#lemme know if i should tag this with any content warnings | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

yerimacoustic · 9 months ago

Text

𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 ♡ jun x reader

❝ 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙞'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 ❞

summary : you find a sense of familiarity in your sworn rival, jun, while exchanging anonymous letters with a stranger .

content warnings : jun x female reader, regency era au, mostly inspired by you’ve got mail, slow burn, frenemies to lovers, more tags to come . teaser is 1.4k words, full fic tbd.

this is a teaser for a jun bug fic!! read full fic here i’m busy but i was so excited to get this out so i thought i’d post a little sneak peek. it’s probably history inaccurate bc idk shit i’m purely going off vibes

i’m trying to get a tag list going so lemme know if you want in!

the walk to the post office was not tedious by any means. not when the promise of a new response in the form of a handwritten letter prompted you to move quickly and lightly on your feet. it had become a weekly routine, early morning strolls to the post house, as well as an awfully great way to start the week.

the postmaster, otherwise known as your childhood friend, jeonghan, stood completely still behind the main counter with his arms folded across his chest. there was a knowing, mischievous glint in his eyes as he watched you quietly shut the door; he had been expecting you. just like he expected you every monday morning.

it wasn’t long before the brunette pulled a small envelope from the series of shelves behind him, gently dropping it onto the counter between the two of you. “here you go. your gentleman’s love letter awaits.”

“good day to you too, mr. yoon,” you teased him and grabbed the envelope, taking note of the familiar wax seal in the front. a neat scarlet red circle with a lion in the center- the familiar sight always managed to bring a smile to your face.

“hopefully he gives you some more clues as to his identity this week?” he called out to you as he strode across the tiny shop in favor of sweeping the floor. a look of feigned disappointment washed over his features as the sound of the bristles scratching across the floor and the envelope ripping open filled in the silence. “...perhaps not.”

just as your lips parted, the door swung open to reveal jeonghan’s assistant, karina. from the moment her eyes were fixed on yours, a mischievous glint akin to jeonghan’s filled her irises. “i thought i might find you here today. what news from the mysterious suitor?”

you shook your head before gesturing towards jeonghan, “i haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet. someone’s made sure of that.”

the man laughed from across the room, “it was never my attempt to keep you from reading it. i only wish that the two of you would at least give each other some hints as to who you really are.”

karina nodded in understanding before turning her back in favor of hanging her overcoat upon the rack near the entrance. “i hate to level with jeonghan in this case, but i’m curious about this mystery man, as well. have the two of you ever discussed meeting in person?”

“no, not at all. we’ve agreed to stay anonymous,” you explained as your fingers curled around the envelope in an almost protective grip. force of habit. “we know the risks but.. it’s quite refreshing, having someone to talk to without any of the societal pressures.”

before too long, jeonghan had finished tidying up and joined the two of you near the entrance. “i don’t understand. you both are clearly fond of each other..”

“who said anything about-”

“and you have a lot in common,” jeonghan mused, eyebrows raised. “in your next response, you should ask him something personal. ask him about his occupation.”

without skipping a beat, you shook your head in protest. “thank you for your unsolicited advice, jeonghan, but i know everything i need to know about this man. good day, my friends.”

you waved goodbye to the inseparable pair, stepping towards the small door. of course jeonghan, who always had to have the last word, called out to you before you could shut it completely, “except for his true identity!”

his words prompted your lips to twist into a smirk as you finally found the right opportunity to open the letter. as you unfolded the piece of parchment, your smirk slowly dissolved into a genuine smile, finding beautiful familiarity in the cursive penmanship. as you took cautious steps on the beaten path, you read the letter carefully:

‘this weekend i had the pleasure of accompanying my cousins as they vacationed in the countryside. they rent a small cottage near the ocean during the summertime and haven’t bothered to invite me until this year. i wish you could have seen it; it was perfectly quaint and tranquil. we spent all but the entirety of the seventy two hours walking along the beach and hunting for seashells. a bit of a juvenile hobby, i know.

i’m not sure where this inkling comes from, but something tells me you enjoy the oceanside. i bet you keep a collection of shells and pearls hidden somewhere in your home. or perhaps you proudly display them for your visitors to see. next time they permit me to join them near the beach again, remind me to fill this envelope with shells to add to your collection.

i know summer is your favorite holiday, and with that being said, i hope you find enjoyment in the final days of the season. take a stroll along the gardens or picnic with some of your friends.

take some time for yourself, my friend.’

–

jun waited three days for a reply, just as he did every week. he and his anonymous friend had fallen into a pattern of consistency, each of them sending a letter out to the other person once a week. even if he knew he could count on whoever this person was to send a timely response, his nerves got the best of him every time. the potential tone of the response occupied his thoughts at all times, keeping him up at night, keeping him from focusing intently on his work.

this week it reached the point where he had to turn his chair around to face the window, hoping that the sight of the rolling hills and graying sky outside would clear his mind. summer seemed to come to an end as quickly as it had begun, the entire season passing by in the blink of an eye. he counted his blessings, realizing that he was indeed lucky to have at least one holiday during the season. even if it was at the very end..

a knock on the door pulled him out of his trance and he turned his chair back to rest in the proper position, tucked tightly under his desk. “come in,” he called out.

barely a minute had passed before jun’s personal assistant and lifelong friend, wonwoo, closed the door quietly behind him and strode towards his desk with an envelope in hand. “your mystery woman sends her compliments,” he mused, handing the letter to jun.

jun’s eyes went wide. “you mean- you saw her??”

wonwoo shook his head, holding back an amused smirk as he watched the disappointment wash over jun’s features in real time. “no. my apologies.”

jun sighed, “just as well, i suppose. god only knows what chaos would unravel if anyone else in the household saw her.”

wonwoo nodded stiffly, folding his hands behind his back. “right you are. maybe there is practicality in anonymity, after all.”

“still, i can’t help but wonder what she’s really like in person,” jun mused, leaning back in his large leather chair with his chin cupped between his thumb and index finger. “there are so many habits and manners of hers i don’t even know about. she could be.. much lovelier in person.”

the bespectacled man tilted his head, taking a completely different approach, “or she could be ill-favored and poorly mannered.” the quiet statement was enough to pull jun out of his daze, causing him to furrow his eyebrows in annoyance. “my apologies.” he repeated.

“there is no possible way someone who writes so beautifully is as ill favored as you say.” jun disregarded the man in front of him as he began to tear the seal off of the envelope, a silent command for wonwoo to leave him alone. conveniently enough, the door gently slammed shut once jun finally unfolded the small sheet of parchment.

‘i am delighted to hear that you were able to enjoy the last remaining hours of the season with your family. the ocean sounds delightful. your suspicion of my enjoyment of seashells and pearls is a fair assumption, although, i gave up collecting a long time ago. hopefully you invest more stock in your collections than i did.

i’m afraid that i have no plans to take my leave before autumn begins as i’ve been much too busy. i don’t mind keeping an occupied schedule; it takes my mind off things and prevents me from overthinking. especially when i get the pleasure of meeting several people from different walks of life on a daily basis.

i know i say this every week, but it is always a pleasure receiving your letters. sometimes i can’t believe that we met through an anonymous literary discussion group. i’ve received a handful of letters from other attendees, but allow me to say that the discussions are utterly mundane compared to our conversations. it feels like i write to a friend i’ve known for years.

i eagerly await your reply, dear friend.

60 notes · View notes

dontspillthefrijoles43 · 10 months ago

Text

What he thinks vs what she knows (Drabble)

Word count: 2k-ish

Warnings: self image, insecurities, internalize racism, self esteem issues, sappy lovers, teenagers being teenagers

(A/N: Had this saved up in my drafts, figured I post it since I’m still editing and getting ready for more Chispo and bruja content. Y’all are surviving a drought so I figured you’d like to get scraps 😭 you can see this as chipso y bruja canon? Uncanny? Maybe another au who knows? 🤔 I know I’m literally the author of this fanfic Anyways Thinking abt making a tag list for when I post so lemme know if you want to be tagged. Til the come get ya scraps! This one an agnsty one)

Leo thinks he’s ugly.

He thinks it has to do with his frame. It’s too scrawny and weak. Not enough muscle, like the rest of his siblings who buff up endlessly. Or the Ares kids who have chiseled abs. He doesn’t even have the height to gain such strength. Or the right body fat percentage.

Maybe he’s ugly because he doesn’t have wavy hair like a Greek should. He has tight curls that seem to go everywhere, never in one place. Messy and kinky in all directions. No one ever seems to notice when it’s comb and neat.

His skin can be the reason why he’s ugly. It’s not perfectly pure white. And it’s not just the right olive tan. He’s dark that awful awful color— Moreno feo! His aunt would hiss at him. As if she wasn’t the same color.

Or could it be his scars? They’re littered onto his body jagged and spread over his arms and hands. Not to mention the disfigured tissue from the left of his face and downwards, all red-brown burns spread over him.

If none of those things prove that he’s ugly, then maybe his face will.

He doesn’t have a strong chiseled jaw, even after puberty, it’s still soft with some baby fat. Except for his way too pointed chin. The smile he paints on, definitely crooked and awkward; not perfectly straight shining white teeth.

Lips are usually chapped, because he kind of sucks at self-care. Proof by all his acne scars over his cheeks. Besides his weird moles. And who can forget the weak peach fuzz placed on his upper lip. Upwards his small, wide, and awkwardly squished nose.

Above that is not sky blue or green or any other unique color— but his dirt-ugly brown eyes, baggy from his lack of sleep some days, and way too thick eyebrows.

The worst part of it all, is his pointy ears. They stuck out enough to notice. The first thing people would see. They were stupidly pointy. And ultimately what Leo was most known for:

Fuckin hobbit

Elf

Troll

Imp

Mexican Spock he didn’t even like Star-trek!

The list just goes on.

All these things make Leo thinks he’s ugly. Bullies and ex-infatuations have been sure to let him know it.

So to himself — Leo’s ugly.

—

Breisa loves Leo. She loves how he makes her feel. And how he cares. Or how he shows his love. She loves the warmth he brings. The dizziness she feels when she’s with him. He never fails to make laugh. Or her feel any less important, more than just his girlfriend. His compliment. Not his missing piece.

But one thing that irks her, is how he can’t see himself in the same light as she sees him. He doesn’t love himself the way he loves her. It hurts to see that.

Breisa wanted him to be able to have the self confidence in himself. He’s so smart, sweet, funny, strong, handsome, and caring but in his charming way. Despite how awkward or weird he could be which she had to admit was also cute he was charming in his own little way.

Hopefully her plan was the best way to show him.

“Come on!” Breisa smiles and dragged Leo from behind, “Ya llegamos!”

“Alright alright—stump!” Leo tripped and face planted into the dirt. “Ow.” His voice went small.

“Oh my bad.” She winced, helping him up. Dusting off his clothes from the dirt. “Didn’t mean to get so excited.”

He spit grass out his mouth, “No worries, cariño.”

He wipes off the dirt with a bandanna from his back pocket.

“It’s not like that I can get any less dirt-ugly” Leo laughed.

Breisa frowned at that. “Let's just keep going.”

Then she pushed through an overgrown bush, leaving him confused.

‘She always laughs at my jokes…’ Leo thought to himself; anxiously fiddling with his silver ring he made out of metal scraps and pennant washers.

“Leo, apurate!” Breisa called.

He shaked his head and breathed in, ‘Worryin’, over nothing. No seas pendejo.’

Trudging forward he pushes through the leaves, trying not to get smacked by branches and vines.

As he stumbled out— almost face plant again when Breisa caught his arm.

“Careful.” She smiled down at him.

“Ya sabe.” Leo rolled his eyes playfully. “Why are we here?”

All she does is point with her lips— forwards.

As Leo glanced over, his eyes caught where the rocks met a grassy field. Overlooking the underside of a hill.

A fuzzy rose-patterned blanket laid out, a picnic basket holding it in place. Next to the basket was a sketchbook, pencils, and a little radio. And the view of Camp-Half-blood spread out below them. From the Strawberry fields to lava rock climbing wall.

“Woah.” He breathed. “Did you—?”

“Yup.” Breisa grinned.

“Picnic date—?”

“Uh-huh.” She answered.

“For me—?”

“Yes.” Breisa huffed jokingly. “Siéntate, lindo. No te preocupes por nada.” She plopped down and patted the spot next to her.

“Bossy.” Leo sticks his tongue but laid back into the blanket.

She mimicked his face. “Whatever. Since I’m so bossy, I guess all these tortas and Capri-suns should be for myself.”

He popped an eye open. “Tortas with ham, chips, and cheddar cheese? Topped off with tapatío?”

“My speciality.” She started digging from the picnic basket. “But guess you don’t want some. Cause I’m so bossy.”

“Espérate.” He sat up, “Sólo porque eres así— I don’t have to die of hunger.”

“Nah, pero soy mandona.” She munched on the sandwich.

“Hey!” Leo jumped.“I want some!”

“No way!” Breisa pushed his face away. “I don’t want to annoy you. I’m mean and bossy so my food must be bad.”

“Awe come on, it's still editable!” He laughed.

“Now you really ain’t getting nothing!”

—

Leo sighed satisfied, laying back on the blanket.

“Guess my food was editable?” Breisa raised an eyebrow.

“It was alright, I guess.” He shrugged.

Breisa shook her head with disbelief. “Tell that to the four tortas, bowl of fresas, and endless capri-suns.”

“No te oyes. Sugar crash. So sleepy.” Leo closed his eyes.

Breisa rolled her eyes. Flicked his forehead. Then pulled her sketchbook onto her lap. Without even thinking she began to sketch a picture of him.

Pages and pages of Leo began to fill her sketchbook, it’s become a habit of her to have at least one drawing of him in each. Always having three hearts or a little flame next to each sketch.

Before, she would have never admitted having these drawings of him. Only because it would inflate his gaintanic ego. Leo being Leo, he would have something annoying to say.

Now even she knows that it was his way of saying— ‘I like you a lot. I just say stupid stuff because it’s easier to get your attention.’

It doesn’t make him less annoying, even as her significant other.

“What are you drawing?” Leo suddenly appeared beside her.

After her surprise wore down. She traced her pencil idly and muttered, “You.”

Leo stared at her for a good long minute before bursting into laughter.

“Why are you laughin’?” She flushed, feeling a little embarrassed.

He calmed down and smiled. “It’s nothing— just..” He snorted again, looking at himself, “Why do I look like that?”

“Like what?” Breisa asked.

“Like all majestic and shit.” He waved his hands. “I ain’t that good looking. Or you know a profound art subject.” Leo rubbed his neck awkwardly with half of a smile on his face. “I’m just me, heh you know?”

Breisa put her sketchbook down, inhaled deeply, and faced him. “Eres tan pendejo.”

“Say what now?” He raised an eyebrow.

“You. Are. Stupid.” She said slowly. “You aren’t just whatever Leo. I draw how I see it. You’re cute, handsome, and freakin pretty. That’s why you’re my favorite muse.”

Leo’s face burned…And so did his hair.

Breisa reached up, pinched a curl between her fingers. It fsss as the flame went out.

Leo cleared his throat, and swatted at the rest of his hair. “No way I’m that good looking. I’m sure there are other better people to be your muse. You must be blinded by love.”

“I’m not blinded by nothin’.” Breisa fussed. “You just can’t and refuse to see what I see.”

He looked at her like she was crazy. “See what? Fuck up half-melted ugly troll goblin thing—who shares no light to a girl like you?!”

She grabbed the sides of his face and made contact with his coffee brown eyes. Gods she melted when the sun made them glow. He automatically shut up any protest he had.

Breisa brushed her thumb over his jaw, right at the scar.“I see a scrawny mofo with big beautiful brown eyes. A sideways smile that makes my heart flip. All wrapped up in that pretty face of his. Soft curls I can play with all day. Cute ears that get all red when I compliment him.

Hard working hands, that I can trace very dent and curve with my fingers. Strong arms that hold me in warm embrace. Just the right height so I don’t have to snap my neck up to look at.

Goofball possible mad scientist…but somehow suave n romantic. That knows everything about me, cares for me, and loves me.

And even though he thinks he’s the scum of the earth. A monster burned with his scars in and out. Or is undeserving of love because of some bullshit and stupid unworthy people from the past. They’re wrong. Cause to me, querido, you are the best person to ever walk into my life. And melt my heart.”

Then Breisa planted her lips on him with tenderness, her hand on his chest, and moving another hand from his jaw to his curls.

Leo squeaked and brain short-circuited. Half of it was racing with thoughts while the other half went numb. ‘Do something idiot!’ His brain finally scolded. Arms wrapped around her waist and he sighed against her lips.

When she pulled away, his lips still tingled pleasantly. Just like every other kiss they shared.

Then she looked at him with so much love and admiration. He nearly cried.

But he shook himself out of love-sickness and gave her a deadpan look.

“Ok, you really gotta stop kissing me without warning.” Leo huffed, swatting his hair which was probably on fire. Again.

Breisa snickered at him.

“En serio.” He empathized half-heartedly. “You realize how many times I’ve almost passed out? Or bursted into flames? I could’ve started a Forest fire.”

“Eh,” She shrugged, "It's worth it to see you get all flustered.” Then she squished his face, while cupping his jaw again. “I love this face. ¡Qué lindo! ¡Qué guapo! ¡Te adoro! ¡Te quiero, mi amorcito! Such a pretty boy, Mwah!”

She kissed all over his face dramatically. Extra affectionate on his scars.

“Stop.” Leo rolled his eyes. Yet, his big dumb grin that showed off his cute gap gave him away.

“Nah.” Breisa smiled just as stupid, “I am not done admiring. And I’m not done with my sketch.”

“Hmn. Guess I gotta keep being your muse.” Leo hummed leaning onto her palm.

“Guess you do.” She pecked him on the lips. “I’m going to make sure I get all of your beauty.”

“You know my face better than me.” Leo agreed and kissed her again…and again…and again.

—

After that he walked back to his cabin holding Breisa by the hand. Lipstick marks all over his face and the folded sketch in his pocket. Thinking maybe he wasn’t so ugly.

#leo valdez #hoo #heroes of olympus #lost hero #leo valdez x oc #the lost trio #spanish speaking oc #poc oc #fem!oc #latino oc #pjo tumblr #pjo hoo toa #leo valdez pjo #leo valdez angst #leo valdez x reader #all da ladies love leo #Breisa Alessandro

57 notes · View notes

randomyuu · 1 year ago

Text

so hold my hand (consign me not to darkness) [1/4]

Ah, yes. The fic that made me realise I’m in desperate need of Cursed Spirit Gojou in my ever-growing favourite GoYuu tropes.

Content Warning!

Major Character Death. Other characters are disrespectful to the corpse.

I highly suggest you read the fic first, or just the fic, since I don’t think I was properly able to adapt it into drawings. While I managed to use roughly two weeks of on-and-off planning, researching, and storyboarding, I only had a full week to finish it. You can read more of my thoughts below the comic if you’re curious.

Title: so hold my hand (consign me not to darkness)

Author: qalb_al_louz

It’s ongoing, and as of this drawing, the fic is in its third chapter. While this is (sexually) SFW, always be mindful of the tags! Please keep yourself safe and sound.

Please read from right to left, and enjoy!

You can only upload 30 images in one post, huh Damn, I gotta divide it into parts

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Alrighty, I'll put my watered down unhinged thoughts below. No extra drawings down there if you're curious haha (unless you want to see the storyboard and the characters' full body character sheet, lemme know). You can skip the stuff underneath the Keep Reading for all parts.

This fic had me grinning from ear to ear every time I read this. The atmosphere, how it goes from POV to POV—of pure fear and panic—and the peak excitement I got when Yuuji properly meets Gojou, like brooooo 😭

Gosh I cannot emphasise how much I love this fic. I’ve always been wanting to make a whole comic out of it, especially since it was 2 chapters and it doesn’t look like the author will update it, but it just… kind of forgotten ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

But then the author posted a new chapter and I told myself this is a sign I should really start.

also goddamn I was so naive to think I can tackle 2 chapters as comic—no I was in fact cannot

The moment I laid my eyes on the first paragraph, things were portrayed very vividly in my mind. The panel, the angle, Gojou's head rolling down... I was like, hell yeah. Then I continued reading and I finally succumbed to my desire to draw this out.

At first I want to adapt this into a vertical format like those manhwas. However the longer I try to learn and storyboard it... I am simply not yet comfortable with it, especially for such a big project. Even the 1st storyboard starts vaguely vertical before the panels quickly crammed into that B4-B5 format lol. The first sketch estimated 69 (heh) pages for 90% of chapter 1. I said "no" for my own sanity and fully focused on the usual manga format and it was narrowed down to 60. Still a lot though, quantity and time-wise. So with a heavy heart, I can only do the majority of chapter 1 :”) I really really want to draw Sukuna talks back to Gojou—do you have any idea how good that scene was??? Gojou tried so hard to restrain himself, he’s so other I love him 😭

Due to the sheer length of this comic (I'm still in disbelief), I have limit lots of things, and that includes the drawing. If you've seen my other JJK fanarts, they are more rendered than this one. Well, this one is purely sketched with the help of the eraser to tidy up some lines. This is also the first fanart that I did purely on Photoshop, so I can control the typesets and drawings in one place. Usually, I use Photoshop for panels and typesetting and Krita for drawing.

I don't really like Photoshop's brush, but it did really well in curbing my perfectionist tendencies, so that's good.

It's also been quite a while since I draw in general (sobs) so... yeah, you might find differences, or not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

I know setting is important, but maaan I genuinely won't miss rereading chapter 83-93 with a heavy focus on background and character locations. I just want to read the action and dialogue😭 However continuity is really important. But my spatial intelligence is almost non-existent even GPS sometimes can't help me. All I'm saying is that if you find some silly drawing mistakes, do forgive me ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿I only drew all this in a week because otherwise I won't have another chance to complete this.

Well, lots of things I won't miss from this project, but haha let's talk about the characters instead because holy shit what was I thinking, starting this year drawing this many characters in the same project??? I have never drawn anyone here except for Yuuji, Gojou, Nanami and Megumi. I don't think I've ever drawn older Getou before. I already forgot how to draw my boy Yuuji and I gotta draw all these people???

This is what you call making a bad decision, kids. Don't do your "drawing warmup" after months of not drawing and tackling a project of a scale way bigger than you've ever tackled before.

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you find my complaint entertaining! But make no mistake, I genuinely still love the fic. Drawing this, even with all the headaches it gave me, only makes me adore this fic even more.

Thank you very much to each one of you who follows and leaves comments and tags on my silly art—it never failed to make my day :D And I sincerely wish this one also made your day or even made your minute! I'll see you in the next part!

#yuu's art #jjk-fic-fanart #jjk-ship #五悠 #goyuu #goyu #5u #gojou x yuuji #shibuya arc #shibuya arc canon divergence #lots of characters on this one #kenjaku #chousou #mahito #jogo jjk #gojo satoru

97 notes · View notes

redlikerozez · 4 months ago

Text

In this darkness, which you know you cannot fight - Chapter 1

by RedLikeRozez

Summary: Shi Qingxuan has never been one closely acquainted with the sea, especially not after nearly drowning as a child. The locals in Fu Gu may chalk it up to superstition, but she knows the truth—there’s something lurking in the waters off the coast, something horrifying and potentially ancient. It saved her life once, though no one believes her story; not her brother, not his friends, and not even the town’s weathered and wistfully ignorant locals. The only one willing to listen is He Xuan, a brooding, outcast fisherman who grew up in Fu Gu but has never truly belonged. Their partnership, at first a thrilling summer romance, soon morphs into a terrifying alliance when she realizes the creature in the depths may not be the only thing hiding monstrous secrets. As they plunge deeper into the mystery, Shi Qingxuan uncovers a horrifying truth that might finally fully awaken the creature beneath the waves.

Content warnings/tags: Modern AU, Inspired by HP Lovecraft, TransFem!Shi Qingxuan, descriptions of drowning, eldritch horror, cosmic horror, unraveling the mystery beneath the waves, alcoholism, protective!Shi Wudu, sea monsters

Word Count: about 7k words

Author’s Note:

Loosely inspired by the songs “The Music of the Night” and “The Point of No Return” from Phantom of the Opera and also Dredge the fishing horror video game (which is a wild combination lemme tell you that).

SPOOKINKY EVENT 2024!!! @tsukimefuku

Vaultworks 2024 submission (didn't get fully funded rip)

Betaed by the amazing @sandsorghum and the fantastic @parameciam

PART 2, PART 3, PART 4

Chapter 1: Floating, Falling

Shi Qingxuan let out a long, melodramatic sigh full of discontent as she asked her brother one last time, “Why do I have to go with you again?”

“I already told you at least seven times already, Qingxuan. Quit whining and get your things. We’re supposed to be in the air in two hours,” her brother replied coldly.

“I’m not whining, I’m complaining! If you want to hear me whine—”

“No. I don’t want to hear any of your nonsense– whining, complaining, grouching, bitching, moaning, none of it. Get your things and let’s go. I don’t want to be late to the airport because of you. We are not going to miss this flight.”

Shi Wudu was waiting impatiently in the kitchen next to his suitcase and duffle bag. He was leaning on the counter, scrolling on his phone.

“But why did you have to pick somewhere so dreadful?! You know I hate the water, ge! And we’re gonna be surrounded by it!” she complained further, crossing her arms childishly. “So just one more time, tell me why I have to go to that stupid, boring, old town and get on that stupid, boring, old boat everyday with your stupid, boring, dumb friends?”

Well, maybe Ling Wen didn’t really count as stupid, but she was definitely boring.

Shi Wudu didn’t even look up from his phone or acknowledge her in any way.

She continued, “It’s my vacation, too, you know! You’re dragging me along with you to your dream summer trip and said no to mine? Tell me how that’s fair?! I’m just gonna complain the entire time if you make me go. You might even hear me whine! So indulge me, ge.”

She pawed the phone away from his face when he made no moves and he scowled up at her.

“Make it make sense, ‘cuz so far, I’m only seeing more reasons to complain. You really should just let me stay here,” she insisted. “I will make this trip a waking nightmare for you if you make me go.”

Shi Wudu sighed just as dramatically and started massaging his temples with his free hand.

“Like I said the first time, it’s so I can keep an eye on you. For all I know, you’d drink yourself into a coma if I let you stay here or, god forbid, go to the capital alone,” he explained for the nth time. “I don’t trust you enough to go anywhere by yourself.”

“I’m not a child anymore, ge. You don’t have to—”

“Oh, I don’t have to take care of you anymore, do I? News to me!” he interrupted. “If you’re so independent, then why don’t you move out, hand over your credit cards that I pay for every month, and go get a real job?”

She rolled her eyes. Ouch. That one hurt.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he grumbled, going back to staring at his screen. “If you’re still freeloading, you’re still my little sibling and I am still in charge of you. Until you actually make something of your life, we’ll do things my way, since I’m the only responsible adult here. So we’re going on vacation where I want to go and you’re going to have a great time spending some quality time with gege and his friends, alright? You’re gonna be nice and smile and nod and not be a pain in gege’s ass, yes?”

“You’re the worst.”

He slammed his phone down on the thigh of his designer sweatpants.

“Qingxuan, do you think I want to be taking you with me?” he spat back at her petty remark. “Believe me, this isn’t my ideal scenario, either. If you showed me I could actually trust you, maybe I’d let you go where you want, but until then, we’re both stuck with each other for the entire summer. So please. For my sanity, just go get your things and let’s get this flight over with. I already requested our taxi.”

“I’d rather drink myself into a coma than listen to Pei Ming and Xuan Ji make out the entire summer on some stupid boat…” she muttered.

“Ling Wen will be there, so I doubt she’ll tolerate their PDA for very long,” he replied, going back to his phone again. “And Pei Xiu is coming with us, so maybe you can get to know him better. He’s a nice kid. You might hit it off, who knows? Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she could feel a bit of bile rise up in the back of her throat she had to swallow down. “If you’re trying to set me up with Pei Xiu, please know that I’d rather drown again than date anyone remotely related to that absolute scoundrel you call your best friend.”

“Stop being so dramatic, my friends aren’t that bad.”

“Your friends are the worst, ge. You have that in common, it seems.”

He just pointed to her bedroom, not looking up from his smartphone with the flight itinerary pulled up.

“Whatever,” she resigned in defeat, finally giving in and going to grab her suitcase. “Maybe there’ll be a super hot, tall and muscular, sexy lifeguard or a member of the coast guard to save me from drowning instead of a sea monster!”

“You’re not gonna drown. That was so long ago. Get over it,” he sneered. “And there was never any sea monster. How are you still on about that? Grow up.”

She started feigning some strained gurgling sounds, screaming melodramatically, “Save me! Save me!”

As she thrashed wildly in the hallway, she almost knocked over an old family photo on the wall. One of the only ones with all four of them in it before their parents died. She rescued the picture at the last second before it could crash to the hardwood floors, and held it to her chest melodramatically. Shi Wudu only looked up when he heard the collision.

“Hey, watch it. Be careful with that.”

“Oh, thank you so much for saving me, Mr. Sexy Lifeguard. Oh my, did you give me mouth to mouth? That was my first kiss, how could you! Oh no! My bikini top came undone! Oh, Mr. Sexy Lifeguard, we can’t do this here! Someone will see!”

She threw the picture back on the hallway table, not bothering to hang it back up, and started moaning loudly as she walked into her bedroom just to piss off her brother. She pulled up the suitcase handle with a quick pop and dragged it over the hardwood floors as loudly as possible into the kitchen, next to his.

Shi Wudu was trying desperately not to have an aneurysm at her infernal screeching. He tried to ignore her stupid antics and focused instead on reading the terms and conditions of the taxi app he downloaded in his desperation.

Shi Qingxuan gave him an overly fake smile and cried, “You know, maybe I will have some fun, after all!”

“This is going to be a long trip…” Shi Wudu muttered under his breath, head in his hands.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Get over it, he said, she grumbled to herself whilst leaning against the airplane window, looking out to watch the clouds. Yeah right. You can’t just erase trauma like that in the blink of an eye.

Shi Wudu didn’t know what it was like, almost drowning. He’d always loved swimming since he was a kid, and he was on the swim team in high school. Had a personal best of 29.41 seconds for the 50 meter butterfly and bragged about it nonstop.

How could he know what it was like? It was like he was made to be around the water.

Every summer when their parents were still alive, he’d beg them to take him out on the boat in that same stupid coastal town, despite her harrowing trist on said boat. They hadn’t been back to Fu Gu since the accident. Their parents never gave into Shi Wudu’s demands, and after they died, there wasn’t much point going on family vacations. (Until now, it seemed.)

Shi Qingxuan, however, never shared her older brother’s hydrophilic tendencies. No, she always preferred the company of the sand, shore, shells, and seagulls, as well as that amazing ocean breeze, rather than the murky depths of the fathomless ocean. She shivered just thinking about it.

She’d been afraid of the water even before her accident. Not that her brother seemed to care. He was currently leaning back in his first class seat with a satin eye mask over his face, resting peacefully as she recounted her painful memories.

Shi Qingxuan silently vowed to be eternally pissy and awful the whole summer for sweet vengeance sake.

She hated that town, and rightfully so. But another, maybe more masochistic, part of herself wanted to uncover the truth about what really happened that day she almost drowned. Maybe finally coming back would give her some much needed closure about the whole ordeal and she would be able to move past it. Maybe she could even learn to not hate the ocean, who knows!

There was one thing that wasn’t so horrible about that vacation, though… She’d briefly met a weird boy with the same name as her and his little sister on the beach all those years ago. She could never put on a finger on why they’d made such a strong impression on her, but she found herself thinking about them from time to time.

She wondered if they ever thought about her, too.

Doubt it… she thought, dismissing the crazy notion.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Fu Gu was a perfectly picturesque little seaside town. In the past, it was a bustling fishing hamlet no one ever bothered to visit, but slowly people started flocking to the town because of the historical lighthouse, pristine beaches, and charming atmosphere. Popular tourist activities included flying kites on the beach, renting sailboats or other vessels, climbing up the stairs of the lighthouse, and sampling the local seafood.

Back during the summer of the accident, their mother and father had rented a bungalow and boat for the summer in the supposedly quaint coastal town of Fu Gu. The Shi family had some business ties with Fu Gu due to the oil pipes running along the ocean floor that lead to a rig many kilometers out past the coastline, so they got a good deal on the trip.

Little A-Xuan had kicked and screamed the whole way, not wanting to go, despite gege’s and her parents insisting they would all have a great time by the ocean. She was incredibly insistent, though. Wailing and crying all the way to the docks, little A-Xuan vehemently refused to get on the boat that first day. Her mother ended up having to stay on the shore while her husband and son got to enjoy the boat for the first time.

Even on the beach, A-Xuan was causing quite the commotion. Her terribly embarrassed mother was trying to dip her little toes into the incredibly safe shallows to show her that it wouldn’t hurt, but A-Xuan just kept screaming bloody murder every time the foamy tide came running up towards her.

It was only until some little boy about her age ran over and invited her to play in the sand that she stopped her tantrum. The little boy led her over to his little sister who was dutifully helping her big bro build an elaborate sandcastle.

Finally able to relax, her mother sprawled out in a lounge chair under a big umbrella a little ways away with some alcoholic drink that wasn’t nearly strong enough for her ruined outing. She watched the three kids play while she waited for her husband and son to come back from the probably much more invigorating boating trip along the coast.

“The water isn’t scary,” the little boy said late into the construction of their joint sandcastle, taking a big scoop of sand into a colorful plastic pale. “It’s nice.”

“It’s scary,” A-Xuan insisted, a deep frown on her face. She had found several little cowrie shells along the beach and was sticking them into the outer walls of their compound.

“No, it’s not,” he said with a severe brow for someone so young.

“Yes, it is!” She put her hands on her hips to punctuate her sentence.

He gazed out to the horizon, his gaze softening instantly. “The ocean will be nice to you if you’re nice to it, right meimei?”

“Mn!” the little toddler sounded, nodding vigorously.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” A-Xuan pouted. “The ocean isn’t a person. It doesn’t have feelings.”

“If you keep saying that, it’ll get mad at you,” he warned, furrowing his brows with an intense golden gaze.

“That’s silly.”

“I’m serious,” he insisted, pouring out the pale to make a new section of the increasingly elaborate sandcastle. “Can you swim?” he asked, changing topics.

“No! And I don’t want to know!”

“No wonder it’s scary. Even meimei can swim. And she’s three.”

“Can Daiyu-er go swimming with gege?” she asked, tugging on the side of his swim shirt.

He shook his head. “Not right now. We have to finish the fortress together.”

“No, it’s scary because it’s scary. Not because I can’t swim. I don’t want to swim because it's scary,” A-Xuan continued.

“That doesn’t make sense,” he countered. “Scary things are scary because they make you afraid, not because they’re scary. Scary things are different from person to person.”

“Nuh-uh! Everyone’s scared of sharks. Sharks are scary.”

“I’m not afraid of sharks. They’re cool.”

“Cool?! They eat people!”

“They don’t want to hurt people. They mistake the people for food and then the humans make movies about sharks and start killing them ‘cuz they’re afraid. It’s not fair to the sharks. They just made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes.”

The two stared at each other for a long moment before A-Xuan finally deduced, “You’re weird.”

“You’re weird,” he retorted back immediately.

“Gege’s weird!” Daiyu-er echoed happily.

The boy was about to argue with his little sister before A-Xuan stood up and dusted the sand off her legs.

“I’m gonna go get some more shells,” she said. “Does your sister wanna come with me?”

“No, we’ll keep working on the foundations of the fortress.”

“Oh yeah, her name is Daiyu-er, right? So what’s your name, weirdo? I’m–”

“A-Xuan!” called out her mother from under the shady umbrella.

Both older kids’ attention snapped over to see who was calling their name. Daiyu-er kept slapping her chubby little fingers against the sides of the outer walls, making sure they wouldn’t fall.

“YES?” they called out in unison.

Bright emerald green eyes locked onto stern golden brown ones.

“I’m A-Xuan,” they both said at the same time.

“Wait, what? No, you’re not. I’m A-Xuan,” A-Xuan insisted, pointing to herself. She was in a cute little green and white sailor outfit with her chestnut colored hair in tiny, curly pigtails.

“No, I’m A-Xuan,” the second A-Xuan said, in black swim trunks with a big shark mouth on one leg and a matching swim shirt. His inky black hair gently jostled about in the ocean breeze. He hadn’t gone back in the ocean for a while, but he was still dripping wet. Daiyu-er, too.

“A-Xuan?” her mother called out again.

“COMING!” they both yelled.

“Hey! Stop! That’s my name! You’re copying me!” she demanded, pushing him in the arm.

“No, it’s my name. Stop it!”

They started batting at each other like cats until A-Xuan’s mom finally came over to break them up. Daiyu-er was clapping happily, in a fit of giggles over their bickering.

“A-Xuan, stop that!” she called, horrified her child was hitting another kid.

“He started it!” “She started it!” they called out in unison, pointing accusatory fingers at the other.

“Mama, he says his name is A-Xuan, but that’s my name! Make him stop!”

“My name is A-Xuan! He Xuan!”

“A-Xuan gege!” Daiyu-er confirmed, pointing at her brother. “And A-Xuan jiejie!” She pointed to the other A-Xuan.

Her mom started laughing and said, “Oh, I see. There are two A-Xuan! Qingxuan, isn’t that something?”

“Two A-Xuan?” she asked, looking wildly affronted by the boy who dared to share her name. Thick tears started welling up in her eyes and she began absolutely wailing, screaming how she wanted to be the only A-Xuan.

“Fine, then I’ll be Xuan-er,” the boy finally huffed. “Xuan-er and Daiyu-er.”

“No, you don’t have to—” her mother tried to interject.

“Okay,” A-Xuan sniffed, instantly shutting off the tears. “A-Xuan and Xuan-er.”

“Xuan-er gege!” Daiyu-er accepted easily.

Her mother slapped a hand to her slightly red forehead. What am I gonna do with this stubborn, spoiled child? She should be an actress at this rate…

(She was so stubborn, in fact, that one day a couple of years before this vacation-turned-nightmare, A-Xuan had insisted that she was a little girl instead of a boy and there was nothing any of her family could do except just accept that A-Xuan was their daughter now.

They took her to a pediatrician and a child behavioral therapist, both of which couldn’t find anything clinically wrong, other than gender dysphoria. When she got older, they’d have to make some tough decisions, but before puberty, the best prescription was really just going along with it. Her family thought it wouldn’t be too long before she got bored of being a girl, but it had been nearly two years at this point and she showed zero signs of stopping anytime soon.)

“Anyways, A-Xuan, Baba and Gege are back from the boat! Let’s go meet them on the docks.”

Little A-Xuan looked back at the boy and said, “We didn’t finish the palace. Mama, can I come back to play with Xuan-er and Daiyu-er again tomorrow?”

“We’ll be here tomorrow if you wanna keep building the Nether Water Manor,” confirmed Xuan-er with a slight smirk.

“That’s not its name! It’s called the Palace of Wind and Water, not the stupid ‘Nether Water Manor’!”

Her mother cut in before her daughter could start another fight with the boy. “We promised your brother we’d try going back on the boat tomorrow, remember?” (A-Xuan definitely never made any such promises.)

She looked her mother dead in the eyes and stated plainly, “I'm not getting on that boat, Mama. I’ll scream the whole time if you make me. The ocean is mean and scary and there are sharks. I wanna finish building the sandcastle with Xuan-er.”

After a long moment, her mother just sighed and said, “I’ll think about it. We came all this way to enjoy the ocean, A-Xuan. Mama wants to be with Baba and Gege on the boat. Don’t you wanna be with Gege and have fun together?”

She shook her head violently back and forth and crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks out a bit. Xuan-er started snickering lightly at her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Maybe you’ll change your mind when you hear how fun it was,” her mother said, hoping and praying for her stubborn child to change her mind, knowing deep down that it was useless.

“Bye bye! I’ll see ya tomorrow, Xuan-er! See you Daiyu-er!”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Bye bye, A-Xuan jiejie!” Daiyu-er called back, waving excitedly.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

A-Xuan never showed up to build sandcastles the next day.

“YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!” she shrieked, flailing and struggling out of her father’s strong grip. “I WON’T GO! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!”

“If you keep struggling and I drop you, you could fall in,” Baba said, the picture of calm, as he tried to wrangle her onto the anchored boat, still docked at the pier.

She gulped audibly, eyes going wide and she instantly went rigid like a piece of driftwood in his arms. Tears started welling up in her eyes as Baba set her down on the seating area of the speedboat.

“See, it’s not so scary!” Shi Wudu said, rushing to her side.

Except, it was very scary. She stared out into the endless horizon and all she could see was blue. Horrifying, dreadful, unknown ocean, as far as her eyes could see. She wanted to dash off the boat, run as far away as her legs could take her, and go back to the safety of the beach. Xuan-er and Daiyu-er were waiting for her to finish the sandcastle! But she was too terrified to even move from the bench. Her fingers turned into claws as she tried to ground herself deeper into the plastic-feeling leather upholstery.

“I wanna go back!” she cried, bursting into sobs.

Mama appeared at her side, holding two life jackets. She passed one over to Shi Wudu.

“Do I have to, Mama? I’m really good at swimming,” he protested.

“Yes, put it on,” she replied. “Just in case.”

Shi Wudu who buckled it around his torso reluctantly. He gave A-Xuan a quick but comforting pat on the shoulder and went to ask Baba if he needed any help with the boat.

A-Xuan kept crying and trying to fight Mama who was only trying to buckle the life jacket around her torso.

“I wanna go back! I wanna get off! I don’t wanna go on the boat!” she wailed, trying to swat Mama’s arms away.

“Do you want to fall in and drown?” Mama asked, already getting frustrated. A-Xuan stopped fighting her for a moment as that thought consumed her mind. She fervently shook her head. “Then let me put this on you.”

Mama huffed and sat down next to her once it was secured. A-Xuan clung to her mother’s arms, digging her tiny fingernails into her arm and continued weeping.

“It’s going to be fun! Look how Gege’s not afraid, yeah? Baba’s not afraid and neither am I,” she tried to soothe. “If there was really something scary out there, we would be scared, but we’re not. So it’s going to be fine!”

Mama made a fair point. Shi Wudu and Baba weren't scared of anything, but Mama was a scaredy cat like her. If everyone wasn’t scared, maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad…?

Except, right as she had that thought, Baba started up the engine of the boat. With a wicked lurch, they started a rather bumpy journey taxiing out into the open ocean.

A-Xuan practically jumped into Mama’s arms and hid her face into her armpit, screaming bloody murder from the sudden change in speed.

“I wanna go back! I don’t wanna go! Don’t take me out there!” Her sobs were muffled from the motor and by shouting directly into Mama’s arm.

“It’ll be alright, A-Xuan,” Mama said, tracing smooth circles on her arm since the life jacket covered up most of her back. “Come on, it’ll be okay. It’s really not so scary, I promise. The ocean is really pretty today. It’s nice and calm. The weather’s nice. We’re gonna have a lot of fun, yeah?”

“NO! I WANNA GO BACK! TAKE ME BACK!” She lifted her head and screamed directly into Mama’s face, her terror mingling with rage when they made no motions to turn around and take her back to shore.

And from such a wild motion of her head, combined with the jostling of the boat from the ocean waves, a wave of nausea picked up in her throat. It just made her cry even harder, scream even louder.

Mama was about to lose it. “A-Xuan! Stop screaming!”

“NO!”

Mama eventually pushed her out of her lap if she was just going to keep yelling directly into her ears.

“Mama, wait! No! Don’t go! I—” she tried to say, but Mama wasn’t listening. Her pleas died in her throat as another lurch of the boat made her screech in terror.

With Mama as her anchor gone, this left poor A-Xuan clinging desperately to the bench below her for purchase with every toss and turn of the boat in the waves.

“Wudu, tell your sister to stop screaming,” Mama ordered her older, more sensible son. A-Xuan actually listened to him. Maybe he could calm her down. Or else, this was going to be a very long day.

Shi Wudu sighed and did his best to try and comfort her, but at this point, A-Xuan was so angry and so thoroughly upset and helpless to do anything, that she was content to just keep wailing and screaming at the top of her lungs.

Her family thought that if A-Xuan had been set loose in the Monster’s Inc. universe, she would’ve supplied enough scream power to last for decades. Centuries even.

Mama resorted to drinking, as she usually did, just to cope with the noise. Baba felt sorry for A-Xuan and wanted to go comfort her, but he was the only one who knew how to drive the boat. Shi Wudu was trying to avoid his little sister because he was also growing irritated from her astronomical tantrum. Thank god, it was a fairly sizable speed boat, comfortable for the family to spread out in while her father raced around, chasing the waves at the insistence of Shi Wudu who wanted to feel the boat jostle and shake, much to A-Xuan’s absolute horror.

“Baba…” she cried out (softer this time), holding her hands out for him. “I wanna go back. Can we go back now?” She sniffled and whimpered her big, teary, emerald eyes at him.

Fuck, her puppy dog eyes were really good. A lethal weapon. Baba stopped the boat for a moment and went to go grab her. He pulled her into his lap in the cabin with the steering wheel.

“We can’t go back yet, but if you’re really scared, you can stay here with Baba, okay?” he compromised. “I’ll keep you safe. It’s better here than outside, anyway.”

She bristled in his arms, not fully satisfied with this arrangement since they were still out on the ocean, but she eventually conceded. She was already exhausted from crying so much. Her face and throat ached. She curled up into his chest and wept silently for a while. Baba helped her unbuckle her life jacket so she could snuggle up closer and discarded it on the floor of the cabin.

A-Xuan yelped and cried out whenever a particularly big wave or hard turn jostled her a little more than expected, but she found it really wasn’t so bad in Baba’s lap. She didn’t have to see the outside and she couldn’t get flung off in here.

“Baba, my tummy feels weird,” she croaked out. “I don’t like it out here. Can we go back? Please?”

He gave her one of the nasty tasting anti-nausea and sea sickness tablets Mama had stocked up on, but made no mention of turning the boat around.

That was the final straw.

She wasn’t getting what she wanted, her stomach felt awful, they weren’t taking her back, and the pill tasted like ash as it dissolved on her tongue.

“I wanna go back!” she screamed, hitting Baba's chest with her fists. It didn’t really have any strength behind it. “Take me back! I hate it here! I hate you for taking me out here!”

“If you’re gonna scream and hit me, I’m gonna have to kick you out, Princess,” Baba explained patiently. “I gotta keep driving the boat safely. I can’t do that with you hitting me.”

She screamed again and started flailing her limbs in his lap, even more enraged he wasn’t giving into her demands.

Mama had to come in and help wrangle her out of the cabin, kicking and screaming while Baba continued driving the boat. A-Xuan didn’t stop screaming for about two hours after that. Literal. Nonstop. Constant. Screaming. Her mother was already way past a tolerable amount of drunk just to cope. Shi Wudu was hanging onto the front railing of the boat with his bright orange life jacket tied loosely around his torso while Baba weaved and sped around trying to catch the biggest waves. They all tried to collectively ignore her, but wow, was she making it impossible.

“Stop that!” she demanded. “It’s too scary! I’ll fly out! Stop it and take me back! Right now!”

“Do it again, Baba!” Shi Wudu encouraged.

“NO!”

She hated seeing them ignore her and continue to have fun on the objectively horrible boating experience. It only encouraged her to scream and cry more.

With copious amounts of alcohol loosening her tongue, Mama finally lost her tempter.

“A-Xuan, shut up! Just shut up! Please, for the love of GOD, SHUT UP! Cry all you want as long as you do it quietly, I don’t care!” her Mama yelled, absolutely over it. “We’re not going anywhere! We’re staying here on the boat and you’re going to deal with it! We’re supposed to be having fun and you’re ruining it! This tantrum is not going to give you your way!”

In response, she just continued to scream and cry even louder and more desperate than before. But now instead of just her face and her throat, her little heart ached. Mama was always really mean when she drank.

Mama made her own loud, frustrated noise and stormed over to the cabin. She was already starting to feel sick from having a few too many drinks, and the rough ride coupled with her growing migraine from A-Xuan wasn’t exactly helping. She got up momentarily to go pop an extra anti-nausea and sea sickness pill in the interior cabin.

After a particularly nasty turn that only fed Shi Wudu’s adrenaline rush and left a huge spray of sea water in his face, he whipped his head around and started jumping up and down, begging his father to do it again.

It was only then that the screaming finally stopped.

Mama felt like it was music to her ears. She hoped that FINALLY A-Xuan and tired herself out and quit her infernal fussing.

She came tumbling out of the cabin interior, looking pale, “Do NOT do that again!”

“Come on, Mama! Just one more, please!”

“No, you’re gonna terrify your sister even more than she already is,” she said, not caring to mention that she was definitely going to hurl for sure if they kept this up.

“No, she loved it, didn’t you, meimei?” Shi Wudu called out to the back of the boat.

There was no response.

“Meimei, you loved it, right?” he asked again.

More blissful silence.

When no one replied, three heads immediately turned to look at the back of the boat. Much to everyone’s immediate horror, there was no little A-Xuan sitting on the bench.

“A-Xuan!” her mother called out, suddenly very sober. “A-Xuan?!”

She ran into the cabin again, but A-Xuan was not there, only a discarded, orange life jacket. Six frantic eyes searched the horizon, searching for any sign of the little girl.

“There! Baba, she’s over there! She’s in the water! She fell in!” Shi Wudu called out, hand pointing out in the exact opposite direction the boat was currently speeding in. A tiny flailing figure was struggling in the water.

“Oh my god,” Mama said, putting a horrified hand over her mouth. “Turn around right now, turn around! She can’t swim! Oh my god!”

“I am!” Baba insisted, already spinning the wheel in a 180.

Mama ran over to the edge of the boat and gripped the tiny orange life jacket like it was her anchor as her eyes stayed locked on the form of her daughter splashing helplessly in the ocean. This was exactly why she was so scared to get on the boat in the first place!

“Did she jump? Did she fall off? I didn’t see what happened!” Mama asked frantically. “Oh my god…”

“I don’t know, Mama,” Shi Wudu admitted.

“Why weren’t you looking after her?!” she spat at her eldest son, despite the fact that it was definitely not his responsibility to do that. “You should always be looking after her! That’s your job as her older brother!”

Shi Wudu’s eyes widened and he swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry—”

“It’s not his fault,” Baba piped up, racing the boat over to where they’d seen A-Xuan as quickly as possible. “I’m the one that let her take off the life jacket…”

Poor little A-Xuan, who was still screaming her head off several dozen meters away, had gotten flung off the boat before she could realize what had happened. She tried her darndest to keep her head above the water, but the water felt like it was trying to swallow her whole. She couldn’t seem to kick hard enough and her arms were too busy flailing around to help keep her afloat. She immediately regretted unbuckling the life jacket her mother had tried to put on her torso.

She kept kicking and kicking and screaming and screaming as she watched her family’s boat get further and further away. Hot, panicked tears raced down her cheeks as she watched her only lifeline speed away.

Mama doesn’t wanna come back for me! was her first terrible thought. They hate me, they want me to drown! They took me out here to get rid of me!

It was too much work, all the screaming and splashing and kicking. The dark waters around her seem to grow rougher as waves began relentlessly pounding against her face, spilling salt water into her lungs. Every time she opened her mouth to gurgle and spit it out, another wave was there to flood her scratchy throat and aching lungs with more water.

It hurts! It burns! Everything hurts! I can’t keep… I don’t wanna…

She tried to redouble her efforts to keep her head above the water, but her entire body felt like it was on fire from her valiant struggle. She just couldn’t figure out a harmonious rhythm to keep in time with the waltz of waves slowly trying to overtake her.

One last hoarse scream ripped from her raw lungs as a particularly tall and powerful wave finally bullied her underneath the surface.

“Where did she go?” Mama searched frantically, running all over the boat, trying to see any shapes under the water. “She was around here somewhere! A-Xuan! A-Xuan!! Oh my god, I can’t see her! She’s wearing a green swimsuit! I can’t see her! Oh my god! A-Xuan!”

“I can go look for her, Mama!” Shi Wudu offered, already moving to jump off the edge of the boat.

Luckily Baba caught him by the scruff of his life jacket before he had the chance to do anything so foolish.

“No, stay here in case you see her,” he ordered, throwing his shirt on the deck. “I’ll find her.”

Mama caught hold of Shi Wudu, who was already going back to the edge of the boat to jump in after Baba, and hugged him tightly as they watched in bone-chilling suspense.

Baba didn’t resurface for a while, but when he did, he was empty handed. He immediately went back down after taking a gulp of fresh air to try and search a different direction.

The seconds of waiting turned into agonizing minutes. Still he couldn’t see her.

I have to find her. I have to find her. Where did she go? This is all my fault!

Mama was holding back sobs and Shi Wudu was practically vibrating in her arms, wanting to break free for the chance to search for his sister.

Flailing more than ever now that she was underwater, trying desperately to breach the surface again, A-Xuan undulated and squirmed all over and eventually lost her bearings. She couldn’t tell which way was the surface in her confusion. Her little lungs couldn’t hold much air to begin with, and with so much physical movement going into hopelessly trying not to drown, she had exhausted herself before a minute even passed.

I… I don’t want to die!

A-Xuan choked and sputtered, inhaling a huge mouthful of saltwater as her vision started darkening underneath the waves, trying desperately to scream for help. Water flooded her mouth and lungs, burning and choking her already shot throat and burning lungs. She looked up at the last rays of sunlight peeking through the waves as tears filled her eyes and washed away into the ocean current. Her body felt like the heaviest lead as she slowly sunk deeper and deeper into the darkness. Her ears felt like they were going to explode from the pressure.

Please… Someone! Baba, please! she begged, praying to anything. I don’t want to die!

She thought about how she had been so excited to go back to school after summer break and brag to classmates about where her family went for vacation.

I still want to be a fashion designer…! I can’t… this can’t be it! Please, someone!

Mama was only just now teaching her how to hand sew bigger things. She had already sewn some buttons on her clothes all by herself. When she was older, Mama promised to teach her how to use the sewing machine. She scrawled into her sketchbook different designs for skirts and dresses and cute ruffled shirts she wanted to make.

A soundless scream bubbled out of her throat when she thought about her family. She still needed to make Shi Wudu proud of her. She wanted to impress him with her accomplishments so he could tell her that she did a good job. He was already so good at everything. She wanted to be just like him.

She wanted to snuggle into Baba’s chest one last time and hear him read a story to her at night even though she was way too old for bedtime stories. She wanted to walk in on him in his study late at night and grab ice cream from the kitchen as he whispered, “Don’t tell Mama!”

Her eyes started stinging and going cloudy from the added darkness and pressure.

Please…! I just… I want to live!

She thought of that serious weirdo boy she met yesterday and his little sister. She promised them! She promised she’d come back and finish the Palace of Wind and Water. She wanted to be his friend. There was something about him…

She wondered if they’d forget about her if she never showed up.

I’m sorry I hit you, Xuan-er…

There was no one. There was nothing she could see other than emptiness. She closed her eyes as a stray tear bled into the fathomless saltwater trying to devour her, helpless to stop it.

And then, a rush of cold water jostled her a little to the side. She startled, eyes shooting open in terror. A black shadow darted underneath her.

Oh god, please don’t be a shark!

Something lithe and slimy grabbed hold of her foot and began climbing up her body. She opened her mouth to scream, but that slimy something reached a large, bony, webbed hand up and covered her mouth.

Suddenly, A-Xuan was face to face with a creature darker than ink with eyes even more golden than the sun. Its bioluminescent eyes glowered fiercely at her through furrowed brows as it held onto her shoulder with one hand and covered her mouth with another.

It was definitely not a shark, that was for certain.

A-Xuan tried to thrash and fight to break away, but her rapidly fading consciousness didn’t make for much of a fight. She squirmed her mouth away from the creature and tried to scream again, but in her panic, she just ended up swallowing more sea water into her already burning lungs. And coughing was little salve to her oxygen-deprived lungs when submerged underwater. The creature tried again and firmly slapped its hand over her mouth. The texture alone of its skin was enough to make her want to throw up.

Much to her continued horror, the creature then opened its maw, revealing rows and rows of razor sharp teeth and forced her face closer to its own, despite her pitiful attempts at resisting.

This was even worse than drowning, she realized, too terrified and exhausted to fight back anymore as the edges of her vision began enveloping her in the calm darkness. But she was so, so scared and trying to cling to any shred of consciousness left, but she also didn’t want to be awake for her inevitable demise. A-Xuan scrunched her eyes shut, waiting to finally asphyxiate and drown or have her face ripped off by this monster.

No, please! Not like this! I just wanted… to finish the sandcastle with Xuan-er…!

Except, the creature neither attacked, nor did she suffocate.

She couldn’t say what exactly that creature did, but it must’ve been something akin to mouth-to-mouth. Smooth, slimy lips attached to her mouth. It held her face close, webbed hand on either side for support. Saltwater streamed out of her mouth and lungs in swathes, and the creature just gulped it all down. Once all the saltwater was gone, it breathed in precious air, filling her aching lungs.

A-Xuan opened her eyes only to behold these eerie but determined golden orbs with a slitted pupil beaming directly at her bright emerald eyes. They looked a bit like lightbulbs or like the dangly bit on an angler fish in the darkness. The creature had a vaguely humanoid face amidst the inky black scales dotting its face.

This was nothing like the sea monsters from the movie Luca. Those were nice sea monsters with pretty colors and not terrifying teeth. This was something much more grotesque and horrifying, but also exceptionally beautiful.

Fully taking it all in, she determined it really was the most stunningly beautiful thing she’d ever seen. The scaly skin reflected off dancing and undulating rainbows like an oil spill, completely mesmerizing her by the way it dazzled underneath the waves.

She blinked several times, brain trying to put a name to the creature, but it was nothing like she’d ever heard of or seen. And the creature blinked back at her, slits turning softer and rounder the longer they held her gaze.

Finally detaching from her lips after the last big breath of air that rattled around her lungs, the creature covered her mouth with its hand. Instinctively, she flinched away from the slimy touch, so instead the creature grabbed her own hand and placed it over her mouth. After a moment of staring at each other, the creature blinked at her with that same determined gaze and pointed a clawed finger up towards the surface. He gently wrapped an arm around her waist, and started escorting her up to the surface.

A-Xuan couldn’t rip her eyes away from her strange savior. Its assemblage of fins, legs, and maybe even a few tentacles if her eyes were seeing correctly, glided effortlessly and gracefully through the water. She wanted desperately to open her mouth in shock, but she kept her mouth closed with her hand covering it for good measure.

Once they breached the surface, she immediately started coughing and taking in gulps of fresh air to her exhausted lungs. Her head whirled around trying to get her bearings in the unfamiliar ocean. A firm push to the small of her back had her floating over to a small boat bobbing in the water a couple meters away.

“Wait!” she called out, finding her voice hoarse and barely more than a whisper. She kept trying to swim back as its murky visage under the water disappeared. “THANK YOU!” she screamed out to it, feeling like her throat was going to tear open.

“A-Xuan!” Mama called, crying tears of relief. “A-Xuan!!”

Mama nearly jumped in after her when she spotted her, but luckily Baba swooped in immediately underneath and grabbed hold of her waist, clutching her tightly to his chest to keep her head above the water. But she struggled weakly in her Baba’s grip, straining her head to look underneath the waves to catch a glimpse of the creature that helped her.

“Did you see it, Baba? Where did it go?”

“See what?” he asked, breathless from all the tireless searching.

“The monster! With the eyes!” she said, like it was obvious. “It saved me!”

But Baba hadn’t seen anything. No one had.

Maybe she hallucinated it after all…

~~~

PART 2, PART 3, PART 4

End Notes:

Make sure you don’t forget to leave some kudos, drop a comment, bookmark, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next chapter! Check out my other social media on my carrd if you wanna follow me elsewhere!

Cross-posted on tumblr and AO3.

All writing and art posted by this blog is original work by ©RedLikeRozez. Do not reupload, translate without permission, copy, or claim as your own work.

#Spookinky2024 #tgcf #heaven official's blessing #he xuan #shi qingxuan #shi wudu #beefleaf #shuangxuan #fanfiction #ao3 writer

12 notes · View notes

artsystims · 1 year ago

Text

welcome to artsystims

[PT: welcome to artsystims]

this is an accessible stim blog, providing content warnings, plain texts and image descriptions.

info about blog over cut, more details on content warnings, personal info and blacklist under cut.

blog info

i’m just an average stimboard blog!

i will provide image descriptions and plain text

i tag possible triggers and provide content warnings

request status: semi-open? (purgatory)

tagging info

i will not have any content related to common triggers, but i will tag the triggers down below as such:

#flashing lights / #flashing gif (any gif that is very flashy)

#eyestrain / #tw eyestrain (anything that might hurt your eyes)

#cw hands / #hands cw (anything that contains up-close hands)

#bugs / bug cw (anything containing real-life bugs)

#eyes / cw eyes (anything depicting eyes)

lemme know if i should tag anything else

personal info

name: aech

main blog: @artsyaech (also a coining blog)

pronouns: xae/xaer

age: 17

this blog has no set DNI (because anyone should be able to have a nice visual stimming experience), but i block freely.

this blog does, however have a blacklist (yes, i am aware it differs from my main’s, but i am updating my main’s blacklist soon)

BLACKLIST

fiction:

danganronpa, DSMP, harry potter, black butler, countryhumans, hetalia, friday night funkin’, lore olympus, vivziepop media, k*lling stalking (i), poppee the performer,

music:

the 1975 (band), marilyn manson (musician), melanie martinez, lana del rey, michael jackson, the smiths (band), red hot chilli peppers (band), BOTDF (band)

media i will only do if you acknowledge the problems with said media (greylist)

fiction:

the barbie movie, fiction depicting real people (hamilton ((especially)), clone high, our flag means death ((i love both of the last ones, don’t come after me))

music:

dance gavin dance (band), kiss (band), led zeppelin (band), the beatles (band), korn (band), type o negative (band), pink floyd (band), escape the fate (band), foo fighters (band), slayer (band), asking alexandria (band),

#intro post #pinned post

3 notes · View notes

cadyrocks · 2 years ago

Note

"do you know that proshipper means someone who supports and romanticizes pedophilia, incest, and abuse"

Wow this group sounds super dangerous! If they're into real-life pedophilia, incest, and abuse, they sound downright monstrous. They sounds like people we should do something about!

Martha, go get my moral panic pitchfork!

But that's not what this is about, is it? It's about fiction. It's about people who engage with or tell stories featuring these elements. And then you can pick out the worst of the worst and smear this entire group with that label.

I'm not super up to date with the Shipping Wars™ lately, but is "proshipper" an actual coherent group in any meaningful way? Or is it just the label given to people whose response to Reylos is less dramatic than this?

There's plenty of narrative I find tasteless or unpleasant or even vaguely offensive. I avoid it. Most of the places that aren't already sanitized to high heaven and back have pretty extensive tagging and content warning tools so you can avoid the stuff that bugs you. Isn't that enough? Or is the mere existence of fiction that addresses subjects you consider uncomfortable cause for concern? Because, lemme tell you, as a trans woman living in the year 2023, I'm not particularly comfortable with that line of reasoning.

I’m not trying to attack you, but do you know that proshipper means someone who supports and romanticizes pedophilia, incest, and abuse? Your reblog on that post seems to read that you think antis just hate on people for having ships they don’t like. But it’s completely different than that. Just looking on the proshipper side of Tumblr and the internet and you can see people happily shipping children and adults and making nsfw content of such things.

i appreciate that you're not being outright hostile, but i have to say, that on its own put you above basically every anti i've interacted with.

i understand where antis are coming from, i really do. there are a lot of things on the internet that make me deeply uncomfortable, including the minor/adult ships that you mention. i don't want to anything to do with those kinds of ships and i would be happiest if i never saw them again. which is why i'm proship.

nine times out of ten, if i see that kind of ship brought up on my dash, it's because i was following an anti without realizing it, and they brought it up unprompted and untagged, to talk about how bad it is that they exist. they are the ones putting that kind of content in front of my face and making it harder to avoid.

the thing about people who ship those ships is that they're generally very aware that not everyone wants to see that kind of content, and so they tag it. they make sideblogs to talk about it. they don't go out of their way to shove it in people's faces. that means i, and everyone else who doesn't like it, can avoid it.

what antis want is for it to not exist at all. they want the tags to be purged and blocked, and for anyone who uses those tags to have their accounts deleted. and sure, that might get rid of some of it, but do you know what would happen to the rest? it would stop being tagged. people who don't want to see it wouldn't have the tools to avoid it. this isn't just a hypothetical, that's what's happened any time a fan space has tried to do that.

that's not even getting into the rabbit hole of what should be banned and what shouldn't. obviously any content that depicts real children or real life abuse shouldn't exist and shouldn't be allowed to be posted, but basically any platform that people use already enforces those policies, and there's not much of a slippery slope to go down there. if it involves real living breathing people being abused, it's bad. end of discussion.

but the same can't be said for fiction. ask ten antis for a specific list of all the content that should be banned, and you'll get ten different answers. what about kink? what about roleplay? what about horror and murder and anything that involves fictional characters being graphically tortured? what about people using art to process terrible things that have happened to them? what about art that uses dark themes as a horror element? if you just want to ban anything questionable to anyone, that's the line of thinking that gets any mention of lgbt existence banned. and again, this isn't just a hypothetical, this has happened before, and that's generally where it leads.

i know, from personal experience, that antis do, in fact, send harassment to people just for shipping things they don't like. i've gotten accused of absolutely vile shit for shipping two fictional characters who were both consenting adults. i've seen ship wars turn into moral battlegrounds, over ships that an average person wouldn't bat an eye at.

the thing about "romanticization" is a whole other can of worms. the anti logic goes like this: if someone sees something (even if it's very obviously fictional) in a positive light enough times, they will start thinking it's okay in real life, and go on to hurt real people. the problem with that is that it's just. blatantly untrue.

if it were true every horror movie fan would be a serial killer, every person that studies dark media would be an unhinged psychopath, and everyone who is into ddlg would be a pedophile. but they're not. they just aren't. people have directed movies just as fucked up as the darkest shit on ao3, and are still capable of being normal human beings who know right from wrong in real life.

even if someone is that impressionable, scrubbing away the existence of every piece of questionable content isn't going to solve their problem, because they're still going to be vulnerable to con men, scams, and cultists. the only thing that would actually materially help someone like that is developing their own morals and critical thinking.

children are also more impressionable, and there's a lot of content that's not suitable for them, but that doesn't mean that content shouldn't exist. it just means that they should stick to spaces designed for them (which most social media sites, tumblr included, are not) or, if they're old enough to be responsible for their experience online, they, or a trusted adult in their lives, should block and filter out things that they aren't comfortable with.

which is what everyone on the internet should be doing. it's what i do, and it's made the internet a much more pleasant place to be. and it's why i sometimes worry for antis mental health, especially teenagers, because they're being told it's right and moral to seek out content that makes them uncomfortable and to engage with the people making it. and that's just. really bad. it's not good for the creators that they're harassing obviously, but it's also really bad for them! it's not healthy to seek out things that make you feel bad, and it's a terrible internet safety lesson to teach minors that it's okay for them to seek out and engage with people making adult content.

individual harassment and crusading is never going to succeed at removing dark content from the internet. it just isn't. at best you might get a small percentage of people who create that content to stop sharing it, at worst you're just going to make people stop tagging it, and either way, you're exposing yourself to things that make you feel bad, when you don't have to.

if you want to materially change the type of content you see, you can. the block button is your friend, use it liberally. same with content filtering and tag blocking.

#self indulgent discourse

16K notes · View notes

fioras-resolve · 9 months ago

Text

Hello, person reading this! I'm Angie Nyx, a video game developer and frequent good poster. If you're on my page, you're probably here because I talked about my projects, about games generally, or about Toki Pona. So lemme put essential info in this pinned post.

-Gamedev-

I am, among other things, a developer of turn-based RPG's, with the goal of uniting story and gameplay as a cohesive whole. So often in games we treat the two as separate things, because so often games basically are a movie or visual novel inter-cut with bits of interactivity. I don't just want to make a good game or tell a good story, I want to make a good interactive story.

My current project is Daybreak Hearts, a tactics game about the necessity and difficulty of forming connections. I'm making this game in SRPG Studio, which is the same engine the old Fire Emblem director uses to make Vestaria Saga. I've been using this engine for a good few years, and I'm very close to somebody who does plugins for it, so if you have any questions about it, just send an ask my way. And of course, if you want updates on Daybreak Hearts, feel free to ask, or check the tag.

If you want to check out the rest of my catalogue, I'm on itch.io as nyx. You should especially check out Fiora: Full Bloom, which is a turn-based RPG that uses the genre's mechanics to explore gender identity and mental health. I'm also proud of If You Had One Turn, which I made for a gamejam and later updated, and which is about winning RPG battles in only one turn. I've been at this for a while, and I'm getting better as I grow more confident and take things more seriously. Also check out this post, a series of manifestos about what I want as a game developer.

-Talking About Games-

Part of being a game developer and also autistic is that I think about games constantly all the time and do so with an analytical lens. The longer-form stuff tends to go to my essay blog, but I do post a lot of my stray thoughts on here. Just so know where my preferences lean, I like:

Tactics Games: This is my favorite genre, and I love talking about it. I love Into The Breach, Marvel's Midnight Suns, and Triangle Strategy, all of which are worth checking out. I also like modern XCOM, some of the Fire Emblem games, and I can even find something nice to say about Gears Tactics.

RPGs: I find a lot of comfort in a genre that is mostly centered around number-crunching. I'm really into Xeno, more Gears than Blade though. I have a complicated relationship with Final Fantasy, let's just say Motomu Toriyama is an underappreciated director. And on the western side, Deus Ex is pretty cool, and I have GOT to get back on Baldur's Gate 3. Also on the indie side, play Cataphract OI and Helen's Mysterious Castle.

Mystery Games: Ace Attorney changed my brain chemistry as a child and now I have Miles Edgeworth in my head. I also love Ghost Trick obviously, and I also really like the Zero Escape games (yes, even that one) and Her Story. If you wanted to get me a Steam gift, either Telling Lies or Return of the Obra Dinn would be perfect.

Platformers: Mario... good. I'm also into Celeste, Metroid, Sonic on its better days, and also A Hat In Time is pretty good. Platformers embody Video Games to me.

Puzzle Games: This is partially an extension of the mystery games thing but i also really love 14 Minesweeper Variants and other stuff by Artless Games. Also Baba Is You is good, of course.

I try to appreciate everything I can about a game, and use my perspective as a game designer to maybe give some new insights. If you're looking for some videos, I'd recommend New Frame Plus, Game Maker's Toolkit, and especially talks from GDC and GDoC. I have a playlist of my favorite talks here.

-Toki Pona-

I speak Toki Pona, and I like to think I'm pretty good at it. To prove it to people who care, here's a special message that i'm too afraid to say in English, so we tokiponists get to have it for ourselves. (content warning for pakala unpa)

toki! mi kisa Ansi. tenpo mute la, mi pilin e ni: mi jan wan, lon insa kulupu suli. ni li ken ike e pilin mi, tan ni: kulupu suli li wile e ijo mute tan jan, taso jan li wile pana ala. tenpo mute la, kulupu tonsi li toki e ni tawa mi: "lon tonsi li unpa. sina tonsi la, sina wile unpa." taso, mi tonsi. tenpo mute la, mi wile ala unpa. jan wan li pakala e mi kepeken unpa, la mi monsuta e ona. ni li ike, taso, mi ken pilin ike. pilin ike li ike ala. ni la, mi toki e ni tawa sina: o sina. o pali e wile sina. o pali ala e wile pi sina ala. sina sina. sina ken sina. o pana e pona tawa sina. sina jan wan, taso, sina jan suli.

(Also I'm catkin and plural so don't be surprised or angry if I post about either of those.)

1 note · View note

jinxispunk · 1 year ago

Text

darlin'

pre-outbreak Joel Miller x reader

Summary: a lazy Sunday morning in Austin

Warnings/tags: 18+ ONLY, minors DNI, no use of y/n, established relationship, reader's age is not specified, only description of readers physical appearance is that they have long hair, so much fluff (let me know if I missed anything)

W/C: 591

A/N: this is my first ever Joel fic and my first drabble I've put up on Tumblr omg (pls lemme know what you think and if you enjoy)

The first thing you hear when you wake up isn’t the chirpy birdsong singing through the open window. It isn’t the buzz of cicadas, and it isn’t the faint sound of one of your neighbours mowing their lawn.

The first noise that fills your ears is Joel’s heavy, contented breathing, next to you in bed.

As long as you’ve known Joel, it’s like he has no idea how to really, fully relax. He’s always switched on, ready to jump to aid should Sarah or Tommy or you come calling. Its just who he is. But right now, you’ve never seen him look so peaceful, and any irritation you held in response to his heavy breathing waking you up immediately dissipates when you notice it. The furrow in his brow is gone, the tension he always carries in his shoulders, in his jaw, they’re nowhere to be seen.

He starts to stir, stretching like a cat thats just found the perfect beam of light to rest under, and he reaches out, pulling you closer into his chest.

“Mornin’ darlin’”, he manages through his croaky morning voice.

“Morning gorgeous”, you say as you push his hair out of his face, giving him a peck on the nose.

His fingers are playing with the ends of your hair, which is falling in every which direction onto the crisp white sheets of your shared bed. He reciprocates your kiss with one to your own nose, then your cheeks, your forehead, and finally your lips. You hum against him, kissing him for a while - it could be minutes, it could be an hour - before reluctantly pulling back. He gives you a dejected, pleading look, to which you reply,

“I’ll make you some coffee?”

His frown melts into a smile and he hums, quietly telling you he’ll be downstairs in not too long, and you will yourself out of bed and onto your feet. You’re wearing only one of Joel’s band tees; its far too deep into the Texas summer to be wearing anything bulkier. Sarah stayed over at a friend’s house last night, you remember as you wander past her room, making a mental note to remind Joel she needs collecting in the early afternoon. You slowly plod your way downstairs, stopping by the record player on the counter to play your favourite Elvis album at the moment, before situating yourself by the hob to start on breakfast.

Not long into your self-serenade of ‘Suspicious Minds’ while you cook your eggs scrambled and Joel’s fried, you hear gentle footsteps down the stairs, and not a minute later two strong bare arms wrap around your midsection, beginning to rock you to the rhythm of the record playing. Leaning your head back onto his shoulder, you melt into his touch. He smells like tobacco and vanilla and fresh sheets, and he feels like home.

You turn around in his arms after a few minutes, pecking his lips, before ducking under his arm, sliding over to the pot to start on his coffee. As you do that, he wades over to the fridge, picking out your favourite orange juice before pourring you a glass. Once your eggs on toast are done, you carry his coffee over to the table, and he carries your orange juice, and you both sit and eat and begin to properly wake up.

Sitting there, looking at him, while hes looking at you, and you’re smiling, and he’s scrunching his nose up to make you laugh, you decide that Sundays are your favourite days.

dividers: saradika-graphics

#pedro pascal #pedro characters #joel miller #joel miller drabble #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel miller tlou #joel tlou #tlou #tlou fanfiction

211 notes · View notes

bts5sosempire · 2 years ago

Text

the tyrant (v)

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: sukuna ryomen x reader

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 4,150

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: old time period, mention of arranged marriage, polygamous marriages, slow-burn yandere, power imbalances, peer pressure, gaslighting, mention of manipulation, dark content, slight-NSFW (tw: non-con), MDI, Dickuna, please read at your own discretion

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: "you were the apple of Sukuna's eyes, the one who brought him solace and everything. The only thing you were incapable of was giving him a child, an heir he wished to spoil like he did to you."

𝐚/𝐧: holy crap, I've been bugging and got writer's block from this for the longest time. But it is done at last; been trying to angle where I should go from here. Since I barely wrote any nsfw or anything remotely related to that, I hope this doesn't get flagged cuz I would deadass scream. Btw, thank you to those that waited for so long when I went into my MIA mode 🥲❤️. Likes, comments, and reblogs are helpful too, and have a nice day lovelies! 🥳 (pls lemme know in the "comment" section below for tagging.)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

After the incident, you told Sukuna that he wouldn't stifle you. As for Suguru's situation, you couldn't make an explicit assumption; for all you know, it was a warning to you both. Suguru is your faraway dream, and you were his too. Another part you know is that killing Suguru would be like child's play, but it wouldn't look good on Sukuna unless he starts undermining Suguru with hidden intentions. You don't wish for Suguru to be harmed in any way; even the thought of it sends your heart lurching in heartache.

You shift under your seat as the cold air bites your face. It was early in the morning when Sukuna had taken you out for a morning hunt. Everything was set up the previous day before. Sukuna had even invited a handful of Lords to hunt with him, to form connections. He also thought it would be good for you as you have locked yourself away in your room for days after the banquet; he thinks it's childish whenever you would do that to avoid his confronting nature. You could care less about what he feels at this point.

Fiddling with your bangle inside the muff, you twist and turn the familiar jeweled gift. Then there's your Aunt; the pressure from her was also getting to you. Selfish is the best word to describe her; a bitter feeling of resentment starts to form within your chest as you have come to accept the view you have of her. Your Aunt Setsuko and Sukuna aren't that much of a discrepancy; both set out to use people as they see fit in their agenda.

Your attention was brought back when the sound of horses' hooves and men urging their steed to go faster descended from the hills. A jackal was running rapidly, with hounds chasing after their tail. An arrow whizz past and almost hits the animal as it sidesteps to the side to avoid it. Sukuna was leading, riding the red steed that dashes across the dewy and chilly plain. Sukuna raises the bow with steady arms and hands, his uncanny eyes trained on the animal before releasing the string. The arrow hits the jackal as it staggers forward, rolling a few times against the ground as the hounds pounce to keep it dead and still.

Everyone congratulates Sukuna for being keen eyes as they all slow their horses down to an ambling pace. Servants quickly swept the hounds aside and picked up the now-dead animal, and hurried off to deal with it. Sukuna basked in the attention he was given, accepting them before brushing off the other minor and major lords. He pulls the rein of the horse in your tent's direction.

Rising from your seat, two maids appeared to assist you by holding your forearms as you carefully stepped off the heated coal pots placed underneath your feet to keep them warm. Seiin, the firey steed notice you and picks up its speed to hurry on over. The horse was a gift for your congratulatory wedding from your clan. Seiin was only one of the few red steeds born and raised on your farm; considering it's a scarce breed, Seiin was above average from a normal war horse. They were a total upgrade. It could outpace any horse for hours, and its stamina was limitless since it brought Sukuna's never-ending winning of conquering lands and people alike. You almost forgot that each clan member ran a different course for bribery. Your father used to run a ranch for breeding war horses (now it falls to you). Once your wedding with Sukuna happened, your Aunt deliberately solidified the pact and decided to trade the horses for power without consulting with you first.

When Seiin was near enough, Sukuna hopped off the horse. Seiin snorted as it impatiently wanted you to pet its snout and brush its dark red hair. You pull out a hand from the muff and caress a pointer to the length of Seiin's nose; they nuzzle their face closer. The equine sure is spoiled. You don't remember them being this double in size and height.

"Took a long time to get this steed to obey me," Sukuna starts, and you only pay attention to him for a fraction with your eyes before flicking them away to the horse again. The story of how Sukuna gets Seiin was funny; it almost made you think that the War Demon couldn't tame a beast. Seiin was probably secretly a mule in disguise; they hated any rider or person who attempted to claim them; they're more familiar with you out of everyone. When Seiin was presented to Sukuna, it was on sight for the horse to run him over and stomp its hooves on the ground to scare off Sukuna. It was futile since Sukuna was a person who loved challenges, and Seiin happened to present them to him.

All it took was a lot of being tied to the pole, brushed, fed, and given lots of freedom to stretch its legs daily, which spoiled the horse. Then it got its owner's temper, too; Seiin was Sukuna's pride.

"You have been in your room for a few weeks; what's so crucial that you have forbidden me? Is Suguru that important?" You slightly glare, "Also, that brat took longer to leave than usual." You could tell that Sukuna was trying to get a rise out of you, a bait for you to take. If you have taken it, it will bring endless hours to get him off your back. He moves fast with assumptions, and it's scarily accurate, too, with how he gathered information.

Turning away from Sukuna, you pat Seiin a few times, then return to your tent.

The reason why you have spent more time in your room is for a reason; you can't rely on anyone anymore. Not your Aunt Setsuko, who seems ready to abandon you if your final strike occurs, and you have to admit, the advantage of having Sukuna's affection starts to wear you thin. The harem is relentless in trying to remove you, and if that happens, then you're easily disposable. But they couldn't do that. It was known multiple times if you were gone, then the deal with both families would fall through, and trade would also cease to exist.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Yumi asks warily as you settle on wearing a man's clothes. You use the excuse of doing your charity work to go out for something you've been planning to do.

"If I don't do it now, when will I ever will? I didn't use all that time in my room reading and teaching me about politics and finances." Telling Yumi she couldn't argue back, not when concern always seems to paint her face these days. "Stall as long as you can," you order, adjusting the male hakama; you try to give off the air and posture of a man. "I'll try to be back before sundown."

Sliding the door open, Yuichi was outside; arms crossed as he awaited you.

You nudge with your head for him to follow you. When you both were outside the small rented compound you use for charity work, Yuichi cast you aside glance, "You told me to scout the area and ask for any willing participants if they're going to give up their property to you, and I found a few."

"You work fast," you inquire with a small smile, and Yuichi huffs his chest, proud of his work. "No spear today?" Yuichi never goes anywhere without his weapon, and today is a rare day.

"No need to for today, and I wanted to ask why you need an inn out of all places." The young man scratches his head behind you, "I mean, with your wealth and power, you could easily build or buy a better one."

You chuckle a bit, "My father used to tell me something interesting when I was a child, and today, I decided to put it to the test," looking at Yuichi, who peers down at you with curious eyes. "Are you familiar with how business people work?" Yuichi turned away, even more confused, as he wasn't well-versed or educated in an area that wasn't his expertise. "You know how when a robber or criminal is going to rob you, they always announce it and hold a weapon against you?" The man nodded, "But when it comes to business people, they'll steal it right before you without saying many things, even if you do or don't realize."

Yuichi: "So you're saying you're going to steal?"

You: "Do you consider being persuasive with words stealing?"

Yuichi: "I mean, it is under the pretense, so kind of, I guess?"

You laugh, "I'm going to make them give it to me; if not, I can always gamble it."

Yuichi did a double take, "You're scary when you want to be." The man didn't expect this from you, but he felt you change a little. Yuichi often spends time with you helping those who are in need, and seeing you taking charge of something for real is uncalled.

The both of you walk a bit further until you've reached a run-down inn. Seeing the worn-out sign of the inn's name hanging up at the entrance tells you how long it was in business. Stepping inside the inn, you could see the wooden beams and pillars were also worn out. There were chips here and there, and even the tables and chairs were old.

"Hello? Anyone?" Yuichi calls out into the empty room before someone emerges from the back. You assume it was the owner. They're in their mid-fifties when you could spot specks of grey in their dark hair and fine lines marring their tan face. The owner's eyes speak of years of hardship in this world. "You remember when I said I would bring a friend, right?"

"Go away; the place is not for sale." The owner motioned his arms to shoo you and Yuichi away.

"Business is not good, I'm assuming?" You question the owner while your eyes still trace around and find no soul or customer in the room.

"It is doing good, just that you're in the way." The owner bites back. He grabs a nearby broom and kicks your foot out of the way with it, and sweeps the front and entrance.

Yuichi leans over to you and whispers in your ear while his eyes linger on the old man, "How about we just go look at the other ones?"

Clicking your tongue, you brush him off, "Sir," you turn around to meet the older man with a smile and try to present an air of friendliness. "How about a game?" You're just going straight for the jugular at this point; no need to play coy, yet, with a stubborn man.

"Game? I don't have time for that," refusing you, you held your smile.

"Well, if you win, I won't bother you again, and it would be a shame if this place were to shut down. I could tell a lot of history and time were poured into this place. Not many know how to run an inn, let alone for more than several generations." Your words seem to catch their ears as you swipe a finger across a table, seeing grey coating your fingertip. "Also heard that if you fail to pay this month's rent, you'll be evicted." Innocently smiling, you could see the older man fuming, "Competition is sure rough around these parts, isn't it?"

Old man: "Who are you?"

You: "A buyer. A renter, of course."

"You know a lot more than you let on," The man-trained eyes pierced your own; he couldn't read your orbs. "Then I'll entertain you as long as you're out of my hair."

Conversing with the man, you and he repeatedly placed the black-and-white pieces of smooth small stones on the board until it was nearly filled. Yuichi, who was watching from the side with his eyes zoning onto the Go board, then it flicked back and forth in between you and the older man.

"Ah! I give up! Name your price," the owner fickled out and grabbed a nearby heated pot, and poured himself a drink. He was trying to calm that irregular heart of his that could lead to a potential heart attack.

You trace the board and see how the majority of your white pieces were constantly surrounding and consuming his black pieces. The man was already defeated ten different times, but you just prolonged it. You must thank Sukuna for teaching you (not like you're ever going to) if he wasn't pestering you when he had nothing else to do. The game Go was introduced to Sukuna by the Chinese who came to do trading, and Sukuna, who has a penchant for mind-stimulating things, didn't hesitate to take it. The man didn't regret it; if not, he put all his war tactics and strategies onto that board when playing against the Chinese traders and conquering them as if it was a real battle.

"I won't directly buy the place; if renting would suffice you. You would still be the owner, but co-owner, at least." The man was about to speak up, but you raised a hand, saying you're not done. "I'm looking into putting interest and investing," standing up from your seat, you examine many things in the room. "But to do that, we need to start working from the bottom and up. We are not going to get rid of everything, but we could still keep the rustic feeling this place have. This place needs major improvement."

After going over things with them, you could tell that they were much more relaxed, not by a lot, although.

"I won't always be able to come and check up on this place; I'll be sending-" patting Yuichi's chest with a few hits; he didn't expect that, "-this guy in my stead along with a letter of instructions of how to keep this place afloat. I'll also desire a report from you too, sir."

"Taiju. Taiju Mori." Finally introduced himself, and you nodded in acknowledgment.

"As your employer, Seijuro Hajime, it's nice meeting you," telling him your alias, you headed off with Yuichi.

Once you're at a distance, Yuichi stops in front of you. "Now I'm your messenger?" He asks in disbelief when pointing at himself, as he can't believe all the roles you're giving him. "You know I am-"

Cutting Yuichi off, you told him, "You're being paid for your hard work with free lodging at the inn, also with the all-you-can-eat-and-drink too."

Yuichi: "Sold."

You laugh, and that shuts him up quickly. Before you can enjoy your outing more, the shadow becomes longer and darker, with the night coming faster along the chilly winds. The burnt orange sky is cast above the horizon with the setting sun. Patrol guards were roaming out in the streets now to switch their routines. "We have to hurry back." Around this time is when Sukuna usually sends guards from the castle to escort you back home too.

Sukuna has just come back from one of his concubine's rooms. For they have just successfully given birth to his child, he was there to name them. Roaming the hall, he noticed that your quarter was quiet when he came across, "Has Lady (Name) not home yet?" The surrounding servants and guards shook their heads rapidly, indicating a 'no' as they were afraid to look him in the eyes.

It wasn't until you came into view the retainers finally let out a sigh of relief. "My Lady!" They shout in unison, one after another. You try not to let your discomfort and hostility show when you spot Sukuna, and the man notices how your eyes seem to harden. He smiles at that.

"You came back later than usual (Name)," Sukuna then waved a hand, "you all are dismissed; I wish to be alone with my wife." All the servants nodded once and single-file out of your quarter to idle on another job or chore, waiting for them. Yumi was the last one to leave. "I've missed you ever since you left me this morning at the hunting ground," he proclaimed, taking long strides to reach you, and you steel yourself when Sukuna suddenly wrapped his arms around you. "Be a dear and entertain me tonight, would you?"

Ripping yourself from his hold, your eyes quiver with rage. "I'm not your womb breeder nor your cunt warmer," sneering at him, Sukuna let out a breathy laugh.

"I thought you had lost your fire for a moment," he moves a hand to caress your face you slap it away harshly.

You: "Don't touch me."

Sukuna's displeasure was partially showing, and before you could react any further, he held both sides of your face, "I've been very patient with you." Rapid as lightning, he brought his lips onto yours, and your eyes widened in surprise. You are tugging and trying to pull yourself away from him, but he grips your face even tighter than before. The taste of lingering sweet and bitter alcohol from Sukuna's tongue attaches to your tongue too. Both yours and his feet were awkwardly dancing around to find proper footing as you swerved and hit a wall. Sukuna takes the leisure of your gasping moment, the need for air to implore more of your cavern as he trails one hand down your face, then it once again snakes around your waist.

Pulling you close as possible, he grips the obi sash. "I'm not going to take a no from you," he spoke in between the kisses, and he hoisted you by the waist and quickly took you to your room with you protesting and screaming obscenities at him.

Your people rounded the corner, popping their heads to see just in time for the outer layer of Sukuna's hakama floating through the air before it was cut off by your door slamming shut and echoing in the hallways. They had never seen Sukuna act like this before; for all they knew, it was always being sweet towards you, but seeing how rambunctious their master was made everyone's mouths open in disbelief.

Meanwhile...

Around the same time, it was time for the evening lunch for everyone. With your and Sukuna's empty seat, Eisha asks a nearby manservant, "Where is the Lord and Lady (Name)?"

The manservant was hesitant to say anything as they opened their mouth a few times before uttering a sentence. "T-The Lord and Lady (Name) won't be dining tonight." Eisha raised her brow, and the man inch closer until he was whispering to her what was going on, and Eisha balled her fists. Fits of jealousy and anger slowly drown her. Masking her face with a look of understanding, she dismisses him, and they quickly wait on the sideline.

"Everyone, it seems like we will be dining without Lord Sukuna and Lady (Name)." A murmur of slight groans and agitation filled the air. Eisha picked up her pair of chopsticks, and the rest followed suit.

Back to you...after a few hours

Sukuna pinned you beneath him; his callous hand had both your wrists bound above your head while one tightly gripped your sweltering hip. Your face was flushed, and your chest was heaving out of breath, but you were stubborn in not making any noises. Sukuna, although successfully tearing one or two or more out of you. You were quick to shut up by biting your lips until you felt they were bleeding.

Sweat trickled down his body and dropped onto yours as he felt another one coming close, and so did yours; Sukuna lost track of time when the sun disappeared, and the full moon rose high in the night sky.

Rutting into you like you both were the only ones in the world, Sukuna tried to prolong the upcoming orgasm as long as possible, but it was inevitable. The fire in your belly was about to erupt again, and you knew. Trying to squirm away, Sukuna grunts out for you to stay still as he tries to chase after his high and make yours come along with his when he starts to pace himself faster.

You hate it when he keeps brushing your sensitive spot, abusing it to no end, and your sanity waning each time. So you turn your head to the side to hide. He already attained it with his fingers to prepare you, and now he is plowing you like an open field in different ways.

Sukuna suddenly stutters his hip forward to meet yours, and you yelp when your thighs tense up and enclose his well-defined waistline. He lets out a throaty and breathy groan when finally filling you up again with your walls gripping his shaft.

Letting go of your wrists, Sukuna stilled for a moment before getting off you and seeing how soiled the futon was from the love-making. You had your eyes close; brows pinched together. Whether it was from trying to regain yourself or you being angry for letting this happen, Sukuna saw how your emotions were all over the place—the aftermath of all.

He combed a hand through his slick, drenched hair; the scent of two body that was once conjoined still permeates through the atmosphere. "Grab me and Lady (Name) some refreshments," Sukuna demands, many feet shifting outside the screen door; after a rendezvous, he feels an appetite for his pipe too.

"Get out," you speak up, voice rather tired.

"Not until you're properly taken care of," Sukuna threw your nagujaban on top of you before grabbing and wearing his own.

"My Lord," a muffled voice was heard outside, and Sukuna went to slide the door a fraction. He grabs the refreshments and uses his frame to block out any onlookers before closing the door with a snap shut.

You viciously avoided Sukuna to prevent yourself from doing something stupid like wringing his neck or poisoning his food. To keep yourself busy, you had often gone out more and kept tabs on the inn as it made progress on attracting more customers and former locals.

You were thinking about improving the inn more until an ingratiating voice appeared behind you.

"Ah, I thought it was Concubine Sei, but it's only you, Lady (Name)," you turn around to meet the lavender eyes of Concubine Sena, who is holding a newborn in her arms with a sardonic grin. She hushes the squirming child and pats its bottom. "Don't know why Lord Sukuna kept you around when you can't produce him an heir. I'm starting to think that you're a barren woman."

You only chide with a side smirk. Out of all the concubines who would talk back to you is Concubine Sena. "I'm glad you finally developed awareness or critical thinking; tell me something I don't know." That wipe off the smirk from his face quickly. "I was almost worried for a second if you're going to be like me, childless too, but fate had decided to bestow you a second child."

Sena: "What are you inquiring about? Are you cursing my child? Lord Sukuna would hear from me about you cursing my son!"

Sniggering at her with a laugh, you brought up a hand to hide the laughter before continuing, "I wasn't going to stoop this low, but I'll say it since I'm feeling petty and far from my acting like a (Surname) clanswoman," taking a step closer to her until she feels threatened, Sena held her son tightly and close to her chest. "Hope that your child here lives passed three moons, unlike your first one, don't want history to repeat itself since your Hanamiya women are reputable for bad luck."

"How dare you!" Sena seeth out, "Servants! Held down this woman and slapped her foul mouth!" A few made advances, but you cut it short.

"Touch me and see what happens when Lord Sukuna finds out." They all stumble in their steps and refuse to take another out of fear, "I may not share the same affections he has for me, but I am very much favor unlike you." Then your face changes instantly, cold and calculating. "How long have you been wanting him but still haven't got it? We both arrived and married Sukuna at the same time at the tender age of eighteen, and his eyes are always on me." Feigning a sad expression, you place a hand on your chest, depicting a wound over your heart. "How sad you'll always come second to me."

Sometimes you don't like using Sukuna's name aimlessly like this, but it's worth it to make them or anyone like Sena back off.

After all, you have elsewhere to be and time better spent on.

••••

Taglist: @sukunasobject @lilliansstuff @lucyrocks86 @ladywolf44005 @watyousayin @sandronebabyy @pinkrose1422 @skepticalleo @please-help-therapy-needed @whatsonthemirror @krispsprite @loser-alert @saturnknows @samidrc @littlemochi @akigoat @mxghostbee @rose4958 @shadowywizardarcade @huicitawrites @baji-keisukes-wife @choso-wifey @jovialeggsbailiffsoul @sanderaen @peonnnny @tiredlattes @waytomanyhusbands @whatamidoing89 @utena-akashiya @outrofenty @welcometodemonschoolfan @im-a-killer-queen

#fan fiction #jujutsu kaisen #masterlist #jjk sukuna #jjk x reader #anime #sukuna ryomen #jjk fanfic #sukuna x reader #jjk #yandere imagines #yandere fanfiction #yandere fic #yandere x reader #yandere #yandere sukuna ryomen #yandere sukuna x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #yandere sukuna

498 notes · View notes