#what are my problems if not free plot devices

[tired-chimera]

Why talk about my feelings when I can write fanfiction

[hypewinter]

Hear me out! Danny finds his human form slowly getting more eldrich as he gets older (and more powerful) and ends up going to Gotham where people are way less likely to ask questions!

Sadly when the people of Gotham see Danny, oops my shadow has eyes now, Fenton they just assume he's gonna be a new Rouge!

Que the bat fam watching Danny waiting for him to make his move, over-analyzing everything he does. Mans can't even buy a new laptop without Bruce breathing down his neck about it

This would be an issue if Danny wasn't such a little troll, and he starts buying more obviously ominous things only to openly use them in improperly boring and normal ways. Like buys a death lazer and can be seen using it to make toast, buys a cursed box full of death themed artifacts and uses it as a coffee table, that kinda stuff.

Every time the bat's assume 'this is it!' And gets ready to take him down, only to see Danny setting up a new 'coat rack' made of kriptonite

Even better when they see him tinkering on some kind of doomsday device, the kind that looks super evil and dangerous and even has a red count down timer on the front and- it's a fucking air frier again! He already has three! Why does he keep making air friers?! Obviously this must be some kind of scheme

I raise you: Danny starts selling his things out to random citizens (they've all been intensely screened). The bats panic thinking this is an attempt to cripple Gotham in one fell swoop. Nope. Ms. Randall just really needed a new air purifier and Danny had a toxin dispenser that was just collecting dust.

I imagine though that he might start to notice that the bats are focusing on him a little too much which is a problem considering there are things going down in Gotham that actually need their attention. But at the same time, our resident ghost boy isn't ready to stop being a menace just yet. So what does he do? Kill too birds with one stone.

Whenever Danny catches wind of a new plot going down, he does something to draw the bats's attention to it. Two Face planning a robbery? Suddenly Danny is showing up to the bank everyday to work on the vault (he offered to reinforce it for free). The bats get so suspicious they focus hard on the bank and discover Two Face's plot before he can do anything.

The bats pat themselves on the back while Danny giggles in the background. Wonder how long it will take for them to figure out what's going on.

[bringthekaos]

I'm excited for your thoughts on the new season if/when you share them

It has legit taken me 3 days to come to terms with Act 1. Enough to be able to speak about it. Gunna apologize in advance for the wall of text, and I’m hiding it under a break for spoiler reasons. Also prefacing with these are all just my opinions. All are free to disagree with me and RB with discussions/theories etc. just don’t be a dick about it, I’m not engaging in any discourse.

Ok. So. I have mixed feelings, and I’m aware that this is because I don’t have the whole story yet. So this is all contingent on how the rest of the season plays out.

First and foremost, I’m… wildly swinging back and forth between love and disappointment for Viktor’s arc. So first the negative, and I’ll try to keep it brief because a lot of people have already expressed this and I don’t need to be beating that particular dead horse.

Viktor has had his agency, his bodily autonomy, his original ideas and nearly everything that made him Viktor stripped away. Nothing so far has been his choice. And while this could have worked just fine for an original character, he wasn’t. So there is a massive disconnect between what this character was/should have been. In League, it was all his choice (albeit with a healthy dose of mental illness thrown in, but still). AND it was very heavily suggested that many of the augmentations he performed weren’t as extensive as he lead everyone to believe (namely the controlling/dousing of his emotions). But it appears that whatever the Hexcore did to him, it’s real. He is clearly having a difficult time accessing his emotions, and if he can feel anything, it is limited to the point of him being completely stoic. And the thing with stoic characters is that you obliterate any emotional payoff for the audience. It’s very hard to make an audience feel an emotional connection to a character’s story arc when they themselves don’t feel anything (I have a theory about this though, but I’ll address it a little later in this post). And then there is the issue of Blitzcrank. Blitz was Viktor’s whole world, after his exile. How are they going to swing that? Like, I’m not even asking for Blitz to be in Arcane (that would be great, but I really don’t think they have time). But I stg if they take Blitz away from Viktor, make them someone else’s invention (my suspicion is Heimer or he finds the idea in Sky’s journal)… I’m sorry but no. This was Viktor’s idea, Viktor’s genius. I will genuinely be extremely upset if they take that from him too.

Then there is the whole situation with Sky. First, this girl was fridged. She was nothing but a plot device and continues to be just that. It feels hollow and forced, especially now that he’s hallucinating her as some sort of penance for what he did. (I have seen the prevalent theory that it’s the Hexcore using her image and his guilt to manipulate him, given that it “ate” her, and we have seen it “manipulate” him before when it punished him for trying to destroy it). But back to Sky—he barely acknowledged that poor girl. The reason for that can be argued, whether it’s because he’s gay or because he was just so wrapped up in his one-track minded research. But regardless, there just wasn’t enough setup between those two for this whole thing to have as much weight and meaning as I think it’s supposed to. Honestly to me (TO ME) it reeks of comphet. It feels like that random woman they threw at Poe Dameron to No Homo him. I’m not even asking for Jayvik canon. But the creators were well aware of this ship, after all it’s the second most popular ship in this show and it’s been around since 2012 when Jayce was literally created for Viktor. I’m asking for the bare minimum here—that it’s left open-ended as it was in League, open for interpretation.

Last negative I have is the whole Viktor Jesus thing. The first problem is I am pretty violently agnostic, and messiah narratives have never spoken to me. I don’t enjoy them, they feel weak. The whole “ordained by a higher power” thing is just… stale. Especially when this character originally had no higher power, he gave it to himself through his own hard work and ingenuity. Honestly, Viktor’s original arc is about as far from a Jesus allegory as you can possibly get. And I am absolutely terrified that they’re going to end said Jesus arc the way you’d expect—with him dying for it. Which leaves the moral of his story “disabled man should have just accepted that he was going to die despite the fact that it was the oppression and xenophobia of Piltover that left him out to dry, without proper health care, accessibility, equality, or equity that lead to his terminal diagnosis to begin with.” Which is a very oppressor-centric narrative and we do not need another one of those.

Sorry, I know I said I’d keep the negatives brief, and that was… not. My bad. But moving on!

I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, I did. I am working to embrace this new Viktor narrative and work it into my brain in a way that doesn’t ruin the ship for me. So without further ado, the positives.

Jayce.

Jayce.

Jayce.

I’d have to go back and time it, but it feels like he got more screen time in this first act than the entirety of the first season combined, and his character shined for it. It humanized him in ways season one never did. He’s caring, he’s devoted, and he loved Viktor! No matter what kind of love you think it is, it proves he loved Viktor without a doubt. He carried Viktor several city blocks to the lab to save him, and then YES, he broke his promise about the Hexcore because he couldn’t stand the thought of losing him!

And he’s funny! (The scene where he picks up the regular sized hammer in the fight against Renni and made that “this is ironic” face?? And then basically the entire interaction with Ekko? The hand me a tome thing, and then when he basically pulled this when Ekko suggested “so this is all your fault cuz you pissed off the Arcane”:

GOD that shit was great. Jayce’s personality just shined, and maybe it’s too much to hope, but maybe this will douse a little of the hate. Because instead of being a subtle hint at all of those things being true about him, it’s now overt. And when people lack media literacy, the hints have to be overt.

And th-the. The h. The HUG SCENE. I don’t think I will ever emotionally recover from that scene. Starting with Viktor who, despite being clearly emotionally—I dunno, vacant I guess—sounded so lost and scared when he said “what am I?” For me, it was whispers of that scene from The Last Unicorn: “what have you done to me?” And my poor sweet Jayce, who clearly hasn’t left this damn lab except to go to Cassandra’s memorial. Sleeping on the desk and bleeding through his bandages because he doesn’t want to spend a moment away from Viktor while he “recovers.” And his euphoric response when he finds Viktor alive, when he realizes he hasn’t lost him. And I OWE HIM AN APOLOGY, goddamn. I said in a post that “Jayce will not understand.” I thought that was how Arcane was gunna start the divorce. But Jayce genuinely did not care, as long as his lover friend was alive. And just… Jayce being so affectionate through this entire scene. The hug obviously, but also blurting things he thought he’d never get to say to Viktor—“I’m resigning from the council, my place was always here in the lab with you.”

And… the hug itself. I know we’re all analyzing it frame by goddamn frame, but I see exactly what everyone else sees—there is a moment where Viktor very subtly smiles. But it’s gone in an instant, and it turns bittersweet. LOOK AT HIM.

There is something there, it’s just buried. Deep beneath the surface. It seems to say “I want this, I have wanted this for so long.” But then he realizes something, something I don’t think we’re meant to understand yet. Maybe that he doesn’t feel anything about it anymore, and he recognizes that this should upset him and it doesn’t. Or perhaps it’s something more along the lines of “it’s too late.” Whatever it is, I think this is the exact moment he knows he has to walk away. Because he knows he’ll cave to the affection, he said it himself. (Which is another thing entirely. His voice changes when he says that. Something in him is reacting to that word. Maybe he’s fighting against it, or maybe he’s fighting to get it back. But something made him almost growl that word.)

Which leads me to my final thought (for this post anyway, cuz it’s turning into a novel); Viktor is still in there. He can still feel things, I just think they’re extremely muted by whatever the Hexcore did/continues to do to him, or he has to fight to express them. Because he also smiled at the hallucination of Sky after he “cured” Huck. And if he feels nothing, he wouldn’t have been “joyous” at the thought of her being proud of him, approving of the good things he’s trying to do in her memory. He wouldn’t crave that validation, that vindication from her. So I’m hopeful that we start to see this shell crack a little, especially if those visions of Sky are the Hexcore manipulating him through guilt. It will start to erode him, no matter how stoic he has become. And literally the only thing I’m clinging to is that Jayce will see this and try to pull him out. “He’s still in there and I have to save him.” And that maybe it’ll start to work.

[angelpuns]

Donnie practically pushed Mikey out of the way to get through the door, squeezing past him just in time to see the fading blue of one of Leo's portals. 

He’d barely had time to grab his bo, head still fuzzy from sleep and pajama pants uncomfortably askew from Being woken suddenly. 

Mikey was in a similar state of disarray, his shirt riding up his shell and his eyes wide and glancing around the room wildly. 

They'd both been woken by Leo's shouting, rushing out of bed to help their brother only to find Raph in a Leo-free train car. 

“Raph? What happened? Why was he yelling?” 

As his brain woke up, he was reminded of their mission for the day: reverse Leo's ‘family-forgetting’ curse or whatever it was. 

So it probably had something to do with that. 

“I dunno! I came ta wake him up like he asked me to yesterday and he just- he started shoutin' at me!” Raph turned, holding his hand to a small cut on his arm. It bled sluggishly, and Donnie quickly opened a drawer in Leo's desk that he knew had band-aids. 

“ He musta had a nightmare or somethin’, I tried to help but I think I only made it worse “ Raph worried, letting Donnie slap the band-aid over the cut, “ he didn't seem ta recognize me or know where he was or anythin' “ 

They were silent for a moment, before Mikey piped up. 

“ But he’s never made a portal during a panic attack before….are you sure it was that, I mean-”

“ oh my banana pancakes,” Donnie slapped a hand to his head. His mind had been running through every possible Leo could have ‘woken up and chosen violence’. 

It could have been a nightmare. But the answer was so obviously related to their current curse-relted predicament. 

“ The curse! It’s not- He didn’t just forget us the one time, “ He explained, starting to pace. An uncomfortably hot feeling pooled in his stomach, anxiety bubbling up from there. He shook his hands out in an attempt to dispel the feeling, the lingering worry about Leo now being somewhere totally random making him nauseous. 

“ It's- its like he resets! He must have forgotten again when he went to sleep- like- like he just got reset overnight!” He rambled, grimacing, “ This complicates everything, how’re we gonna get him to cooperate if he wakes up with a different reaction to three strangers every single day!? How are we gonna fix this is if he forgets the curse even exists!?”

Raph stopped him, hands on shoulders. 

“ Donnie, take a breath,” he sighed, and Donnie reluctantly stopped and shut his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. 

“We can get him back, no problem,” Raph smiled, “ ya still got that tracker in ‘im, right?” 

Donnie blinked. Right, how could he forget? 

“ of course! TO THE LAB!” he whipped around and hurried for the door, trusting they'd follow him. 

“ I'm sure ‘Nardo can fend for himself, he does have his swords,” He noted, if only to make himself feel a little less anxious, “ but I would rather him not be wandering the streets of NYC without half of his memories.” 

He continues to ramble, even as he stepped into his lab and  whipped out his keyboard, quickly pulling up the tracking device coordinates and corresponding map. 

“What if he doesn't come home before night? Will he just forget us again?” Mikey asked, swiping some stuff off of Donnie's desk and taking a seat on the surface.

Mikey suddenly gasped, grinning, " this is just like that one movie! With Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore!"

Donnie grimaced, but he had bigger concerns right now. Even if those were parts to a pretty important project. He opted to ignore that and just think harder about the actual matter at hand. And the plot of 50 First Dates. Just in case it could actually help them somehow.

“ I assume so, yes. And that amnesia-riddled plot is more medically related, so sort of but not really."

"What's more concerning is that he probably won't remember why he's out there, and that will probably introduce more anxiety to the mix,” Donnie murmured, watching as Leo's indicator moved slowly through the streets of New York. He was on then other side of the river, and seemed to be hopping rooftops for now, “ like I said, he can take care of himself, but we should at least try and convince him to come back to the lair before nightfall. I don't know if his amnesia is progressing or not yet, which is also concerning.” 

Silence again. There was also the obvious concern about Leo being gone. Which, unfortunately, seemed to be one of the more difficult things they'd been collectively working through. 

The first six months or so, Leo was never left alone. Not for lack of trusting him or thinking he wasn't capable of taking care of himself ( although he was fairly injured for most of that time ) but for the fact that none of them seemed to want to let him out of their sight. It was partially why Donnie had upgraded the trackers to track their vital signs down to their blood pressure. He didn't like not knowing. He didn't like remembering the feeling of Leo being gone after- 

Donnie let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It was gonna be okay. Leo wasn't gone, he just wasn't in the lair. And he couldn't possibly know how anxiety inducing that was due to the aforementioned amnesia-curse. 

But they knew where he was, and they knew he was okay for now. 

The computer suddenly let out a beep. then another. Donnie looked up, watching as Leo's dot stopped moving. His heart rate increased, and the beeping increased with it. 

There was one thing that they hadn't really accounted for, after all. 

The chance of Leo ending up in a fight.

-----

Part 3 to the unnamed fic/au/whatever this is

I don't like this part as much, but I really am just trying to get the idea out of my head and into writing, haha! So I hope the OOC-ness of everybody isn't too bad :)

I think this would def work better as a fic, but I am kinda wanting to explore it as a comic too. Comics just take a lot of time and I can't do all the fun thought-stuff I like to do on fics so :/

Ah well I will simply keep doing whatever I want, so enjoy.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

[ficsiwontwrite]

That one 1 chapter wip fic with shen yuan transmigrating as wen yuan lives rent free in my head but HEAR ME OuT

Shen Yuan and Shang Qinghua co-wrote mdzs in svsss dimension, they where attacked by a plot device, they ended up as children in yilling post sunshot

I’ll make it better for myself and say sqh was the first hit so he’s toddler aged and sy is like 9 yo

They feel responsible for the plot so they’re gonna mess things up, it would be easier if the husbands showed up for them to get back at being adults with a true love hug or something but they’ll make do

(it’s not like it’ll change things for them to save the blorbo r they condemned, it’s not the same dimension yk)

They end up in the burial mounds with the wen and wwx, sqh tries to fix their money problems … poor guy is having a hard time communicating bc of the lisp, he is younger them a-yuan and he hates it

Sy and sqh still do the classic clown to clown communication characteristic to people who are soulmates, so sy always translates his babbling and wwx is 60% sure sy is the child genius who just wants to make his yapping brother look useful

The adults are under the impression they are helping street children running away from a abusive home (they were still hurt from the plot device fight when they first met) Shen yuan was very clear they are cultivators and adults who are under a curse… neither wen Qing nor Wei Ying could find anything tho so clearly this and the talking about husbands taking too long are clearly children stories made up by too smart traumatized children

Cumplane talking about all the resources they could get for wwx for him to work with, clearly one of the steps for heabilitating his image enough is to make other want to buy his stuff… Shen yuan is them educating wwx about the properties of beast parts and magical wood and all kind of stuff, wwx humors him and also has a lot of fun and even some inspiration with the stuff he’s hearing tbh

They are now convinced the children are from cultivation families tho… they get too many things right not to be.

It’s ok, they’re already hated anyway, being accused of stealing some secret genius from a clan won’t really do that much sem age to their security

Cumplane also discuss what they could do to help wn, if the husbands get there before he awakes a fierce copse theyd have a easier time but there are options if they come after

Wen Qing overhears and is Concerned the children will try to play with guidao, she talks to wwx about it and they start to put up all kind of obstacles for them to stop to get into wy’s research… which are easily circumvent by spy sqh… they are being defeated by a toddler… he even convinced a-yuan to help being a distraction

They should not be put to play with a yuan, but they are

sy ends up criticizing a-yuans stories or giving him ideas about monster too gruesome for a baby… which doesn’t upset him but makes him say random weird stuff when playing (like a reveal that the hero was a secret unicorn-water-rat who feed from friendship) sqh is in a small body and he is tired so his playing is mostly playing dead and them fierce corpse once he is too tired to run around, which happens really quickly (unfortunately this could make baby ayuan associate fierce corpse with playmates… a dangerous assumption to have in the burial mounds)

Okok and the husbands?

The day of the yilling date goes much the same bc no one wants the run away kids to be seen, which is good bc cumplane is trying to set up some array to help contain wn away from the others once he goes into a rage ( they already did it the one other time wwx went in town with a-yuan but they do have to reactivate it)

Things happen, wen Ning gets his consciousness back, cumplane is Anxious bc they don’t have many ways to really change fate being toddlers, without their resources and what if their husbands can’t show up?? What if this curse will just make they live to the end of the mdzs plot and in svsss time haven’t moved??, maybe mobing don’t even know they’re not where they’re supposed to be…

They’ll have to work with plan b them, arranged marriage fix it it is

Which means they already convinced a confused lwj to stay for dinner and are now trying to matchmake terribly when Binghe and Mobei show up in the middle of the settlement, both terrifyingly demonic and just as wangxian is starting to fight them binghe sees sy running to him and goes “Shizun!! 🥺🥺😭”

Everyone dumbfounded by the demon crying all over a magically re-aging shen yuan just for them to look to the back and see adult sqh sitting on his husband lap, who’s just… clutching him and kind of trembling

Turns out the only lie the kids told was by omitting that they were married to demons from another realm…

And them binghe ofc has his emergency qiankun bag with all the stuff he hoards (bc without xin mo he needs to always be prepared duh)

And they do the fix-it by refurbishing the burial mounds with all kinds of defense, gives wwx all kinds of tools and money and resources, give all the warnings about the Jin’s exact machinations and weaknesses and start a whisper campaign to both clean up the wen and wwx’s reputation

Which will end of course with wwx purifying the burial mounds, he doesn’t even need the dead anymore cause now he can not only demonic cultivate fr (got tips from demons themselves) but also they gave him a way to recultivate a core and made lwj responsible for helping with that (ofc its papapa)

[minoulapin]

Chapter Four: A Game of Teeth - Between Giving & Taking - Y. JW

Pairing: Demon!Jungwon x Angel!FReader

Genre: Forbidden Love, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery

Wc: 6.7k

Tw: This chapter contains subjective content, implied jealousy, and mild violence with brief mentions of blood. The characters and their actions are purely fictional and do not reflect the real-life personalities of the individuals they are inspired by.

Synopsis: A love unspoken, a fate unwritten, An angel and demon, forever forbidden. Bound by the laws of heaven and hell, A story of longing they dare not tell. At the Academy of the Occult, angels and demons coexist under a fragile truce. But when a celestial heir is assassinated, war looms, secrets unravel, and forbidden desires ignite. In a world where their love is a crime, will they defy fate or be consumed by it?

A/N: Coucou… okay, I’m sorry I lied. It did take me longer than expected to post this chapter. The truth is, I was literally just brought back from the dead to celebrate Beomgyu’s birthday… I actually died because of Buff Beomgyu last week (not fiction, it actually happened), but now I’m back. Okay, I think this chapter is kinda fun!! I did use my favorite plot development device… Heeseung, my love! Hee main character era? But guys, don’t misinterpret Hee☹️ Heeseung is not the villain. He’s just a little shit😌 As always, if you have any questions or want to just scream at me or discuss anything, feel free to send me an ask!! So, on that note, enjoy this long-awaited chapter. -Joe

Tag list: open!! @stormy1408 @miraeluv @indigoez @riribelle @iifrui @m3l4nchol @bamguetismee @w1dyvnn (Comment to be added)

PREVIOUS | MASTERLIST | NEXT CHAPTER

The Celestial Heir was more than a ruler.

He was a beacon. A legend passed down through generations, his name woven into the fabric of history like divine scripture. His deeds were not merely recorded, they were carved into the foundation of their world, upheld as absolute truth.

The savior of the First War.

The leader who drove the demons back into the depths of their domain.

The strategist who sealed the Rift, ensuring peace for centuries to come.

Without him, the celestial world would have fallen. That was the belief. That was the story.

His existence was proof of the Dominion’s divine power. His leadership had delivered them from ruin. His death, the single greatest tragedy of their time. But history was a fragile thing. A story told by those who had the power to shape it.

And the more Y/n searched, the more the cracks began to show. The heir had disappeared for years before returning as a hero. No one questioned it. No one wondered why. His name was revered, yet few could recall the specifics of his rule. His victories were celebrated, yet the records of how he had achieved them were incomplete. Vague.

Carefully constructed. And now, with his murder unraveling the foundation of their world, one question lingered like an unspoken curse.

What was the Heir’s true role in the First War?

The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of dew-damp stone and freshly brewed tea from the Academy kitchens. The early sunlight cast long shadows across the marble pathways, its golden hues giving the illusion of warmth even as the air remained sharp from the lingering chill of the night.

Students filtered through the courtyard in slow-moving clusters, chatting lazily, finishing the remnants of their breakfast, or hurrying to their first lessons. It was an ordinary morning. But Y/n felt anything but ordinary.

“I swear it was there, Jake,” she said, voice tight with frustration. “The door was real. I saw it. I was standing right in front of it.”

Jake gave her a long, level look, the kind that said he was listening but also deeply debating whether or not to believe her.

“And yet…” He gestured to the empty space in front of them, voice unimpressed. “It’s not here now.”

She gritted her teeth. “That’s exactly the problem.” They were walking toward the eastern wing of the Academy, past arched windows that overlooked the training grounds below. The same dimly lit corridor where she had seen it, the heavy, ancient-looking door at the end of the hallway, its presence almost wrong in how it had drawn her forward.

And yet, now that she was back—

It was gone.

Y/n came to an abrupt stop, staring at the empty space where it should have been. The corridor stretched before them, plain, normal. Nothing out of place.

Jake raised an eyebrow. “So where’s your magic door?”

She ran a hand through her hair, scowling at the perfectly ordinary wall. “I don’t know. But I’m not crazy.”

Jake sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. “I never said you were crazy.”

“You were thinking it.”

“I was considering it.”

She shot him a glare, arms crossing tightly over her chest. “It was here, Jake. I know it was.”

Jake studied her for a long moment, then turned back toward the wall, squinting like maybe, just maybe, he’d see something she didn’t. He wouldn’t. She had already checked. Already searched for anything that would prove she hadn’t just imagined it. A hidden mechanism, a leftover trace of magic, anything. But there was nothing. No markings, no symbols, no hint of what had once been there.

Jake clicked his tongue. “If the door was there…” He trailed off, rubbing his jaw. “Then what the hell was it doing there in the first place?”

She exhaled sharply, her fingers twitching. That was the real question. Why was it here at all? And why was it gone now? Doors didn’t just disappear. And it wasn’t just that it had vanished, it was that it had felt important. Like something was waiting on the other side. Like something had called her there. And yet, Someone, or something, had erased it.

Y/n clenched her jaw, frustration simmering beneath her skin. “It has to mean something. If that door wasn’t supposed to be there, then why did I see it?”

Jake exhaled, hands finding his hips. “I don’t know, Y/n.” He gave her a careful look. “But I do know you’re spiraling.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but Jake held up a hand.

“You barely slept,” he pointed out. “You spent half the night chasing something that apparently doesn’t exist. And now you’re dragging me across campus to stare at a wall?” He gestured toward the empty space. “It’s not here. What do you want me to do?”

She clenched her jaw.

“I want to know why.”

Jake gave her a tired look. “Of course you do.”

She gritted her teeth, willing herself not to snap at him. She knew how it sounded. But that didn’t make it any less real. Because something had happened last night. And Professor Aldric knew it.

Y/n’s fingers twitched, pulling at the hem of her sleeve. “Aldric was there.”

Jake blinked. “What?”

“Professor Aldric.” She turned to him, voice dropping slightly. “He found me right as I was about to open it.”

Jake frowned, his interest piqued.

Y/n’s lips pressed into a thin line. “He wasn’t surprised to see the door.”

Jake’s brows pulled together. “What did he say?”

She hesitated, remembering the professor’s words. The way his voice had been measured, almost cautious.

“He told me I shouldn’t be there.” She met Jake’s gaze, jaw tight. “And then he said something else. ‘The Academy isn’t as safe as it used to be.’”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know,” Y/n admitted. “But it sure as hell wasn’t just some warning about wandering the halls at night.”

She let out a slow breath, rolling her shoulders like she could physically shake off the unease curling in her chest.

Aldric knew something. Something about the door. Something about the Academy. And he hadn’t wanted her to find out.

Jake exhaled through his nose, rubbing the back of his head. “Well. That’s suspicious as hell.”

She nodded. “Exactly.”

Jake studied her for another long moment, then exhaled sharply. “Alright. So let’s assume the door was there and Aldric knew about it. Why show up right as you were about to open it?”

She swallowed, suddenly feeling the weight of that thought. Maybe it wasn’t about her. Maybe it was about what was on the other side. Jake must have caught onto her silence because he nudged her with his elbow.

“Think, Y/n.” His voice was lower now. “Have you found anything in your research that could explain the meaning behind it?”

She exhaled sharply. “No.”

And that was the problem. She had found nothing. Everything she had read so far, the records, the archives, the official documents, was too neat. Too perfect. Everything was either too normal or incomplete. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. It was like she was going in circles. And she hated going in circles.

She clenched her fists. “I need to get inside the restricted archives.”

Jake’s brows shot up. “Y/n.”

She ignored his tone. “If the books we have access to are just carefully selected versions of history, then I need the ones we’re not supposed to see.”

Jake exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. “This is a terrible idea.”

She smirked. “Wouldn’t be the first one.”

Jake gave her a flat look. “I mean it, Y/n. If you get caught—”

“I won’t.”

Jake narrowed his eyes. “That’s what you said the last time you—”

She waved him off, already turning toward the main building. “I’ll figure it out.”

Jake groaned. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

But Y/n wasn’t listening anymore. Because for the first time since she had started this investigation. She finally had a real plan.

They started walking again, cutting through the main courtyard where students milled about, finishing their breakfast or preparing for morning lessons. The soft hum of conversation filled the space, ordinary, predictable.

But Y/n barely noticed. Because she could feel it again.

That weight on the back of her neck. The sharp, unshakable awareness of being watched.

It wasn’t the first time. And somehow, she had grown familiar with the feeling. She didn’t know why. Didn’t know how she could recognize his gaze so easily. But she did.

She didn’t need Jake to tell her. She already knew who it was.

Jungwon, stood across the courtyard, under the shadow of the archway, arms crossed, his gaze locked onto her. Not subtly. Not casually. With an intensity that made something in her chest pull tight.

Jake noticed too. “Did you do something new to piss off the demons?”

She frowned. “What?”

Jake nodded toward Jungwon, lowering his voice. “Because he’s been staring at you like you cursed his entire bloodline.”

She scowled, shifting her weight. “Maybe I did.”

But she was already thinking about it. Because Jungwon had been everywhere lately. Always watching. Always present. Like he knew something. Like he was waiting for something.

And the more she thought about it, the more she realized it had started long before today.

Their first encounter had been nothing but a battle of sharp words and pointed remarks. She had expected him to ignore her after that. Expected him to forget her, the same way she had tried to forget him.

But he hadn’t.

Instead, he had been there.

Watching her during class, lingering a second too long when their paths crossed in the halls. There was something about the way he looked at her, like he was waiting for her to slip up.

Like he was trying to figure her out.

And Y/n?

She hated to admit it, but she had started noticing him too. Because Jungwon was strange. Unpredictable. When he spoke, his words were sharp, calculated. But there were moments, small, fleeting moments, where something flickered behind his eyes. Something unsaid. Something she couldn’t place.

And Y/n hated not knowing. She had tried not to care. Tried to convince herself that Jungwon was just another demon. Just another obstacle standing in her way. But every time she looked at him, every time his gaze held hers for a moment too long, it felt like his presence lingered even after he was gone. Like she could still feel his eyes on her. And she wasn’t sure if she was imagining it. Or if he was doing it on purpose.

She exhaled sharply, tearing her gaze away.

Did he want to know the truth, too? Or was he just trying to stop her?

Because if Jungwon had been keeping tabs on her, if he had been watching her this whole time, then he already knew she was looking for answers.

And that meant he was either curious. Or he was waiting for her to make a mistake.

The thought frustrated her more than it should have. She hated things that didn’t make sense. She hated questions without answers.

And Jungwon?

He was all of those things at once.

Unreadable. A walking mystery. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to figure him out Or tear him apart just to see what was inside.

Jungwon wasn’t watching her. At least, that’s what he told himself.

His gaze was on the courtyard, drifting past groups of students, past the idle chatter, past the ordinary rhythm of the Academy. But even as he tried to focus elsewhere, his eyes kept finding her, kept catching flashes of her, the curve of her posture, the subtle furrow in her brow as she spoke to Jake.

She was a problem. A problem that had nothing to do with him. And yet, He was aware of her in a way he had never been aware of anyone.

It was more than just noticing her. More than just keeping track of where she was, what she was doing, who she was talking to.

It was deeper. More instinctive. And he hated it.

Jungwon had spent years learning control. It was what made him different. It was what made him better. While others acted on impulse, he measured his steps. While others let emotions cloud their judgment, he remained detached. That was why he had survived this long. That was why he had risen above the rest.

So why—

Why the fuck did she make him feel like this?

“You might as well admit it at this point.”

Jungwon didn’t react, but his jaw clenched.

Heeseung slid up beside him, moving with that insufferable ease, hands tucked into his pockets, his ever-present smirk already in place.

“You’re watching her again,” Heeseung drawled. “Honestly, it’s getting embarrassing.”

Jungwon exhaled slowly, refusing to take the bait.

“What did you tell her yesterday?”

Heeseung arched a brow.

“Oh? You mean last night?” He tilted his head slightly, smirk deepening. “You should’ve seen her, Jungwon. Out past curfew, wandering straight toward something she shouldn’t have seen. It was almost cute.”

Jungwon’s fingers twitched.

Heeseung let the words settle, then leaned in slightly, voice dipping lower.

“You don’t even have the excuse of following orders this time,” he mused. “No one told you to keep an eye on her. And yet…”

Jungwon finally turned his head, gaze sharp, cutting. “What did you tell her?”

Heeseung sighed, long and theatrical.

“You’re asking the wrong question.”

Jungwon’s patience was hanging by a thread.

“Enlighten me.”

Heeseung hummed, as if savoring the moment.

“The question isn’t what I told her,” he said slowly. “It’s why you care.”

Jungwon’s breath stilled for half a second, just enough for Heeseung to notice.

Heeseung grinned.

“Oh, that hit a nerve.”

Jungwon’s fists curled at his sides. “You’re full of shit.”

Heeseung simply laughed, unbothered.

“Relax,” he said lazily. “All I did was offer my help.”

Jungwon’s stomach twisted.

Heeseung smirked. “Didn’t you know, Jungwon? Your little angel’s been digging. Searching for answers she has no business looking for.”

Jungwon went still.

Heeseung chuckled. “Come on, she’s not exactly subtle about it. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Jungwon gritted his teeth.

This was bad. Heeseung knowing was bad. Y/n was reckless, but Heeseung? He was opportunistic. He could be the reason for her downfall if he wanted to be. If he got bored. If he needed some entertainment. And worst of all, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Jungwon exhaled, steady. Controlled. “Stay out of it.”

Heeseung tilted his head.

“Now why would I do that?”

He sighed dramatically. “Such a shame she turned me down. I could’ve been a wonderful… stress reliever.”

Jungwon stiffened.

Heeseung grinned, sensing an opening.

“You know, I don’t usually go for angels,” he mused. “But Y/n…? I’d make an exception.”

Jungwon’s nails bit into his palm.

Heeseung continued, deliberate. Cruel.

“I wonder what she tastes like,” he murmured, almost to himself. “Sweet, probably. That holier-than-thou attitude can’t be real. Bet she’d fall apart just the same—”

Something inside Jungwon snapped.

The image flashed unbidden in his mind, Y/n, tangled in Heeseung’s sheets, flushed and breathless under his touch, her mouth forming curses or maybe his name, Heeseung’s hands where they had no business being.

Jungwon moved before he could stop himself.

His hand fisted into Heeseung’s collar, yanking him forward. Cold steel met Heeseung’s jaw. A blade, sharp and gleaming, pressed just below his skin.

Jungwon’s voice was quiet. Dangerous.

“Say another word.”

Heeseung went completely still.

For the first time, his smirk wavered.

“Oh, there it is,” Heeseung murmured, a slow grin stretching across his lips. “There’s the demon.”

The shift.

The change.

Jungwon was always so controlled. So composed.

But this, This was something else.

Heeseung had found his breaking point.

And he loved it.

“You know,” Heeseung said, voice smooth as silk, “for someone who insists he doesn’t care, you sure do have a lot of feelings about who she spends her time with.”

Jungwon’s breath was slow, measured, steady. But his fingers twitched against Heeseung’s collar. Heeseung watched him carefully. Then, voice dropping lower, mocking.

“You should watch her sleep too, since you’re already watching her every move.”

Jungwon yanked his hand away like he’d been burned. The moment stretched between them, thick with something unspoken. Heeseung smirked, straightening his clothes like nothing had happened.

“Careful, Jungwon,” he mused. “You’re starting to act like she actually matters to you.”

Jungwon didn’t dignify him with a response. Didn’t look back. He just turned, exhaling slowly, forcing his body to relax as he walked away.

Because Heeseung was wrong.

Y/n didn’t matter.

She couldn’t matter.

Jungwon clenched his fists.

But Heeseung couldn’t have her.

The classroom was warm, the flickering lanterns casting long, slow-moving shadows over the stone walls. The faint scratch of quills on parchment filled the air, a steady rhythm that should have kept Y/n grounded in the present.

It didn’t.

She sat stiffly at her desk, elbow braced against the wooden surface, her chin resting in her hand. Her notes lay open in front of her, ink drying on a half-finished sentence, but she wasn’t reading them. She wasn’t even really in the classroom anymore.

Her mind was elsewhere. Because she was getting nowhere. She had combed through the records. Searched archives until her eyes blurred with fatigue. And yet, nothing. No inconsistencies, no conflicting accounts, no whispers of doubt in the official retellings.

Everything about the Heir’s past was pristine. Too pristine. The Heir was a hero. The greatest warrior in celestial history. The savior of the First War. His victories were endless. His strategies unparalleled. His fate, tragic yet honorable.

And yet, someone had killed him.

Someone had taken down the most revered figure in their history. And no one seemed to be asking how. She hated that.

Her fingers tapped absently against the desk, frustration simmering beneath her skin. She wasn’t just hitting dead ends, she was hitting walls. Walls that had been deliberately built. Every record she found was meticulously written, carefully preserved, as if history itself had been scrubbed clean.

She needed another way forward.

“History,” the professor’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and deliberate, “is only as permanent as those who write it.”

She blinked.

The words felt too precise.

Her back straightened slightly as she turned her attention to the front of the room. Professor Aldric stood before the class, his gaze sweeping methodically over the students.

“Records are kept,” he continued. “Some are lost. And some…” He paused. “Are erased entirely.”

The words struck something in Y/n’s chest, cold and certain. This wasn’t just a statement. It was a warning. A challenge.

“Knowledge is power,” Aldric went on, voice even, unreadable. “But power attracts danger. Be careful what truths you chase.”

Y/n’s breath stilled. He knew. Maybe not about her search, not exactly. But he knew that someone was looking. That someone, somewhere, was asking the wrong questions. Her fingers curled against the desk. This meant something. The only problem? She didn’t know what. But the thought lodged itself in her mind like a hook, sinking deep. What if the answers I’m looking for aren’t in books? If the Academy had only preserved the history it wanted remembered, then whatever had been erased wouldn’t be found in libraries. It wouldn’t be in the records. It would be buried. Hidden. Or worse, kept by the people who were never meant to have it.

She exhaled slowly.

A door that had vanished overnight.

A professor who spoke in half-truths.

A past that had been rewritten.

There was only one person she knew who operated outside the Academy’s carefully laid rules.

Only one person who had already made it clear that he knew something. Only one person who had been waiting for her to come to him. She clenched her jaw.

Heeseung.

She hated the idea. But she hated getting nowhere even more.

She finds him exactly where she expected, leaning lazily against one of the Academy’s stone pillars, the flickering lantern light sharpening the amused glint in his dark eyes.

He was waiting for her.

The realization only pisses her off further. Heeseung’s smirk deepens the moment she stops in front of him, arms crossed, gaze sharp.

“Took you long enough,” he muses, like this is all one big joke.

she exhales sharply. “I’m reconsidering.”

Heeseung doesn’t even blink. His smirk widens, slow and knowing, like he’s already won.

“Knew you would.”

Y/n clenches her jaw. She hates that he’s right. Hates it more that he knew she’d be back before she even did.

Heeseung pushes off the pillar, stepping closer, unhurried, deliberate.

“So,” he drawls, voice dipping lower, “what changed?”

“Nothing.” She lifts her chin. “I just realized I don’t have time to waste.”

Heeseung hums, dragging his gaze over her. Not just looking, assessing. Like he’s peeling back layers just to see what’s underneath.

“Impatient,” he muses. “I like it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Are you actually going to help me, or are you just going to be insufferable?”

Heeseung smirks. “Why can’t it be both?”

She exhales sharply. “Forget it.” She turns to leave.

But Heeseung is quicker.

He catches her wrist, not rough, not forceful, just there. Just enough to make her pause, to remind her that this is his game, that she walked into it the second she sought him out.

“Relax, angel,” he murmurs, his tone a little too smooth, a little too amused. “I’ll help you.”

She eyes him warily. “On what terms?”

Heeseung tuts, shaking his head like she just doesn’t get it. “Terms? Now, that’s a dangerous word.”

She doesn’t budge. “I don’t trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.” His smirk sharpens. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have what you need.”

She hates this. Hates standing here, entertaining this game. Hates that despite everything, he’s her best shot at finding something real.

Finally, she mutters, “Fine.”

Heeseung grins, slow and satisfied. “Smart girl.”

Before she can react, he steps in.

She doesn’t move, doesn’t react, but Heeseung notices the slight tension in her shoulders, the way her breath hitches for half a second.

Of course, he does.

She’s about to snap at him when he reaches into his coat and slips a folded piece of parchment into her hand. His fingers brush against hers, deliberate, lingering, his touch warm and slow.

Y/n yanks the paper away, glaring. “What’s this?”

Heeseung leans in slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. “An invitation.”

She narrows her eyes. “For what?”

“Answers,” Heeseung says simply. Then, after a pause, he smirks. “Or fun. Depending on how much you’re willing to give me.”

Y/n’s grip on the parchment tightens.

She unfolds it.

It’s a room number.

She looks up sharply. “This is your dorm.”

Heeseung grins, tilting his head like he’s enjoying her realization.

“That a problem?”

She scowls. “Yes.”

“Shame.” Heeseung exhales, feigning disappointment. “Because if you want what I know, angel, you’re gonna have to come get it.”

She doesn’t trust him.

But she needs something. Anything.

She shoves the paper into her pocket, shaking her head. “This better not be a waste of my time.”

Heeseung chuckles, stepping back just enough to let her breathe. “Wear something nice.”

Y/n scoffs, tilting her head. “Choke.”

Heeseung’s smirk deepens. “That an invitation?”

She rolls her eyes.

She flips him off, middle finger high, sharp as a blade. “Fuck off.”

Heeseung just grins. Like he loves it. Like he loves pissing her off.

She doesn’t react. Doesn’t look back.

She tells herself she isn’t actually affected by him.

But in the back of her mind

She knew she had made a mistake the moment she walked away from Heeseung.

She had barely made it a few steps before the weight of it settled in her chest, pressing down like a stone.

Because she didn’t trust him. She shouldn’t trust him. But she had no other options.

And now, here she was, slipping out of her dorm in the dead of night, moving like a shadow through the Academy’s empty halls, the silence pressing against her ears.

Y/n had snuck out a hundred times before. At this point, she knew the Academy halls better in the dark than she did in the daylight. She knew which steps creaked, which doors had loose handles, which corners the professors patrolled more frequently.

And yet, tonight felt different. Maybe it was because of where she was going. Or who she was going to see.

She kept her steps light, her breath measured, every sense on high alert. The faint crackling of lantern flames flickered in the distance, casting elongated shadows that stretched across the stone like reaching fingers. Somewhere deeper in the halls, the Academy bells chimed softly, marking another hour passing.

The cold bit through the fabric of her uniform, sharp and unforgiving.

She ignored it. Just like she ignored the voice in the back of her mind telling her to turn back. She had made a deal. And she was going to see it through. Even if every part of her was screaming that this was a mistake.

She hated this. Hated that she was doing this. Hated that, despite all her efforts, she was getting nowhere.

The Heir’s past was too polished. Too perfect. Every lead she followed turned into a dead end, every book she read repeated the same story, the same curated, carefully preserved history. No gaps, no contradictions. Too clean.

She clenched her fists. She needed something. A new angle, a new path, anything to push her forward. And Heeseung was the only one who had given her a way out of this maze. Even if she had to walk through fire to take it.

The deeper she moved into the Academy, the heavier the air became. The lower halls weren’t unfamiliar to her, but she rarely had reason to be here. The walls were darker, the architecture slightly different, less polished, more severe.

It suited them.

The demons.

It suited him.

Y/n barely caught herself before the thought fully settled in.

Jungwon.

Her pace faltered for half a second, irritation flaring hot in her chest.

Why the hell was she thinking about him?

She forced her steps to steady, clenching her jaw. Of all the things that could occupy her mind right now, of all the actual problems she had to deal with, why was it him?

Because you’ve noticed him more. Because he’s watching you, always watching, like he knows something you don’t. Like he’s waiting for something.

She scowled.

No.

She wasn’t going to entertain that thought. She wasn’t going to waste time trying to figure out Jungwon when she had much bigger things to deal with.

And yet, her mind wouldn’t let it go.

The way their eyes met across the room, the way she could feel his stare before she even saw him. The way their first conversation had ended in an argument that still lingered in her mind, like a puzzle left unfinished.

Like a challenge she hadn’t yet solved.

Every time their paths crossed, it was the same.

His gaze lingered too long.

And somehow, it still felt like it followed her even after he was gone.

She exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders like she could physically shake off the unwanted distraction.

Then, finally, she rounded the last corner, coming face to face with the heavy wooden door that led to Heeseung’s dorm.

Her pulse wasn’t uneven.

Her hands weren’t shaking.

She was fine.

This was just another step forward.

Just another bad decision waiting to be made.

She lifted her hand and knocked.

Y/n wasn’t expecting much when she stepped into Heeseung’s dorm.

But still, this wasn’t what she expected.

She had imagined something chaotic, messy, and unpredictable, something that mirrored the reckless way he carried himself. Instead, the space was disturbingly neat. Dimly lit, heavy with the faint scent of something sharp, smoke laced with something sweeter underneath.

His uniform jacket was lazily tossed over a chair, his tie undone, his blouse slightly open like he hadn’t fully bothered to dress after class.

And Heeseung was already waiting for her.

Leaning against his desk, hands braced on the surface, smirk perfectly in place, like he had been expecting this exact moment.

Like she had just walked into a game she didn’t even know had started.

She met his gaze, unimpressed. “If you’re about to say I knew you’d come, save it.”

Heeseung’s smirk widened.

“Good.” His head tilted slightly, sharp eyes scanning her from head to toe, slow, unhurried. “That means we can skip the denial and get right to the fun part.”

She clenched her jaw. “If your definition of fun doesn’t include actual information, I’ll leave.”

Heeseung let out a soft chuckle, like she had just told him a joke. “Come on, angel. Don’t act like you’re not enjoying this.”

Y/n exhaled sharply, stepping further inside. She wasn’t about to let him dictate the tone of this conversation.

She crossed her arms. “I want answers.”

Heeseung watched her, eyes gleaming with amusement. “That’s all you came for?”

Y/n clenched her jaw. “What else would I come for?”

He pushed off his desk, closing the distance between them with slow, measured steps.

“Power,” he mused, voice low, deliberate. “Danger. A little bit of both.”

Heeseung reached up, trailing a slow finger down the collar of her blouse before smoothing it out, like he was fixing it, like she was already his to adjust.

“Or maybe,” he added, a smirk tugging at his lips, “you just wanted to see what would happen if you let yourself have a little fun.”

Y/n scoffed, shoving his hand away. “You’re delusional.”

“Am I?” Heeseung’s gaze was locked onto hers, the sharp edge of something knowing lurking beneath his amusement. “Then why are you still here?”

She refused to react. Held his gaze. Waiting.

Heeseung sighed, dramatic. “You’re impatient. And a little predictable. I like it.”

Y/n’s patience was hanging by a thread.

“I don’t have time for your games, Heeseung.”

Heeseung smirked. “Then why are you playing?”

She had enough.

She turned sharply on her heel, heading for the door. But before she could take a single step, Heeseung moved.

Fast.

One second, her hand was reaching for the door handle, The next, she was caged against it.

His palms braced on either side of her head, his breath warm against her temple.

Not forceful. Not dangerous.

Just testing.

She stilled.

Not out of fear.

Out of sheer, burning irritation that she had let it get this far.

She exhaled sharply through her nose. “Move.”

Heeseung didn’t. Instead, he reached for her tie, undoing the knot with practiced ease.

“You need to loosen up a little,” he murmured, slipping the fabric from around her collar and tossing it onto his bed.

She clenched her jaw. “You really don’t know anything, do you?”

Heeseung hummed, stepping even closer. “That depends. Define ‘know.’”

She swore under her breath. I hate him.

Then, he reached for the buttons of her uniform jacket.

Slow. Deliberate. Taking his time.

One button. Then the next. Then the third.

By the time he was slipping the fabric off her shoulders, his gaze had darkened, the smirk softening into something more insidious.

“It’s too hot in here,” he mused, voice smooth as silk. “You’ll think better once you take off a few layers.”

She let him.

Not because she was falling for it.

Because he was.

She softened her posture, let her gaze shift, let her shoulders drop just slightly, just enough for the sharp edges of her irritation to smooth out, just enough to let something vulnerable slip through the cracks.

Heeseung noticed.

And his smirk widened.

Y/n let her lips part slightly, exhaling like the warmth was actually getting to her, like her guard was finally lowering.

She reached for his tie. Slid it off completely.

Undid the top button of his blouse. Then another.

Heeseung didn’t stop her.

Of course he didn’t.

His ego was too big to think she wasn’t falling for his trap.

She took a slow step forward. Then another.

By the time his knees hit the edge of the bed, he was grinning.

“Oh,” Heeseung murmured, hands settling at her waist. His grip was light, almost teasing, fingers ghosting over the fabric like he had all the time in the world. “Now this is interesting.”

Y/n didn’t move. Didn’t push him away.

Instead, she leaned in, her breath warm against his skin, lips just shy of brushing the shell of his ear.

“Tell me what you know,” she whispered, voice smooth, unwavering.

Heeseung’s chuckle was low, rich with amusement. “You want answers?”

She nodded, slow. Calculated.

He smirked. “Then work for it.”

And before she could react. His hands slid downward, grazing the front of her blouse, fingers slipping against the fabric as he undid one, two, three buttons.

She saw red.

Her body reacted before her mind fully caught up.

She moved fast.

Before Heeseung could blink, her hands were in his collar, gripping tight, twisting the fabric as she yanked him forward—

Then threw him back.

His back hit the mattress with a forceful thud.

A sharp inhale, the ghost of a curse under his breath and before he could process what just happened, Y/n was on top of him.

One knee dug into his ribs, pressing just hard enough to steal his breath for half a second.

A fist tangled in his half-open shirt, keeping him right where she wanted him.

Then—

She swung.

Her fist connected with his jaw, sharp and satisfying.

Heeseung let out a breathless laugh, head snapping to the side as blood beaded at the corner of his lip.

He grinned.

“Oh, angel,” he murmured, voice laced with something amused, something dark. “I didn’t know you liked it rough.”

Y/n’s grip tightened. “Tell me what you know. Now.”

Heeseung’s smirk didn’t waver. If anything, he looked thrilled.

“You’re looking in the wrong places, angel.”

Y/n’s jaw clenched. “What the hell does that mean?”

Heeseung tilted his head slightly, studying her.

Then—

“Books will only tell you what they want you to know,” he murmured, voice smooth despite the split in his lip. “But if you want to find something real…”

He trailed off, letting the silence stretch, his smirk deepening.

Y/n’s patience was hanging by a thread. “Finish your sentence before I break your nose.”

Heeseung’s laughter was quiet, rolling through his chest like a dangerous secret.

“Try looking beneath the library.”

She frowned. “There’s nothing beneath the library. Just stone and dead air.”

Heeseung smiled, eyes gleaming with something unreadable. “Is there?”

She stared him down, searching for the lie.

He could be bluffing. He probably was.

But she had nothing else.

And she wasn’t leaving empty-handed.

She shoved off him, rolling off the bed in one smooth motion.

Didn’t bother grabbing her tie. Didn’t even spare her uniform jacket a glance.

Heeseung sat up, watching her go with an infuriating smirk. He ran his tongue over his bloodied lip, tasting the split, eyes still gleaming with amusement.

She didn’t look back.

Didn’t need to.

She had what she came for.

And for once, she had won.

Jungwon had spent too much time searching for Y/n.

Too much time slipping through the halls, lingering in the shadows, waiting, always waiting, for that glimpse of her.

But tonight, she wasn’t where she usually was.

Not in the library. Not in the secluded hallways she favored when she thought no one was watching. Not in the training grounds, where she always pushed herself too hard, too fast, too recklessly.

Jungwon clenched his jaw. This shouldn’t bother him. She wasn’t his responsibility. And yet, Irritation sank its claws deeper, sharp and unrelenting. His patience was thinning by the second.

Then, he caught something.

A scent.

Smoke. And something sweet underneath.

Jungwon exhaled slowly.

Heeseung.

His thoughts snapped into place like a blade sliding into its sheath.

Y/n was missing.

And Heeseung’s scent was the only lead.

His feet moved before his mind could fully process the thought.

By the time he realized what he was doing, he was already storming toward Heeseung’s dorm.

He didn’t bother knocking.

Didn’t wait for an answer.

He shoved the door open—

And froze.

For the first time in a long time, his mind emptied. His eyes swept over the room, cataloging every detail in an instant.

Heeseung.

Sitting lazily on his bed, jacket off, shirt unbuttoned, lip faintly bleeding.

The bed itself, sheets wrinkled, twisted, like someone had been pushed onto it.

And worst of all, The celestial uniform jacket, messily abandoned on the floor.

The matching necktie, tangled in Heeseung’s sheets.

Jungwon’s vision blurred with rage.

The thoughts hit him too fast to process.

She was here.

She was here, with him.

Heeseung, of course, saw the storm brewing in Jungwon’s expression.

And he grinned.

“Oh?” His voice was smooth, amused, dripping with satisfaction. “Jealous?”

Jungwon snapped.

He moved before he could think, before he could stop himself—

A hand fisting into Heeseung’s collar, shoving him back, slamming him against the wall so hard the wooden frame of the bed rattled.

Heeseung let out a breathless laugh. Blood from his split lip smeared against the corner of his mouth.

“You’re acting awfully possessive, Jungwon.” He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with delight. “You sure she belongs to you?”

Jungwon’s grip tightened.

His heart was hammering.

Something ugly, something sharp, something new curled up in his chest like a vice.

Heeseung was playing with him.

And it was working.

Jungwon’s voice was low, dangerous. “Tell me what the fuck you did.”

Heeseung’s smirk widened.

“You mean besides letting her take my clothes off?”

Jungwon’s patience shattered.

His fist drove into Heeseung’s gut, knocking the smirk right off his face.

Heeseung grunted, bending forward slightly.

But he was laughing.

Laughing.

Jungwon’s grip didn’t loosen. He yanked Heeseung back up, slamming him into the wall again.

Heeseung coughed out a chuckle, wiping his lip.

“Damn,” he mused, voice breathless but still far too amused. “I knew you’d react, but this?” He lifted a brow. “You’re kinda scary when you’re pissed, y’know that?”

Jungwon didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

His breath came slow and sharp, his pulse thundering.

Heeseung sighed, stretching slightly against the wall, like he wasn’t being held against it by force.

“Well,” he drawled, voice smooth. “If it makes you feel better—”

He leaned in slightly, grinning.

“She was the one who punched me.”

Jungwon stilled.

His fingers twitched.

Heeseung smirked, knowing.

“Oh yeah. Pretty little thing hits like a devil.”

The realization slammed into Jungwon all at once. His gaze swept over the room again. The jacket. The tie. The bed.

But—

No blouse. No skirt. No actual sign that Y/n had been here for longer than a few minutes. Jungwon’s mind worked fast. Too fast. The pieces weren’t adding up. His eyes flicked back to Heeseung. The smirk on his lips. The laughter in his eyes.

It was all a game.

A calculated, deliberate setup.

And Jungwon had fallen for it.

Heeseung saw the realization dawn on Jungwon’s face. And he grinned. Jungwon’s stomach twisted, rage flaring in his chest.

“You’re full of shit.”

Heeseung stretched lazily against the wall, grinning like a predator.

“And you’re fun to mess with.”

Jungwon’s fists curled. His jealousy had been for nothing. His anger was misplaced. And Heeseung had played him like a goddamn fiddle. Jungwon wanted to rip that smirk right off his face.

But he didn’t have time.

Y/n was in danger. Real danger.

And he needed to get to her. Jungwon finally released Heeseung with a shove, stepping back.

His voice was clipped. Cold. “Where is she?”

Heeseung licked his split lip, still grinning.

“She’s gone,” he said simply. “Went looking for answers.”

Jungwon’s stomach dropped.

His pulse thundered.

“Where.”

Heeseung wiped at his lip again, careless.

“Beneath the library.”

Jungwon cursed.

Because he knew.

That area was heavily guarded. Locked down.

And Heeseung knew it too. That was the only reason he had sent her there. Not to help her. But to watch her fall.

Jungwon turned sharply on his heel, already moving for the door—

Then—

“Careful, Jungwon.”

Jungwon didn’t stop. Didn’t turn back.

Heeseung’s laughter followed him.

“Acting like you care about her,” he mused. “Like she’s anything more than a distraction.”

Jungwon ignored him. He was already gone. And if he didn’t get there in time.

Y/n would be, too.

PREVIOUS | MASTERLIST | NEXT CHAPTER

[heliads]

Hiya Lisa my love!! I think this may be the first request I’m sending you (omg!?) But I am so excited to do so, and of course for our best boy Jack Wilder <3

Okay this one’s a little silly but I’m thinking Jack Wilder x reader where the reader is part of the Horsemen, but Jack and her don’t exactly get along all too well (enemies/reluctant allies to lovers). I’m thinking they’re sent off together to check out and map a location for the Horsemen’s next big act (maybe a fancy gala! That’d be so fun!), but the whole time they’re just bickering and shooting jabs at each other and the other guys are on comms and are just So Tired™ of their bullshit 😭

amber i love you for this

masterlist

You don’t think you’ve ever seen the magical enigma known professionally as J. Daniel Atlas and familiarly as a pain in all of your asses as stressed as he is right before the start of a new job. The Horsemen are world renowned for their intricate performances and flawless setups, which only serves to increase the pressure on all of you to keep one-upping yourselves every time you appear in the spotlight. Danny has taken it upon himself to make sure that all of you stay perfect, and that responsibility is manifesting itself in the form of a lecture right now.

He’s standing in front of you, eyes wild with the fire of what could be creative genius or perhaps too much coffee, and rattling off a series of questions to make sure you know what you’re doing.

“Where are you going?” He asks first.

You meet his gaze steadily. “The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Specifically the busiest areas during the Met Gala.”

“How are you entering?” Danny queries.

“Two ways. First, as a tourist, to spot the security cameras. Then, I’ll go again at night, to lay some cameras of our own and run some more thorough investigations.”

Danny takes a step closer. His hands are steepled together, making him the perfect picture of a plotting supervillain from one of those bad action movies Merritt keeps playing. “What, specifically, are you looking for?”

You want to roll your eyes, but you learned a long time ago that showing any sort of emotion except for intensity in front of Daniel Atlas during his mad planning sessions is only asking for trouble. So, you keep your cool, or you try to, at least. “The normal stuff. Alcoves and closets where we can hide. Areas with low security presence. Entrances and exits. Janitors. Extra uniforms. That sort of thing.”

Daniel nods once, the only sign that you’re not outright bombing his little pop quiz. “And who is going with you on this reconnaissance mission?”

This time, you can’t disguise your sigh of disgust. “I’m taking a stubborn child.”

Danny gives you a cool stare. “Try again.”

You give him a look, but Daniel is prone to winning staring contests, especially when he’s in this sort of mood, so you cut your losses and give in. “Fine. I’m taking Jack.”

To your side, someone starts clapping. “Perfect response!”

You and Daniel both turn in unison to see your recon partner applauding your sarcastic answer from his chair a few paces away. His feet are kicked up on the table in front of him, and although he had been aimlessly scrolling through his phone this entire time, he’s put the device down temporarily so he can remind you just how strong a bond the two of you share. Which is to say, in no uncertain terms, none at all.

Daniel glances back at you. “You’re not going to let the two of you working together be a problem, will you?”

You fold your arms across his chest, affronted. “I won’t. You might want to double-check with my so-called partner, though. Who, by the way, is free to answer any of these questions on his own. I don’t see why I’m the one who has to know everything while he gets off easy. Aren’t we sharing this responsibility? And by extension, this interrogation?”

Jack just flashes you a thousand-watt smile. “You seemed to have it covered, sweetheart. Besides, I just like hearing the sound of your lovely voice.”

You flip him off. He blows you a kiss, then does the same. Daniel looks ready to burst a blood vessel. “Focus, you two. I want no slip ups. We’re stealing the show of the Met Gala. If we make a mistake, I think Anna Wintour will personally kill us.”

“She’s going to do that anyway,” Jack muses, “We’re interrupting her little fashion show. God forbid someone focuses on us instead of all the celebrities who aren’t even dressing to theme. If I had that money, I could do way better, is all I’m saying.”

You shoot him a perplexed look. “Since when have you paid attention to the Met Gala outfits? Last time I tried talking about it, you told me that was all absurdist nonsense.”

“Maybe I was just talking about you,” Jack answers vaguely. “I’m allowed to, like, develop interests.”

You toss him a glare, then turn back to Daniel, who for some reason looks somewhat entertained. “Can we go back to the plan, please?”

Danny straightens up. “Yes, I’d like that. I’ve briefed both of you on the entrances and exits I need you to scout out–”

“Too many times,” Jack cuts in. He’s not wrong. Danny’s been over this every hour on the hour since you got the call to stage your own show at one of the most famous fashion opportunities of the year.

Daniel, however, seems to think that he hasn’t mentioned the details enough. Now Jack is on the receiving end of not just your glare but Daniel’s as well. “As I was saying,” Danny continues smoothly, “You’ll get in and get out. Try not to move too quickly, you don’t want to attract attention, but don’t linger too long, either.”

“We’ll be fine,” you assure him. “Not our first rodeo.”

Danny nods hesitantly. “I know. Just your first rodeo together in a while.”

That’s no big secret. You and Jack may both be Horsemen, but that certainly doesn’t mean you have to like each other. In fact, you couldn’t be farther from it. You’re not enemies, so to speak, an enemy is the FBI or the CIA, but referring to whatever exists between you as friendship is stretching the truth. You’re more like uncertain, unhappy allies. You’ll work together so long as you get paid and stay in the spotlight while you’re at it, but you’re not likely to grab drinks after a show together.

However, the Horsemen come first above any personal squabble. Always. That’s the one thing you and Jack can agree on. What you’re working on is bigger than the two of you, it’s bigger than all of you. To most of the world, you are magic. No rift between teammates is worth damaging that ideal.

That’s why Jack straightens up at last, and dons an expression verging on solemnity. “We’ll do our part, Danny. No need to worry.”

“There had better not be,” Daniel comments, but he backs off after that, and leaves to track down Merritt to deliver a similar speech.

Now alone, Jack’s familiar cavalier attitude comes back in a flash. “Can’t wait for our little date tomorrow, L/N,” he tells you.

You roll your eyes. “It’s going to be so much fun.”

The next morning, you and Jack wait your turn in the entrance queue at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. You’re both disguised with baseball caps pulled low over your heads, then paired with sunglasses, and you each have fake IDs in your pockets just in case. It’s surprisingly easy to get around undetected; although the Horsemen are famous the world over, no one expects to see them outside of one of your performances. It makes no sense to spot one of you in a coffee shop or in line ahead of you, so their minds just glance over you as if you were never there at all.

It’s certainly convenient. You could always go to an outside source for intel, but if there’s one lesson you’ve learned throughout your time, it’s to never trust anyone outside of your immediate circle. There are always people who’ll sell off your secrets, or debunkers frothing at the mouth to show how you do what you do.

No, it’s best to keep everything under wraps, even if it makes disguises necessary. There’s a brief moment of panic in which the security guard checking Jack’s bag lingers on his face a little longer than usual, but he’s waved through soon enough and then you’re able to wander further into the museum.

A voice crackles over your earpiece. “What was that about?” Danny, paranoid as always.

Jack shrugs, directing his voice towards you so no one will suspect he’s talking to anyone else. “Probably just a newbie convinced they’ll catch a would-be robber by checking my hand sanitizer close enough. They didn’t plant any bugs, we’re good. Most likely, she was just captivated by my exceedingly good looks and got distracted.”

You scoff. “Or maybe she was just fascinated by your hideousness and wanted a better look.”

Jack clutches a hand to his heart, feigning agony. “My hideousness?” Y/N, I’m hurt.”

“Good,” you smile saccharinely at him.

Daniel sighs in a gust of static over your earpiece. “Focus, you two. Please.”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Jack says. “We’ll get to work.”

You and Jack slip through the exhibits, pretending to examine paintings in sculptures when, in reality, you’re looking harder at the security features in each room. The Horsemen already have a rough plan in mind for how you’re going to enter and exit, but the security presence could change which specific entrance you use.

When you loiter a little too long near one oil painting of two nobles dancing at a lavish ball, Jack doubles back to your side. “Everything alright? We haven’t been noticed yet, have we?”

You shake your head, snapping yourself back to reality. “No, we’re fine. Just looking. I love this year’s theme for the gala. If I had an actual invitation, I would have worn something like the dress in this painting. I would want to, at least. Of course, that would only happen if we weren’t breaking in, but. Yeah. That’s what I would do.”

You realize you’re rambling and try to cut yourself off, but you’ve already been going on for a while. You wait for Jack to tease you, but instead, the corner of his lips tugs up in a soft half-smile. “It would look good,” he admits, “You would. Maybe we should petition Danny to let us dress up. We could recreate the painting.”

He swoops closer, placing one hand on your waist and taking yours with the other, spinning you into a waltz just like in the painting. Jack pulls you close in an exaggerated dip just like in the painting, one that takes you a little too near the painting. One of the security guards surges across the room to tell you two to move away again. Jack lets you up, then exaggeratedly apologizing, slapping the guy on the back as a gesture of camaraderie. As the guard walks away, you can see the tracer he’s planted, one that will give you two much-needed information on the paths each guard takes on their shift.

“Nice one,” you breathe.

“Yeah,” Jack says, but he’s still looking at you, as if mentally cataloging each and every place his hands had been just moments before. “I am nice.”

You swat him on the shoulder, and he winks. Rather than give that an answer, you head to the next exhibit. The two of you tag the next few guards you come across, noting janitor’s closets and fire exits while you’re at it. 

It’s easy to settle into a rhythm. You go from room to room, you snipe at each other, you get the job done. Jack passes a sculpture of a nude woman and suggests that be the costume you wear to the Gala, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively; you tell him that you’ll do it only when he’s got biceps the size of the Greek hero statue next to it.

Eventually, you only have one tag left. This one, though, will be the most difficult. The chief security guard has access to the central security station of the museum; by bugging him, you can get the passcode to the main room, which would be a significant help. The only problem is that you’ll have to get close enough to talk to the guy, and he looks far more suspicious of everyone around him than any of the other guards.

You volunteer to do it, and weave your way over to the guard in charge. It takes a heady dose of flirting, but you’re able to get the job done eventually. You do have to shell out a fake phone number, but he’ll only find out the number isn’t yours later that night. No harm, no foul.

Or, not according to you, at least. When you walk back over to Jack, though, your partner in crime has his arms folded tight across his chest, and he looks more annoyed than you’ve seen him all day. At last, something has managed to pierce his armor of sarcastic, joking indifference, but you’re not sure what.

“He seems nice,” Jack says, voice unnaturally calm, “Maybe you do want to take him out on a date after this, like you said.”

You laugh. “We both know that was an act, Wilder. No need to get jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” he insists, “I have nothing to be jealous of.”

“Nothing?” You ask, one brow raised. “So you wouldn’t mind if I went back and gave him my real number?”

Jack slings an arm around your shoulder in a pretense of affection, but it feels more like he’s pinning you to him, making sure you can’t go back and do as threatened. “That would be ridiculous. It would ruin our whole act.”

You grin. “What act?”

“That we’re here on a date of our own, obviously,” Jack says.

“We haven’t done anything of the sort the whole time we were here,” you point out. “It makes more sense for him to think we’re just friends.”

“Then we’ll have to fix that, won’t we?” Jack suggests, and although you do notice the glint in his eyes when he says it, you’re still not expecting him to lean forward and kiss you. The kiss is– startling, yes, but not bad, not at all, and when he finally breaks away and looks triumphantly over at the guard who’d been flirting with you, you get the feeling that Jack thought so too.

“I think we should do this all the time,” Jack whispers to you. “Maybe we should ask Danny to change our assignments around.”

“Actually,” a voice crackles over your earpieces, “I’d rather neither of you ever spoke to me again. If I have to think about you two making out one more time, I’ll pour bleach directly into my brain.”

You slap a hand over your mouth to stop from laughing. “Oh, no. Daniel, how long have our comms been on?”

“The whole time,” your showman says, “I hated all of it, thank you for asking.”

Jack snorts. “And you didn’t remind us to turn off our mics?”

“Merritt wanted to see if you’d actually commit enough to do it,” Danny says, sounding supremely unhappy. “Now we’re both traumatized. Just get your asses back here and never bring this up again.”

This time, you can’t hide your laugh. “Alright, we will. Try to stay away from the bleach in the meantime.”

“I make no promises,” Danny grumbles, sending you and Jack into a wave of laughter again.

Jack reaches up to switch off his own earpiece, then does the same for you, gently brushing the side of your face with his hand while he’s at it. “Well,” he says slowly, “We might as well make the most of our time right now, hadn’t we? I’d hate for our ticket money to go to waste.”

You grin. “Quit the theatrics and kiss me.”

Jack Wilder doesn’t usually do as told. This time, though, he makes an exception.

requested by @hiya-itsamber, i hope you enjoy!

now you see me tags: @mayfieldss

[zillanovikov]

My opinion of Ellipsus vs Google Docs as a (very unprofessional) author after about six weeks of using it:

The default font is much prettier than Google Docs which shouldn't matter to me enough to be point number one but it does

It's not stealing my data to train an AI, hands down better than fucking Google

It worked perfectly when I was under 15,000 words but I'm writing a novel and it's a bit slower to load now I'm well over the 20k mark, this is net neutral because Google Docs does the same thing, no one understands how verbose I am

When I contacted customer about this and another glitch a REAL LIVE HUMAN BEING NAMED KATE ACTUALLY ANSWERED ME TO HELP remember this is a FREE SERVICE but I would put absolute money down that Kate is not a bot what the fuck in the year of our lord 2k24 human customer service does not exist Kate is a fucking GIFT

Kate told me that Ellipsus would run faster if In tried a browser other than Firefox and I was like "but the whole point is to avoid Google products stealing my data" and Kate told me about the Brave browser which has watered my crops and cured my acne, thank you Kate

Network effects suck, aka none of my beta readers use Ellipsus so I have to copy and paste into Google Docs for feedback, but that's the price of being a cool early adopter

the login stuff is really cool and makes it really easy to swap devices which I do a lot (that's 50% of why I don't use scrivener, I do most of my writing on my phone but then I mostly edit on my computer so I want my wip to live on the cloud)

it sometimes works offline--if it's already open and I lose connection I can keep writing but if I try to open my web browser and start writing offline it doesn't work? But I bet if I asked Kate or the community forums there is a way

Yes you can get a link to halfway through the document so my novel after this one which is a chooseable path adventure will work to write in Ellipsus, I found this out from the community forums which include a lot of helpful and sexy early adopters (early adopters are inherently sexy)

I don't like how commenting works, you can only leave comments on drafts (I think with the assumption that my beta readers are the ones commenting but this is incorrect, I am usually leaving comments for myself so I don't forget plot points), this would be okay if I had a draft version that automatically updated as the main version updated but I think the drafts are static when you make them. I don't want to manually copy new chapters over into a draft so I can leave comments on it. As I type this I realize I could just do all my writing on a "draft" version instead of the "main" version and this would solve my problem huh thanks for being my rubber duck Tumblr

If you have questions about my experience I can answer them?

Tl;dr Ellipsus is about equal to Google Docs with some benefits and some downsides. Big ups to Ellipsus on customer service and on not stealing my data to train their AI, but downside that since none of my friends use Ellipsus I'm basically forced to use Google Docs anyway to share my WIP.

[open-hearth-rpg]

Modern Urban Fantasy B-Plots

Having finished my list of Superhero B-Plots, I immediately turned around and started working on another set for a different genre. It’s amazing what a potent combination stress, avoidance, and procrastination can be. These are based on my Supers B-Plot set, with 80% new prompts and the remaining 20% tweaked to fit.

This deck offers tools for secondary stories and hooks both weird and mundane. use these for downtime or to spark new plots. It is useful for GMs and players of ttrpgs like Monster Hearts, Urban Shadows, World of Darkness, Apocalypse Keys, and beyond. There are 180 prompts split into three categories:

Friends & Family: Problems and entanglements for NPCs in a player character's circle. Each is written loosely enough to be adaptable to all kinds of characters.

Personal Life: Things which happen in the day-to-day life of the PCs. These can be tweaked depending on if the character has a public identity or a daily grind job.

Supernatural Life: Events connected to the larger world of factions, magics, and arcane politics.

Because of the nature of the genre, I've written these to be flexible. Some terms can be used in several different ways. Hunters refers to any group pursuing the PCs. Bloodlines can refer to a family, order, or even type of supernatural (vampires, werewolves). Factions refer to authorities, in particular the person or people who give a particular PC their orders.

These prompts can be used by the GM to generate new plots and events, or players can draw an select from a story idea which appeals to them. Ideally One or two players each week can have a B-Plot which may or may not get resolved that session. It's a great device for covering downtime.

There's a link to a free rtf version at the post as well as to a print-and-play deck on itch.io.

[medusas-daughter]

i feel like i'm about to crash out of something bc why are people pretending that Sabrina Carpenter is at fault for men sexualizing her? she would still be sexualized by them even if she was wearing something modest. and to say she's setting feminism back and naming her alongside someone like this Bonnie Blue lady is actually insane. Sabrina doesn't pander to a male audience primarily, her sexual art never includes men as anything but a tool for her own pleasure, something men have done since always when it comes to women. she is actually the opposite of Bonnie Blue bc that lady is actually setting feminism back by letting men think they are allowed to do anything they want with her. i'm so sick of this bs.

Thank you so much for this because I've also been crashing out for the past two days like are we seriously back to blaming women for men thinking they're hot like is that the 'feminism' we've gone back to??

Also the whole male audience is so funny to me because Sabrina's concerts have always been primarily female audience she's been shaking her ass at women since her early twenties she's in on the joke with women her whole brand is "unfortunately I'm attracted to men but at least I'm funny about it". The men are reduced to plot devices and murder victims and sex partners, but she's the author and the main character, she's in control, and she's inviting a statistically female audience along for the ride of her story her fantasy her art, should they want it. She's not forcing this down people's throats. She's just existing and somehow being punished for it.

Bonnie Blue was literally going to stream rape, let's call it what it is, and comparing that to an art cover is just wild. And my biggest beef with that petting zoo is that giving 10000 men free reign to do with her body as they please is so mind-blowingly dangerous, but I was always more angry with the men that signed up for it than I was with her. Bonnie Blue needs therapy and a better team around her. She also needs to stop making content about "de flowering teenagers" that's gross. That woman is a mystery to me, the way she's both a predator and ready to make herself a victim of the most vile crimes I can think of is insane. I really truly believe she needs to disappear from the public eye and go to therapy and figure out what is going on in that brain of hers and hopefully find a healthier outlet for it.

So many people started using "male centered" when what they really mean to say is "slut" but they know it's not politically correct anymore. Sabrina is happening on a bigger scale but every time a woman happens to be attractive they rush to call her male centered. Some men rape literal corpses are we gonna blame the corpses too?

And men are gonna sexualize us whether we dress modest or denuded whether we speak or not whether we eat or not, if we're suggestive we're asking for it, if we're not we're innocent and it's hot, like we literally cannot control what men think. And yet we still jump at a woman's throat for daring to like a bit of doggy style??? Like the only way to escape the male gaze is to kill ourselves. And I'm not having that. So I just keep watching women get slut shamed in different ways and hope they come out of it stronger and funnier. And kinkier. And bolder. And the patriarchy won't fall by us policing how women have sex or portray themselves.

But sure, in a world where men are signing up to a human petting zoo and rolling back our rights and voting for rapists and pedophiles and using our literal corpses as incubators, let's all hang the popstar who happens to like doggy style with a bit of hair pulling, she's the problem.

I'm sorry for the rant, every time I tell myself I'll only write a short post about this and every time I end up having a whole ass outburst but like *gestures vaguely at wtf is happening*

I've seen a literal therapist on tiktok make a five minute video on why this Sabrina album cover proves she's not a girl's girl like we have completely lost the plot it's so scary

[trashrattt]

I totally think Code lyoko should have it's talked about reboot, mostly because

- when it came to Carthage, the most canon explanation from Franz himself, the explanation only lasts about 1 minute and 25 seconds, and nothing else comes of it

Sure, we knew why Xana was created, but like, Franz never really said Xana stopped it as it was his main intended purpose, why Xana was made to begin with, so like, that's a real issue in canon consitering Franz wanted to stop the project but never got to consitering Xana gained autonomy and all

And like, Carthage was kind of hinted at to be a bad thing too, you'd think that could be a real issue in universe

- spent 3 whole seasons building on this one character only not to do much with it at all and give him a really bad rep in universe afterwards

Okay, you know me, I like William an abnormal amount, but with all things considered, he wasn't a character to begin with, neither was a plot device imo

Yeah, he absolutely has no personality, argue with the wall if you need to

So like, yeah, he got posessed, but then what? Sure he was used to try to throw Aelita into the Digital sea, but like, tarantulas could do the same thing with those long ass arms, they could just use them as bats

And you've literally seen megatanks push her closer to the digital sea when she used a energy field as a sheild of sorts, so really, what was the point of him to begin with of other monsters could do the same thing no problem

And after a whole season of dawdling around, the writers rushed the whole "set him free" arc after ignoring it for basically the whole season, like there wasn't any episodes besides cold sweat where the characters actively try to break him free, you'd think there would be a little more give from the characters considering how #depressed Yumi was

(and yes, I know the show says, "I made ___ program" but let us see the FAILURE!!!!)

Even then, when he came back, the characters all decide "fuck this, you ain't shit to me" and dropkick him back to his life without any support, like dude lost months of his life without something he either remembers or blanked out on

- character writing in season four

Okay, this isn't really a reason why, it's more of saying "Why did you make your characters worse, we deserve better"

Because Odd in season four just became an absolutely terrible person, man

Constantly throwing his freinds under the bus just for some scheme he pulled or literally abusing the fact that he knows about Lyoko as a point to say to the others "This is why we're friends!!!1!@1!!" Even though at this point their friendship is downright terrible, like to the point where they just want to get Lyoko dealed with so they can fall apart like a poorly put together cup with scotch taped all over it

Imo nobody seemed to like each other as opposed to season 1 and 2 where they talked casually, like they had an actual friendship going on, not like "so, what's new on Lyoko, I want this shit dealt with today..." they were actual friends who did stuff together and had fun, I miss that :<

Anyways that was a more personal take, but season 4 just leaves a bad taste in my mouth with that rushed ending of theirs

Uhm oops, this was a long rant of what I dislike about the show, I was supposed to make this post simply to tell you guys what I'd propose for a continuation

Here's what I'd do:

Consitering Carthage was an abandoned idea from the depths of season 2, we build on that again

I'm imagining a non-terribly written Evo mixed with the chronicles, like bitch I actually love the idea of Ulrichs dad being tied in with Carthage simply because like, it would make so much sense (absolutely don't pull a chronicles though making EVREYONES mothers under the sun being tied in, that was stupid)

I'm also thinking, the antagonist we have is still a program, but it isn't Xana like in main series

Sure, they're simular, but it's a remnant from Carthage that has the same ideas as Xana, but worse (this is all first draft, but that's like the main idea that could work)

Also, give Will and actual personality this time, not just this "I'm soooooo sad" attitude that any traumatized character has, he has the potential to be COMPLEX!!!!

Kids cartoons nowadays are getting complex so don't say "Oh no they can't, it's a kids cartoon"

Anyways I'm hoping they build off of Carthage because that would be a PERFECT continuation aauaghh

Enjoy (?) My unexpected rant, idk

[logansdogmotif]

ANTON SHUDDER HEADCANONS 🦇

requested by the lovely @griffinskullz!! and yes i did use phantom manor as my building claim for the midnight hotel… tf you gonna do about it

🦇 is native american/has native heritage, (lots of my cousins/aunts and uncles my mum’s side of the family are cherokee (a generation up from me i think?) and when i read the books when i was younger she would always headcanon anton as native, so that’s always stuck with me). p.s. my fancast for him (pictured above) is eddie spears.

🦇 is autistic! i always see this one as quite widespread, and it’s completely canon to me. i think he specifically has problems with certain sounds/levels of noise so i hc that the midnight hotel™️ is a top donor to loop earplugs.

🦇 has a bunch of sisters, think one doesn't have particular root in anything i just get ‘large family of sisters’ vibe from him. and in that vein, in my modern au he has two mums <3 so i think he’s always had quite a strong feminine influence, which in turn provides him lots of security in his masculinity.

🦇 has been approached multiple times for modelling gigs (but obviously never took them), and tbh?? has the lethal-est facecard out of the dead men. like if you lined them up and said “oh the really hot, like, beautiful one” everyone would automatically assume anton.

🦇 GAY!! i don’t care what derek says i think he needs to go on a 12-step program for making all of his characters bisexual to be honest. not that i have anything against that obviously i think most of derek’s character are bi but anton? not one of them. he has had girlfriends though but only when he was very young and always got broken up with for not being ‘engaged enough’ in the relationship.

🦇 canon specific: goes full loras tyrell about larrikin’s death. i’m a big shudderkin shipper here and i think larrikin’s death would’ve completely broke anton. and whilst i liked him leaving the midnight hotel to his (ex?)boyfriend after his death as a plot device to confirm his queerness, i honestly don’t think he would’ve had any serious relationships after larrikin. which is totally not what larrikin would’ve wanted but hey ho.

🦇 big music nerd. has a whole record library in the hotel and can tell you the artist, release date, producers, influences and interpolation of most songs in the last few centuries. he specifically likes classical songs that are minimum 10 minutes long, ballad americana (lana del rey, ethel cain, etc), and 80s folk.

🦇 the most mental health aware of the dead men, which i partially think is why he is removed from their shenanigans often as he recognises the negative effect they can have on eachother. i think having the gist gave him cause to learn a lot about compartmentalisation and how we process trauma, and i think he would have set up (or at least wanted to set up) some sort of free-of-charge counselling service at the hotel, and would've let the hotel's space be used for things like veteran's support groups or AA.

🦇 closest friends with saracen out of all of the dead men, and (depending on which au) they've known eachother since they were very young/since when saracen was very young (in canon i think anton is one of the eldest of the dead men, the actual eldest i think being hopeless). they at least grew up in the same village (BIG UP CORMACKSTOWN, COUNTY TIPPERARY!!! which i think is where the two of them are from if that wasn't clear).

QUICKFIRE HEADCANONS:

🦇 annoyingly good at card games (specifically uno)

🦇 generally doesn’t drink but gets CRUNK when he does (think ron swanson in the parks and rec snakejuice episode)

🦇 nicest handwriting ever

🦇 goes non-verbal relatively often

🦇 horrible core balance (that’s why his back is so straight all the time bc he’s actively trying not to fall over)

🦇 slow reader

🦇 favourite weather is early morning mist (specifically on the coast)

🦇 makes horrible tea

🦇 pockets full of mints like a grandma

🦇 chronic chest pain bc of the gist

🦇 WILL win any argument you have with him (even if you’re in the right, you will walk away feeling like you’ve lost)

🦇 genius at finding bargains & sales

🦇 teaches people how to shoplift from big corporations

skeleton hatman taglist 🫶: @griffinskullz @mortalcoils

p.s. i met derek landy for the second time yesterday! he signed my copy of hell breaks loose and i thanked him for making saraxter canon 💗 (also my friend gave him a ‘legally binding’ contract to write demon road 4 and he signed it as simon cowell… what a guy)

[perpetualexistence]

Alenoah Hypnosis Corruption AU, where after Alejandro hears Noah call him an 'eel dipped in grease', Alejandro makes a deal with Noah... If Noah lets Alejandro hypnotize him into not saying the truth about Alejandro to anyone again, then Noah won't get eliminated... However if Noah refuses to get hypnotized, then Alejandro will hypnotize Owen instead, after Noah's elimination... Noah hesitantly agrees to be placed in a trance by Alejandro... Alejandro tells the hypnotized Noah to be loyal to Alejandro! 🍥

So, funny story anon. I don't really have any more ideas I could add to this lovely idea you've presented...because you've accidentally (I hope) recreated the wheel.

You've also accidentally awoken the essayist that has realized she has the opportunity to share things she knows. So, with that in mind:

(I don't mean for Lisa to be mad. I am genuinely excited to share these things with people who potentially don't know them. I just couldn't find a better meme.)

Feel free to read under the read more for fanfic recs followed by my own personal thoughts about the Alenoah hypnosis corruption and why I love it so. I'm basing my knowledge on what I've seen on Tumblr and on Ao3. If you feel like I've missed anything, please let me know!

First the elephant in the room: the horny fics.

Yes, the earliest examples of Alejandro using hypnosis on Noah were smut. No, I'm not about to link them for what I would hope to be obvious reasons.

To be clear, I've got no problem with people who do have hypnosis as a kink. Everyone's allowed to have or not have a kink so long as it doesn't hurt anybody. To each their own so long as consent's involved.

The problem only starts when you do things like bringing minors into the mix. For what, again, I hope are obvious reasons.

Hypnosis is something that can be used as a great plot device when used for non-horny reasons too, and that's the context we're looking at them here.

So now onto the more palatable dark, horrible things you can do with hypnosis! /aff

The one who started the most recent trend was Creative_Creatures with their fic To Reach New Heights. It's a NoCo fic they started in November 2023 and was discontinued in April 2024.

Alejandro tricks Noah into letting himself get hypnotized, and Noah starts getting more and more corrupted as he grapples with his sense of self and the version of himself Alejandro is imposing on him. Cody starts noticing something's up, and Alien Cody also gets involved in the plot.

There are some moments of OOCness that the author has admitted to. They've also stated that they no longer like the work, hence the fic being discontinued. However, I still think it's worth checking out at the very least as a fic to learn from. It still deserves the credit for being the first to try tackling the subject, even if the result didn't end up as expected.

After Creative-Creatures came Total-drama-brainrot, aka Ophe. For Ophe there's actually a linear timeline for how their fic, Snap, Crackle, and Pop, came to be.

The seed started on January 14th, where Ophe made a stray comment about how the fandom doesn't really address the fact that Alejandro hypnotized Owen, and received a response regarding the negative side effects of hypnotism that Owen could have hypothetically dealt with: https://www.tumblr.com/total-drama-brainrot/739512421490835456/i-was-thinking-more-along-the-lines-of-how-messing

About a month later, Ophe made a seemingly random ask regarding how one would write hypnosis. I may or may not have a footnote in this history as I made a comment regarding To Reach New Heights: https://www.tumblr.com/total-drama-brainrot/741634477880754176/how-the-fuck-am-i-supposed-to-write-hypnosis

A day later they unleashed Snap, Crackle, and Pop, a fic where Alejandro convinces Noah to make a bet regarding hypnosis, and takes advantage of Noah's forced compliance from then on. Though Noah is by no means helpless and finds his own ways to fight back.

The fic only has three chapters written so far with no clear idea of when the next chapter will release. Still, I highly recommend it for the writing and the exploration of the concept.

About a week later, Ayawilliams came into the picture. For those of you who don't know who Ayawilliams is, I'm going to assume you're new to the fandom. In which case, hi! Glad to have you here! They've been shipping Alenoah as far back as 2016 on Fanfiction.net from what I can tell. This was way before it started taking over as the main ship in 2021. They're still consistently writing fic every few days, and through all of this have made a name for themselves on AO3.

If you look through the comments for the first chapter of Snap, Crackle, and Pop you can see that AyaWilliams definitely did take note of the hypnosis fic, and of To Reach New Heights. Almost a week later they delved into their first foray into hypnosis fic: Passive. (Though the main inspiration for the fic is credited to a role-reversal genderswapped fic called Hexxed by lonelybrachiobrute (triceratroops)).

Passive's a role reversal one-shot where Noah is actually the one hypnotizing Alejandro to be better at the competition for just a small, tiny price.

AyaWilliams liked the idea so much they made a sequel fic set in the same universe during the London episode called Unrecognized Yearnings.

The hypnosis trend of fic came full circule on March 5, 2024 when AyaWilliams wrote A little persuasion. After London, Alejandro threatens Noah into letting Alejandro hypnotize him or else he'd do it to Owen.

Since that fic, there haven't been any new additions to the hypnosis trend for Alenoah.

Which I think is a shame, because I do rather like hypnosis as a plot device. It's a branch of mind control that needs one party to trust the other in order for it to work. It's an exploration of power dynamics, and how they can be exploited and taken advantage of.

And although none of these fics explore it, I also like considering the other side of hypnosis. With the idea that the trust is warranted, and the hypnotizer uses a power that could so easily destroy and corrupt to instead help the hypnotizee achieve a state of calm and peace they didn't know was possible. Or to help them work past their own inner demons by detaching in a safe way, with the ability to ground themselves to come to a better understanding of themselves.

Or as another, more specific, certainly not something I have in mind for one of my own AUs example: Having Alejandro who starts off with using hypnosis merely to get what he wants from people, only to transition as he grows as a person to use it to do something like bring a certain cynic out of a dissociative state induced by personal trauma. And possibly becoming open to the idea of allowing said cynic that same amount of power over him, creating a more balanced relationship founded on trust between the two.

But you didn't hear that example from me.

Hypnosis can be used in multiple ways, and how specific characters use it and react to it speaks so much about who they are as a person. Every way is neat, and I hope to see more of it!

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk.

[dollypopup]

bridgerton season 3 part 2 spoilers

I want to preface this with saying that I have loved Polin for two years. Two years, hundreds of thousands of words, and almost 50 stories. I have loved this couple through fan edits, through fics, through rereads, through songs. I have loved this couple so deeply and earnestly and endlessly

And so my disappointment in Part 2 stems, predominately, from the fact that I just wish it had been better.

I wish it hadn't been as cut through with plotlines that went, ultimately, nowhere. Will and Alice with the tension of 'I don't want to give up the club' 'Well, you should to suit the status quo' 'Oh, okay'. Benedict with his 'I love being free. Let's shag freely!' 'I may have feelings for you' 'I still just want to shag freely, but now I'm opening up more options' (tho, congrats on the bisexuality!) Violet and Marcus who are just being set up for the final season. Cressida, who's story tugged my heartstrings so much, and ended up in the dirt.

But more than anything, I wish Colin had gotten more. There were so many moments where he could have been expanded upon, where his character could have shined, and I truly want to commend Luke Newton, he did a phenomenal job with the crumbs he was given, but was ultimately shoved to the wayside for the Lady Whistledown plot.

In truth, this is a writing problem. The actors are phenomenal. They have chemistry, they have passion, and they are all believable, but the writing fell flat. They gave too much time to side plots and, frankly, to Debling, who was such a nothingburger and didn't even return that it was evident he only existed because the series was afraid to lean fully into Colin's complexities. You know what is more compelling and more worthwhile to explore than 'Oh, I could lose her to someone else?'

Losing her to herself.

Colin spent part 2 ultimately SAD. And he had every right to be. But instead of fully exploring that, he was relegated to the sidelines to support Penelope's storyline. And I understand completely that this season was for the Pen stans, but damn, I wish he got SOMETHING. Kanthony's advice to him was useless, Colin started the series knowing he couldn't open up to his brothers and still not doing so by the end. Colin saying that his ultimate purpose was to support and love Pen was a horrific cop out and a disservice of his character. It's a bad plotline when a woman says so for a man, and it's a bad plotline when a man says so for a woman.

I love these two so much, and I feel like they could have had so much better. Penelope now writing the same gossip, tying herself to Mayfair, but under her name now, thus ensuring that people are aware and being different around her for the sake of her publication is bad. To imply that her dreams are Lady Whistledown is lazy- Lady Whistledown is a plot device the writers are unable to let go, not Penelope's ultimate dreams.

You want me to believe that this woman's biggest dreams are to continue writing gossip? Not novels? Not stories? Not an autobiography? Not to travel? Not to make more friends? But to have a baby and write about parties? They tried giving legitimacy to gossip as if Penelope ever had any peer review, as if she is the be all end all of what is and is not true- she cannot possibly know fully.

I wanted more for her than to be a teenage mum tied to a gossip blog. I wanted more for Colin than to publish a book offscreen and take over an estate until his son comes of age. I wanted more for POLIN. Their beautiful moments were truly BEAUTIFUL. That first time scene was lovely- but how much lovelier would it be after he knew who she was in full and accepted all of it? Their reconciliation felt hollow because he was not truly given the time to process it. The pain of separation, sleeping on the couch as she took the bed, was hardly explored outside of a few quick scenes.

No montage of their letters, no Colin standing beside her, and that Lady Whistledown reveal where everyone clapped? I don't understand it. I wish so much that this show took a good story and made it better, and that's where my bitterness lies. Not because I'm a hater, but because I'm a lover. I wanted to love it so, so much.

And I know it could have been better. My couple is better than this. My couple is better than Penelope's ultimate goal being independence and Colin's ultimate goal being an accessory. My couple is a pair of equals. My couple is a pairing of two people who love one another so damn much they can't even stand it. Where is my Penelope who fights for him? Where is my Colin who announces to the world he loves her?

I guess that Polin ended up on the cutting room floor in the edits, because what we got wasn't enough for me

[asterlark]

the thing that gets me so much about the storytelling in knives out is that it's a story within a story within a story- or i guess more accurately, it's a story about multiple stories being told and acted in and against each other. ransom/hugh/supreme scumbag wrote the story of harlan's murder and of pinning the crime on marta; meanwhile, harlan wrote the story of what marla would do in the aftermath of his death and the ensuing investigation.

problem for mr. hugh is, marta is not a flat character or a pawn in his game he can manipulate to his will to ensure he gets away scot free (and, to a lesser extent, despite harlan's insistence and marta's best efforts, marta cannot carry out his lie for long during the high-pressure investigation. even when it's in her own best interest to lie, marta cannot and will not be manipulated into telling a false story). marta is a smart and caring human being who has agency in her narrative- and since she is the heroine, the narrative wants her to win, so she has allies like blanc on her side. blanc mostly doesn't interfere with the stories being told, he observes them and then, as he says, strolls leisurely along the real story- the truth's- axis and eventually comes to its inevitable conclusion. this is when he will step in and act upon the narrative, but only to reveal the truth and to ensure the hero gets the rewards they deserve.

on top of all that, it really gets me how there's a very meta framing device of the primary murder victim in this mystery being a famous murder mystery author, and much of the plot revolving around his efforts to author what his loved ones' lives will be like after his death... and the way hugh's murder plot is like something right out of a harlan mystery novel (to the point that harlan, before he realizes he's about to die, makes a point to write down the method of murder as an ingenious way to kill someone)....... and all that isn't even considering all the stories the family members tell themselves and others about their relationship to harlan, how they view the family legacy, etc.

marta is the heroine precisely because she is not trying to tell a false story for her own gain (as the family accuses her of doing after the reading of the will)- she is simply concerned with carrying out her late friend's wishes and doing right by him. she is probably the only person who really knew harlan, the full truth of him, and was his friend without any selfish agenda. she is a good person, a person who would never try to claim another's story as her own, which is exactly why harlan trusted her with his life, his home, and his legacy. he couldn't have known what would happen, but he knew she would do her best to honor his memory after he was gone. ultimately though, no matter who else tried to write or edit it (including harlan), this is marta's story and hers alone to live and change and discover.

this has been a long post already so i'll end it here but suffice it to say that over four years post-release, i'm still so fascinated by the ways these characters actively try to either rewrite the story playing out in front of them, or reveal the truth at the heart of things (as blanc would say, the hole inside of the donut's hole). this movie just makes my storytelling and puzzle-loving nerd heart go BRRRRR

[satureja13]

After a few additional hours working on the devices, Rubyn called it a day and dragged the Boys over to the Cantina. Sai only followed reluctantly, he wanted to get it done already. But the others are tired and Rubyn was adamant. Jack squealed when he saw what the Cantina offered! He shoved Sai on one of the gaming mats and hopped onto the other. Jack and Sai love games of all kind and it's been far too long since they had the chance to play some video games together.

Ji Ho and Vlad stayed outside - to recharge. They are still too worn up after teleporting and the noise and commotion inside the cantina would only make it worse for them.

Jack and Kiyoshi were planning their late night Grim Reaper quests. And while Jack was still busy reading the tome, Kiyoshi asked Rubyn about some plants they could graft. Mos Verdantis is self-sufficient, so of course Rubyn owns a greenhouse. Rubyn: "Use whatever plants you want, I'm always looking for some new breeds. The greenhouse is right behind the yard we had dinner." Kiyoshi: "Awesome, thanks!"

Jeb had dragged Sai over to a little nook where they could talk for a while in peace. But Sai only had their mission to find Tiny Can (and desintegrate him) on his mind. Jeb: "Can we maybe just not talk about our problems for a while? It's the first time for ages we're on something that could count as a date." Sai stopped in his motion. A date? With Jeb? NOW? Omg!

Saiwa straightened, aghast: "Eh, sure. What do you want to talk about instead?" Jeb smiled: "We barely haven't seen each other for months. I'm sure we figure something out. I saw you started reading. What books do you like?" Saiwa blushed. It's embarrassing to tell Jeb he's reading steamy gay romance books. But it's also a good chance to get them talking about their love life, right? Sai: "Eh. I found these romance books and I really like them."

Jeb blushed. So Sai is reading books about hot guys...other hot guys. He was a bit jealous. And worried Sai could look somewhere else for the things he couldn't give him. And sad, because he couldn't give Sai what he was longing for - apparently. But this could be a good starter to talk about their love life - and to tell Sai about his worries. And maybe find some solutions? And so Jeb listened closely to what these hot guys were up to in Sai's favourite books. Surprisingly these novels were not only about making out and wild woohoos. They offered interesting plots for all tastes and endearing characters. This wasn't as humiliating as Jeb had expected it to be. They forgot time and talked for hours. They didn't even notice the others already all left.

Ji Ho and Vlad went to their tent early. Ji Ho feels how happy Vlad is to be here and on the way to their tent, he coaxed Vlad into a conversation about this place, spaceships and Star Wars. Almost just like a normal couple ^^' Ji Ho can even comprehend why Vlad is so amazed. This place is stunning.

Jack and Kiyoshi are already busy in the greenhouse - with Grim's requests.

Jack: "Huh? It's stuck somehow." Kiyoshi: "Wait, I'll help you open it up a little wider..." Jack: "Ah! That's better! ... Look at that plump stem jutting out! I can barely get my hand around it's girth!" Sai: "Hey! Do your filthy mates, just mates stuff in silence!" Jack laughed: "Are you jealous? Don't worry - we're at the greenhouse and the door got stuck. And I was referring to a plant and not to Kiyoshi's 'stem' hahaha." Sai muttered to himself: "I'm going to kill him..." Jeb: "I'm heading to the bathroom." Nooo! Sai wanted to tempt Jeb for a good night kiss before they went to sleep in their tents. Dammit. No kiss - and another night with Jack...

Sai trudged in one of the empty tents. It had been such a nice evening with Jeb, and now he'd ruined it - because of Jack! Who knows when they were able to be alone together again. He just took off his clothes and rummaged furiously in his suitcase when the tarpaulin rustled. Are Jack and Kioyshi already done? Jeb gasped: "I... I'm sorry! Forgot - forgot..." Omg, it's Jeb!

Sai dropped what he had in his hands: "What are you doing here? Aren't you sharing a tent with Kiyoshi?" This kicked Jeb out of his stupor and he laughed: "As if anyone could separate Jack from his fated mate ^^' " Sai: "Oh." Jeb was so enchanted by the look of Sai, he wasn't able to stop himself from saying: "You're utterly beautiful." Sai held his breath for a second, but he was unable to hold his words back either: "I want you so bad, Jeb."

Jeb hauled Sai in his arms and kissed him hungrily. He had no idea where this sudden boldness came from ö.Ö' But it felt so right.

What they didn't knew was, that Jack, that little rascal, stashed his Romantium ore under Sai's bed! The same ore that had been responsible for Jack and Kiyoshi's woohoo in the Sanctum! Let's hope Sai is never going to find it. Or he will really kill Jack ö.Ö'

'I wanna glide down over Mulholland I wanna write her name in the sky I'm gonna free fall out into nothin' Gonna leave this world for a while Now I'm free (Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a) Free fallin' (Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a) Yeah, I'm free (Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a) Free fallin' (Free fallin', I'm-a free fallin', I'm-a) Tom Petty - Free Fallin'

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-28