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nightjung · 4 years ago

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𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲

Married Couple!Jaehyun x reader

63. “Wow, I didn’t realize you were that...flexible.”

88. “I’m up for it if you are.”

warnings: impreg kink

a/n: here ya go @plump-peach!! repost with the pic of your request bc tags weren’t working (not surprised tho) when i posted and replied to it, but sorry it took so long, hope you like it bby!!

[ 2.1 k words ]

It was your first Christmas together as a married couple. The year gave you such a headache, from performances to sneaking around with Jaehyun, hiding from Dispatch, you finally had the weekend to yourself. No one said it was easy being married to an idol, you had met him coincidentally when you were studying dance in the local college and were asked to become a backup dancer for NCT. The rest is history.

Before spending Christmas day with both of your families, Jaehyun wanted to reserve a secluded winter cabin and spend time with you before the hectic holidays with your families and his members. You promised no gifts for each other but just the presence of one another.

“Are you liking it?” Jaehyun asked, his head propped up on his arm on the bed.

“Yeah I do,” you turned to smile at your husband, “thank you for such a wonderful time here.”

“Of course-” he leaned into you, “-I hated sneaking around Dispatch, this is the least I could do after what I put you through.”

“And I’d do it again,” you smiled, closing the space between both of your lips.

Maybe it was bad, but ever since you two arrived at the secluded cabin, you couldn’t get enough of each other; hands in each other’s hair, legs tangled together, and the room saturated with the smell of sex and sounds of pleasure. You blamed it on the freezing weather and the home-like feeling the holiday always brought.

Jaehyun’s lips moulded perfectly with yours, he brought warmth to your legs, the quivering feeling making you pull them together. He noticed and scoffed at your avoidance to accept your arousal. With his lips nipping your bottom lip, he pulled away earning a sigh from you as you followed your gaze from your lips to his eyes, the subtle slyness in his eyes eliciting goosebumps on your skin. That’s when you knew tonight was going to be particularly different, especially when Jaehyun lifted his weight from you and held your hand, hoisting you up and taking you to the living room. You managed to grab the light blanket around you before he fully pulled you out of bed, still being naked. You quickly wrapped your naked body before the cold air got to it.

“W-what are you d-doing?” You sputtered, sex was always fun with Jaehyun because there was always something new, but he always told you and asked you beforehand.

Jaehyun sat himself in front of the fireplace with you before him. His breath hitched when he glanced at you, your skin glowing gold before the flames of the fire and your hair perfectly framing your face, falling on your naked shoulders. Your eyes held a sense of innocence and curiosity for his actions, making him gush. “Just wanted to try something new.”

You tilt your head to the side, getting a good look at the fireplace. You chuckled when you realized what he was implying, “in front of the fireplace?” he nodded, his dimples divoting in his cheeks. you bent forward until your lips were barely touching Jaehyun’s, “Well, I’m up for it if you are.”

And of course he was into it. In a swift motion, Jaehyun’s arms wrapped around your body, gently setting you on the floor, not even bothering to put a pillow under you. He was so excited, so excited to just feel you, feel your skin against his, feel your nails scratching his back, and feeling your pussy swallow his throbbing cock.

You noticed the giddiness in his eyes and the small smile on his lips and you couldn’t help but ask, “has this been a fantasy of yours?” Jaehyun nodded again, his dimples making an appearance, once again. You poked them and perched yourself on your elbows to kiss his cheeks.

“Let me take care of you tonight, hm?” he was kind in asking you, but you still sensed the dominance in him creeping up on his hands, one of them now sitting on your breast.

When Jaehyun squeezed the flesh in his large hands, your lips parted, letting him know that whatever he was doing, it was working. He massaged them before pinching your perking nipple between his fingers, which ultimately made you arch your back. Feeling his fingertips trace down to your stomach, brushing over your navel, and down to your clothed pussy.

You hitched your breath from the edging feeling of his touch, earning a playful smirk from Jaehyun, “you like that? Just wait until I take you tonight,” his lips brushing your ear.

Your eyes widened and you inhaled a sharp breath when his hands maneuvered to your womanhood after throwing your underwear to the side, his long fingers not even bothering to coat themselves in your essence but instead harshly entering your pussy. Your eyes rolled back from the sharpening feeling, immediately stretching you out.

Unlike the other nights, Jaehyun was riled, he wasn’t being soft, but instead being so hard and quick. He was quick to get hard, his tip just brushing against your thigh as he bent forward to kiss you aggressively, sucking your bottom lip and drawing it out with his teeth.

“Look so pretty tonight,” he groans, his eyes failing to leave your lips between his teeth.

“Please stop playing around,” you whine when he finally lets go of your lips, “please, Jae, just-”

“Spit it out, tell me what you want, baby” Jaehyun sighs, his biggest wish is to hear you beg.

“I want you, I need to feel you- my gosh just- FUCK!!” You jolted forward, lurching your arms trying to grab ahold of Jaehyun, trying to just grasp onto anything as he thrusted into you, his tip hitting the spot that made you see the stars. You tried your best to narrow your eyes at him at his failure to warn you, but you couldn’t even keep your eyes from squeezing shut.

“Why didn’t...you say so...before,” Jaehyun grunts as his thrusts become harder, deeper.

Instead of replying, you cry out, tears brimming your face as your back arches, the pain of the wooden floor unsuccessfully bringing your head some sort of comfort. Jaehyun noticed you slightly hitting your head on the floor from the upbringing feeling of your climax, that’s why he wrapped his hand around the back of your head, a way to protect yourself from getting hurt and to bring you closer to me.

“Are you going to answer me?” He asks you, who timidly makes eye contact with him, your jaw dropped.

You shyly nod, biting back a moan, “I...I d-don’t know.”

Jaehyun shakes his head, a grin appearing on his face almost as if he knew what he was doing to you, “fucking you so hard, you can’t even come up with the words. Fucking you dumb.” You couldn’t reply to his dirty comment because you were too busy rolling your eyes to the back of your head, exactly proving his point.

The moment Jaehyun grabs onto your legs and wraps them around his waist is the moment where you absolutely lose it. The new angle brings a different, a deeper feeling of his cock hitting the spot where you could almost taste the euphoria on the tip of your tongue. The tongue which dances with Jaehyun when he bends down to plant a kiss, the lewd sounds of him ramming into you and tongues and teeth clashing are louder than the crackling of the fireplace. He moans into the kiss when he snaps his hips into yours, knowing that you’d be incredibly sore the next morning, which makes him thrust even harder.

In the midst of your intimate moment, a sudden thought comes to your mind; a new position. You two weren’t really to explore unnatural positions, but you just needed to feel all of him, you wanted to feel closer, more intimate. Slowly, you unwrapped your legs from Jaehyun’s waist with him giving you a questioning expression. You reassured him with a kiss that you knew what you were doing. In a calm matter, you spread your legs open as far as you could, thanking your flexibility from all of those years of dancing.

A glint of lust filled Jaehyun’s eyes as your legs spread farther open, giving him more access to push into you, “Wow, I didn’t realize you were that...flexible.”

“Guess I have all of those years of dancing to thank for,” you smile up at him.

Albeit the position, Jaehyun doesn’t hesitate to slow or quicken his pace, he’s careful because it’s an area you two never explore. Which he figured that you two should do more often because he never knew that just the spread of your legs could give him more access to shove his tip in deeper. He groans from the way your pussy swallows his cock, the sounds of the lewd act, and the way you squirm under him, telling him how good he feels in you.

“Go faster,” you pant, hands grasping his shoulders.

Quickly, Jaehyun increases the pace which makes you tremble in his arms, tears quickly spilling from the corners of your eyes. The rapid speed of each other’s hips shoving into one another makes the pit of your stomach warm and your throat tighten.

“You’re close, aren’t you?” Jaehyun smirks, you only nod to his question as your feet curl.

Jaehyun was always thoughtful in offering to take care of you and making sure you come at least three times, sometimes four. To be honest, he really didn’t think you’d pull through, but you always manage to amaze him. He finds a moment in time to admire your beauty; the red and purple marks scattered across your neck, collarbone, chest, lead down to your stomach, and when he looks up at you, your hair is splayed against the wood floor, some of it sticking to your forehead and the side of your face from sweat. He swears he can come right then and there. When his gaze switches to your face, it holds a golden glow on the rise of your cheeks, making you look like the sun, his world.

“God you’re so beautiful,” he moans, his head falling back as his hands find their way to your clit, quickly rubbing circles.

You sobbed in his touch, his thrusting cock, everything drove you into another dimension as he kept pounding into you relentlessly. Thank goodness for the isolation of the cabin or else you know you’d be dealing with calls from the neighboring houses.

“Cum, cum for me love. Want to feel your cum all over my cock,” Jaehyun lowly said, his eyes dark and determined to make you come undone.

After a few more thrusts, the arising feeling grows in your pussy, immediately clenching when you climax with screwed eyes and clenched fists. Jaehyun holds onto your jerking body as your limbs thrash against the overwhelming feeling.

Focused on your sensitivity, he rides you out as your legs fall limp into their regular stance, “that’s it baby, do it for me.”

You know what he’s doing, “it’s okay, I can take it,” you stroke your hand through his hair, letting him know that he can chase his climax also.

Jaehyun’s gentle when he begins rocking into you again, chasing his own euphoria. You praise him as he does, aware that it turns him on and makes him come quicker.

“Cum for me, baby. Want you to come in me...want to carry your baby, let everyone know how well you knocked me up,” you whisper in his ear, your voice full of sultry.

“Ohhh, you’re so good for me,” Jaehyun groaned, “you’re mine. All mine. Want to have my baby? Let everyone know I knocked you up? Fine. You’re so dirty, so have it your way, princess.”

And soon, Jaehyun’s hips stutter and his groans become higher pitched as he reaches his orgasm. His body shakes as he bends down, his body weight pressed on top of yours as he hides his face in your neck, nipping the warm skin. You peck his temple as he manages to calm down, his breath becoming steady again.

With strong arms, Jaehyun lifts you into his embrace and carries you back to the master bedroom. The room is cold from the missing human heat, but when Jaehyun slides next to you to bring you to his chest, everything is restored.

With a dimpled smile and whiskered cheeks, Jaehyun plants a passionate kiss on your lips, making both of your hearts swell, “Happy holidays, my love.”

#jaehyun imagines #jaehyun smut #nct 127 smut #my writings #repost bc tags hate me #jaehyun au #jaehyun x reader

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splittergheist · 2 years ago

Text

Any Other Way — Those Flowers Bloom In Winter

warnings & tags: sex work, drug addiction mention, murder & abuse mention, inherent power imbalance ( tho it is not toxic here ), angst with a happy end, male sex worker/male client, period-typical homophobia & racism, implied-to-be-arranged marriage ( tho it hasn't happened yet ), parental expectations; 1980s New York, dreams & passions, wanting to belong, wanting to be loved, facing the reality of things

summary: some night in some part of New York, and two men who love each other but have not admitted to that yet, weighed down by societal expectations and their own fears of what is going to happen if their dreams turn out to be realistic enough to maybe, just so work out.

"Jae?" Sleep is threatening to drag him under, exhaustion making a compelling argument for him to not react when Won-shik, cuddled up to him from behind, says his name with this clearly audible question mark. It's been a long day for him and coming here isn't always the vacation he pretends it's promised to be. Against better judgement, he hears himself hum his attention. Won-shik sounds torn and lost saying this one syllable already, and he can't bring himself to leave him staying awake like this while he's slipping into unconsciousness, despite knowing better than to entertain the melancholic, privilege-dripping thoughts of his— of men, really.

Won-shik has always been special to him, however, far more special than he'd ever like to admit.

"Do you...have a dream?" It settles heavily between them, nearly crushing Jae's resolve to stay awake for Won-shik's sake with one single blow. "Something you wanna do, in life?" What a loaded fucking question.

Slowly, he rubs his eyes. "Why are you asking?" The hoarseness of his voice excuses the grumpiness oozing out of his words, at least for now, which is good enough for Jae.

"There has to be something you wanna do, right?" As if the mere thought he doesn't, in fact, have a goal is shaking Won-shik to his very core. "Don't you have something that gets you through the day?" he pushes, despair a distant but growing note in his inquiry.

It's the amount of hours he's been awake already, probably, and the tiredness pulling at his lungs, and the ache sitting in his veins familiar and intimate and uncomfortable but quiet right now and allowing him to fall asleep, but Jae can't pour any effort into filtering his words anymore. "Pretending it's my last."

Silence. It almost makes him feel guilty the longer it goes on. "You're lying." Won-shik is pressing tiny kisses against the back of his neck. "You're just saying that, you don't mean that." His shoulders. The tip of his ear. As if he's trying to nudge him to give up the joke. As if he's just being sarcastic. It makes sense. Won-shik always goes for sarcasm.

"I don't have any dreams, Won-shik." He sharpens the edge a bit, tries to get him to back off. Jae loves Won-shik, he is sure of that, but his continuously-resurrected attempt to plant this dream of freedom in the back of Jae's mind always ends with them arguing and Jae is tired, physically and mentally, he can't do this. Not tonight. Not right now.

Won-shik stays silent for another moment, and it makes relief start to trickle into Jae's veins, and yet that trickle ceases but a blink later.

"Why not?" As if he doesn't know. As if this is the first time they're talking about it. At least he has the decency to sound slightly upset instead of surprised.

Jae sighs, yet he still doesn't turn around in Won-shik's arms. "Because having dreams sets you up for failure. For disappointment. And I have enough of those already." The bitterness is nothing new, it can't be. Won-shik's known him for a while now and this isn't the first time they—

"But it doesn't have to be like that." Jae knows his company isn't upset with him specifically but with everything around them, and yet it hurts enough when he says it. As if all of this is Jae's fault. As if he's the one keeping not only himself but also Won-shik from happiness. "We could get away from here, Jae. Live in a small apartment. I work and you.. you could be free to do whatever you like."

It sounds so good. Too good. For the second Jae allows himself to imagine it — a mistake he immediately regrets — it sounds like the best fucking thing he could imagine doing, especially with Won-shik at his side. They could have a cat or two, a nice little balcony with a few plants on it, maybe an actually functional kitchen where every piece matched the others, hell, a dishwasher if they really wanted to.

It sounds too good, and it upsets Jae immensely. Because none of that is ever going to happen, and for Won-shik to even bring it up is just cruel, really.

When Won-shik continues, mumbling something about growing old together, Jae cuts him off sharply, finally turning around in his lover's arms but pulling himself half out of them while he does: "That would imply I have a future at all, you know?"

His lover's eyes are wide, he sees them now right in front of his own, and something inside of them is attempting to will him into understanding, into agreement, he thinks. "Of course you have a—"

"Don't be ridiculous, Won-shik," and he reaches deep into the box of things he knows will hurt the other, "I know you have this idea running rampant inside your head that you can save me, and that we can grow old together, no matter what I am and where we met and all of that fucking bullshit, but you can't."

Jae hates treating Won-shik like this, he hates hissing at him and over and over again tearing holes into that tapestry Won-shik puts up to flesh out this dream of what they could be, but what other choice does he have? If he allows any of these fantasies to fester, if he allows Won-shik to order furniture from that mental catalogue of his to fill the rooms he's wallpapered, he's going to have to deal with the aftermath of there not being enough money to pay for all of them, or worse, of the foundation turning out to be made from nothing but sand.

He wouldn't survive that, he knows.

And usually the other would give in now, would let Jae 'win', and Jae likes that about Won-shik, because it implies respect, letting him speak and decide when their argument is over, even when it's him who pays and not Jae — but not so this time. This time he doesn't row back and apologize. He seems unable to let this stand, unable to simply move on and pretend they never argued in the first place, a fierceness in his eyes that Jae assumes is drenched in the sleep-tainted despair of the hour.

"I can. And I know you want me to, too. Deep down you want all of this, every tiny bit of it: the bathtub big enough to hold us both, the cat tower that reaches to the ceiling, the cinema visits and the dinner dates in cozy little restaurants—"

"If you don't shut up right now, you'll wake up alone tomorrow and blacklisted, too," Jae bites back, feeling like a cornered animal, his face scrunched up in pain and his eyes teary.

Yet Won-shik continues, sounding more determined than ever before to convince Jae of this, of them, "And you want the darkroom, too, don't you? Take all those pictures and develop them, and maybe hang them up in a gallery at some point, right?"

Something cracks inside of him, and he hits Won-shik against the chest, "Shut up!" and he rolls away and jumps to his feet, scrambling to find his clothes in the barely illuminated bedroom, "Just shut the fuck up!" How dare he? How fucking dare he?! He never should've given in when they were drifting in the afterglow and told Won-shik about his hobby, the camera he managed to buy after more months than he had sanity for, and about the opportunity to escape it gives him, how fascinated he is with the mundane moments and the smiles people don't even notice otherwise. How in another life he'd probably be a photographer and maybe he'd be famous, too, have his artworks hanging in people's living rooms and in galleries.

"Jae?" It's the second time within the last ten minutes he calls him by his name, and it sounds awfully similar to the first time. "Jae, where are you going?" The fear in those words shouldn't feel as satisfying to hear as it does. He drags the leather pants over his boxers, buttons them around his slender hips and curses under his breath when he doesn't immediately spot the striped long-sleeve that he loves solely for how well it accentuates the contrast between his narrow hips and his broad shoulders.

There is commotion behind him and to his side, and he hurries to find the last piece of clothing. He doesn't want to give Won-shik another chance to hurt him.

To ignite hope in his lungs, not caring what it does to him.

"Jae, stop." Ah! By the dresser. He finally pulls the long-sleeve on and steps to grab his shoulder bag and get into his half-boots with the small heel that makes him look taller than he is, and maybe that isn't really necessary, especially when his customers like to pretend he is their little barbie doll, their baby girl, their exotic dream; the substitute for when all the Asian girls have been picked up already from the street he works on — but maybe he needs those heels, those few centimeters, to feel better, to not entirely believe the voices calling him some white guy's cum dumpster, which he evidently is, must be, since that's apparently all that he's got going for him whenever it's not Won-shik allowing him to take a break every couple of days.

To still feel like a human being despite it all.

Won-shik steps into the doorframe in front of him, and Jae is forced to pause his march into the hallway to glare at him. "Jae, please." His eyes are begging him to stay and listen, but all he wants to do is leave this room, this apartment, this part of town, and never look back. Because if he stays any longer Won-shik is gonna manage to convince him all those fantasies they have could become truth and reality — and that would positively break him when soon after they'd realize there was no way in hell they ever would.

His teary glare isn't enough to stop Won-shik. Clearly, Jae's pushed him too far. Or maybe he's allowed him to get too close to him, too comfortable in dreaming of an us.

"I know you want this," he is softer now, but still so determined to make him agree. "We both do." Jae hates that he is right, and he hates even more that with every word he feels his resolve crumble more. As if Won-shik has any right to say such things. "Please stop pretending you don't. I can give you all these things — I want to give you all these things, you just—"

Jae cuts him off, all sharp edges and sharp teeth: "You know what I want? What I actually want you to do?" He pauses for effect but not long enough to allow him to speak back up. "To stop pretending we're some normal fucking couple who met at work or at the café down the street or in Central Park during our morning jogs, and thus can just move in together and have a tiny apartment in the suburbs with three cats and a west-side balcony we can watch the sunset on!" He inhales and it sounds strained, dragging across his throat that is still hoarse from earlier. "We didn't have this fucking meet-cute you keep pretending we had." He probably imagines the fear of what he is about to remind Won-shik of in the man's eyes, but all the guilt he feels at it he pushes away. This is Won-shik's fault. He didn't want to shut the hell up. He was the one to bring up this non-existing and never-to-be-existing future they could have for the umpteenth time as if Jae hasn't told him over and over again he doesn't want to hear it.

"Jae, please," he tries, voice incredibly quiet and tiny now, and it feels way too good to finally have him listen.

"No, you are no fucking better than all the other men who've picked me up and payed me for a night! You were looking for someone to sate your hunger with and then you saw me and didn't care for anyone else there anymore. And you keep picking me up to fulfill your little fantasy of a life in freedom, away from your family who wants you to marry that woman they picked out because she's so kind and doesn't speak up a lot and would listen to you no matter what you ask of her, and then have the most perfect fucking children with her, so coming here twenty years ago wasn't for nothing" — he is yelling now, and pointing his finger; Won-shik's fists are clenched tight, but even if Jae didn't know that he wouldn't ever hit him, he wouldn't stop now — "no, instead you come to me and take me home for a night and ignore all my flaws so you can pretend for a little while longer that you have a choice in the matter and that there's a world where you don't have to hide that you like dick, and that you hate your office job and your university classes your father forced you take." It's so ugly and he knows — he can see — how much every single one of his accusations hurts Won-shik, but the alternative Jae can't take.

If there really is a world where all of what he and Won-shik both keep dreaming up is true? If Jae is wrong about the likelihood of it all? No, no, that might even be worse than the possibility of it all crumbling apart the moment he dares to take a chance.

Because it would mean he could've had all of that so much earlier. He didn't have to live day to day, night to night, scared every single time that this would be the time he'd end up dead, vanished under mysterious circumstances and pulled out of the Hudson next week, impossible to be identified and brought to justice if the police even cares about him that much.

If all of that can be a reality, why has he been forced to sell himself for more years than he hasn't?

He takes a deep breath to steel himself for the last thing he wants to say, a thing he usually doesn't like admitting to at all: "I'm an addict and a prostitute, and you're delusional if you think none of that matters, Won-shik. If you think none of my past has any bearing on the future." His jaw set, he's staring at his lover, convinced he's shut him down for good. This must've hurt immensely, which in turn has to have managed to win this argument for Jae. It doesn't matter if that's fair, he keeps telling himself, because Won-shik wasn't fair either when he brought up the photography dreams of his.

It seems to take incredible effort to say what he says next, but Won-shik closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose; Jae can see the tight line of his shoulders and he only just so holds himself back from reaching out to massage away the tension, despite himself.

"You know why I picked you up that night?" It's quiet, utterly defeated; a sort of last attempt, even if Won-shik doesn't seem to want spill that secret at all. He blinks his eyes open and Jae realizes he should stop him, because whatever he's about to say is going to— "I wasn't on the search for... I didn't want to pick anyone up. I was just driving around, trying to clear my head after that argument with my mother. I didn't know you- worked there. You or anyone, really." Jae feels frozen to the spot, as if he has been locked into some sort of barrel heading towards a waterfall and there's nothing he can do to escape the fall. "I wanted to get away from there as fast as I could, it was like I was seeing, witnessing something I wasn't meant to. But then..." The breath he takes sounds just as strained, but not full of anger and instead full of utter vulnerability. He shakes his head, looks away for a second before meeting Jae's eyes again. The barrel is dancing on the very edge.

"But then I saw you, and I- I knew I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to get you away from there. I wanted you safe. I just knew you were the one, Jae, I know I can't explain it sufficiently enough." It knocks the air right out of him, wood splinters and digs into his back. "And since the only way to even just talk to you was to... you know? Yeah, well, that's what I did." He pauses, forcing Jae to take a shallow breath. "Yeah, maybe all of what you said is true: that I want to save you like some knight in shining armour, that I hate my job and my studies, that I don't want to marry Yoon-ah and that the idea of raising kids with her feel like accepting being shoved into a way-too-tight cage and throwing away the key." His hand reaches to grasp Jae's. It feels impossible to pull it away. "But you're not just some fantasy fulfillment doll I'm going to throw away when I finally get away from here, or when I meet someone else that is somehow 'easier' to deal with, or when my mother manages to get my phone number and orders me to come back home." The space between them is erased by a step on bare feet and Jae still can't look away from those eyes he knows he's fallen for.

He whispers: "I want you, Jae. I want us. I-" A shaky breath. Jae knows exactly what's about to come and he wishes he had any power left to shut Won-shik up. He doesn't. "I love you."

Jae is crying. He is shaking his head and pressing his eyes shut as if that helps, as if not seeing Won-shik would make him and all those 'problems' disappear. "No," he mumbles, "no, no, no, please, Won-shik," he chokes on a sob, "Don't do this to me, please, you can't- you can't do this to me, you- you can't say this to me, you're going to break me, if you—"

He is pulled against Won-shik's bare frame, arms wrapping tightly around his shaking shoulders, and his own fingers desperately dig into the naked skin of Won-shik's back while his face buries itself into the crook of his neck. "You can't, Shi, you can't," he pleads again, pressing closer as another sob shakes him.

Yet there is only Won-shik's careful, gentle hands petting his short hair and the small of his back, and his low voice whispering reassurances into his ear; he holds him through his breakdown, and Jae knows two things: one, Won-shik will later pretend he didn't have to hold him for minutes and tell him to breathe and calm down, because he's polite enough to not bring these moments up again later, and two, by the end of it, when his breath finally starts evening out, he will be too deep in. He's now tasted the sweet hope of a future so blindingly bright it's illuminating the entire dark box he's called home and his life up until then, and whatever happens next he won't be able to back out of it anymore.

"You know what my friends say about you?" he gives after a while, quietly, his head turned to the side far enough for Won-shik to actually understand what he's saying.

"What do they say?" Jae thinks to hear resignation in his voice, but maybe it's just the tiredness finally taking a hold of him.

He can't help smiling despite of how not funny this is. "That you're the most dangerous one." A beat. "There's men who pick us up and murder us after a couple of times of fun, or if we do something 'wrong' once." Too many ghosts, too many memories, too many names Jae hasn't dared to say in months and years. "But men like you? They're worse. You give us hope and you can take it away at any given moment and leave us a shell of our former self, a wreck, a cautious tale of why none of you can ever be trusted."

Won-shik is silent now, only running his hand up and down Jae's back still. He sighs and nuzzles against Jae's neck. Hugs him a bit tighter. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." The defeat in his voice draws cracks over Jae's heart. "I'm sorry." Jae isn't quite entirely sure what Won-shik is truly apologizing for, but he hums, because it makes sense regardless. Because it feels like this is the only way Won-shik can give him a choice without letting even just a single ounce of doubt settle about how he doesn't want to go back on his word anymore.

So, either Jae agrees now, accepts the apology and they leave this city as soon as possible — or he can't bring himself to trust Won-shik because of what he is. What they are. He doubts they will see each other again, if so, or only whenever Won-shik can't hold himself back from not-so-subtly checking in on him during the day, or when Jae can't bear another second at work and needs a night of escape from it.

The power he holds is unbearably heavy, and yet he is beyond grateful that Won-shik has given it to him.

The night is still, as if it's holding its breath now, too, having realized the weight of the situation. Somewhere in the background Won-shik's alarm clock is ticking away in spite of it, though, never having quite been able to express sympathy.

"I love you, too," Jae confesses into the silence, "And I'll name one of our cats Mr or Mrs Snuffles."

Won-shik groans in response, but the sheer relief overshadows his annoyance by a longshot. "You will absolutely not."

"Maybe even Snuffleskin." A small smile sneaks onto his lips, more than content with them both pretending they haven't just confessed their love to each other, and what that means for their foreseeable future. The future Jae never thought he'd ever have.

#splittergheist writes stuff #short story #queer stories #cross posted on ao3

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nicolebonnet · 3 years ago

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🌻 a gif tutorial by: me! 🌻

i know there are so so many WONDERFUL tutorials out there, but i can’t say no to a very kind anon so!!! here we go. hopefully this is helpful for someone out there! if anyone doesn’t do well with picture tutorials and would find it more helpful for me to do a video, i would also be happy to try that too!!

this is definitely not the fastest way to do it, i’m sure, just the way i’ve always done it and i’m bad at learning new things so ldkjfoiw also i’m using photoshop cc 2021 (tho this method should work for any version of photoshop i think) and i use video frames to layers to gif just as an fyi

step 1: get whatever media you’re giffing! i use torrents and direct downloads. that’s how i’ve always giffed, i’ve never tried capping so i can’t help with that. sorry!

step 2: make clips of the scenes your fc is in! i have a folder dedicated to the character the fc is playing and keep all my clips in there. when i do movies, i typically only do about 12 clips at a time because it just feels less overwhelming for me. when i do a show, i only clip one episode at a time for the same reason. i use quicktime to clip, but i know some people use VLC and i’m sure there are other options out there to try, too! again, this is just what i’ve always used so i’m comfortable with it and know how it works.

when i clip, i try to start the clip a few seconds before the scene my subject is in and a few seconds after just to make sure i’m getting every single frame.

step 3: import video frames to layers! so once you have photoshop open, go to file > import > import video frames to layers

then go to your folder where you have all your clips saved and choose the one you want. i took this one out of my trash because the rest of the gifs i have to do in this episode are in the dark and that was gonna be too annoying to me lkdjfkslofw so i’m just re-making one i already did a few days ago. i’m giffing sofia carson and you can see that my clip starts on someone else’s face so i can make sure i have every frame of hers!

step 4: select the range for your gif! just like with clipping, i try to get a few frames before and a few frames after of the fc i’m working on so that i don’t miss anything. if you aren’t interested in giffing them in every single second (which is totally fine, i know a lot of people prefer not to!) then you don’t need to be as concerned with it

because i’m using a direct download, i’m not going to limit my frames to every 2. it’ll be really fast and choppy. if you screen recorded, i would suggest limited to every 2 frames and then going through and deleting each duplicate frame (when i giffed via screen recording, i found that every 6 frames or so was a duplicate). this will make sure your gif is smooth and exactly the same as one made from a direct download. it IS time consuming though, so i recommend doing a direct download/torrent if possible! if you ever need help finding downloads or need something torrented and converted for you, please feel free to message me and i’ll be happy to help!!

step 5: delete the frames you don’t need! this is the time to delete any extra frames at the beginning, end, and any duplicates

step 6: set your speed! you can do this later if you want, but i like to do it as soon as all my extra frames are deleted. my personal preference is typically .06 seconds for most of my gifs. if they’re on the shorter side (under 35 frames), i’ll do .07-.09. i know some people have very strong feelings on gif speed lskdfjpwe i do not. it’s all about what feels best for you! .06 is where i feel my gifs feel the best, but there are plenty of beautiful gifs that are slower or faster!

step 7: crop it! as you can see above, i set my W x H ratio to 268px x 170px. this is a size i really like, but you can make yours smaller or larger. i do suggest using the W x H ratio setting to set it to your specific pixel measurements because it cuts out having to resize after cropping.

also, i have a few hundred frames in this one particular gif that i’m going to cut down in the next step. however, i know that she remains pretty much in the same place throughout the frames which is why i’m cropping them all at once. if it’s a gif where you get a few hundred frames that you’re going to turn into multiple gifs and the person moves around a lot, definitely only crop one gif at a time!

step 8: delete the frames you aren’t using! everyone has a different way of deciding how many frames their gifs are. for me, if they’re talking, i actually go and watch the segment i’m giffing to see what they’re saying, read their lips as i go through each frame, and crop it there. it’s a little more time consuming i guess but i feel like it gives me the best results. totally optional, though! if the person is NOT talking, then i typically just try to make it between 60-80ish frames and base it on facial expressions or body language. sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less! again just comes down to what your preference is.

step 9: convert to timeline! basically just press that lil highlighted button down there next to the “forever” and convert to timeline. pretty self explanatory

step 10: sharpening! this is where i use my sharpening action which is linked right here. i’ve been using it for a while now and i really love it! i’ve tried other sharpening actions since i made it and they just don’t make me as happy as this one lol

hit play on your action:

for my action, i get this popup twice and just hit “continue” and it keeps going through the steps with no problem

step 11: COLORING!!! get your psd and slap it on! i have different one base psd that i use for almost everything and will edit it to fit whatever scene/show/movie i’m working on. i’ll also save different versions of it based on the media i’m giffing. for example, the lighting on liv & maddie is SUUUUUPER different from the writing on pll: the perfectionists. so i have a “liv” psd and a “loralie” (name of my char that i use sofia for, idk why i named the first psd after liv and not my char but whatever ldkfjsoi) psd. same base, same layers, just different levels. i also will often combine psds! i’ll put my base down and then add layers from other psds or create new ones to fit whatever scene i have going!

step 12: save your gif! go to file > export > save for web (legacy)...

people use different settings for saving their gifs, too. these are my personal settings. i really like them and feel they work for my gifs. feel free to copy them or play around with your own settings! just make sure it’s always on the 256 colors

step 13 (optional): preview! i like to hit the preview button just to make sure i like my gif before i save it. if i don’t like it (coloring looks off, too fast/too slow, feels like it cuts off in a weird place) i’ll hit cancel and undo everything until i’m back to wherever i need to fix it.

step 14: save your gif, yay!! YOU DID IT!!!! save that beautiful gif and feel so proud of yourself!!

step 15 (optional): if you’re making multiple gifs from the segment you imported, go back and cntrl/cmmnd + z everything until you’re back to having allllll the frames again. delete the frames of the gif you just made (in this case, it would be 52) and start again from step 8!

i hope this made sense and was helpful for anyone! please let me know if there’s anything you need clarification on!!

#tutorial #photoshop tutorial #gif tutorial

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yostresswritinggirl · 4 years ago

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100 Followers Special

(And how to participate) you don't need to be a follower to vote ack

~yostresswritinggirl

Hello AGAIN, with your back to back followers special! Exiled here, very tired, as I just closed the requests box for our 50 followers special. I asked for some recommendations and no one helped me so this is what I came up with!

Granted, it's nothing that special, I literally just dumped my notes into this so—

Please make sure to follow the guidelines and read this thoroughly to properly participate!

1. You will be given a long list of fic prompts specific to a character that I've come up with for weeks on end, please don't steal, as I will remove them after this event is done!

2. Voting! You now have the power to influence my writing schedule haha- what you need to do: is to pick three prompts from the list and send it to me; either through reblog tag, a reply, or in my ask box (not anon so we can count fairly, will not publish these answers tho so worry not)! Not in messages tho! It should be in this format:

1. Character - prompt or prompt title

2. Character - prompt or prompt title

3. Character - prompt or prompt title

example:

1. Albedo - Citrinitas

2. Zhongli - Braid

3. Xingqui - Author!Reader

The top three most voted prompt and character will be the next fics I'll publish after I'm done with the current reqs. Speaking of: Voting ends when I finish the current reqs. You'll know it's done once the counter in my blog desc reaches 12/12.

3. In addition to the three prompts, you also get to add your own prompt to it! My prompts list does not include ALL the characters that's why I wanted to give you this option too! Add a fourth number and specify a character, a prompt/idea, and the format of the fic! Format it this way:

4. Character - Prompt/Idea (Format)

4. Kaeya - What's under that eyepatch? (Scenario)

After I pooled the answers, I'll randomly pick between the bonus answers and write them last! So give it your best shot!

4. Tags-list! I thought this would be necessary for this kind of a whim special, so if you wanna be tagged, just put Tag Me! at the end of your vote. Please make sure that you're actually able to be tagged because I just tried and some users are not in my orbit huhu, look here

5. If a pocket watch/series prompt gets chosen, I will only post the first chapter, not the whole damn fic pls. Have mercy,,,

I will post a counter of the top three in my blog description and will be updated as frequently as possible. Any questions, please direct to this post or my dms <3

Without further ado, here is your choice list!

Xingqui - "My liege, would you care to accompany me on my reading break? I've picked up a romance novel and it reminded me of us."

-> Author!Reader: You met Xingqui at Wanwen Bookhouse when delivering a batch of your newly-published book. But as a ghost writer, no one knew it was you that authored such books. Safe to say it was cute watching the noble bookworm fanboy about you in front of you. [FLUFF] [FIC]

-> Headcanons with a reader older than Xingqui who's a close family friend of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. Fascinated after meeting you in a party, the noble boy aspires to become the best man for you despite the difference, promising to be the best suitable partner for you in the future. [FLUFF] [HEADCANON SCENARIO]

Childe - "Hey there, comrade! What a coincidence that we had a break at the same time, care to accompany me for a walk? I promise I won’t lead you to a fight haha... hey, don’t look at me like that!”

-> Antinomy - The 10th Harbinger (You) and the little shit they had to mentor (Childe), this fic enumerates the trials of the 11th before he became a Harbinger under your care. From strangers to mentor to friends to love- Childe made a grave mistake, now you’re once again strangers. [FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

Albedo - "Ah, it's you. I've heard of fleeting rumors that you've been pestering a certain someone just to see me. Next time, just come directly to me, I wouldn't mind the assertiveness."

-> Refer to these three as well: Albedo Fic Ideas [FLUFF/FLANGST/FLANGST] [ONESHOT/ONESHOT/SERIES]

-> “You’re Enough”: A year into being the new Chief Alchemist of Mond, Albedo finds himself holed up in his room in the dead of night, haunted as he continuously comes out empty on his research to bring his master back, feeling inadequate. So you reminded him of what he’s capable of. [FLUFF?] [ONESHOT INSPIRED BY You Are Enough - Sleeping At Last]

-> Under the Artificial Sky: Michaelangelo Scenario focused on Albedo’s sketching aspect. Grand Master Varka and Acting Grand Master Jean figured Albedo needed a break and a change of scenery, and sent him off under the guise of a commission in Liyue. What he didn’t expect was another artist from Fontaine accompanying him in this big project.(Albedo and Reader are tasked to paint the new Jade Chamber within 7 days) [FLUFF] [SERIES - 7 CHAPTERS]

-> Albedo SMUT: I had this idea while laying wide awake at 3 AM. The alchemist had been trying all remedies to shake off the stress and fatigue in his system and they all seemed to fail, no amount of sketching or discoveries can pull him away from it. So when you offered a solution he hasn’t heard, he’d jump at it immediately. “You know, some people say having intercourse with someone is a good stress-reliever.” “Intercourse? If it’s true, then please, I wish to have intercourse with you.” “Wha- wait Albedo, do you not know what that is? It’s only done between lovers!” “Convenient, I love you, anything else?” (Two virgin dumbasses do the thing to relieve stress) [SMUT] [ONESHOT]

Xiao - “I’ve taken care of every threat around this area, you can relax now, I made sure of that.”

-> What is it with you and Qingxin flowers? The Traveler had once heard of Xiao’s affinity for Qingxin flowers, and they’re flying companion boldly asked this lingering question to the adepti himself. His pupils dilate and sharpen before Paimon could finish her sentence. (An origin story about his favorite flower, and his favorite person) [SLIGHT FLANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Just how harmful is adeptal energy to normal humans? You both found out in the worst way possible: silently, deadly. (Slight spoiler: you fucking die) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> Nightmares Taste Horrible: He’s seen that look in your eyes and the ancient soul within it; you’ve lived long ago, and the only thing your soul carried now was the nightmares of a macabre timeline. Was it him or was it demons that brought you that fear? No matter, he’ll protect you even from yourself. (eating the nightmare of a dead soul reincarnated to you) [FLANGST?] [ONESHOT]

-> Go for the throat: The seal that marked you had made it all too late for him to remedy. Bleeding eyes, growing fangs, it’s just another demon to vanquish just like he’s done for centuries. What makes it different was it was sealed in you. (Inspired from Melanie Martinez’s song uhu) [ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Zhongli - “Mortals are capable creatures that evolve and adapt for means of survival, but they advance in ways that changes the world around them. This retirement, may be harder to me than it is to them.”

-> “In human history, there’s a certain noble and powerful connotation to rulers who braid their hair.” Convince to braid his hair using some historical braid trivia; that long hair behind his back should not be ignored for any longer. [PURE FLUFF] [DRABBLE]

-> History has its eyes on you: A traveling theatre hailing from the land of entertainment finds its way to Liyue for their last caravan. A certain Geo Vision man seems to resonate with your newest script: fighting and protecting your land, building up its nation, before being forced to let go of it. He resonates maybe a little too much. (Musical!Reader with heavy references to Hamilton hehe) [FLUFF] [ONESHOT]

Venti - "Can you hear the symphonies of the wind as it sings to you? That's me, guiding you and protecting you! Whenever you hear it, know that you're safe and sound under my protection!"

-> the one the bard once loved: like actual bard, you are the archer or smth, loved by Venti and Barbatos. Yandere!Barbatos undertones, very unhealthy relationship. This hurts the kokoro. [PURE ANGST] [ONESHOT]

-> The Caravan: (related to the Zhongli and Musical!Reader up there) Your caravan stops at Mondstadt for a whole week before it reaches its final destination. This new fanfare pulled in a peculiar bard who now wants to tag along for the fun of it. "I have no more responsibilities in this free land!" Just what kind of responsibilities does a broke bard have in the first place? [FLUFF] [ONESHOT/HEADCANON]

Diluc - "You look weary, and you still managed to pull yourself here. Here, a fresh and cold glass, on the house. A relieved smile should be enough payment."

-> Abandoned by The Altar: A timeline oriented story focused on your once perfect childhood relationship as Diluc's bride to be, soon becoming estranged after the death of his father and his neglect. You only wish now that he looks at you the same way he did when you heard you were supposed to be together forever when you were young. [FLANFF] (The ending gets better pls; Inspired by Still Into You - Paramore) [ONESHOT]

-> There are No Laws Against Homelessness in Mondstadt: My favorite title out of all of this ahahhaa- who says adventurers can't be broke? You're the living embodiment of that. (Good boi Diluc with a broke ass reader) [FLUFF] (Warning: homelessness) [ONESHOT]

Scaramouche - "Let's go already, the sun is setting and we're nowhere near our destination. If you wanted to linger just to spend more time with me, I would have indulged you behind closed doors anyways."

-> Scaramouche Finally Does the Fandango: Have you ever wondered how Scaramouche is like working with other people? His first assignment was to accompany you in your main region and he sees you in your natural habitat, entranced. [I dunno how to tag this, NORMAL?] [ONESHOT/SHORT]

-> Skincare bitch, how I headcanon Scaramouche as someone actually conscious and always tending to their skin. Look at that smooth skin, cute cheeks, let me pinch, eyeliner glory— In which case, that hat has more purpose than being a frisbee. (May or may not include reader. (based from a reblog convo with chels-void) [GOOD VIBES] [HEADCANONS]

-> Once Supreme: Before Scaramouche, there was someone else higher than him. Before Balladeer there was just a young man fighting for his beliefs and her Majesty. Before Mondstadt, his smile wasn't just for deception. "Someday, someone would take advantage of that smile, Scaramouche. It's not appropriate in this work environment." The day you break a man. (Harbinger!Reader again, and lots of HCs for Scaramouche, same format as Antinomy) [I also do not know how to call this, eventual ANGST] [ONESHOT]

Kaeya - "What are you doing out here in the dead of night? Citizens like you should be cozied up in bed and leaving the patrols to us Knights. Come, I'll accompany you back home."

-> Honey Whiskey: A mysterious band of dancers from Sumeru visits Mondstadt and its taverns to offer a night of alluring dances. What was supposed to be a night of drinking for Kaeya and his troops ended up becoming a tipsy surprise mission when the main dancer steps down from the stage— and ignores him?! How scandalous! (Slightly suggestive themes/You're a bad guy) [COOL?] [ONESHOT] [slightly inspired by song with the same name]

General:

-> A Musical!Reader but with a scenario with every other character, most probably headcanons master post.

-> Genshin Food prompts: From that one post, I ended up making a whole storyline of oneshots related to their special dishes. Oneshots connected to a bigger picture. By impulse you've ended up leaving your normal life behind to pursue your cooking career, starting from Mondstadt, to learn all the cuisines to establish the first ever international restaurant. With the implications of magic and peculiar customers, your simple dream turns into a harder goal. [GOOD SHIT] [SERIES] [CANON-COMPLIANT]

-> God of Time!Reader that hails from Fontaine. Do you wish to know more about their origins and their purpose in this world? [CANON-COMPLIANT] [HEADCANONS] (General since it deals with all the characters/interactions)

▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱▰▱

Tagslist-for-my-thirsty-homies:

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hetaliashitpostingftw · 4 years ago

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Hetalia Zoom Masterpost

Tag yourself, who are you most like these days?

ALLIES

America: Dresses up as superman for literally every single meeting. Canada: Actually makes sure his place looks nice and might be the only normal person on this platform except sometimes he forgets video so they forget he’s there :(( China: Accidently screen shares and its revealed that hE uSeS iNtErNeT eXpLoReR France: Is using the direct message function to flirt with England and company. England: Trying to be all British and proper without having his face go scarlet. Russia: He put the camera too close so all you can see is a creepy smile.

AXIS

Germany: SHUT UP EVERYONE OR I WILL MUTE YOU!! (he likes being able to actually shut everyone up smh) Italy: Is constantly singing while on mute or eating elaborate spreads of food. Japan: He pinned someone’s video so he can s t a r e into their soul (and draw it ofc).

BALTICS

Estonia: Playing tetris on another tab like a BOSS Lithuania: Keeping his camera turned off so Russia can’t stare at him because its creepier over the computer Latvia: Trying to pay attention but winds up falling asleep.

EASTERN EUROPE

Romania: Doing some magic b/c it’s not like the can stop him, damnit! Bulgaria: Whittling his stick underneath the camera so he can have it look ✨ 𝓹𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂✨ Ukraine: Taking notes but also angled her camera wrong so it’s only the top of her head Belarus: *cutely sharpening knife* Oh, you called? Moldova: Playing outside, Romania told him that he could update when the meeting was done

MEDITERRANEAN EUROPE

Spain: Dancing in the other room and not on the call yet because AYYYYY MACARENA!!! Romano: "SPAIN YOU BASTARD GET ON THE MEETING I WONT TELL YOU ANYTHING IF YOU DONT!” Greece: Calmly staring into the camera and has his pet cat sitting next to him, which is becoming a significant distraction. Turkey: Keeps unmuting himself and adding points because he can Cyprus: Direct messaging Greece: s h o w m o r e ✨ c a t✨ Vatican City: Muted and with his video off b/c he’s also on another meeting for a service. Monaco: Keeps turning her camera off every three seconds to fix her make-up

NORDIC EUROPE

Denmark: Texting Norway about what he wants to do after the meeting is done ;) Sweden: Drawing a little sketch of Finland which he’ll probably hide after. Finland: He unmutes by mistake halfway through and the only thing anyone can hear is the sound of heavy metal bLaStInG. He just sits there smiling. Norway: Not responding to Denmark, yelling at Iceland to get back on the call, and studying his magic books Iceland: uUuUghhhH I dont see why we have to do this its soooo lAmE... *aggressive scrolling on tumblr*

LOW COUNTRIES

Belgium: Keeps direct messaging people compliments after they stop speaking Netherlands: At beginning of meeting: venmo me money and I will supply you with 𝓯𝓲𝓼𝓱 Luxembourg: Sitting there and looking pretty, as well as taking notes like any normal person

CENTRAL EUROPE

Austria: Set his computer on top of the piano so he can play without anyone seeing. Also direct messaging people what they did wrong after they stop speaking Slovakia: Messing around with the cool backgrounds Czechia: Reading. She doesn’t care about the meeting that much. Hungary: Sitting beside Austria on his bench and trying to get him to stop playing for the like, three hours for the meeting Switzerland: Makes a reminder that no one is to bother him, then says nothing. Liechtenstein: Didn’t have to go to the meeting, Swiss is looking out for her. Poland: Painting his nails. Nails are prettier than the meeting anyway. Prussia: Constantly jumping in with his ideas, since he likes to talk anyway and Germany has less of a heart to mute him.

ASIA

Hong Kong: Has his camera off and is texting his South Korea and Iceland. Macau: Taking notes and preparing his rant at Hong Kong later because he isn’t dOiNg WhAt HeS sUpPoSeD tO South Korea: Messing around on snapchat even tho his camera’s still on. Taiwan: Enjoying bubble tea peacefully. Thailand: His camera is on but he’s not there. Vietnam: Keeps asking for help from the host because she can’t figure out how it works. India: Playing with the little figurines of elephants on his desk. He pretends different ones are different countries when they talk.

AFRICA

Egypt: Drawing calligraphy on the whiteboard which may or may not be visible to everyone in the meeting Seychelles: Daydreaming of playing volleyball once she’s able to get outside Cameroon: Shooting rubber bands at the camera and waiting for one to actually hit.

OCEANIA + CARIBBEAN

Australia: Feeding a baby kangaroo. He doesn’t care that it’s a meeting. Kangaroos are important and need love! New Zealand: Didn’t come because he was “busy” (jkjk, he’s sleeping in) Cuba: In constant debate whether or not he should go teleport over to someone else and scare the bejeezus out of them.

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inracha · 3 years ago

Note

Hi :) Can you give tips on quality gif? Do you know of an application or site I can use? I downloaded photoshop but cannot upload my videos. Is there any other application you can recommend? I would really appreciate if you help ♥♥♥

no problem 😊 i put it under the cut bc it got kinda long

i only use photoshop but i know a lot of people use vapoursynth to cut smaller portions of video as well as and sharpen and de-noise before uploading the video to photoshop.

i think what may be causing you problems is how you're trying to upload your video. instead of [create new] or [open] you should go to [file>import>video frames to layers]

once you're here you can select the file and the portion of video you want to use. make sure to only select a few seconds or else it'll take forever to load and you'll end up with a massive file.

it should then take you to the frame view where you see each frame separately and delete frames and set the frame delay. once you have all that set, a lot of people like to group the layers and work in timeline mode. also with either mode you can add adjustment layers and coloring.

you can crop the gif to whatever shape you like since height doesnt matter- only width does when uploading to tumblr. you change the width (the height will change automatically) by going to [image>image size]. the pixel widths are below.

when saving a gif go to [file>export>save for web legacy] and from there you can see the file size (must be under 10mb each for tumblr) and other download settings.

also!!!! if you'd like me to go into more detail about creating higher quality gifs (like coloring, sharpening, de-noise, export settings etc) i'd be happy to help with that too! a lot of that tho is personal preference and just finding what works for you. when i first started i just spent a lot of time clicking around and experimenting.

#hopefully this helped with uploading the vids and just the basic gif process #hey if someone uses a dif program to photoshop and want to rec one could u comment it or rb with the name of the program #ask

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lvlyhao · 4 years ago

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「PART ONE: HOPE」

Humanity series; Q.K

A/N: this truthfully is a basic ass apocalypse!au but i couldn’t care less so that’s that on that. come talk to me if you wanna tell me your thoughts i’d literally cry out of joy other chapters coming soon!!

important: i know i put minor character death as a warning but it’s not, i repeat, NOT one of the nct members. jesus, i’m not that cruel. having said that, please enjoy it.

word count: 1.3K

pairing: none (yet).

disclaimer: the characters in the story below do not reflect real people or present real facts. this is purely fictional, and you may not copy, change, translate or repost my work in any way. all rights reserved © cherry-hyejin 2021.

next chapter

*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:

When the world you know is going through an apocalypse, many things become outdated, antiquated, old, or useless. Call it as you will. They no longer serve their purpose. At least, not when one-third of the world population is dead, and you fight zombies daily.

You could probably go over 100 items that fit the description—cellphones, high heels, short skirts, televisions; really, nearly anything that you were once happy or proud to own.

The one thing that stuck to you the most, though, was a heart.

Of course, no two hearts are the same, but you mean yours. People that naturally don’t care about others probably have an easier time, but, gods, look at you! How could you keep that golden heart of yours safe from the claws of despair? How did you plan on picking up its pieces every time it fell apart?

Well, you reasoned to yourself, the week after the virus began spreading. Maybe I just shouldn't.

At that moment, your brain told you it was the right decision. No one has the time to deal with these sentiments when their life is always on the line, right?

You sure hoped so, because that one, fateful night, you blinked back the tears, swallowed hard, and killed every bit of fear that still lived in you, killing, as well, part of your humanity.

Looking back now, contemplating the night sky, you can admit it had been scary. Very scary.

Rumours about a new virus, different from anything the world had ever seen, got out pretty fast. People talked about it everywhere, and even more at the hospital where your parents worked. But, you know, people always talk. A disease that could turn someone into an actual zombie, with no conscience and the need for human flesh? There was just no way in hell that was true.

“Sure, Hendery”, you used to mutter to your friend, not paying attention to his absurd theories.

Not too long later, you came to regret it. Did it take both of your parents dying for you to believe it?

Your lips twisted into a scowl. Life can be an unfortunate thing.

After you had gazed into the eyes of your mother's colleague when he told you the news, nothing was ever that frightening again. Sure, the undead, boo-hoo. Glassy, unblinking eyes, a putrid smell and a keen sense of hearing. Thousands of them slowly crawl across probably every city in the world, hunting for their next meal. Simply terrifying, you snigger bitterly.

To be fair with the people you have come to know, that always seemed scared out of their wits, they were in a lot more danger than you. Why, do you ask?

That is quite simple. You are immune.

You did not waste your time trying to understand the words your father had told you the night before he died. It was something about a specific section of your DNA that stopped that virus from spreading to your brain, or, whatever. You thought he was kidding, laughed it off and headed to bed. You remember having bad dreams that night.

Not being capable of turning into one of them did come in handy later, when you had already found a group of students from the university you used to attend. While you couldn't say they looked well back then, being alive was the most they could do. They were all mostly younger than you—not at all smaller, per se, but more naive, more fearful.

More reluctant to go looking for food when they were running out of it.

The minute they told you about the problem, you took it in your hands to care for them. Chuckling at their protests, you had said someone had to look out for the children, and so you did.

The morning you left to scavenge for food didn’t go half as bad as you expected. Having nothing but a bow and some arrows, and some short knives on you, only getting chewed on one shoulder was way more than you had hoped for. During the fight at the crumbling supermarket building, you thought maybe you were going to lose a finger or two, possibly break a leg. But a bitten shoulder? That was pretty cool.

You were almost pleased with yourself when you marched back to the campus dorms, dragging behind you a cart filled with everything you could get your hands on. Among more essential items like rice, you had even managed to smuggle some jelly beans, dropping them quietly by Chenle’s side with a secretive smirk. However, the lighthearted atmosphere didn’t last for too long—just until Taeyong’s eyes landed on you.

You can almost hear his loud gasp and choked shriek again, yanking at your jacket with rubber gloves to get a closer look. As he visibly paled and grimaced, you could tell it was worse than you thought.

Maybe it was the adrenaline still pumping through your veins, or the small feeling of achievement as you saw your boys eating again, but getting the wound treated did not hurt that much. The weight on your shoulders did not lessen, and you were still very aware of the smell of death that clung to your clothes, but… you were satisfied. As satisfied as a ruthless fighter such as you could be, anyway.

That night, lying close to each other and talking in whispers, you told them about everything that had happened before you found them: the death of your parents, how you found your weapons, and your decision to free yourself from fear. You might have left out the part about the mild numbness that came along, but did it matter? They listened like you were describing to them all of the secrets in the universe, and barely even blinked. It would have been endearing if thoughts about them being on their own for so long had not made you set your jaw forcefully.

About two days later, while you sharpened your knives on the corner of one of the rooms, Taeyong had sat down beside you. His once blond hair had turned ashy, and black, where his roots had grown. His clothes were ripped at strange places and were not at all fashionable. He no longer was the model-like nursing major you used to know, but the caring gleam in his eyes was as evident as ever. His heart was still whole.

He quietly spoke to you about the change you had inspired in his friends. Knowing about your fearlessness had done something to them.

Donghyuck had not cried himself to sleep ever since. Doyoung was not shaking as badly when he had to help Tyong at the med bay. Renjun no longer paced in circles like a lost boy, and Jaehyun was definitely more appreciative of the throwing knives you gifted him. Small but important things had changed, and you could see it in their smiles as they passed by, wishing you a good morning.

Your speech, as improvised and adrenaline-driven as it had been, had given them something not even Johnny's jokes could bring—and that was saying a lot. It gave them hope, sewing together the small pieces of the people they used to be.

Maybe it was not the kind of hope to go back to their old lives, studying their asses off for finals one day and attending 3 frat parties the other. No, going back to those times was ahead of what anyone could wish for, but, maybe, just maybe, they could finally dream of a new future. Things in this future would be entirely anew, most likely different from what they know, but perhaps not all bad.

Maybe it was not the kind of hope to get back what they had lost, but simply hope, and when the world you know is going through an apocalypse, that's enough.

-------

final notes: i??? really like this fic??? soon enough i’ll make a definitive masterlist so you can find the chapters easily tho, so look forward to it~

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blondrichclosetwitch · 3 years ago

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This was actually the third song that played this morning though somehow I skipped it.

a fresh poison each week

Well that’s still seems to be true, tho I suspect that I knew it was in there, from what the spirits said.

We were born sick, let’s talk about that one. Maybe not born, but that something started in the formulative years. something that perverted the mind and caused a break in the foundation, causing a chasm. that’s all I’ll say about it for now. But maybe examine yours.

When “she tells me worship in the bedroom “played, that’s a reference to the bed ritual and the setting up. That’s what they’re showing me.

I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies—“ think the stooges “I wanna be your dog”… How thoughtlessly local and obedient we can be to lovers we adore especially when young. Her lies could be anything, but he’ll drink them in worship and believe.”

Offer me that deathless deaths/good God, let me give you my life—-selling your soul to the devil for fame/money/sex/drugs

To keep the goddess on my side she demands a sacrifice – – fun fact: the Druids believe rabbits are a sign of death.

Drain the whole sea—rabbit rabbit

We’ve a lot of starving faithful—the followers

This is hungry work – – once you’re in, you want more and more

I’ll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife – – the Tarot Reader

No masters or kings when the ritual begins (because the goddess, or the queen is in charge)

in the madness and soil of that sad earthly scene— treekiller au maximum

OK now we’re moving on to the next songs. Perry Como‘s round and round played at 9:45 or so (9:47 ftr) and at that point I’ve decided to change the music. So I said let’s listen to Taylor‘s new album, and found a playlist of someone else’s that was 11 hours long.That said, I didn’t look at Perry’s lyrics… But I did now. Would you like to know what I found?

“Find a ring, and put it round round round, and with ties so strong the two hearts are bound, put it on, the one you found found found, for you know that this is really love.”

I just looked up the three finger salute. It’s used in the hunger games.

“ The gesture is used after Katniss makes a speech remembering Rue. “ I couldn’t save her” she says. The salute at this point is being seen as a sign of resistance, of rebellion against the capital, and as support for justice.”

Surely you all know the story of the night that I was talking to psychic jack, and he said that we were now engaged, that the ring around my ring finger (A ring that had stars and the moon on it) was our engagement ring. He was supposed to come over that night. he told me he would come while I was asleep. When I woke up the next morning, my ring was gone. I had left the keys for him under the mat .

I told my analyst about this, and she said things go missing all the time. Well I tore that room apart, took everything out, all of the furniture and the bedding, and the ring was nowhere to be found. Psychic Jack told me he had the ring, and that when he was in the apartment he kissed me. Later on… Some months later… I was talking to the blonde rich closetwitch psychically, and she told me that it was her who came in the apartment, and that she even fingered me. Oh, and that she also took my blue scarf amongst some other things. I went looking for each of the things she mentioned, and they were gone.

Fast forward to 2020 when I left Brooklyn because I realized it’s not safe. It took me getting sober to realize that, and I was gone within weeks. When I was up there, things started to be left for me that insinuated that I was now the wife of Satan, And that many people were masturbating to my image. Little scenarios with messages that only someone who had been stalked for the past three years would understand. It was at that point that I was psychicallyshown that there was a binding that happened with that ring that bound me to both Blond and the devil.

Moving on to the Taylor list.

But before that:

You don’t, you don’t, you don’t, you don’t, you don’t, you you don’t you don’t wanna even try

#take me to church #2:22 #the ring #the hunger games #I was actually dying

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ziracona · 5 years ago

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please bless me with all of your dbd headcanons even just a crumb would satisfy me,,,,, lmao. Fr tho ur hcs are godly pls give me all of them especially for og 4 and wraif

Thank you!! I’m glad you like my hot takes!

Let’s see, og4.

Jake grows facial hair pretty easy (that part is just canon). Usually he either lets it grow and ignores it till it gets long, or stays cleanshaven, but the in-between stage is physically painful for everyone else at the campfire bc you wake up and see rugged 2day scruffy woodsman stretch and he sees you staring and goes, “What?” Looking thoroughly unimpressed and Meg sheds a tear and Claudette pretends to not be looking and stares at her journal and Dwight gets heart palpitations it’s just bad for the whole group. When he shaves he’s an edgy dumbass and does it with a sharpened hunk of metal he made into a knife for himself and Dwight saw him shaving once and had to go sit down.

Jake has a soft spot for many of the survivors he’s known longer (honestly at this point, he’s pretty attached to the lot of them though), but especially the ones who work really hard at protecting other survivors. Double points if you’re younger than him. He would kill for Claudette, and take a bullet meant for Quentin, but would not convey this to them at all. Jake puts almost zero effort into making sure people knows he likes them. The people he has a soft spot for especially are also not always the ones he prefers to spend time with. While they’re survivors he spends less time with personally, Jake respects Feng Min for being the snarky little gremlin she is, and Tapp’s dedication to his job even here. Weirdly, while the people he likes often aren’t aware of affection, the ones he respects but isn’t as close to usually are aware of the respect. Jake also thinks he doesn’t like having friends and spending time not alone, but he does.

If asked point blank his thoughts on a survivor he likes, he’d probably just shrug or say, “They contribute to the team,” or “She works hard,” or “He’s fine,” because Jake just be like that. He had a hard time getting close to anyone initially because of how he grew up. Jake’s very guarded. He’s used to people manipulating and using each other, which makes keeping anything vulnerable close to his chest just necessary as he sees it. Boy doesn’t trust easy. Or open up. Ya need a can opener. Boy also does not like getting pushed around. Least favorite killers (aside from Nightmare) are probably Doctor and Ghostface, because he cannot stand being forced to do things or used. He’d rather take a chainsaw to the back than have someone lord power over him. He’s also got a looong memory, so if you fuck him over, he is not the kind to forget and forgive. He is the kind to resent and remember. Not that he never forgives people, but boy would have to really believe whatever happened was regretted and the person wasn’t like that anymore to let something that made him very angry go. He’s quiet angry though. Bide your time and get vengeance kinda angry. Would never let someone push him around. If a killer tried to fuck with him, he’d do everything in his power to kill them.

While Jake is tough and likes to hike just to be out and moving, and enjoys toughing it out, Meg enjoys being outside more as a fun thing than a wildnerness lifestyle thing. She has a lot of energy, and even in the realm, all that adhd can be a bitch. It would be easy to focus on the shitty stuff happening and drown in that, so she likes to keep moving, like she has since she was a kid and started running. Meg loves hard, and if she cares about you, she’ll make sure you know it. Not good at shutting up or realizing if she’s been going on for too long, girl has passion for everything.

Meg talks a big game, but does not have as much confidence as she pretends to have. She has abandonment issues, but they’re less, ‘my dad abandoned me’ and more ‘everyone but my mom, from him to grade school friends, hasn’t stuck around,’ so she does worry about that and coming on too strong, which she is aware she often does, but she can’t get herself to turn down the power settings on herself even when she tries. She’s never been good at making friends, so all of this in the realm is kinda new to her, since no one can leave. Meg would tell almost no one those things about herself. She cares hard though, and will try to distract other people from realm despair any way she can, because it’s what she needs and she assumes what they must need too. And to be fair, she ain’t wrong. Good at cultivating activities and drinks loving her friends juice.

Big goofball. BIG goofball. Also big gay. Well, bi af, but w a pretty strong preference for the ladies. She is simple of heart. Sees a girl, loses ability to think. Bonded with Nea over this problem. High int, low wisdom, big dumbass. Her weaknesses include girls’ eyes, voices, accents, freckles, scars, stomachs, legs, ass, titties, hair, hair dye, laughs, hands, eye contact, and cute accessories. Not great at expressing her feelings when she catches them, but tries hard. Actually pretty good at romancing once she gets into the groove. It’s just getting there she sucks at. Loyal as hell. Will go to bat for her friends and would rather die than betray them.

Meg has a real temper, especially when she feels like something being done to her or someone else is unjust/unfair, and will always try to fix those things even when it’s hopeless. Can and will weaponize her anger extremely effectively. Ridiculous memory for pop culture, shit memory for homework and things she was supposed to be doing. Memelord, but with some class.

Idk if this is because I identified with Claudette really strongly when I first started playing dbd or not, but I have always seen her as Asexual & Panromantic. Attracted to kindness.

She gets overwhelmed fairly easily, but has been improving that by necessity since arriving in the realm, and can tap into the mom-friend override to fix problems for people who aren’t her. Has a hard time telling when people are teasing her/joking, but everyone knows this so they take it easier on her than each other.

Like Meg, had no friends before this, so it’s exciting and new, and a little scary, but mostly really good. She worries about other people a lot, and doesn’t always know how to help, but she tries. Very relieved Dwight volunteered to be team leader.

Enjoys recording things and studying. Would be fascinated by the Entity’s world if she wasn’t always being killed. Seems small and weak and easy to take down, but she has the strength of will to kill God herself if backed into a corner, especially when fighting for someone she loves. Sweet does not mean she will not fight back, and since being in the realm, and getting over her initial freezing up at the sight of horrifying murderers, she has worked extremely hard to be brave and take an active roll protecting people whenever she can. She is still terrified a lot, but has learned to push through that to help her friends and herself.

Loves animals, including ones a lot of people don’t like (bugs, snakes, rats, etc) and would and has definitely tried to snag a scorpion and a cockroach from trials to study before, and tried to befriend the realm rats now that they exist. Tries to get Jake to show her how to get birds to like you but does know how to ask him right.

Nervous about interpersonal relationships and unsure of herself. Really likes everyone but horrible at telling how other people feel. Feels like she always comes off wrong and can’t put words to things well even when she understands them super well. Does her best 24/7. Incredibly smart and talented. Knowledgeable about her passions. Is always thinking 4th dimensionally and has saved the team many a time by pulling off wild bullshit that makes sense kind of just barely but no one else would have thought of.

Dwight was a loser and kind of a douche growing up, kind of selfish and entitled and weak, but is no longer that person after a few years in the realm. He works hard to make good on his promises to look out for everyone, and cares about them very genuinely. Great at thinking on his feet and sounding like he knows more than he does, wonderful at regulating tasks to people efficiently, and not a bad strategist.

Being the kind of person now who would not have liked the person he was a few years ago causes a little cognitive dissonance and self-doubt, but he’s trying. Genuinely enjoys hearing about people’s days and interests even when he’s completely lost.

Not a fan of heights. If the fear of heights was not vastly overpowered by fear of sharp object, he would actively avoid the old ironworks in trials, but alas.

Used to play video games a lot. Thought he was good at them. Was not. Was definitely not.

Self-improvement king. Works hard and is a really decent dude. A very good sport. Used to be an asshole, so now that he’s nice he’s pretty damn forgiving if other people put in the work to improve too (my boy’s no hypocrite). Has mellowed out a lot and is pretty chill and nice but the damn fool will break his own heart by taking things people say the wrong way, or things they mean as a joke literally, if it’s something he thinks is true about himself, and will totally miss context and vocal inflection and just be like, “I know but I’m trying TuT.”

Big gay but in denial and confused

Just at this point really does want people to get to go home and be ok. Loves hearing stories and listening to his friends talk at the campfire because it makes him feel like things might be okay. Get the same result just by being near his friends, especially the other og3 who have been with him forever. If they’re all still there, things have to turn out okay someday. :’ ) Has never really told them that, because he’s supposed to be the leader, and thinks they’d feel less secure if they knew he depends on being able to sleep close to them at night to feel like he’ll be okay himself. Not in a they’d judge me way, but in a I really don’t want to let them down way. He wants them to think he’s got a handle on things even when he really doesn’t.

I was gonna do Philip too but I got this this morning and this post is already ridiculously long TuT, so here you go. Plus one mini Philip one.

Philip feels responsible for the young man he saw his boss kill the day the Entity got him. He knows that he killed scores of people unknowingly for Azarov, and those weigh, but he thinks sometimes late at night that if he could have just saved that one, it might have been enough to make him feel absolved someday for all the other deaths on his head. He remembers his face very well, and how terrified he was, and the moment of confusion and relief, and almost gratefulness when Philip let him go. He thinks over and over that if he’d just talked to him–assumed something was up, and gotten him to be quiet. Seen Azarov in time and stopped him. So many little things, and the young man would have lived. Even if the others were things he was completely blind to, he feels like that one is especially his fault, and that he could have stopped it. That one really haunts him.

#long post #dead by daylight #dbd #Philip Ojomo #Dwight Fairfield #Jake Park #Claudette Morel #Meg Thomas #I love doing these but I have like 6000 headcanons and I'm not good at picking one TuT I'm happy to do more but please help me give me an #area to focus on I'm dyin' scoob I'm boo boo the fool #Too many thoughts head full #the wraith #ask #anonymous #In Living Memory #In Living Memory (fic)

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iwritethat · 5 years ago

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UnreQUITed - Part 4

Request: Unrequited part 4 requests in general

A/N: FINALLY!! Here it is, the finale, I hope it isn’t a disappointment - no guarantees tho :’)

Warnings: Angst(???), swearing

>>>>—————————>

~ Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~

Two shots.

Piercing and heart stopping.

They continued to echo even months after they'd been released, they haunted those who overheard like a temperamental ghost and every time successfully provoking feelings of guilt, pain, regret.

"(Y/n) is okay y'know..." Jasons calm yet frustrated voiced snapped Dick out of his overthinking trance, the cold breeze of Gothams evening setting a tense atmosphere between the two brothers. The eldest remaining eerily silent.

"The assassin that shot her is dead by the way." He continued with a more dangerous topic and little remorse, after noting Dicks lack of response that is.

"You shouldn't have done that." Nightwing gave a heartless sigh, tone lacking any of its usual warmth - a new normalcy over the recent months.

"Oh trust me - I wish it had done it, but someone beat me to it."

"Who?" Dick flicked his head toward his brother, skeptical eyes narrowing in confusion whilst Jason simply gazed over the vast array of stones, his breath leaving it's trace on the cold winds surrounding them.

"Me." The cruelly familiar voice brought killer glares to both vigilantes, their eyes translating their harboured hatred toward his damn audacity. He had some nerve or a death wish making his presence known here, to the brothers he was trespassing on sacred ground which they did not take lightly under the current circumstances.

"(Y/n) was important to me too, so I killed the bastard myself."

"You don't get to say that name! It's your fault she was even in this mess Slade!" Of course the explanation was not wanted, Dicks immediate vile retaliation proof of that though it didn't intimidate the former assassin, nor discourage his intent by a fraction.

"No Grayson, it's yours. (Y/n) was an ex assassin like me, the League kill deserters but since she was around Damian they left it be. Of course, the moment (Y/n) left because of you she became a target. Though she didn't realise it, I had her under my employment so I could protect her just as she'd do for me. But yet again, you pulled her away and (Y/n) died taking a bullet for you." Slade casually finished but untamed anger resided in his voice, unfortunately it was dripping in truth - the League of Assassins were cautious when confronting Slade Wilson, especially when you two were together as you'd always worked efficiently as a duo.

The harsh response left the two silent - Jason hadn't much left say, but he could feel the pure unadulterated rage radiating from Dick like a barrier pushing people away - Slade took the opportunity to fulfil his original purpose, string past them to place a single red rose under the engraving of ‘(Y/n) (L/n)’.

——Months Earlier——

The shooter stumbled in the distance, no doubt armoured enough to prevent a shot being fatal although you couldn't quite dissect what was occurring around you until you heard Jason's voice echo from Nightwing's communicator

"I missed! These fucking rubber bullets I swear I'm switching back to the real deal -"

Relief flooded your veins, yourself slipping around the corner and sliding down the wall as you tried desperately to overhear as much as you could.

"You got him, thank you Ja-"

"No I didn't! He shot! Dick he shot!" That silenced the love of your life, his blood running cold considering he couldn't find your figure anywhere in his peripheral vision - only splatters of crimson marking where you once stood. Where you'd stepped in front of him. He felt sickeningly feint, unable to compose himself of the gut wrenching worry radiating from his body.

It's like your mind went blank as soon as he'd ask anything of you and you'd agree on instinct, you'd die for that man if he so much as needed it...

Your past thoughts almost made you laugh, a weak cough replacing the gesture and it seemed you'd predicted your own future rather accurately even if you didn't know it at the time. Regretfully you weren't as silent as you'd hoped, Dick skidding down to your level and meeting your smug gaze with sheer regret once zeroing in on the sound, all you could offer was a kind smile and playful punch to his arm despite your pained wince.

"Hey Dickiebird, did Jay get him?"

"Don't - Don't move, you're gonna be okay." It was unclear whether he was attempting to convince you or himself of that blatant lie, you were beyond comforting and had already accepted your fatal mistake whereas he remained stupidly optimistic. A facade for your benefit by your judgement.

"Yeah you're right, I'm going to be just fine and so are you... But could you please do me one last favour?" Either way you played along, irises betraying the sympathetic smile you'd adorned.

"Anything."

"See me your best friend, just one last time and remember that I love you alright." It was merely a platonic request, his memory shot back to the photographs you'd taken and the message inscribed on them.

"I - I can't do that..." Dick sorrowfully responded, once again meeting your eyes with regret as you lolled your head back against the wall trying to withhold your tears concocted from both the splitting puncture and his decline but you couldn't let that show through your haphazard reply.

"I suppose I deserve that."

It was true, you'd disappeared from his life for 6 months without warning or trace. A friend wouldn't do that, shouldn’t do that, but you had to think of your self preservation for once.

"I wish I could... but I can't see you as just a friend anymore, not now, I - because I -" His tone was so painstakingly genuine, so filled with an array of warring emotions that you had to do a double take to ensure you were hearinh him correctly.

"Don't." You knew where it was headed and honestly you didn't want to hear it anymore, once upon a time you'd have given everything to hear those 3 beautiful words, words that'd bring euphoria - now you were a third of the way there and all it brought was nausea.

"It's too late."

He silenced himself, your voice derived of it's signature charm only sharpening the cut of your words. What hurt most was the the painful truth of them, he was too late and he knew that - you deserved this side of him months if not years ago but he was both blind and too apprehensive to fan those glowing flames. Instead choosing to suffocate them with the placement of another that could never burn as brightly.

Although despite your tongue, your eyes held those flames he'd once bathed in and he understood that you'd felt it too, a conversation worth a thousand words was conveyed as well as the hopeless feelings in your hearts that created a comfortable silence. It didn't ease the plague of memories, nor answer the countless what if's swirling your mind but it helped.

"I need you to call Damian for me, I won't leave him again without saying goodbye this time." Your voice was merely a whisper, one that was obeyed disheartenedly but quickly and soon Damian's bored tone left you smiling.

"What Grayson?"

Dick however not so much, it took a moment to organise his emotions enough to disclose the situation in the most delicate way - he'd managed that but his unsteady tone let him down.

"You - Ah, (Y/n) needs to talk you alright?"

"That's not how you start a conversation, what's -" The wait was already killing you and you couldn't hold back any longer, you didn't want to explain - only enjoy one last conversation without underlying sympathy or guilt that'd surely surface once he discovered your condition.

"Hi Dami, I'm sorry I didn't get to properly see you when I came back."

"There's still plenty of time (L/n), how about a walk tomorrow?" He seemed calm, you could practically hear him shake his head over the phone with that classic TT.

"I - I can't, I'm leaving but I wanted to tell you this time, and I know that I'm going to miss you so much Damian. S-so you better look after your dumbass brothers whilst I'm gone." It made you happy, undeniably so with your tone laced with playfulness that you felt you needed, felt like things would return to how they used to be.

"Where are—" Damian cut himself off, he was perceptive in every sense of the word and observant enough to hear the way you bit back tears even if not in sight. He remained silent for a few seconds, long enough for you to close your eyes in order to keep the tears at bay knowing he'd now read between the lines and was finding the most comprehensible way to deal with it. With the fact that you're leaving. And won't be coming back this time.

"I'm proud to call you my companion (Y/n), I hope you find happiness in the next life and know that I will carry you with me, always." Initially it was strong, a false charade to both comfort you and hide his betraying emotions but neither of you mentioned anything. It was better this way, silent understanding and respect.

"Me too Damian, thank you for everything."

"Goodbye sister. And (Y/n), please forgive Grayson's idiocy..." He was hesitant on the last sentence, and you could each detect the shared heartache regarding your final conversation yet remained composed purely for the emotional well-being of the other.

"Always, see you Dami."

When you hung up, you couldn't hold back the sobs any longer, practically choking on the pent up emotion in them. Dick remained quiet, pulling you into his shoulder and soothingly running his fingers through your hair, he feared that if he spoke he would fall apart too, especially when the only person he could truly blame was himself. He held you for what he wished could be an eternity, yourself pulling back with a watery gaze that apologised for your breakdown despite knowing there was no need to.

"Dick what's happening?! Is (Y/n) okay?!"

Jasons’ voice - it was erratic, demanding and his dire question lead to Dick and yourself exchanging a sentimental but knowing glance, weak smiles had been ruthlessly defeated and you could only gently rest your forehead against Nightwing's seeking useless reassurance.

"Fucking answer me!" It grew more desperate now with the growing animosity on Jason's side but Dick couldn't even vocalise the situation, he didn't want to - that would make it real.

"She's..."

Jason's deductions were quick, the broken tone of his brother being the obvious indicator but his initial outbreak was frustration.

"No, fuck no! Everyone I - damn it... You tell her that I love her! She needs to know, tell her for me in case I don't get there in time."

He gave no chance to respond, the communicator muting once he'd finished and you managed to make light of it now that Dick could barely look at you.

"I'm gonna miss him, never knew he cared that much with the amount of shit he gives me." You released a pained laugh, ending short with a wince as your fingers tightened around your wound and you could see Dick empathise, instinctively aiding in your efforts to cease the bleeding whilst maintainining a close proximity.

"When Jason cares, he really cares..." Was all the eldest could correspond, he didn't quite understand his brothers feelings toward you as it was a subject Jason actively dodged but it frustrated Dick to no end.

His brother could say those 3 words to you so effortlessly, with so much meaning, and yet he could barely even acknowledge that feeling in his heart for the past 4 years. For Jason it wasn’t being in love, he no idea what it felt like to be hopelessly in love with you but Dick had years of suppressed experience - for him, it was like watching the sun fade from the sky and he desperately wanted to wake up from this nightmare, to race to your apartment to find you boredly scrolling through your phone and he'd tell you how he felt then and there. Even now, at a time when you deserved them, more than anything, it was the one thing he could give you that'd hopefully make you smile - feel something other than the lightheaded tiredness of blood loss.

So then, why didn't you want them?

"This isn't how it was supposed to go (Y/n), I finally found you after missing you for so long and I still couldn't give you anything worthwhile... I'm so sorry for being such an idiot!" At his crumbling tone, you lifted from his shoulder, already finding difficulty in keeping your eyes open due to the sheer lethargy of your body but pushed on regardless.

"That's more than enough Dick." You shook your head silencing him with your content expression, and your free hand brushing through his hair. Instantly he captured your hand relaxing slightly with your gesture but soon was overcome with contrasting frustration.

"How is it enough? You took a bullet for me! Why didn't you let me take the hit for you?! Our roles would be reversed and you'd be safe, which is all I care about -" You refused to let him finish, refused to watch him crumble under the weight of blame he'd placed on his shoulders and the only way you could clear his mind was a simple one.

You met your lips with his, Dick instantly melting into you with furrowed brows but he remained gentle, aiming to display everything he had in these few intimate moments he had with you. Carefully you pulled back, meeting his apologetic gaze with your soft one before leaning against his side, head resting against the crook of his neck as you closed your eyes.

"It's enough because you're here now, when it mattered most you were always there for me even if it negatively impacted your life. I loved you for that, for choosing me when I wouldn't even choose myself. So thank you, for being you. I love you, don't forget that." You voice was incredibly gentle, a sincerity to it that allowed him to feel the high regard you still held him in much like you felt his and with your breath slowing to dangerously distant rhythms you both basked in the warm contentment.

Dicks fingers ran up and down your side in a soothingly slow manner, and when accompanied by the balanced beating of his heart seemed like enough to lull you into a state of heavy slumber. The pain had numbed now which only encouraged the magnetic sensation of blissful peace and though the majority of your senses had failed you - the damp smell of Gothams air faded minutes ago, as did your awareness to the clutches of the nipping wind - your hearing remained semi active, weak enough to capture the sentimental murmur of your best friend.

"I love you."

The ones you'd longed to hear ever since he'd won you over to his side all those years ago, after all of the adventures and after all of the connections you'd forged so with them, you slipped into the arms of eternal sleep.

For once, he loved you.

Not her.

——Present——

"We cannot change what happened, and (Y/n) wouldn't want you to blame yourself so I apologise for my recent words - instead, let the blame die with the assassin who killed her." Slades' unexpected and most likely sole apology earned Dicks genuinely confused gaze, the hero still adamant that his decisions were ultimately responsible but hearing the reluctant kindness eased his current internal war.

Yet he knew, Slade only offered such a lifeline out of his loving respect for you. Yet again you'd inadvertently provided your warmth to save him and he couldn't even thank you for it anymore.

Dick glanced back to your sculpted gravestone once more, Slade walking to his side with his usual deadpan expression but less edge to his tone as he too had felt the familiar pain of lost love before.

"She'd want you to have this." Handing the small object to Nightwing he kneeled at your stone giving his silent last blessings before disappearing into the surrounding fog of the graveyard. Next time they'd encounter each other it'd be filled with violence no doubt, but whilst standing before your spirit neither opponent had the intention.

Dick flipped the thin item in his hand, recognising the Polaroid as the one he'd given you before you disappeared as a good luck charm, the one from his Robin days when you'd first ran into each other and the one he'd so innocently written on as a futile attempt to at least hint at the love he carried for you.

'To my one and only. ~ Love your Best Friend.'

However, upon closer inspection he'd noticed the addition of your gracefully inked handwriting, though, your intention behind it will be forever unknown to him.

'Dick Grayson, the best person anyone could ask for - don’t ever change, even if our paths no longer cross. ~ All my Love, (Y/n).’

<——————————<<<<

Tagging: @palmtoplion , @lionjelli , @givemebooksorgivemedeath , @sun-through-canyon

#dick grayson #dick grayson imagine #dick grayson x reader #nightwing #nightwing imagine #nightwing x reader #dc #dc imagine #UnreQUITed #batfam

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superhero--imagines · 5 years ago

Text

A/N: So there will be at least 2 more parts after this one, it’s all too long to put into one post. LMK if you want to be tagged :)

The next part is going to be from His POV, and it’ll be posted tomorrow

Tags: @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @treestarrrrrrrr @jelly-snow-stark

<--- Part 1 Here! / Part 3 Here! --->

* Ben sighs as he takes in the tiny hut that’s his home now

* It’s all one room, and it’s smaller than his bedroom at home

* “Well it’ll have to do” he sighs, dropping his duffel bag to the ground

* “Ow!”

* He misses you so much he can even hear your voice

* “Ben if you’re alone you can stop pretending now!”

* His face breaks out into a grin, he should have dropped you a bit more gently

* He unzips the bag, and your head pops out

* “So how long have you known?” You ask, rubbing your aching limbs

* “In what galaxy would you let me leave without saying goodbye?” His grin broadens, as you climb out of the bag.

* “I figured you were hiding in the ship though, I didn’t think you hid in my bag” he admits, peering inside the bag

* “Where did my underwear go?”

* You didn’t come this far, to only come this far

* You had spent years trying to keep Ben from the dark side, and you weren’t about to leave him by himself just because of a small hiccup like this

* It’s pretty cozy with the two of you in that hut

* You hope back home Holdo, your mother, found your note

* All of this seemed a lot easier in the movies, going on spontaneous adventures, chasing after artifacts

* Oh well, at least you have people who love you

* You didn’t plan this very well, and neglected to bring many clothes, you are glad you brought underwear

* You mostly end up wearing Ben’s clothes

* “Aw come on, you know I wanted to wear that shirt today”

* “Do you want to wear one of mine?”

* Despite himself, he blushes when he see’s you roll up the sleeves of his dress shirt

* “No it’s fine” he says with a huff, he can’t help but think it looks cuter on you

* It’s still early on in the story, so Luke only has a handful of disciples currently

* You usually stay in the hut, until the late morning when the padawans go to the cliff to practice light saber training

* Then you run basic errands, like washing your clothes, bathing, cooking/catching/gathering lunch, reading and sleeping

* You and Ben will usually share meals together, he’ll either eat some of whatever you made, or share his rations for the day

* “You know, it’s like you’re an adult”

* You freeze when you hear Ben say that

* “What do you mean?” You try to stay calm as you breathe in deeply. Ben can read minds in the future with ease, it only hurts when the other person refuses to give him the information

* There’s no guarantee he hasn’t been able to read your mind all along, just going along with your wishes to keep you at ease

* “You hunt and gather like a pro,” he shrugs, taking a big bite of the stew you made. “It’s like you don’t even need my help”

* Oh, he’s sad

* You get it, in this body you’re younger than him.

* But your mind is much older, so you’ve always taken a more dominant position in your friendship

* But being here, somewhere you aren’t supposed to be. Ben had thought for once, he could take care of you

* But even here, you do the laundry for both of you, you cook for both of you, and you even cleaned the hut while he was training

* “Ben, the fact that you even want me here is more than enough”

* And it’s true, you can’t imagine anyone in your past life tolerating a bossy girl like you following them around

* Especially at this age

* “Of course I want you around, you’re my best friend” There’s a rosy tinge on his pale skin, eyes staring a hole into his bowl of stew

* Ben’s really special

* “I know”

* At night is when the work really comes

* You fumble around with a book, or embroidery, or sharpening your hunting tools, until Ben finally falls asleep

* Then you lean against the his bed frame, and stare at the door until dawns early light

* You don’t know exactly when Luke starts to suspect that there’s darkness in Ben, so this is how you’ll keep him safe

* You’ll be caught, but at least this way you can save him, even if it’s just prolonging the inevitable.

* “Why do you always sleep on the floor?”

* “Would you rather I sleep with you in your bed?” You ask, at which he stammers and blushes

* “N-no, I would sleep on the floor and you could sleep on the bed”

* You smile as you sharpen your spear, he’s still awfully kind to you

* “Nah, you have to train”

* You get caught after a week, maybe a month if you’re especially careful

* It’s the first time your mother slaps you

* But even after she can tell you’re not sorry

* “What were you thinking?”

* You know how it looks, that a stubborn child followed her best friend not thinking once about the people she was hurting

* You can’t tell them, you can’t tell them that all of this is to save them, to save Ben and to even save yourself

* “The force showed me, Ben is my prince and I’m his knight”

* So you tell a great big lie

* “You saw the future?” Luke sounds skeptical, you don’t blame him

* You nod

* “What else did you see”

* Well crap, you’ve already screwed up the timeline enough just by being so present in Ben’s life

* What’s something small you can tell them? You can’t tell them about Rey, a lonely girl in Jakku, not yet. You can’t tell them about Poe or Finn either, who even knows what they’re up to right now

* “There’s a droid, orange and white, BB8”

* “What about the droid?”

* Well fuck, you didn’t think they’d ask questions

* “It’ll be a key player in keeping balance in the force.”

* The adults don’t doubt you know what you say you do, but they agree that Luke isn’t the right master for you.

* From what they can tell you’re not particularly force sensitive

* You will learn under Leia as her senator

* You can only nod in agreement

* You fuss over Ben more than Leia does when you’re about to leave

* “This is my spear, for when the other kids bully you, or try to take your food”

* “The other kids don’t bully me”

* “And this is my cloak, for if you get cold at night”

* “I have my own cloak”

* “And this is my-“

* “I’m not going to miss your things,” Ben interrupts “I’m going to miss you”

* You can feel your eyes begin to sting

* “I’ll miss you too”

* You hug him long and tight, boarding your ship and returning home

* “You know Jedi can’t get married?” Luke asks his nephew

* “Grandfather did”

* “Yes, because that ended so well”

*”He had you and Mom didn’t he?”

* The years fly by, you study well under Leia. Showing an aptitude for politics and negotiation

* Your mother’s much happier now as well, now that you’re not spending every waking moment trying to save Ben Solo, you actually don’t cause any trouble

* You wonder how Ben is doing often, you haven’t seen him in years

* But you know there’s not much you can do for him

* You’re not Rey, you don’t have a force bond with him

* All you can do is hope he’s alive and happy somewhere

* You meet Poe in your early adolescence, it’s made very clear you aren’t to ask where he came from

* “What are you up to?”

* You glance over your shoulder, as you sit on the dock, Ben’s dock.

* “Just taking in some fresh air” you say back with a smile, you should work on getting on Poe’s good side

* “Makes sense,” he grins as he stands beside you, taking in the cerulean blue of the lake. The same lake Ben would practice using the force on “of course you’d want to be around what you are”

* You know you’re much older than 16, but you can’t help the blush that blooms on your cheeks

* “Mind if I join you?” He asks, and not trusting your mouth, you motion for him to sit beside you

* He grins and he sits next to you, his knee bumping against yours

* He’s just as funny and charming as he was in the movies

* You’re carrying back a basket full of fruit when you see him walking down the path, you’re about to greet him when he wordlessly takes the basket out of your hands

* Underestimating your strength, and how heavy the basket is, he accidentally spills fruit along the way, stumbling every few steps as he does

* You sigh, he’s just as reckless too

* But he’s your friend, you think with a smile, picking up the fruit that trails behind him, before walking by his side once more

* As time goes on, you lose your sense of urgency, absorbed in your lessons and your daily life

* Still you wonder every so often how Ben is doing

* Is he’s eating enough, if he’s managed to make any new friends

* You sigh

* You wish you could call him, or send him a text, anything

* Just to make sure he’s still alive

* A light bulb practically flashes over your head

* Maybe you could write him a letter!

* You pull out a piece of paper, so excited to tell him about everything that’s happened

* Your pen hovers over the paper, where do you even start?

* With Poe? The politics classes? How you were going to represent the planet as an ambassador?

* Or how much you miss him

* How much you think about him, and hope he’s doing well

* You sigh pushing away the paper and pen, some things you can only say in person

* “You’re all set, aren’t you?” Holdo asks you, and you nod “Got everything you need? Did you pack extra underwear?”

* “Mother!” Your fave erupts into flames, you can hear Poe laughing as he boards the ship

* “Don’t fuss over the girl Holdo” Leia says, “Now dear, you remember your etiquette lessons, yes? Don’t be afraid to stab a man right through the chest if he gets too close”

* Between the two of them, you don’t know who’s worse

* It’s all fairly standard once you land, you greet the king and queen of this planet, thank them. Greet your maids, chef and staff

* “We have a Knight for you as well ambassador”

* You’re about to tell him there’s no need, you’ll be fine on your own

* But then you look over to your Knight

* “We believe it’s someone you may know well”

* His face, it’s the same, and yet completely unfamiliar. He’s well built now, a large frame that towers over you

* “It’s been a while” He says, the hint of a smile playing in his face

* Those eyes haven’t changed, deep, and honest

* “Ben!”

* You nearly yelp, you feel tears prickle the corners of your eyes as you throw your arms around him

#star wars imagine #star wars fanfiction #kylo ren imagine #ben solo imagine #kylo ren x reader #ben solo x reader #ben solo x you #kylo ren x you #poe dameron imagine #poe demeron x reader #kylo ren headcanon #superhero--imagines

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zoadgo · 4 years ago

Note

Memori +29. Sorry, I send you an ask with "memori +26" but I meant 29 lol.

so i just reinstalled xkit and uh, this ask is from four years ago, fun facts. this fill in canon compliant ish with s7

Disclaimer: I’m just going through my inbox to write some drabbles and try to get back into doing fan fic. I think I know which prompt lists most of these were from, but I might be wrong. All of these are several years old tho, so idk. All drabbles are unedited and prone to many typos, sorry my dudes

29. Cooking Together

Emori wakes up alone in the bed she shares with Murphy, which isn’t that strange these days. He’s woken up before her for as long as she’s known him, even though Emori doesn’t exactly sleep in. But it used to be that even though he was awake, he would spend indulgent hours curled up against her, and Emori would wake up with him stroking her hair, staring off into the distance, awake but still content to relax.

Nowadays, he doesn’t seem to relax very much at all.

Emori sighs to herself, slowly rolling out of bed and throwing on some soft clothes to go track down her lover. Chances are, whatever he’s doing, he could use her help. Or, at the very least, her company. He never likes to ask for it, never wants to disturb her, but there’s honestly nowhere she’d rather be in their new world than by his side.

The farmhouse is quiet, the sun just barely having risen, most of their kru still asleep or just starting to rise. Emori passes a bleary eyed Raven, given her a brief nod and a smile that the mechanic vaguely grunts in response to. Hard to tell if she’s getting up early in order to work on a new project, or if she’s just heading to sleep after staying up all night.

Indra is, of course, already awake and sitting sternly in the living room, looking out the window. Emori isn’t exactly sure when she sleeps, if she does at all. It certainly seems like she’s always around, hovering and ready to shut down any less that perfect ideas. Which Emori doesn’t mind, honestly. Sometimes it can be hard to remember, in their idyllic little oasis, how real the dangers of their new world are.

She doesn’t try to strike up a conversation with her, simply passing by without comment on her search. She hears vague noises of habitation coming from the kitchen, makes her way there with soft footsteps to investigate.

The early morning sun streams through the windows, pale gold, painting everything like a fantasy. Emori pauses just inside the kitchen and drinks in the scene, storing it carefully in her mind. Because there’s Murphy, smiling softly to himself as he pours something in a pan, a pot of coffee sitting on the counter, the smell of breakfast weaving through the air. It’s beautiful, a balm on any unease she might have felt when waking up alone.

She realizes, as she steps into the kitchen properly, it’s been a long time since she’s seen him cook. There were other priorities, of course, and when they were working with the Primes they were served truly delicious food, but watching him cook stirs memories of Earth within her. Of the first night he cooked for her, how he lit up when she complimented him, of her showing him more herbs than he had learned about on the Ark, how he took to it all and every time he fed her it was more delicious than the last. How she got to brag about him when Clarke was surprised at how good his cooking was. All those days, when they were on their own, and she would sit and sharpen their weapons while he roasted something over the fire, and there was laughter and smiles and peace.

Emori can’t help but smile, sneaking across the room as quietly as she can, spotting dishes he’s already finished cooking, set on towels and just waiting for people to eat them. There’s some kind of meat frying in thin strips, what looks like fresh baked bread in a basket, the aforementioned pot of coffee, along with a carafe of juice, and a few other covered bowls. Emori hums happily, announcing herself subtly right before she reaches Murphy, wrapping her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

“Good morning.” She hooks her chin over his shoulder to look down at what looks like an omelette he’s tending to. Murphy turns his head slightly to look at her, and his smile only grows. He doesn’t look as haunted today as he did yesterday, and while she knows that might not hold, it still blooms a warm joy in her chest.

“Morning,” he replies easily, pressing a soft kiss to her temple briefly.

“Need any help?” Emori offers, even though her help is usually limited to moral support. She supposes she can also pass him ingredients, but they both agreed long ago that it’s better for everyone if she’s a more hands off kind of person when it comes to cooking.

“Set out plates and cutlery?” Murphy asks, and Emori can do that. She nods, kissing the back of his shoulder before releasing him to rummage through the cupboards. It only takes a minutes or two to set out stacks for everyone, and when that’s done she decides to clean some of the prep dishes Murphy used.

It’s quiet, just the two of them, the sizzling of food in pans, and the soft sounds of water and scrubbing. Vaguely, Emori can hear doors elsewhere in the house open and close, and she can hear at least one shower running. But for the moment, as far as she’s concerned, it’s just her and Murphy, and she can’t stop stealing glances at him, watching him solemnly focusing on folding his omelette perfectly.

This is it, this is what she’s always wanted with him. No matter what they’ve been through, what mistakes they - well, to be honest, far more Murphy than her - have made. Every battle fought at his side, every fight, every struggle, it’s all for this. For the smell of coffee and eggs, and the golden morning light, and him stretching slowly after he sets the last piece of the meal on the table.

Emori sets aside her washing for the moment to stand beside him as Murphy looks over his meal with obvious pride. He casually puts and arm around her shoulder, and it’s right. This is how it should be, and even though she knows it won’t last forever, Emori indulges in it for now.

There’s nothing that needs to be said, because she knows he feels it to. That they should have this forever, that this is the very the least the universe owes them for all they’ve been through. And even though it doesn’t need to be said, she says it anyway.

“I love you.” It’s a quiet statement, a breath into the perfect moment. The arm around her shoulders tightens, and Murphy rests his head against hers.

“I love you too.”

It goes without saying, but still, it’s nice to hear. And then Indra comes in to get her coffee, and Raven heaps a plate with food, becoming more animated as she devours it, and soon all of their family is there and it is all the more sweeter for it. Emori is happy, and next to her, for the first time in a long time, she’s pretty sure she feels Murphy relax.

#memori #john murphy #emori #the 100 #fan fic #i just want some wholesome domestic fluff okay #daisytachi

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kyutiemin · 5 years ago

Video

youtube

hello! i was tagged by @hyunjoons to make a video showing my giffing process so ! here she is in all her chaos HNSDJKFJSDHK i sped it up a bit cause the original video was 15 minutes >< also please ignore my throwaway yt acc!! here’s the end result:

(fun fact this is a bonus clip i meant to gif for the set i made here but never got around to)

i tried to include my whole process so i don’t really do anything that’s not shown here! this is featuring my logo blurring process too so sdnfjskdhf this is really everything i do ^^ i’ll put a summary under the cut of everything that i did in this video so this post doesn’t get too long!!

ok before we start i just want to apologize for the pixel grid that’s in the video ;;; i usually disable it but i was doing pixel art last night and forgot to turn it off when i finished ><’’ also!! i’m not going to go in depth on *HOW* to use everything, this is just a summary of what i did!! alright onto the gif c:

avisynth

so the first thing i do when i make gifs is run my video through avisynth!!

i only really use it for initial sharpening ^^

i don’t resize my gifs there only because i’m used to doing it in ps !! i’ve heard that it lowers the quality of your files so maybe don’t follow my example but sdfjkshdf its just what i’m used to ^^

i do a lot of my trimming in ps too, so essentially i make it my goal to spend as little time using avi as possible

photoshop | start

so after waiting for avi to process my frames, i import them to photoshop!!

the general order of how i start is: trim frames -> crop -> resize

i also preview my gif a lot of the time which is why i keep running it repeatedly!! im checking to make sure its the part i want ^^

photoshop | sharpening

after i resize and all the next thing i do is sharpen!

i ALWAYS sharpen before i color, mostly because it’s what i’m used to and i find it easier to move my coloring folder between gifs

i sharpen using topaz denoise & clean! i only recently started using them but i prefer them to my old smart sharpening style C:

again, i keep previewing how things look here which is why i keep turning layers on and off and such

please ignore how i accidentally detatched my frame timeline... this is just a byproduct of my chaos

photoshop | coloring

after sharpening i (wait for topaz to run my frames) start my coloring process!!

it’s worth noting that i color in the “frame timeline” because i think you have to when you use topaz and also because i like using the frame timeline

when i color i always mess with the settings so i don’t have any set psds that i use- it’s always from scratch

also it’s why i keep moving the sliders around chaotically ><” i’m just checking how it looks !!

the adjustment layers i usually use for coloring are: levels, brightness / contrast, exposure, hue / saturation & selective color!

also this is a sidenote but while i was messing around with the cyans in hue / saturation i tried to make it pink and decided i didn’t like it but hsjkdfh that’s what i was trying to do

i only use color filter if i’m feeling spicy i don’t have any real reason for using it

you can see tho that i do a lot of my adjustments in selective color!! she’s probably my fav adjustment layer

once again i keep turning the visibility of the layers on and off just to see how it looks!!

after i finish coloring i add my logo!! i usually go 10 pixels from the corner of the gif exactly which is why i zoomed in to move it.. why i do this i’m not sure but it’s how it be

photoshop | logo blur

alright now for this bonus part!! i only blur things if there’s logos / text i don’t want in the gif and here’s how i do that

i go back to the video timeline and apply a gaussian blur to my gif and mess with the layer mask so only the logo gets blurred

after that i convert my timeline back into a frame one simply because i’m used to working in that

then i desaturate it!! i mess with the layer mask again to only select the logo and then color it to look how i want (in this case removing the blue color entirely)

after that i’m finished! i typically check the gif before i export it to see how noisy it is but i didn’t do that here for the sake of time ><

and thats it!! thank you for reading this far if you do ^^ i know my gif style is pretty basic compared to other’s but it gets the job done hnsfsjkdhf i’m still a new (read: a lil over a year) gifmaker so i’m still learning stuff! what i do isn’t the best way to do stuff but it’s just what i prefer C: !!

#holly.txt #tagged #GOD this took so long please notice how i started filming this at like 4pm...#also dont look too hard at my desktop.. unless ur jess #jess if youre reading this please look at my keb evidences folder thats all for you #hdskjfhf anyway!! this was fun i enjoyed typing this all out even if its not really a quick start guide to gifs hnsdjkfh #but i hope this is interesting to watch if anything

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sanktnikolais · 5 years ago

Text

Finding the Right One (Part II)

PART I PART II PART III

Summary: A trap had been set for them, and they easily fell for it. What would be the outcome of the event?

Word count: 5286

The next morning witnessed Zoya’s sour mood when she attended her first class at nine in the morning with a deep frown and an aura that screamed “try talking to me and you’re dead”. Though it might have been her everyday expression, but this particular morning was a different one.

“You look like you’re about to punch someone,” David mused.

“Trust me, I’ve been contemplating about it.” Zoya wrinkled her nose as she reached for her thermos, and ended up stopping midway. The mentioned container apparently wasn’t there and was still with Nikolai since yesterday morning. “The lack of my morning dose of caffeine is definitely helping with the punching thought.”

David chuckled. “Just try to hold yourself from hurting your table.”

“On it.”

They were currently at the very last row of their Mechanics class, dreading the lesson about Torsional Stress. It was the lecture that they had been discussing for about two meetings already, and it only got shittier from then on.

It was the weight of yesterday’s news and class that added to the pounding of Zoya’s head when it came to her mind all of a sudden, and she desperately wished for a coffee to miraculously appear in front to soothe her soul.

Waking up late for her first class on a Tuesday rarely happened—she was always an early riser. But when your group mates were nowhere to be seen, and there were still things needing to be added to your research paper, Zoya knew that switching to nocturnal mode was inevitable. She stayed up until three in the morning to finish the paper herself—all the while thinking of different ways of murdering her group mates—so she decided to close her eyes for a moment.

Apparently, that moment became several hours.

That lead to Zoya waking up twenty minutes before nine and barely having time to do all her morning rituals before leaving her apartment.

Her phone screen lit up beside her notebook, and it caught her attention from being glued at the figures on the board. She frowned at the “Sobachka” name of the one that messaged her, and it took her a second to realize that it was Nikolai. Zoya remembered him changing the nicknames in their chat some time ago.

Uh hey, it said.

She continued to frown as she typed. What is it? I’m in class.

Good news and bad news. What first? Then another message followed a moment later, Pls choose bad news first.

Zoya sighed exasperatedly. Just spit it out, Lantsov

There was a short pause on his side. It stretched for about a minute, and then, I broke ur thermos

What the fuck

She put a hand to her temple and began rubbing it, trying to keep the pounding from getting worse. She supposed she could kill Nikolai after her headache finally stopped and she was in her angriest state.

A message followed soon after. Well good news is… Another pause. SIKE HAHAHAHAHAHA

Zoya closed her eyes and counted to three. Then ten. She should’ve expected this trap from Nikolai himself—she knew him too well to be pulling off jokes like these. Sometimes she questioned the fact that this was the same person who could charm almost everyone, say the worst punchlines, and exasperate the shit out of people.

Just a quite long scratch on the lid tho but nothing too serious

I’ll still kill you later

That’s so sweet, truffle :”>

Zoya shut her phone with a huff and went back to focusing on the writings on the board, which now occupied the half of it. She cursed lowly as she tried to catch up with the numbers that seemed to be endless.

“Was that Nikolai?” asked David.

“The one and only,” Zoya muttered in reply—she suddenly remembered him saying the exact words last night—without looking up from writing in her notebook.

“Gave you a hard time again?” David wondered, a knowing smile plastered on his face.

“He always does.”

“What can I say, you’re his favorite person.”

Zoya snorted. It was starting again. “Favorite person to annoy, you mean.”

“That too.”

“You and your girlfriend always say the same thing.”

“Trust me, we only say the things we know and see.”

Zoya scoffed but said nothing more, knowing that arguing with David would just prolong their discussion about the aforementioned blond and it would only lead to him saying that she should start dating and some other shit.

Her hookups and pleasure escapades weren’t unknown to them—Nikolai had been the first one to know about it. While there were times that they wouldn’t mind one bit, there were far too many times with one of them saying that Zoya should come in terms with her “obvious” feelings for her president and just tell him the truth.

It had become tiring as time went by because there wasn’t really anything to tell.

Their professor stopped writing on the now-full board and gave them a nod. “We’ll continue this next meeting. Class dismissed,” she said curtly.

Zoya raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her watch. It was five minutes to eleven, much to her shock. And David’s as well.

“Seriously, blink a few times, and then the two hours of Mechanics is over,” David muttered with a frown. “I’m starting to think that we shouldn’t blink during those two hours.”

Zoya nodded grimly. “Truly. I cannot stress that enough.”

“You getting an early lunch?”

“No, I still have to finish something in Sep. Maybe at twelve. I still have an hour.”

David got up from his seat and shrugged his backpack on. “Don’t stress yourself too much.” He gave Zoya a mock salute. “I’ll see you later, general.”

Zoya wrinkled her nose at the nickname. It was a known nickname among them that was meant to annoy her at times, the name originating from her strict, play-by-the-rules attitude when they started running the council and her downright practicality. Apparently, they knew when to exactly use it to irate her.

“Scram, Kostyk,” she muttered, shooing him away with a dismissive hand.

The man chuckled and gave her a final wave before leaving the room. Zoya stuffed the things in her bag and left the room as the students from the next class started pouring in through the doors. She decided to head down to her usual turf, which was the library, and finish the problem set she had been working on for her Separation Process major in the past week.

More than an hour into her task, Zoya received a message from Genya. Usually Zoya would just ignore the notifications coming in from her phone. But the pounding in her head made her want to look away from what she was doing.

Lunch out?

Zoya was almost done with her work, but she entertained the idea. She usually ate at past one in the cafeteria to save time from travelling to and from the campus to eat lunch.

She typed back a reply. Now?

Yep, I already reserved a table at Carveya.

You know really know which place to drag me, Safin.

I do my best, Nazyalensky 😉

Fifteen minutes later, Zoya found herself sitting by the table nearest to the window in Carveya reserved under Genya’s name, and yet the other woman still wasn’t there. Genya wasn’t the type to be the later one to come to meetups, and Zoya could only count on one hand how many times the redhead was late.

The small restaurant was thankfully warmer inside, or else she would have had to bear an hour of shaking because of the constant coldness in the places she went to. Only a few people were currently around, despite the fact that it was lunch time. The place was popular among the students of their university, being the nearest affordable dining place with a high-quality tasting menu.

Zoya furrowed her brows as she checked her phone, and looked at the last message sent almost a minute ago that said, almost there. It was already thirty minutes past twelve in the afternoon, and it was a good thing that her next class was at three.

Hurried footsteps resounded behind her, and Zoya turned her head just in time to see the person coming towards her table was definitely not Genya.

“You’re so not my favorite nerd anymore, Kostyk,” he was saying as he glared down at his wallet and violently thumbed through its contents. “I had to shower for two minutes tops and grab the nearest shirt I could find—”

Their eyes finally met, and Nikolai abruptly stopped talking. He squinted as his hand absentmindedly tapped around his chest for his thin-framed glasses and slipped it on. His gaze sharpened and he recoiled back slightly, mouth agape.

“Oh, you’re not David,” he said in exasperation. “Too pretty to be David.”

Zoya took in his demeanor—his hair was obviously windswept like someone decided to drop a mess of blonde hair on his head and it stuck out in different directions, his long-sleeved shirt was rumpled and unevenly tucked into his gray slacks, and he looked like he just ran away from something bad he did.

How can he still look good? Some part in the back of her mind said, and Zoya shoved the voice back to hiding because she was not thinking of that.

“Why are you here?” she demanded, an eyebrow shooting up to her forehead.

“I can ask the same question to you, truffle.” Nikolai looked around the place before turning back to her with a frown. “Where in the saint’s name is our favorite nerd?”

“What’s going on?”

“He told me to come here and pay for his bill because he forgot his wallet—”

Zoya closed her eyes and rubbed a hand to her temple when she finally connected the dots. It didn’t even need a genius to figure that one out. That nerd and his girlfriend—

A snapping sound jerked her out of her tired thought and she opened her eyes to see Nikolai looking at her with worry, his eyebrows furrowed. “You alright, Zo?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Sure, I’m just planning a murder in my head.”

“Oh, perfectly normal, I’d say. But really, have you seen David anywhere here?”

Zoya looked at him incredulously. How could he be one of the smartest minds in their department and yet still not be able to comprehend obvious things? It made her want to include him in her murder plan. “You’re still going to ask that?”

Nikolai gave her a puzzled look, and he looked so innocent that Zoya didn’t know if he was just pretending or just downright oblivious. Or dumb, she added in thought. “Uh, yes? Maybe he’s already washing the dishes in the kitchen as the mode of payment—”

He was cut off when someone in waiter’s uniform approached their table with a huge grin on his face. His name tag displayed “Isaak”, and the way he looked at them with glinting eyes suggested a not-so-good intention to Zoya.

“Welcome to Carveya!” the waiter Isaak greeted a little too enthusiastically. “Fortunately, you have been chosen as our lucky customers for today and everything on the menu is on the house.”

Nikolai held up a hand, his face becoming even more confused. “Uh, what—”

“Please, have a seat.” Isaak ushered—forced—Nikolai down the seat, the grin never leaving his face. He clasped his hands together afterwards. “Now that everything looks settled, may I take your—”

“Coffee,” Zoya said with finality, cutting the waiter off, and the grin on his face suddenly disappeared. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but Zoya continued, “Black, no sugar. The strongest one you can make. Probably enough to keep me up for a week. Can you do that, Isaak?”

Isaak obviously paled, but managed to return his grin albeit not being as bright as earlier, and it looked more of a grimace rather than a smile. She was about to say something snarky to the waiter, but she decided that she was already too tired to even say anything.

Besides, she knew Isaak. Being a regular in the place for years would surely familiarize her with almost everyone working there. She could only guess that two of her rather favorite people made the younger waiter their accomplice, knowing that Isaak was the usual one to take their orders whenever they went there.

“I’ll take the same as hers, I guess,” Nikolai said, his eyes flickering between the two and looking a little frightened at the sight. “Yeah, I’ll take the same.”

Zoya lifted a brow at the waiter, and Isaak practically ran off. She huffed and turned back to the table, facing the blond boy across from her. Nikolai’s eyebrows were furrowed, as if he were scrutinizing her inside out.

“Did you really have to scare his ass?”

“Trust me, I was still holding back.”

Nikolai winced. “Remind me again not to do something that might piss you off?”

“Do you want it to come with a punch?”

“Surprise me. Just not somewhere in the face, it’d damage my handsomeness.” He paused, and then he frowned. He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the strands that fell on his forehead away. “What’s happening again?”

Zoya could only roll her eyes as the man’s obliviousness brought an ungodly amount of exasperation to her whole self that made her want to reevaluate her life decision of being friends with him. “Our favorite nerd and the redhead set us up.”

“What do you mean they—” Nikolai stopped, the crease on his eyebrows disappearing as a look of realization dawned on his face. Finally. He slumped back further into the chair with a dry laugh. “That’s screwed up.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Knowing those two, they’re the best ones when it comes to planning. And they’re probably not going to stop until they achieve what they wanted. I’m surprised you out of all people fell for this.”

Zoya suddenly gave a laugh, which she rarely did, but a memory flashed in her mind and she couldn’t help it. “Oh, I just remembered the last time I was duped by those two,” she said, her tiredness slowly dissipating.

Nikolai deadpanned, trying his best to look stern, but failed as usual. He raised an accusing finger at her. “Don’t.” He scowled and Zoya gave him a sly grin. Then he whined, “No, don’t remind me of that.”

The scene played in her mind clearly—David and Genya were able to lure her to the rooftop of the science building and locked the door leading to the stairs as an “end of the school year” prank on her that she wasn’t aware existed at that time. It had been one of their milestones to be proud of because they were able to “pull a prank on Zoya Nazyalensky”.

Unbeknownst to Zoya, she hadn’t been the only one stuck up in the place and it was already occupied by none other than Nikolai Lantsov himself—but it was a sulking Nikolai Lantsov she had seen.

Apparently, the blond was mulling Alina Starkov’s rejection to him, and he had stated that he was never rejected before and said other petty reasons to be sulking.

It ended up with Zoya kicking him rather solidly and telling him to stop being a “dumbfuck”, and she would never forget the look of shock that had been etched on Nikolai’s face. They were only acquaintances at the time, both being the top of their respective classes, but it still didn’t stop her from berating him about his whining.

Somehow, that started their close bond up to today.

Though he’d never admit it aloud until now, Zoya knew he didn’t exactly want someone to see him in that state. But she did, and she would always have that ace against him.

“Funny how nothing’s changed even after years,” Zoya commented, and she had to relish Nikolai’s protesting reaction because he was almost never riled up. “Still a dumbfuck.”

Nikolai grimaced, but amusement only filled his eyes. “Harsh.”

“Honest.”

“If you’re honest, then can you admit that I’m actually unfairly handsome?”

“I should’ve known better than to fall for Genya’s trap.”

“And risk not seeing me earlier than necessary today?”

“You’re an idiot, Nikolai.”

Their coffees arrived at that moment, and Zoya took the scalding drink, not minding if it burned her tongue while taking a sip, and the strong taste of the brew kicked her senses awake. The coffee tasted better than she expected.

Nikolai reached for his own mug. “You’re that desperate for caffeine, aren’t you?” he asked, his head slightly inclined to the side.

“Calms my thoughts.” Zoya tipped her mug a little as a gesture before putting it down. “Care to join my assassination plan?”

The blond sputtered on the rim of his mug and he set it down, wiping his mouth on the edge of his sleeve. “I thought you said it calms your thoughts down?”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“Well, I suppose I can help you with that. I’ve never showered that fast in my life.” Nikolai shrugged. Then he leaned forward with his hands clasped in front, resting his elbows on the table. His hazel eyes held a glint of curiosity and playfulness. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Why do you never date, anyway?”

The question seemed to trigger a memory, and it flashed in front of Zoya’s eyes. She didn’t want to remember those times again. “We both know why,” she stated simply.

“The same reason?”

“I guess.” She shrugged back, then she raised a knowing brow at him. “What about you? Why do you never date?” She gestured a hand in the air. “You sure do have tons of fangirls, and fanboys, on campus.”

Nikolai chuckled lightly. “I’d rather find someone who has the same insights as I have,” he replied, his eyes having this faraway look like he was daydreaming. “I guess I just haven’t found the one yet.”

Zoya eyed the blond carefully. Nikolai was probably the biggest sap she ever knew, and she probably couldn’t blame the guy. He was the type to believe that “improbable” things can always happen, always trying to find the light on things, while Zoya grew up being downright practical and believing in the reality.

“You’re probably thinking I’m a sap again, aren’t you?” Nikolai huffed. “Come on, truffle. It’s not all that bad to believe there’s someone for you.”

“When it comes from you, it’s that bad.”

Nikolai only raised a brow as if he was challenging her, and Zoya accepted by crossing her arms in front of her and staring right back. “You have to do better than that, Nazyalensky.”

It made her a tad bit surprised. Usually it was Nikolai who backed down from their stare off contest. “Your point being?”

“Let me prove you wrong.”

Now that piqued her attention. Being the practical one did have its perks too—she was rarely proven wrong. She knew what challenges she would take, and most of the time it ended with her as the victor.

Zoya could only hope that this was one of those challenges.

“Humor me, Lantsov.”

Nikolai grinned, leaning back into his chair comfortably. “Let’s make a deal.”

She raised a brow at that. Genya setting them up had already been a pain, and striking a deal with Nikolai would probably be another one, and definitely much bigger. But yet again, the fact that she was close friends with him already came with lots of headaches and twists—plus the need of endless patience—in her everyday life.

What could be different?

“This better be good.”

“It will be, truffle.” He paused, looking at her expectantly as if he were giving her a chance to back out. But Zoya had already been in, and she wouldn’t back down from it. “We’ll help each other find our own ‘right one.’”

It almost made her want to laugh, but then she remembered this was Nikolai’s way of proving her wrong and it would be downright rude. Though she knew the odds were on her side, Zoya supposed she would entertain his idea. “Alright, dear president, how do we do that?”

“Find someone that might fit our ideals.” Nikolai held up a finger. “Just a sec.” Then he proceeded to fiddle with his wallet and took out a small piece of paper.

She frowned as he began to write something down on it before giving it to her a good whole minute later. “What is this?”

Zoya stared at the piece of paper Nikolai gave her. She read the writings, and looked up at him in disbelief. The blond boy across the table would be the literal death of her—if she didn’t kill him first. She should’ve known this was a bad idea, especially when it came from him of all people. Too late to back down now.

“Are you serious?” she said, holding up the paper. “The ideal list? What are you, in middle school?”

Nikolai gave her the barest of shrugs, pushing himself back to the chair in a more comfortable position. “What about it? It’d be easier for you to find someone,” he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, a carefree smile that screamed all-Nikolai evident on his face. “Aren’t you glad that I’m making it easier for you?”

Zoya snorted. “You’re obnoxious.”

“Thank you. I’d take that as a compliment from one of my favorite people.”

“You’d rather not.”

“Trust me, truffle, I’d rather take it.”

She rolled her eyes and frowned at the paper in her hand again. There were three things listed below the extravagant handwriting of “The Ideal List” and she had to narrow her eyes as she read it again. The symptoms of another migraine were already coming her way.

Smart.

Generic one, but fair enough. Golden Boy’s intellectual capacity was the sky. Though he could be dumb like most of the time.

Sporty.

Zoya wrinkled her nose. “You could’ve at least used the word ‘athletic’, Lantsov.”

Nikolai sputtered. “That was what I was thinking earlier!”

Smoky hot.

“Why am I friends with you again?”

“Because I’m charming?”

“Try harder.”

Nikolai bowed his head a little, looking at Zoya above the frames of his reading glasses, his eyebrows slightly creased. She had never accustomed herself to how good he looked when he started wearing glasses at the start of their third year, but Zoya would never admit it out loud. It would just boost his ego and she would probably never hear the end of Nikolai teasing her about it.

“These are all generic ones,” Zoya said a moment later, trying to distract herself from the intensity of his gaze. “Don’t be surprised with the ones I’ll find.”

“There’s actually a fourth one, if I remember it correctly.” Nikolai gestured a finger down, a sheepish smile appearing on his face. Then he hesitated, inclining his head to the side. “I did write a fourth one, didn’t I?”

Zoya looked back down at the small paper, and there indeed was a fourth one written at the very bottom part of the surface and it was definitely smaller than the other three that it was almost unreadable unless looked at in a very close distance.

Could probably handle my restlessness.

She felt a sudden tinge of pain in chest, and she had to release a breath to make it disappear. What was that just now? Zoya tried to ignore the feeling and eyed the writing on the paper again. “The last one’s quite a catch. This is going to be hard.”

“It’s fine, I just don’t want to burden anyone with this.” He gestured vaguely at his head with a light laugh.

Though he said it jokingly, Zoya knew him too well to notice the underlying meaning of his statement, the faraway look in his eyes as he talked, and the slight hunching of his shoulders. She knew about the insomnia, had known about it when he opened up to her one time long ago, and she could only imagine the weight he had to carry for years yet he still had a positive perspective.

I figured I’d disturbed you enough in the past week. His words echoed in her mind, and it became clear to her.

Nikolai was the type of person that was always ready to offer his help and be someone you can rely on, but would never ask for anything back. Even when he’s already the one crumbling and in need of help, he’d still be able to give himself.

It was one of the traits that Zoya had witnessed him develop for the past years, and there was a part of her that wanted to be at least one of the people that could reach out and catch him whenever he fell.

“I’ll see what I can do, Lantsov.”

“How about you?”

“What about me?”

Nikolai waved a hand in a wild gesture. “Aren’t you going to tell me what characteristics you want for a partner?”

Zoya mocked a laugh. “As long as the person you find is not as revolting as you, I see no problem,” she replied.

“You wound me, love,” Nikolai said, feigning a hurtful expression, a hand on his chest. But she could see the amusement clearly in his eyes. Ever the dramatic and sappy one.

She winked. “I do my best.”

Now she could only hope that this whole ‘deal’ wouldn’t end in a disaster. But knowing the luck tied to her, Zoya knew it would be impossible to expect that kind of result.

She supposed she would really kill Genya and David for setting them up. But for now, she had something to deal with.

The drive back to the campus was rather a quick one, with the time being less than fifteen minutes to Nikolai’s next class and he had to basically let the car fly along the roads to get into Ravka in time.

Zoya wasn’t really paying attention to it for most of the time—though she did scold him for disobeying a few traffic rules that could’ve caused them more trouble—because she was too busy deciding which one she would beat first between their two council members.

“Okay, I’d know that face you’re making from anywhere,” Nikolai said, effectively snapping Zoya out of her thoughts as he was steering the car to the parking space he spotted. “Don’t beat them too hard, yeah?”

“I can’t promise that.”

“Alright, then. I’ll help with hexing David a little until your tremendous amounts of rage dissipates.”

They both got out of the car, with Nikolai in so much of a hurry that he tipped backwards as he pulled his bag out from the backseat, and Zoya fought a laugh from erupting.

The blond noticed it and sent a scowl to her direction. “I would be saying at least ten reasons why I’m this clumsy right now if I wasn’t running late.”

Zoya chuckled darkly. “Then it’s a good thing you’re running late.” She raised her arm up and tapped on the watch on her wrist. “Move your fucking ass. Four minutes.”

She watched in triumph as Nikolai cursed under his breath and bolted to the other direction, only to stop after several steps and turn back.

Nikolai jogged back towards her as he was pulling something out of his backpack. “No compliments supposedly to you for laughing at me just a minute ago, but really, you saved me yesterday.” He handed her the thermos she had been dreading for the whole morning.

True enough to what he texted her earlier, the container did have a long scratch on the lid, painting the gray surface with a white line. Zoya deadpanned, raising the thermos to his face. “Really?”

He gave her a nervous grin that almost looked like a wince. “That’s on me, it slipped from my hand last night. Apologies.” Nikolai shrugged his pack back on his shoulder, half-turning and almost readying to bolt to the building. “There’s coffee in it as a payment, but it’s only instant. I swear to the saints you make the best coffee brew.”

He gave a final wave and took off, giving her a rushed “See ‘ya!” over his shoulder as he disappeared from her line of sight.

Zoya only gave a light laugh to the direction the blond disappeared before she was walking back to the council room. She still had two hours to spare before her next class and she was contemplating whether to go back to doing school work or just take a break.

The odds were surprisingly on her side today, and Zoya was able to spot Genya alone in the council room.

The redhead didn’t seem to notice her—she was too busy glaring at the laptop in front of her—until Zoya shut the door with a loud bang, and Genya almost jumped out of her seat. She gave Zoya a knowing grin, and the raven-haired had to admire the bravery of smiling before her probable end.

“I never knew you’d stoop so low, Safin,” Zoya told Genya, crossing her arms. She gave her a narrowed glance. “I should be hexing you right now, and it’s a surprise that I’m not. I must be getting really soft for you.”

Genya laughed heartily, her eyes wrinkling as she did. “I know you love me, Nazyalensky,” she said, and then she leaned forward and rested her chin on her intertwined hands. “How was it, though?”

Zoya huffed. “Disastrous.”

“Elaborate.”

“He didn’t stop talking.”

Genya frowned. “Isn’t that normal?”

“A good point, but he had been rambling about the deal we made and I swear one more word from him—” Zoya stopped talking when a movement distracted her, and she noticed that it was Genya suddenly raising a hand up. “What?”

“What deal?”

Zoya was a bit taken aback, realization dawning her as her mind played back the words that she’d just said. Now she had been the one rambling, and she let the emotions take over her words. “Oh, you know, the deal with one of the major sponsors he had been talking to for the upcoming event,” she lied smoothly, though she was already berating herself in her thoughts. “In the end, it was a total disaster, and I can’t believe you two were able to dupe me again into walking right through one of your schemes.”

Genya raised a brow, a sly grin slowly appearing on her face. “Last time I checked, you and Nikolai became close enough to share a drink from the same cup—”

“Oh, for the saints’ sake—”

“—and to be on each other’s speed dials—"

“Alright, stop.” Zoya sighed exasperatedly before pointing a finger at the redhead. “I’m letting this one slide, Safin. But I’m still beating David up when I see him.”

“I’ll tell him to stop coming to his Mechanics, then,” Genya said, amusement obvious in her voice. She shook her head. “You’re impossible, Nazyalensky.”

Zoya mocked a sweet smile. “Only practical, my dear Genya,” she corrected.

The redhead only gave another laugh in return before turning back to her task on the laptop, a comfortable silence filling the room afterwards. Zoya almost let herself slip earlier, and she was thankful that she was able to reason out something else to cover up for that slip. She supposed she’d see how far this ‘deal’ she’d agreed to would go before she’d tell Genya about it.

Perhaps some other time.

#zoyalai #king of scars #grishabigbang #gvbbfic #happy new year!!!!#zoya nazyalensky #nikolai lantsov #these idiots lololol #gvbbcreation

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