had to know. It was the only way you could get rid of the ache in your chest. 

“Got the ammo. I did almost step in a puddle but we can finally get out of here.” Yubin reentered the room, tilting her head immediately as she saw you. 

“Oh… Yeah. Coming.” You gave Siyeon one last glance. 

One last thing in your mind that begged its way to your mouth to be spoken out loud for the world- or at least Siyeon, to hear. 

I still love you. 

But you added that to a list of more words left unspoken. 

“I missed you.” Siyeon’s voice cracked slightly. 

You refused to bring yourself to look at her. You knew her tearful state would have made you cave. 

Yubin loaded enough ammo into two guns specially made for the colliding ones. 

I missed you too. 

Another missed opportunity. Another sentence is unspoken. 

Siyeon watched as you and Yubin left the room and into the ruins of an abandoned subway station.

Yubin led the way through the path of fallen debris and radioactive mushrooms that only grew in dark places where the colliding ones were typically found inhabiting the area. 

Luckily, they were docile in the dark. 

It was the light that caused them to become aggressive toward living beings. 

Yubin grimaced, avoiding the areas with the mushrooms that gave off the only light source in the ruins of the subway. 

The only light source the colliding ones could remain docile under. 

“Where the hell did you get all of this ammo?” You whispered, although your whisper still managed to echo throughout the ruins. 

“Bora left stashes of it all around the city back when…” Yubin stopped herself from continuing. She cleared her throat, moving a wooden beam to the side to squeeze through a tight space that led to the other side of the subway ruins. 

“She left a stash of ammo at each rendezvous point. Any access points we are permitted to, there will be ammo.” Yubin held out her hand for you as you came through the tight opening. 

“Daylight’s waiting.” She shivered, looking up the stairs at the sunlight that poured down onto the area below the steps. 

The future seemed so far away. 

The state of the world ceased to get better. You were sure it had decreased in quality. 

Officials empty promises of a better world once the third collapse is prevented. 

How they have the most elite of the elites on the job. 

The empty paychecks that came with the job. 

It only pissed you off more just thinking about it. 

You weren’t doing the job for a better future or a lavish lifestyle. 

As much as you wanted to resent her for leaving, you were doing it for Siyeon. 

Even then, you weren’t entirely sure if you resented her, the colliding ones, or yourself. 

You and Yubin met up with Minji and Gahyeon- who eventually got her busted tablet back. 

A frustrated sigh emitted from Gahyeon’s mouth as she tore her focus away from the tablet. 

“I may never beat Yeosang’s high score… Whoever that is.” 

“Yeosang? The barista at Aurora?” Yubin asked, sitting beside her on a rusted bench under a dilapidated roof cover. 

“He’s a barista? Didn’t think baristas had time to game.” Gahyeon mumbled, looking down at her tablet as she restarted her game. 

“You’re competing against someone you don’t know?” Yubin was a bit confused by Gahyeon’s reaction, thinking she had met him before. 

“Yeah. He’s the only other player anyway. Why not? How do you know him?” 

“Do you ever listen to my rants? He’s the one that always messes up my simple order!” 

“Could be worse. I would mess your order up on purpose if you came to my cafe.” 

Minji ignored the two’s conversation and scanned the area with her binoculars. 

“So.” You cleared your throat, unsure if you had spoken to her during the time you unintentionally spaced out. 

“You really need to stop making enemies. You never know who will try to abuse their power.”  Minji lowered the binoculars, handing them to you. You raised the lenses to your eyes, scanning the area she had just scanned. 

“It’s not like I try making enemies. People just need to stop pissing me off.” You mumbled, lowering the binoculars. 

“This is the infamously dangerous Maison?” You were unconvinced. 

It looked about as dangerous as the rest of the city. And that was saying something. 

“Rendezvous V is in Maison. The dead center of Maison.” Minji put the binoculars away. 

“Yes!” Gahyeon rose to her feet. “I beat him!” 

Minji chuckled, a smile forming on her face at the younger girl's accomplishment. 

“Aw! My tablet shut off!” Gahyeon frowned in sudden disappointment. 

“To be fair, it ran its course.” You crossed your arms. 

Gahyeon shrugged. “What if this Yeosang guy retaliates in the middle of someone’s cup of coffee? Then what?” 

You raised your eyebrows at her, “I doubt a barista in a busy city is going to beat your score anytime soon.” 

Gahyeon smiled, a relieved sigh leaving her lips. 

“Good.” 

“Back to the mission, I will accompany Yubin to rendezvous I. You and Gahyeon will go to rendezvous V,” Minji explained. You and Gahyeon agreed, even if it meant you two would have to traverse through Maison. 

Truth be told, you never stepped foot near Maison. Siyeon always advised you to never so much as look in the direction of Maison. 

Something about it scared her and you wondered what it could be. 

It was just something else you’ll never know the answer to. 

Minji and Yubin walked away, bidding you and Gahyeon farewell for the time being. 

You and Gahyeon began your trip toward Maison, hoping it didn’t snow there too. 

“Wait!” 

You stopped, turning to see Siyeon, bundled in a heavy jacket as she sprinted to catch up with you and Gahyeon. 

“I’m coming with you.” Siyeon panted, catching her breath as you continued to walk with Gahyeon and now Siyeon, who accompanied you two last minute. 

It was strange. 

Your estranged girlfriend- or, Ex-girlfriend, even if you two never actually broke up, was walking beside you and Gahyeon, someone else she left in pursuit of her ‘happiness’. 

You understood it too. Wanting to be happier and safe. You understood why she left, even if it took you forever to realize it. 

But it still hurt. 

It hurt that you never got a proper ‘goodbye’, you at least deserved that, right? 

It hurt that she never asked you, whether it was asking you what you thought or the fact she didn’t ask you to come with her. 

“Agh! I really hope Yeosang abandoned the game… He’s really hard to beat.” Gahyeon whined, mainly to herself, but from the glance she spared you, you felt obligated to speak. 

“He won’t beat you.” You replied, watching as the various puddles of acidic snow began to dwindle the more you three trudged into the Maison territory. 

“How do you know?” 

“Because I know you.” You stopped, feeling the air still around you. “If he does beat you, you will get back on and spend months trying to surpass him again. And you’ll succeed every time.” 

Gahyeon looked at you, a smile beaming on her face. 

Siyeon slipped her hand into yours, taking this moment as an opportunity. Her touch felt like fire against your skin, only you didn’t have the urge to pull your hand back in a hissing pain. 

“Y/N! Was that a compliment?” Gahyeon squealed, hugging you, which in turn almost knocked you off balance. 

And off guard. 

“Woah! So sorry!” Gahyeon helped steady you as an apology for almost knocking you off your feet. 

“Something isn’t right.” You stepped forward, letting go of Siyeon’s hand. 

“What isn’t right?” Siyeon asked, speaking for the first time since she joined. You took a few more steps forward, Siyeon and Gahyeon watched carefully. 

Gahyeon readied the gun Minji had given her before meeting up in between the rendezvous points E and V. 

Siyeon wasn’t a fighter. Nor did she have a gun or weapon of any kind. 

Even back then after the second collapse, she served as a ‘negotiator’ or a ‘runner’ who would run and distract the colliding ones for the sake of giving the fighters a better advantage. 

A runner, you thought. Maybe it was her fate to run away. 

“I don’t see anything…” Gahyeon hesitantly stepped forward. Siyeon remained where she was to observe the area. 

She was good at observing things. People too. 

That’s how she changed you. How she brought your soul back to your being after it had been broken after so much pain. 

“Watch your footing.” Siyeon breathed out, noticing the expertly hidden mines under mounds of pebbles that could- And would send you into a catatonic shock if touched by bare skin. 

You nor Gahyeon could see the mines. Neither of you was trained for anything other than fighting. Yubin was the only other person that could spot a mine in an open field. 

But Siyeon could. 

“Follow me. I know a path.” Siyeon carefully walked ahead, “follow my exact steps.” 

You did as she said, not wanting to risk catatonia or being blown up sky-high. 

Gahyeon watched you before she followed. 

“Who set the mines up? Don’t you ever wonder?” Gahyeon eyed your footing as you did with Siyeon. 

“Doesn’t matter. We aren’t here to find that out.” You never intended for that to come out as coldly as it did. 

The three of you jumped over the last group of pebbles and onto a patch of dry grass. A dilapidated sign that had “Maison” painted over it hung from the stone entrance. You were sure if a gust of wind came along, it would fall. Even the stone walls. 

“They’re here!” Gahyeon raised her gun on full alert, the special ammo already loaded in the chamber. 

“Where?!” You did the same, holding your gun up. Siyeon walked under the entrance. 

“What are you doing?!” 

“They aren’t going to come out if they know you’re armed. I will distract them.” She winked back at you. 

“What?” Gahyeon glanced at you, barely having heard you. She squinted, noticing more movement.

“Should we advance yet?” She added to her previous question. You took the lead, walking into the entrance after Siyeon had stood in the middle of the area beyond the entrance. 

There you saw it, a colliding one. Its sandy brown skin flowed and reconnected with various parts of its body like kinetic sand, the soulless sage green circles that made up its eyes, and ‘arms‘ that acted as swords or sledgehammers- The appearance of it only brought back painful memories. 

Gahyeon grimaced. She found them disgusting to look at, from how you could smell the copper scent from the distance you stood, to how the kinetic sand-like skin would fall to the surface they stood on only for it to reconnect back onto its body. 

Gahyeon had a theory, that after they kill their victim, they eat them. Cannibalism, she called it. 

But this thing wasn’t human. Not even close. 

“I don’t think I can make the shot.” Gahyeon whispered. You eyed Siyeon’s movements, waiting for her cue. 

“Don’t. Not yet. Let it get closer.” You mumbled, spotting another one coming out of the shadows. 

“I don’t think we can take three of them.” Gahyeon apprehensively looked back across the field of pebbles and mines. 

“Let’s skip this point and meet up with Minji and Yubin, I don’t like this.” Gahyeon pleaded under her breath although her gun remained in the air, unwavering. 

“It’s only three. We can take them.” You stepped forward, keeping to the shadows to not mess up Siyeon’s plan. Gahyeon followed your lead. 

A colliding one puddled itself and re-materialized a yard’s length from Siyeon. She closed her fist, giving you and Gahyeon the cue. 

“Now!” 

Gahyeon shot the colliding one, an immediate ‘head’ shot that caused the entire being to puddle itself into a heap of sand, rocks, and a very lethal substance that caused similar symptoms to radiation poisoning. 

Siyeon ran from her original spot as more and more of the colliding ones were drawn out by the gunshot. You wished the inside of Maison was as dark as the shadowed areas. 

“Stick to the shadows!” You yelled, shooting any beings that lunged. Gahyeon paused her shooting to reload more of the special ammo into her chamber. 

“They know we are here! It won’t matter!” Gahyeon cocked the gun, shooting more of the colliding ones. “Let’s go back!” 

“Okay! Retreat!” You ordered, shooting your last bullet before booking it back towards the entrance. 

You would have made it too. You, Gahyeon, and wherever Siyeon disappeared to. 

But Gahyeon’s scream shattered through the sound of crumbling and sand falling, a scream that made your blood run cold. 

“Gahyeon!” Siyeon’s own despaired scream rang out from across the space of the infested Maison entrance. She was too far to do anything. 

Too unprepared as well and too surrounded to help her friend. 

“I can’t,” Gahyeon cried out, trying to free her leg from the grasp she was in. She tried- and failed to claw her way to her fallen gun that only contained one bullet. She screamed, her fingernails damaged and bleeding as well as her leg where the colliding one had its grasp on her. 

“It hurts!” Gahyeon howled in pain. You frantically reloaded your weapon but in your panic, you managed to fumble and drop the bullets on the ground, some of them breaking into bits beyond repair. 

Dumbass!, you cursed yourself. 

But there were two bullets still intact. 

And there were now five colliding ones surrounding her. 

“No!” You cried out, your gun raised and loaded, but realistically you would only be able to take two of them down. 

You still shot, and just as you thought, you did only manage to take two of them down. 

You were yanked back outside of the otherwise stone entrance to Maison by Siyeon and back through the path of the mines. 

You were angry and grief-stricken, having abandoned your teammate like that. 

No. 

She was your friend before she was your teammate. 

The walls you had up that prevented you from getting close to anyone who would inevitably hurt you did not change the fact that Gahyeon was someone you cared for. 

Someone you would’ve saved if at all possible. 

Someone you should’ve saved. 

You pulled your arm from Siyeon’s grasp, turning towards the group of the colliding ones that had taken your friend from you. 

They were advancing towards you, puddling themselves as to pass by the mines undetected. 

“You fucking cowardly pieces of shit!” You screamed which in turn hurt your throat. 

But you didn’t care. You would heal later. 

Even if Gahyeon made it out somehow, she would take years to come back from the injuries she sustained. 

“Y/N, Don’t! Let’s go!” Siyeon grasped your arm, only for you to yank yourself away. 

You threw your empty gun directly onto one of the mines, which not only exploded and sent pebbles flying everywhere, but also managed to take out two puddled colliding ones. 

“Yeah! Fuck around and you will find out!” You were crying as you screamed that. Anger boiled the blood in your veins.

 Anger. All you felt was anger but you knew later when you were alone, the grief would dawn on you more, outweighing the anger completely. 

“Y/N.” Siyeon spoke in a stern tone, her teeth clenched. “You need to calm down!” 

You didn’t listen to her. You never listened to anyone when you were this angry. You wanted blood-shed. You wanted the anger to be appeased somehow. You wanted your friend back. 

“Don’t!” Siyeon watched as you picked up a decently sized rock, which thankfully had no other side effects aside from being a rock, and you let it fly, hurdling towards another mine. 

Only this mine was closer to you than you expected.

“I love you.” 

Siyeon was the first to say those three words to you. She never told you about the hurt that came with it when you hadn’t said it back. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t love her either. You loved her more than words could describe. 

You just weren’t used to hearing those words. Sure, your family had told you they loved you, but that was before the collapse. 

Before you lost them. 

You were afraid you would lose Siyeon too once you said those words. The last words you heard before losing your family were those words. ‘I love you.’ Before you lost your best friend, 

‘I love you.’ 

But here you were, hearing your girlfriend saying “I love you.”, in a safe environment too. 

Yet it scared you way more than you ever thought possible. 

‘I can’t lose you too.’ 

You just smiled at her despite your brain becoming a whirlpool of intense fear. 

Siyeon took your hand in hers and you willed yourself to just tell her you loved her back. 

You willed yourself to tell her you were having trouble saying those words because you had long associated them with pain and loss rather than love. Actual love. 

Siyeon never told you, but she understood. Of course, she did. 

The first time you managed to feel safe enough to tell her, “I love you.” She cried. 

Then you cried because of the guilt for withholding those three simple words from her. 

They were only words, sure, but they were anything but simple. 

You remember the faint scent of her perfume, the softness of her jacket, and the wet tears meeting the skin on the crook of your neck. 

She never meant to cry, and you never meant to make her cry. 

She wasn’t sad. She wasn’t angry nor did she ever blame you. 

She was happy. She was happy that even though she knew deep down how much you loved her, you had finally said it out loud and made it known. 

“I love you but you scared the hell out of me!” Siyeon was kneeling in front of you, worriedly trying to grasp your attention. 

You blinked and moved your head to take in your new surroundings. 

Siyeon let out a sigh of relief, taking your hand into hers. 

You were sat on a chair in a narrow hallway with walls covered in chipped black paint while the floor tiles were cracked yet still safe enough to walk on. 

“Where are we?” You asked her. It was then that you noticed how dry your throat was. A familiar sting accompanied the dryness as well. 

“Near rendezvous L. Minji and Yubin had to make an emergency call to the boss when they found us,” Siyeon filled you in on every detail that you somehow couldn’t remember. 

“A pebble touched your skin. You were catatonic for ten hours! Why didn’t you stop when I asked?” 

“They were going to kill us.” You mumbled. Your shoulders felt heavy, remembering what happened to Gahyeon. 

“We could’ve outrun them.” She countered. 

Something about her disappointment in you made you feel regretful. You wanted to cry. You wanted to curl into her arms and vent about everything wrong that has happened since she left. 

You wanted to turn back the time and instead of Gahyeon, it was you who was cut off by the colliding ones. 

Gahyeon, who dedicated hours to beating a barista’s high score. 

Gahyeon, who may never beat his- Yeosang’s- high score again if he decided to retaliate. 

Minji and Yubin exited a door beside you, long-faced and exhausted. 

You wondered how they brought you back from Maison. 

How long they had waited for you to snap out of your catatonic state. 

You wondered if Siyeon told them about Gahyeon. 

“The mission is to continue with the three of us.” Minji rubbed her eyes. Yubin didn’t speak a word. She looked to have already said her piece. 

You furrowed your eyebrows, looking up at Siyeon, who had stood up. 

“I’m… Not going with you guys…” She scratched the back of her neck, maintaining your gaze. 

Siyeon bent down to plant a kiss on your forehead. 

“I love you,” she smiled a gloomy smile. “I always have.” 

I still love you. 

But you didn’t have the energy to speak those words out loud. 

I don’t blame you for leaving. 

I miss you too. 

I need you. 

Please don’t leave. 

More unspoken words clouded your mind. 

I love you more than you’ll ever know. 

You began to cry in the chair you were sitting on. No one said anything. 

Siyeon, however, wrapped her arms around you as comfort. 

Please don’t leave. 

Then you screamed louder than you have before.

There were exactly five hours left before the third collapse would commence. 

You, Minji, Yubin, all three of you were as ready as you could be. Those materializations of the kinetic sand-like bodies and their sage green soulless eyes. The copper scent was enough to nauseate you from the distance you stood. 

You were given a newer gun with a much faster reload rate as you had blown up your old gun. 

You wondered if Siyeon told them what happened or if you meant it as an accident. 

The wind picked up at a higher speed the further the three of you trudged into their territory. 

The colliding ones were hostile, but you three had guns. Armed. 

They weren’t going to mess with you yet. Not until you shot first. 

You wondered if Minji or Yubin saw you as a ticking time bomb. If they worried you would do something stupid that would jeopardize the entire mission and inevitably the world. 

Like dropping all of the damn ammo when it was most crucial. 

“High alert. We’re in the center.” Minji’s voice came in clearly through the earpiece you had collectively put on. 

“Copy.” Yubin had one hand on her ear, turning down the volume, realizing how loud she had it set to. 

You watched the puddles of sand, rock,- and possibly just radiation- moving around the three of you. They never came any closer than three feet and even made way for you the further the three of you walked. 

Only a few of the colliding ones had actual ‘bodies’. Those were the ones that stood further back. 

“Did you get anything from rendezvous V?” Minji’s voice came through your earpiece again. 

“Trauma.” 

“Y/N, I swear to-“ 

“No. We didn’t get past the main entrance area.” You heard Minji’s quiet sigh as she nodded in acceptance. 

“We will make it work. Yubin, you’re up.” 

“On it.” Yubin took the lead, You and Minji covered her to make sure none of those things got close to her. 

You wouldn’t let it happen again. 

You swore. 

Yubin placed the D.C. device on the ground where the dead center of the area was. Even though the wind, sand, rocks, and whatever the colliding ones had mixed inside of them- radiation?- obstructed your view, Minji had been diligently keeping track of the GPS that marked the spot. 

Yubin connected the wires and armed the device that would send a shock wave throughout the third collapse point and, theoretically rip the colliding ones apart beyond repair. 

“All set.” 

Yubin jogged back over to you. And for a second, you thought you saw Siyeon. You gasped, pointing your gun towards the colliding being nearest her. 

“Siyeon! Run!” You screamed, firing a bullet at the colliding one that hadn’t done anything. 

Yet. 

“Y/N! No!” Minji yelled. Yubin raised her gun swiftly and began to shoot with Minji to fend off the colliding ones that had been set off by your mistake. 

You began to shoot as well and realized that Siyeon wasn’t there after all. 

Shit. 

You mentally cursed yourself with each bullet firing off. 

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. 

You felt a tug on your arm, pulling you in the direction Yubin and Minji were going. 

They were retreating. 

Yubin armed the D.C. device but you knew you were surrounded for at least a mile. 

You all knew. 

The shock wave would obliterate your entire team as well if none of you make it past a certain point. 

“Cover me!” Minji yelled, needing to reload. You and Yubin did as she said, fending any of the beings off that tried to come near her. 

You were making it out of there. All three of you. 

And you were going to find Siyeon and tell her everything you never could bring yourself to say. 

You would make it up to Gahyeon, somehow. 

“Y/N! Yubin! Run! Just run!” Minji grit her teeth, struggling to aim in every direction at once. 

You and Yubin, and soon Minji, began to run, sprinting back towards what was called ‘the point of no return’. 

“In the hatch! Go!” Minji ushered. You and Yubin took turns climbing down the hatch that you had originally entered. 

It was dark, which meant it was safe. 

Minji slammed the hatch shut and locked it just as quickly. 

Yubin turned on the lights, illuminating the tunnel that led you there once she knew it was safe enough. 

It was then you were able to see Minji’s face, her eyes boring a hole into your own, and her teeth were clenched to top it all off. 

“What was that?! We had a plan! Why did you shoot?!” She raised her voice at you and for a moment, you noticed her fists clenching into a ball. 

“I thought I saw Siyeon! She came back so I thought she showed up anyway even though she said she wasn’t-“ 

“What are you talking about?” Minji unclenched her fist, though her tone and facial expression hadn’t changed. She was still glaring at you, her face flushed with a shade of red, and a vein sticking out very faintly on the side of her forehead. 

“Siyeon told us she wasn’t coming with us this time. She told us when I had barely come back from catatonia?” You glanced from Minji to Yubin. Only then did Minji soften her expression. 

“No, she wasn’t. Yubin and I were both there with you- Alone.” 

“Huh? But Yubin saw her! Remember? At the subway station? Siyeon was there!” You looked at Yubin, confusion throbbing in your head. 

“And she was with me and Gahyeon at Maison!” You desperately added. Yubin shook her head. 

“What are you talking about?” Yubin took a step back, staring at you as if you were a ghost. 

“You guys are just messing with me! You literally spoke to her! And she spoke to you!” You were on the verge of panicking. The frustration built its way up and threatened to explode from within you. 

“Oh, Y/N…” Minji’s mouth dropped into a frown. You felt uneasiness in the pit of your stomach. 

“Siyeon died during the second collapse.”

The day your world stopped was a day you distantly remember. Not because it wasn’t worth remembering, but because it was too painful to remember. 

You remember how it felt fighting alongside Siyeon, a little after the second collapse. The fear, adrenaline, even a little excitement as you were finally able to save her and protect her as she had with you. 

Siyeon wasn’t a fighter but she sure did try. She stuck with you, the ‘strong’ one in the relationship. 

You never felt strong, though. Any strength you showed, all originated from Siyeon. 

Siyeon knew a lot of things. 

But she did not know how strong she was. 

You would’ve succeeded in protecting her if you had faster reflexes. 

She wasn’t supposed to have been in the crossfire. She was supposed to distract, run, hide, and repeat. 

Distract. 

Run. 

Hide. 

Repeat. 

But you were both cornered and separated from your team. Only momentarily, but it was enough time for the worst to happen. 

You fended the colliding ones off from the two of you but that didn’t stop one from picking up a rebar and lodging it in yours and Siyeons direction. 

You wished you could say you both dodged it in time. Not just you. 

You wished you had jumped in front of her and protected her somehow. 

You wished you had never met her. 

No. 

You wished you had met her in a better world. 

“Siyeon, come on, stay with me! You’ll be fine!” You helped her onto a subway platform and hurried into a room that seemed out of place with the structure of the subway station. 

Still, you had tried to get Siyeon through the door opposite of the way you two came in from. Siyeon tried her best, but she had already succumbed to the exhaustion and lightheadedness she felt. 

She couldn’t do it. 

“How many people survive wounds like this?” Siyeon struggled to get that sentence out, yet she still got it out flawlessly. 

“Looks like you’ll be the first.” 

You were dead serious too. A little in denial. 

Or, fully in denial, but you believed it at the time. You weren’t losing her. 

Siyeon saw the humor in that, even in pain, she managed to smile. 

“I love you. You know that.” 

You did but you weren’t letting her give up on herself. 

“Sit with me.” Her voice was weaker than before. 

“No. You need to get up. We are going to get to a hospital and you will get proper medical attention and… And… I’m not losing you!” 

You didn’t care that your voice cracked or that the lump in your throat hurt from trying to suppress your emotions. 

“Sit.” Siyeon repeated, weakly tugging on your hand. 

You gave in. Of course you did. She had that effect on you. 

“I’m not going to make it. I know you know this.” Siyeon tried her best to stay awake. She really did, and every second she spent trying to keep herself awake, the more she felt exhausted. 

“I love you. Always have.” 

You wrapped your arms around her, kissing her cheek while she was still awake to feel it. You began to sob, feeling her fall limp. 

“Please don’t leave.” 

No response. 

“Please… Please don’t leave.” 

You screamed, begging whatever higher power was listening to bring her back, make her okay, to somehow teleport her to a hospital. 

“Y/N?” 

In your despair from remembering a painful memory, you realized where you were. But you didn’t know what happened. 

You were back at the apartment you shared with Siyeon, sitting on the edge of the bed and staring out of the window. 

“What are you thinking about?” It was Siyeon. She walked around and sat in the empty spot beside you. “Better view than the room you shared with Minji, Yubin, and Gahyeon, right?” 

You looked at her with tear-stained cheeks and more flooding down your face the more you looked at her. She was alive and healthy and it felt so real. 

“It… Is better.” You muttered, the lump in your throat ached worse than it had moments before. “But it hurts.” 

“You know I would never hurt you. Not intentionally.” Siyeon put her hand on your thigh with reassurance. 

“You have hurt me.” 

You wiped your eyes, standing up. 

“You fucking died!” 

Siyeon was taken aback. You knew she wasn’t really there. You knew it wasn’t her talking. Anything she said to you at that moment were words she’s spoken before. 

Words you remembered her saying and words you knew she was saying to try and make you feel better. 

She knew you. But you also knew her. 

And it hurt. 

You dug your fingertips into your scalp trying to appease the frustration you felt. 

“Please calm down.” Siyeon sat where she had been, unflinching, but the concern in her voice said otherwise. 

“No, Siyeon! You can’t just fix me and then leave me to fall apart again!” You were hyperventilating, the pain growing inside of you. Every feeling bottled inside had exploded within you. 

It was unbearable. 

“I told you, I never left. I was always here with you.” Siyeon moved from the spot on the bed and kneeled beside you, engulfing you in her arms. 

As comforting as it was, it only hurt more because you knew she wasn’t actually there. Not physically. 

“Why did you leave without me?” 

No answer. She would never answer a question like that. Not with what it implied. 

She would have wanted you to be happy, and outlive the colliding ones. 

But you were you. 

What other people wanted isn’t what you wanted. Not without her. 

“I still love you.” You forced out, thinking it would be the last time you ever would see her. 

Even if you knew her response, she would never know. You always had trouble sharing your true feelings. And when you did, it wasn’t often and it was only to Siyeon. No one else got nearly as close to you as she did. 

But it didn’t make anything you said any less true. 

Siyeon kissed your forehead. Not because she chose to, but because it’s what you remember her doing previous times you had broken down. 

“I’m here. I will always be here.” 

And she would hold you until you felt okay again. 

“I miss you.” You babbled. 

“I need you.” 

Siyeon didn’t say anything. You wondered if it would hurt more or less if she did. 

It was easier pretending she had left without a second word. You convinced yourself she just left for her hometown and didn’t tell anyone where. 

Even though you were there to witness her last breath, you were in denial. It was easier. 

“I don’t blame you for leaving.” 

Maybe you did blame her deep down for leaving you the way she did. 

Maybe she blamed you too. 

It wasn’t your choice and it wasn’t hers either. It was just the way you two were brought together and pulled apart. 

You felt freezing and heard the rapid fire of gunshots around you. Instead of your old apartment, you were in the center of the town you, ever so reluctantly, referred to as home. 

Siyeon was no longer with you. 

“Y/N!” Yubin sprinted towards you at full speed and pushed you behind cover as one of the colliding ones had detached its ‘arm’ and flung it at you before it reattached to its body like a boomerang. 

You felt the fire radiating heat from the buildings around you. You wondered how the pouring rain hadn’t set them out yet. 

Maybe in a minute, the fires would dissipate. 

Maybe nothing was real. 

The device. 

You almost forgot about how Yubin had planted the D.C. device. 

She must’ve set it off while you were shut off from reality. 

“If you die, Minji will kill you!” Yubin helped you stand before raising her gun once again, “and trust me when I say I’m not joking!” 

Yubin jogged away, shooting at any of the colliding ones that stood in her way. You looked around, realizing how many of the colliding ones there were that were left after the shockwave blast who were most likely retaliating. 

You knew you at least had to pull yourself together. If not for Minji or Yubin, then Siyeon. 

“Give them a reason to fear you.” 

You checked the chamber of your gun, making sure you had a full round, then you began to fire.

“Welcome to Aurora! What can I do for you?” 

You squinted at the name tag safety pinned to the barista’s shirt. 

Yeosang. 

“Yeosang?” You read out loud. 

Yeosang slowly nodded in response. “Do I know you?” 

You shook your head, stepping closer to the table he had begun cleaning before you had walked in. 

“You do know a friend of mine.” 

“Enlighten me.” He set down the rag, his eyebrows furrowed when you handed him your phone that had the leaderboards of the game he and Gahyeon competed against each other in, opened up on the screen. 

“Oh. Odd eye! I haven’t played that in months.” He reminisced. “Gahyeon is your friend? I actually didn’t know her. I see she did beat my score though. Didn’t think I’d ever see the day.” 

“What?” 

“I’m not saying she was bad at the game, just didn’t think anyone else played much… Or that she played often.” Yeosang shrugged, handing the phone back to you before finishing wiping down the table he stood in front of. 

“Do you still play?” You asked, pocketing your phone. Yeosang let out a small chuckle, “off and on. I’ll probably revisit it later, now that you mention it. Tell Gahyeon congratulations though.” 

“Yeosang.” 

He looked at you again, not yet used to being referred to by his actual name while working. 

“Gahyeon… Gahyeon passed away.” 

Yeosang froze as he wasn’t sure what to say. Especially not about someone he had only known through the leaderboards of the ‘Odd eye’ game. 

“Oh… I’m so sorry.” 

You stepped closer to where he had moved to. It was just the two of you in the cafe. 

“If you decide to play again,” you paused, feeling a lump in your throat forming. “Please, don’t beat her score. It was the last thing she was proud of.” 

Yeosang immediately gave you a thumbs up without a second thought, “Whatever your name is, you have my word.” 

“Thank you.” 

You left the cafe, the bell dinging as the door shut behind you. Whether he would keep his word or not, you trusted he would. 

You walked through the streets as many construction workers and volunteers worked to rebuild the city after you, Minji, Yubin, and any volunteers from the militia had successfully- although very destructively, prevented the third collapse. 

You took out the folded map from your back pocket and unfolded it to route the direction you needed to take out of the city and to the town Siyeon had once talked about. 

Whether it was a town worth it or not, Siyeon used to live there before you two had met. 

You read over the sticky note stuck to the map beside the circled location of the town you were headed for. 

‘Bring back a souvenir - Yubin and Minji.’

It’s been years since the prevention of the third collapse. Years since you’ve heard from Yubin and Minji. 

Not that they never tried reaching you, just that they were busy with other things. 

You learned to come to terms with losing Siyeon, though you still have your moments. 

Even years later, you never found love in someone else. Nor did you look for it. 

As far as you were concerned, Siyeon was the only person you have and would ever love. 

You walked out to your garden to upkeep your plants. It’s the only hobby you picked up as a coping mechanism that somewhat helped you. 

You still bottled your feelings inside, not having anyone to talk to about them. Not like you could with Siyeon. 

You watered your plants evenly and got carried away, lost in your own world. You almost didn’t notice the three shadows cast over you and your plants. 

Curious, you turned around as you hadn’t had a visitor in a long time. 

“Do you have our souvenirs?” Yubin grinned. She was the first to hug you. 

Then Minji, who held onto you tighter than Yubin but for a shorter amount of time. 

Minji glanced back behind her, “oh yeah. Look who came back.” 

You widened your eyes, dropping the watering can which in turn caused the water to spill out. 

Gahyeon stood behind Yubin and Minji. She looked a little older, as it had been years, but she was there. 

Alive, but you noticed how she limped when she walked closer to you, sending a wave of guilt through you. 

At least she was alive. 

She beamed at you as if nothing had happened all of those years ago, throwing her arms around you. 

“Missed me?”

[etherealsupportclown]

Okay so the past 4 years have been heavy on my mind. With climate change, a pandemic, and an increasingly hostile political climate for anyone who isn’t a WASP, suffice to say I reached my limit. I don’t know exactly when it happened but a few months ago I decided that I was tired of being miserable. And like I know how that sounds but hear me out I swear I’m not a headspace ad. I started paying attention to all the things in my life that sucked, most social media, really any platform where I’m fighting an algorithm. Activism in the ineffective form it can take online, just things that made me miserable having interacted with them. And I started cutting them out, or better even, finding positive replacements. Instagram sucked because I never saw content from the people I actually wanted to interact with, and everywhere I looked id see posts about some new tragedy. And to put it bluntly, I cannot care about everything. I do care for the good of humanity and for the overturning of oppressors. But me reposting something on Instagram wasn’t doing any actionable change that I could see and constantly being bombarded with the evils of the world made me jaded. So I deleted Instagram and have shifted my focus onto local politics, I may not know what’s going on in the Middle East at this very moment but I know who’s running for school board and how my vote affects that. I'm barely an adult, I'm not equipped to navigate foreign policy! so instead I'll focus my attention where i can actually make a change. I’m trying to focus on what is good and what can change, rather than who is evil and who controls me. And I cannot express enough how freeing it is, I have hope for the future again for the first time since I was a kid. I’m not choosing to be ignorant I know that real and direct action is imperative to our planet’s survival but I also know that living in the miserable shadow of that truth won’t help me fix the problem. I’m not sure if any of that makes sense but if you take anything away from this dear reader let it be this, do not waste your time wallowing in misery just because it’s comfortable, you have the free will to see the world how you want to! And I hope you see a beautiful world full of hope.

Take care <3

-Greg

[lotusthekat]

[ID: 1) A sketched, black and white cover art in which Steven and Lars sit by the edge of the Brooding Hill at night. Steven stares down at the ocean, consumed by darkness; the wave that hits the hill swallows it in black. Lars looks at Steven, concerned. Both ignore the night sky filled with stars and the moon. There's a small white text saying "Don't walk away." Below is the title of the fanfic, "Atmosphere", by TheRegularWriter AKA LotusTheKat.

2) A colorless sketch of Lars hugging Steven, telling him "I love you, Steven". Steven's eyes glow, indicating he's about to cry. He holds one of Lars' arms. /End ID]

“I… I wonder what it’s like. That deep… nothing of the water engulfing me. (…) Maybe… Maybe, if I joined [the waves], I wouldn’t feel anything. I wouldn’t feel any pain. Maybe I would… I would finally be at peace."

I keep revisiting Atmosphere. I wrote it purely to vent. It was September of 2020, and my depression was getting a lot worse. Besides COVID-19, Chadwick Boseman had died beforehand and it completely wrecked me. I even had to take a break from social media because I couldn't bear to see Chadwick's face everywhere.

I'm not a stranger to suicidal thoughts, unfortunately. I started having them when I was barely 13. I never acted on them, and if I ever tried, I immediately gave up, because I'm terrified of dying. However, I wanted the pain to stop. So, I often fantasized of ending it all. I even started having dreams I was planning to die.

This is how Atmosphere came to be. I was surprised that it got so much praise. Every now and then, I come back to it. I haven't dealt with suicidal thoughts anymore, but I like reading it mainly because of Steven reaching out to Lars for help. I think I want someone to listen to me, to hug me, and to stay with me right now. It's sad because I don't have anyone in real life I could go to, so I suppose Steven and Lars are my coping mechanism at this point.

I'm glad to know that people like my incredibly self-indulgent stuff, haha. Expect even more content from me :)

DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION!

Don't tag as ship.

[mrbexwrites]

Manuscript Search

Tagged by @talesofsorrowandofruin and you can see her own post here (which you should do, as she's an amazing writer, and you'll not be disappointed!)

I've to find: finish, close, end and leave

No pressure tagging @queen-tashie @deanwax @cee-grice @sunset-a-story and anyone else who wants to share some of their work. Your words are : quiet, silence, small, tired

Snippets from Blood Harmony below the cut, because I've not done any work on this draft for a while, and should probably look at reading the unhinged contents of it before I start the hell process editing:

Finish:

“Busy day?” Seaborg handed me back my fake ID, and I shrugged, giving him a weary smile.  “No rest for the wicked!”  “Tell me about it!” He barked a laugh and waved me through. I’d been watching the estate for a couple of days; I knew his schedule. He was due to finish his shift in the next half an hour, before he would be replaced by Officer Cohen. They never kept a list of service vehicles coming in or out, so Cohen wouldn’t know if I had left or not.  I had found that, over the years, a hi-vis vest, hard hat, clipboard or a boiler suit got you pretty much into everywhere I needed to.

End:

Her bare arms and neck were covered in intricate tattoos, and I would have loved to have studied them all in great detail.  Her hands were warm and soft as she worked away, and I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck stand on end as her fingertips touched my bare back.  As she worked over a rib, I inhaled sharply, hissed the air out through my teeth as I forced myself not to flinch.

Close:

I could dare to dream; I let the door to the tattoo parlour close behind me, catching it with my heel so that it didn’t slam shut with the breeze. I jammed my hands in my pocket, tucked my hair into the old trucker’s cap , and walked with my head down to avoid any CCTV. Facial recognition was everywhere, and I couldn’t be caught. Not now.  Not when I was so close.

Leave:

My dad sniffed and turned back to me, standing silently, waiting for me to leave.  “If I see you again-” “You won’t,” I mumbled, ducking my head, in case he swung for me, as I let myself out.  “Don’t come back until you’re worthy!” He shouted after me.  I dashed tears from my eyes, and jumped into my van, my tyres squealing on the tarmac as I left the car-park. Connor stared at me from the passenger seat.  “Don’t,” I banished him. I didn’t want him to see me cry.