#might f around and revamp

[jcdiism]

/

[microwavetoaster-selfships]

Saw a post of someone saying pink is married to every color and it was a bunch of images of the color pink and how nicely it looks and compliments all the other colors and maybe that's why I have so many F/Os maybe I'm just the color pink

[dillydally6969]

PLEASER .ᐟ 𝓢HAUNA SHIPMAN

♱ though you were the antler queen, shauna seemed oddly comfortable bossing you around

♱ cw; slight!nsfw under the cut, harsh language, f!r, boyfriend!shauna, natstoryline!r, shauna would’ve been nicer if they just let my girl lezz out :/

“loser says ‘what’.” mari hissed in her ear in passing.

shauna’s head snapped back, but before she could spit back, you were quick to pounce to your feet. “knock it off, mar!”

the butcher brushed past you, charging at mari.

tackling the raven-haired girl to the ground, shauna held mari’s arm against her back. she held up the bandaged fist, leaning down to whisper through the struggle, “say one more fucking word, and it’ll be your whole fucking arm.”

“jesus--!” you barked, surging to split the two writhing on the ground. “enough already!”

tai and melissa lunged to grab shauna by her arms. you held mari, shoving her behind you. you caught the snarl on the brunette’s face, holding up a hand, gesturing for her to calm down. “what the fuck, shipman?”

“your pet is being a bitch. maybe you should string that leash a little tighter.” she spat through a clenched jaw.

“did you just call me a pet--?”

“okay, enough!” you stepped to place yourself just in the centre, between the two of them. “you guys want me to play the warden? fine. starting tomorrow, both of you are on house arrest. i don’t want to see either of you out of your huts and anywhere near each other. did i make myself clear?”

shauna jerked out of her guards’ grasp, rolling her eyes.

you raised your eyebrows, hands on your hips. eyeing between them when you got no response. “am i clear?” you repeated.

mari nodded, exhaling shakily. god, was she relieved.

if it weren’t for you, she was sure she would’ve been in store as next winter’s rations by now.

as you watched mari stroll off, you drew shauna’s gaze.

the butcher stepped towards you, her rough hand latching unto your arm harshly. her lips brushing against the helix of your ear as she growled, “hut. now.”

you let her drag you off to her hut, indifferent to the looks of question a couple pair of eyes flashed your way.

“what?” you scoffed, hands on your hips. “what is it?”

“what’d you mean ‘what’? you totally steamrolled me out there.” she barked, “are you fucking serious?”

ah, it might be appropriate to mention; you and shauna had a rather… complicated relationship dynamic.

her and jackie used to be a package deal. you wanted jackie, shauna came with. one couldn’t, and wouldn’t, go without the other. but after the crash, the bond between the two grew estranged, and eventually, shauna sought solace in the one yellowjacket that had yet to turn their back upon her.

she was desperate. she was pregnant. you were there.

you were there to say the things jackie wouldn’t, the ones she hopelessly needed to hear.

“i can’t have you and mari stirring up a storm around here anymore,” you sighed, “tension’s high and morale’s low, the last thing we need is some petty playground beef.”

“you’re gonna walk out there and let us go, warden.”

her little acts of rebellion were what she needed, so you let the first couple slip. but you were deeply regretting letting her get away with them, because now she won’t stop.

your authority meant little to shauna, and you need an urgent revamp to remind her just who was put in charge.

“no.” you replied. you swore you saw steam from her ears.

“no?” she replied, her lips curling into a vindictive smirk, her eyebrows still deeply furrowed. “did you just say ‘no’ to me?”

you crossed your arms, swallowing your nerves.

“yes, shipman. i said no.”

“stop fucking calling me that.” you were quickly pinned to the wall, shauna’s hand around your neck. a stunned gasp escaped your lips, her fingers etching her mark into your skin. “here’s what’s gonna happen. i’m not gonna be on house arrest, no, but mari will be. you’ll make sure that little pest stays out of my lane, and you won’t shame me like that in front of everybody again. do you understand?”

you let out a small whimper, nodding frantically.

her grip on your throat tightened, your pulse racing against her fingertips. “use your words.” she ordered, her breath grazing the burning tip of your ears.

“yes.” you managed, squirming beneath her.

“yes, ‘what’?” she asked, you knew just how to appease her.

“yes, shauna.” you breathed, feeling her warm palm creep up your shirt and caress your waist. “i understand.”

“good.” she hummed, her hand on your neck gliding smoothly up the curve of your neck to grab your jaw. her dull, doe eyes peered down at your lips, her own parting as her chest heaved with each quickening breath.

“wait, is that shauna?” gen questioned, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes for a closer glimpse.

melissa’s head snapped towards the back of camp, where they watched the butcher sharpen her knife. her shaggy hair parted to the side, and her flannel sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

“isn’t she supposed to be on house arrest?”

“right, ‘cause shauna’s the most obedient person we know,” melissa scoffed, “she’s probably violating her probation just to piss y/n off for putting her in time out--here.”

the blonde led the other towards your hut, where you were in a meeting with nat and tai about the logistics of camp.

upon the two shielding any light pouring through the arched opening of your private hut, all three pairs of your eyes looked up at the two standing amidst your doorway.

“y/n, can we talk to you for a second?” melissa asked.

you raised an eyebrow, you lips parting in hesitance. you glanced back towards tai and nat sitting on the cushions before you. you scoffed softly, a polite smile across your lips. “i’m kinda in the middle of something, ladies.”

“it’s kinda urgent,” gen added, her grimace evident.

you sighed, but after a quick nod of approval from tai and an indifferent shrug from nat, you gestured for them to continue.

“we think… shauna’s plotting something.” melissa’s voice fell to a hushed whisper at the end, “she’s either planning on jumping you or mari, we don’t know which.”

the hut fell silent for a moment.

you paused, rescinding your though before speaking. “what?”

“uhm, shauna? the big raging monster who’s been biting people and shit?” gen cocked her head. “she’s dangerous.”

“what makes you say that--? the killing part, i mean.” your eyebrows furrowed, pinching the bridge of your nose.

on top of lottie’s supernatural bs, conspiracies were too much.

“she’s not in her hut, she’s strutting around camp like she didn’t fucking assault mari.” melissa’s thumb pointed outside.

“uh,” you stammered, “i, uh… lifted the punishment.”

“what?” tai hissed, “are you batshit? you can’t just let shauna get away with treating mari like a chew toy.” she shot forward. “this is exactly what we were just talking about, y/n, soon enough, she’ll actually believe she can get away with anything. you’ve gotta put that ban back right now.”

you groaned, “look, i talked to shauna after and she knows what she did was wrong! it wasn’t like mari didn’t light the fuse, it’s not fair i punish her.”

“isn’t that why you punished them both in the first place?”

you sighed, rolling your eyes before glaring at the italian. as if mentally telling her, ‘not helping, nat!’

“what you did was nice and just. now that you’ve got shauna running free and mari serving time, you’ve tipped the scale again.” tai crossed her arms, “you’ve gotta set your foot down with her before she actually does do some damage.”

you held your hands up. “okay, okay! i’ll talk to her.”

you shuffled up, scurrying between melissa and gen, who made way for you. the two disperse as well, eager to catch the drama of your confrontation. as you disappear from their view, tai and nat share a mutual look of skepticism.

“how much do you wanna bet they’re fucking?”

tai sneered at nat’s prompt. “oh, come on. like y/n would ever.”

the blonde chuckled, shaking her head. “dude, think about it for a second, it’s so fucking obvious.”

“see, i actually like y/n, so i wouldn’t wish this upon her.”

“really?” nat scoffed, “how does two weeks of chores sound?”

tai narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips. after a brief pause, she slapped nat’s hand harshly in a shake, sealing the reward.

when shauna saw you approaching her, the first thing she could see was the hickey peeking out of your shorts with every stride you took. her heart swelled with pride.

she smirked to herself, setting her knife down, bracing herself for whatever excuse of a scolding you were about to give.

“shipman, get back in your hut!” you yelled harshly.

taken aback by the alternative approach, she scoffed. “what?”

“you heard me.” you spat, grabbing her arm and yanking her up. your hands planted on her chest, nudging her backwards towards her hut. “i don’t want you out of here until the sun comes up tomorrow morning.”

“the fuck?” she grabbed your wrists, “hold on--!”

“no, you listen to me.” you hissed, “people are starting to notice me cutting you slack, i want you to take this punishment and think about how you can control your anger issues.”

“hey! have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”

you shoved her straight into her hut. she fell back into the cushions making a bed, watching as you stood over her with your arms crossed. you clenched your jaw, foot stepping straight between her legs and down against her chest when she tried to stand up. she snarled.

“stay down.” you ordered, “and stay here. i’m warning you.”

shauna didn’t flinch. she cocked her head aside slightly, one brow arching, that slow, maddening smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. replacing what once was that menacing scowl, you were--as twisted as it sounded--beginning to miss it. “i was hungry,” she said with a newfound softness, tucking the knife in her hand back into her belt without breaking eye contact. “didn’t think the queen would mind her butcher feeding herself. thought you’d have better things to care for.”

you let your foot dig into her chest just more in warning, trying not to let your face betray how your skin lit up every time she challenged you like this. “i didn’t ban you from eating. i banned you from leaving this hut after you attacked mari.”

"banned?" shauna snorted, but not before dragging the tips of her fingers across your ankle, slow and deliberate. “i was exempted by your majesty, remember? besides, mari’s a mouthy little bitch. it was time she got dealt with.”

you watched her face contort from one of annoyance to one of calculated seduction. “that’s not your call.”

she stopped, turned to face you fully. you could see it then--how much she loved this, the push and pull, the crackle of tension between rule and rebellion. the knowing you could yell at her all you wanted, but still submit the moment she touched you. she chuckled, the sound made your stomach churn. she grabbed your leg gently. “and you think it’s yours?”

you gulped, but held your ground, heart pounding.

you could only stand and watch as she moved your leg effortlessly, propping herself up so she could be facing you just one breath away. she smirked, the lines under her eyes creasing as she nodded, urging you to answer her.

“I’m the one wearing the crown. not you.”

she laughed--quiet and mocking, eyes flicking to the stupid necklace akilah had made you with an antler pendent.

“you’re right. you wear it,” she murmured, chuckling lowly. “but you don’t know what to do with it.”

you rolled your eyes. “just stay in the hut, shipman.”

she crossed her arms. “yeah, right,” she whispered, stepping even closer, so she could grab your waist, pulling you into her. “are you done with your little act? got that out your system?”

wow, were you really that disrespected as a leader?

“watch it,” you hissed, “before you make me do something both of us don’t want.”

she stared at you for a long second, eyes dark and daring, and then, she smiled. “okay,” she said, grabbing the side of your hips. “you’re the queen. i’ll stay right here.”

a bad feeling riddled you as she stared back at you with a submissive edge, but it felt like the crown was starting to fit.

dinner was thin that night--rabbit, again, stewed with dried berries in a dented pot that hissed softly over the fire. you sat a little apart from the others, still-full cup of stew in your hands, watching the steam curl and vanish into the cool spring night. shauna was across from you, expression unreadable, chewing slow like nothing had happened. like she hadn’t spent the last hours testing your chair, leaving her mark in the crown.

tai dropped down beside you with a grunt and handed you a wooden bowl. “the queen gets extra treats. eat up.”

she said casually, elbows resting against her knees.

“says who?” you scoffed, staring down at the bowl of jerky.

“says me. you’ve barely touched that thing of stew, so you’re obviously not into it.” she nodded towards the dented cup you’ve been toying with for the entirety of dinner. “i got some leftover jerky from the shed. you need to eat something.”

“ah. thanks.” you didn’t answer, picking at the food, though you weren’t hungry. tai, of course, didn’t drop it as she should.

“y’know if you ever need someone to lay it on shauna, im happy to help,” tai muttered under her breath. “she’s been out of control lately, and you--” she paused, eyes narrowing as her gaze flicked to the collar of your shirt. “what the hell is that?”

you froze, jerking away as her fingers reach your neck.

tai reached out before you could pull away, brushing her fingers against the edge of the bruise that peeked out above your neckline--a deep purple mark blooming just below your collarbone. “that’s a hickey,” she announced, just a tad louder than you had hoped. you quickly shushed her.

“it’s not,” you lied, stiffly tugging your coat closed. “it’s probably just some tick bite i got from the lake.”

tai scoffed. “oh, come on, if anybody here knows what a hickey looks like, it’s me. lemme see that!”

you clenched your jaw, avoiding her eyes. “tai, it’s not--!”

“you liar!” she squealed, your collar tugged down to your collarbone with her fingers. “who in the hell is our lovely y/n l/n screwing around here?”

“shh!” you hissed, “can you keep it down! it’s not a hickey!”

“getting some isn’t a crime, y/n. just tell me who it is.”

“does it matter?” you scoffed, “it doesn’t change anything.”

“of course it matters,” tai replied, nudging you with her elbow. “you’re the antler queen, if there’s another potential antler queen or king around here, i need to know.”

“there isn’t,” you snapped, a little too fast. “let it go, turner.”

tai raised an eyebrow at the defensive edge to your tone, but didn’t press further. she held her hands up. “you’re the boss.”

when she stood to leave, most likely to share her findings with van, you pulled your coat tighter and adjusted your shirt, making sure the bruise was well-hidden now. from across the fire, shauna was watching again--eyes half-lidded, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she toyed with her knife. like she knew tai caught you, and she liked it.

you rolled your eyes, but still, your stomach fluttered. you hated her for that. almost as much as you hated yourself.

you don’t remember exactly when everything fell into a deep pit of insanity, but you caught yourself standing amidst wave after wave of chaos and hysteria.

the camp was loud; panicked voices overlapping, boots crunching as people circled and recircled the same patch of forest clearing like mari would suddenly reappear if they just looked hard enough. but she didn’t.

and god, did you wish she’d just pop up like her mari self and say, “sike! you guys should see your faces.”

her spot at dinner was still untouched, her blanket rumpled.

and everyone knew it wasn’t like her to wander off this long without making some drama about it first.

“she probably slipped and fell into a ravine,” van offered unhelpfully, arms crossed and voice too chipper. “or she’s hiding as some crazy trick to get us worried.”

“she was being a brat all day,” nat added, adjusting her hair-band. “but even mari wouldn’t play games like this.”

then misty’s voice cut through the murmur like a blade. “so we’re really not gonna talk about the fact that shauna was the last one to threaten her and then mari’s suddenly gone?”

all heads turned towards the butcher. she didn’t flinch.

Just be leaned against the post of the meat-drying rack, arms crossed, her expression calm but simmering.

“oh, please,” she scoffed, “if i wanted to get rid of her, you wouldn’t even realize she’s missing.”

“jesus,” misty gasped, clutching the coach’s jacket like pearls. “are we hearing this? she just basically confessed.”

“you better watch your mouth, quigley,” shauna snapped.

the shouting started to swell again--tai stepping forward to place herself between shauna and misty, nat’s hand twitching near the knife in her pocket, lottie getting involved with some wilderness preaching. you needed to tame the fire--and fast.

you let it go for a few seconds, long enough to watch how quick everyone was to turn on each other.

it uneased you, as it has unraveled under your rule.

“enough!” you yelled at the top of your lungs.

everybody froze, their voices ceasing. you looked around, your voice more steady than you felt. “we’re not turning on each other right now because mari can’t afford it. what happened to her isn’t important, finding her is our priority. so until we find mari fucking ibarra, i don’t want to hear another accusation.”

“but--!” misty chimed. tai eyed you skeptically.

“i said enough,” you repeated, your tone final. “no one’s guilty until we know. that’s how this works.”

silence stretched. the group shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other, but no one challenged you.

shauna gave you a cool stare, cross-armed and watching.

“we need to split up,” you announced, “cover as much ground as we can before it gets dark. now, nat and i will lead two parties. i want travis and akilah to lead their own as well. find yourself a group, spread out into even numbers, and find her.”

you waved for nat’s gun, she reluctantly handed it over.

“now, who’s coming with me?” you slung it over your head.

sending people into the woods, half-fed and directionless, wasn’t a plan--it was a risk. realistically, mari had been gone for the better part of a day, and most of the team weren’t exactly well-fed. still, only few of you knew the woods. the others could barely tell north from their own footprints.

you weren’t sure who you were hoping would join you, exactly. but you were sure you needed more than the rifle for security.

especially cuz you were queen; antlers are prone to predators.

wordlessly, you felt a presence loom over your shoulder.

shauna had stepped across the quad to stand beside you.

her antic got a few side-eyes, but no one said anything. they knew shauna was one loyal son of a bitch, especially to her newYou could feel Tai’s stare burning into your side, but you kept your gaze on Shauna, steady and unreadable.

“good luck keeping an eye on that one,” gen scoffed.

“hey.” you called, glaring at the girl. “one more word, and you’re on bucket duty ‘til winter.”

behind you, shauna shot misty a smug smirk. taunting her.

how could you, of all people, their sacred leader who always put the team’s wellbeing first defend a sadist as cruel as shauna? it made no sense, how you were always flying to her rescue, even when she didn’t quite deserve it.

the woods were quiet in that eerie, smothering sense. branches creaked, the wind stirred dry needles along the ground, but there was no sign of mari.

just the trees, serene silence--and sexual tension.

“really? are you still stuck on that whole ‘i’m the queen, listen to me’ thing?” she scoffed, you could hear the smirk. “come on, i didn’t take you for such a boring old dictator.”

“drop it.” you ordered, hand tightening around the gun strap.

“why’re you so worried about her anyway?” shauna scoffed behind you, her tone dry, “maybe she finally realized no one liked her and ran off into the trees to make it dramatic.”

you stopped in your tracks, turned. “can you not be such a heartless asshole for five minutes?”

she blinked, taken aback. “wow. thought sex would fuck the annoying mom voice out of you.”

you exhaled sharply. “you’re literally the worst person ever.”

shauna followed, boots crunching loudly, deliberately. “you chose to be alone with me, l/n. why’re you whining now?”

“i wanted to make sure you wouldn’t come back alone and i’d end up finding misty dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“you sure that’s the only reason?” she teased, a flicker of heat in her voice. she leant in, kissing your jaw. “mari’s been out here this long already, what’s another hour or so?”

you shoved her. “god, do you ever take anything seriously? she could be dead, for fuck’s sake, and you’re horny?”

she furrowed her brows, her hand on your hip slipping down. “what do you want me to do? cry about it? hold your hand and whisper that everything’s gonna be okay?”

“can we just… not? please?” you snapped, louder than you meant to. “i’m already so tired from managing a dozen people’s every move seven days of the week, i don’t need you giving me more problems, okay?”

a beat of silence. the wind rustled above.

she stepped in close, too close, the sharp scent of smoke and pine clinging to her--well, your--clothes. “then let me help.”

you opened your mouth to mutter out some poor excuse, but she kissed you before you could answer. hard and fast. her hands gripping your hips like she could wring control out of your body if she just held tight enough.

you tried to pull back. “shauna--!”

she kissed you again, slower this time, and your resistance melted like snow against skin. her fingers slid beneath your shirt, palms hot even through your shirt, grounding you and overwhelming you all at once.

“you’re swamped, right?” she murmured against your neck. “i want you to relax… let me help you with your duties.”

perhaps you lacked respect for your own place, but god help you, when shauna touched you like that--like you were the only thing she could still claim as she rages at the world--you felt like something she needed, something that made her human again. and who was a queen who didn’t serve her people?

even if this version of shauna only lasted when she wanted.

so you let yourself melt into her arms, backing into the trunk of the nearest tree. her lips trace the dip of your neck, tongue wet and hot against your skin. her hands melded around your hips just right, before she met you for another quick and needy kiss.

the moment you stepped back into camp, the shift was obvious. it felt like they knew you wasted the better part of the day letting shauna devour you whole instead of searching for your missing teammate.

your hair mussed beneath your bandana, and your cheeks still hadn’t cooled from the sharp burn of shauna’s hands.

you didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as you set the rifle down by the fire. your lips were swollen, your jacket half-zipped, and every inch of you screamed touched.

you tried to act normal, clearing your throat.

“so… anything?” you glanced around the circle, and perhaps it was your brain overthinking, but you caught some suspicion.

shauna, unlike you, looked like she just went for a nature walk.

she strolled in behind you, chin high, the usual tension drained from her shoulders and replaced with something looser.

she stood behind you, sneer looming over your shoulder like she was your guard dog. nobody looked your way as she glared down every single person around that circle, her hand on the small of your waist. “are you guys fucking mute? answer her.”

“uh, no.” nat reported, gulping. “nothing south of camp.”

“no sign of her up north either.” travis added.

you glanced over at akilah, a hopeful glint in your eyes.

alas, she shook her head regretfully. you could only let your eyes flutter shut as your heart sunk to your stomach.

“okay, uh… good effort, everyone.” shauna slipped in as everybody waited in bated breath for your reply. you could only sigh softly, you hand flush against your forehead. “we try again at the crack of dawn. the moment the sun rises, we’re setting out. just get some sleep and save your energy for tomorrow.”

everybody gradually disperses from that dismissal.

you caught the “since when was she in charge?” from gen.

hands on your hips, you remained standing in the middle of camp as everybody retired to their huts. loitering behind you stood shauna, who had her arms crossed.

“you need sleep, l/n. no use worrying, it won’t help mari.”

“i can’t believe this happened because i was too distracted. i should’ve kept an eye on everybody.”

“oh come on, people should be able to look after themselves.”

“y’know, if you had just listened to me and stayed in your goddamn hut, none of this would be happening.”

shauna knocked her head back. “really? this again? will you give it a fucking rest already?” she began sauntering towards her own hut, before you grabbed her hand.

“shauna, stop walking away from me when we’re talking.”

“you listen to me, y/n. when i tell you to drop it, you drop it.”

taken aback by her assertive tone, you felt your hand slip from hers. you glanced around to see if anybody had heard, and you were glad to see nobody had a head out from their huts.

“i know you’re stressed about this mari situation,” lulled into a gentler tone, she continued, “and when i find that little bitch, i’ll beat her sorry ass to a pulp. but right now, you’ve gotta stop wasting energy yelling at me and relax.” she squeezed your shoulder. “the girls need you at your best, so why don’t you go get some shut eye. i’ll handle everything for tomorrow.”

maybe you have been preoccupied with the wrong things.

“okay.” you sighed, “you’re right. i need to just relax.”

by the time you had undone your hair and changed into a more comfortable set of clothes, it was well into the night. the wind had calmed, but the cold still crept through the gaps in your walls like it owned the place.

you were curled up on the narrow cot in the antler queen hut, shamelessly more spacious than the ones surrounding it.

you stared at the warped ceiling straws, trying to will your body to forget shauna’s mouth, her voice, her weight pressing into you like a promise. you should be thinking of a game plan to find mari, to worry about your friend, but all you could think about was a certain butcher with a nasty attitude.

then a gust circled your hut, and you turned to see the curtain pushed aside before a figure stepped through the arch.

you didn’t have to see her face to know it was her. no one else would dare sneak into the queen’s hut after dark--not unless they wanted to be exiled by lottie, or worse. shauna didn’t say a word as she slipped inside and draped the blind shut behind her. her boots barely made a sound as she crossed the floor.

she didn’t ask. just slid beneath the furs beside you, cool fingers brushing your arm before she settled in close.

her hand found your waist. her nose nudged the back of your neck. she sighed--like she had finally come home.

“…shauna?” you whispered, not moving, not even turning to face her. “i thought you were making plans for tomorrow.”

“shh,” she muttered quickly. “just go back to sleep.”

but you felt your heart race at her body heat mingling with yours. the way she was clinging onto you right then, thigh flush against yours, her breath soft and steady in your hair. shauna--the girl who’d rather gut a bitch before admitting she needed help--wasn’t here to start something rough or fast?

it was so odd to feel it; her need to lay beside you to sleep.

you didn’t say anything. you reached back and linked your fingers with hers, dragging it to hold in front of your chest.

outside, by the dead firepit, nat leaned against a splintered beam, her arms crossed. tai stood beside her, eyes narrowing at the faint light glowing through the cracks of your hut. the two had gathered to talk about ben’s situation, but watching shauna sneak across camp to the queen’s hut was something neither of them could ignore.

“oh my god,” tai muttered, “first the hickey, now this?”

“told you,” nat said, grinning like the smug bastard she was.

“no. no way. y/n is so--” tai scoffed, her arms crossed. “that’s why the bitch never gets punished. fuck, now i gotta do your chores for a month?”

nat shrugged, smug. “hey, if anything, i should’ve bet higher. you were never gonna win that one.”

tai cursed under her breath while nat laughed.

tai could not believe her eyes. for a moment, she was certain she was still asleep and this was some fucked up nightmare. but van’s sarcastic comment proved otherwise.

“someone got her vibrator working again.” van scoffed.

shauna, stirring what smelled like a hefty feast for breakfast. she pointed at the stack of rusty and misshaped plates. “help yourselves, it’s berry sauce with deer bacon.”

from your hut, you awoke to the commotion from outside. getting up sluggishly from your bed, you moved the bedsheet curtain out of the way, to be met with everybody emerging from their huts, and shauna… smiling?

“are you assholes just gonna stand there? mari’s waiting.”

van and tai shared a look of skepticism. the redhead, proving herself to be most daring of the bunch, risked losing a finger to poke the bear. “shauna, are you… well?”

and then, as if to conceal it, the butcher cracked a smirk.

“careful. your voice is so grating it’ll scare mari out of hiding.”

it silenced. van scoffed. “was that a joke? from shauna? oh my god, we’ve all been drugged in our sleep.”

you could hear misty let out a confused little laugh, like she didn’t know whether to be scared or amused. to be fair, the brunette was threatening to kill her just yesterday. tai stared openly, mouthing what the fuck at nat, who squinted at you, then back at the girl. like she was saying, i told you so.

“well,” you cleared your throat, stepping to stand in the light. “thanks for making breakfast, shauna. everybody should eat up. we’ll get more time to search for mari today.”

shauna filled a singular plate, strolling over to hand it to you personally. “enjoy, my queen.” she purred, smirking.

as everybody settled, you sat across camp with her.

watching your every move closely,

“she’s smiling?” melissa whispered, her arms crossed as she leant against the table. “i can’t remember the last time shauna wasn’t trying to kill someone with that permanent scowl.”

“no, no--joking,” van murmured, sounding halfway between impressed and alarmed. “shauna made a joke. did she put shrooms in the stew last night, or is this actually real?”

“yeah,” travis added under his breath, joining them. “since when does she talk to anyone unless she’s pissed?”

as they broke down the girl’s odd behaviour, the two of you sat isolated away from the team.

“i have an idea on how to punish mari when we find her.”

when. that’s ironically, rather optimistic for her.

“punish--? shauna, she could be half-dead and bleeding right now for all we know.” you scolded, picking at your berry sauce.

“it’s mari. she probably just ran off for attention.”

you were about to make some argument in protest, but you knew better than to bicker about something so trivial with shauna of all people. you just nodded, urging her to elaborate.

“since she loves running so much, let’s give her a reason to run.” her smile was… sinister, almost. sinister, but genuine, and that was probably what scared you most.

it was the way she sounded so excited talking about it.

“what’re you saying?” your tone came out fearful, hesitant.

“don’t you hear it?” she grinned, “the cards are calling.”

an; omg this took so long cuz my fuck ass school is throwing a million things at me at once… i want to update more and i promise yall there’s a lot of drafts waiting to be posted! ily :)

happy reading xx

[kryptznnn]

♛-Sing for me

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

➸ INTERESTS; - Dante Sparda x fem!reader

➸ BACKGROUND; - short blurb about Dante!! Haven’t gotten these ideas and stuff out of my mind since watching the new show.

➸ WARNINGS; - wc.roughly 1k, mentions of clubbing, nudity, alcohol, sex, smut, smut without a lot of plot, p in v, oral sex f!receiving, mentions of dancing, showering, shower sex, stripping, etc.

➸a.i; - 🌸my main navigation this might be one of my worst works yet idk whats wrong w me guys hopefully i'll edit/revamp it soon since it's so short

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

If the concept of being intoxicated without alcohol was true that would perfectly describe Dante as of now.

The way you came home to him after your shift at the bar and sank into his arms told him everything he needed to know. The faint scent of marijuana and alcohol being masked in your favorite perfume, the way your hair framed your face, and how your makeup had been smudged a bit spoke for itself.

That was a common scenario between the two of you, some workdays were good and some were bad. It was practically the circle of life playing at hand, but regardless the two of you had one another to rely on to cheer on each other’s mood.

“You’re back later than usual.” He spoke, caressing the side of your head softly before you slowly got up and made your way to your shared room.

“One of the dancers had a bad time and quit on us. So, there were more people getting drinks than watching the show tonight.” You spoke in response, itching your scalp shortly before making your way over to your dresser looking for pajamas.

“It was so insane; we were so short staffed on dancers one girl had to go for 2 songs and Enzo had baristas dance too.” You laughed, shaking your head at the thought of it all, quickly grabbing your clothes and slowly standing upright.

You were shortly blocked between making your way to the bathroom by Dante, leaning on the door frame in front of you as he raised a brow.

“Did you dance?” He asked you, his arms crossed as he waited on a response, only earning a scoff and laugh in response as you shook your head pointing to your appearance.

“Do I look like I’ve been stripping tonight? I’ve got alcohol stains on my clothes, and I definitely wouldn’t be putting on a show half nude for dozens to see. I’d need a whole glass of the strongest thing we’ve got in that damn place.” You joked, slightly moving Dante to the side as you walked past him and made your way into the bathroom, placing your clothes down on the sink counter.

“Well, you certainly know how to put a show on for me right?” He said, following right behind you into the bathroom with a grin on his face, making you roll your eyes with a smile and shooing him off.

“Bye, let me shower in peace” you joked, laughing at him as he raised his hands in defeat and closed the bathroom door as he left. You only shook your head and removed your clothes, putting your shower cap on and making your way into the shower as the water heated up.

You hadn’t even been in the water for long before hearing the curtains move slightly against the rod, hearing a familiar light whistling from behind you. You smiled to yourself as you felt the hot water drench your entire body as Dante wrapped his arms around you.

“Did you soap yourself already?” He asked from behind you, earning a soft “no” in response from you to which he smiled too. “Good” was all he responded before kissing the top of your head softly, even with the shower cap on.

The two of you stood in silence for a moment, the loud sound of what felt like rainfall coming from your shower-cap deflecting the water from above. You only placed your hands over Dante’s arms slowly, sinking into his body from behind you.

“I missed ya today, like a lot” he confessed, to which you shook your head and smiled. He always said this whenever you went to work, it was cute to say the least. You enjoyed coming home to someone who made everything feel worthwhile.

“I missed you more D.” You replied with a smile, feeling his grip loosen around you before he placed kisses on your shoulder and neck, lowering his hands to yours and squeezing them gently.

With the more he pushed into you the more wet he become from the shower head, his hair being the first along with the rest of his body as he slowly pushed you against the shower wall. Now he had his hands on your waist, turning you around to face him as he continued to pepper you with kisses along your collarbone and your throat.

Your body jolted slightly, laughing as he tickled you slightly before he came face to face with you, kissing you passionately, his hands never leaving your body. Your arms were quick to wrap around his shoulder as he picked you up, letting your weight rest against the shower walls and his hips before he knelt down holding you up.

Dante wasted no time in pleasuring you, resting the back of your thighs onto his shoulders as he held you ass up against the wall with his head buried in between your legs. He latched onto you like a fish on a hook, his tongue practically exploring all spots on your clit without letting go.

Your moans grew louder and more ragged the more he let on; you attempted to grab onto whatever you could around you. His wet hair, the wet shower walls, or your breasts, nothing could entirely prepare you for the orgasm that was approaching.

With the water from the shower head spraying onto Dante’s back, or his breathing from his nostrils tickling your skin you weren’t sure what it was you were feeling, but soon enough it all came to a stop when he pulled his head back.

You pet his hair softly with a whine, wishing he had continued to at least let you enjoy the entire experience. He only smiled at you with his bright eyes, licking his lips before standing back up again to smile at you.

“You sure I can’t get a little show from you now?” He asked, letting your legs wrap around his hips before he aligned himself and entered you slowly, moaning in unison as he inched himself in deeper.

“Look at me baby” he said, watching as your head lifted up to look at him before kissing you again. “You look so pretty” he cooed, his pace quickening now, loud and wet enough for the two of you to hear. Your entire body felt hot, overcome with embarrassment, flushed was an understatement, but that feeling was quick to break once you felt the amount of pleasure coming from him.

You were focused to say the least, focusing on lasting longer than before for the both of you and making as least noise as possible, occasionally covering your mouth just for Dante to remove it.

“Stop doin' that babe” he complained, his brows furrowed as his pace became even harsher, scanning your flushed face as you shook your head with a whine. He moans into you again before kissing you as he holds your hands down by your sides.

“I don’t have a lot of space to dance for you D” you moaned, chuckling after as you placed your hands on his shoulder. He only kissed you in response, holding onto you as he thrusted into you slowly, teasing you as his breath was hot and heavy on your skin.

You whined as a complaint, earning a chuckle from him before he quickened the pace slightly. His moans light as yours became louder, before biting your bottom lip in a way to silence himself.

He only lowered his head to your side, the water from above now spraying the both of you before a spoke again in a hushed tone. His breath fanning your ear making you jump slightly as you pressed your eyes shut to favor the moment.

“Yeahhh but I can definitely get you to sing for me can’t I beautiful?”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚 ˚ ⋆. 𐙚 ˚

✴🕷 please do not copy, plagiarize, edit, or translate any works submitted by me. all works are originated and all other pictures used within those works are online images. thank you!! @kryptznnn

[gyutopia]

world of sinners i | sim jaeyun

⟶ 𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦: your parents are the head of one of the nation’s most lucrative syndicates and your older brother is heir to the throne which leaves you free to leave this world of evil behind. you’ve been waiting for this day for twenty years of your life, you can practically taste the freedom. what will you do, however, when your parents arrange a marriage for you to bind together their empire with the Lee’s to stop a full on gang war?

❥ 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: sim jaeyun x f!reader ft brother!sungchan

❥ 𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: mafia!au, arranged marriage!au

❥ 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 9.0k

⟶ 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: dark themes, mentions of prostitution, drugs, mentions of violence, mentions of guns, vulgar language, mentions of death, forced marriage, corruption, consumption of alcohol.

— T E R M I N O L O G Y: abeonim ; father

➵ 𝑎/𝑛: this is the revamped version of my fic! the original can be found on @vintagejaemin, this was originally meant to be for ateez but i’ve decided to turn it into an enha fic ! :)

masterlist | next

“I’m stepping down.”

The dining room is silent. You stop cutting your steak to look up from your plate into your father's eyes. He returns your gaze and waits for you to question him, but you don’t. Instead, you turn your attention to your glass of Sauvignon blanc.

You hear your older brother clear his throat before placing down his utensils and addresses your father. “If you don’t mind me asking, what brought this about?”

You pick up your wine glass and swirl it around before bringing it up to your lips to finish it off. Your father's eyes flicker to you but you’re too busy trying to get drunk to notice.

Dinner with your family is something you’ve always dreaded. The atmosphere was always stuffy: elbows off the table, sit up straight, chew with your mouth shut, take small bites, make pleasant conversation, don't talk with your mouth full, finish your plate, use your napkin, ask for permission to leave the table. It felt like a chore rather than a meal.

Often, you could get out of family dinners by giving your father some bullshit excuse but tonight he wasn’t buying any of them. He claimed he and your mother needed to discuss something important with you and your brother. You guess this is pretty important news.

Your father clears his throat and swirls the whisky in his glass, the sound of ice clinking against the glass reverberates within the room.

“Well, Sungchan, I figured it was time you took over. The transition might be a long one, I have things I need to take care of but once everything is settled, the throne is yours.”

You place your glass back onto the table and sit straighter in your seat. You look at your mother but she makes a point to avoid your eyes. You pull your gaze away from her and turn to look at Sungchan who’s sat by your side, “congratulations.”

You knew this day would come, you just didn’t think it would come so soon. To your knowledge, your father’s in perfect health and things within the Empire have been running smoothly; you don’t see the need for Sungchan to take over just yet. Sungchan spares you a smile and a small nod of his head.

“As you two know, things are getting tense with the Lee’s,” the situation your father is referring to is the gang war that’s on the verge of starting with the Lee family, another mafia that rules the other half of town. Things are starting to heat up at the border, your dealers keep roaming into the Lee’s territory and their dealers are doing the same to you.

It’s causing you both to lose money and it’s led to a rise in gun violence. Men are dropping dead left and right in the streets, you tried telling your father to redraw the borders and give some land to the Lee’s but he quickly dismissed you saying you didn’t know what you were talking about.

“Your mother and I sat down with Lee Jaehee and his wife, and after much discussion we came to an agreement.”

“What are the terms of your agreement, Father?” You ask, your interest peaked.

Your father glances at you but doesn’t answer, refusing to fully meet your eyes and so your mother does. “We’ve arranged a marriage between you and their heir.”

Your parents register the shock on your face before you can hide it. You do your best to reel in your emotions before an argument breaks out though. Sungchan, sensing your shock that’s slowly beginning to morph into anger, reaches a hand out to place it on top of yours under the table to help calm you down.

“What about our agreement, Father?” You ask, steadying your tone so he doesn’t scold you for being disrespectful. The agreement you’re referring to is the one you made with your parents months ago. Seeing as Sungchan is heir to your father’s Empire, you saw no need to stay in this world you’ve come to despise and convinced your father to allow you to walk away once you graduate college.

You’ve always ranked number one at school, never once have you gotten a mark below a 90 in any of your classes. With perseverance and determination, fueled by your desire to leave this lifestyle behind, you graduated early and began taking classes at Sungkyunkwan University your junior year.

You major in both fine arts and business administration. You’re in your final year and college life has been a dream. You’re now twenty years old and set to graduate within four months. You have plans to leave South Korea and migrate to Paris with Haru and Anton, your two best friends and college roommate, following your graduation.

“You’re allowed to continue your studies but following your graduation, you’ll be getting married.”

Every word stings, only fueling the fire that burns inside of you. Your fists begin to clench and your jaw roots. Knuckles hurting from clenching your fists too hard, and gritted teeth from an effort to remain silent, your now hunched form exudes an animosity that’s like acid.

“No.” You say, leaving no room for discussion.

Your father looks at you in surprise, you’ve never talked back before. “No?”

You stand abruptly, the force knocking over your chair. “No. I won’t be a pawn in your ridiculous scheme. You know how I feel about your line of work, I played my part for the last twenty years and paid my dues. I refuse to enter a marriage agreement and get roped back into this mess!”

“____⏤” Sungchan gives a warning call of your name only to be cut off by your father who raises a hand in his direction.

“In case you’ve forgotten who I am and your place in this family, let me remind you. I am your father and as my daughter you’re to do as I say. As long as you have my blood running through your veins, you will never be able to leave.”

That is the breaking point of your patience. At that moment, your rage is so intense that it leaves you seething and with a bitter taste in your mouth.

“The Lee family will be here on Sunday for you to meet their son. Don’t be late.”

You glare at your father, “go to hell.”

He smirks and raises his whiskey glass in your direction, “Sweetheart, I’m the king.”

“I’m sure you’re both wondering why I’ve called you here.” Jake and Heeseung take their respective seats in front of their fathers desk, anticipating his next words.

For the past year, their father and his men have been keeping a close eye on the two brothers to see who is more fit to take on the role as head of the Lee Empire. At first, Heeseung was set to take over due to being the oldest and legitimate son. Knowing this, Heeseung took advantage of his position and began abusing the power he had yet to inherit.

He became a wild child. He spent his nights in Hongdae strip clubs and would often blow all his money on prostitutes. It was pathetic really, it also wasn’t a good image for the Lee’s, so their father stepped in and declared the throne was up for grabs.

Jake was never really interested in taking over, he grew up knowing that no matter what, Heeseung would ultimately rule over the underworld. Being the bastard child born from the product of his fathers affair, he was often kept hidden in the shadows. The sudden declaration came as a total shock to him and although he hadn’t been keen on taking over before, he knew he would be a fool to pass this up.

A rivalry sparked between the two brothers as they went head to head vying for the same position. While Heeseung was out getting high and drunk off of their father’s riches, Jake was at home studying his father's tactics and memorizing the names and faces of every associate of the Lee Ring.

Because Heeseung had been unfocused for so long, it had taken him longer to submerge himself back into the game. Once he had gotten his groove back, however, it was clear he would make a ruthless and good leader. Although he had his moments where he would slip up, who their father would choose was really up in the air.

“After careful evaluation I’ve decided to hand over the empire to Jaeyun.”

Jake lets out a relieved sigh and bows his head respectfully. “Thank you, Abeonim. It’s an honor to be given this ti⏤”

“You can’t be serious?” A low growl escapes Heeseung’s parted lips as he cuts off Jake and looks at his father in shock, “I deserve that title! It’s my birthright!”

Their father sends a sharp glare his way, “you lost that right when you chose to focus your attention on booze and hookers.”

Heeseung scoffs, “I can rule better than he can and you know it! You’re choosing to punish me because your ego is in the way!”

The two brothers watch as the whites of their father's eyes turn to pure black, his icy stare lethal and piercing. In that moment, Jake feels grateful that he isn't the one on the receiving end of their father's anger.

“Watch your tone, Heeseung. And must you know, this has nothing to do with my ego. You’re simply not fit to take over.”

Although Heeseung knows this could end very badly for him, it doesn’t stop him from continuing. “Everything you’ve built will turn to ash if you hand it over to Jaeyun. Be smart for once and give me the rights to the Lee Empire!”

Jaehee slams his fist on the desk, vexed at his oldest son's actions. “Enough! I will not be made a fool by my own son. You say you would make a better leader and yet your actions fail to line up with your words. Over the past year Jaeyun has proved himself to be the better man,” he pauses to take a breath, “he’s kept up with his studies while simultaneously helping me run the empire while you were too busy being pussy whipped.”

Heeseung’s cheeks heat up in both shame and embarrassment but his father doesn’t stop just yet, “tell me Heeseung, do you know why we had to switch suppliers? Do you know what’s going on with the Feds? Most of all do you even know what’s happening at the border?”

The room falls silent as Heeseung fails to answer. When it’s obvious he won’t be giving an answer anytime soon Jaehee turns to Jake and sighs, “inform your incompetent brother of what’s been going on while he was off getting head.”

Jake clears his throat and sits up in his seat, “we had to switch suppliers because some of the men were stealing baggies and selling them for their own profit. As for the Feds, they’ve caught wind of the donation of thirty million won to the Korean government, they suspect corruption and launched an official investigation two days ago. And regarding the border, we’re on the verge of a gang war with the Jung’s.”

Taken aback by the sudden onslaught of new information, Heeseung briefly forgets why he was mad in the first place. “The Feds launched an investigation? What are we going to do?”

Jaehee scoffs, “what do you think? We’re going to comply with their requests. The president is on our payroll, we’ll be cleared of all charges in no time. Until then, I’m going to need you both to lay low.”

The two brothers nod their head in understanding, “yes sir.”

Jaehee nods in satisfaction. “Good, now onto the last thing I would like to discuss with you. As you now know Heeseung, we’re on the verge of war. Any good leader will do everything in their power to avoid war which is why your mother and I sat down with the Jung’s to try and come to an agreement.”

“In order to secure things at the border, we came to the agreement that Jaeyun shall enter a marriage with their youngest daughter, that way we can bind together our families and show that we’re a united front to the public. Having them as allies will help us greatly, we’ll be having dinner with them on Sunday so you two can meet. Any objections?”

Jake has millions of objections, an arranged marriage? He knew if he obtained the position of head of Lee Empire this day would come but it feels too sudden. He hasn’t even fully assimilated to his new role and he’s now being thrust into a marriage with a girl he doesn’t even know.

Although he has his objections he doesn’t voice them, he knows better. With a small shake of his head he says, “no sir.”

His father smiles, looking proud of his youngest while Heeseung only glares at the hourglass sat on a glass shelf above his father's head.

“Good, you’re dismissed.”

It’s Sunday afternoon and in a last attempt to get yourself out of this outrageous marriage agreement, you’ve woken up early and dressed yourself in Jung Empire colors. Your body is adorned in an extravagant emerald green v-neck tie blouse with skin tight black jeans.

Your hair is tied up in a ponytail and your feet are encased in a pair of six inch red soled Louboutins that Sungchan had gifted you for your birthday. The Rolls Royce that you're riding in pulls up in front of your fathers warehouse for bagging, you thank the driver before exiting. You stare up at the daunting building and tuck your Bottega Veneta clutch under your arm, although your relationship with your father is rocky, you were once close and a daddy’s girl. You never had to ask twice for something, he was always willing to do anything for you. You can only pray he’s willing to do the same now. If he doesn’t budge however, begging isn’t beneath you, you’ll get on your knees if you have to.

You enter the building and find your father smoking while circling around the tables where his men are bagging a new batch of cocaine. You slide your eyes over to Sungchan who’s standing in the corner of the room talking to his security detail. You take a deep breath before marching over to your father.

“Can I steal you for a moment?”

Some workers look up to stare at you in confusion momentarily forgetting the task at hand but the man you called for doesn’t even spare you a glance. He stops to slap the side of a man’s head to pull his attention away from you, “careful. She’s an engaged woman.”

You scoff at your father's words, “Father, can we please speak?”

He continues to ignore you and moves down the row of tables filled with men weighing out the bags. “I’m listening, darling.”

You don’t want to have this conversation this way but you know that once your father is focused on his Empire, nothing else matters until he’s done. “I don’t want to marry him, please don’t do this.”

Your father slowly inhales his cigarette, still not looking at you. “I thought I was clear when I said no the first time you asked me this, ____.”

You sigh, “I won’t be happy if you make me do this!” You stop walking but he continues, your frustration builds and you stomp your foot, “will you pay attention to me for once damnit!”

He stops in his steps and takes one last drag of his cigarette before dropping it on the floor and snubbing it out with his shoe. He carefully turns to look at you and shoves his hands into the pocket of his suit pants. “Tell me, ____, how are things looking for the Empire, business wise?”

You frown, what does that have to do with dissolving your arranged marriage? “Sales are up ten percent from quarter one due to expanding on the south side and spending has decreased by fifteen percent after cutting ties with the Byun’s. I went to meet with the Chief of Police and made a settlement of two billion won, you now have complete jurisdiction over the Gwangju district. Business is running smoothly, you should expect an increase of twelve percent revenue wise by the end of the new quarter.”

Your father smiles and steps closer to you to take your face into his hands. “You’ve always been a bright girl, ____. It would be wasted potential to let you walk away from this lifestyle. While your brother makes for a great leader, you make one hell of a business woman. Such a shame I can’t keep you here to continue working for our Empire.”

You remove his hands from your face and clutch them desperately in your hands before shaking your head, “you know I hate everything about business management and this lifestyle. Whether I stay here with you or get married to the Lee heir, I will always be unhappy and you know that!”

Your father sighs and turns on his heel, “happiness is an illusion, my dear. Now, I believe you have an engagement dinner to go prepare for.”

He walks away and orders for one of his men to drive you back home to get ready for tonight. You dejectedly stare at your father’s retreating back, completely at a loss. What now? Do you go through with this unwanted marriage or do you make a run for it after you walk the stage for your graduation? You follow the buff man ordered to take you home and get in the back of the all black SUV parked out front. He drives you home in silence, leaving you to drown in your thoughts.

It doesn't take long for you to arrive, you’re home in under thirty minutes leaving you with plenty of time to get yourself ready for tonight.

You exit the vehicle and trudge up the polished steps of your two story mansion. You breeze past the kitchen, where your mother is informing the chef of tonight's menu. You head to your room and gently close your bedroom door moving on auto pilot. Sitting on your bed, you allow the news to fully sink in. Your fate has been decided and there’s no way out.

Left with no choice, you begin assembling an outfit for tonight. You skim your closet in search of your dusty blue frill hem lace dress you had gotten from Chanel. Once you find the dress you move to place it on your king sized bed and move back to your walk in closet to get your crystal open toed Jimmy Choo pumps that you gifted yourself during finals week sophomore year.

You walk leisurely to your bathroom, strip down, then step into the shower. You turn the water on high; the steam thickens and warms, rising up to your face. You bathe your skin lightly, taking care to not rub yourself raw. You make sure to wash your face and hair thoroughly before getting out of the shower. You then dry off and head back to your room to get ready.

You hydrate your body and slip into your undergarments before getting to work on your makeup. You shape and draw your brows before working on your eyeshadow—you go for a neutral eye look with an undertone of baby blue to go with your dress. Once satisfied, you go in with your mascara and apply one layer for both eyelashes.

Now that your makeup is finished, you move to your bed and pick up your outfit for the night and give it one last glance before slipping on the dress. The mini length dress has an a-line neckline, short sleeves, and a trumpet skirt. The bodice is fitted and fits your figure easily. You look stunning, if it weren’t for what awaits you downstairs, you would be excited but you know better.

There’s a light knock on your door that pulls you out of your trance. You sadly turn to look at your door just as Sungchan walks in. He offers you a smile and gently shuts the door behind him. “You look beautiful.”

You play with the lace of your dress, “thanks.”

A heavy silence soon settles over the two of you, thicker than the uneasy tension you’re sure sits in the dining room where your guests await you. You glance around your room to try to avoid catching your brother's gaze. Things have never been this tense between the two of you, the atmosphere is usually light and fun.

Sungchan has always looked out for you and made sure you’re comfortable. You have no doubt that he tried to talk your father out of signing away your freedom. It’s what Sungchan does. He always looks out for you.

“We should probably go greet our guests.”

Sungchan turns to walk away but you reach a hand out and grab onto the back of his suit jacket, “W-wait.”

He turns to look at you. He takes one good look at you and his shoulders drop. He envelopes you in a hug and soothingly rubs your back.

You bite down on your lip to prevent yourself from crying. You refuse to shed any tears over this situation, you need to be strong. “I know this isn’t what you wanted and it’s not fair that it’s happened to you but please continue to be the strong woman I know you are.” Sungchan whispers into your hair.

You sigh, “it’s not fair! I don’t want to marry him. Why do I always get the short end of the stick? Hm? Why is it always me?”

Sungchan chokes back a sob, it physically hurts him seeing you so sad, it’s a contrast from your usual behavior. You’re always a bright and bubbly person who tries to be optimistic no matter what.

“I know, don’t worry. I’ll fix things, just be patient for now. I’ll fix it.” He then whispers under his breath, “I promise,” but it’s too low for you to pick up on what he said.

You two spend a few more minutes enjoying the embrace before Sungchan reluctantly pulls back. “We should attend to our guests. I’ll head down first, you should fix your makeup before coming down.”

You nod and let him exit your room before making quick work of reapplying your mascara and fixing your eyeshadow that had smudged.

You apply a neutral tone lipstick from your fifty piece Tom Ford Boys and Girls II collection and go over it with a clear lip gloss to make your lips shine.

When you’re done you take a deep breath to calm your nerves before exiting your room. You walk down the hallway and stop at the top of the stairs to collect yourself one last time. Once you feel ready, you descend the large staircase and walk towards the dining hall where you hear chatter and laughter floating through the area.

You stop in the doorway and scan the table. Your father is sat at the head with your mother to his left and Sungchan to his right. Next to Sungchan is a red haired male with multiple piercings, from months of studying books filled with all Jung Empire’s associates, you know he’s Lee Heeseung, the eldest Lee son. A lady is seated beside him, you assume that’s his mother. At the end of the table sits Lee Jaehee and to his right sits a buff black haired male who’s engaged in a conversation with your father. The seat beside him is empty, you presume it’s meant for you. He must be your suitor, the bastard child⏤ Sim Jaeyun or Jake.

You continue to stare at the long black haired male and make an assessment. He’s a sight to behold, no doubt about that. But looks aren’t everything, what if he’s a monster? Was he the type to get violent if he didn’t get his way? Would you fear for your life once you signed the marriage license?

As if he can feel your stare, he looks up and locks eyes with you. A forced smile takes over his lips as he raises his glass in your direction, all parties present at the table turn to the doorway to stare at you as well. You fidget under their stares but you don’t cower away.

You walk over to the seat beside Jaeyun with your head held high, you greet everyone before taking a seat. “It’s about time you joined us.” Your father jokes.

You give him a forced smile and bow your head, “forgive me, I wanted to take extra care to make sure my looks were above par.”

Jaehee chuckles, “it’s alright dear,” he picks up his glass of whiskey and raises it, “shall we make a toast?”

Your father hums and raises his glass as well. Everyone soon follows. A server, noticing you don’t have any alcohol to toast with, quickly steps up and fills your flute glass with champagne.

You raise the flute and clink it against the other seven glasses, “to the engagement of Jaeyun and ____ and the binding of two powerful families!”

You mumble a small cheers under your breath before peeling back the glass and taking a small sip. It goes down easily and slightly burns your throat, there’s a bitter taste at the end that has you shivering in your seat. You take a few more sips before placing it back down. While it’s not strong enough to get you drunk, it could still give you a pleasant buzz and you need to be fully sober for tonight.

You look across the table to find Heeseung throwing back his glass of whiskey. He gulps it down and raises the empty glass in the air for a server to take and refill. You study the older male and notice there’s something off about him. By the way he’s sitting you can tell he has no interest in being here and with the way he’s throwing back alcohol without a care in the world, completely disregarding the glares his father sends his way you just know he’s the problem child.

He has a certain air about him, he almost seems angry. You cock a brow as you continue to study his actions, he swaps out his whiskey for a glass of champagne. He downs it in one go and huffs in annoyance when the server is a beat late in refilling his glass.

As he’s waiting for his fix, he looks up and sends a harsh glare in Jaeyun’s direction. You frown and follow his line of vision to find your soon to be fiancé smiling brightly at Sungchan while they converse about stocks.

You drum your fingers against your flute of champagne as you silently hum in understanding. There seems to be some sort of animosity between the two brothers. You wonder what happened.

Before you get to dwell on the situation, more servers file into the dining hall with your meals. You’re first served a bowl of soup but you only get three spoonfuls before it’s being taken away and replaced with a butternut squash ravioli topped with rosemary browned butter.

You’re able to get in a few more bites before it’s taken. You don’t mind it though, the taste of the squash was too strong for you. A kale salad with Asian grapes, candied walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, honey and vinaigrette is what’s next on the menu.

You push your food around, not at all interested in eating the salad. You would have preferred a Cesar instead. Not much is said, your parents discuss business but the four of you (Heeseung, Jaeyun, Sungchan, and you) stay silent, not bothering to get to know each other.

The main course comes soon and you’re glad it’s a bit bigger than the last three meals you’ve been served. It’s balsamic covered lamb chops drizzled with a white bean purée. Once the main course is served, conversation begins to flow between Jaeyun and you.

“Your father tells me you’re a student? What do you study?”

You finish chewing your lamb and clear your throat, “I study business management and fine arts.”

Jaeyun nods, impressed, “fine arts? Is that a passion of yours?”

You smile and nod eagerly. Talking about anything art related always fills you with joy. Art has always been your escape, you had hoped to become an art director once you had graduated and migrated to France with Haru and Anton. Your mood slightly crumples, just a week ago that dream was plausible but now it’ll remain nothing more than a dream.

“It is, art is a very beautiful form of communication and expression. It’s helped me through some dark times”

Jaeyun smiles at your words and looks at you thoughtfully. He had his own doubts coming into this dinner but you’re not as bad as he had assumed.

Dessert is soon served, it’s a pear tart with almond cream. You take your time enjoying the sweet treat but it’s gone too fast for your liking. The adults soon wrap up eating and conclude their business talk.

You think the dinners over and get ready to excuse yourself but your mother starts a new conversation. The topic being your wedding.

“Oh I can’t wait to see you in a wedding gown, ____! I just know you’ll look lovely.”

You inwardly cringe at her comment but don’t speak on it.

“Why don’t you two go for a walk in the garden? Take some time to converse and get to know each other, you barely talked during dinner and the whole point was for you two to get to know each other.” Your father suggests.

You're ready to claim you’re too tired to go walking around the garden so late at night but Jaeyun stands before you get the chance. “That sounds lovely. Care to join me, ____?”

He holds a hand out for you to take. You stare at it wearily but take his hand regardless and allow him to help you up. You both excuse yourselves and head for the back door that leads to the garden in your backyard.

The air is pungent with the fragrance of jasmine. The two of you walk along the path lined with fallen petals from the bonsai trees that line the perfect lawn in their wooden boxes. In the center of the garden sits a pond as large as a small lake with flowering lily pads and a wooden bridge that crosses the middle so you can look down at the koi. The flower beds are a riot of spring colors and under close inspection you would be able to see they’re weed-free.

“How old are you, Jaeyun?” You ask.

He crosses his arms behind him, “twenty-two. And you?”

“Twenty.”

A semi-awkward silence soon settles over the two of you as you take a stroll around the extravagant garden. “Let’s not beat around the bush, ____.” Jaeyun says as he comes to a stop. You stop walking as well and turn to face him, “I’m well aware this marriage isn’t something you want, it’s not something I wanted either but there’s no way out of it.”

You cross your arms and nod allowing him to continue. “While I may not be the man you intended to marry, I want you to know I have no ill intentions. I won’t force myself on you and I won’t stop you from pursuing other men. This is a marriage of convenience and I don’t want you to feel obliged to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

“Are you mad?” You ask, he cocks his head to the side in confusion, not quite understanding your question. “Are you mad about this arrangement? You seem too calm about this, doesn’t it make you feel enraged to know your parents signed away your freedom?”

He shrugs, “it’s the price we have to pay for being their children.”

You scoff, “it’s a pretty crappy exchange.”

Jaeyun chuckles at your response, “I take it you feel wronged?”

You scowl, what type of question is that? Of course you feel wronged. “Of course I do. This isn’t the life I pictured for myself.”

“What was the life you pictured for yourself then?”

You take a deep breath and turn to continue walking. Jaeyun follows closely behind you as you both climb the bridge. “I wanted to leave Korea with my best friends and move to France, I’ve always had the dream of becoming an art director. I would probably fall in love and have a romance you only find in movies, have a lowkey beach wedding and try for kids later on down the line.”

You don’t know why you’re spilling your wants and dreams to Jaeyun, it’s not like he can give you the life you desire. Telling him this won’t change a thing but you suppose it’s nice to express your wants to another person who could possibly relate.

“I can’t give you the whirlwind romance you want but I can open a creative department and make you head of all creative art projects. I know it’s a longshot from the life you want but it’s a start.” He offers while gazing into your eyes.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” You curiously wonder out loud. Jaeyun softly chuckles at your question and comes to a halt in the middle of the bridge.

“Would you rather me be rude?”

You shake your head, “it’s not that. It’s just,” you pause to try and find the right words, “you've made it clear you don’t want to marry me either so why are you going out of your way to make sure I’m comfortable? Shouldn’t you hate me for ruining your life?”

“But you didn’t ruin my life? This marriage wasn’t your idea and I won’t take my anger out on you. You’re just as much of a victim as I am.”

You stay silent and just study Jaeyun. Your biggest fear entering this dinner was that he would be a complete jerk but he’s the absolute opposite. Conversation seems to flow easily between the two of you and he’s made it clear there’s no animosity between the two of you. You wish you could be as open to this as he is but a part of you will always despise him for taking away your freedom. He may have not done it directly and it may not be fair to him but you can’t help the way you feel.

“I understand.”

He nods and takes a few steps ahead of you and turns back to face you. “I had always hoped that when I proposed it was to a woman I knew and loved but as we both know, that isn’t the case. While this isn’t ideal, I still want to do it properly.” You watch as he gets down on one knee and pulls a ring box out of his back pocket. “Will you marry me, Jung ____?”

You try to smile at the sweet gesture but you’re sure it comes out more like a grimace. You slowly nod your head and give him your left hand. “Yes.” He smiles up at you and gingerly slips a 14k white gold engagement ring with a cushion cut diamond that illuminates the center of the sophisticated design with sparkling round diamonds in a halo motif on your ring finger. It fits snuggly, shimmering in the moonlight and mocking you as you rotate your hand.

Jaeyun gets up and dusts off his knees. “Let’s go back inside?”

Two weeks have passed since your formal engagement to Jaeyun and the press has been going crazy. The night after the dinner, your parents had the two of you go on a date for publicity and leaked the news of your engagement to the press. Pictures soon spread like wildfire and your name has been in the news ever since.

You didn’t expect anything less, while your family is notoriously known for ruling over the underworld, it’s not all you do. To avoid the law and jail time, your father owns his own conglomerate to stand as a front for the illegal acts that go on behind closed doors. Your father has done a fantastic job of separating the empire from the conglomerate. He’s thorough with his work and makes sure nothing can be traced back to the empire. To the public, Nexa-Corp has made great accomplishments within Korea and has been a global leader bringing innovation for a happier future. No one would expect that your family owns and runs its own mafia.

Because you’re the only daughter of such a prominent figure in Korean society, as well as Jaeyun who’s the youngest son of the CEO of Veridian Global, you’re sure the news of your engagement will continue to circulate for months and you have no doubt that the wedding itself will be broadcasted for all of Korea to see.

Tonight is your engagement party. You didn’t want one but it wasn’t up to you. Both your parents and Jaeyun’s claim it’s important your relationship seem as real as can be and that you show the public you’re a united front.

“____? Are you dressed?”

You pull your gaze away from the mirror to the door just as your mother walks in. She gasps and closes the door behind her. “Oh sweetheart, you look stunning!”

Your hair is slicked back and your makeup was done by a makeup artist. She went for a bold look to match your dress, your lips are painted a bright red and you have a smokey eyeshadow look. You’re dressed in a burgundy lace sweetheart ball gown that has a v-shaped bust. The dress glimmers and fits your waist tightly. The bodice is hand-beaded and also forms a sequined layer beneath the airy tulle ball gown skirt. You feel like an absolute princess, while it wasn’t the dress you had in mind you still feel beautiful.

“I’ve gotten so used to seeing you wearing green but red is a nice fit for you.” Your mother says.

You smooth out the lace of your dress and shrug, “green will always be my color.” To a normal person, it may seem as if you’re simply discussing colors with your mother but there’s a double meaning. Emerald green is the Jung Empire’s color and Burgundy is the Lee Empire’s color. While you may be marrying a Lee and will now have to rep the color red, you will forever be a Jung at heart.

Your mother gingerly smiles at you and reaches a hand out to grasp yours. “I know this isn’t what you wanted but I hope you can find the happiness you’ve always wanted with Jaeyun. He seems like a lovely boy.”

You inhale deeply and shake your head. You give your mother a small smile and pull your hands out of her grasp. “Happiness is an illusion.” You don’t give her time to refute your claim and step aside. “I believe we have guests to attend to?”

┕━━━━━━━✿━━━━━━━┙

The Ballroom is 7,600 square feet with a dramatic ceiling. It’s beautifully appointed with crystal chandeliers and decked out in silver and burgundy decor. The hall is filled with cocktail tables and waiters who are stationed around the room waiting to be called upon. You’ve made your rounds and you’re now settled in the back of the hall nursing a glass of champagne while Jaeyun is currently having a conversation with his buddies who you briefly met.

“Jung ____?”

You try to reel in your annoyance at being called upon yet again. You down your champagne in one go and place it on the tray of a waiter who skims past you before whirling around to come face to face with a man dressed in an all black suit. You try and wrack your mind to see if you can recognize him, but you come up empty handed.

“I’m sorry, have we met before?” You ask.

He shakes his head and reaches into the inside of his suit pocket to pull out a wallet, he opens it up and allows you to see the contents. He’s from the FBI. You feel your heart rate pick up but you manage to keep a poker face.

You stare into the detective's eyes, determined not to look away first. You contort your lips into a toothy saccharine smile relaxing your face. You had mastered your fake smile, right down to the wrinkles around your eyes at the young age of six. It’s key to have complete control over your facial features in your line of work. One wrong look and you could end up dead or in prison. “May I help you?”

He folds up his wallet and places it back into his pocket. “Congratulations on your engagement, Ms. Jung. While I hate to put a damper on the mood, I have a few questions regarding the ongoing case we have against your fiancé.”

You clutch your dress as the sentence leaves the male's mouth. The FBI has an ongoing case against the Lee’s? You wonder why it wasn’t mentioned to your family during the arrangement of your engagement.

You want to know the details of the charges but you know you can’t entertain this conversation. If any of your father's associates or allies of the Lee’s see you it could be disastrous. “Korean Civil Code, Article 826, The duties of Husband and Wife⏤ the confidential marital communications privilege allows a spouse to refuse to testify about, or produce documents evidencing, any confidential communication made during a marriage and allows the other spouse to prevent that testimony or document production. I have nothing to say to you, detective.”

He scoffs and picks up a champagne glass from the tray of a waiter who walks past you. “In case you’ve forgotten, you haven’t married him yet Ms. Jung. Don’t make me subpoena you.”

You cross your arms against your chest and nod, “am I a suspect, detective?” He shakes his head, “a person of interest then?”

“Not at the moment but if you continue on I will charge you with obstruction of justice.”

You scoff, “you can’t charge me for a crime I didn’t commit.”

“Don’t make this difficult. When we convict your fiancé we can have you arrested as well for aiding and abetting. You wouldn’t want to go to prison for your fiancé’s mistakes would you?”

You cluck your tongue, “article 200, South Korean Constitution⏤ I have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. I am now invoking that right.”

“You seem to be well versed with the law, I guess it’s good to know your rights if you’re running a syndicate.”

You roll your eyes, “if you have any further questions or concerns feel free to contact my lawyer.”

He chuckles, “why lawyer up if you have nothing to hide?”

You pluck the champagne glass from his hand and point it in the direction of the exit. “Please see yourself out before I have security escort you out.”

He smirks at you. “The next time we meet I’ll have a warrant for your arrest.”

You smile and raise the glass up to your lips before knocking it back and chugging down the champagne. “It was nice meeting you, detective.” You place the glass down on a cocktail table before you turn to walk away and find Jaeyun.

You spot him easily, he’s still conversing with Park Jonseong, his long time best friend. You slide up to Jaeyun and lean into his ear. “Behind me, near the back of the hall is a man in an all black suit. He’s with the FBI.”

You pull back but Jaeyun places a hand on your waist and pulls you closer into his side. People near you coo at the affection but the two of you pay no attention to them. Jaeyun picks up a flute glass and raises it in the direction of the detective, a smug look on his face. The male scowls and shakes his head before making a b-line for the exit.

Your heart has been pounding all morning.

The four months came way too soon for your liking. Following the engagement party, you chose to submerge yourself in your school work and spend as much time as possible with Anton and Haru. You absolutely refused to have a say in the wedding itself, it wasn’t something you wanted and would always send you into a panicked state just thinking about it.

A week after announcing your engagement, you went wedding dress shopping with both your mother and Jaeyun’s. Your dress was the one thing you absolutely refused to compromise on. A month before your graduation a date plus venue was picked and invitations were sent out.

An hour has passed since lunch and you feel as if you’re going to vomit all the contents of your stomach. Preparations for the wedding have already started and you’re currently getting your hair and makeup done while Haru runs around making sure your other bridesmaids are dressed and ready to go.

Your bridal court is made up of the daughters of other powerful mafia heads to show that you’re a united front. You’ve never spoken a word to the six females and yet they’re the ones who’ll be standing by you on one of the biggest days of your life. Haru was made your maid of honor due to the relationship you two have and her father being Kim Dongwook, a good associate of your father.

“I’m done with your makeup dear, let’s get you in that dress.”

You nod and stand on shaky legs. You usually pride yourself on always being confident but you seem to be lacking it today. Haru ushers the other girls into the hallway so you can get dressed in peace. You slip off your robe and slide into your hand sewn custom made fit and flare gown. You shimmy into the form fitting dress taking care to not force it on and rip it.

The skirt of your dress has geometrical lace to match the bodice. When designing your dress, you wanted something simple yet dramatic and sophisticated⏤you wanted it to represent you. The train just might be your favorite part of the dress, it’s a cathedral length train that flows behind you. Your makeup artist holds back your hair while you slip your hands into the quarter length sleeves and Haru buttons you into the dress.

Once Haru fixes the last button, your makeup artist lets your hair down and steps away. You move to stand in front of the floor length mirror and examine yourself. You’re absolutely stunning. You wish you were marrying a man you actually loved so you could feel the joy every bride describes when talking about their wedding day.

Haru brings over your veil and attempts to secure it in your hair with various pins. Once it’s situated she steps aside and lets you see the final product. You twiddle your fingers as you daze off thinking back to simpler times. A knock pulls you out of your trance however. “Come in.” You say

The door opens and in waltzes your mother and your soon to be mother-in-law. They coo at your dress and make a fuss about how Jaeyun’s going to love it but you don’t have it in you to pretend to be happy. You’re too tired and having to act as if you’re okay with what’s about to happen is too draining.

Before you know it, you’re being transported to the La Luce Myeong-dong Wedding Hall in an all white Rolls Royce with your father and Haru. Everything goes by in a blurr, your mind doesn’t even register pulling up. Just as you had predicted, your wedding is being broadcasted for all of Korea to see. There are multiple cameramen stationed outside the hall live streaming your entrance and some are taking pictures. Along with paparazzi, there's a crowd of spectators surrounding the building being held off by the police.

Your father steps out first before turning to offer you his hand. You take it and allow him to help you out of the car. Haru quickly comes to your aid to fix your train before swiftly entering the building to start the procession. Your bridesmaids follow behind Haru and gracefully walk up the steps and into the main hall where your guest and groom await.

Your father fixes your veil and allows you to hook your arm with his. You tightly grip onto your bouquet and count down the seconds. The spectators who’ve gathered for your wedding begin cheering as the doors to the hall open and the sound of canon in d arranged by the Stuttgart Orchestra wafts down into the streets of Seoul.

Your guest turn their attention to the door as you walk in and down the aisle on your father's arm. You force a smile on your face and try to play your role of the blushing bride. The aisle is lined with a white carpet and babies breath flowers fill the empty spaces on the ground with candles. Jaeyun is stood at the front of the altar with his groomsmen right behind him.

You look into his eyes and for the first time since you’ve met him you can see the fear that’s clearly in his eyes. Just like you, Jaeyun has been good at concealing his true emotions but you guess he doesn’t have it in him to pretend today either.

Walking down the aisle with your father is just as terrifying as you thought it would be. All eyes are on you, not only are you being scrutinized by the two hundred guests in the hall but you’re also being watched by the thousands tuning in live.

The remaining steps to get to the altar seem to take an eternity. When your father finally hands you over to Jaeyun and takes his seat at the table reserved for your family, Haru steps up to take your bouquet so you can give Jaeyun your hands. A cold terror washes over your body as you stare into your groom's eyes.

Before, you thought Jaeyun was put together, the more mature one out of the two of you but you now realize he’s just one hell of an actor. He’s not put together nor is he mature. He’s a small boy playing dress up. Your hands tremble under his own and despite your fear, you don’t look away, you continue to stare into his panic filled eyes and try to find comfort in the fact that you’re not in this alone. He shares your fear.

You hear words being spoken to you, the voice echoes through your eardrums but you refuse to focus your attention on anyone else. You don’t register anything in your mind beside Jaeyun’s “I do” and the feeling of him slipping your wedding band onto your ring finger. You exhale at the weight that now sits on your hand. This ring will forever bind you to Sim Jaeyun.

You hear the priest say a few words before turning to you to ask, “do you Jung ____ take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

Sucking in a shaky breath you whisper the two words that seal your fate. “I do.” Your hand trembles as you reach out for Jaeyun’s ring from your ring bearer. Your throat constricts making it hard to breathe. You slide the silver band onto his fourth finger, it’s a simple band yet still eye catching.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

A round of applause fills the hall but it falls upon deaf ears as Jaeyun lifts your veil and slowly leans in, bringing one hand up to gently caress the apple of your cheek. You feel your chest rise in panic as he comes closer to your face. His eyes sliding shut is the last thing you see before your own flutter close.

Jaeyun’s lips are soft and warm. The kiss is gentle, no malice behind it but it’s lacking in emotion and passion. All the panic that has built up within you then bursts and tears begin to roll down your cheeks. As much as you tried to hold it in, the pain came out. The beads of water start falling down one after another, without a sign of stopping. To anyone watching, it may seem like you’re crying tears of joy but in reality you’re nowhere near being happy or content with the direction your life is going.

Your life has just ended.

taglist: @dreamiestay

[sluttywonwoo]

instead of you [part forty-one] || l.mh

pairing: [best friend’s brother] lee minho x college!reader ft. han jisung

summary: you didn’t expect to spend your summer pretending to be your best friend’s girlfriend- then again, you didn’t expect to fall for your best friend’s brother, either. 

warnings: swearing, angst, alcohol consumption, smut (18+ ; mdni)

word count: 3.2k

a/n: revamped my tom holland series from my main blog ( @wazzupmrstark ) to try and motivate myself to finish it!!

additional smut warnings: semi-public messing around, oral - m+f receiving

The other resorts along the shore were nice, yes, but they were also crowded to all hell. There’s no way you would have been able to relax at any of them. Not just because crowds make you anxious, but because Minho probably wouldn’t be able to show his face anywhere. He’d have to wear a hoodie to the pool or swim with a baseball cap on, and even those weren’t guaranteed to be foolproof. 

There were hardly any people occupying the outdoor spaces so late in the day so it was like you had the place to yourselves. You and Felix continued to play in the pool while Minho grilled steaks and Jisung worked upstairs. You offered to accompany Jisung while he cooked but he assured you that he was fine to do it himself. Sometimes you kept him company at home but you knew he liked to work alone as well. 

The room that you and Jisung were staying in was a standard hotel room but Nikki and Dom had a suite with a kitchenette that he could use to prepare the side dishes. 

You ate gathered around one of the fire pits as the sun sank beneath the waves in the distance. When it got too dark out, Dom lit the fire so that you could all see what you were eating. There were path lights littered around the resort but they weren’t bright enough to illuminate the adjacent sitting areas too. 

“I wish we had marshmallows,” you sighed. “We could roast them and make s’mores.”

“I think the bar sells little kits,” Jisung piped up. “I remember seeing a sign posted on their menu.”

“How convenient!” Nikki exclaimed. 

“Want me to grab some?” Minho offered, already standing from his seat. 

You had once again put yourself on the spot. Everyone was looking at you, waiting for your answer. 

“I-I’d feel bad. I’m the only one who wants them, so you don’t have to!”

“Don’t be silly, we’d all eat them,” Jisung assured you with a pat on your knee. 

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to try s’mores,” Felix agreed. 

Your mouth dropped open in shock. “Wait, you’ve never had one?”

“They’re an American thing, babe.”

“Does that mean you’re the only other one here who has had a s’more?” you asked Jisung. 

“I might have had one before,” Minho added thoughtfully. 

“Might? You don’t remember?”

“Yeah, well, when we were on the first world tour we had a lot of bonfires and shit but I was pretty drunk at all of them so there could have been s’mores there, there could not have been. I dunno.”

“Anyway,” Nikki swooped in, averting the attention away from her eldest son’s anecdotes of underage drinking. “Minho, why don’t you go grab a few kits from the bar Ji mentioned? I think your father and I would like to try a s’more too.”

“How many do you think we need?” Minho asked. 

“It depends on how many each serves. Why don’t we start with two and if we run out of supplies we can send Felix up to get more.”

Felix made a face. “What, me?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to send Minho up twice,” Dom explained.

“What about Jisung?”

“He cooked dinner.”

“I’ll be right back,” Minho interjected, cutting Felix off before he could protest any further. “Does anyone want anything to drink while I’m over there?”

    He took everyone’s order and then disappeared in the direction of the bar. 

    “Do you think he’ll need help carrying stuff?” you whispered to Jisung after he left. 

“Oh, shit, maybe.”

“Should I go help him? Would that be weird?”

Jisung looked back toward his parents to check that they weren’t paying attention before answering. “No, I don’t think so. No one suspected anything other than me. Do you want me to go with you, though?”

“No, you cooked,” you reminded him, “you should stay and relax. I’ll go help him.”

He nodded. “Okay. Oh, but kiss me before you go.”

-

Minho was still waiting when you joined him at the bar. It was almost as deserted as the rest of the pool area. Only a couple of people were occupying the stools and they seemed to be strangers to each other, drinking in silence apart from the waves crashing on the shore nearby and the occasional sound of the blender.

“Hey, stranger,” you said, grabbing Minho’s attention with an elbow to his side. 

“Hey... did someone forget to ask for something?”

“No, I came to help you. We realized it’s a lot of stuff to carry all by yourself.”

He scoffed. “You doubted me?”

The bartender placed the drinks and s’mores kit down on the counter in front of Minho right at that moment, leaving both of you to size up all there was to bring back to the fire pit. 

“You could have carried all that without spilling anything?”

“Fine, maybe it’s good that you came,” he grumbled. 

“Maybe?”

He set his jaw and took a deep breath. “It is good that you came. Thank you for helping. Happy?”

“Ecstatic.”

You grabbed two of the drinks while Minho took the rest, holding the plastic bags of s’mores supplies between his teeth. 

Nikki and Dom cheered when you reappeared with everything. The twins looked marginally happier. It was honestly as much as you could ask for from them. 

You spent the rest of the evening teaching the Hans how to make, what was in your opinion, the perfect s’more. There were only a few skewers to go around so everyone had to take turns, but it was nice to be able to take your time with something and relax. There hadn’t been much time to do that on this trip. Jisung had warned you of that in the beginning but you were still way more exhausted than you expected to be at this point. At least it was almost over. 

The thought of the trip ending was one that you had been pushing to the back of your mind for weeks now. Especially now that Jisung knew what had happened, you didn’t want to think about what would happen when you went back home. Would you grow apart? Would he distance himself once he was no longer in forced proximity with you? Would Minho break up with you? It wasn’t just something you could ignore now. There were only a matter of days left. 

When it was over, you would go back to Seoul with the Hans until the summer ended officially. But that would be different too. 

“You’re burning your marshmallow, love,” Nikki said softly, putting her hand on your shoulder to get your attention. 

“Oh!” you exclaimed and pulled your skewer out of the heat. You blew the flame out and transferred it onto a graham cracker. 

“Do you want a new one?” Dom asked. 

“No, that’s okay! I like them burnt, actually. I just didn’t mean to leave it in the fire for so long. It could have made a mess.”

Jisung’s dad shrugged as if to say ‘suit yourself’ before taking the rod from you and reloading it with fresh marshmallows. 

If it was woodburning, the fire would slowly start to dwindle as the kindling turned to ash. Since it wasn’t, it was still burning as brightly as it had been at the start of the evening when Dom finally turned the propane off. Nikki collected the empty cups and dirty skewers to return to the bar. 

“Good night, kids. Don’t stay up too late.”

-

Felix was the first out of the four of you to go up to his room, leaving you with your best friend and... Minho. 

The pool area was completely empty by then. 

“I’ll uh, I’ll leave you two,” Jisung said and stood to leave. 

You grabbed his hand to stop him. “Wait, no, you don’t have to go.”

“Yeah,” Minho agreed, a little less convincingly. “You should stay.”

Jisung shook his head. “No thanks, I’d rather not third-wheel.”

“Ji-”

“Take as much time as you need,” he said to you. “Just don’t get fucking caught by anyone else.”

You waited for him to leave before slumping forward and sighing into your hands. 

“I thought you said he forgave you,” Minho whispered. 

“He did. That doesn’t mean he’s okay with it,” you sighed.

Minho leaned back and stretched his arm across the back of the loveseat, inviting you to sit with him. You crossed over to his side and joined him, allowing yourself to lean into his side. He wrapped his arm around you and squeezed your shoulder. It felt nice, to do something so domestic with him, even while sitting in complete silence. Still, you worried about someone seeing you.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked. 

“You.”

“What about me?”

“Just you.”

You didn’t want to give him the details and risk ruining the mood so you hoped he was content with that answer. Thankfully, he didn’t ask you to elaborate. 

You shivered suddenly, unintentionally but thankfully changing the subject. 

“Are you cold?” Minho asked. 

“A little.”

“Should I turn the fire pit back on?”

You shook your head. “No, it’s so dark out now. It’ll only draw attention to us.”

“I don’t want you to be cold, though.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Minho didn’t look convinced. “Why don’t we get in the hot tub? You still have your bathing suit on, right?”

“Are we allowed to?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

You followed Minho over to one of the many hot tubs on the property. It was tucked away behind the now-deserted tiki bar and also totally empty. Minho turned on the jets and ventured down into the water, holding his hand out for you to get in behind him. 

You let out a sigh as you sank into the bubbling water, closing your eyes and resting your head against the pool’s edge.  

“Better?”

“So much better.”

You looked over to see him smile. “Good.”

You hadn’t realized how cold you were until you were warm. The chill had seeped through your bathing suit too. You could feel it ebbing out of the fabric as well as your muscles the longer you sat in the water. 

Minho settled next to you and put his hand on your thigh. It was comforting even though his hand was still cold.  

“This is nice,” he said. 

“It is nice,” you agreed. “I like being able to do just nothing with you.”

“We don’t get a lot of time to do that, do we?”

“No, not really.”

“Guess that just means we have to enjoy it while we have it.”

You sat up to look at him, wondering if he meant something more than what was implied when he said that. He met your gaze and gave you a questioning look. 

“What?”    You shook your head and sank further into the bubbles. You were reading way too much into everything. You needed to get a grip. 

“What’s wrong?” Minho repeated. “Talk to me.”

“I’m scared to,” you finally admitted. 

It wasn’t much, but you were finally being honest with Minho instead of skirting around his questions like you usually did. You could tell your answer hurt him but you were afraid that you’d hurt yourself even more if you told him everything. You had a feeling the conversation was going there anyway, though, and there was little you could do to stop it. 

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I don’t know... what we are?” You cringed as you said it. “And I don’t want to ruin things by asking, you know, because I like what we have going on and I don’t want it to go away but I also don’t want to get my hopes up by thinking we’re something that we’re not but sometimes you do things that make me think you want something more than... whatever it is we’re already doing but- mph!”

You were cut off with a kiss, like something out of a movie. It was brief, but enough to disrupt your train of thought. You stared at him incredulously, trying to read his expression. 

His face was even but his eyes were warm. You wished you knew what he was thinking. Moonlight and the flickering flames of torches in the distance were just enough to illuminate his features. The quirk of his cupid’s bow, the flutter of his long eyelashes... 

 “What was that for?” you inquired, even though you knew what it was for. 

“You were spiraling.”

You sighed, dropping your head into your hands. “I can’t help it.”

“I know,” Minho said softly. “For what it’s worth though, I feel the same way.”

You lifted your head to look at him again, your vision slightly blurred by the water dripping down your face from your wet hands. “What?”

He hesitated. “I feel... what you said. I feel the same way.”

“I don’t even know what I said,” you laughed. 

“Me either, but I got the general vibe of it and I’m in agreement.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I... I thought I was making it kind of obvious that I wanted something serious with you.”

“You never said anything outright, though!”

“Because I didn’t know what you wanted,” he explained. “You never said anything either.”

“Well, you’re the man!”

Minho raised an eyebrow. “Oh, we’re going there? The feminism just evaporates from your body the moment you’re faced with confrontation?”

“See, you get it.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m telling you now, okay? I want you. In all the ways you’re willing to let me have you.”

You swallowed hard, eyes burning. You didn’t want to start crying and you didn’t want Minho to see you crying so you kissed him again, with more urgency this time. You couldn’t think, hell, you couldn’t breathe, until he pulled away, leaving you wishing and hoping for more.

When your lips met for the third time, he pulled you under with him, just long enough to shock your senses. You gasped for air when you surfaced, pushing your wet hair out of your eyes.

“You’re not supposed to do that!” you scolded, sputtering as you shoved him. 

He stumbled backward onto the bench, falling seated again and pulling you on top of him. 

“You believe that bullshit?” he scoffed. 

“It’s not bullshit! It’s not good for you to put your head under the water in a hot tub!”

“I know people say that but why?”

“I... I don’t know why,” you admitted, “but I know you’re not supposed to.”

“See, you don’t even know!” You gave him a look. “Will you accept an ‘I’m sorry’ kiss?”

“That depends, are you actually sorry?”

He didn’t bother answering. Instead, he kissed you anyway, cradling the back of your head as he slipped his tongue past your lips. He tasted like s’mores and whiskey and chlorine, a combination so strange you couldn’t wrap your head around it. 

One of his arms dropped to your waist, wrapping around your body and pulling you closer until your chests were pressed together. You could feel him through his swim trunks, growing harder by the second. You were tempted to take him right there, but you were in public and having sex in a hot tub couldn’t be good either, right? That sounded like an infection waiting to happen.  

“Upstairs?” Minho asked breathlessly, lips only centimeters from yours. Not for the first time you wondered if he could read your mind. 

You nodded. “Yeah, upstairs.”

-

You dripped your way back to his room, shivering despite the thick towel wrapped around your shoulders. 

“Wanna hop in the shower?” Minho asked between kisses as he fumbled with the straps of your bikini. 

“Yeah, don’t want to get your bed all wet,” you replied. 

“That would happen whether or not we had just been in the pool,” he joked. 

“Hilarious.”

“Jesus, you’re freezing,” he hissed. “Let’s get these off of you, they’re so cold.”

“Is that the only reason you want them off?”

“I think we both know the answer to that.”

You knew Minho was expecting to have sex in the shower but you kind of wanted to fuck on the bed so you sucked his dick while he washed your hair and then took turns rinsing off before moving to his bed. You put your hair up in a towel to avoid the aforementioned wetness and wrapped yourself up in one of the hotel’s robes even though you knew it’d be coming right off. 

To your surprise, Minho left your robe on. He just undid the tie around your waist and let it fall open before shouldering himself between your legs. It was kind of like putting a towel down. He was killing two birds with one stone that way: protecting the sheets and keeping you warm. 

It didn’t take long for you to cum in his mouth. Minho knew your body like the back of his hand by now. It had taken him a fraction of the time it took your past lovers to learn what made you tick and he used all of that knowledge to his advantage. 

He kept going after you came the first time, eager to pull another from you, but you pulled him up by the hair to get his attention before he could get too into it. 

“Too much?” he asked. 

“Want you to fuck me,” you urged.

Thankfully, he was receptive to this and moved up so that he could position himself on top of you. He notched himself at your entrance and kissed you as he pushed himself inside, allowing you to taste yourself on his tongue before pulling away and wiping his face on your shoulder. 

“Ew!” you cried and tried to push him away. 

Minho looked offended. “What do you mean, ‘ew’? It’s you.”

“That doesn’t mean I want me all over what I’m wearing!” 

“Since when?” he joked. “Seems like it’s always all over what you’re wearing when you’re around me.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” you begged, suddenly embarrassed and grossed out at the same time. 

Minho laughed and pecked you on the cheek. “What would you rather talk about? The weather?”

You tightened around him as punishment, making him swear and bury his face in your neck. “Fucking hell, you succubus.”

You smiled politely and wrapped your arms around his neck to pull him closer. “Don’t people usually say that if she can talk at all, you’re doing it wrong?” 

He narrowed his eyes at you. “I was just taking it easy on you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, this was for your benefit,” he continued. “Didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“How gracious of you.”

He clenched his jaw as he started fucking you faster, muttering sarcastically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was boring you.”

Ironically, you couldn’t respond right away, too caught up in the feeling of how deep he was inside of you to get any words out. 

“I forgive you,” you choked out finally. 

Your hands fell to his biceps, desperate for something to hold on to. You dug your nails into his skin, making him hiss through his teeth. 

“Harder,” he urged. You squeezed harder and he gasped. “Fuck yes, keep doing that.”

“Like this?”

“Just like that, baby. That’s perfect. You’re perfect.”

lmk what you think i always appreciate feedback!!

[dumbf1nded]

OC Revamp: Sgt Mallory + Lore drop

"BREAKTHRU"

Sergeant Mallory is... a sargeant. He worked for his nation with pride and loyalty against another, but because of one fatal mistake that lost Mallory's nation a battle, Mallory was imprisoned and sentenced to death for failure to succeed. This was unfair in Sgt Mallory's eyes, so when it was time for his execution, he broke out and stole himself some good equipment, and is basically destroying as much of the nation's military from the inside out, but he has a specific vendetta against one person, and that is none other than the leader of the nation. The one that sentenced him to death.

While he's shredding his nation to bits and pieces, he comes across numerous clues that hint to what his nation has been doing to their civilians behind the scenes. The citizens of his nation are surveilled beyond belief, with cameras in every home and microphones around every corner. Speech is limited, as saying the wrong phrases may get you arrested and reeducated, or even worse, killed. Food is scarse and bitter, disease is rampant, and the government gives no flying f*cks about it. You know, generic dystopian society and whatnot.

Although there is something worse and truly awful about something Mallory finds. He finds blueprints on a type of new robot in the works. The catch is, there is little to no electricity inside of it.

ahaaah if ur interested then click the thing baby girl ⬇️😘

Descriptive Gore warning! No images just text that might describe flesh and stuff.

thank you so much darling. *ahem* anyways

Gorrorbots. That's what they're called. Millions of people are ground into sludge every month and poured into an empty metallic shell, and are "resurrected" by a special serum that allows the organs to function even if they are in a million pieces and not even in the right place. Brain and nerves are still in the masses, so the sludge is always conscious and in agony for as long as it's alive. In many, many cases, there's even masses of several people mixed together, in which case the whole glob shares memories and is painfully confused and angry at everything, and that's why they're made in the first place.

Gorrorbots are violent, incredibly hostile, and utterly ruthless. They will help in the government's goal to win the war between themselves and the only remaining nation besides their own. They can't die without escaping their metallic shells, so they will ruthlessly maul anyone it finds until they are truly finished off. But when Mallory starts to do some troublesome things for the dystopia, the Gorrorbots are sent towards HIM rather than the opponents.

So, alongside having to fight his own ex-colleagues to get the revenge he so desires, he now has to maneuver through practically indestructible robots to do so. It's so much easier said than done. He can trust no one but himself, and his job is barely 15% finished when he has a kill count of 800 colleagues.

...yeah, this was supposed to be an incredibly ambitious idea i had for a game. if you want to hear some more specific game ideas i had for this story, feel free to ask...

THANKS FOR READING IF YOU DID I LOVE YOU SO MUCH NOW BYEEEE 💓💗💗💖💗💗💗💗💗💗

[partially-controlled-chaos]

When We Were Young

Pairing: Halsin x f!Tav (Tavriel) Rating: G (General) Warnings: None, really. Little bit of smoochin' at the end. Just completely self-indulgent fluff for my own sanity. Summary: Deep in the autumn forest, Halsin and Tavriel share a sweet, if not awkward, moment to themselves. Pre-tattoo, pre-scar, love-lorn 90 year old druid initiate Halsin being completely inexperienced with anything romantic. Word Count: 3.7K A/N: A hurricane knocked out my power for a few days last weekend, so without access to my other WIPs or electronics, I hand wrote a complete self-indulgent fic for young Halsin and my original Tav. Once I started typing it out to post, I fluffed it up a little bit so it ended up being a good bit longer than my original drabble, but shorter than what I normally write. I recently revamped the backstory for my original Tav after seeing young Halsin art from @ozumii-fucking-wizard (thank you for blessing this site with your young Halsin art, it's amazing and for absolutely rotting my brain with young Halsin). I've never been a huge fan of "companions knowing Tav before the events of the game", but I played around with this idea and I've ended up loving it for Tavriel. I have stories previously posted for her that are a complete 180 from what I'm going with now, but I'm very please with the new lore I have for her. Might make a lore sheet or mini fic at some point, but I haven't completely decided. I do have a handful of more small ideas for Halsin and Tavriel so I'll probably sprinkle them in between my normal stuff. Also, hi hello @thoughts-of-bear , it's the fic I'd mentioned like a week ago that I finally posted

Read on AO3 here!

Masterlist

The sun hung low in the sky, casting the surrounding forest in a rich orange glow. Leaves of nearby oak trees turned shades of yellow and red, gently falling from their branches with each gust of wind, swirling in the air before softly landing on the ground. Acorns and pinecones littered the forest floor as autumn approached, sprinkled amongst small patches of mushrooms that grew in shaded spots. Bare feet darted against the ground in rapid succession, barely making a sound before lifting and leaping to the next patch of hard dirt or sun-kissed grass. Tavriel moved quickly through the trees, weaving through towering oaks and over fallen logs with an ethereal grace and swiftness as she sprinted away from the darkened thicket she called home and towards an open field.

She left the area practically untouched as she traversed the land of her home, simply stirring freshly fallen leaves with the wisps of air that that flowed from the ends of her linen robes. With each step she took, she could hear the heavy footsteps of those following her grow fainter, leaving the forest in a gradual silence. As a final obstacle, Tavriel crossed a small stream, gracefully leaping from one wet river stone to another, lifting her robes above her ankles to keep them dry. Cold water soaked her toes as she crossed, sending a chill through her legs until she made contact with land once more. 

Tavriel began to slow, her full blown sprint having tapered off to a slow trot before finally coming to a stop in the middle of a field of golden wheat grass. Her lungs burned from the exertion, chest heaving as she took in sucking breaths of the warm, late afternoon air. An earthy scent filled the area, picked up by the wind as it wove its way through the tall grass and to her nose. A pleasant smile graced her lips, tugging the corners of her mouth towards the sky as her eyelids softly closed and her head tilted back to face the sky. Warm wisps of wind blew through the long, fiery orange tresses that adorned her head, drying the light layer of sweat that had formed against her face from her run. Time had slowed as she took in the serenity of the moment, simply basking in the warmth the sun offered. 

The earth hummed beneath her feet, strong and loud enough to feel in her bones. The soft points of the grass licked at the ends of her fingers as her arms came down beside her, the gentle wind blowing causing the blades to tickle her fingertips. Songs of birds that thrived in the evenings began to sound off in the distance, signaling the end of another day. If she focused hard enough, Tavriel could swear she could hear the hushed voice of the forest calling to her, beckoning her back into the safety the trees and bushes offered. 

A large branch cracked in the distance and her eyes snapped open at the sound, breath hitching in her throat as she focused her hearing. Tavriel felt the muscles of her legs tighten and coil, ready to snap and spring her forward in a quick escape if needed. She silently cursed herself for becoming distracted; a dangerous game to play for someone who was undoubtedly being hunted. Instinct made her want to flee in an instant; to simply dart away and never be seen again. Tavriel wanted hide somewhere deep within the forest, curling in on herself and tucking her limbs close by and hide amongst the brush and foliage until the brightness of her hair was darkened from shadow and her scent was covered by moisture covered foliage. However, pure curiosity made her stay, waiting to see just what was coming from the forest.

Moments later, Halsin stepped from the tree line, taking a brief pause by the streams edge to regain his breath, hunching over slightly to rest his hands atop his knees. He was young and fit, having just celebrated his ninetieth birthday, but after such an extended amount of time swatting away tree limbs and stumbling over bushes, even he needed a break. His bright green eyes were locked on to Tavriel from across the river, who returned his gaze with a twinkle in her eyes and a smirk across her lips. He returned her smile, a cocky look on his face as he used the back of his hand to wipe beads of sweat from his upper lip.

It had been years, decades even, since they had played this game with each other. Running from one another to see who could be caught first before reversing roles, playing for hours at a time until they were both collapsed on the ground next to one another, too exhausted to move. They’d first started playing together as young children, having met by chance on a warm summers day. Being the secluded elf that she was, Tavriel was skittish and wary of strangers, even now, and each time he’d come across her in the woods, she’d dart off before he could make friends. It had taken a great deal of patience on Halsin’s part, and a few fresh honeyed buns he’d snatched white his mother’s back was turned, to finally persuade her to stay for a spell. Once they’d gotten comfortable with each other, Halsin and Tavriel had quickly become the best of friends. They would spend each day together, filling their days with laughter and fun from sunrise to sunset, always eager to see each other again the next morning. 

As they grew older, their usual playtime gradually decreased and instead they spent their spare time simply in each others company as friends and learning the ways of the natural world together. Halsin’s druidic studies often took him away from Tavriel’s realm of wood, which was the thickest and deepest portion of the local forest, and instead placing him with elder druids with a book in his hands. While he enjoyed learning from the other druids and discovering their wonders of nature, he preferred to experience them firsthand with his friend at his side.

Tavriel spent her days roaming the forests she called home, ensuring her safety and solitude all while strengthening her own skills. She was graced with a magical prowess that she had yet to fully understand. She had never been formally taught magic, but learned what she knew mostly from aged tomes that had supposedly been left behind from her unknown mother and pure curiosity. She knew how to heal small wounds and speak with animals like many magic casters, but could also control aspects of nature. With a snap of her fingers she could summon a flame or with a wave of her hand she could call forth a gust of wind. The flow of water could change to her will and, depending on her mood and the season, small flowers would bloom in the wake of her foot prints. She didn’t fully understand the magic she had been born with, but each time she discovered something new was exhilarating. Her talents were not without its dangers. Many of her powers stemmed from her emotions, which opened the door for wither and decay if she was frightened or angry. 

Tavriel was incredibly skilled with a bow, having learned the craft from her father before his passing, and used much of her spare time to fine tune her abilities. Overall she was a pacifist, so she spent most of her target practice on high hanging fruits and billowing leaves, but would occasionally hunt when she required sustenance other than what she could forage. Although she loved her solitude, she admittedly was fond of spending her time with Halsin and frequently missed him when he didn’t come striding into her realm of the woods each morning.

“It’s barely been a week since you’ve been in these woods and you’re already tired?” Tavriel teased from across the river, “The bear must be preparing for hibernation.”

“And the fox should know better than to taunt a bear on the hunt.” Halsin shouted back, straightening has back as he spoke.

Without another word, Halsin lunged forward, quickly crossing the river before sprinting as fast as he could towards the elf. Tavriel took off once again, her feet carrying her just as quickly as before, but not quite fast enough to outrun the young man on her heels. Tavriel held the advantage when deep in a thicket, her stature and almost other worldly sense of nature gave her an advantage over the aspiring young druid. She could tuck herself into the smallest of spaces and weave her way through dense foliage like a gentle breeze, letting her slip away and remain undetected if the needed was ever present. 

Halsin, on the other hand, was certainly at a disadvantage. He was a broad young man, much taller and broader than any of the other elves in his clan, making it much more difficult for him to maneuver his way through a forest when compared to Tavriel. He frequently became snagged on low hanging branches or thorny vines, forcing him to take the time to remove himself from natures sudden embrace before continuing. However, he held the advantage when it came to open land. His long legs allowing him to close long distances easily with little exertion. 

It didn’t take long for him to catch up, closing the distance between them in mere moments, and if he were to reach out, he could almost touch the flowing ends of her hair. Sensing the larger man on her heels, she gathered her strength and pushed on, creating a very small gap between herself and Halsin, although it wouldn’t be enough to insure her freedom. Tavriel made a split second decision to change her path and cut to the side, hoping the tactic would allow her to slip right past druid and back into the tree line not too far away. Unfortunately for Tavriel, it was a trick she’d used many times before to evade Halsin’s grasp and it was one he was anticipating. With her change in direction, she inadvertently stepped closer to the druid, allowing him to simply reach out and grab her.

Halsin’s hands suddenly gripped her sides, squeezing firmly enough to lift her partially into the air mid stride without dropping her, but not enough to bruise her delicate skin. A quick yelp of surprise slipped from Tavriel’s lips before erupting in a flurry of giggles. In an attempt to slow down, Halsin spun slightly, bringing Tavriel with him, but lost his footing in the process. He tumbled backwards, his back hitting the ground as a grunt left his chest. He still held the elf in his hands, who’s back had landed on his chest and she was suddenly staring up at an orange sky.

They paused momentarily where they lay, catching their breath and getting familiar with their sudden change of view. Tavriel saw this as an opportunity to escape by prying Halsin’s grasp from her waist and rolling her body off him and onto the dirt below. She found her footing beneath her as her hands dug into the dirt, ready to launch herself forward. Before she was able to start another mad sprint towards the tree line, she felt a set of large hands grab at her waist once more, pulling her back to the ground. With a triumphant smile and quick movements, Halsin pinned Tavriel into the dirt by her hips after pushing her onto her back. He rested the weight of his large frame atop her much smaller one, effectively trapping her for good.

“That’s cheating.” Tavriel managed to say between fits of laughter, smacking Halsin’s bicep with a playful hit.

“Had you not stopped,” Halsin panted as he came down to rest on his forearms, caging the young woman beneath him, “you might have slipped away, dearest fox.”

“Can you blame me?” She asked breathlessly, “It’s only natural to stop and take in something so beautiful.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Halsin said softly, bringing his fingers over to tuck a wayward piece of orange hair behind her ear. He brushed her freckled cheek with the back of his fingers, marveling at just how soft her skin was, considering she lived in nature and forewent any sense of shelter from a structure not built from a canopy of leaves. 

Tavriel had been one of his closest friends for years, eventually becoming a confidant and someone he felt safe with, but nothing had ever progressed from the companionship. Their relationship had never been anything more than platonic, but Halsin’s feelings had begun to shift as of late. He found himself stealing more glances than normal, a new and exciting flutter rippling across his chest each time he could look more than a few seconds and he could properly take in her features. Tavriel’s copper colored hair was as bright as the autumn sun and was often braided to keep her face clear of her locks while the rest cascaded down her back, resting neatly between her shoulder blades. Her eyes were as deep and green as the forest she called home, flecked with bits of gold that almost glowed if the sun caught her at the right angle. Her sun-kissed skin was littered with freckles from head to toe, the darkest ones sitting atop her shoulders and across the bridge of her nose.

Her scent had become intoxicating lately, making the would-be druid’s head spin if he stood too close. She smelled of the forest, as earthy and hardy as the deepest part of the woodlands where she dwelled. But there was also a hint of something he couldn’t quite describe, yet equally enchanting. She smelled of an otherworldly celestial magic, something ancient and almost forgotten that clung to her skin like moss on a damp rock. He’d never met another mortal soul capable of that kind of magic; the only other instance that came to mind was the power the land spirit Thaniel possessed. Growing up, Halsin had been told stories of a race of deep wood elves that lived in the thickest parts of the land, preferring a life of seclusion and isolation all while worshipping the goddess of the forest, Mielikki, instead of Silvanus. He had also heard how the last remaining deep forest elves had died off long ago, leaving the forest silent and forgotten, yet Halsin couldn’t help but wonder if Tavriel was one of the last remaining of that clan. She lived alone in a hidden spot deep in the brush, the location itself was a mystery even to him, and she’d had no family or clan to call her own for decades now.

His thumb slowly traced along her bottom lip, which was supple and rose tinted, as his forefinger slipped under her chin, slowly tilting her head to the side. Despite his age, Halsin had never kissed, aside from the kiss to the cheek he would get from his mother each morning, and the urge to feel Tavriel’s lips against his own was becoming overwhelming. His stomach twisted into knots as he considered leaning forward to close the gap between them, unsure of how his dearest friend would react. Despite their bond, Tavriel was prone to secrecy and mystery. Halsin often had times deciphering her feelings if she didn’t outright say what was on her mind, which made her difficult to read. He could feel her heart beating in her chest, the vibrations echoing against his own frame. His own heart fluttered as her tongue poked out lightly and wet her tinted lips, her eyes half-lidded in an unspoken expectation of what was to come.

Being the impatient and overeager young man that he was, Halsin dipped his head down, hoping to take Tavriel’s lips with his own in one sweeping, fairytale romantic gesture. It was something he’d played over and over in his mind for days now. Then when and where were something he couldn’t pin, but the how was certainly within his realm of control. He could see it in his mind’s eye, his lips pressing against her in a brief, yet meaningful kiss. Nothing too forward or abrupt, just the beginning notes of a young love. She then, of course, would kiss him back after he pulled away from her, pulling him down to her by the collar of his druid initiate outfit and wrap her arms around his neck. In turn, he would tangle his fingers in her soft hair, smiling against her lips as they lay together in their golden field of wheat, sharing quick, loving kisses until nightfall.

Instead, in his excitement, he rushed forward too quickly, bashing his front teeth against Tavriel’s before their lips could properly connect, filling the space with an audible clack. Halsin felt his chest seize with fear as Tavriel made an audible gasp and could taste a sudden rush of something warm, wet, and metallic against his lips. Her upper lip had gotten caught between their teeth, the delicate skin tearing and bleeding at the sudden force. She could taste the blood on her tongue, instinctively running the appendage over the wound, which was rather small.

Without hesitation, Halsin lifted himself from atop her frame, sitting back on his knees before gently taking the elf by the shoulders and helping her sit up. Before she could speak, Halsin’s hands were on her cheeks, tilting her head towards the remaining light of the fading sun as his thumbs came to her lips, pulling the skin taught so he could inspect the wound. The cut itself was difficult to see, given the smeared blood and saliva that now lingered on her skin. 

“Please, Tavriel,” Halsin said frantically, “f-forgive me I didn’t— I-I was over eager.” Halsin’s mind raced as he tried to remember the incantation for a healing spell, suddenly regretting skipping a few of his medicinal lessons. 

Tavriel brought her fingertips to her bleeding lip, wiping away the blood that had already stopped dripping. Her lip was a little tender, but nothing a short test couldn't fix. She couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the moment. Greater things were happening in the world, yet all that seemed to matter was landing a perfect first kiss. She wiped the remaining blood from her mouth with her sleeve, fully prepared to brush lips with him again. 

“Halsin,” she said softly, “it’s all right.” Halsin simply shook his head, refusing to believe his friend wasn’t angry with him, especially when he was furious with himself. Of all the times to blunder and show his inexperience, of course it had to be this moment. Although, he wasn’t the only one who was inexperienced. Given her life of solitude and a significant lack of other to socialize with, Tavriel had never experienced any sort of intimacy. When she first found herself conflicted with flutters of the stomach and heat in her cheeks, she first assumed she was ill or coming down with a sickness. It wasn’t until she connected these feelings to being in Halsin’s presence did she realize that it was no illness she was afflicted with, but the beginning stages of a young love.

Despite Tavriel’s protests, the young druid was practically beside himself with shame, still babbling away with apologizes and promises of making things right. With a slight roll of her eyes and a light chuckle, Tavriel took Halsin’s cheeks in her hands, pulling his gaze towards her long enough to keep him still. She pressed her lips to his gently, silencing his stammering and uncertainty with one fluid movement. Her eyes closed as she lingered, her body practically melting into Halsin’s chest, waiting for his embrace. She drug her hands down from the sides of his face and nestled them against the center of his chest, fingers latching into the leather bands of his outfit. 

Relief washed over Halsin as Tavriel’s soft, if not slightly swollen, lips caressed his own. He was convinced that she would run off at his blunder; just disappear into the forest and refuse to see him, perhaps forever. Of course, it was his own youthful embarrassment causing these thoughts, especially when considering that he wasn’t fully sure that Tavriel felt the same way. One of his hands caressed her cheek while the other found purchase along the braids resting behind her head, pulling her close to him as he deepened the kiss. 

When they finally pulled their lips from each other, they met the others gaze with a soft smile and a flush to their cheeks. Halsin bumped the tip of his nose against Tavriel’s, who returned the favor. She let out a light and airy giggle as she felt him nuzzle into her cheek moments later, pressing another light kiss to the light blush that had formed there. Their foreheads touched in a warm embrace, simply staying like that together until the sun was well below the horizon and the stars had begun to shine.  

Once they parted, Halsin leaned forward to take her lips with his again, only to find that she had pulled away. He tilted his head to the side just slightly, his brows having knitted together as she came to her feet once again. His hands lingered on her body for as long as possible, savoring the warmth she brought until she had completely stepped away from his grasp. Initially, he thought he had perhaps done something wrong; been too forward of lingered too long.

“If you want another, dear bear,” she said softly, “you’ll have to go on the hunt again.” Her usual playful smirk returned to her lightly bruised lips. Halsin’s eyes flashed a light shimmer of gold as he watched her take off once again, bouncing into the forest at a pace that was anything but a hurry. Tavriel turned to face Halsin once her hand ran across the rough bark of an oak, her heart fluttering as she disappeared into the moon lit depths of the forest, Halsin having already made it more than halfway to her. 

[ntls-24722]

Hey so... Have you thought much about how disability is treated in your various societies? Like with the Debus and stuff? I've been thinking about it for a little bit and got curious 👀

Yes actually!

For disabilities involving mobility, I had sketched out some really clunky ideas for a Debu crutch and some accessibility for their mountain cave-dwellings awhile ago, so I revamped them! The crutch was specifically made for the situation where, say you have an arm compromised, but it's an inconvenient arm like a back or front arm that's mostly tasked for stability, so your balance is off. So there would be a crutch/walker for that, where you could bring support to the back or front and balance yourself better. And for their cliff dwellings, there could be these adobe-rock torons to help climb up with your arms and your mouth. Ideally, a settlement would have terraces up to your residents, but that takes awhile, so torons and pulleys could be an option. (I got inspired by the Great Mosque of Djenne for the torons)

Then there's wheelchairs!

So, just a disclaimer, some of these wheelchair designs might not be around at the time that homo mousike is set in, homo mousike is set around when history just began and as you can imagine, technology isn't really that far yet (the first self-propelled wheelchair was invented 1655)

The bottom design was my first design before i realized, "hey, don't... dogs... have wheelchairs... why don't I just do it like that." The first/top design was my second try which eliminates most of the problems with the first, the main one being: Debu are really goddamn heavy. REALLY heavy. So heavy, in fact, that they can't actually lay down for long periods of time, because their own weight will cut off their blood circulation and get pressure wounds. It's why Debu caves are filled to the brim with bedding so they can lay down for longer - and why my first try at a debu wheelchair was less a wheelchair but a bed on wheels. I guess it's still viable and its design feels/looks more vintage to the point I think that this might become the OG Debu wheelchair that would've been present around now.

Then there's blindness and deafness. Blindness is actually much better to have in Debu society??? Debu are actually not that great at seeing in the first place - their eyes are uniquely sensitive to color, but not to sharpness. And besides, Debu dwellings are in complete darkness except for one room. And because of the fact they live in complete darkness, Debu are historically inclined towards tactile language rather than sign language, which is a mode that deaf and non-deaf individuals alike usually communicate through. Written language is actually equally tactile in some cultures, with valley debu writing stories with beads that can be read by being felt, or read "aloud" by dragging the hoof across the text.

I also find it cool that alphabet letters are physical objects so you can go and buy a bunch of A beads. Defeated teacher at the store, buying a lot of C's and D's after a spelling test

Now onto zebramen.

When it comes to mobile disabilities, interestingly... you'd have a lot less problems in zebraman society out of all of them, which is ironic considering they're constantly on the run.

Before I go into that, I have to describe zebraman society: Instead of civilization forming once populations began to settle down into one place permanently and grow their food, zebraman civilization began when they left sedentary settlements to herd animals, leaving behind the seeds of swaths of crops months in advance in order to harvest them during circular trips around their massive, plains territories. Zebramen are similar to humans where they're able to run for very long periods of time, and they use this less to be persistence hunters but to guide their massive herds along "crop stops" that both they and their herd gather and eat from. They do run along their herds on foot, but those are generally zebramen with the specific job for doing so.

When it comes to the rest of zebramen, they practically live in their carriages, drawn by cloe-mena. They're not particularly fast, but they're really damn strong. As a mountain cow, they were originally built for hoisting themselves up mountains and are perfect picks for drawing carriages for one or two zebramen - or a massive brigade carrying an entire community.

That is all to say that since zebramen spend most of their time riding in their carriages, not being able to walk isn't too much of a damper. Zebramen are, still currently in their ancient Sumer-adjacent technological era though, so they might instead have a wheelbarrow, or smaller wagon with a service animal that they ride instead of a wheelchair since those might still not be widely made/widely available. There may be a cultural result to this where people in wheelchairs are seen as wise and down to earth, the same way we see people with glasses as smart, since they'd have a closer relationship with animals, which is a big ideal in zebramen.

But in the future, Zebramen's wheelchairs would end up looking really similar to ours, except there's more footrests in the front to accommodate their frontmost and middle legs, a cutout in the back to rest the back legs, and the lack of an armrest. Zebrapeople naturally keep their arms in a mantis posture, so having an armrest would just get in the way of trying to propel themselves.

Zebrapeople have generally the same crutches as us, too.

Zebrapeople are inclined towards sign since they're more visually oriented than Debu, so that's another similarity between us, but also because their fingers are stupid flexible and weird freaky cool signs are able to be made. Zebrapeople have the benefit of their sign languages being less species-exclusive between them, since zebraelves and zebramen have the same hands and much of the same languages, they get to share the same sign languages.

Zebrapeople do struggle with written language for the blind though, since paper's a very recent and very popular invention that has yet to find itself a widely used tactile way to read its text. The ones currently around similar to moon type where letters are instead raised curves and angled lines.

So onto what zebraelves have different for mobility impairments!

So, the zebraelf wheelchair might be a little different. Their butts are at an angle, which is why they can seamlessly go from octopodal to hexapodal, so they sit as if they're leaned forward. And that gave me an idea because this was the first self-propelled wheelchair invented by Stephan Farffler when he was 22 and this fucks severely.

That's COOL. This is COOL. And it's the same principle that bikes were improved with, so thank him, every cyclist ever

But, I kind of get why this didn't completely stick around. You kind of have to reach forward for this, which you might not be able to do. You see where I'm going with this?

Zebraelves live in trees though, carts like this are primarily for walking on ground. Yet, I would argue this only makes things better for disabled zebraelves because zebraelves are also really good at living in trees.

Their bodies are small and compact, and their bodies are adapted for both walking and swinging/generally hanging on and across branches. Having monkey bars on just about everything is used by everyone. Even if you're without the use of arms, your legs are morphologically the same as your arms, and you're free to use those, too. When you can't use either, there's still pulley systems to help you to get places.

And to answer your other ask, happy disability pride month!

[starlos-soulmate]

Commissions have been Revamped!! I'll make a better post soon-

For both self ship and regular commissions. I take both!! Though I specialize in self ship. Anyway! Everything is in the Artistree link, but I shall summarize everything under the cut anyway

Prices have gone up, jsyk

🌟 Prices 🌟

Headshot:

Sketch: $18

Colored: $25

Does not come with rendering

Half body:

Sketch: $30

Colored: $40

Fully Rendered: $48

Fullbody:

Sketch: $35

Coloted: $45

Rendered: $75

Additional characters will be $10-25 extra depending on commission (unless self ship.)

There are some other styles you can pick from. Though they will often vary in price. All of these are base prices, and can go up if details are too complex. Take a look around and see what ya'd like!!

✅️ Will Do: ✅️

Candy gore/gore (love drawing this stuff)

Self ships (oc x canon, etc)

Ponies (like MLP)

Fanart

Self ships with two of my F/Os (being Starl○ and Arthur Kingsmen)

⚠️ Maybe ⚠️

Irl people (ONLY if it's you and your partner, or you self ship with a live action character. I will not do celebrities)

Mecha (may cost more)

❌️ Won't Do ❌️

NS.FW/fetishes

Hate speech

Prosh!p (no adult × kid, sibling × siblin, etc. Gross)

Helluva B/ss or Hazb/n Hotel

More might be added who knows.

You're free to post this whereever LINKING BACK TO HERE. Keep in mind I am a full time college student and it might take me a while to finish your comm. Expect 2 weeks two a month.

Once you order, you pay half up front. Then I send the sketch to you, you approve it. Then you send the second half. And I finish it.

Refunds are only available till before the sketch is approved. Afterwards, no refunds, though you don't have to pay me the second half. If you're ordering a sketch, there are no refunds period. Don't try to get around anything.

If you have any questions, just ask!!

[the-s1lly-corner]

C, E, F, H, I, J, K, M, N, S and Y, for masky please

Fluff alphabet w/ Masky!

but with these letters :3!! I was gonna do these last night when I first saw you sent this in but im all achey and sore, i still am, but like yk

C (CUDDLES)-

very awkward with cuddles I think- Im kinda revamping how I write for Masky but in general I think he can be stiff in terms of giving or receiving affection in general so this post is going to be interesting! i feel like he might let you cuddle him, but he'll be really stiff in your arms. it won't really be until you guys have been together for a while, and he'll only really pull you into his arms after you've gone to sleep. tends to be the big spoon, doesnt matter if hes taller than you or not (he's 5'7 in my eyes)

very comfy to cuddle with, not too hard not too soft and he's fairly warm

E (EMOTION)-

very collected in nearly every sense of the word! sure you know he loves you but he can.. express it differently than others; usually through acts of service and making sure nothing can get close enough to harm you. in terms of like, actually being emotional

i mean he can get passionate and intense, i always saw him as the one whos more likely to snap between him and hoodie, but!! yeah!! doesnt verbally express his affections, or really in general

the fact he constantly wears a mask certainly doesnt help

F (FAMILY)-

i feel like that's something he would have been interested before he came into contact with slenderman and became a proxy- same goes for marriage, really- like im still torn on how i want to write the proxy dynamic thing but like, i dont want it to be all. "it works out for everyone" you know

ponders

i feel like in the present day, given that he works for a demon, he wouldn't want to bring a kid into the world out of fear that they would become a target, you know?

were this any other timeline or au, then i feel like he would like at least one kid

H (HARSH)-

he can get intense about things, especially when it comes to you and your safety, so that could be a potential source of arguments. masky has set some hard and harsh boundaries to make sure you dont get too entwined in whatever is going on with him

the type to storm off, he doesnt like being around people in general but that gets more intense when hes actively pissed off

you probably wont see him for a while, a day or two. three, even

like he'll still show up you just won't see him or notice he's still watching over you

kinda just. reappears. noticeably distant compared to before

stray cat energy/hj

its gonna take some time before things go back to normal

if he did anything on his end that warrants an apology he'll actually verbally apologize and try to make it up to you, though!

I (INJURY)-

he gets injured a lot, so you're more likely to be the one tending to him. that is if he lets you- he insists to work on it on his own but if you're as stubborn as him he might back off after some badgering

if you're the one hurt all hell breaks loose. he cant help but blame himself since he prides himself on being able to keep watch on you and protect you. unless its like a really normal or mundane injury (ex. a basic fall, cutting/burning yourself while cooking, ect) then he's just. normal about it and tries to help. god forbid someone actually hurt you, though

J (JEALOUSY)-

very jealous, the type to get distant and cold me thinks. already plotting ways to get your attention back. but if someone actually makes you UNCOMFORTABLE?

yeah no its over for that person

insists he doesnt need reassurances or really anything but he doesnt protest if you do it anyway

K (KISSES)-

he rarely takes his mask off, especially not around people, but every now and then he'll lift his mask up a bit and sneak a kiss

LOVES kissing you on the cheek

loves when you kiss him on the forehead

M (MARRIAGE)-

similar reasoning for F, but i feel like he's more willing to go through with something in place of a wedding or commitment to you

very modest ceremony, if there is one, its just you two. no guests, no one else, secluded area me thinks

probably steals some rings that semi match each other

N (NO)-

doesnt like loud or messy people. like he can forgive some mess, sometimes life gets ahead of you or mental health can stand in the way. he knows that first hand. but if you actively/purposefully dont clean out of genuine laziness then thats a deal breaker

also doesnt like pushy people; again its one thing to advocate for your needs but if you consistently push boundaries then its not going to work; especially since a lot of his boundaries are to make sure you dont get hurt

S (SHH)-

oh this man is riddled with secrets. lots of them. obviously this version of masky leans more towards the creepypasta version, but i do want to somehow weave in some traits and ideas from MH as a little nod (and because i love both versions of the character, though im still figuring out how i wanna write him and hoodie, nearly a year later- meshing two opposing characters can be hard!! but hey maybe thats another post for another day when i finally rewatch MH; its been literal years so im a bit rusty on lore and characterization)

very secretive about what he does for work, even if you're like. aware of whats going on/if you're a kriller/monster/ect in universe he simply doesnt like talking about it

Y (YEARN)-

deals with separation pretty well all things considered! sure he might have some worries about if you're keeping out of trouble or staying safe, but i feel at some point he would have some level of trust in you

[b0gdasha]

╰┈➤ byr: i revamped this intro in October 2024, so info here may be really outdated if you read it from the future

Hi, I'm bogdasha, I'm 20 and this is my mostly SFW proship blog with random stuff related — discourse posts, fancontent, reblogs, random thoughts, anything basically -✎ I have no dni and I follow&block freely -✎ my DMs are open for anybody, just be respectful -✎ my only boundaries for now are being respectful (again) and not sending me pornographic/fetish content if I don't specify otherwise -✎ sometimes I may post off-topic things, though I don't do it often -✎ I have no posting schedule, I post as I please, but I'm terms of time I prefer posting around 22/10pm UTC -✎ this is my ONLY tumblr blog for now -✎ I'm also a selfshipper and most of my ships are selfships actually, though I have no f/o for now

╰┈➤ basics

Russian, bi and arospec girl, she/her, with severe depression, may be weird in general -✎ furry, multiaesthetic, ex multifandom, proud wannabe and poser in terms of communities and styles, I like small experiments with self expression and I live by them -✎ my english might be bad at times sorry for that in advance

╰┈➤ about me

It's hard for me to tell about my interests in general because they change almost every month and they're shallow -✎ for now (october 2024) my main interests are netsurfing, roblox (mostly catalog avatar creator and roleplays) and jsf (mainly egl) -✎ also for russian speakers, я сижу и участвую в кфкм в телеграме, но не прям активничаю -✎ I used to be in MANY fandoms and have many interests in 2014-2022, to the point I don't remember them all, but my core fandoms were:

Lololoshka and ru Minecraft in general (2013)

How to train your dragon (2014-2015)

FNAF (2014-2016)

Rytp (2015-2016)

Yandere simulator (2015-2018)

Yt gamers, mainly windy31 and dantekris (2015-2019)

Сыендук (2015-2021)

TheBrianMaps (2015-idk)

Anime & Manga (2015-2022)

Undertale (2016-2017)

Yt animators: Jayden, theodd1sout, sr Pelo, domics, wolfichu, daidus, mirby, мармаж, дьявол76, другие руязычные аниматоры (2016-2018)

RPGmaker games (2016-2022)

Heartbound (2017-2018)

Ddlc (2017-2019)

Danganronpa (2020)

There are more fandoms I was in, these are those that shaped me as a person in a way

I don't care about other discourses, especially here, so I don't participate in or post radqueer lolisho propara/antipara endo/antiendo valid/not valid labels etc stuff, just proship and some off topic

I may have strong or mixed thoughts and feelings about certain things but I don't tend to share them

My taste in music is mostly electronic (I have a more specific taste but I don't care about genre labels much), also some indie stuff and shoegaze

Have this for better reference:

(^ this is relevant for mid 2022 — august 2024 music taste)

I used to love drawing and making handicrafts (especially origami and rainbow loom knits) since childhood!! I barely do any of this now due to my mental state, but those still have my heart

I also wanted to make a list of my ex interests here but I fear it'll be a bit too long for intro post -✎ though who knows, maybe one day... >:3

╰┈➤ F/O and selfship thingies

I hop fast and I find it cool to share f/os with others, I think of sharing as of a way of building and supporting the community -✎ as I mentioned, I have no f/os now and I don't really treat my f/os as partners, I think of them as of crushes I tend to have lots of self-insert fantasies about hehe -✎ also I like drawing myself with f/os and ordering commissions with us, I'm cringe and I'm free idc at this point

My former f/os are:

Sans - Undertale (romantic, 2016 yes I was one of those og fangirls)

Gabriel García — Telltale Walking Dead p3 (romantic, 2017)

Lore — Heartbound (romantic, 2017)

Vanilla and Coconut - Nekopara (platonic, 2017-2018)

Larry — Sally face (romantic in 2017-2018 and queerplatonic in 2023)

Kara — Detroit Become Human (queerplatonic, 2018)

Tanjiro — Demon Slayer (platonic, 2020)

Apollo — Animal crossing (platonic, 2020)

Mondo — DRTHH (platonic, 2020)

Kazuichi — SDR2 (romantic, 2020)

Korekyo — DRV3 (queerplatonic, 2020)

Kurt Frank — IDV (platonic, 2021)

Monty — FNAF security breach (sensual, 2021)

Childe — Genshin (sensual, 2021)

Ginko — Mushishi (queerplatonic, 2021-2022)

Sally — Sally face (sensual, 2023)

Simon — Cry of fear (queerplatonic, 2023)

Medic — TF2 (sensual, 2023)

Spy — TF2 (sensual, 2024)

╰┈➤ My ships

Sniper × Spy (TF2)

Fischl × Lisa (Genshin)

Barbara × Rosaria (Genshin)

Sal × Larry (Sally Face)

[FORMER SHIP] Pinecest (Gravity falls, ≈2015-2016)

[FORMER SHIP] Frans (Undertale, 2016)

[FORMER SHIP] Sato × Shio (Happy sugar life, 2018)

[FORMER SHIP] Childe × Lumine (Genshin, 2022)

[FORMER SHIP] Barbara × Xinyan (Genshin, 2022)

[FORMER SHIP] Irma × Kleesha (My OCs, 2023)

I have no particular taste in ships, I ship whatever I find appealing which is always random, though I'm not a fan of parent x child and sexually abusive ships, they personally make me uncomfortable -✎ l'm not exclusively a comshipper, default/no taboo ships are loved no less

I think that's all for now, thank you for checking this post hehe :3

Have a cookie 🍪

[hanisdaisys]

DOUBLE TAKE - L.HS & S.JY

Paring! : Heeseung! X F reader! Or Jake! X F reader! (This is a pick your ending au!)

Information! : a spin off of The Summer I Turned Pretty

Casting! : Cast : Y/N as Isabel (Belly), Heeseung as Conrad,Jake as Jeremiah, Steven as Jay, Taylor as Yunjin and Cameron as Sunghoon

Word count! : 6.1K

Reading time! : 25 minutes

Summary!: It all started in the spring of 2023, your best friend, yunjin, had been BEGGING you to take off your braces and your glasses. She kept saying how hee, your childhood best friend AND your crush, will not be able to hold back after seeing you change so drastically in the span of a year…. Taking in her advice, you decided to completely revamp yourself, a glow-up! And when summer came around you couldn’t wait to get into that car with Jay, your annoying older brother.. and drive until the summer house. Finally Heeseung and Jake would be able to see how much you’ve grown… and maybe they’d finally give you a chance, a chance to belong to them for a while… but you didn’t know if this summer you wanted Heeseung or Jake…

WARNING!: swearing, mentions of crying, throwing up, cigarettes, drinking (let me know if there is more! I forget :) )

🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸💀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚🥥🌸🎀🐚

It’s finally time. The moment you’ve been waiting for since the start of 2023. It is finally time to go to the summer house and spend time with Heeseung and Jake. You waited (im)patiently for school to end. You didn’t think your summer was so extravagant, you just went to the summer house your mother had bought with her best friends and spent time with her kids. It was only Heeseung, Jake, Jay and You. Even if it was a small vacation and maybe annoying to some, you enjoyed spending time away from home in this so-called magic beach house. But this summer was different. You had completely changed, thanks to Yunjin, you had a whole glow up!! Finally, the brothers might steal a glance… or two! maybe even give you a chance.

PRESS ON KEEP READING

“make sure to call me babe! Don’t wear lame outfits and talk lots to hee!! I love you babe mwah” Yunjin kissed your head as you got into the car with your brother, Jay, and your mom. “ Ok yunjin that’s enough let me nasty sister go!” Jay said as you rolled your eyes. “Bye yunjiniee, I’ll miss you! Promise me you’ll come to visit a day or two!!” you said making pouty eyes at her “Of course, I will bestie!” she said waving to you one last time before walking to the bus station.

“Okay let’s start this car… GET YOUR DIRTY feet OFF MY PORSCHES DASHBOARD OMG” Jay yelled at you “Oh come on Jay.. are you sure it isn’t just your car that’s dirty” you said as he rolled his eyes and turned on the radio. Oasis music started blasting out the radio as you just closed your eyes to relax. The road to the beach house was quite long, around 5-6 hours. Usually your mom would drive the whole way while you and your brother slept in the back, but jay had gotten his licence this summer so he volunteered to help your mother drive (even if he drove the whole way there while she rested in the back, it was like he was paying her back for the last 20 years she spent driving you both there. Jay was 21, and you were 20. Strangely enough he made it seem like you were thousand years younger than him. He never let you drink nor drive (even if you had recently gotten your license but it seemed that no one trusted you to drive a whole 5-6 hours). You wouldn’t say he’s overprotective, just in denial that his baby sister was growing up so fast.

You hadn’t even noticed when the car had stopped at the corner shop, sleeping almost the whole way there. You were slowly awakened by your brother's voice. “Okay loser go grab some snacks for yourself, I’m filling up the gas” Jay slapped your shoulder playfully as you arranged your hair. “Oh y/n I’m coming with you, I want to stock up on a few treats, you know how bad the boy's mother's taste is in snacks! ” your mom said as she laughed at her friend's horrible choices in late-night snacks. You got into the store and grabbed a pack of Hot Cheetos and a Dr.Pepper for the ride. “Hey” the cashier told you, you were thrown aback. Boys at school never look at you, Yunjins is the one they look at… “Hi..” you smiled tucking your hair behind your ear. “Are you new around here ?” You shook your head “Oh well there’s a bonfire tonight if you want to come” he said, scanning your items “Oh yeah sure I’ll think about it! “You said “what are you youngsters talking about?” your mother suddenly came in handing the man her credit card. “Oh nothing I’ll go wait in the car Mom” you said a little awkwardly, grabbing your snacks and leaving.

You got back into the car and waited for your mom to bring back the so called “snacks”. Since this stop meant you were only an hour away from the beach house you toke this opportunity to redo your makeup a little bit. You applied a little bit of blush, fixed your base and applied a little bit of gloss as Jay looked at you in disgust. “what are you doing..? aye you look good tho” he said looking at you. You rolled your eyes as your mom finally came back. “Okay let’s continue the road jay” your mother said. Jay started the car again and continued driving the last hour of the trip.

When you had finally arrived, Jay rushed out of the car to go hug Heeseung and Jake(not before carefully opening and closing the door to his precious porsche). Your mother left right after Jay, running to her best friend and hugging her. You stayed in the car a little while Jay talked to the brothers…. You often felt left out between them. They’d always exclude you from their hangouts or sleepover because you were a girl and they were boys. They’d call you over sometimes to tell you horror stories, but only because you had such a good reaction to them... It toke a few years for you to accept the fact that they’re different from you, but you eventually got over it. You checked yourself one more time in the car mirror before stepping out. You could see Jake do a double take when he saw you and Heeseungs jaw was dropped. You laughed it off going to hug Jake as he picked you up from the floor and spun you around “You look so beautiful sweets” he said taking in the smell of your shampoo “Thanks jaeyun” you said smiling at him before walking towards Heeseung. He somewhat looked more attractive, he had dyed his hair a light brown colour. “Hey, you changed...a lot… I liked you better with your glasses” Heeseung said hugging you “Well I like myself without them so..” you said pulling away from his hug. He also seemed colder.. like he was avoiding talking to you.

“Y/NIEEEE OMG YOUVE GROWN SO MUCH YOU ARE GORGEOUS LOVE” the boy's mother said as you hugged her “Thank you so much!” you said not wanting to let go. She always thought of you like her daughter she never had. She wished she had a girl, instead, she ended up with two sons… so she always liked you a little more than she’d like to mention. She loved spending time with you during the 2 months she was free, whether that was buying you girly stuff, bringing you dress shopping or making you wear her clothes from the 90s! After the warm welcome the family had given you, you went into the house and had your special first summer night dinner. Your mom wasn’t such a big cook but the boy's mom loved making a huge feast to share when the first night you all gathered together. You all sat down, in the seats you’d usually it at. Your mom and the boy's mom were at the end of the table while you sat beside Jay, facing both Jake and Heeseung. “Y/n you are just gorgeous… you should participate in the debutant ball this summer!” The boy's mother said looking at you “Oh come on Mom that's so not her thing, she hates girly stuff!” Jake said laughing at you. You glared at him before telling their mom “I’ll think about it!”. She smiled back and started rambling about how you could go dress shopping together and how she could help with your makeup and hair. “Don’t let her force you into anything y/n,” Heeseung said breaking his silence and staring at you. Somehow the stare he gave you made you want to prove him wrong. He was right, the whole debutant wasn’t your thing, putting on dresses, bring a date… it wasn’t your style.. so you don’t know what came over you when you told her “I’ll do it!”. Your mother looked at you shocked as Jay chuckled… You continued talking as the late night slowly approached.

The boys told the grow-ups they were going out to the beach where the bonfire had been held. Since they were legal adults, nothing would've stopped them. No matter if it was a no from your mom or their mom. They were going, no questions asked. They were always present for a night full of hookups and alcohol. Usually, your mom, the boy's mother and you would watch the notebook and cry out all the tears possible, but this year you wanted to prove to Heeseung and Jake that you had finally grown up. You weren’t the little girl they’d tease every summer. So you excused yourself from the movie mentioning that you weren’t feeling good and got secretly got ready in your room. You remembered how the boy's mother looked at you quite sadly but she decided to let you rest since “you weren’t feeling well”. You felt quite bad lying to them since this was a tradition for you women… you would always binge-eat snacks while watching the notebook. It tokes you a while to exit the house since the living room was in the plain site of the main entrance but after around 10 minutes you had finally escaped.

You walked towards the beach and when you finally made it your heart skipped a beat. There was a bunch of alcohol and a bunch of teens just kissing, making out and all. It seemed like something yunjin would’ve told you about. You felt like her for once, you felt included in what teenagers these days did. “Hey you came!” The same guy from the corner shop said pulling you into a side hug. From afar Jake spotted you, slowly running towards you. “Aye y/n I didn’t know you’d come…” he said checking you out. “Yeah it was boring at home so…” you said awkwardly rubbing your arm. All the sudden the dude from the corner store started leaning in but Jake pushed him away. “Bro! Chill she’s a minor… the heck is wrong with you” jake said yelling at the poor dude. The dude looked at you a little shocked before scoffing and walking away.“ Jake it’s fine I can defend myself! Oh my god.” You said walking away. It seemed like jake still saw you as a little kid. You sat down a little further away letting your feets play in the sand.

All of a sudden you felt a presence next to you “Can I offer you a beer?” You looked up and saw this beautiful boy you’d never seen before. “Oh I don’t drink but thank you,” you said. “I’m hoon, sunghoon, call me whatever you want” he said sitting down next to you and sipping the cold beer he had in his hands. “Oh, I’m y/n! Call me whatever you want ?” You said laughing a little teasingly as he followed along with your teasing. “I’ve never seen you before,” he said looking straight ahead at the beach “Oh well usually my brother and his friends don’t let me come here you know… I kind of snuck in here” you said pouting towards Jay, heeseung and Jake. “No way! Your brother is Jay?? That’s wild! He’s got a crazy reputation around here” He said laughing. You giggled a little looking at him but deep inside you were wondering what reputation Jay had here since he was only here a couple of months a year…. “COPS COPS ARE HERE RUN” Suddenly everyone started running away. Sunghoon toke your hand and pulled you away from the “crime” scene. It felt like a movie. You were running with a boy, at night, while the soft breeze blew into your hair. When you finally got far enough, sunghoon let go of your hands while gasping for air. “That was so close!” He said laughing then looking up. “well we are right next to the diner… could I interest you in a date?” He said pointing towards the diner and then putting his hand out for you to grab ” You checked the time before nodding and taking his hand.

Usually, you wouldn’t have gone on a date with the first guy you’d seen. But you were tired of Jake and Heeseung seeing you as a child. You talked the night away with sunghoon. He was studying to become a marine biologist, he loved whales and the sea. You found that that was quite wholesome. Usually, the guys you’d talk to would hate talking about animals but sunghoon was different. You saw stars in his eyes when he talked about the blue whale he spotted during a trip at sea. He was clearly in love with what he was studying, his passion made him look so cool.

After your date had ended( due to the diner closing), he toke you home in his car. Arriving at the door, you knocked having forgotten your keys inside your room. Your mom opened the door a little shocked at seeing you outside… “Y/n what are you doing outside? I thought you were feeling sick” she said putting her hands on her hips. “I’m sorry Mom I just wanted to go the beach and I met him!” You said pointing at sunghoon. Sunghoon gave her a little smile and before your mom could yell at you for running out of the house and meeting a random guy, the boys mother interrupted , “Oh hey! Come in love! I just made dinner please come eat with us” she said to sunghoon as he smiled and thanked her. She looked at you a little disappointed since a couple of hours ago you mentioned you were not feeling well but she was happy that you finally were meeting new people in the town. The boys all looked at him weirdly as in “What in the hell is this random guy doing here” but they sat down without any complaints. “So what’s your name?” Jake asked all of a sudden. Sunghoon cleared his throat before saying “hoon sunghoon” smiling at Jake. “Your name is hoon sunghoon??” He started laughing as you kicked his feet under the table “Oh no it’s just sunghoon! But you can call me Hoon for short” He said not letting Jake's teasing affect him. Heeseung just looked at him rolling his eyes. You grabbed sunghoon hand before giving him a reassuring squeeze and telling him not to bother and to keep eating.

“So Heeseung! How’s basketball going?” Your mother asked to break the awkward vibe that was set by Jake. “I quit.” He said, not saying nor adding anything to his words. “Oh, I thought you were serious about basketball! But that’s fine! What about you Jake? How’s life?” She added “Well I have a job as a lifeguard… that’s about it…” he said playing with his food. “Oh, are you working at the court too?” Sunghoon suddenly said. “Yeah well y/n here’s going to be a debutant so I just wanted to see her more often,” Jake said winking at you. “Oh, you’re a debutant! That’s wonderful, I know you’ll love it! My sister was a deb…” sunghoon added before clearing his throat. You smiled at him while an awkward silence crowded the room. “Oh my son, dear what's happening with you Jay,” your moms friend said, picking interest in Jay. “Okay don’t be shocked! I got accepted into Princeton, you are looking at a future mechanical engineer!!” He said using his hands as a megaphone. Everyone started clapping for him as he said that. She gasped hearing the news before getting up to hug the boy. Jay had always been great at bringing up the mood of the room. You had always been jealous that he was so extroverted…

When dinner came to an end, Sunghoon thanked both moms for welcoming him so warmly and sending him home with a full belly. At your turn, you sent sunghoon away with a kiss on his cheek as he gave you a hug and his number. “I’ll see you tomorrow y/n,” he said pulling away and waving goodbye. “What’s with you going around with random guys,” Jake said right as the door shut close “What do you mean Jake? I’m not a baby I can hang out with whoever I want” you said pushing past him and going into your room. You weren’t sure why but he had been so annoying ever since you had gotten here. He kept picking on you and taking care of you more than he ever did. This isn’t the attention you wanted! You felt frustrated and wanted to deal with this anger the only way you knew…you threw on a swimsuit and made your way to the pool.

You placed your towel down by the pool as you jumped in, as a kid you’d love to pretend you’d be at the Olympics seeing how fast you could reach from one end to another. When you came up for air you saw Heeseung dipping his feet… “Hey…” you said looking at him. He just looked at you as he toke another smoke in. “I didn’t know you smoked…?” You added looking at him puffing in and out. “Yeah calms the nerves” he said taking yet another puff. “You know you’ll grow addicted… I recommend you stop before it kills your brain” you laughed. “Trying to get off but it’s none of your business love.” He said before getting up and walking away. You stayed up for a while before shaking your head and swimming for another hour or two.

The next few days you didn’t do much, you’d go for swims, talk to Jay (more like fights) and go on dates with sunghoon. Heeseung hadn’t spoken to you since the night at the pool and Jake just sometimes commented on things you’d do. This summer was different. Not in a good way…. You felt so ignored, even if you’d try to talk nicely to Jake it would always result In him babying you. And for some reason, your talks with Heeseung only ended up being two to three words exchanged before he gets bored and takes another puff… summer was usually what you’d look the most forward to…

In reality, summer would only start when one week would pass. The food trucks would start lining up, night hangouts become frequent and most importantly the carnival. The carnival would come in town lasting for a few weeks. You always had memories of Jay, the brothers and you going there for fun.. even if you were a scaredy cat and hated the rides, the little games and the food was to die for. and when the day finally approached were the carnival was in town you were torn, you didn’t know if you should go with the brothers or with sunghoon. You told yourself you’d go with whoever asked you first… no matter how long it toke. Just like he was reading your mind you heard a knock on your bedroom door. “Hey y/nie it’s hee… we are going to the carnival in an hour get ready. Quick.” He said before walking away. You kinda wished he entered and told you.. he felt so distant this summer like he was aware of your crush on him. You brushed off your thoughts and got up on the bed. You hugged Mr. Snuggles (the plush heeseung had won you as a kid) and went towards your bathroom. You had just enough time to redo your makeup and try to find a new outfit.

While you were making your way to the car you received a call from someone… “hey yunjin!! What’s up girl” you asked. “Omg, y/n you won’t believe it! I’m 2 hours early… do you mind asking the brothers to pick me up?” She asked a little shy since she arrived earlier than you both expected. You let out a laugh before patting jakes shoulder “Hey Jae… Umh yunjin is here early can we go pick her up before we go to the fair?” You asked him giving him puppy eyes. “Yeah sure, hee and Jay will join us later they’re stopping by jungwons house for a drink” You nodded getting into jakes Jeep. “So Yunjin…” he added. “Yeah hopefully it’s not weird since y’all hooked up last year..” you said laughing a little uncomfortably. “Oh, whatever she’s probably not over me yet” he said rolling his eyes playfully before focusing on the road again. Jake always thought everyone loved him enough to make out with him(not like he’d skip the opportunities, line up everyone! Jake’s giving out free kisses no matter who you are! “Whatever I’m sure she stills calls you James..” you said looking out the window as you arrived at the bus terminal. “Y/NNNN BABE I MISSED YOU SO MUCH” Yunjin said running to you with her suitcase… “see you’ve finally taken my clothing advice! You look gorg girl!” She added. “Thanks yunjin you look equally as stunning… those shorts are killer on you” you said pulling away from her hug “Hey James see you haven’t changed,” she said looking at Jake “My names Jak-“ “yeah yeah whatever let’s get going” she said dismissing and getting in the back seat of the car.

The ride to the amusement was quiet until Jake started talking about sunghoon and your frequent dates with him. “So how’s it going with sunghoon is he treating you nice” he asked keeping his eyes focused on the road. “Wait y/n who's sunghoon? You’ve never told me about him!!” Yunjin said suddenly grabbing your and Jake's seat. “Oh, he’s just this guy I met on the beach… you know during the bonfire ?… We've been going out on dates for the past few weeks” you said turning yourself to face her instead of the road. She nodded laughing a little before she said “What about hee-“You quickly toke your hand to cover her mouth. Jake looked back confused about why she stopped talking “Oh you have a thing for my brother sweets ?” He says parking near the entrance of the fair. “No Jake it’s not like that! I just…” you started “No, no need to defend yourself y/n, I know he’s better than me but he’ll only break your heart.” Jake said, unbuckling his belt and getting out of the car. Yunjin started apologizing for bringing up Heeseung when his brother was in the car but you only smiled at her letting her know it wasn’t such a big deal. All of a sudden, your car door opens as Jake holds out his hand, waiting for you to take it. “Come on sweets we got to get going the others are already inside” he said pulling you out of the car.

You got out, at the same time as Yunjin did, the three of you walking into the fair. Jake had his hands wrapped around your shoulders and Yunjin walked beside you. When you finally saw Jay and Heeseung, you ran up to Jay, hugging him. “What’s up sis” he said hugging you back, it wasn’t new that you were quite clingy. Even if it’s just Jay and most of the time you argue, nothing could help you forget your problems as much as jays bear hugs. You pulled away before waving at Heeseung. “Hey hee…” you said looking at him. “This is Yunjin, my friend!” You introduced her to Heeseung in case he forgot and he nodded. Just like before he wasn't answering you.. All of a sudden Jay pulled Yunjin away, talking to her as you were left with Heeseung and Jake. The devil's curse you said. “So wanna ride the monster ?” Heeseung said laughing at your face when your scrunched it in fear. “Oh cmon hee you know our sweetie bear is afraid of rides” Jake said ruffling your hair. “No, I’m not! Let’s ride that mother fucker let’s go!!!” You said running to the line. The boys (and Yunjin) shortly followed behind getting into the line. It wasn’t as long as the other rides since this one was known as the “devil's ride” It went by fast, had many loops and even brought you upside down. Jake knew deep down you were scared of this ride. A few years back the boys dared you to ride it… right after the ride ended you ended up puking all over Jake's sweatshirt and his mom had to drive you all back home, a night ended shortly. As your turn slowly approached you started to worry. Heeseung glanced at you before walking towards you. “You don’t need to ride this one love… you know you can always back out.” He said rubbing your back and comforting you. You sighed before turning around and hugging him. “I’m kind of tired of being seen as a scaredy cat hee… you guys only see me as a child.. it frustrates me.” You say looking up at him with doe eyes.

He sighed at the sight, hugging you back and your head nuzzled further into his. “Hey babes look at me.” He said making you pull away from his neck. He called Jake over letting him know how you were feeling. Jake was always a sensible guy, when he saw how heartbroken you looked, he felt bad. He hadn’t even realized how much he has been hurting you by just simply teasing you. He apologized to you while you stayed in heeseungs arms and walked towards Jay and Yunjin. Those two were in the middle of a conversation when suddenly Jake broke their flow. “Hey guys… y/n isn’t feeling too good right now, I think we will need to sit this out!” He said as he looked a little apologetic to your friend and your brother. You walked to them, a pout visible on your face. “You two should ride this though! I know you’ll love it:) We will be cheering for you!” You said rubbing Yunjin’s back and throwing her a wink.

You, Jake and Heeseung decided to sit down on a bench near the ride watching Jay and Yunjin getting belted in. You wondered how long it’ll take for them to come back, realizing this might have been the worst decision they made. The silence between you and the brother was starting to eat you alive until you looked forward and noticed Yunjin and Jay walking back lifelessly. “That was hell.” Yunjin said sitting down on your lap. Jay just smiled at her and sat down beside Jake. “Omg, where is the picture!!!” You asked, suddenly remembering that the ride takes a picture of you during one of the falls. Yunjin shifted uncomfortably before saying. “ oh girl I don’t think you need to see it…” she laughed putting the photo away. You eyed Jake as he ripped it out of Yunjin's hands and handed it to you. Yunjin gasped as she waited for your reaction to the picture… “Oh…” you said looking at the photo.

“What is it,” heeseung said grabbing the photo. His jaw dropped and he looked at Jay. “I’m so so sorry babe… I didn’t mean-“You shut Yunjin up by squealing. “You should’ve told me you and Jay were a thing!!! Omg, you are so adorable.” You said hugging Yunjin as she let out the breath of air she didn’t know she was holding. You looked up at Jay smiling as you told him “Don’t you dare hurt her or I will kill you!!” You told him. Jake and Heeseung laughed at your reaction as you all continued talking about the sudden news. “Sweets, remember when we used to have competitions here…?” Jake suddenly brought up giving you a mischievous glance. “Oh, it’s on Jake.” You said staring back.

You separated the teams into two, You, Yunjin and Jake vs Heeseung and Jay. Usually, it was you and Jay vs the brothers but since yunjin was here you made sure that she’d know the rules before playing. It first started with laser tag. The game was tough until you shot Jay using your laser and they lost. The next one was bowling, their team won since they had the upper hand, and both Heeseung and Jay were phenomenal at bowling! (Not fair!) The next was rock climbing. Jake tried climbing without a security harness when a familiar voice came running in. “You can't do this without a harness!!!” A voice yelled at you as you were met with sunghoons familiar face. When he noticed it was just you and your friends, he smiled walking towards you. “Hey, y/n! What are you doing here” he asked all smiley. “Doing a challenge! The Captain of the loser team has to ride the monster!” You said excitingly. “Oohhh can I join? I see your 3vs2 that's not fair is it?” He said pointing between both of you. You simply nodded as he joined the other team, completely forgetting about his job. The game went on as you won and the other team lost, playing more and more games until you were both tied. “Okay, last game!! Drumroll please!!!!” Jay said using his hands as a megaphone again “BASKETBALL” he said as Heeseung cheered. He seemed happy for once. It was you versus him, clearly he had the upper hand since he was on the basketball team for more than 8 years. Watching him play you wondered why he has so suddenly quit being a player. He was amazing at it. While you were unfocused he toke that opportunity to score 6 baskets as his total was 160 points. You looked at your screen,80 points behind as you began to start throwing the balls more furiously. Suddenly, Jay and sunghoon started cheering and you realized you had lost. You had completely lost focus and now, you would have to ride the monster.

Jake laughed at your antics to escape the punishment but a promise was a promise. The Captain of the loser team HAD to ride the monster. You mustered up your courage walking towards the line of the ride. Heeseung ran behind you as he stood right beside you. “I’m not letting you do this alone okay? I’m here for you” he said grabbing your hand and squeezing it. When you arrived at the front of the line, there was no going back. You sat down beside Heeseung as he held your hand and urged you to close your eyes. “Think about me okay? I’m right here if you need anything. I’ll always be here for you okay?” He said as you closed your eyes. Heeseung always knew when to step in and when you needed help. You were glad he was riding this with you, even if he had won fair and square. You squeezed his hand tighter as the ride started. It lasted for a good 1-2 minutes as you finally made it back to the ground. Your legs were a little wobbly as Heeseung helped you get out of the ride. The worker handed you your photo as you both walked back to the group. “How do you feel y/n!!!” Jake said cheering that you finally went on the ride. “It’s okay, it’s good. He was there so I feel better” you said putting away the photo. The night started to get dark as you finally went back home. You showered first and changed into comfy clothes before jumping into your bed. When you were about to turn the lights off, you heard a knock at your door. You told the person to come in as you were faced with both Heeseung and Jake. “Hey sweets” Jake said sitting down on your bed as Heeseung did the same “Just wanted to apologize uknow, we’ve been rude to you and… we don’t want to lose you. Sorry I teased you so many times sweets” he said playing anxiously with the soft comforter on your bed. You smiled at him as you shook your head “It’s okay jakey, I was just overreacting” you said smiling again. Heeseung looked at you before saying “We want you to be comfortable with us princess, not uncomfortable… please let us know if anything is wrong okay? We will be there for you any time you need us” he said rubbing your head. “Now go to sleep it’s getting late. He told you before the closed your light and walked away. They left you yearning for more. Sometimes you just wished they would muster up the courage and maybe act more affectionately with you. They knew how much you loved getting hugged… maybe they could offer them to you first?

The next month passed by fast, and the deb ball was slowly approaching. You still haven’t had a date and the boy's mom was already taking you shopping for a beautiful white dress. You weren’t much on the girly side but you could easily appreciate a beautiful dress. She made you try on many dresses until you found the one you liked. It was quite pricey and your mom refused to let her friend splurge on you but she insisted. She said kept saying how the dress was made for you and how it looked so wonderful with your skin tone. Your mom rolled her eyes as her friend swiped her card. It was a girl's day out. You spent the entire day shopping for clothes, accessories, makeup and everything you wished for. Before heading home you decided to stop at the famous gelato store that you’d always go to. You went with the flavour you always got, Lemon and the three of you sat down near the car. “Soo my beautiful y/n have you asked anyone out yet?” The boy's mom asked you as she sent a wink your way. You laughed at her before telling her the truth. “I’m not sure Auntie... I don’t know if I should ask sunghoon or…” you hesitated looking up into her eyes “One of my boys? It’s okay sweetie I know” she said rubbing your hand comfortingly. Your mom laughed as the air became quite tense. “Whatever you say I’m sure the boys would love to bring you okay? Don’t stress your pretty mind off of it” she said smiling. You all finzihed your cups and went back home to find that the boys had invited some friends over. It was Heeseung, Jay, Jake,Sunghoon, Jungwon, Sunoo and Niki. They were talking about their plans for the next week as sunghoon sighed loudly. You hid behind the wall trying to eavesdrop. “I don’t think y/n likes me,” Sunghoon said as you felt your heart break from his expression. “What do you mean bro?” Jake said patting Hoon's back. “We are one week away from the debutant party and she still hasn’t asked me to be her date!” He added. Heeseung scoffed at Sunghoons comment as he left the room to go grab another beer. You ran upstairs trying to keep yourself undercover.

You felt bad that sunghoon thought you had feeling for him.. but to be honest, you don’t know if you could like another guy that wasn’t heeseung… or even Jake! Those two were your endgame and picking someone else was just off the list. That day, you went to sleep with a heavy heart thinking of how you could let down sunghoon slowly. The next day you woke up quite early texting sunghoon “We need to talk” Obviously he was quite stressed reading your message as he agreed to meet you up at the beach. You both walked and talked for a few minutes before he brought it up again “So what did you want to talk about” he said not glancing in your direction. You looked at him taking his hands into your “hoon… I’m sorry.” You said looking into his eyes for an emotion “For what?” He said looking at you confusingly. “I’m so sorry hoon because I don’t think I can bring you to the debs ball… I like you hoon I do bu-“ he cut you off “I know y/n I know you love one of the brothers…” he said smiling a little painfully as tears welded his eyes. Your heart broke as you stared at him. “Go y/n tell him please, just promise you won’t push me away okay?…” he said bringing your hands up to his lips before kissing them. You shook your head tears filling your eyes too as he let go of your hands. “Go y/n, ask him before it’s too late…” he said before smiling. You hugged him once more before walking away, turning back to see him waving at you with tears in his eyes.

Arriving back at the beach house you fixed yourself slightly, trying to cover up your red eyes and you made your way to the door. Right across the hall from your room was his room… you felt conflicted about if you should just ask your brother to bring you but you knew better than bringing your blood as a date. You stood right in front of the white door as you knocked on it. The door opened seeing him smiling at you, like he had been waiting for you to show up.

PICK YOUR ENDING -> HEESEUNG

JAKE

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Authors note : AHHH FINALLY OVERRRR 🎉🎉

Thank you so much for everyone that showed interest in this fan fiction and those who helped me gain confidence to write again!! Hopefully this is up to your standards!!!!Let me know if you want an ending where you end up picking sunghoon!! Thank you again so everyone !!!

taglist (dm or comment to be added!: @2kool4yu

[theforlorne]

This Story Is in Dire Need of a New Title Now It Has Been Revamped. And Tagora Still Needs to Fix His Hive. (Tagora x Reader)

🐑 ♡ Thank you Sycamore for beta'ing this one for me, it's been a big help ♡🐑

Tagora's hive is wrecked, but you're there to help.

Teen and Up Audiences, No Warnings, F/M, M/M, Other/M, Tag(s): Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Chores and Lists, Ambiguous Gender Reader, Ambiguous Species Reader, POV Second Person

Find it on ao3 ♡ WC: 2,210

“We both deserve a little compensation for all of this. *______” Tagora sighed.

He gestured towards the wreckage to exemplify 'this'. 'This' was left by the drone that had been searching for a mutant of some sort, and said mutant had not been hidden in his hive. That much was for certain, but the drone had made sure to check the entirety of the space with their own unchecked destruction.

Simply put, most civilised trolls could operate a door handle. Meanwhile, a drone used any sort of explosive or weapon to remove the door and its surrounding area to get in. Not that it mattered given they would then proceed to obliterate anything else in their way. That included and was not limited to: furniture, crucial parts of the hive’s structure, expensive goods, and much cared for lusii equipment.

One look from a critical eye would have been able to tell that there was no room for a mutant - or otherwise - to hide. Tagora’s whole hive aesthetic touched upon chic chaos after all, and it would not be ideal for a deadly game of hide and seek. Too many things to knock over. Too many things in the places you might have hidden. Again, this did not matter.

It had been three days since you had both started to try and clean the mess, and you had made it nowhere. The only good thing to come of it was the additional time you got to spend with Tagora. Since his place was trashed, you’d offered for him to stay at yours. It took some convincing, but he warmed up to the idea after he had tried to relax in the new, open plan demolition site.

This wasn’t to say you were happy his hive was in such a state, no. It was a mess. A bad one. But you had enjoyed a lot of pamper sessions to help him unwind, and to have him snuggled by your side during your rest… It was safe to say you would be making those arrangements with him once his hive was fixed up.

“What am I doing today then?” you asked. Tagora pursed his lips and pulled out a sheet of folded paper from his pocket. He muttered under his breath as he opened it up and placed a finger against the surface. It traced each day, until he found the right one, then moved to your name. Inside of the box read all of the tasks he had delegated you.

“Let’s see, today you need to brush up the rubble in the other room and throw out anything too broken to be saved,” Tagora said. “And please, if you don’t know, ask me this time.”

You pulled on your gloves and nodded to let him know you’d caught all of it. Then, with a wave, you headed over to one of the broken entryways. "Oh-” you choked, fingers slid around the part of the wall that separated you both. “I'm here to help, so you better remember that too. What are you doing today anyway?”

He looked like someone held him at knife point, his plans disturbed before they had even been put into motion. A harsh breath rasped in his throat, and his jaw hung slack.

“Well,” Tagora managed, “I.” He stopped, and in a blur, the paper was pulled from his pocket again. You had broken him.

“I’m in charge of contacting the proper authorities about repairs, general cleaning, ordering, and any additional redecoration for the previous two rooms we’ve completed. Depending on shipment, we might get them finished before the sunrise. It might mean a trip out, however.” He had chewed on each ‘might’ with equal amounts of venom each time. Given his position right in the centre of the hemospectrum, delivery was always a game of roulette, and he had a flawless prediction rate.

You reassured him once more that you wouldn’t mind tagging along if he needed to go. The paper dropped from his face, and he was a pretty shade of teal.

“There isn’t a need for you to come along,” he huffed, “but I would appreciate an escort. *______” There was a softness to his words that left you with a grin. You gave him another wave and headed to your duties.

Rubble weighed heavy on your shoulders, and after some time, each bent back or lifted object caused pain to shoot up your spine. It seared hot within each bundle of nerves. The odd graze or cut you had sustained stung, and you had taken a break to pull out numerous splinters. Still, the place started to clean up.

Aside from the wall, the damage was minimal. Most of the rubble that had been scattered across the room had dodged the majority of the furniture. That left you with an easier second job once the floor wasn’t a wreck. You even dusted up some of the finer cleaning that needed to be done, even if it wasn’t on your schedule. Tagora could complain all he liked when he found out, but the delegation of chores and tasks list could never comprehend your occasional affectionate gestures.

You knew in the end he appreciated it. Especially in the given circumstances.

Lost in reminiscence, you allowed yourself to stew over images of Tagora’s head on your lap. You stroked his hair whilst he told you how much you made things seem easy. Calm. Relaxed. A pocket of joy in a never ending cycle of anxiety fueled torment.

Alternia was a nightmare, and so you shared your duties with kindness in mind.

The same kindness that called to you to swaddle Tagora in your arms the moment you saw him again. You had picked up a broken lamp, and after a look over you couldn’t decide whether to scrap it or not. It worked, but the shade was in a state of disrepair. The same you found your matesprit.

His features were obscured by a thick tangle of hair which he had woven each of his fingers into. He held it tight, and you could make out the tension from where each strand pulled at his skin. This image wasn't long lived though. At the sound of your entry his head whipped up. Embarrassment crossed his face, and his attention diverted near immediately to the side.

That was the signal. Lamp abandoned beside him, your arms were free to catch him in an embrace. At first, his embarrassment heightened, and you felt him tense within your grasp. A single look from his eye might have betrayed murderous intent, but this soon eased. Usually, you would break away after a second or two when this happened. Tagora had other ideas.

Horns fought for dominance in the tight space between your arms and chest. You had to dip down to his level to embrace him; your arms navigated to his neck to avoid any sharp pokes. Tagora had refused to let you see his face in the transition. Instead, he snuggled tight into your shoulder.

His grip overwhelmed you, and a surge of worry coursed through your veins. He clung to you as if you were the one thing to keep him afloat on a stormy sea. The terrors below circled him on those waters while he fought a losing battle.

A sharp hiss sounded too close to your ear, and you jumped from fright. Tagora let out a ‘hiccup’. A sort of tie between a sob and an irritated exhale of air. The result caused him to force you away, allowing him to fold his arms around himself.

Eye contact still avoided, you took in the state of your matesprit. He chewed on his lip, which bled the same colour as the tears that fell down his cheeks. He passed one sly glance your way. But he didn’t make an effort to clean himself up. No, he continued to hold himself in what became a tight ball of limbs.

“I hate all of this,” Tagora began. You nestled yourself beside the chair, and tapped on his closest leg. He lowered it to a spot where you placed your chin on top. With a reassuring pat from your hand, you opted to maintain the contact he had welcomed.

“I hate all of this,” Tagora repeated, “and by all of this I mean the ridiculous excrement this planet pushes out. I didn’t ask to have my hive destroyed. I didn’t want my hive to be destroyed, but oh no, my hive was destroyed anyway!” He continued to rant in a chorus of heated anguish and rage. He spoke fast, but with all the purpose he needed to project his frustrations. Even if you didn’t catch everything, you knew what he was trying to say.

A hand soon found your head as he lost himself in his exasperation, and he stroked your hair without a single spared thought.

“Five thousand sweeps wouldn’t be enough time to clean up the catastrophic societal mess we live in, and I’ve got to take the next hundred to tidy my hive! Nobody will apologise to me, nobody will make up for it, nobody will give me a single shred of recompense. Neither will I get back the precious time I am wasting when my finances rely on my presentability to potential clients. Nobody will work with someone who is missing half of their hive! What is this?

“Forget that, I know what it is, a mess. That is exactly what it is. A mess. A huge mess. ‘Hello prospective client, ignore the huge hole in the side of my hive, I’m redecorating’. I don’t think I could pull that off. Although…” Tagora trailed off and swiped the blood from his lip. He looked at it with a weary eye, then smudged it between his fingers in an attempt to get rid of it.

After the tears were wiped away, he cradled his chin between his thumb and index finger in that signature GorGor style. He muttered about the potential to up his fees, play on the discomfort of a troll that poured out their heart, or set up his office elsewhere for now. It would be your hive, you were informed, if he did relocate for a time.

You’d love that, but he didn’t need to know. You were both deep in red romance territory without the added fluff. His hand had remained firm on your head, and you lapped up the affection. All the while, you looked up at him as the light returned to his eyes. There was a twinkle of mischievousness that sparked from deep within.

Claws scratched at your scalp. Tagora's attention was focused on you. After so much talk, he had fallen silent. Teal had seeped across his features again, and no amount of empathy could decipher his expression. What he felt was a mystery to you until he smiled.

He leant down. With care he enveloped your head in a nest of arms, hair, soft kisses, and affection. Everything was dark inside of your lover's embrace. It was a darkness you could slip into comfortably. Wallow.

“If you’re going to relocate the office, why don’t you do that next time instead of coming here? I don’t mind tidying up if you want to get yourself sorted. Work might make you feel better,” you said.

Tagora let out a gentle hum to let you know he had heard you. Then he told you he would think about it. He didn’t want to leave you to deal with 'this'. It seemed like an unfair distribution of responsibilities. Besides, who would be there to comfort him if he had a meltdown?

He drew back from you, and he cleared his throat. In no time at all, he returned to his upright position. Tagora, who buised himself with sorting out any wardrobe malfunctions, seemed ready to return to his chores. Meanwhile, you vacated his legs and returned to your feet. One of your hands grasped at the table edge to steady yourself, but it remained there as you leant across and placed a well earned kiss on Tagora’s cheek.

He scrunched up his face in mock disgust, eyes narrowed as he stared you down.

“This is valuable time you’re wasting. It seems one of us might not be pulling their weight in this partnership, *______” Tagora said. You pressed a knuckle into his arm and fixed a strand of hair for him. His hands shot up towards it, and he began to fuss over it up like you had ruined everything.

“Sorry boss, I’ll get back to it,” you teased. “There’s a lamp there for you. You decide if it needs to go.” You placed another kiss on his forehead and admired how Tagora’s smile grew a little wider.

“Maybe you can add a break onto the list too, I want to see if the ablution trap is in working order to give some care to my matesprite.”

The scratch of a pen on newly unfolded paper told you that the break was added in. All you had to do was finish up your jobs, and bit by bit, Tagora would find some normality again.

His lusii too. The poor thing hated your hive.

[milkywaygg]

The Cosmas Revamp Chapter 8

“I want her out! I want her out of this damn house right now!”, Daisy’s voice echoed through Nora’s ears and mind that faithful evening. Nora glared over at Linnie, who was sheepishly trying to look his parents and sister in the eye as they had tried to process what he had just said.

He just couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut, could he? After about a week or two of constant barfing, headaches, and sporting around a small bump in his belly, Linnie had finally come to his parents about what had happened, sparing no details. The bar, the fact they didn’t ACTUALLY go to prom, and the fact that all of this was because of Nora guilting him. Food nearly spilled out of Cassia’s dinner plate while Gonzo just looked at everyone around, having a hard time grasping what Linnie had just told him.

“So…let me get this straight..”, Gonzo said, turning towards Nora, “We trusted you with our son for possibly one of the biggest nights of his life and instead of taking him where we asked you to, you decided to drag him to a bar and get into his pants.”

“I…uh…well I mean, we only stopped for a little while. I was going to take him to the party afterwards but things just got out of hand..”, Nora tried to explain quietly, feeling the inner rage coming from Linnie’s mother, alongside death glares from Daisy. Cassia, instead of saying something right away, shakily placed her fork down and rubbed her temples, her breath getting heavier and heavier.

“You three….you three….you three have no idea how much fucking trouble you’re in!”, she shouted, making Linnie and Daisy jump. Their parents hardly ever cursed, so hearing there mother shout the F-bomb, especially TOWARDS them, Daisy and Linnie gulped nervously.

“Wait? What did I do?”, Daisy retorted, “I had no part in this-“

“YOU young lady, were supposed to bring your brother with you in the first place so that none of this would happen to him! That was the deal we made, remember? I’d let you go to prom DESPITE it being downtown if the two of you stayed together and that you protected Linnie!”

“Ok, but Linnie is perfectly capable of taking care of himself! Just because he’s a boy doesn’t mean-“

“I’m not worried that your brother is a boy! I’m worried because you know he’s magically disabled! What if something were to happen and he couldn’t defend himself! Pepperspray and tasers can only do so much!”

“W-well I’m sorry mom. I just got so caught up in the excitement, I kinda forgot he was supposed to tag along.”

“That’s not a good excuse, Daisy, and you know it! We’re lucky your brother is even alive after the stunt you two pulled!”, Cassia yelled, now glaring daggers into Nora and Linnie’s souls, “and what the hell were you two thinking? Going to a bar UNDERAGED and having unprotected sex in said bar!? Never mind the fact you’re pregnant now! Quite frankly, I’m surprised more women didn’t try to take advantage of you!”

“Mama, I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! I-It’s just…I….”

“Come on young man! Spit it out!”

“It’s just…I felt so awful ruining Nora’s night and I just wanted her to have fun..”

“Fun by endangering yourself AND breaking the law?”, Cassia shouted, banging her fists on the glass table, “Have you lost your mind? Haven’t your father and I always taught you not to go along with things that aren’t right, no matter what anyone else tells you?”

“Y-Yes but…I just…”, Linnie tried to explain but felt quiet, losing eye contact with his mother who just sighed, her tone calming a bit.

“Linnie, there’s not an excuse in the world that’s going to make this ok. I’m extremely disappointed in you.”, Cassia said, earning a soft whimper from Linnie. His mother had always been his hero growing up, so hearing those words coming out of her mouth, she might as well have just taken her wand and shot his heart.

“So now what?”, Gonzo asked, forcing himself to refrain from yelling, “What are Linnie’s options?”

“Well, why won’t we ask him? After all, he seems to think he can make decisions on a whim instead of doing what he’s told.”, Cassia asked bitterly, looking Linnie straight in the eye, “Are you keeping it?”

“I…y-yes of course. Despite everything that’s happened, I do love this child. I-I’ve always wanted children. Just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

“In that case then, you’re going to need to be looking for a job as soon as possible, the BOTH of you.”, Cassia said, glaring at Nora, “Your father and I will help you take care of him or her as much as we can, because we love you and we know how big of a dream having children was to you. That being said, you are to find work and start saving up for baby supplies and a place to live.”

“W-Wait…are you kicking me out?”

“We don’t have enough room for another baby to live here permanently. We barely had room for Nora, which speaking of.”, Cassia said, turning towards Nora, “You better be finding another place to stay soon as well, because as soon as you’re 18,000 and out of high school, you’re done.”

“So I’m just going to be stuck on the side of the road? You know my mother won’t take me back in!”, Nora yelled.

“Well, you should have thought of that before you took advantage of my son.”, Cassia said, crossing her arms, “Otherwise I will be pressing charges?”

“You can’t press charges?! Only Linnie can do that!”

“Ah, but he’s not 18,000 yet either, which means that his father and I are still legally responsible, and if we want to press charges, we will do so. Hell, you’re lucky you’re not sitting in front of a judge as we speak!”

“A-aren’t we being kind of harsh?”, Linnie stuttered, trying to argue, “I-I don’t think Nora intended on any of this to happen. It’s just that one thing happened after another..and well…”

“Linnie, you can’t seriously be defending her right now? After all she did to you?”, Daisy snapped, “Why I have half a mind to split her into two right now!”

“Daisy, that’s enough! Just go to your room..you’re grounded for the rest of the summer, as are you Linnie.”, Gonzo said calmly, earning a loud groan from Daisy and a slamming door coming from upstairs.

“I…I just…I don’t know what to say…”, Linnie said, tears falling from his eyes, “I’m really sorry…I didn’t mean for all of this to happen.”

“Son, I know you didn’t. I know it’s not entirely your fault.”, Gonzo said, glaring at Nora, “But this is exactly why your mother and I worry. We can’t babysit you all the time, no matter how much your mother wants to. You need to start taking better care of yourself. What’ll happen when mom and I aren’t there for you one day when we pass? What’ll happen then?”

“I…uh….”

“Gozno just…I had enough. I’m done with this conversation.”, Cassia said, her voice drained and all the pride she had for her son, rapidly fading. She looked at Nora with the coldest expression she was ever seen. Hell, it could even beat her own mother’s drunken glances, “Out by 18,000. Understood?”

“Uh…yes ma’am.”

“Good. Goodnight Gonzo. Linnie.”

“Goodnight Mama. I love you.”

“Eh…”

As if things couldn’t get worse, Nora and Linnie had found out both of them had just barely been able to graduate, both of them failing their AP Literature final, dropping their grades to C minuses, alongside both of them failing their AP Exam. While Linnie didn’t worry too much about it, Nora cursed to herself as she crumbled the paper and threw it in the school trashing, alongside several college rejection letters.

Walking past the halls on the last few days before graduation, Nora shivered every time Linnie passed her coldly, rolling her eyes every time she caught him rubbing his stomach, as if he were going to pop at any moment. Despite thing, she desperately tried to catch up to him and discuss the new few months, only receiving a cold shoulder and the occasional “I’ll talk to you later”.

It’s not fair! It wasn’t like she intentionally ruined his life, and it wasn’t like she was the only one responsible. Linnie agreed to it…didn’t he? I mean..he did say yes after some convincing.

How in all of Fairy World was she going to take care of a baby anyways? She couldn’t even find a place to live, let alone find the money to feed the little brat. As she passed through the halls feeling sorry for herself, she turned towards the front of the cafeteria where the bulletin board could be found in it’s usual spots, full of documents for scholarships, graduation dates, cap and gown information, and all sort of other junk. Nora’s cyan eyes widened however, as one particular poster seemed to catch her eye.

Enlisting now for Military Recruitment! Stop by the office at 101 Academy Street right across the rainbow bridge to enroll!

[miloscat]

[Review] Butterflies: Episode 1-3 (PC)

They understand the concept of love.

After Bomb Rush Cyberfunk wowed me, I wanted to take a second look at this even more indie project memorialising Jet Set Radio. I've played Episode 1 (and some pre-release demos) before but since then, French lead dev Le Capitaine and their Le Crew have finalised Episodes 2 and 3, and published them to Steam as a bundle. Supposedly it's still to be continued but for now the team is hard at work on an F-Zero homage. Hopefully they come back and keep expanding this because what's there so far is really good!

Rather than using JSRF as a jumping off point for gameplay, Butterflies seems to prefer refining what the original JSR was doing. This means a more realistic sense of inertia, and managing the momentum of your crew of inline-skating delinquents. The dash button is there to pick up speed on the ground and grinding rails is not effortless. It's clearly set on improving the clunky play control of the Dreamcast game though, and the result is fast, technical, and satisfying... when you've put some time into mastering it.

To get you there is a low-pressure kind of game design with a set of missions that populate the large levels. You can roam around, tackling them and finding tag spots as you please without a timer ticking down, which on its own is a big step up from JSR for me. These tasks are usually races that pass through checkpoints or specific line runs that require keeping a combo going—some in Episode 1 are particularly strict—while Episode 3 adds in extra graffiti challenges. Going through the checklist is a nice way of showing off these urban sandbox levels as you hunt for write spots or (as of Episode 2 onwards) collectible music tracks.

Each episode has one map to itself while advancing the overall story. The first two are hilly suburban areas, with a bit of industrial in E1, and E3 features a sprawling inner-city area connected by train tracks. Powerlines to grind on and the ability to wallgrind on almost any wall if you have enough speed help you traverse the high degree of verticality built into these zones. The first two episodes have an interesting grungy, sketchy look while the third revamps things with more colour and shiny detail. Populating the maps are your typical low-poly NPCs (I spotted some modelled on Lammy and Parappa!) as well as bear-hugging cops, flying police drones, and zap-projectile-slinging cameras: as of E3, these can all be dealt with by a quick application of spray paint (which by the way is unlimited).

The story is handled a bit more seriously than in some other street punk simulators. In this near-future world, a Japanese city has seceded and is now run as an independent autocracy by one General Sakamoto, and by the end of E3 the rebellious Nat and her growing Butterflies crew are gearing up to rise above petty rudie squabbles and vandalism to really fight back against the fascism. The inclusion of real-world cultures and concerns keeps the tone grounded, like when one of your teammates Jae (who tags in Hangeul) comments on the treatment of Korean immigrants; another, Zinnie, wears a hijab and interjects in Arabic, while Rin is a trans girl and you follow her journey of self-discovery in dialogue which I thought was handled pretty well.

On top of their characterisation in cutscene dialogue, these touchstones make the characters deeper and more relatable, more than just a cool cel-shaded character design. They also for the most part have clear strengths in their stat distributions; I favoured speed specialist Zinnie for getting around. Each one has distinct graffiti designs (they all get a refresh in E3 as well) that, while simple, usually include their name (in katakana) and tell you something about their personality. Writing involves a three-stage timing-based minigame so everyone has three unique designs, although you might find you end up with the simplest "bare minimum" one all over just to save time with the ~200 spots per map.

Since Butterflies has been released episodically over five years, it's interesting to watch as the new instalments make changes and become more polished. It's still rough around the edges even as of E3 but solid enough, and this release structure gives me hope that even more refinements will be implemented going forward (a better in-game map would be nice!). Either way, I've enjoyed what's there so far, and it's refreshing that multiple projects have been springing up in this vein while having their own character: in this case a little bit subdued, down to earth, but it's got heart.