#you should be able to experiment with your body and bring yourself closer to inhabiting a body that makes you comfortable

[frankotalk]

you have to admit its pretty funny that transphobes will go red in the face screaming and foaming at the mouth because their basic understanding of gender is being challenged while somewhere in the world some trans person is chilling in a hammock drinking from a coconut with a bendy straw and a little umbrella

[wri0thesley]

Could I request Gojo, Nanami, Geto, Toji, and Mahito with their s/o getting injured while fighting alongside them? Who rushes to their side to tend to them and who goes after the attacker?? I'm always a sucker for this hc prompt!!

♡ —-> below the cut: gojo, nanami, geto, toji, mahito <—-  ♡

♡ Gojo is used to carrying a fight on his own. This is not the first time his partner has been injured whilst they are on a mission - but it’s the first time it’s been you, his partner in more than one way, the person he thinks he might want to spend the rest of his life with--. So he ends up amping up the fighting - if this isn’t a special grade curse, it’s suddenly being treated like one, because if there’s one thing Gojo isn’t in control of it’s how much he loves you. He has lost too many people in his life, and this curse has just threatened another one of them, and this isn’t something that he’ll take lightly. If Gojo makes far more of a mess out of the scene of the battle then he needed to in order to take it out and teach the curse a lesson, so be it. He’s quick dispatching it so that he can feel less guilty about rushing over to your side - he’s had the weight of the world on his shoulders for too long to shirk his duty, but that doesn’t mean he’s not thinking about you the whole time. He’s bent over you in an instant, pulling you into him, asking if you’re alright and trying not to let the worry show. If you can talk and still seem at least to be within yourself, he cracks jokes as best he can about how you’ve gotten him worried, and never to do that again even as he tries to get you to Shoko as soon as possible. You’ll find that Gojo’s influence means you’re not asked to go on a mission for a couple of days, despite how short-staffed everyone is - but when you ask him about it, he shrugs it off with a steely look in his eye. “Guess it’s just not that busy, cupcake - more time for you to stay home and eat sweets and recover!”

- ♡ -

♡ Nanami thinks that being a jujutsu sorcerer fucking sucks, sometimes. And he has not felt how much it sucks so concretely as when you’re knocked onto your back and he sees an arc of blood, hears a sickening crack. He knows he has a duty, and he’s never been the kind of man who leaves it behind - but, like Gojo, he can’t help but let his frustration and anger show through in the way he wields his weapon and the way his teeth grit. Nanami is a formidable enemy at any time, but he’s practically possessed himself now - if he loses you, he will never forgive himself. He has given up too many parts of himself for this job (for both of the jobs he’s inhabited), and you are a bright spot of sunshine in his life. He can’t lose you. He can’t, he can’t, he can’t. So he hacks and he slashes and the moment the curse is gone he’s lifting you up, checking your pulse, trying to keep himself under control even though his heart is beating erratically and memories of other people he hasn’t saved are flooding his head. He can’t stop thinking about how shit this job is, how bullshit it is that you’re expected to die in the line of duty - and then, your eyes open and you cough, and Nanami feels a heavy weight lift from him as he stares into your eyes. Your wounds are treated by Nanami if he can, or by Shoko if they’re too bad - and when the two of you get home, Nanami begins to flip through property books and magazines as he tells you with a tight jaw that the two of you should really think about retiring in the next few years. 

- ♡ -

♡ Geto is incredibly loyal to those he cares about - the little family of curse users that he’s built up all around them. And you are no different - as his beloved, you occupy a different plane. Something more important than even he realises. He loves having you beside him, wrapping his arms around you, watching you with Mimiko and Nanako - after becoming a curse user, he didn’t think he’d ever find such pure happiness as he’s found in you. So it’s no surprise that when he watches you get injured in the battle, he’s driven a little bit wild with his rage. 

He comes to you first, because he is lucky enough to have a technique that means he can release curses to fight for him as he checks you over. The sight of you bent and broken, your beautiful face perhaps bruised, your eyes closed, makes him feel like he could tear the world apart for you. If your eyes do open, and he’s able to ascertain that you’ll be safe, his priority is to get you out of harm’s way.

If they don’t, and you’re hurt more than he can help with at that moment . . . whoever did it is going to regret having ever been born. 

- ♡ -

♡ Toji is immediately bothered when he hears your soft cry of pain. He will not go to you immediately, because he is a professional and the job has to come first - but you can rest assured that he’s running through every possibility in his head, wondering when he can get to your side the quickest. This is a man whose battle skills are superior to almost anyone’s in the world - it’s not that difficult for him to re-arrange his steps, to goad his victim closer to your body so he can work out what the damage is. If you’re merely unconscious, his victim might get off luckily, and Toji may do his work with one clean, quick slice.

If you’re bleeding, though, or something looks broken, or you’re crying - Toji is not so merciful. If you ever get hurt, he wants it to be because you asked him for it and he wants you to enjoy the process - that this enemy would dare lay a finger on you frustrates him to no end. Toji is rather a possessive man. The victim is going to know exactly how he fucked up as Toji brings a painful end to their life, as Toji explains to them like they’re a child before he watches the light drain from their eyes.

Toji is going to do his best to take care of you until whatever injuries you sustain have healed, but this isn’t necessarily a good thing. Toji isn’t exactly the most ideal of sickroom companions, and his bedside manner can be appalling. 

- ♡ -

♡ Mahito says that you are an interesting toy, an experiment - that you’re human, and you are expendable, like all of them are. His main goal, he tells himself, is more important than his silly feelings towards a squishy little person who doesn’t matter. He doesn’t care if you get hurt, if you die; if you were to disappear from his life tomorrow, he thinks, it wouldn’t matter. But he is lying to himself, because the minute that you are in the heat of battle and the path of something dangerous, something in him kicks in.

He normally does not pick fights he cannot win - there’s a streak of cowardliness in the middle of him, though he doesn’t often feel it due to knowledge of how powerful he is. But hearing your noise of pain, seeing your body tossed aside like trash awakens something in him. He does care about you, you’re not trash, you might be one of the only good things about the human world that has ever existed--

And Mahito throws himself into fighting with everything he has. When Mahito’s hand touches this poor creature that has had the misfortune to have attacked Mahito’s most beloved little human, they are going to become the guinea pig for some of the more unhinged experimentations with Idle Transfiguration that Mahito can do. And he hopes that they retain their consciousness all the way through it. He wants to make them suffer. 

-  ♡ -

[whoopsieintheuniverse]

Wash Day

Illumi x (gender neutral) reader

Warnings: Awkwardness, Illumi being Illumi

In one of the rare moments of him being out of his room, Milluki was almost ran over by his big brother, Illumi.

“Illu-nii? What are you doing?” Milluki asked.

Illumi stopped and turned on his heel. Milluki noted the stack of hair care products in his arms. Combs, brushes, conditioner, shampoos, and clips were piled high and threatened to spill on the floor.

Illumi blinked and regarded his brother, slightly startled that Milluki was out of his room.

“It’s my wash day. Y/N is washing my hair.”

Milluki scrunched his nose.

“Y/N?” The new butler? Why do you want a butler to wash your hair?” Milluki asked. Illumi shrugged and readjusted his grip on his supplies before walking away.

The Butler’s Quarters was as busy as it normally was. Members of staff came and went on errands, and Y/N noted the rhythmic creaks of the doors as they opened and shut throughout the building. Advancing from an apprentice to a full-fledged butler was a task not many were able to accomplish, and Y/N couldn’t deny the swell of pride in their chest that grew with each passing hour. Y/N was just on their way to make their mid-day rounds when the phone rang. Each butler in the main room looked up on high alert as Gotoh answered the phone; a call from the main house usually meant an immediate order from the Zoldyck family. Y/N held their breath as Gotoh put the phone to his ear.

“Gotoh speaking. Yes, sir. Yes. No, sir, I don’t think that will be a problem at all. I will send them immediately. Yes, sir. Thank you.”

Y/N watched as the phone reconnected with the hook. They turned on their heel to leave, but was stopped by Gotoh’s voice.

“Stop right there. Y/N, you’re needed in the main house. I suggest you hurry,” Gotoh said.

Y/N frowned. Only butlers with seniority were allowed to enter and work in the main house. Gotoh noticed the younger butler’s hesitance and sighed.

“You’ll need to get a move on. I wouldn’t want to keep the family waiting,” Gotoh said.

“Yes, sir! I’m just wondering.... did I do something wrong? Which family member called for me?” Y/N asked. Y/N felt a lump in their throat form as Gotoh’s lips form a stern line across his face.

“Y/N. Please hurry to the main house. Master Illumi is waiting.”

................................................................................................................................

Y/N took a breath as they came to the large door of the main house of the Zoldyck estate. The door loomed over them -- tall, dark, and solid -- and Y/N wondered about the inhabitants. As a new butler, Y/N had never seen their employers, but the power and reputation of the Zoldyck name was enough to instill fear and respect into anyone. Taking another breath, Y/N set their jaw and reached out ang grasped the door knocker.

Sweat beaded down Y/N’s brow as the door opened. The interior was dark, and hesitantly, Y/N stepped in. The foyer was massive, with walls arching and towering over Y/N as they walked further into the house.

“Hello? Master Zoldyck? It’s Y/N. I heard you called for me,” Y/N called out. Footsteps tapped from down the hallway. Y/N froze in their spot; out of the shadows, the hem of a gown grazed the floor. Y/N dropped their gaze to the floor.

“Illumi, dear, are you sure this is the one? They’re just a butler. I’m sure whatever you want can be done without them complicating matters.”

Y/N felt themselves flinch a little at the voice. They had never seen the Zoldyck matriarch, but Y/N had definitely heard stories from their time as an apprentice. It was never a good idea to look at Kikyo without invitation.

“Yes, mother, I’m quite sure.” Y/N closed their eyes. The voice was unmistakable: Illumi Zoldyck. Y/N clenched their fists; what could they have done to attract the attention of the Zoldyck’s oldest son? Y/ ground their teeth, racking their brain through the months of training they had undergone. Had they messed up anywhere? Forgotten manners? Had they overstepped some boundary, crossed some line? Y/N’s thoughts were interrupted by a finger on their chin.

“You’ll look when I’m speaking to you. Did you even hear me?” Illumi asked.

“I’m terribly sorry, sir!” Y/N said, bowing low. They heard a scoff above them.

“Enough of that. Follow me to the washroom.” With that, Y/N watched as Illumi turned on his heel with a swish of hair.

................................................................................................................................

The washroom that Illumi lead Y/N to was massive. Y/N stood and marveled at the design: the centerpiece was a bathtub set deep into the floor, flanked with towels and a glass pitcher. Marble countertops held oils and soaps, and a soft light from overhead bathed the bathroom in a soft, golden glow. As Y/N stood back and took in the sight, their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of running water.

“Are you done looking? I suppose I could wait a little longer, but I am getting impatient,” Illumi said. Y/N watched as he started to unlace his shirt, and quickly looked down as Illumi’s clothes started falling to the floor. Y/N was frozen in place as they heard water slosh in the bathtub.

“On the counter, there’s shampoo and a conditioning oil. Bring it over here.”

“I’m sorry, sir....what exactly am I doing here?”

Illumi turned and looked over his shoulder, a small frown etched on his face.

“Well, at the moment, you’re standing there. You should be bringing the shampoo and conditioning oil, though,” Illumi stated.

Y/N fumbled over to the counter and grabbed the supplies before creeping slowly to the bathtub.

“And now, sir?” they asked.

Illumi said nothing, opting to slide closer to the edge of the tub. One of his arms draped over the side, and the other came up gather his hair in his grip. Y/N watched as Illumi wrung his hair out before tossing it over the edge.

“There you are. You’ll want to condition it first, rinse with cold water, then you can shampoo it,” Illumi said.

Y/N looked at Illumi as if he had gone mad.

Illumi turned around, noticing that Y/N had not moved. He tilted his head and regarded them, the corners of his mouth pulling once again pulling downwards.

“What’s the problem now?” Illumi asked.

Y/N folded their arms across their chest and thrust their chin in the air.

“Sir, with all due respect, I don’t think this is appropriate. I don’t know why I’m here, and I really don’t know why I’m helping you bathe. I’d like to go, now, sir,” Y/N said.

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Illumi hummed. “Mother and Father always bathe together.”

“I- Sir! Master and Mistress Zoldyck are married.”

“Yes, they are. What is your point?”

Y/N huffed and ran a hand through their hair.

“Sir. We’re not married.”

Illumi sunk down further into the bath, hair still cascading over the side.

“I’m aware we aren’t married yet, but practicing shouldn’t hurt. Now, if you’re done, I would like my hair washed.”

Y/N shook their head and made their way closer to Illumi. They took his hair in their hands and worked their fingers through it. Then, Y/N took the conditioner and started to massage it into the ends Illumi’s hair. With each pass of Y/N’s hand, Illumi’s body seemed to relax further into the water. Soon, Illumi’s eyes slipped closed, and Y/N worked in silence for about five minutes before their fingers froze on Illumi’s head.

Illumi opened his eyes and huffed.

“Y/N. Why did you stop?” Illumi asked.

Y/N sat frozen; hands still tangled in Illumi’s mane.

“Sir...did you say we weren’t married ‘yet’?”

“Yes. Are you still on that? I thought I made myself perfectly clear. This is all practice for when I do marry you. I wanted to see how it was to bathe with another person, and I have to say, besides you stopping all the time, it isn’t a bad experience. This will probably be a regular occurrence when we’re wed,” Illumi explained.

Y/N retracted their hands and stood up.

“Master Zoldyck, I am a butler! It is my honor to serve you and your family, but this is an entirely different service you’re talking about. I’m not even permitted to have personal relationships per your family’s instructions, so I’m sorry, sir, but-”

“That’s enough,” Illumi interrupted. “I’m courting you and I plan on marrying you. That’s final. Mother’s been hounding me for ages to find a partner. You’ve already proven yourself to be strong enough, and I’m sure with more training you’ll be decent enough as far as Zoldyck standards are. You also don’t piss me off, which is important.”

“But Master Zol-”

Illumi put up a hand to silence Y/N and continued.

“As far as that silly little matter of you being a butler and not allowed relationships, it’s no problem. Don’t even worry about it. I’m taking care of it all, and that includes telling Mother and Father. All you need to worry about is me, really. Now,” Illumi said as he motioned toward the other side of the bath, “Go get the pitcher. I need to rinse.”

Part Two Here: courting-customs

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[the-insomniac-emporium]

Waking Comfort (Bela Dimitrescu/Reader)

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language, brief violence (in a flashback), implied/referenced trauma (unspecified) Warnings: N/A Summary: Unable to sleep on a cold day, Bela Dimitrescu tries to find comfort in her favorite servant... only to end up being the one doing the comforting. Notes: This is super self indulgent, because my dreams have been murdering me recently. Reader is a selective mute/partially nonverbal, implied neurodivergent (unspecified), gender neutral but written with a non-binary person in mind, with non-specific past trauma. Basically this is somewhat of a self-insert fic but I've smudged some lines to make it more relatable for other people.

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

In the early hours of the day, when the sun had yet to reach its peak, a cold quiet fell over Castle Dimitrescu. Most inhabitants were of a nocturnal persuasion, and lay sleeping soundly at this hour. Those few that thrived in the sun moved softly, with caution, daring not to awaken their masters. Oh, if only they knew that one Lady of the house was awake, prowling the corridors with marked intent. What a chill it would send down their spines- what lovely fear would permeate the household.

Ah, but that was not what Bela Dimitrescu desired, at least not for now. No, what she needed was something she would never admit out loud. It was a “base” need, one that all humans felt, and so she feared that it was beneath her. There was only one person that she could trust for this: A servant, experienced in all matters needed of them, level-headed, compassionate… and, most importantly, selectively mute.

Over the past year, Bela had found herself growing closer to you, much to her own surprise. The two of you had started to bond through reading, after you had helped her reorganize a mess in the library (left by none other than Lady Daniela). Since then, you had proven to be a valuable ally, always finding creative solutions to the family’s problems. From jury-rigging a set of climbing gear for repairs, to proof-reading all formal letters, there was hardly any part of Bela’s life that you hadn’t assisted with. All while only ever saying two or three sentences- short ones, at that.

Neither of you would ever forget the first (and only) time you spoke out loud. A would-be hunter had infiltrated the estate, through a damaged skylight (which you later repaired), intending to prove his worth by killing the nobility inside. By the time Bela arrived, after being notified by a terrified maiden, she found the situation had already been aptly handled. There you had stood, clutching an ornate, bloodied cane like a club. In front of you had been the unconscious hunter.

“You could have been hurt!” Bela had snapped, unable to stop herself, glad that her sisters hadn’t arrived yet. Then you had glanced at the man, then her, then back to the man. Something uncharacteristically dark had danced in your eyes.

“He said he was going to save me… from you. Called me defenseless,” you had snarled, poking the man with your cane as you did. “Rude.” Before Bela even had a chance to react, her sisters had appeared, disappointed to find the fight already over. They had fought over who would get to kill the hunter, and somewhere in that chaos you had slipped away without another word.

That day had replayed itself in Bela’s mind hundreds of times in her mind. Though she would not readily admit it, that had been the day that her casual affection for you had started to turn into something more serious. These days she didn’t even know how to describe your relationship- after all, you had never told her how you felt. But you had held her, closely, fingers running through her hair while she fought off memories from someone else’s life. Held her in your arms, as she held you, staving off the cold like it was all you had ever known.

This was what she wanted. Your touch, your comfort. All that stood in her way was a familiar question: Where were you? Master of your environment, schedule constantly in flux, you were rarely where anyone expected you to be, especially when you were prone to taking on whatever tasks others hadn’t had time to finish. So Bela searches, quickly, around places the day-shift tends to gather. She’s careful not to be seen, even though she knows the maidens aren’t likely to gossip where her family might hear. In the end she catches a hint of your scent near the servants’ quarters, and curses herself for not checking there sooner.

Your room is one of the only single-occupancy rooms in this wing. Only senior staff were allowed within these places, most of them rotating out as they “lost their usefulness”. The fact that you had slept in the same bed every night for six months was a testament to your skill. It’s the kind of thought that brings Bela some semblance of warmth in her chest. Still, the thought alone is not enough, so she slowly eases your door open.

Her ears strain against the silence, listening for the pattern of your breathing, or the telltale murmurs that would announce your awakening. Instead, the first things she hears are little gasps, then the shifting of fabric. Dreams of some sort have you turning and tossing, lungs getting hungry in their pursuit of air. It’s not immediately clear whether or not you are enjoying the dream. Were these good gasps, like those that Daniela often cooed about when she praised her maiden? Or were these the same kind that sometimes haunted Bela herself?...

A whimper cuts through the air, and suddenly Bela loses all patience. Practically running, she crosses the room in an instant, concern etched into her brow. One hand cautiously reaches for your blanket, pulling it back enough for her to slide in next to you. It’s a risk, one that could make you wake up with a panic, but it’s one she’s willing to take. After all, she had asked you about this sort of thing before. Though you couldn’t form full sentences, you had experience “miming” things, and Bela was quite clever with her “yes or no” questions.

When she carefully wraps an arm around your waist, she does so with confidence. Beneath her touch you stiffen, back going as tense as possible, but you stop shaking. A few more gasps leave you, and Bela wonders whether or not she should wake you up. Less than a minute later the decision is made for her. All the sudden your gasping turns to a sharp exclamation, body jerking hard, eyes snapping open. Tension coils through your muscles, driving your already overstimulated brain overboard.

Before Bela can even try to comfort you, you sit up, quickly turning so your legs dangle off the edge of the bed. Muffled sobs pass your lips as you hold your face in your hands. Memories struggle against each other behind your eyes, blocking out every other sensation. Your jaw is clenched, hard, and you struggle to breathe between shakes. A hand touches your back, but quickly moves when you flinch in response. It takes a minute for you to even process who else is with you. Once you do, some of the tension bleeds from your body.

“If you’d rather be alone right now, I understand,” Bela says, quietly, as soon as she thinks you’ll be able to understand her. For a moment you can’t bring yourself to respond, and you can feel her side of the mattress shifting, like she’s getting ready to leave. Panic springs up in your chest again, so you quickly reach a hand out in her direction. Thankfully she knows what to expect at this point, easily finding your hand in the dark, gently taking it within her own. “One squeeze for yes, two for no?”

You squeeze, once.

“Do you want me to hold you?” Bela asks, trying to hide the hopefulness in her voice. It makes you pause, considering, even though you’re still overwhelmed by your sensory inputs. In the end you squeeze her hand twice. “No worries, my dear. Don’t be tempted to push yourself just for my sake.” Somehow she always knew how to read you like an open book. Even with the… difficulty of communicating with you. Not that she had ever complained, or even thought about it. Knowing you, and caring for you, made any effort feel as easy as breathing.

A few minutes pass without another word being said. Sometimes Bela gives your hand a little squeeze, just to check in, and you always return it. Soon enough your brain starts to relax, loosening its vice-like grip on your motor controls. Once again you can ease the tension in your muscles. Then you find yourself rubbing your thumb against Bela’s hand, moving in soft circular motions, head turning so you can smile at her. Even if it’s too dark for you to see much, you know that her eyes see you just fine.

“Feeling any better?” She asks, donning a smile of her own. One squeeze. “Is there anything more I can do to help?” A pause, then one squeeze. Now that your limbs don’t feel as staticky, there’s only one thing on your mind: Cuddling. You’re moving before you know it, briefly letting go of Bela’s hand so you can get closer to her, pressing your face into her neck and giving her a soft kiss. Then you’re falling against the bed, on your side, looking up at your partner with a grin. It doesn’t take her long to get the message, shifting back onto her side so she can hold you for real this time. One of your hands goes to rest on her back, to serve as your translator for the rest of the night. “I love you,” Bela says, without even thinking.

She freezes up afterwards, realizing that this is the first time she’s ever said the words out loud to you. For a moment she’s scared, a feeling alien to her, but she refuses to back down. It pays off a few seconds later, incredibly so, when you return the words the best way you can: One squeeze.

[pepperpills]

The Harvest - RE8 Fanfic

The Harvest

A Resident Evil 8 fan fiction by Joana

Karl Heisenberg x Female Reader

Notes: heey guys, thanks everyone who has been reading this series, it was fun writting this story, but as i said a couple of chapters ago, it has come to an end. I am currently writting a new Heis x Reader story, focusing more on wordbuilding and their relationship. I guess The Harvest, as my first try on this, has been a great experience and I hope the next one turns out better. That being said, please enjoy this piece and I will see you all later on a new begginning, thanks!

Warning: NSFW content

Part I - Destiny (1) Part I - Destiny (2) Part II - The Lord Part III - The Hunt Part IV - Soft Torture Part V - Cry Baby

Part VI - The Encounter

It wasn’t a particular sunny day, but the weather was cooler than usual. It was enough for Karl to decide to work outside, once the heat inside the factory was overwhelming his sweaty body. He was shirtless, but still had his hat and spectacles on to protect him from the sun and the light.

Heisenberg was in the middle of something. Ever since you two inaugurated the new wing, he has been working to the bone on a new project. You understood he was trying a new set of armour to make the Soldats tougher. Unfortunately, for you, this was a task you couldn’t help him with. It was still on project, but he was already trying to find the material and that was why he had been searching the factory’s yard all morning, coming and going, absolutely focused.

You were getting bored, though. Once you couldn’t adventure the factory by your own anymore – neither wanted to, having in mind what happened last time –, you chose to sunbath at the yard in the early hours. It was still kind of chilly, because no matter what, the Village was always like that, and you obviously didn’t have any bikinis, once you really didn’t need a set living where you lived. In that manner, you bathed in your panties, wearing no bra.

You gave Karl a major distraction, because of this. First, he was jealous of your boobs exposed like that, but you managed to convince him no one could see you, once the factory was only accessible by the bridge and it was a considerable walk from the allowed parts of the Village. He chilled, but something in his pants was feeling encaged.

Not long after, you got bored. Then an idea crossed your mind causing you to smile. You quickly went to the bedroom to change, grab a few things and then went to the kitchen. Karl had been so long under the sun that he might as well be thirsty. Considering that, you prepared a juice with lots of ice, leaving the building to meet him outside caring a glass of it.

“Hey, Karl.” You called him, his body half inside one of the tanks. “What about a quick break?” You offered, rising the glass once he looked at you.

His countenance showed interest. His mouth was indeed dry, almost causing him chapped lips. Heisenberg walked towards you, the scene glowing in your eyes. The man’s chest was shiny with the sweat. Without his shirt, you had a great view of his body, enjoying the sight of his strong arms. Karl was a Renascence painting for you and the thought of it made you smile, which only invited him nearer.

“Thank you, buttercup.” He said, taking the glass you offered him.

He drank it almost entirely at once, causing some drops to roll down his bearded chin. When he was done, you came closer, resting your hands on his shoulders, not being able to resist a stupid idea that came through your mind. Heisenberg was a bit confused, but accepted your approach, placing his free hand on your hips. Instead of kissing him, you licked his chin, retracing the juice line. He wasn’t expecting it. You finished with a kiss, looking for his tongue, willing to make yours dance with his inside your mouths.

“You’re full of tricks, aren’t you?” Karl laughed when you let his lips go.

“Just some.” You shrugged, smirking back at him. “But I will let you work for now, I know you’re busy.” Now he had a sorrow expression, your kiss had awakened something in him, but you were right, he needed to find at least one metal piece to try on the model.

“It is okay, I will meet you later.” You comforted him, playing with ones of his rebel hair locks.

“I will make it up to you, Y/N.” Karl promised, pressing you harder against his chest, not wanting to let you go.

“No need to, just be there.” You planted a soft kiss on his lips to which he couldn’t help but smile.

“Ok, I will be, kitten.” Heisenberg kissed you once more, eager to taste you, he was intense.

After a couple more kisses, you managed to soften his grip around your hips and he decided that if he could finish the work earlier, it meant more time with you. With that in mind, he returned to the tank. You excused yourself, telling him you were going out to hunt to try the improvements you made on your bow.

You started walking towards the forest behind the factory. As soon as you reached the firsts trees, you noticed a change in the lighting. Clouds were now hiding the sun, bringing in new winds. You puffed, your plans of a cooler hunt probably spoiled because of this change of weather. Neither way, you were already there.

You took your usual path, going down to the stream. Not long after you noticed the absence of Lycans in the surroundings. You use to listen to their roars and sometimes even footsteps, but this time the only sound heard was the birds chanting. An odd atmosphere took over the forest, making you a bit tense.

Maybe they were occupied somewhere else, you thought that they could be on a hunt of their own, chasing a poor villager. This didn’t relax you, though. You kept looking around, searching for Lycans and other animals.

This happened half way to the stream, so fast you weren’t able to process the entire thing. You got distracted with a noise coming from your right, you looked over a fallen trunk, but saw nothing but a mild movement on a bush. It could be the wind, but you wouldn’t take your chances on a silly thought.

The aura was so tense you were about to make up your mind on coming back to the factory, leaving the hunt for another day, scared again of the creatures of the forest. You didn’t have time to decide, though. On your left, a wet thud caused you to jump. Your attention rapidly turned to the source of it.

A body had just fallen from one of the tree’s highest branches. For all you knew, that was a Moroaica, judging by its clothes and grey skin. This wasn’t the work of a Lycan. They would only eat other creatures when they didn’t have a different flesh and, before opting for this alternative, they would feast on the Village’s cattle. This must be something difference.

Only to confirm your suspicions, the culprit land in front of you. It came out of nowhere. Well, from one of the branches above your body. You instinctively screamed, not even noticing it, even though it was pretty loud. This thing wasn’t like anything you have ever seen in your life, but it resembled a lost tale from the cabins.

The story was about a pale creature, one that inhabits the dark, but would go out of its hiding places to hunt when starving. It was described to have sharp fangs for teeth and a blood thirst. On the folk’s tale, the thing wouldn’t have much reason, it would only know two things: the hunger and the instinct of reproduction.

However, this one, standing in front of you, had a human malice written in its red injected eyes, a beauty in its traces. It smirked at your thunderstruck face, feasting on your fear before feasting on your blood. The creature, which resembled a woman, approached your form elegantly, not rushing, having everything under its control.

She extended a hand full of sharp claws to your cheekbone, putting away a hair lock. She dug one claw into your skin, causing the red liquid to flow. Then she licked the blood from her nail, moaning to your sweet taste.

“You are too pretty to spoil.” She made up her mind, giving you a Cheshire cat smile.

The next movement was a blur to your human perception. You believe the thing attacked you, because you remember feeling your back meeting the soil with a thud. She was on top of you, pressing fangs on your neck. You passed out, regaining a faint consciousness some time later when you were being cared on someone’s shoulder when, before passing out again, your sensitive nostrils perceived a scent of oil.

-x-

Karl was worried out of his mind when he found you. He thought he heard your scream, but it was really the Lycan’s roars responding to it that enlightened the situation to him. He had just found the perfect metal piece when it happened, leaving the factory in a rush, panting already, only thinking of bringing his hammer that flew to his hand as he passed through the grid.

He used the Lycan’s flair to find you. No sign of whatever made that to you, it was only your body lying cold on the dead grass. He almost panicked, imagining you were forever lost. The relief the man felt to feel a weak blow of air on his hand when he placed it close to your nose was indescribable.

Heisenberg didn’t think twice before putting you over his shoulder, his hammer being held by his other hand, and take you back to the factory, cursing himself he let your go earlier, thinking he should have joined you or, at least, sent an escort of dogs with you.

You didn’t wake up for a long time. He laid you on his bed, watching as your chest went up and down with your breathing, this being the only thing that calmed his nerves down a little. But not so much later, he had to leave for a while, afraid he would throw everything metallic on the room.

He put on a real tantrum on a room nearby, not knowing the noises came to you on dreams as much as his enraged screams. Karl almost lost it there, turning himself into a beast on the sight of you hurt. Managing to stop only so he could really analyse your situation.

It was bad, but how bad he wasn’t sure. After being somewhat calmer, Karl quickly noticed the marks on your neck. He wasn’t a moron, specially when being “raised” with Alcina, he knew it was a bloodsucker’s doing. However, Lady Dimitrescu would never do such a messy job and it was even less probable that she would adventure herself on his area. No, it had to be a foreign.

Heisenberg would gladly chase this beast, swearing to tear it apart with his own teeth if it pleased him, but he couldn’t just leave you on your own. He sat on a chair beside the bed, holding your hand on his, focusing on the warmth on your skin. He stood like that for ours, after cleaning your wounds, on the verge of tears. At some point, he rested his head on your shoulder, near your soon-to-be new scar.

“C’mon, buttercup, wake up.” Karl whispered in your ear.

His hot breath was gently calling you out of a paralysis state. Your eyes started to open, your lips unglued, but a fever was commanding your body, making you feel restless. Heisenberg noticed your minor movements, his heart beat accelerating at the sight of your awakening.

“Fuck, Y/N!” He cursed, but a smiled formed on his lips. “Fuck, doll, what a scare you gave me!” Karl held your hand tighter.

“Karl…” You started. “I don’t feel so well.” You told him, seeing that perfect smile faint.

“I know.” He agreed. “I guess I know what it is.” An unpleasant expression formed on his brow. “Wait here.”

Karl didn’t wait until you responded, knowing you wouldn’t let him leave the room, but he had to test something and he really believed it would make you feel better. For fucks sake! It was the only way to make you cure. He went down the factory, to a part of it you didn’t yet know, but was going to get used to soon enough. He grabbed a bag of liquid and left, heading to the kitchen.

He poured the liquid in a glass and came back to you. You were now sat, trembling like crazy, wrapped by the blanket, but even that wasn’t enough to stop the cold. Seeing this, he didn’t mind sitting down on the chair again, extending the glass to you.

“Here, drink it.” He told you.

“What is it?” You asked, but the strong scent didn’t leave any doubts, you were just playing dumb.

“I guess you know what it is, Y/N.” Karl raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you hungry?” In response your stomach rumbled, making the man smirk.

“I-I can’t.” You sounded disgusted.

“You have to, kitten. It will make you feel better.” He took your hand on his, passing you the glass and guiding it to your lips.

You opened up just a little, resisting your new instincts, but as soon as the smell got more intense being that close to your nostrils, you gave up and drank it voraciously. The iron flavour making you salivate as the liquid calmed you down, stopping the trembling, washing away your fever, more potent than any medicine. When you emptied the glass, you proceeded to lick every last drop of blood reminiscent.

“That is a wild kitten.” Karl mocked, relieved at your reaction.

“Karl, what happened to me?” You wondered, not sure if he could answer.

Before telling you, he got into bed, taking off the blanket that was hiding your form. His fingers reached your marks, the sore region aching with the contact, causing him to retreat his digits. He sighed.

“You are not human anymore, Y/N.” Heisenberg told you, heavily.

“What?” You voice was a lot lower than your expected. You looked down to your lap.

“You encountered a thing back in the forest, right?” You only nodded. “Well, that thing bit you and… Well, transformed you.” He clarified.

“I feel… Better.” You moved your hands, stretching the fingers. “I mean, it hurts, but somehow I am more disposed.”

“You know…” Karl started, setting himself against the headboard, pulling you to rest in between his legs, your head resting on his chest as he played with your hair. “It isn’t ideal, but at least, now we can be together for a long time.” He kissed the top of your head and glanced down at you, care written all over his grey abysms.

“Forever?” You softly asked.

“Forever, kitten, forever.” Karl answered.

THE END.

[shortkingactivism]

prompt: shane finding out that ryan is a seer who can see ghosts, but shane doesn't believe him at first but he eventually does? you can change it up if you like if this is too much! love your writing

Thank you for your kind words I hope you like this! I’m on mobile rn so sorry if anything is a lil wonky I’ll try to fix it when I get off vacation!

——

It starts out small.

Having worked with Ryan as long as Shane had, he’s pretty confident in his arsenal of Useless Ryan Trivia. He knows Ryan likes to work out when he’s stressed, knows his favorite brand of popcorn is the fancy one that had to be made on a stove instead of in the microwave and knows that he has the tendency to talk to himself. Like a lot. So when he wakes up in the middle of the night to Ryan softly mumbling he thinks nothing of it at first.

They’d just gotten back from a location, a small house out in the middle of West Bumblefuck, Missouri where a man had snapped one day and killed his wife and children as they slept. A sad case but not Satanic as Ryan had been so quick to claim.

The investigation had been relatively uneventful aside from the usual nonsense EVPs they had captured on the Screeching Hell Box but Ryan had still returned to their shared hotel room keyed up and twitchy.

He kept casting furtive glances to dark corners of their room and looking over his shoulder, probably thinking himself inconspicuous but which Shane picked up on right away. He tried not to tease Ryan too much, knowing how affected he could get after their investigations, yet the pull was too strong to resist entirely.

“You okay, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Shane said, giving him what could only be described as a shiteating grin.

“Fuck off, squatch. That place just gave me some bad vibes, y’know?”

“Again with the vibes? What are you, psychic now or something?”

Shane scoffed and Ryan laughed along mechanically.

“Oh come on, Ryan. We’re fine. If the ghouls were really that upset they would’ve squared up to me ages ago. Given me the ol’ one two.” He nudged Ryan slightly and smiled when he seemed to loosen up a bit.

“You’re right, who could pass up the chance to knock your limp noodle body around. I can barely suppress the urge.”

“Aw, Ryan. I’m touched. If you wanted to get your hands on me you could’ve just asked.”

Ryan snorted.

“You wish.”

Mood lightened, Ryan seemed fine to go to sleep. Seemed being the keyword as Ryan was once again awake and probably telling his camera all about the spooky sound of footsteps in a well inhabited place. Ooooo.

Shane listened closely, too exhausted to get up just yet if Ryan was at a manageable level of fear and would be able to calm himself down without Shanes’ help.

“You’ll be okay. Everything’s alright.”

There. Ryan was talking himself down and didn’t actually sound at all upset. Shane let himself relax and almost immediately felt himself falling back asleep.

“Hey, no buddy. Please don’t cry. You’re alright. Go back home, your mom’s probably looking for you right now.”

What? Shanes brows furrowed and he was fully awake once more.

“It’s okay. He won’t be there. He’s gone, I promise. Please, buddy? For me? You don’t want your mom to be sad do you?”

Ryan paused as if waiting for a response and Shane strained his ears, too. Maybe he was on the phone? Or talking in his sleep? But there was no light piercing through the dark of their room and for as long as Shane had known him Ryan had never once talked in his sleep. So what was going on?

Across the room from him, Ryan laughed, light and airy.

“That’s what I thought. Now go on. You’ll be alright. Goodbye, little guy!”

Shane laid quietly in his bed, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Ryan to yell “sike!” and spin his camera around for his reaction. All he heard, however, was Ryan heaving a deep sigh before shifting around to get more comfortable.

When nothing more happened, Shane finally allowed his confusion to succumb to his exhaustion and drifted off, promising himself to confront Ryan about it in the morning.

——“Hey, little guy how’d you sleep last night. You look, quite frankly, like shit.”

“Damn, Madej. You really know how to sweet talk a guy. Should I strip now or later?” Ryan deadpanned.

“Any excuse to lose the shirt, huh? But really, you look tired. Are you alright?” Shane asked, subtly trying to get closure for last night’s events.

“It was alright. Had a little trouble sleeping, though. Kept thinking about the case. You really have to be a shitty person to do that to your family, huh?”

“Oh for sure. You gotta hop right onto the train to Sucksville for that. No transfers, nothin’. Just straight on to Sucksville, population: That Guy.”

“‘Population: That Guy’ Jesus. You really don’t even remember his name? We just talked about it yesterday!”

“Ryan, if I could remember the name of every shitty murderer to ever exist then I wouldn’t working be at Buzzfeed.”

“Oh yeah? Then where would you be?”

“Killin’ it on some super niche game show about killers from the middle of nowhere, obviously Ryan. Keep up!”

Ryan laughs, bright and loud and Shane feels his own face morph into a smile of its own.

In the end they get too distracted thinking up disturbing names for Shane’s imaginary game show for him to bring up Ryan’s night once more.

——Eventually, Shane pushes that night to the back of his mind, rationalizing it as sleep talking and leaving it at that. There’s not much else to explain it away with and Shane’s pretty content with his answer.

Shane, however, doesn’t completely forget about the incident. He finds himself paying closer attention to Ryan than before, something he previously thought impossible.

He drags his eyes over him at every possible opportunity, strains his ears to scan for his voice and spends way to much time thinking over their interactions.

If Shane didn’t know any better he’d say he’d developed a crush on Ryan. But that was dumb because he was a grown man and that was his best friend. He was simply… researching, compiling notes like he would for an episode of Ruining History. Delving in deep to get all the right facts and throw out the bullshit would take an attentive eye, of course.

And through his observations Shane had made several slightly worrying discoveries.

Ryan was talking to himself more, forome. Normally, Shane could blame it on the stress from the pressure of planning out a new season but Ryan’s research was going off without a hitch. Plus, it was almost never at work or at his desk.

Sometimes, Shane and Ryan would be scouting out a location and the second Ryan believed Shane was out of earshot he would start muttering under his breath, gesturing and looking over his shoulder as if afraid to get caught.

Ryan, he noticed, also refused to stare at one place for too long. He would either focus all his attention on Shane or his eyes would dart around whatever room they were in, never settling, as if avoiding eye contact. At first Shane had written it off as a result of Ryan’s nervous energy and inability to hold still and then after coming to terms with his feelings for Ryan he had hoped it meant that maybe Ryan felt the same way. But Shane decided that, no, something about it felt off.

Maybe it was the way Ryan would almost seem fearful about taking his eyes away from someone else’s face. Or maybe it was the times that his gaze would catch on something, eyes sparking with something akin to recognition and sadness before they would quickly scurry to the next spot. Shane wasn’t quite sure but it worried him.

The final straw was after yet another shoot at a haunted location. This time a young girl, Ciara Fisher, had died in a house fire and was said to haunt the place, crying at night and clawing at the doors in an attempt to escape the fire she still experienced each night.

Shane had woken in the middle of the night to use the bathroom only to experience fear gripping his chest as he saw Ryan’s empty sleeping bag beside him.

He got up in a hurry, switching on his flashlight and creeping across the house quietly in search for his partner.

“Ryan?” He called out in a hushed, panicked voice. “Where are you?” No response.

Worried, Shane continued his search. Faintly, he thought he heard whispering coming from down the hall, the site where Ryan had said the little girl had been trapped. When he turned the corner he saw her bedroom door wide open with a faint light emitting from it.

Quietly, Shane approached the room, keeping his footsteps light in case it wasn’t Ryan and instead some intruder who wanted to hurt them.

As he got closer, however, Shane was able to easily make out Ryan’s voice in the silent room.

“Wow, you tied that bow all by yourself? I’m impressed!” A pause. “Of course I’ll miss you, sweetie, but don’t you think your parents miss you more?”

Shane peeked in and saw Ryan seated on the ground, body turned slightly to face a corner of the room. He could just barely make out Ryan’s soft smile in the dim moonlight streaming through the grimy window.

“I won’t forget you, I promise. How could I ever forget meeting a real life princess! Oh, a fairy princess? My bad, your majesty! Oh, no no come on sweetie. No more crying. No need to be sad, I’ll see you again one day. That’s more like it. Goodbye Princess Ciara.”—-

Oh. Oh shit. Ryan thought. That he was talking. To ghosts. Oh shit.

That was not good. At all. On no planet was this okay. He had to talk to him, had to get him some help. He couldn’t- wouldn’t - let some show on Youtube irreversibly fuck with his best friends’ psyche like that.

Shane backed out of the room and all but ran for his sleeping bag. When they got back from this trip they were gonna have a nice, loooong talk.

—-“Ryan, we need to talk.”

“Uh oh, are you breaking up with me, Shane?” Shane remained straight faced even as his stomach fluttered stupidly at the implication that he and Ryan were dating.

“I’m serious Ryan. I- I think you need to stop doing Unsolved.”

“Very funny, Shane. Let me just grow another 2 feet in my sleep while I’m at it.” Ryan rolled his eyes, before turning back to the tv, popcorn in hand.

Shane grabbed the remote and muted the movie, determined to have this talk despite Ryan’s complaints.

“Ryan, I really think you need to take a break from Unsolved. I know its your baby but seriously, mental health comes first.”

“Mental health- what does that even mean? Sure, I get scared sometimes but so what? It’s not like I’m about to suffer from a psychic break or something…” Ryan trailed off, eyes narrowing, “holy shit do you think I’ve finally, like, snapped or something? What the fuck, man!”

“Ryan, it’s just that…”

“No, fuck you, man. I don’t think, like, the Devil’s been whispering in my ear, telling me to clickbait articles to get extra ad revenue or whatever. I’m fi-“

“I heard you talking to the little girl, Ryan! And the boy in Missouri. And you’ve been acting weird and skittish and I just- I just want you to get better. I need you to be okay.”

Shane’s voice was breaking now, trailing off as the thought of Ryan not getting the help he needed hit him full force. Ryan lost the anger he initially felt, softening at the sight of Shane wilting in front of him.

“Shane I’m not- I can’t,” He took a deep breath before composing himself, wincing at the thought of what he was about to say, “I appreciate your concern but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What?” Shane’s head shot up in surprise, “what do you mean?”

“I mean, I have no clue what you’re talking about Shane. You know I would never talk to a ghost or some shit like that. Maybe… maybe you’re the one who needs help right now. Or maybe you dreamt it?”

“Really? Are you really doing this to me, Ryan?”

“Doing what, Shane. I’m just saying you don’t seem to have been sleeping well either-“

“That’s because I’ve been up all night worrying about you! Because you’re talking to people who aren’t there! And I’m worried about you but if you’re gonna stand there and- and fucken gaslight me then fine! I’ll quit Unsolved and you won’t have to worry about lying to me anymore.”

Shane turned to leave, anger and disbelief clouding his judgement. He was halfway to the door of Ryan’s apartment when he felt a strong hand on his forearm.

“Wait, please don’t go. I’m sorry that I lied to you like that. I’m just…scared. I don’t know how to talk about this.”

“Ryan. I’m your best friend. You should never be ashamed to talk about your mental health.”

“That’s just the problem, Shane,” he whispered, “it has nothing to do with my mental health. I’m a Seer. I can see ghosts.”

Shane’s heart broke.

“No, stop it, Shane. Stop making that face. I’m not, I don’t know, schizophrenic or something. Trust me I’ve been to my fair share of doctors to make sure I’m not making this up to know.”

“Ryan, you can’t- I mean. That’s not- ghosts aren’t real. You have to understand that. Maybe it’s something you didn’t have checked, like-“

“I knew it. You don’t believe me. God, I’m so stupid.” He started cleaning the room, sweeping stray popcorn into the bowls and shutting off the tv.

“I think it’s best if you go home.”

“Ryan, that’s not fair. I’m just trying to help you.”

“Well, if your idea of help is trying to get me committed then I don’t want it!”

“How do you think I feel? The person I’m in love with is losing his goddamn mind and he won’t even consider getting help.”

Pause.

“You’re in love with me?”

“That’s not- I didn’t. Fuck.”

Ryan smiled softly, heart soaring.

“You’re in love with me!” Ryan was beaming before he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.

“Okay, let me try something. Let me prove it to you.”

“What? How? How could you possibly prove it to me? It’s not real.”

“You’re grandma loves you a lot, y’know?” Ryan started, apropos of nothing, “She thinks you’re real funny, Lord knows why.”

“Don’t.”

“She’s really sweet. She likes to hang around the set and watch you do your thing sometimes. Says she’s waiting for you to get your head out your ass. Never knew what she meant by that but I think I can guess now.”

“Ryan, this isn’t funny. This is fucked up, man.”

“Shane, please. I’m not trying to hurt you,” he was more solemn now, less light hearted and more serious, handling it with the respect he felt they both deserved.

“She always wanted me to tell you she’s so sorry for missing your school concerts but she loved when you would come to her hospital room and show her videos of you playing and tell her funny stories. I kept telling her I couldn’t, that you wouldn’t believe me, but she wanted you to know so badly how much she loves you.”

Shane’s crying now, shoulders shaking in silent sobs and Ryan wants to move closer, to comfort him, but he isn’t sure he’s allowed.

“She loves you so much, Shane. Her mała gwiazda.”

Shane launches himself into Ryan’s arms and then they’re both crying, intertwining themselves so closely they’re almost one being.

“What the fuck, Ryan? I mean, what the fuck?”

“I know, it’s a lot to take in. I’m sorry.”

Eventually, they calm down, exhausted from the crying and the revelations. They move to lie more comfortably on the couch, Ryan lying on his side and Shane wrapped around him like a particularly clingy octopus.

“Mała gwiazda,” Shane says, breaking the silence, “it means little star in Polish. She used to call me that during the visits. It’s the only Polish I really remember now.”

Ryan just smiles at him softly, burrowing closer to his chest.

“So,” Shane says, “any other earth shattering secrets you wanna come clean with. You got abducted by a UFO recently? Getting frisky with our boy, the Mothman?”

Ryan laughs but gets quiet, turning to face Shane head on.

“Actually, yeah. Just one more.”

“Oh?” Shane hums, lifting a brow. “Hit me, baby!”

Ryan rolls his eyes fondly but keeps looking Shane in the eyes as he wraps his arms around him, resting his hands behind his neck to play with the short strands of hair there. Shane’s heart stutters and nothing, he thinks, could ever top this moment.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

Shane smiles widely, eyes crinkling with it. As he swoops down to capture Ryan’s lips with his own he thinks he could stand to be wrong more often if the outcomes were always this breathtaking.

Who needed to be skeptic when he had all he needed to believe in right here, anyways?

[band-blogging]

Ruins

Title: Ruins 

Summary: You, along with hundreds of others, are living in a post-apocalyptic society brought upon earth by nuclear war. The effect of this is long-lasting and only allows you to see the sun one every two years.

Characters: Harry Styles x Reader

Warnings: Cursing

A/N: I didn't really know how else to go about this so one part sort of has a Hunger Games feel to it.

Imagine based on this image (x)

There hasn’t been a society for many decades. Not a functioning one. The society that is present is unstable and could fall apart easily. The world hasn’t seen peace for a very long time. The world has been in chaos since World War lll.

2019 was the year that nuclear weapons were used as a threat so that some countries that craved power could attain it. Their tactics, however, were called to be an empty threat. History now shows that they were, in fact, very real.

When the first weapon hit Japan, the world was blown into chaos and the first wave of nuclear attacks killed almost half the population. the second killed most of what was left, leaving less than 200,000 to pick up the pieces and start over in what could be called an entirely new earth.

Eventually, the world quieted and those who were left gathered where they could, forming small groups of survivors that would remain for years to come. Many suffered from the radiation that still plagued the earth, but those that were luckier stayed alive long enough to see the bunkers get built, safe places to protect from the deadly poisons in the air. After years, the condition of the earth only worsened and natural light became abruptly scarce. No one knows why, or how, but the sun is only seen once every two years, like clockwork.

People say it has to do with certain gaps in the gas that has taken over the atmosphere since the war, others think it is God giving his grace to those that survived. No one questions it, instead enjoying what parts of their past that they have left. After a while, people began to have families, and more and more people inhabited the bunkers. The generation that lived to see the war grow old, and the young that had not seen the horror thrived, living in the only place they had ever known.

But it’s not easy, for resources have been scarce for years and many of the older residents of the bunkers don’t know how much longer they have until supplies run out. Days seem bleak and numbered in the future and some fear that they may only live to see the sun once more before they’re left in the darkness, lost in the shadows with nothing but they’re last breaths.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?” 

Harry smiles, his hand moving through your hair as the two of you wait by the small window that gives you a decent view of the sunrise. Most of the residents of your compound go to the larger windows near the south side of the building, but you prefer the smaller window, in your own area. The view may not be as amazing as one from the other windows, but people crowd the windows, giving only a few a view and the two of you figure that it would be better if you were alone to see the light.

“How much longer?” 

“Only a few minutes left, love.” 

You nod and turn so that your cheek in pressed against Harry’s leg. You had situated yourself between his legs, your head resting on his thigh as he ran his fingers through your hair. 

You smile and watch as a minimal amount of light begins to seep through the window, barely noticeable except for the contrast of the light and the paint covering the wall.

“Wow...” you mutter, seeing the light on the wall grow, covering a small part of the wall above you. You want nothing more than to reach up and feel the warmth of the sun on your fingers, feel it beating against your cheeks, a feeling you have long forgotten, but you can’t bring yourself to do anything except stare at it. You sit up and lean against Harry’s chest, straining your neck to look at the wall.

Harry seems to be in the same situation, because he too is staring at the growing patch of light on the wall, brighter than anything either of you had seen.

Harry snaps out of his trance first, taking your hand in his and softly intertwining your fingers. He lifts both of your hands and touches the wall where the light begins, just a small square that only has enough space for your two hands. 

It only takes a moment for the warmth in your hand to spread through your whole body, making you sink back into Harry. It’s the best feeling in the world, the pure warmth that you only get to feel every two years, and you feel yourself close your eyes, moving your fingers slightly in Harry’s so that your hands are no longer intertwined, but yours is resting gently over his.

“You go first today.” 

Your movements are small, but you stand slowly, avoiding the light for a moment. You had always been a bit frightened of it, despite the beauty it shows, you’ve heard the stories. You know the danger it holds and the death it’s capable of bringing, but as Harry gives you a reassuring smile and your mind tells you that you won’t get to experience this for much longer, you walk into the light’s path. You’re standing directly in front of the window and the light has ceased to reach the wall behind you, instead stopping on your face, the direct warmth now making the cold tip of your nose warm ever-so-slightly, making your cheeks grow red and your eyes squint.

“Does it hurt?” Harry asks, peeking at the light he can see that comes past your head. 

“No, it doesn’t hurt. My eyes feel...weird, but it’s not painful.” 

You continue to stare out of the small window, your eyes slowly getting used to the light, opening bit by bit the longer your eyes glaze over the lit up sky. 

Harry’s eyes flicker between the window and the light shining on your face, waiting for you to back away with the expression he never forgets when you’re finished looking at the light. An expression that radiates awe and joy, an expression he only sees at these times, when the two of you are looking at the sun.

“How is it?” he whispers.

“It’s...beautiful.”

It’s like listening to a song after years of never having heard it. You know you’v head it before and you recognize the beat of it, but there’s still this sense that it’s something completely new even though you’re still able to sing along with the chorus.

You back away after another few minutes, and Harry smiles at your expression, the expression he waits two years to see. 

“Take a look.” 

He walks to the window and, like you, pauses. He looks back at you for a moment, the light gone from your face, but just as amazed. You give him a nod and he walks directly into the line of light that looks as if it had been drawn in midair across the hall. 

He doesn’t say anything, he just stares with his mouth open slightly and his eyes wider than you had ever seen them, as if he had never seen the sun before. 

“Is it good?” 

“It’s better than good,” Harry lets out a breathless laugh, still staring out through the window. You nod, smiling as you watch the light glowing on his face, lighting up his features. You’ve always been fascinated with the way light makes someone’s features become so beautiful, even though Harry has always been beautiful, the light makes it that much purer. 

His eyes are what you look at first, the green of his irises sparkling as he watches the sun, making the color seem brighter than it ever could have without the sun. You look at his hair next, the light making it glow so that the brown almost seems golden. He’s just glowing in the scarce sunlight and you always take advantage of two things during these times: seeing the light for yourself and seeing what it does to those who are watching it. 

“I wish it lasted,” he whispers, pulling you from your trance. You nod and walk closer to him, resting your head on his shoulder so that you can see the sun too, so that the two off you can feel the warmth on your faces at the same time.

“Me too.” 

The light only lasts for a few hours and you spend the rest of the time looking through the window and sitting against the wall as you let the light seep between your fingers, but it only feels like seconds before the light begins to grow dim against the wall, and the light doesn’t feel as warm now that you know it won’t last for much longer. 

“Don’t go,” you mutter, your hand becoming a fist as if you’re trying to grasp at the last bit of light that’s left. Harry does the same and you know that he’s thinking the same thing, trying to hold on as long as possible before there’s nothing left to hold onto. 

But the light fades and the wall is so much darker than it was before.

It’s gone. And you’re always hit with a wave of despair realizing that you won’t be able to see it again for another two years. Harry always says something when it goes. Every single time he says “now we can start looking forward to next time,” but he’s silent. This time, it’s different, and you’re not sure why, but this year it hurts just a little bit more and the sun seems just a little too important for it to be so...temporary. 

“Come on,” he says eventually, standing with his hand stretched out for you, “we should get back.” 

You nod and take his hand, letting him pull you up. You’re directly in front of the window and light no longer floods in to hit the wall behind it, and it looks almost as sad as you feel. 

The light’s gone and it won’t be coming back for a long, long time.

1 year and 9 months later...

Society has a funny way of crawling into the human mind, an idea that becomes a practice, which eventually turns into a term that’s used everyday. It’s something that exists everywhere, anywhere that homes enough people. 

In your opinion, society needs three things to function: set laws, a leader, and a population. 

Your laws are simple enough: don’t get into physical conflicts, don’t take more than your ration of food daily, and don’t go outside of the compound. You don't know of any exits in the compound, but you’re going to assume there’s at least one. 

Your leader, Alexander, is one of the few in your compound that was alive during the war. There are other compounds that house the others that survived, but most of the population is from newer generations, like you and Harry. 

“Y/N!” a voice giggles, taking you by surprise as this mystery person launches into your arms, “Harry taught me how to play a new game! Will you play with us, please?” 

“That depends,” you say warily, knowing that Harry has a tendency to create card games that are based off real scenarios, “what game has he taught you?” 

Harry stands behind the girl, Annie, with a sheepish expression, and you already know that he didn't intend for her to tell you about their new game. Annie, however, seems very excited and you let her tug on your hand to drag you towards the main hall, where table after table is seen. You’re led to a table where a few piles of cards a laid out. 

“It’s called war!” 

Fantastic

Annie’s mother died when she was barely a year old, and you and Harry took it upon yourselves to help raise her. You were both very close with her mother and felt that you had something of a responsibility to take care of her. 

“Harry,” you say with a smile, watching Harry avert his eyes and scratch the back of his neck, “why’s the game called war?” 

“Um...” he lets out a quiet chuckle, “well, yeh know, love, it’s sort of based on... past events-”

“Yeah!” Annie interrupts, “the eights are bombs! And the bombs kill the jack, queen, and king. The jacks aren’t as important as the queen and king because if you lose all of those, then you lose.” 

You close your eyes and smile at Annie, giving her a small nod, “that sounds fun.” 

Annie nods and begins to reset the game while you turn to Harry, taking him by the arm and dragging him away from the table to a secluded corner of the room. 

“What kind of game is this?” you say harshly, “she’s five, Harry, what were you thinking-” 

“She’s going to find out at some point! And just because some stupid game is based on the war doesn’t mean she's going to figure anything out. Honestly, I don’t see what’s got you so upset-” 

“Because she’s just a child! She doesn’t need to be exposed to these things yet!” 

Harry shakes his head and crosses his arms, now getting a bit agitated because of your anger. It’s just a game, nothing that someone as young as Annie could piece together to understand what happened during the war. 

“Look, I won’t play with her anymore, we’ll play Go Fish or something, alright? Will that make you happy?” 

You sigh and shove his shoulder, hearing him chuckle above you, “yes, that would make me very happy.” 

“Good. Go Fish will be our next game.” 

“Thank you.” 

He nods and takes your hand, dragging you back to Annie, who is ready to play the next round of war. 

“Let’s play! Let’s play again, Harry, with Y/N this time!” 

Harry ruffles her hair a bit and shakes his head, although his smile doesn’t falter.

“Hey, bug, I think we’re going to play Go Fish now.” 

Annie pouts as Harry gathers all of the cards, putting them into a pile so that he can begin dealing them out again.

“Harry,” you murmur, trying to get his attention away from Annie and the card game. “Harry, stand up.” 

Harry turns his attention to you and furrows his eyebrows, following your gaze to Alexander, who is standing in front of everyone in the main hall, his gaze set over as many people as possible, slowly silencing the room as his presence is noticed. 

Slowly, everyone begins to stand, something that has become a tradition over the years. Not a law, more of an unspoken, unofficial rule. When the leader of this compound is seen and making an announcement, everyone that is in his presence must stand until instructed to take their seat. 

“Please, be seated,” his voice echoes throughout the large room. You know that Alexander is a kind man, you’ve met him a few times and he remembered your name after the first encounter, which was enough to tell you that he cares about those living in his compound, but he is rarely seen giving announcements, something usually done by someone assigned to work for him directly. 

“As you know, the sun will show itself to us once more in three months, and I know you are all very excited for that day.” 

Most in the room erupt into applause, and a few cheers are heard as the claps die down. 

“But we are soon going to be faced with implications,” he says, immediately silencing the hall. “As you know, our supplies are limited and it was only a matter of time before our rations began to run low.” 

There’s a long pause before his voice echoes out again, louder then it was before, “That day is upon us.” 

There’s a pause, but soon after those words are spoken people all around are speaking to each other in hushed whispers, asking each other what this could mean for the society. 

“Y/N,” Annie tugs on your hand, gaining your attention, “what does that mean?” 

You gulp and glance at Harry, who looks as if he’s in a slight trance as he meets your gaze.

“I don’t know, bug,” you say, immediately regretting the words when you see the girls eyes widen in fear, “but we’re going to be fine,” you add, “we’re going to be okay, they have a plan.” 

“Please, please,” Alexander says, silencing the room once more, “I know that this comes as something of a shock to some of you, we have lived so long with enough supplies, but we have far too many people here to risk continuing on with the amount of supplies we have.” 

“What are you going to do?” a voice is heard in the back of the crowd, unknown to everyone except those nearest to him. You glance back to where the voice originated, but fail to see who started the commotion. 

“I was about to announce,” Alexander says, his voice slightly agitated by the interruption, “that we’ll have to leave the compound to gather more supplies.” 

This time, you almost have to cover your ears because of the outburst. Everyone begins shouting at Alexander, asking him question after question about the rules he’ll be breaking and the safety precautions that he’ll be taking.

“We will be taking a name from those of you that are of the proper age, the healthiest and most fit age. Those between the ages of fifteen and twenty five will be eligible to go with me to gather our supplies from a compound north of here. The drawing will be taking place tomorrow, please be present for dinner and be ready to stay for another twenty minutes after that. We will be taking volunteers before the drawing begins, incase any of you want to go willingly. If not, the drawing will continue as planned. Two of you will be chosen and, incase you have any concerns, we’ve made sure that the trip is safe for you.” 

There’s a pause and a very unpleasant silence follows the speech that had been given, so Alexander decides to leave with one last goodnight, leaving the rest of the occupants of the compound to wonder which unlucky few will be chosen to accompany Alexander.

“That means we could be chosen,” Harry interrupts your thoughts, “we could go out.” 

“Is that a good thing?” 

“No,” he says immediately, “I may talk about leaving, but we have no idea what’s out there. We haven't stepped foot outside this compound, what makes him think that this will be safe? He can’t just force us to-” 

“What else are we supposed to do, Harry?” you interrupt, rubbing your eyes with your palms, suddenly feeling exhausted because of the days events.

“Well, we probably won’t be chosen. And, if one of us is, it’ll be fine-” 

“You don’t know that Y/N. What if...what if the person that’s chosen doesn’t come back to tell their stories about what’s out there? What if you’re chosen and you don’t come back, huh? What happens then?” 

“It’ll be fine,” you repeat, trying to reassure him, although feeling doubt seep into your mind as he continues to list the things that could go wrong. 

“Look, I know that Alexander was close with your family, but I don’t trust him, you know that. And if he thinks he can reassure us about something he knows nothing about, then he’s out of his goddamn mind. I’m not going out there, and I’ll be damned if I let him drag you out there.” 

“Let’s just,” you take a deep breath and shake your head, taking his arm and pulling him back towards your room. you let out a sigh, trying to find the right words to say to the distraught boy next to you, “let’s worry about this tomorrow. We can talk about everything in the morning, but right now I think we should...read, or something.” 

“I won’t be able to concentrate on anything I’m reading.” 

“Then I’ll read to you.” 

“I’m not five.” 

“Really? Could have fooled me.”

Harry scoffs and shakes his head, although a chuckle escapes his lips at your comment. You laugh he mutters “you’re the one who’s five”, quieting only when you feel a slight tug on your sleeve. Behind you stands Annie, her lips pouted and her eyes watering. 

“Annie,” you say, crouching down to her level, “what’s wrong, what happened?” 

“Are you gonna go away? Are you and Harry gonna go away with Alexander?” 

You shake your head and tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Don’t worry about that, okay? You don’t have to worry about that.” 

“I don’t want you to go-” 

“I know, sweetheart, but I just don’t know what’s going to happen. But I’m going to do whatever I can to stay here with you, okay? Harry and I are going to try our very best to stay.” 

Giving one last sniff, Annie nods and turns when her caretaker calls her, asking why she’s still awake. You give her a quick hug and watch her run away, turning to face Harry who has a dejected expression on his face. 

“What happens to her if one of us leaves?” 

“It’ll be fine.” 

“Saying that doesn’t make it true-”

“I know that,” you snap, watching Harry stop and turn to face you, his eyes wide. You take a deep breath and shake your head, running a hand through your hair, “I know it doesn’t Harry, but saying that doesn’t change anything, so let’s just go to bed and stop trying to predict what’s going to happen tomorrow.” 

Harry still doesn’t look convinced, and his expression tells you that he wants to keep talking about it, so you add, “please.” 

He sighs and gives you a smile, nodding, “yeah, okay.” 

“Thank you,” you sigh, running a hand through your hair. This day has put an unbelievable amount of stress on everyone in the compound, and it seems you’re just starting to feel the effects of that. 

“C’mon, love,” Harry says, “let’s get some sleep.”

“This was not an easy decision to make, but it is necessary if we want to ensure our survival. Most of you will be safe here, and the risks of leaving the compound are not as high as some of you may think-”

“You don't know anything about that! You don't know a damn thing about what’s outside the compound, don’t reassure us with facts you know aren’t true!”

Alexander had been trying to reason with those that strongly disagreed with his plans to leave the compound, but every time he opened his mouth someone would interrupt with questions about the credibility of his claims. You must admit, you have your doubts. And, over the course of the day, they’ve only grown as you’ve had more time to think over the situation, but you can’t seem to find any other solutions to this problem that everyone in the compound is inevitably going to have. 

“I know one thing,” Alexander says harshly, silencing the man who had just spoken, seeing that he was ready to interrupt again, “I know that we won't survive much longer with the amount of supplies we have now. And if risking my life and the lives of two people is what it takes to save the rest of you then so be it. I have spent my days protecting what’s left of our race and I have had to make these decisions for us. The decisions that have kept us alive thus far. Please, try to understand why this is necessary.” 

There are no more outbursts, only silence in the room, allowing Alexander to continue. 

“Today is the day that the candidates for our supply mission are chosen. I hope all of you within the age range specified yesterday have prepared to be chosen,” he says, making an unpleasant shiver run down your spine. You know that Alexander is a kind man who is doing what is right for the good of those he’s trying protecting, but you can’t help but resent him for doing what he’s doing. For taking someone into the most dangerous environment there is, a place you’d rather stay away from. 

“I will be choosing the names. We have a bowl here, all of your names are included.” 

He pauses, looking behind the crowd for a moment before he continues, “I want to remind everyone before we draw these names that this will be perfectly safe. No one will get hurt.” 

You hear Harry scoff next to you and you glance at him, seeing his face set in stone as he stares at the stage. You take the opportunity to grab onto his hand, not really sure whether it’s for his comfort or your own. His expression only changes for a moment, softening before it’s set back on the man in front of the crowd. He does, however, grasp your hand and give it a squeeze, letting you know he’s still with you. 

“Before we draw any names, are there any volunteers?” 

You could’ve heard a pin drop. The hall was the quietest it’s ever been, you think, about as quiet as you remember it ever being. A few people glance around but you don’t have to turn around to picture what’s behind you; everyone staring blankly at their leader, no one willing to possibly lay down their life for what is said to be greater good. It sounds as if you resent everyone that isn’t volunteering when you word it like that, considering you’re in that majority. 

“Very well,” Alexander says, looking as if he expected the results he got. He reaches into the basket rather quickly and you’re grateful that he’s moving things along instead of drawing out the inevitable, making everyone in the room unnecessarily anxious.

“Ah,” he says as he reads the name on the small slip of paper he had taken from the basket, “Harry Styles.” 

The name is read too quickly, and you don’t process it fully until Harry is letting go of your hand so that he can make his way towards the stage. You would’ve stopped him had it not been for the shock hitting you like a wrecking ball, almost making you stumble back when Harry has fully pulled his hand from yours. You draw in a breath, knowing better than to hold it in as you watch Harry move towards the stage, quickly climbing the stairs to face the crowd. 

“Good, I hope you’re ready, m’boy.”

Harry doesn’t respond, doesn’t even turn to look at Alexander, who doesn’t seem to care as he goes back to the basket. 

The words get caught in your throat, and you want so badly to scream them, loud enough for everyone in the room to turn their attention on you: I volunteer!

But the words are never voiced aloud and Alexander is already saying the next name.

“Ryan Browning.” 

You hadn’t heard his name before, but you recognize his face. He lives quite close to your room, and you had seen him walking to meals, but that was as far as your interactions have ever gone. Perhaps you’ve given him a nice smile as you passed by, but that’s the extent of it. 

However, you quickly forget that he’s up there when you turn your attention back to Harry, who is clearly trying to keep his eyes from wandering, keeping them locked on the wall above the crowd. 

The crowd is dismissed quickly after that, everyone rushing out to go thank the Lord they weren’t chosen. You go straight to Harry’s room, waiting for him to get back from his meeting with Alexander, no doubt discussing the precautions they’ll have to take, sign whatever contract comes with this. “I am not responsible for any harm that comes to you outside of this compound.” 

He comes back about an hour later and you had wasted the past half hour reading a book he had laid out on his bed. You practically throw it to the side when he comes through the door, his eyes glazed over as if he’s just now accepting that he’ll be leaving he compound. 

“Oh, Harry,” you mutter, standing from the bed, cautious to reach out to him. “Are you alright?” 

He reaches out for you then, and you willingly walk into his arms, wrapping him in the tightest hug you can manage. He hugs you tight and you rub his back with one hand, the other tangling in his hair. 

“I should’ve volunteered,” you murmured, “I’d go with you in a heartbeat.” 

He shakes his head and squeezes you just a little bit harder, “I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself if you had gone out there for me. I’m glad you didn’t.” 

You weren’t.

The rest of the night doesn’t last very long. Harry is emotionally exhausted and asks you to read to him for a while, then promptly falls asleep with his head in your lap. You try to decide whether or not you should just put a pillow behind your back and sleep there with him, not wanting to wake him up, but you know that you should get back to your room. The crossed-legged position you’re in now isn’t as comfortable when you’re trying to get to sleep. 

You carefully move Harry’s head from your lap to a pillow placed in the exact spot you were just sitting and he lets out a sigh, shifting then settling back into a deep sleep, small snores escaping him. 

You don’t have anyone else here, no one except Annie, but you don’t know what you’ll do without Harry.

You should’ve volunteered.

“I’d like to go with you.” 

You stand in front of Alexander, your face set but your thoughts running wild, one side of you warning the other side that it’s stupid. And it was, it was probably the worst decision you’ve ever made, but after a long night of contemplating and barely any sleep, you finally decided you would go to see Alexander. 

“Go with me?” 

“Out. To gather supplies,” you inform him, watching as he nods and thinks through your request.

“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea-” 

“Wouldn’t the mission be more successful with more people?” you rush to explain. “The only damage I could do is not provide any help, and I can assure you that I will. All I’m offering you is more hands here, I’m volunteering even though there’s nothing left to volunteer for.” 

A long sigh emits from Alexander and you worry that he’ll deny your request, “Why didn’t you volunteer when I offered that option yesterday. That would’ve been the perfect opportunity to offer yourself to help.” 

“I know it was, I just...I needed more time to think through everything. It’s a big decision.” 

You wait patiently for Alexander to make a decision, watching his look of concentration slowly turn into a smile, making your hopes rise. 

“I’m glad you’ll be joining us. Please come to my office tomorrow morning at eight for a meeting.” 

“Thank you,” you smile, letting out a long breath of relief, “thank you so much.” 

You immediately go back to Harry’s room after making your impulse decision to join him, and you know he’ll be upset with you but you hope he’ll understand your intention. 

He’s crashed out in the same position you left him and you can hear soft snores coming from him as he sleeps, his cheek smushed against the pillow and and his hair messy from being shuffled when you took his head from your lap. 

“Harry,” you mutter, shaking him a bit, “Harry, wake up.” 

He groans and his eyes flutter open before he’s squeezing them shut again, shaking his head and putting the heels of his hands against his eyes. 

“Y/N?” he murmurs, “what time is it?” 

“You’re gonna be mad.” 

“Y/N, I don’t care that you came in late-” 

“No, no...I mean- I did something that’ll make you mad. Something different.” 

He sits up slowly, still not fully awake as he turns to face you, his brows furrowed.

“What’d you do, wha’ happened?” 

You bite your lip, thinking of how you should phrase what you did. The weight of it seems to hit you suddenly and you realize that you probably should’ve taken more time to think about it. Of course, you would’ve done it either way but now you wish you had been smarter about it. Especially since you’ve woken up an emotionally exhausted and most likely grumpy Harry to tell him that you’re going to join him on this dangerous mission. 

“I, um...I volunteered?” 

He shakes his head and runs a hand through his hair to tame it a bit.

“Volunteered?” 

“I’m going with you to gather supplies.” 

He freezes and his gaze slowly shifts to you, his eyes wide as realization slowly sinks in. He shakes his head and you take his wrist, which he promptly tugs out of your grip.

“Why? Why would you do that, you were fine, you- you were safe, and now you’re not...why did you do that, Y/N? What were you thinking?” 

“I just thought that you would need a couple extra hands so I mentioned that three people might not be enough to get the job done and he agreed with me so I’m going with you. Nothing can really change that now.” 

“What if I can convince him to let you stay?” 

“I don’t think you can.” 

“Yes I can, dammit!” he stands, running a hand through his hair, fully awake now, looking ready to have an argument. “I can, and I will. I’ll talk to him at the meeting tomorrow.” 

“The meeting that I’m also going to.” 

“No, no you’re not going, you’re not going to the meeting and you’re not leaving the compound.” 

“Alright, Harry, so you’re just going to, what? Lock me in my room?” 

“If that’s what it takes!” 

“That’s ridiculous, Harry! I can do whatever the hell I want and you don’t have any power to stop me so stop acting like you do!” 

He stares at you for a moment, his breathing heavy and his eyes still wide, but his mouth remaining shut. You take a deep breath and shake your head again, turning towards the door. 

“Good night, Harry,” you mutter, walking out the door and letting it slam behind you.

We’ll go out there, he thinks to himself as he watches you leave, and there’ll be nothing. There won’t be any supplies to gather and we’ll have done all the for nothing. 

All we’re going to find is ruins.

[minhoslut]

♡ summary: You are on your first solo mission to collect samples from an asteroid, but that is soon ended when three unknown beings enter your ship and take you to their planet.

♡ pairing: Jung Jaehyun x fem!reader, Johnny Suh x fem!reader, Nakamoto Yuta x fem!reader, JohnJaeYu also are together

♡ chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ? |

♡ series warnings: blood mention, drug use, mxm, foursome, swearing, anxiety, depression

♡ series genre: fluff, smut, slight angst

♡ series rating: R

♡ word count: 1565

♡ posted on: AO3

♡ chapter three: purple rain

Up in the treehouse that apparently belonged to Taeyong, you found said man as well as three new people. “Ah, Y/N, it is good to see you are still conscious.” Taeyong said, a light smile on his lips. You rubbed your neck awkwardly, feeling slightly nervous as the new men were staring intensely at you. “Introduce yourselves, you idiots.” Jaehyun sighed from your left, prompting the tallest of the new men to introduce himself. “Hello, I am Doyoung, this is Jungwoo, and this is Kun.” He stated gesturing to the other two as well. “It’s nice to meet you all.” You murmured, still feeling shy because they were scanning your figure intently now. Taeyong gestured for you to come forward and you did so, looking at Yuta quickly before going and receiving an encouraging smile.

“So I hear you were unable to consume the offered foods?” Taeyong remarked, reaching out to you and bringing you close. “Open.” He said and you followed his command, showing your teeth to him. “Hmm. I’m afraid that trying to crush what we absorb from won’t be an option. From what I have observed of Earth, you need much softer foods than anything we could provide.” You could feel the now familiar panic rising in your chest at his words. “We have been testing several methods to extract the nutrients into some form edible for the human but have been unsuccessful.” Doyoung added, his lips set in a thin line. “We have a... theory of sorts though.” Kun said slowly, motioning to Jungwoo who pulled a pink container of sorts filled with some kind of purple substance. “Do you really think that of all things wou-” Johnny was interrupted by a sharp glare from Taeyong. “We wouldn’t suggest it if it wasn’t necessary Johnny, you know this.” Kun stated.

“Why is it such a strange thing to offer? What even is that stuff?” You questioned, very confused by the whole conversation. “Well, it is used to give a fetus nutrients to that it may grow and hatch from its egg.” Johnny tried to explain but got cut off again,by Doyoung this time. “It would be produced in a similar way to how a human male creates semen.” The room went silent and you looked from one face to the other, looking for a hint of a joke, but there were none. “So it’s… cum? Like from a dick? Whose dick- How- Hold on a second.” You tried to figure out what to even ask, how had they even thought to try this? “I know it may seem off putting, but we believe you will be able to absorb the nutrients like an egg would.” Jungwoo told you softly, resting a cool hand on your arm.

“How would I even, get it regularly? And from who?” You asked trying to think logically, if this was how you had to survive then you should at least know the details. “Well I’m sure anyone would be happy to provide it, you do have three vleskans in your home presently, as well as any of us or probably anyone else in the village, it’s not like it’s a bad experience to get it, I mean-” “That’s enough, Jungwoo, I’m sure she gets the point.” Taeyong interrupted, silencing him with a hand up. How fucking awkward. Now you had to not only live with these three strange creatures, now you had to live off their cum? This felt like a fever dream that you were desperate to wake up from.

“It’ll be ok Y/N, we can figure this out!” Yuta tried to encourage you, but you were just standing silently, trying to process the whole situation. Everything just kept getting worse, now you were going to be drinking cum as your source of food. Tears welled up in your eyes and you clenched your fists tightly. “Why did you have to bring my to this stupid fuckign planet?! I hate it here I hate all of you! You’ve ruined my whole life!” You shouted angrily, shoving past the group of vleskans and climbing down the ladder. You heard them calling after you, but just started running as fast as you could, deep into the woods. The wind whipped your tears away as you ran, branches smacking you and clawing at the robe you wore. Eventually the voices faded behind you, but you kept running with your head down.

You slammed into the ground as you tripped on a root, and just lay there crying into the dirt. The air grew cold around you and you curled into yourself. Covered in scratches from the branches, some deeper and bleeding. The robe was dirty and torn, the front covered in blood from your nose that had started bleeding after your fall. Your body ached and you couldn’t tell where you were, the sun had set at some point and it was now getting darker every moment. Wiping at your face, you looked at your dirt and blood covered hands and wondered if it was worth it to even try to be found. Why not just stay here until you died?

But that wasn’t how you wanted things to end. You took a deep breath and stood up, crying out in pain as you put pressure on your left foot. “Fuck.” You muttered, you must have fucked it up when you fell. You looked around you and tried to find some kind of way to tell where you were. You spotted a large root, which must have been what you tripped on and decided to limp in that direction. Eventually, it was virtually pitch black and you were still hobbling through the dark forest, but now you could hear rustling in the bushes surrounding you. It was an ominous reminder that you had no clue what kind of creatures inhabited this planet, the thought sending a shiver down your spine.

Crunching sounds came closer and you gasped when a figure came into view. “Johnny!” You cried, throwing yourself into his chest and grasping at the fabric of his robe. His long arms wrapped around you and held you tightly. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He mumbled into the top of your head. You pulled away and winced at the pain from your ankle, which Johnny immediately noticed. “You are hurt? And this,” he touched your lips, “blood?” Suddenly you were being carried in his arms and he was walking briskly, taking you back to the village.

You must have fallen asleep because when you woke up you were once again lying on the white fur of the ‘hospital’ treehouse. You sat up slowly, your body protesting against it, aching in every sense. “Y/N! Let’s take a look at you now that you’re awake.” Kun smiled, as he walked into the room. He gently wiped your face clean with a small piece of cloth, “I need to examine you fully, so I’d like you to remove your robe. Humans are scared of this sometimes, is it ok?” He asked calmly. You nodded slowly, he was basically like a doctor after all. You breathed quickly as you stood to remove it, your ankle sending a sharp pain as a warning. “Let me.” Kun reached over and pulled the robe over your head. He cleansed your body with the cloth and bowl of liquid that was a crystal blue colour.

When he was happy that you were clean, he put some kind of lotion onto your various cuts, and bandages on the few deeper ones. Next he wrapped your ankle securely, and finally gave you a new robe to wear. “You won’t be able to walk on that for at least 3 days.” He told you firmly, leaving no room for argument. “I will take you back to your dwelling, I made the three leave me to care for you so that we wouldn’t be interrupted. Before you go though, I’d like you to try the, solution we came up with.” You blushed as he called for Jungwoo who came in with a warm smile and a cup of the purple cum. He handed it to you, and then stood back with Kun. You took a deep breath and took a sip of it.

It was thick, and smooth. Not at all like human cum, not sweet either though, it was hard to describe, but it actually tasted… good? You finished the rest and tried not to think of it’s source, but curiosity got the better of you. “Uhm, whose, uh, whose is this?” You stuttered out,feeling your face heat up. “Taeyong.” Kun answered evenly, taking your cup and handing it back to Jungwoo before picking you up and heading to the door. He placed you on his hip, like a mother would carry her infant, supporting your back with one arm and golding the ladder with the other. You mused to yourself that he was much stronger than he looked, you felt secure in his hold.

You were nervous as he carried you to your ‘home’, afraid of what they would say to you. What if they were angry? Or if they hated you? Why do you care if they did or not? Your heart started to beat faster as Kun climbed up the ladder. Taking a deep breath before he entered the room, with you situated in his arms.

[tazscapes-blog]

Things To Know About Landscaping

Many have heard the term “landscaping” but not everyone fully understands all the details that go behind actually landscaping a Calgary yard.

Often times, the first thing that comes to someone’s head is tree and shrub planting with pretty green grass.

While this is true, Calgary Landscaping is more than just planting a garden bed.

Real landscape architecture is so much more than that.

I always try to stress that it’s not just about building a patio or a deck for someone’s backyard. There is a much deeper meaning to proper exterior design and construction.

Like anything, landscaping in Calgary is a discipline in constant fluctuation, redefining its role with and relationship to similar disciplines of thought.

Over the last few decades, it has become quite apparent that residential landscaping has emerged as a field for enhanced user experiences.

Landscaping ideas in detailed landscape designs have gone further for residential markets than ever before. I mean, really, a putting green, a beach, a kitchen and a fireplace to name a few, in your very backyard? Wow.

Calgary landscaping as a whole has emerged as a reaction to the changing world; and for outdoor living to contribute anything of value to the future of residential inhabitants, it needs to be contextualized within the larger framework of which it is a part of.

In this article, I want to break down, in detail, the different facets of landscaping in Calgary by talking about the 5 Ws: what, who, why, where and when.

By doing this, I will hopefully be able to illustrate the different elements that we as creative landscaper North Brisbane involve ourselves in.

Landscaping is quite simply the manipulation, addition or subtraction of the land to acquire a specific form and function, in terms of outdoor living and space usability.

All of which is often by a commercial or residential landscaping services company.

This can be done through different “types” of landscaping: hardscaping, softscaping and/or a variety of different Outdoor features.

Check out this Pictograph below to get an idea of the different types of landscaping:

Hardscaping includes decks, patios, retaining walls and concrete. Often times, companies in Calgary will make this the focal point of your backyard.

Softscaping includes trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, sod and groundcover such as bark mulch and/or decorative rock.

Outdoor features are usually the ‘icing on the cake’, and that can include outdoor kitchens, concrete curbing, artificial grass, outdoor water features and/or landscape lighting – all to achieve a particular look and feel for your space.

By manipulating the existing terrain of the land in conjunction with the elements mentioned above, we as Calgary landscaping experts are hoping to achieve the desired look and feel to your front or backyard.

By realizing fully what these features can do for your yard, you have to understand that there is a more complex process occurring in our mind.

There is a growing body of literature that demonstrates the importance of the exterior environment – the landscape – to people’s social and cognitive development.

Interaction with nature is something that is often overlooked in this age of social media, television and of course: the internet.

By investing in the outdoor environment for your yard, you’re investing in yourself, and your family’s well-being. That patio or deck that you are having installed is more than just a place to eat – it’s a place to release the inner tensions and stresses and take in the fresh natural surroundings of this beautiful city we live in, called Calgary, Alberta.

So what is landscaping? The question rather ought to be: what should landscaping be?

And the answer should be a detailed plan and execution of outdoor living spaces and/or elements so to achieve particular environmental, ecological and/or social utopias in the most thoroughly aesthetic way for a given area.

There are many qualified and professional landscaping companies in Calgary that provide their clients with amazing residential landscaping services, but let’s dive deep into answering the question of “what do landscapers do?”

Landscape designers and Calgary landscape contractors are often company owners that either do the job themselves or employ people (whether in-house or through sub-contracting) that have expertise in the different facets of landscaping; such as site grading, hardscape installations, gardening or simply designing – ie. Coming up with awesome ideas.

Landscape designers, in general, have been steadily bringing about new concepts and possibilities for the role of outdoor living environments, where landscape as a ‘visual image’ is substituted by spatial and sequential forms, thus allowing for innovative ways of seeing, describing and experiencing the natural environment.

By doing this, the best landscape designers and contractors are accentuating performance and event over appearance – which in turn, transforms the visual perspective in which it is constructed; ie. Appearance.

It’s a beautiful paradox when landscaping contractors know what they are doing from a construction standpoint but are unable to demonstrate their skill-set in a thought out profound manner.

You will see this in ten-folds when you look at various neighbourhoods in this city.

Why do we need quality landscaping in Calgary?

Landscaping in Calgary is important for two main reasons: aesthetics and functionality.

If you’ve ever been to a yard that has weeds growing everywhere, garbage and debris complied and dead plant material or worn out decks – you know why aesthetics matter.

It’s always a good idea to invest in your residential landscaping for many reasons, the two most being increased property value and the second: built-in first impressions when people approach or pass your home.

More and more today, people are valuing outdoor living in hopes to capture a glimpse of their natural surrounding because by making your backyard aesthetically pleasing, you are enticing yourself to go outside and soak in that natural environment.

Functionality also plays an important role. Usable space becomes the sole purpose of your outdoor experience and enjoyment. After all, what good is a pretty picture from your kitchen window if it’s not giving you a reason to go outside and experience it every day?

This understanding of landscaping as part of a larger, operative system in Calgary is imperative. The concept of landscaping as a process – dynamic and operational (or functional) versus Calgary landscaping as a set of elemental scenes connected together – is why we need more quality landscaping projects in our city.

By understanding the impact of outdoor living, you can gain a sense of why we need quality landscaping in our city.

Where does quality residential landscaping happen?

Landscaping happens everywhere. Look outside.

From a small front yard to a large stadium complex, landscaping in Calgary happens in large commercial settings and in the smallest residential locales.

It is the glue that brings our architectural world together.

It occurs in macro scales of city planning and urbanism to a Calgary resident’s garden bed; therefore, by seeing landscaping theory in action, we are able to pay closer attention to how landscaping companies are connecting us to our homes and more importantly, how they are bringing value to what already exists around us.

One way to know where quality workmanship is occurring is going online and looking at Calgary landscaping company reviews. By looking at company reviews and testimonials, you can gain a strong understanding of client experiences.

Don’t just look for quantitative reviews. Look for qualitative reviews and testimonials – this will tell you which company or contractor is providing an in-depth analysis of landscaping projects.

When to know it’s time to be hiring a landscaper?

If you’ve bought a new home in Calgary, chances are that you are in need of a landscape contractor to come and give you professional advice for space.

If you have an existing home and don’t like what you see when you look at your backyard or front yard, you need to think about investing in improving the yard.

If you can’t go outside to enjoy your yard, or worse, unable to because of land issues such as drainage problems or because of a steep slope; it’s in your best interest to call a qualified landscape designer to come and help you with proposing landscape design ideas for your Calgary yard.

But more than just looking at your yard, look within yourself and at your natural surroundings.

How can you enhance your quality of living when you have an outdoor space filled with potential?

In Calgary, we have to take advantage of the small summer season and really seek to spend that short time outside to reap the benefits Mother Nature provides.

Your project doesn’t have to be an extravagant yard with a hefty price tag. There are some amazing affordable landscaping solutions for front yards and backyards.

In fact, I often maintain to certain clients with certain yards that they don’t need the elements they may think they need, but rather, given the space/scale and the situation for each of my clients; the job often calls for something very simple and subtle – and at rare times: nothing at all.

To get this honest opinion when you know you need work on your property, you have to contact the right company to come and take a look and give you professional advice.

Final thoughts on quality Calgary landscaping

To get the best value for your dollar, you need an artist to design and construct your project – things change on site, its normal – but if you have a knowledgeable landscaper working on your project you know they will make the best decision on site for your yard.

Much of landscape design and landscape construction resides in its claim to dissolve the boundaries between architecture, land formation and the escape from everyday life.

Without this, landscaping companies cannot continue to push boundaries in residential landscaping and innovate creative escapes for its inhabitants that bring peace and tranquillity to their already busy lives.

Demand perfection from your landscape contractor.

Demand artistic intelligence and careful planning from your landscape designer.

By doing this, you are ensuring that the money you spend on your backyard escape is of immense value; thus reinforcing the fact that your biggest investment – your Calgary home – has deep intrinsic property value.

Calgary landscaping has come a long way and will continue to grow.

[thecoroutfitters]

You are convinced that it could never happen to you, don’t you? But there is no escaping the fact that you might be stuck out in the wilderness at night.

If you have no experience with camping, or have spent little time in the woods, this can be a frightening and dangerous experience.

Even if you are completely alone, knowing how to do these ten things can keep you safe and in good condition.

If you ever have to survive some sort of disaster and decide to stay in a wooded area, you will be much closer to being able to stay in this setting for weeks, or even months if needed.

Be Mentally and Emotionally Prepared

You emotional and mental preparedness for surviving in the wild should start before you find yourself in the woods and have to face the experience.

Remember, nature is not your enemy. The woods and its inhabitants usually kill or maim only in the course of trying to survive, defend themselves from predators, and raise their young. As long as you do not interfere, you can live comfortably in the woods regardless of the time of day.

If you are reading this and know nothing of living in or traveling through the wilderness, start learning from now. Read articles, go camping with experienced groups of people, and do all you can to gather factual and accurate information on how to live in the woods and understand its inhabitants.

The more you know about living in these conditions, the less you will fear them. The less fear you have, the easier it will be to go about taking care of basic needs if you must stay in a wilderness setting at night.

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

Maintain Appropriate Body Temperature

As with any other place, temperatures are apt to drop at night. If you did not bring extra clothing, or the right kinds of clothes, you will need to find some other way to keep warm. Here are a few things that can save you:

Plastic Bags

Always keep a construction grade plastic bag with you, it will be large enough to line with leaves or other insulating material to sleep in.

Remember to leave some room open even around your body so that sweat evaporates properly and air continues to circulate around your skin. In extreme cold temperatures, moisture near your skin can cause your core temperature to drop to dangerous levels.

Build a Fire

Learn how to build a fire safely and effectively, including how to build a fire in the rain. Pack a tea light, and remember to search for pine cones. Both will make excellent tinder material.

Don’t forget to bring along a fire starter such as waterproof matches or some other type of fire starter that you feel comfortable with.

Cover Yourself with Leaves

As long as the leaves aren’t damp and are free of bugs, mold, and mildew, they will keep you warmer than not covering with anything at all.

Find and Purify Water to Stay Hydrated

Maybe you aren’t lost, and still expect to arrive back in a populated area in a few hours. Even though you may not think much about water, it is still need it on hand and to stay hydrated all the time.

When you are stressed out, engaging in more intense physical activities, or dealing with increased temperature changes, your body will release more sweat, and also use more water for other vital processes.

So you need clean water on hand and use it when you are trying to survive in the wilderness especially if overnight. Ideally, you should be able to purify at least ½ to one gallon of water for your overnight needs.

Here are some things you can keep with you as well as skills to develop:

Know how to capture water from leaves, earth, and rainfall.

Keep a long tube sock, bone char, some sand, and activated carbon in your travel gear at all times. You can use them to make a filter to remove chemical contaminants and debris from the water. It is also important to have some kind of vessel to boil the water in so that you can kill off any pathogens that may be in the water.

There are also filtering water straws available that come with a complete water cleaning system. Just make sure you drink through the straws, and you will have clean water.

Carry water purifying tablets. Be sure to always know the limitations of these tablets so that you can use other systems if needed.

Learn how to make charcoal and bone char.

Contrary to popular belief, boiling water alone will not produce clean water. It will only concentrate heavy metals and other poisons, making the water more dangerous to drink. If you are concerned about removing pathogens from the water, it is better to put the water in a clear plastic bottle and let it sit in the sun for a few hours. UV from the sun will kill the pathogens without causing water to evaporate.

Obtain Food

You might be too stressed to eat, but it have to know how to get food in the wilderness during the night hours. Since many animals are more active at night, you can try hunting them, or set traps.

If you happen to be near a pond, you can set traps for fish, or try to hunt for frogs.

When hunting at night, always be aware that the animals you are hunting may also be prey for another animal in the woods. That animal, in turn, may decide you are competition and hunt you instead.

Before you go into any wilderness setting, always know how the local food chain works so that you can steer clear of predators and still take the game you need for survival.

As with any other time of day, lichens, moss, berries, and fruit will still be available. Learn the Universal edibility test, and practice using it so that you can avoid being poisoned.

If you decide to carry food with you, choose high calorie items that do not require heating. You can also bring along a few ready to eat meals that come with warming packets if you want a more complete meal. Even if you only have enough packets to last for two or three days, it will be enough until you are able to gather food on your own.

Shelter From Storms, Wind, and Other Bad Weather

Aside from being colder, you may also wind up dealing with rain, wind, or other weather elements that you will not want to be out in.

As long as you have a knife (or a sharp edge on a rock) branches, vines (or long stemmed plants), leaves available you can make a shelter that will keep you dry and warm.

Here are some other things you can try:

Look for a Cave

Caves offer plenty of protection, however they are also likely to be dens for bats, bears, and other animals that won’t want you spending the night with them.

If you do decide to spend the night in a cave, make sure you check all passages and all areas of the cave to make sure you aren’t taking up space in another animal’s territory. This includes snakes, spiders, and other animals that can hide easily under rocks and in shaded areas that you might overlook.

Dig a Hole in the Ground

Dig a small hole or depression in the ground, and then put leaves over it. Try to build up the sides a bit to prevent rain from flowing in. This makeshift shelter will not last more than a few hours, but it will get you through the night.

Tree Trunk Protection

Look for a hollow in a tree trunk, or at the base of an uprooted tree. These areas will shelter you from the wind and rain, depending on the direction it is coming from.

As with caves, make sure there are no animals and insects already living there that might cause you problems. In this case, you would be looking for squirrels, raccoon, snakes, and biting insects known to live in or near rotting wood or in tree trunks.

Discourage Predatory Animals and Prevent Insect Bites

For the most part, if you know how to build a fire and can keep it going through the night, predatory animals will stay away from you.

On the other side the equation, many insects are drawn to light, and will gravitate to the fire. You will need to experiment to find the best distance from the fire to avoid falling outside its light, be close enough to stay warm, and still not be swarmed by insects (that will be killed off eventually by the flames).

Insofar as discouraging predatory animals, you will need to know which ones are usually in the area, and also how best to deter them if they appear. Some animals may run away if you yell, while others may decide to attack. A good understanding of animal psychology is essential.

In order to prevent insect bites at night, your best option will be to wear long sleeved shirts and pants. Make sure that all cuffs are sealed off with rubber bands and that the hems of your pants are also tucked into your socks.

To protect your face and neck from insect bites, take a wide brimmed hat and attach some fine webbed fabric over it. Let the fabric drape down to just below your neck, and then make sure it seals to your shirt. Do not put the fabric too close to your face or neck, or the insects will just find a way to bite through it.

Manage Hygiene and Sanitation

Even though you can washing your hands and face with wet wipes, it never hurts to carry a small bar of lye soap and some towels with you.

In particular, if you are spending the night in the woods because of a nuclear disaster, you will need the lye soap for washing off any dust or debris from your skin.

Managing sanitation is also very important because predators can find your urine and stool even if you bury them. Make sure you stay away from areas where water and food are likely to be found, as predators will check there first for prey.

Take Care of Routine and Emergency Medical Needs

Even if you don’t have any injuries, or don’t feel sick, it is still important to know what to do and have some tools on hand. Here are some things you should carry and skills you should learn:

know the signs of food poisoning or allergy. Keep Benadryl with you and an epi pen. If you suspect you ate something poisonous, make sure you know how to vomit it back out if it is still in your stomach, or use activated charcoal to try and absorb it and move it out of your system.

Always know how to make a tourniquet, splints, and wraps for joint support.

Keep essential oils, herbs, and at least a week’s supply of any medications you may be taking onhand. It also never hurts to know what plants in the woods might be useful for taking the place of your medications if the need arises.

Know how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself, just in case you are alone and swallow something the wrong way.

Understand water safety and know how to build a flotation device so that you don’t wind up drowning.

Be Able to Signal for Help

If you were traveling, got lost, and left travel plans, there is a chance searchers will be looking for you. Depending on the weather conditions, rescuers may or may not try to look for you at night. If you built a fire (use a triangle shape), knowing how to create a smoke signal may be of some help.

In addition, if you happen to hear a random chopper overhead, you can try to get their attention with the fire, a flashlight, red laser, or flares if you have them.

Remain Concealed if Needed

During a state of emergency or some kind of major social disruption, you may decide that you’d prefer to avoid the attention of rioters or anyone else that could hurt you. Under these circumstances, building a fire for any reasons is not likely to be an option.

By the same token, sheltering on the ground is also apt to be a problem. Try concealing yourself in a tree or some other location where people aren’t likely to look. If you must stay on the ground, make it a point to cover yourself with leaves or stay in a bunch of brambles so that you are harder to see.

Here are some other things to consider:

know how to stay perfectly quiet. People pursuing you may have dogs or other tracking animals trained to pick up on even the slightest sound that you make.

Tracking animals can also pick up on your scent. Never pick a place to rest near where you have buried waste, eaten, or carried out some other task.

Learn how to use backtracks and other tricks to ensure an animal following your scent cannot pick up your trail.

People tracking you may also use thermal profile systems or metal finders to locate you and anything you are carrying. It is very important to know how to break up your thermal profile. Try to avoid lumping all metal objects together in your camping gear, or carry as few metallic objects as possible to keep avoid being detected.

Much of surviving in the wilderness at night is about common sense. You will still need some basic tools such as a knife, fire starting gear, heavy plastic bags, and drinking water bottles to make things a bit easier.

As with anything else, even if you start off with a few tools that you know how to use, and then build on your skill and knowledge levels, it will be easier to spend a night in the wilderness, and come to enjoy the experience as many hikers and campers do.

This article has been written by Carmela Tyrell for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

[vizkopa]

Celestial (FallenAngel!Doflamingo x Reader) CHAPTER 5

Chapter 5: The Human Stain ~

You woke that night to the sound of the television blaring downstairs. Sitting up in bed and rubbing your eyes, it took you a moment for your sleep-addled thoughts to catch up and remember you weren’t alone in the house. It had taken you ten years to forget the sound of your father’s footsteps in the halls, of pots banging in the kitchen and the smell of your mother’s pancakes enticing you awake. The sound of late night sitcoms humming in the background while your parents chatted in the living room used to soothe you to sleep, but now the harsh TV audio only unnerved you. Having company again after so long was going to take some getting used to. Grumbling to yourself, you clambered out of bed and made your way downstairs, stopping at the landing to let your eyes adjust to the flickering blue light.

Doffy was seated on the couch, leaning forward as he watched the screen with elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded neatly under his chin. His face was cold and impassive. He hadn’t noticed you yet, eyes forward and fixed on whatever he was watching. From the sounds of it, he had found a news station. You sighed, trudging down the remainder of the stairs to announce your arrival. “For the love of God, Doffy, it’s four o’clock in the morning. Go back to sleep.” He didn’t look up or make any acknowledgement that he had even heard you. You hovered closer. “Doffy?” You almost jumped when he finally spoke. “I do not understand it,” he said, lip curling in disgust at the images flitting across the screen. “Care to elaborate?” He turned to you then, eyes searching for something. “Through all your mistakes, all your faults, you were always Father’s favourite. What does he see in you?” It took you a moment to realise he wasn’t talking about you specifically. You shrugged. “Humans may not be perfect, but we have our moments.” He was silent for a long time “My kind were designed to be the perfect beings—beautiful and terrible and, above all, obedient. And instead Father chose a flawed creation to rule over the Earth.” He gestured to the television. “War, crime, greed, pollution—humans have been left to their own devices for far too long. Your world is corrupted by the stain of your existence. You are destroying yourselves and the planet you inhabit.” “We only do the best we can,” you said quietly. Your eyes turned to the screen, banners scrolling by describing countless atrocities. It had been ten years since you had watched the news. “Trust me, I know better than anyone how awful humans can be. But there is good in this world, you just have to look for it.” “I have been searching for ten thousand years and I still have yet to find any evidence of that.” “Then you haven’t been looking in the right places.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned back to the screen. “You were never meant to become what you are. When the first humans walked the Earth, Father never expected them to rebel, to take the fruit from the Forbidden Tree. I was there that day; I stood witness to His fury.” “You were the one who cast Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, right?” He nodded. “It was less than they deserved,” he snarled. “But Father always had a soft spot for your kind. His pride and joy—He could not bring himself to destroy you, even when my brothers and I urged Him to do so. Instead, He decided to experiment with your newfound knowledge, and with every test He threw your way, you continued to surprise Him. Then, two thousand years ago, He stepped back entirely, granted you free reign over the Earth. And the wound festered.” He turned to you again, a wild glint in his eyes. “How does it feel to know your God has abandoned you?” “Until a few days ago, I didn’t even believe He existed, so…” “But does it not anger you that you are little more than an experiment? That you are just entertainment to Him? He could end world hunger, eliminate disease, stop war in its tracks and yet He refuses to even lift a finger. All because He is so curious to see what you humans will do next. Your fumbling struggle for survival delights and amuses Him.” You searched his face in the dim light. His eyes were so blue they were almost luminous in the darkness. They reminded you of glaciers—cold and unforgiving. “Why are you telling me all of this?” Then realisation dawned on you. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me. You’re jealous.” “What did you say?” “Humans may be flawed, but we have something you’ve never known: free will. You want that. Or else you wouldn’t be here right now.” You didn’t even see him rise from the couch before he was in front of you, expression livid. “You do not know of what you speak, little girl,” he hissed. “I would sooner die than become like you.” You stood your ground, despite the panic alarms sounding in your brain at his proximity. Too late, you realised you had left your pistol upstairs. “I’m right, aren’t I?” you scoffed. “Daddy’s picking favourites and you’re jealous of baby bro who gets all the praise and attention, always forgiven no matter how many times he screws up. You spent so long trying to be the perfect son—obedient, loyal. And for what? Second place?” You were cut off when his fist collided with the wall beside your head and you felt loose plaster trickle down onto your shoulder. You dared not break eye contact to examine the damage. You were far more afraid for your own life than you were for your wall. That could have just as easily have been your face. He leaned in close, the tip of his nose barely centimetres from your own and there was nowhere to look but into those blue eyes burning with malice. “Understand this,” he said, annunciating every word. “You are dirt. I am made in the image of God himself. You are nothing compared to me.” You looked back at him calmly, though you could feel your heart pounding painfully against your ribs. “And yet here you are,” you said coldly. “Amongst the dirt and the worms and the filth of humanity. Best get comfortable, Doffy. Looks like you might be here a while.” He glared at you, teeth clenched so tightly you were afraid they might shatter under the force. A vein throbbed in his forehead. You had gone too far. He stepped closer, your back now pressed against the wall and the heat of his body almost flush with your own. “Do I need to teach you your place?” he hissed. Your composure slipped and the smallest whimper escaped your throat. Your knees grew weak and hot tears prickled at the corners of your eyes. This was where you died. All because you couldn’t keep your stupid mouth shut. But instead of wrapping those long, deadly fingers around your throat, he grinned wide—wicked, maniacal. Demonic. “There it is. The fear. Not so brave without your little peashooter, are you?” How did he know? “Now you understand. You are nothing. You’re not even worth killing.” And with that he stepped away and disappeared down the hall, slamming the door behind him. You didn’t breathe for the longest time. Then finally, when the edges of you vision began to swim and fade to black, you took one great shuddering breath and dropped to your knees on the floor, no longer able to hold yourself upright. You cried silently, tears of anger, of relief. You cursed your own stupidity. And suddenly you wished you had gone on that date with Law the night of the meteor shower. That you had never been there to see the comet fall from the sky, to see the man lying in that crater. A million questions still burned to be answered, but for the first time in your life, you found yourself pushing them away. You didn’t want to know. You didn’t want to be part of this world anymore. The sun was beginning to peek over the edge of the horizon when you finally composed yourself enough to return to your bed, but sleep remained elusive. All you could do was lie wide awake as morning broke, staring at the ceiling and clutching your handgun tightly to your chest. Doffy, despite spilling his guts to you in the early morning hours, was back to his quiet, stoic self once the sun rose and you yourself were more subdued than usual. You found yourself stiffening unconsciously every time he entered the same room and would only relax again once he was gone. He seemed to notice your uneasiness around him—you caught a few hidden smirks in your direction throughout the day, but you refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing you break again. You continued with your schoolwork as usual, albeit more warily and never without the handgun far from your reach. As the morning slowly gave way to afternoon and the day grew warmer, you were beginning to feel restless under his smug scrutiny. You needed to get out of the house. And never come back, you thought to yourself. Oh, how easy it would be to just run and leave it all behind. But you were afraid of what the angel might do if he were left to his own devices. You bit your lip. There was clearly no love lost between him and humans. You didn’t need that kind of weight on your conscious should he act on his hatred in your absence. Your thoughts were interrupted by a loud ping from your phone and you jumped violently. It was a text from Nami. Don’t forget about your date with Law tomorrow night! ;D It pinged again as she sent a follow up. You owe me BIG TIME btw. You groaned inwardly. You had forgotten about the date. How were you supposed to enjoy yourself when all you would be able to think about was the overgrown cherub wreaking havoc in your house while you were away? You briefly entertained the thought of asking Nami to babysit but discarded it quickly. You weren’t sure who would be more dangerous in that situation—the homicidal angel or the red-headed force of nature. No, it was best those two were never put in a room together. You would just have to trust that Doffy would stay put. He was waiting for a messenger after all, he wasn’t stupid enough to leave the only place they knew where to find him. It was either that, or take him along as a third wheel. You snorted as you imagined the look on Law’s face. But the impending date brought up another worry besides what to do with your errant angel: what the hell were you going to wear?! Romance had been the absolute last thing on your mind before Law showed up. You estimated it had been a good four years since you last let someone take you out for dinner and you had the sneaking suspicion the contents of your closet was now severely out-dated. Not only in terms of what was considered fashionable these days, but in dress size as well. You sighed. There was no way around it. You would have to make a trip into town. But what about… You peered over your book at the angel that was now rooting around in your refrigerator for leftovers. He never told you when he was hungry, oh no, that would mean he would be relying on you to feed him and we couldn’t have that. You rolled your eyes. He really was just a seven-foot-tall child with anger issues. No harm in bringing him along with you, surely. He wouldn’t dare start something when his very place in heaven was at stake, right? “Doffy.” He didn’t reply. He never did, but you knew he was listening by the way the muscles in his jaw tightened in annoyance. “I have to go into town to pick up some things. Do you want to come?” You received no reply, no gesture of acknowledgment. You had gotten used to the silent treatment so it came as no surprise, but it still stung. Shutting your book perhaps a little more harshly than you meant to, you stood up, the chair grating noisily against the tiled floor. “Fine. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” But just as you were putting the keys in the ignition, the sound of the passenger side door opened, startling you to drop your keys down the side of the seat. You glared up at Doffy, who simply ignored you in favour of opening and shutting the air conditioner vents over and over. You rolled your eyes. “Next time, use your words if you want to come with.” No response. Of course. Grumbling to yourself, you dug out your keys from under the seat and started the engine. “Put your seatbelt on. If we get pulled over by the cops, I can’t guarantee I won’t just hand you over to them to get you out of my hair.” Wouldn’t that be nice. Once you were sure he was all buckled in (a concept that took some convincing on your part because “how dare you restrain an Angel of the Lord in such a way!”), you backed slowly out of the driveway and you were on your way. You couldn’t deny you were anxious—hands a little too tight on the wheel, foot a little too heavy on the accelerator. Starfall wasn’t exactly a small town, but it wasn’t very big either, and word travelled fast. The last thing you needed right now were rumours spreading about you and your… whatever Doffy was to you. “Cousin from out of town” was bound to satisfy only the truly apathetic. The drive was silent, Doffy staring blankly out the window and you tapping your fingers mindlessly against the steering wheel, partly in irritation and partly to the almost inaudible beat from the radio you had turned on low just to ease the heaviness between the two of you. You had tried and failed to make light conversation, but after the night before, the angel refused to respond to your prodding, even when you began to lose your patience with him. “Would it kill you stop pretending I don’t exist for just a second!?” you snapped. Silence. Apparently, it would. “And here I thought you loved hearing the sound your own voice,” you muttered under your breath. You gave up on the small talk rather quickly after that. You pulled into the mall carpark and shut off the engine. “Wait here,” you said to Doffy as you gathered your purse and phone. “I won’t be long.” But as you shut the car door behind you, you heard the sound echo from the other side of the car. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. “Or you could follow me in like a lost puppy, that’s fine too,” you muttered through your teeth. So with the fallen angel trailing behind you, you went about your shopping trip, trying to ignore the numerous pairs of eyes all turned in your direction. Well, it wasn’t necessarily you they were looking at. And you couldn’t quite blame them—Doffy was quite a sight in his unbuttoned shirt and ill-fitting trousers. The abs and the smouldering gaze probably did nothing to help matters either. You tried not to think about the fact he wasn’t wearing any shoes because none you could find came anywhere close to fitting his monstrous feet. Ducking into the first clothing store you could find, you breathed a sigh of relief as the prickling on the back of your neck subsided. Doffy lurked over your shoulder, completely oblivious to the scene he had just caused. “Why are we here?” he hissed. “Hey, you wanted to come. I have a date tomorrow, I need a new dress.” The look on his face told you that he knew he had made a mistake by insisting on coming, but was too proud to admit it. This was becoming a theme with him. “You could have stayed in the car,” you offered. “And sit quiet and oblivious as you sell me out to my enemies? I think not.” “I’m not going to—! You know what, sure. Fine. Go sit over there while I try on some dresses.” Doffy seemed strangely fascinated by the ritual of picking out a dress. His eyes followed you across the floor as you selected a gown, then followed you back again as you entered the dressing room to change. Then lingered on you as you emerged to show off your twirl to the sales assistant. You could feel his heavy gaze on you, but you refused to meet it. To be looked on with contempt was not what your self-esteem needed right now. What you needed was the gorgeous gown you had just slipped on. You turned this way and that in the mirror behind the curtain, chewing your lip. It was sexy, elegant, it hugged your form in all the right ways. You nodded to yourself and pulled back the curtain, stepping out onto the shop floor. “Perfect!” cried the assistant, but for some reason it was not her approval you sought. Finally, you met the piercing blue star from across the room and you stopped. For the first time since you had met him, you saw something more than just disgust in those impossible blue eyes. It was something akin to awe, to admiration, with just a hint of confusion. And then all in an instant it was gone, replaced with the usual contempt and perhaps a touch of anger. Smiling slightly, you turned back to the shop assistant. “I’ll take it,” you said. As you left, you practically had to drag Doffy away from a woman who had set her sights on him. She had her claws in him—literally, her perfectly French-manicured nails creasing the fabric of his sleeve—and though he tried to look disinterested, she refused to take no for an answer. “Did it hurt?” she had asked as she fluttered her impossibly long eyelashes up at him. “Did what hurt?” he had replied, suspicious. “When you fell from Heaven, Hon.” “Considering the fall left me unconscious for two days, I did not have the opportunity to feel pain—” “Okay, Doffy, time to go!” you interrupted, smiling apologetically at the woman as you pushed him out the door. “He’s European,” you told her, hastily. “His English isn’t perfect.” “She knew,” he hissed in your ear as the two of you made you way back to the car. “You told me no one would know.” You laughed. “Oh, no, she was just trying to pick you up.” Doffy only stared at you blankly. “She thought you were hot.” Another blank stare. “She was sexually attracted to you.” That got a reaction. He made a face then fell into deep and silent thought as he tried to grasp the concept. The drive home was just as quiet as the ride over. You didn’t even bother turning on the radio, but hummed to yourself instead. You weren’t sure what had brought on your good mood—Doffy hadn’t treated you any differently since leaving the store—but for some reason you felt as if you had accomplished something, proven something. What though, you couldn’t say. And as you pulled into your driveway, suddenly you felt at peace with your situation. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but it could be worse. You could be dead. All those thoughts went straight out the window the second you stepped into your kitchen. A man stood at its centre, his hulking presence almost reaching the high ceiling. He turned to you, his face split in a wide smile, and spoke, though you did not see his lips move once. “A human, Dophiel? Well, this is certainly a turn of events.”

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 6

[chinkondamoon-blog]

South Korea Report

There are many readily available blogs, youtube videos, articles, and other social media influencers you can research prior to your sojourn to South Korea. I plan to supersede all of that wealth of knowledge because as much as it is helpful, it may also be a lot to take in. With the research I have done for this final report. I plan on taking you through the geography and history of South Korea to the food, language, and everyday life. I aim to bring out the important facts that may help you better acclimate yourself into your new home for the next several months.

First off, let’s introduce to you where you will be geographically located in the world and what that may mean for your livelihood. You are located on a peninsula surrounded by water on all fronts, with a familiar neighbor to the north. China, Russia, and Japan are close neighbors past the seas but culturally related countries include Mongolia, Taiwan, and even Vietnam. When taking a closer look at the geography, you will notice you will most likely spend your free time in Seoul. The capital of South Korea offers many forms of entertainment as it inhabits the more iconic cities for college students and young adults alike. There is Hongdae which inhabits several neighboring universities, Itaewon which is known as the foreigner’s mecca, or Busan for their fresh seafood and refreshing scenery. There is another city that is embodied as an island off the southern coast of South Korea and is known as Korea’s little Hawaii.

The most important historical moments in South Korea revolve around industrializations and revolutions. Events such as the invention of the official South Korean language during the 15th century attribute to the rapid developing society. King Sejong invented the language in order to connect his people closer as the literacy gap was far too wide. The language was invented purely to be taught and learned very quickly and on any skill level. As another form of industrialization, the capital of South Korea became the first city in all of East Asia to have electricity, streetcars, running water, and a telephone system in the summer of 1904. Then a few years later, Japan reattempted and succeeded in invading South Korea on August 22, 1910. They immediately began their rule by changing the name of the capital to Keijo, forced their language onto the Koreans until they “dreamt in Japanese,” used their men as war fodder, and forced their women into sex slavery for the Japanese soldiers. This 35 year long oppression was ended with the aid of the US troops who liberated South Korea at the end of the second World War.

As if the world could’ve used more peace after South Korea’s liberation, their northern half invaded Seoul once again in 1950 which sparked the Korean War. After 3 long years and 2.5 million lives lost in the war, South Korea was put on a downward trajectory of extreme experiences of homelessness, poverty, and starvation. It took the entire country a few decades to revitalize their youth and clean up all of the mess their past had left them. Ever since this last war, South Korea had been rapidly developing into the first world country it is known as today. With leading industries in car manufacturing, electronics, textiles, and more within the last few decades of industrialization.

With the industrialization movement thriving in South Korea, it had opened many doors from all over the world. This influx of worldly interest brought an emphasis on the English language in South Korea. While most speak the native tongue, a whopping 58% can also speak English and the next minority percentage able to speak Chinese. You will most likely run into someone who will help you with directions, recommendations, entertainment, etc. as you journey further into South Korea’s culture. That speaks on the everyday life you will most likely experience as a student or a young adult sojourning to South Korea. South Koreans are known for their polite demeanor due to their native language containing many implicit emphasis on politeness.

Several norms to consider when travelling to South Korea include the immense drinking culture, body language, personal space, and patriotism. These norms, like their language, are ingrained into each individual from birth and therefore should be met with a level of respect and consideration. South Korea is a very crowded country as they are required to build up rather than wide due to the size of their geography. Early train rides during rush hour or the midday food and shopping crawls at the many available shopping districts will introduce you to the crowded nature of South Korea. Do not be intimidated but be aware of your own space and be polite and open to share it at times of crowded commutes. It is often normal to see same sex friends holding hands and embracing each other within both genders and will often be noticed when you express anything beyond that in public. Body language helps to express your consideration immediately as a 90 degree bow is a traditional greeting towards any stranger as a show of respect. There are many festivals that celebrate South Korea’s positive pasts and future events. They are as open for foreigners to join as they are celebrating themselves, so do not be afraid to attend any upcoming events during your sojourn.

For the most important part of your sojourn to South Korea, I would encourage you to arrive with an open mind on the deep flavors that originated within Korea. As Korea has been through a lot of war-ridden outcomes, their cuisine evolved from picking any and everything from the streets, wilderness, and the sturdiest of crops that could withstand any climate year round. Their ancestors could not afford to be picky and instead gave intense effort to learn how to create resilient foods that also tasted good any time of the year. This helped to move along their cuisine in the realm of fermentation and mixing dishes. The most prominent dish in South Korea has to be spicy fermented cabbage, also known as kimchi. There are deep rooted cultural flavors even within South Korea alone, that differ from province to province. The world has been acknowledging South Korea’s cuisine more and more over the past decade due to their healthy diets that helps balance out the intense smoking and drinking culture in South Korea. The health benefits from the probiotics and healthy microbial nutrients that only exist in fermented foods are being sworn by health science and fitness experts.

There is seemingly a lot more you can learn from this small country on the tip of it’s peninsula but the information provided above will help give you a good idea of where the people of South Korea came from. You may begin to understand why they are known to be jovial people with great taste in tech, fashion, and cuisine. While I recommend you look further into your own research, this is where I will end my report. I believe if you have left reading my report with an insight on the history that created an export giant recognized by the world, an understanding of the societal norms that encourage foreigners to visit, or even a newly sparked craving for Korean cuisine. Then I would be proud to say that this was a successful report in potentially adding South Korea on your next sojourning trip.