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twicecorner · 3 years

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NSFW Tag Game

Roleplay in the boudoir isn't strange. Some of your partners even get costumes. Of course, some of those costumes see more use than others. Now you can't help but get at least a little horny whenever you see someone dressed like that. Who was it that forever changed how you see these ones?

How it works:

Go to “Random.org”.

Click on “Lists & More” and then “Lists Randomised”.

Enter the names of 18+ people/characters.

Use the first 8 to find out who really loves these outfits.

Tagged by @nsfwporty ; idk who to tag sooo if u see this and wanna do it go for it !

A/N: i added another category so I could get all 9 Twice members in lol I hope that’s okay. I also did the same sort of thing as @sinswithpleasure with the lil scenarios jumping between real life and purely roleplaying situations :) also sorry its so long and may sound repetitive.. I haven’t done something like this before TT

Police Officer - Nayeon

“You have the right to remain silent,” Officer Im Nayeon said, as she handcuffed you to the chair. “I already told you everything I know. I don’t know where she went, she knocked me out, took my car and left.” Nayeon slammed her fists on the metal table. She thought for a moment before saying, “Maybe there’s a way to get something we both want. I’ve been seeing you eyeing me ever since I walked in here.” You were confused as to why she’d bring that up, but you couldn’t help it, with a body like that and who doesn’t love a woman in uniform.She stepped out of the room for a moment and came back in with a totally different mood. Nayeon pushed your chair back and lowered herself onto her knees, unzipping your pants and pulling out your cock. Officer Im started to slowly stroke your length with her long, slender fingers, bringing it to stand at full attention. Your wrists were handcuffed behind you and the metal dug into your skin at her touch. Soon she brought her mouth to your tip and began furiously devouring your length.

You watched and moaned as your rod moved in and out of Officer. Im’s wet mouth, “Fuck I need more, Officer.” Your attempt to jerk your hips in tandem with her movements failed when Nayeon completely removed her mouth from you. “You know, you’re not half bad looking and you have a nice big cock. But you’re gonna have to do better than that if you wanna cum. ” She stood up, picked the small handcuff keys from her pocket, jingled them in your face, and walked towards the door laughing to herself. “OK wait! Before she left she may have mentioned a possible place or two she was heading to.” Officer Im stopped with her hand on the doorknob and spun around. “Now, we’re getting somewhere.. Tell me where she is and you’ll be released.. In more ways than one.” She said, returning to the spot on her knees in front of you. She started deep throating you fast, you were impressed at her skills and also a little worried about who could have been watching from the one-way glass, but that soon left your mind when you felt yourself nearing your edge. Nayeon’s tight throat closed around your length and with a few more bobs of her head you were seeing white “Oh fuck! She’s at her old dorm, Officer” You moaned loudly, releasing yourself and painting her throat. After swallowing your load Officer Im stood up, took off your handcuffs, said thank you and left the room without any other word.

Doctor/Nurse - Momo

You’d been sick for about a week with a little head cold and your girlfriend, Momo, was doing all that she could to take care of you, practically acting like your personal nurse. Finally feeling better, you were relaxing in bed when you heard a knock on the door before Momo, dressed in a makeshift nurses outfit strutted in. “It looks like my little Y/N is feeling better! Would you like a lollipop for being such a good patient for Nurse Momo?” You both laughed.‘“No, but I can think of something sweeter that I want right now.”

“And what would that be?”“I need the nurses special medicine to make me feel even better” You said smirking. Momo knew exactly what you meant before walking over to the bed hiking up her skirt and taking a seat on your face. Instantly you licked up her slit and gathered all of her nectar on your tongue. Momo always tasted so sweet. You ate her out, tongue fucking her and she planted her hands on your chest before grinding down on your face. She was a moaning mess and reached down with one hand slipping it under your sweats and began stroking your cock fast. You were both nearing your edge and with a few more licks and sucks at her clit she released her juices all over your face, at the same time you let go and let yourself erupt all over her hand and your stomach. “Maybe you should be sick more and I could be a nurse more often.”

Maid/Butler - Tzuyu

“Your dinner is ready, Sir”, “Thank you Ms. Chou.”

You sat at the small dining table looking out at the nighttime Seoul skyline from your apartment. Both you and Tzuyu liked the idea of one day living a lavish, wealthy lifestyle, and some nights you decided to roleplay around that idea. Tzuyu stood next to you in a classic maids outfit. “Ms. Chou, actually I think I’d like to start with dessert.” “And what would you like, sir?” You quickly got up from your seat and grabbed her waist pulling her in for a passionate kiss. “You”

Without wasting any time you picked her up and sat her onto the dining table with her long legs, hanging over the edge. You licked your lips as you pulled off Tzuyu’s panties, like unwrapping a piece of candy. Making your way to her center, you planted kisses up her thighs and pushed her skirt up. “Your desert is ready and waiting, Sir” she said, breathily.

You instantly tore into the delicacy before you, hooking your arms under her legs and around her hips to pull her body closer to you. Tzuyu was always sweet, but in her maid fit, she seemed even sweeter. It was like eating the finest fruit tart from a Michelin star restaurant. “Ms. Chou you taste so good” You say between licks. You sucked at her clit and lapped up her juices. She moaned and grabbed handfuls of your hair, pulling your head further into her. You began tongue fucking her, “Oh Sir, right there, that feels so good oh f-fuck im gonna cum, Sir” Within seconds of sucking and licking she squirted all over your face. You drank up as much as you could, some dripping from your chin when she finally released your head from her thighs. “Mmm, Ms. Chou, you’re the best desert on the menu.”

Fairytale Character - Sana

Sana was always a fan of playing dress up, especially in the bedroom. She came out of the bathroom in a short, tight green skirt with a purple bikini top on, her red-orange hair completing the look. “It looks like Ariel finally got her legs” You laughed. “Now all I need is my Prince Eric for a true love's kiss” She said, smiling and sauntering over to you. Sana blew you a kiss and you playfully acted along catching it and putting it to your lips. “Come here, then Ariel, I can give you a lot more than a true love’s kiss.” You pulled her in for a kiss as she sat on top of you. Your lips danced together while your tongues fought a fierce battle.

Before you knew it clothes were off, and Sana was on top of you bouncing up and down on your cock. The sound of skin slapping skin rang out through your room. Your cock slid in and out of her hole easily, it was practically drowning with how wet she was. “Oh fuck, I’m so close princess” You groaned, your swollen length pulsating inside of her. “Me too!” she said bouncing harder and faster, your hips matching her rhythm.

Suddenly Sana leaned forward, “I want my true love to kiss me while I cum all over his big cock” The second she said that and her perfect lips met yours, you both reached your edges, moaning into each other's mouths and riding out your orgasms.

CEO/Boss - Jihyo

Being the CEO’s secretary had its perks, sure the rest of the office made fun of you for practically being Park Jihyo’s pet, being at her every beck and call, but there was a damn good reason for it. Park Jihyo wasn’t known for just being a great boss, but with a body and a mind like hers, anyone would gladly take the same position as you. It was a Friday night and you were both staying late to finish preparing for a board meeting next Monday. “Do you have all the copies ready Y/N?” “Yes, they’re all on the conference table, the bottles of water and pens are also ready.”

“Always one step ahead, that’s what I love about you.” You had to admit you’d be lying if you said you’d never fantasized about taking your boss, especially when she showed up looking the way she did. Jihyo sat at her desk chair and swing her feet onto the desk, “Ugh this week has been so stressful, thank God we have a weekend coming up”

“Ma’am.. I hate to remind you, but you have a schedule for both days of that said weekend”, “Fuck… I can’t even have a moment to relax or get a massage.. I don’t remember the last time I had one.” You don’t know where your confidence came from but you sprung out of your seat and stood next to her, “I think I could help with that, boss” You said, snaking your hands onto her shoulders. Jihyo seemed to relax under your touch as you rubbed your fingers into her tight muscles, “Oh yeah that’s good, right there” She said, practically moaning, as you kneaded a knot in her shoulder. You could feel the warmth build up in your groin as your member came to life hearing her. “Fuck it.” it was like you blinked and there you were standing behind your boss who was laid against her own desk, her jacket and bra discarded, her pants and underwear pulled down to her ankles and her heels still on. Similarly your shirt was also gone and your pants were pulled down, your thick cock running between your bosses ass cheeks. “Don’t just stand there, Y/N, fuck me already.” “Yes, ma’am” you said, plunging yourself into her warm depths, she was suffocatingly tight and wet. You took a few slow thrusts at first then, “Harder, you little shit. I’m not paying you overtime if you aren’t putting in the work.” You’ve never seen Jihyo like this, but quite frankly you liked it. Both of you were relieving built up stress and you were happily pounding into her. You pulled her hair so her back was flat against your chest and you ran your hand around to grab at her tits. Massaging her tit and pinching at her nipple drove her over the edge and you had to hold her up as her legs buckled. Jihyo’s pussy pulsated and you erupted inside of your boss, her walls milking your worn out cock. The two of you fell onto the desk, “Shit, boss that felt so fucking good.” “It looks like we might have to do this more often, baby.”

Devil/Angel - Dahyun

It was Halloween, you and your girlfriend, Dahyun, were at a friend's party. She insisted you dress up in a couples costume, but didn’t plan on looking for one until the very last minute, of course the only one left at the story was the devil and angel. Dahyun kept bumping her wings into everyone while you both danced but you couldn’t keep your eyes off of her. The white dress fit her well and there was something about the whole getup with you as a devil and her as an angel that was slowly turning you on. You grabbed her hand and brought her to the bathroom and lifted her onto the sink. She was about to take off the wings and halo, but you stopped her. “Keep them on. I wanna fuck my little angel.” Dahyun moaned at your words as you pierced her to the hilt with your length. “Oh God, yes” She moaned, throwing her head back and wrapping her creamy legs around your waist. Her heavenly pussy squeezed against your cock, her arms around your neck and gripping onto the plastic horns that adorned your head. The whole situation was sinful even if only halloween costumes. An angel being fucked by the devil, red and white flashes of movements, sounds of skin slapping skin. Dahyun was usually a conservative and quiet girl when it came to sex, but it seemed this situation also had a major effect on her. She was a moaning, mewling mess underneath you while you pounded into her. “I’m gonna.. Gonna cum” barely a whisper in your ear. “Cum for me, angel.” Dahyun’s body shook and convulsed with pleasure as she reached her peak. You held on to her and slowed your thrusts as she rode out her orgasm on your cock. You were close too and Dahyun knew it. She recovered and hopped off the sink, getting on her knees in front of you. She pumped your cock mercilessly, twisting and gripping it, massaging your aching balls until you erupted and painted her face. Spurts of cum shot out and marked her angelic face.

Athlete Coach - Mina

It was a normal day at the gym for you, you were a seasoned gymnast and had daily practices in prep for the Olympic Qualifiers coming up. When you got into the gym there was a group of girls also “practicing?” Although it wasn’t normal gymnastics, but rhythmic gymnastics. Gymnastics that also involved hoops, balls, and dance. You didn’t think much of it and went to the uneven bars to warm up. You lifted yourself up and from the peak of your pull up, someone caught your eye. The main dancer, it seemed, was standing in the middle of the other girls. She was wearing a black shimmery outfit demonstrating some move with the hoop above her head. She was elegant and seemed to know exactly what she was doing with every move of her body. After your practice you went over to find her. She was practicing alone in one of the dance rooms, “Hi, I’m Y/N I’m one of the gymnasts here, I haven’t seen you here before.. But your routine was really good!”

She shyly smiled and looked back at you, “Hi Y/N, my name is Mina, Myoi Mina. I’m actually a ballet dancer, but the girls asked for my advice on their routine so I’ve been helping them prepare for the tournament. I’m glad you like it. I liked your routine as well, you sure know how to catch a girl's attention with all of those flips and such.” You laughed nervously, thinking maybe it was too obvious, but regardless you did catch her a few times staring at you too. “Haha yeah your moves were cool too, I don’t even think I’m that flexible enough to pull that off.” Mina took her chance with that. “Here let me show you.” She brought her leg straight up doing a split in the air, you gulped and your eyes trailed her body. “Holy shit” You said under your breath. She wasn’t wearing any panties… “Are you just gonna look or are you gonna help me, help you. I’ll teach you what you need to know about flexibility.”

Soon you were full on fucking in the empty dance studio, watching yourself in the floor to ceiling length mirrors as Mina showed off just how flexible she was. First you pounded her standing up with her leg straight in the air over your shoulder, next you had your way with her up against the mirror, her legs wrapped around your waist, contorting her body in all sorts of way to bring you both pleasure.. Mina kept surprising you with positions, downward dog with her back deliciously arched, on her back with her legs pulled up against her torso. She came a handful of times but was adamant about you finishing in what she thought was the perfect position. Mina returned to her standing position with her leg above her head, she loved watching herself in the mirror and she loved it even more to see herself getting pounded into. You grabbed her hips and pushed her against the mirror, her juices were already dripping down her legs from her splayed lips.”Cum inside me, I want to feel you inside of me while I dance.” You were sent over the edge and released your seed deep inside of the gorgeous dance teacher.

TV Show/Anime Character - Jeongyeon

You and Jeongyeon had just finished watching the kdrama Mine and she had gotten pretty into the characters and particularly their style. Mine was about these women who are in the process of finding themselves and their own loves, however, the part that captured Jeongyeon’s interest was their lavish chaebol lifestyle. Of course it caught your interest too, the idea of being able to wear fancy clothes and drive a nice car with a mansion was always a fantasy. One night you both decided to test drive this fantasy for yourselves. You both got dressed in what was about the fanciest attire you had in your quaint apartment and went out for a dinner date. You had dinner at a nice steak restaurant where you had to make a reservation in advance and even have your car valeted. Dinner was amazing, considering the price, but it was worth it.

The drive home is when things began to heat up. It was about a 30 minute drive, feeling bold after some wine, you slid your hand over the gear shift to rest on Jeongyeon’s thigh. “That was a wonderful dinner, wasn’t it Ms. Yoo?” “Yes, it was, I say we go back to the Cadenza [a house name from Mine] and have some fun.” You slowly moved your hand up to just rest over her covered center. She held her breath as she grabbed your hand and pushed it towards her. You rubbed her through her panties and she did the same to you, stroking your covered length to life. “I don’t know if we’ll even make it home.” You said, taking a turn and drove to a secluded lookout point the two of you used to frequent in your younger days of dating. “I bet even the fancy and rich decide to get down and dirty sometimes” She said, while you hopped into the backseat. Jeongyeon pulled off her panties before climbing to the back and straddling you.

You pulled down your pants and let your erection spring free, until Jeongyeon lowered herself to the hilt. “You better not get any of your filthy cum on this dress. It’s expensive.” She said, pointing a finger at where your bodies were connected. “Don’t worry it’s expensive too and it’s not going anywhere but inside of you.” You said, grabbing her hips and starting to thrust up into her. She started bouncing on top of you and you both became moaning messes, erratically slamming your bodies together in the small space of the car. “Fuck I’m close” Jeongyeon moaned, “Me too” You replied, between thrusts. As your cock slipped in and out of her, you shifted your position ever so slightly and started hitting her g-spot exactly on point. “FUCK! Right there!” Jeongyeon’s orgasm caught her off guard as her movements slowed and her pussy pulsed around your cock, “Cum with me, baby.” On cue, you came pushing your dick as far as it could go inside of her, her pussy clamped shut around it milking you and not letting anything escape. As you rode out your orgasms she leaned into your ear and said, “You’re Mine.”

Waitress/Waiter - Chaeyoung

“Here’s your usual Y/N!” Chaeyoung smiled as she placed the plate of chicken and waffles and a cup of coffee in front of you. You were a regular at this diner near your house and for as long as you can remember, Chaeyoung had also been working there and serving you. She had this certain vibe to her that was different from anyone else in the town, from changing her hair color with the seasons, to having the most unique and fashionable outfits. The two of you had known each other for so long and you had a special relationship, one could call it something like a friends with benefits type deal. You finished your meal and Chaeyoung came with the bill. “You want the regular tip or the special tip today, Chae?” “The special.” She said, smirking. She told her coworker she was going on break and went into the storage room. You followed her a minute later. Chaeyoung was significantly smaller than you, but she was still able to push you and pin you up against the door crashing your lips together. “We gotta make this fast before the boss comes back.” You swiftly unbuckled your pants and picked her up.

The only perks of having to wear a uniform for the job was that the uniform was only a short skirt. She moved her panties over to the side and you ran your tip through her slit. “Mmm fuck, you’re already so wet Chae.” Before she could answer you slipped inside of her and started pumping in and out of her warm cunt. It wasn’t the first time fucking in the storage room, nor would it be the last, but every time it was exhilarating. The threat of getting caught, of people hearing, knocking over stock shelves or brooms, made it even hotter than it was. That’s what Chaeyoung was, a daredevil, she pushed the limits. She certainly was no stranger to pushing you to your own limits, “Cum inside me Y/N, I want it. Tip me good, maybe even some extra for special service. Fuck, you’re so deep.” Her words sent shivers down your spine and your knees almost buckled as you came and painted her deepest insides with your seed. She loved being filled, the sensation of thick spurt after spurt being let out inside of her sent her over the edge too. Chaeyoung came, clinging onto you, digging her nails into your back. You let her down once you both recovered and cleaned up. “I think that tip will last me at least the rest of the week… Come back soon!” She waved before straightening her skirt and leaving the room.

#tag game #twice #twice smut #twice fanfic #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #nayeon #jeongyeon #momo #sana #jihyo #mina #dahyun #chaeyoung #tzuyu

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senlinyu · 3 years

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Thanks for the tag @simplifiedemotions

How many works do you have on AO3?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

994094. I feel like I've been edging a million words for like a year, and then writing nothing but minifics and one-shots.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Just two three. Harry Potter. Star Wars. Edit: And Avatar: The Last Airbender.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Manacled

2. All You Want

3. The Seduction

4. Love and Other Misfortunes.

5. Height

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I don't. When I started posting on ao3 I didn't realize it was a thing, and thought that if I replied that people would think I was doing it to inflate my comment count, and then by the time I realized that it was the polite thing to do, I was in really deep and had overcommitted myself with update schedules. And replying to comments gives me really bad anxiety for some reason, I feel really bad if my replies are repetitive, or like one person gets a longer response than someone else, and so then I start mentally spiralling and stressing about it, so I've just made it a rule that I don't need to reply to comments and prioritize chapter updates as a way of making it up to my readers. But I do read them all.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably Manacled, that's the one that has hurt the most people I'd say.

Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't. I find worldbuilding in one universe gives me enough stress without adding on a second one.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. Quite a bit of during the last year in particular. I have resigned myself that it's the inevitable consequence of having stories recommended outside of their intended audience, they start finding their way to people who are going to hate them. And I've never prioritized widespread appeal or catered to a particular readership, so it's not surprising, but still it does get to be a bit much somedays when it feels like I can't go anywhere without running into it. But I'm coming to terms with it... and I just stay off social media and keep my social circles small on the days when I don't feel like I can.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I have been known to. I don't even know what kind I write. I've done all sorts at this point. I've found that I don't tend to like writing particularly explicit sex in longer fics because I feel like it tends to distract from the focus of the story, but I enjoy writing smutty one-shots and shorter fics where I can give my kinks a full workout.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes... a couple times now. But so far its been something that's been pretty easily resolved.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. I've been meaning to make a spreadsheet for translations because I've been trying to get more organised about fandom stuff.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

Dramione is what I always come back to in the end.

Whats a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Too many, tbh. I have so many projects that I've started and now they're languishing in my files and I just haven't found them compelling enough to finish or had the motivation to rework into something better.

What are your writing strengths?

I honestly don't know. I think my use of language is fairly vivid, visually/physically/emotionally. That's probably my main strength.

What are your writing weaknesses?

My sentences lean towards being too short and choppy all the time. I can't write first person that I don't despise. I get overwhelmed by large casts. And I can get too easily caught up in overanalyzing my plots and picking them apart and thereby never finishing them.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I enjoy it when there's a plot point to it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Ugh. Hard to say. I have a lot of fond feelings for Manacled since I am pretty proud of it and I kind of... grew up as a writer in the process of writing it. But that also makes it a kind of painful fic to reread because it's hard for me to see the story people love because I just see all the technical issues and things I could have done better.

A lot of my other fics are based at younger ages like Eighth Year (now I'm currently writing a 6th Year fic) where the framework and perspective of the characters is narrowed by their age, and so even though I like them and really enjoyed writing them, they have less of a sense of resonance for me personally. I have a really complicated fic that I've been developing for over a year now that has probably my most interesting Draco and a very complicated Hermione, and if I can swing it, it'll probably be my favourite because it kind of hits a lot of my sweet spots story-wise. But god knows when I'll get around to publishing it.

Tagging: @bourbonrain, @lovesbitca8, @monsterleadmehome, @im-a-monster-fucking-princess @akashathekitty @wordsmithmusings265 @katsitting @littlemulattokitten @jmilzwrites

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nessinborderland · 3 years

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Be Mine (10)

Pairing: Niragi x Reader / Chishiya x Reader

Genre: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Omegaverse

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: You were able to stay unbounded throughout your life. You didn’t want an Alpha; you didn’t need one. You would rather die than to give yourself to some random male. But the man that saved your life thinks differently.

Warnings: Alpha/Omega, Dubious Consent, Vaginal Sex, Vaginal Fingering, Finger fucking, Rough Sex, Rough Kissing, Unprotected Sex, Creampie, Breeding, Pregnancy Kink, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Drama, Developing Relationship, Past Abuse, Scars, Death, Blood and Gore, Animal Death, Trauma, Bath Sex, Blood and Injury, Oral Sex, Dom/sub Undertones, Feelings

Notes: A new Be Mine chapter??? Indeed my darlings, indeed. I have no excuses really, I wrote this chapter in less than 24 hours. Let's see if I can be more consistent from now on, shall we? Tysm for your patience, you guys are the best <3

AO3 Link Masterlist

The days that follow are like a dream.

All that you can think about is him; all you want is him; all you can see is him. Nothing and no one else matters. You know that he feels the same, now that you're bonded, souls connected.

You spend your days in his bedroom – now yours too, you suppose – mating, sleeping, and enjoying each other’s presence. You barely talk. You don’t make a sound besides the moaning and chanting of each other’s names every time you’re lost in each other’s bodies. You don’t leave your room for anything – not even to eat – surviving on the daily tray of food that is left at your door.

Not that any of you cares. The only hunger you feel is for each other.

"We have to play tonight," your Alpha ignores your whispered words as he keeps fucking into you from behind, face buried in your hair and hands kneading your tits as you slowly wake up from your slumber. You guess you can congratulate yourself for still remembering the games; you know he doesn't, "Niragi…"

"Shh, not now," he whispers in your ear, followed by a moan as you start meeting his thrusts, hand raising to caress his hair. You comb your fingers through his soft strands, turning your head back to meet his lips in a passionate kiss.

You stay like that for a while, involved in the pleasure of your afternoon mating session, eyes closed as you lavish in each other's scent. He smells more like you now, a sweetness mixed with spice. It fills you with pride, a possessiveness that shows you that you won, that the Alpha is as much yours as you are his.

You love it.

"I love you," he whispers against your lips as he fastens his thrusts. It had surprised you when he said it the first time, right on the first day when you were so exhausted that you could barely hold onto consciousness. You thought he had forgotten about it until he started saying it every time he was inside you, a faint whisper that you could barely hear but could feel in his heart like a fire consuming both of your souls.

"I love you too," you answer every time. That small corner of your human brain that still holds onto logic chastises you for it, but you ignore it and push it aside. You don't want those thoughts on the front of your mind, and you definitely don't want your Alpha to feel that something is wrong.

Because nothing is wrong, you think.

You whine as you feel yourself get closer to climax, the sensation of him stretching you and filling you at every thrust too much for you to bear. You come with a cry, clenching around his length as your vision turns white and your body trembles from pleasure. Niragi comes not long after, spilling inside you with a groan as you feel his knot start to swell, connecting you both even more to each other.

You doze off as you usually do while you're knotted, enjoying the sensation of him inside you like that, bodies close but souls closer. You can feel his satisfaction, a bright light of contentment that makes you happy and comfortable in his presence.

Behind that light, there's a darkness that you've decided to ignore. For now.

"We have to play tonight," Niragi says after some time, kissing your earlobe before gently pulling out of you. Both of you moan at the sensation, tired and sore from all the repetitive mating. You're both way more sensitive to pain now that your heat is coming to an end.

"That's what I said," you lightly slap his arm, chuckling when he hugs you closer and tickles your neck by nibbling and kissing your soft skin, "I really don't want to go, though."

"Why?" he chuckles with a light pinch to your waist, "Afraid I'll fuck you in public again?"

That night some days ago had been a mess. Forced to go to a game in the middle of your heat was one of the hardest things you had to do.

It took some inhumane strength not to mate in front of everyone in the lobby. People were already staring and talking about you – the last thing you needed was that – so you controlled yourself the best you could as you got into your group's car. You remember it consisted of Aguni and a few other people you didn't know the names of, everyone too intimidated to even sit too close to the intense couple making out in the backseat.

You were thankfully conscious enough of your surroundings to stop Niragi from fucking you in front of everyone in that car; that and Aguni had threatened both of you with a fate worse than death if you did anything more than kissing.

So you controlled yourselves.

Until it was time to play. You barely remember the game or how you even got out alive, but what you remember vividly is being fucked by your mate against a building, both of you covered in blood but too consumed by lust to care about it – or about the people that could clearly see you going at it.

That is not what's bothering you though. What's bothering you are the inevitable things that you'll have to face as soon as you leave this bedroom, and your illusion of happiness is shattered. That's why you don't want to go.

You think of lying for a moment and let him believe that you're concerned about something trivial, but decide against it.

"We have a lot to talk about," is all you say.

His eyes darken immediately, and you can feel a mix of emotions emanating from him as his gaze flashes to the mark his claws left on your cheek, now light scars marking the skin. You can feel the regret and pain coming from him every time he looks at what he did.

"I'm sorry," his hand cradles your cheek as he kisses your face, right over the scars. He has apologized dozens of times since you bonded, but it never seems to be enough for him.

"I forgive you," you always say back, "That is not what I mean, though," you don't want him to have to relive his trauma. You know more than enough about it, "I mean us. We need to talk about what we're going to do from now on. I want this to work."

"Why shouldn't we work?" he asks, a brow raised, "I won't let Chishiya touch you and we're gonna leave this place someday. I'm working on it. We're bonded now, you don't have anything to worry about."

"That's not- You know how my parent’s relationship was and–"

"We're not your parents."

"No, we're worse!"

"What do you mean by that?" his tone is cold, and you can feel his anger grow, "If you think I'm gonna cheat on you, no, I'm not planning on it, so relax, okay?"

You bite your lip as to not say what you're really thinking; that's not what worries you either. Yes, you hate thinking of the possibility of him breaking your heart, but you're willing to trust him on that.

"Are you willing to change, then?" you ask, "No more violence, no more murder, no more… everything I've seen you do?"

He takes a deep breath. Regret; not from his actions, but because you know what he did and there's no way he can hide it from you. Fear; you're not sure why, but you wonder if he's afraid you'll punish him for it.

Anger.

"I'm not a dog you can put a leash on, Y/N," he says, turning his back to you as he stands up and walks to the bathroom, "I'm still the man I was before meeting you, you better get used to it."

"This is what I was talking about!" you say with a frustrated grunt, standing up to follow him, "How do you expect us to be happy together when you can't bother to change?"

Niragi says nothing as he turns on the shower faucet, back still turned to you, his ugly scars in full view. It reminds you of that nightmarish day where you learned about his abuse and everything that came with it. It hurts you to know that this broken man in front of you, your mate, is someone you would despise otherwise. You ignore the fleeting thought that part of you may think exactly that.

"I know you're in pain, but that is not an excuse to act like you do."

"Mind your fucking business," he mumbles as he gets under the water stream.

You take a deep breath, fists close by your side as you struggle to not let anger win over you. You knew this would be a problem, and you knew this would be hard.

But damn you if you're not going to try.

"You are my fucking business, you asshole!" you exclaim as you watch him shower like you're not even there. You can feel his emotions, though – stubbornness and proudness to stay true to the persona he created, mixing with the desire to please you, "Ugh, I'm so putting you in therapy when we get out of here."

"Good luck with that, sweetheart," he says with a shrug, "I never promised you I was going to change in any way. Sorry if I'm not good enough for you, but we're bonded now."

You don’t know if you want to hit him or cry. Probably both.

"You're a coward," you say as you watch him, hoping he would at least be brave enough to look you in the eyes. He tenses up immediately, and you know you've angered him enough now. You regret your words almost instantly but still, you keep going, "Just a scared little boy that thinks that the only way he can be safe is by hurting others. I'm sorry all those awful things happened to you but you don't have to act like you do," you can't control your voice from wavering, "You can change. You're not alone," you walk the small distance until you're pressing against his back, ignoring when he flinches from your touch, "I'm here for you. Please, let me help you."

"Are you done?" you sigh at his words, hugging him from the back when he tries to move away from you, "Y/N… I can't," he says, voice almost drowned by the sound of the shower, "I can't do what you expect of me. Not here."

"Please I–"

"Stop!" his order echoes in the bathroom, making you jump at his tone; this is your Alpha talking. He finally turns to face you, cradling your face as his yellow eyes lock on yours, "Just stop talking about it, for fucks sake. I'm not changing, and I'm not gonna hurt. You don't have anything to worry about."

His words almost make you burst into tears, but you swallow the urge and take a step away from him, eyes cast down.

"My dad said something similar to my mom and me before… before what he did," you say before walking out of the bathroom, wet body shivering as you try to figure out if you should leave the room.

"I'm not your fucking father, goddammit!" he shouts right behind you, grabbing you by the shoulder to turn you to face him, "Stop comparing us, I'm not like him and we're not like them! We–"

"How do you expect me not to compare you when you do all those awful things while expecting me to be okay with it?" you shout back, tears streaming down your face, "Why should I believe that you're not going to hurt me or the future children we may have? Fuck, the idea of having children with you terrifies me!" the hurt you see in his eyes doesn't stop you, "You can't promise me that you won't just lose it one day and hurt us! You can't promise me that you won't make me regret–"

"You regret this?" the hands on your shoulder squeeze you so hard that you wince, but his voice is stone-cold, nothing like the fire that is burning through your bond "You regret bonding with me, is that what this is about?"

"No, I–"

"You want that fucker that used you and tried to kill me instead?"

"I want–"

"What do you want?" you think there are unshed tears in his eyes, but you can’t see through your own tears.

"I want you!" you say with a sob. He looks at you for a moment before going to a drawer and taking out a hunting knife. Your hunting knife, the one he took from you when you first met.

"Remember this?" he forces you to pick up the knife, fingers curling around yours as he makes you press the knife against his neck even when you gasp in horror, "I do something to you, you kill me. As your Alpha I'm ordering you to kill me if I ever hurt you in any way, understood?"

"I can't–"

"You will!" his tone is firm, an Alpha order that you can't ignore. You nod with a cry, his expression softening as you both let go of the knife and he hugs you. You cry against his chest, pleading with him. He doesn't react to your words, hugging you and whispering things that gradually calm you down.

You barely remember falling asleep in his arms.

Neither of you talks about it when you wake up hours later, head pounding from all the crying. Niragi is already ready for the games, dressed in his usual attire and hair styled in his usual half-bun. It reminds you every bit of who he really is, and you know he feels your pain as strongly as you do.

You get out of your room in silence but close to each other, the idea of being apart unbearable even after the fight you had.

You ignore the whispers and looks that everyone sends your way as you walk down to the lobby, hand in hand and rifle over his shoulder. You notice how intimated everyone is, immediately getting out of the way as you pass by. Your heart stops when you see Chishiya from afar, eyes on you. You're glad when he makes no move to get close, waving to you instead before whispering something to Kuina beside him.

You glance at Niragi, not surprised to see that his focus is already on the other Alpha. You weren't expecting anything else.

"Is it over yet?" a voice from behind you asks. You turn around to see Ann, arms crossed as she looks at both of you. Niragi promptly ignores her, his eyes still on Chishiya.

"Pretty close," you nod. After all the emotions you went through, you think it might just have ended for good. You don't know if you should feel fear or relief, "What did we miss?"

"Nothing much. Things have been… calmer around here," she says with a glance to Niragi, "Are you okay?"

You nod with a small smile, hoping she won't notice the tension between you and your mate. You're sure she does, though, when she squints for a moment before nodding.

"I'm here if you need to talk," she says with a touch to your arm before sending a last look to Niragi and walking away.

You take a deep sigh as you wait for the groups to be made, wishing you were back to your illusion of happiness. Niragi's hand gives a light squeeze to your waist before he leans in your direction.

"We'll be back in no time," he whispers in your ear with a kiss to your temple. His lips linger on your skin, and you know that that's his way of calming you down and apologize, "We'll be fine."

You are not fine.

The bullet wound on your arm burns like it's on fire, blood seeping through the makeshift bandage Niragi made from one of his shirt's sleeves.

"I'm going to kill that motherfucker!" he rages as he drives back to the Beach, car empty as your group either died or was forgotten back at the arena.

"Please slow down," you say as the car races through the empty streets of Tokyo. He glances at you through the corner of his eye but keeps pressing on the pedal, clearly set on getting you back to the Beach in record time.

"How're you feeling?" he asks in a worried tone, hand squeezing your knee.

"Like I was shot in the arm," you chuckle at your bad joke, tapping his hand, "Both hands on the wheel, please."

He's getting you out of the car as soon as you arrive at the Beach, barking at a group of militants nearby to go get Ann. He rushes across the hotel with you in his arms, bursting through the door of your bedroom and gently laying you on the bed.

Your bleeding thankfully stopped a while ago, but you still feel dizzy from blood loss, suddenly exhausted, and in extreme pain now that the adrenaline wore off. A movement by the door snaps both your attention as Ann rushes into the room, a bag of what you guess are medical supplies in one hand.

"What happened?" she asks as she sits next to you, taking off your bandage before starting to examine your injury.

"I was stupid and got shot," you say with a groan of pain. You had been so focused on your own thoughts that you forgot where you were for a moment, making you an excellent target for shooting practice. You only got out alive because Niragi was there.

"Well, looks like it didn't hit any major arteries," Ann says as she starts cleaning your wound. You squeeze Niragi's hand in yours at the pain, screaming as your arm burns.

"Hey baby, look at me," Niragi says as he cradles your cheek, forcing you to focus on him, "I'm gonna catch the bastard who did this and come back to you, okay? You'll be fine."

"No, you stay here with me!" you say as you try not to cry from the pain, "I don't need revenge."

"Bite down on this," Ann orders as she puts a thick strip of fabric in between your teeth. You try not to trash around too much as she extracts the bullet from your body, focusing on Niragi's presence beside you to stay as calm as you can.

You know from the emotions you feel in him that he's not going to stop until he avenges you, even if nothing happened. You don't care about a random shooter that might as well be dead already. You just don't want your mate to kill while putting himself in harm's way more than he already does.

You sigh in relief when Ann's done with cleaning and dressing your wound. All you want now more than anything is a good warm shower followed by twelve hours of sleep.

"Is she going to be okay?" you hear Niragi ask as you focus to not fall asleep.

"Yes, I think so," Ann says, "Just make sure that the wound is clean and the bandages are changed regularly. Also, try to find her these antibiotics if you can."

You doze off after that until you feel Niragi's lips on your forehead.

"I'll be back," he says with a small peck to your lips. You can't seem to move, unable to control your body to stop him as you hear him walk away and close the door behind him.

Then you fall asleep.

You're not exactly sure of what woke you up. Maybe it was the door closing. Maybe it was the bedside table lamp being turned on.

Maybe it was the smell of peppermint and rain that suddenly filled your nostrils as someone got close to your side.

"Shh, go back to sleep," you hear Chishiya's voice as a cold hand brushes your hair from your face, "Just came by to check on you since the husband isn't home at the moment."

"Go away…" you groan as you try to swat his hand away, gasping when pain flashes through your arm, "Niragi will–"

"Niragi won't do anything, honey," he says, lips brushing the shell of your ear, "You know, I thought that your scent would become less alluring now that you're bonded but… I guess not," he chuckles, "If you weren't a mess right now I would try to fuck you, see if you can resist me."

"Please, just–"

"I'm not a man that desires a lot of stuff, but I really wanted you," he says. You open your eyes to see strands of your hair in-between his fingers, his dark brown eyes flashing yellow when you lock eyes, "It's a shame he got you in the end," he shrugs, "That was my fault really, I should've killed him when he was down. He's annoyingly hard to kill otherwise."

"Leave–"

"A shame, really," he says before letting go of your hair and standing up, "You could have it all with me," he pauses at the door, "Well… who knows, maybe you still can. Guess we'll see. Goodbye, Y/N."

#alice in borderland #ima wa no kuni no alice #alice in borderland fanfic #aib netflix #Niragi Suguru #niragi x reader #niragi smut #niragi fanfic #aib fanfic #fanfic #be mine #a/b/o fic #omegaverse

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honeytae · 4 years

Text

Am I worth less than coffee now?

this past week has been..how do i say this..fucking cold. i just needed to write something about taehyung and warmth and this is what happened. this turned out longer than i had anticipated but i just- god i want this. tags: @ahgasearmyfan, @hoseokayy genre: fluff

word count: 1.6k

“Shit.” You whispered as the door slammed behind you, a volume much louder than you intended since it was only a few minutes after 8am.

You had planned to quietly sneak out of bed to go for a quick coffee run, slipping out of Taehyung’s hold and throwing on a jacket before you headed out into the brisk fall air blowing through the drafty walls of your garage.

You sighed, hoping that your boyfriend hadn’t heard the noise as you silently crept to the kitchen. Setting the cardboard cup carrier down along with the paper bag you’d had tucked under your arm, you listened to the silence of the apartment, content with the lack of noise and convinced Taehyung was still asleep.

You clutched your coffee in your hands, lifting the to go cup to your lips and taking a sip, sighing in relief of the hot liquid washing down your throat.

Behind you, a sleepy Taehyung entered the kitchen, his messy hair falling over his forehead as his swollen eyes squinted at the back of your head.

You were still oblivious to his presence, humming a nonexistent song under your breath as you looked out the window, watching the trees sway back and forth in the wind.

You jumped slightly as your boyfriends arms wrapped around you, his silent steps succeeding in scaring the fuck out of you.

“Christ, Tae, you almost gave me a heart attack.” You clutched his forearm laying over your stomach with your free hand, sort of impressed with yourself that you succeeded in not spilling the beverage in your other.

“Sorry, baby.” He rasped out, turning his head to press a gentle kiss to the spot underneath your ear before resting his head on your shoulder.

“Did I wake you up?” You asked apologetically, furrowing your brows in worry as you reached a hand up to scratch his scalp soothingly with your fingernails. You felt him shake his head, negating your question as he huffed out a breath through his nose.

“I didn’t appreciate you leaving me this morning, though.” He grumbled, pulling your back into his chest, a loud ‘smack’ coming from his lips as he pressed a kiss to the side of your head.

“I’m sorry, honey. I needed coffee.” You pouted, turning around in his hold to face him, boosting yourself onto the tips of your toes to kiss his forehead. The action automatically caused his pout to spread into an easy smile, his eyebrows relaxing as he looked down at you.

He adjusted to your new position by placing a palm flat down on the counter you were now leaning your back against, holding your hip in his other hand as he tilted his head to the side.

“Am I worth less than coffee now?” He arched an eyebrow, a teasing smile on his face as he noticed the smirk quirking up your own lips.

“Hm. I do like a good macchiato.” You teased, making him scoff as he reached for the to go cup in your hands.

You gave it to him with your eyebrows raised in amusement, a small grin on your face as you watched him raise the cup to his mouth.

“You’re not gonna-“

“Fuck! That’s nasty, ugh.” He winced, his eyes squeezing shut and his mouth frowning in disgust as he handed the cup back to you in an eager attempt to get rid of it.

You giggled lightly at Taehyung and his hatred for coffee, ruffling the tousled hair on top of his head as his lips puckered in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth.

“Hm, I did grab you a little something, though.” You hummed knowingly, causing him to look at you with puppy-like eyes as you set your coffee down and reached your hand into the bag you’d set on the counter.

His eyes widened when you pulled a bag of muffins and the cup from the cardboard carrier from behind you, containing the hot chocolate you’d bought for him in addition to your own coffee.

“Oh, that perked you up, hm?” You smiled, Taehyung smiling back as he wrapped his arms around you to bring you a hug, kissing your forehead repetitively in thanks for you thinking of him while out.

“I love you.” He pressed a final kiss to your hair, taking the hot chocolate and lifting it to his mouth as you held the bag of sweets in your own hands.

“I am pretty great, hm?” You smirked, Taehyung barely managing to stifle the smile on his face as he swallowed the sweet liquid and trailed his hand to the bottom of your spine.

“The best.” He answered confidently, smirking at the obvious blush tinting your cheeks at his praise. He reached a hand up to stroke the warm skin of your cheek, cooing in a teasing manner at your flustered state.

“You wanna eat out there? It looks nice.” You changed the subject, gesturing to the sliding glass doors on the wall of your kitchen, your boyfriend nodding as he peered out at the sunlit orange leaves in the backyard.

“Good. I got the muffins.” You lifted the bag above your head as you ran to exit the kitchen, Taehyung chuckling at you as he picked up your coffee and followed you out onto the deck.

You stood in place for a minute as you looked over at the trees, goosebumps rising on your skin as the breeze picked up.

Taehyung reclined in the cushioned patio chair behind you after setting the drinks down on the side table, smiling fondly as he watched your hair move with the wind.

“Come here, baby.” He spread his thighs for your body in an invite, making grabby hand gestures at you as you turned back to him. You eagerly went to the man, taking quick steps as Taehyung reached out for your body.

You wrapped your arms around his neck as you lowered yourself sideways onto his lap, the warmth coming from your boyfriend’s body making you hug him tighter to you.

Taehyung reached beside you to grab your cups, your hand sweeping his own warm one as you grabbed the one containing your coffee. He frowned at the icy feeling of your skin, carefully setting his drink down to rest on the arm of the chair before wordlessly placing his hand over yours.

You hummed at the feeling, your hand now sandwiched between the hot cup and Taehyung’s warm palm. You truly didn’t know how his hand remained so warm all the time, but you were definitely grateful to have your own personal furnace as a boyfriend.

You admired his eyes still swollen with sleep, a childlike pout on his lips as he nursed the warm cup of hot chocolate in his other hand. His stare was directed out at the nature your seat provided him with, taking easy deep breaths as he tugged his sweater over his wrists in adorable sweater paws.

“You’re staring again.” He spoke up, a proud smirk on his face as he caught you rolling your eyes in his peripheral vision. Setting his hot chocolate down again, he rested his hand on your sweatpant clad hip, warmth radiating to the spot immediately.

“Can’t blame me.” You shrugged it off, wiggling your hips when Taehyung lightly moved his fingers over the skin, achieving his goal of tickling you and making you lose your cocky smirk as it dissolved with your giggles.

Taehyung removed his hand from your hip bone and reached into the bag on your lap, grabbing a chocolate chip muffin out of it and biting into the top with a satisfied hum as he closed his eyes in bliss. His brown eyes peeled open upon hearing you chuckle, smiling as he held the muffin out for you to bite into.

He cupped your chin with his hand as you took a bite of the spongy cake between his fingers, swiping the corner of your lip with his thumb to gather the bit of chocolate that had stuck to it. He shifted his thumb so that it hovered over your bottom lip, tapping it so that you would open your mouth.

He watched with dark eyes as you sucked the sweet taste off of his finger, swirling your tongue around the pad of his thumb before teasingly popping your mouth off it.

“Seriously? It’s not even 9 in the morning and you’re already seducing me.” He shook his head in feigned annoyance, huffing out a breath in an effort to contain himself.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to enjoy this muffin.” You shrugged innocently, cheering internally when Taehyung hiked you up higher onto his hips and leaned forward to catch your lips with his.

You gasped when you felt his teeth sink into your bottom lip, Taehyung succeeding in making you open your mouth for his tongue to dip into.

The kiss was passionate and needy, much less innocent than the usual morning peck you’d exchange with him over breakfast. The way his tongue worked with yours made you whimper, Taehyung chuckling at the noise.

You whined as he suddenly pulled away, a smug smile on his face as he sipped from his hot chocolate again. You stared at him with wide eyes, mouth popped open in shock as you looked at him with bewilderment on your features.

“Wh-what? You can’t-”

“What? I thought you wanted to enjoy your muffin.” He smirked proudly at his teasing, the proud expression on his face quickly falling when you crashed your lips back down onto his, sneaking a hand under his shirt to caress the warm skin of his stomach as he caved and kissed you back with fervor.

“God, I hate you.” You mumbled against his lips, a deep chuckle reverberating through Taehyung’s chest in response to your words.

“Love you too.”

#bts #bts writing #bts fanfiction #bts imagines #bts imagine #bts x reader #bts fluff #taehyung #taehyung writing #taehyung fanfiction #taehyung imagine #taehyung imagines #taehyung x reader #taehyung fluff #writing #fanfiction #imagines #x reader #fluff

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lunapwrites · 3 years

Text

AO3 Stats Tag

Thanks @jmilzwrites for the tag!

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 26 published works.

What's your total AO3 word count?

I have apparently published 162,757 words in total.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

I am strictly a Harry Potter author. Maybe some day I'll add something else to my collection haha. Probably Dragon Age, if I'm going to be perfectly honest with myself.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) When the Moon Rises to Meet the Stars (hard 18+!!!!) 2) for him. 3) Louder Than Love 4) A Matter of Interpretation 5) The Great Biscuit Calamity of 1978, and Other Such Disasters

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to everyone that comments (except for like... one comment I got on Moon, but it was only because I was very unsure of the spirit in which the comment was meant and I overthought it and proceeded to push it under the metaphorical rug to not address ever lol.) But aside from that, I just like reaching out to people and letting them know that I do see their comments and it really means a lot to me to read their thoughts. :) I also like making friends, and if I can make friends in the comments, then that's all the better!

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Red, probably haha. I mean I've written a lot of angst, but that one is... it's just whump.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I had someone yell at me for taking the Marauders' side in A Matter of Interpretation, which led me to believe that they didn't actually read the fic, because the literal entire point was that the actual "bad guy" for The Prank changes depending on who is telling the story. But hey.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

(eyes Moon) yeah... so apparently my brand is safe, sane, and consensual kink in which I talk around the bits more than I refer to them directly, and more headspace and emotions than mechanics. I will say that if you like the tags in Moon, I think I'm handling some of those things a bit more effectively in the few scenes in LTL where this has come up (such as the most unintentionally erotic language lesson) so if you're not completely put off by the relationship tags, I do highly recommend it! Especially since Moon was literally the first smut I have ever written... ever.... and part of me wants to bury it in the sand. XD

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

What's your all time favorite ship?

I have a WEAKNESS for Wolfstar. They're super versatile in terms of writing subject. (I do like Hinny for fluff pieces though.)

What's a WIP that you want to finish, but don't think that you ever will?

Honest answer: No Code (I'm not even going to link it.) I made the mistake of posting the sequel to Louder Than Love at the same time that I was working on Louder Than Love, and I hadn't actually mapped anything out correctly at all. A lot of the overarching plot points are still going to be the same, in terms of what the end game is, but I really am not happy with how it gets there, and some major beats have moved away from the way that I have them written there. So I think it's less that I'm not going to finish it, and more that I'm going to rewrite the whole bloody thing, and probably put it all in order to boot.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue for sure, particularly banter. Remus Lupin. Just... Remus. XD And probably also writing train of thought.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Telling, repetition, letting the wheels fall off the banter bus (ie: the feedback loop of snark that is Remus and Sirius), plotting in general (working on it!!), and tagging dialogue. I've got weird dialogue tags I've discovered, and I've got a thing about leading directly into dialogue with a tag first, so I have to put it on a separate line, and it's just... ugh. I can't explain why I can't lead with the tag on the same line, because I have no issues when others do it, but when I do it, it's WRONG. It feels wrong, it looks wrong, and the whole universe is going to die if I keep it. So I don't.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

Well I'm just gonna point at myself here... use it sparingly. I had to go back and edit a buttload of stuff in Moon and No Code because I had too much fucking Welsh and I was nowhere near proficient enough in it to be able to write it as confidently as I was. It can also make things very difficult for readers and pull them out of your scene if you go too hard. Now on the flip side, there's a scene I have in LTL where Remus is falling asleep and his inner monologue switches from English to Wenglish to straight up Welsh as he falls deeper asleep, and it gets more and more disjointed and associative. This is purposeful: it's not supposed to make sense to the reader. So to that end, it's like... if it makes sense narratively and isn't going to trip your readers up too much, then go for it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The first fandom I published for is Harry Potter... but the first I wrote anything for was... probably Dragonball Z.

What is your favorite fic that you've written?

This is a very hard question. I like Red a lot because I literally wrote that as if I had been suddenly possessed, and it shows. I like Louder Than Love a lot because I've put so much work into it and it's really coming along beautifully (I'm just perpetually annoyed by the first few chapters lol.) And I really, really enjoy Lost Dogs because it was such a challenge to write, and I think that the images I managed to pull out in such small word counts were more powerful for it. But if I had to go with a favorite... Numb (Phobos I) from my Satellites series, which was originally published here. I love Peter in it. I love the way that he and Remus talk to each other. I love the palpable spite in the air. I love the fact that there's a real past between them, that the hurt is still so raw. I so rarely get to see people in the fandom explore Peter at all, ESPECIALLY Wolfstar folks, because most prefer to not address him at all. But he's a constant specter in the background of LTL as well, and Numb is a sort of "What if" taken from that Universe. It may not be my cleanest or most cohesive work, but it's the one that keeps me awake at night.

That was fun!! Tagging in @impishtubist @wanderingbandurria @allalrightagain and anyone else who would like to play! <3

#tag game #ao3 stats #writing #my writing #fanfiction #hp

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that-was-anticlimactic · 2 years

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3 and 13 for the fanfic asks? :)

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

the first two are from my sk8 fic hey, little songbird, give me a song ! the first one is kind of for a depressing, personal reason so i won’t really go into that, but the second one is one that i just. idk i really liked it, and i hated this fic when i first finished and posted it, but i always liked this part!

“There was that phrase again—it doesn’t matter. It was starting to sound as common and believable as I’m fine.”

“They all entered the tournament without thought. They won when Adam wanted them to, they lost when Adam demanded it, and they fell when Adam had enough of them.“

and then there are two specific parts from my fic there’s a beauty in the fall ! the second one that i am including is probably one of my favorites ever tbh and idk why but it gets to me and makes me feel so many freaking things ahhhhhh and then the first one... i just like my use of repetition and i like writing about moral dilemmas like that :)

“But, she supposed, when you’ve been fighting in a war your whole life, you didn’t have a choice. You had to wait because there was nothing else you could do besides wait. Wait for answers, wait for death, wait for the inevitability of having to carry the weight of the decisions you had to make, of what you had to give up for the benefit of the world.”

“It’s the kind of pain that feels like a gentle buzzing at first; light and almost considerate of the human body

.It’s the dampness of the mouth itching him, agitating his senses.

It’s the terrifying realization that he can’t move that brings him back to reality, or he thinks, at least.

The groggy attempt to remember what happened, to know where he was-- who he was.

(he remembers eventually… how long had it taken him? A minute? An hour? Time is meaningless when you can’t truly see or process anything)

Wetness was all he could discern beneath his back. A wet, mushy something.

And as the pain increases, he screams, the sound ripping from his throat accompanied by a deep burning sensation. And he continues to scream because the agony is unlike anything imaginable.

It’s the sudden and horrifying realization that he has been screaming for a long time and heard nothing. No footsteps, no sounds of battle, no voices… nothing.

And he comes to the conclusion that he was-- is-- alone. Completely alone.

He struggles, panic pounding against his already beating head at his body’s inability to move at all. Helpless. Exposed.

With an excruciating amount of force and concentration, Sokka opened his eyes.“

13. favorite writing song/artist/album of this year

i already answered this one and don’t feel like finding it, so imma just answer it again lol!

i listened to the song “through the looking glass” from the musical wonderland a lot in these last few months ! i also listened to “the road” from the musical starry (Highly Recommend please listen to starry, everyone!!!)

a line from “through the looking glass” that GETS ME is when the white knight goes “fear will make you braver / brave enough to save her” like HOLY TRASH MY HEART

and i love like every line from “the road” an unhealthy amount, but i think my favorite is “with a brain like a blizzard in june / fascinating, but maybe just a little too soon” UGH

fanfic end of year asks

art of there’s a beauty in the fall by @girlfrogger that includes one of the lines i included here (sorry for tagging you again, cii, literally still gets chills when i think about it lol)

#rejectscanon #thank you for indulging me and letting me screech about my fics <3 #I'M CRYING I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS A BOOTLEG OF WONDERLAND AND I FOUND A VIDEO OF THE SONG WHEN I LOOKED IT UP TO LINK IT #THE HARMONIES IN THAT SONG ARE MY EVERYTHING #sorry this is so long for No reason #corey rambles:)#corey writes:)

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raevenlywrites · 3 years

Text

Raev’s Find The Word

@indecentpause tagged me to find the words never, are, happy, phone, and blue. Since this is dash eatingly long, I’ll put my tags up here and throw in a read more later

Tagging back @kainablue @stuffaboutwriting @the-orangeauthor and YOU! Your words to find are: subtle, surreal, flash, and gold

Never

"Do you really hate having Salem buy you a smoothie that much?"

"No."

Ugh. The pout in her drawl annoyed even her. Why was sulking never as much fun as she wanted it to be. She sat up with a little huff. "I just hate surprises. You know that."

Happy

"I just like to be good at things," Fazia said, a tinge of her earlier huff creeping into her voice. "Anyways, I'd be happy to help you, if that's what you're after. More practice for me."

Phone

Fazia choked, gripping her phone so hard she thought she might crack it. What was she doing? Everyone expected this to be a date thing. It wasn't a date thing. But it was a... something thing, and talking to Salem was the only way she could think to figure it out. She debated for a moment what to send back to Brittany, but then just ignored her. She couldn't think. Brittany was a distraction, and her brain just slid right off it. She wanted to talk to Salem, and now she had the means to. Just as impulsively, she hit call rather than text, focus lasering down to "talk to salem talk to salem talk to salem"

Blue - This section is pretty long, but I’m pretty proud of it (even while being doubly afraid that I’ve somehow gotten it wrong) so I’m going to post the whole thing, but put it under a cut so I don’t destroy your dashes :P

Feedback on this scene is absolutely welcome. I’m so venturing into the unknown here, trying to write a romance with a hijabi main, so seriously any thoughts on how this does or doesn’t work are very very welcome tysm

Fazia let Bahija unwrap and unbraid her hair. The coarseness of the bristle brush was just enough to ground, the repetition of the strokes to soothe her. But what settled in the panic's place was a dull numbness, a disconnect of loss and shame. She'd more than embarrassed herself. Salem had comported himself well, and she'd abandoned him.

She felt awful, but there was nothing she could see to do about it, so she just let Bahija brush her hair. She had no way of getting in contact with him, no way to apologize. No way to let him know he hadn't done anything wrong.

But at least she'd discovered one thing: she did want to see him again. And not just to apologize. Yes, she'd had a panic attack, but that wasn't his fault. She'd gotten in her own head and freaked out. But before that, she'd been having a good time. He was a joy to fence with. He was easy to talk to. She just... she didn't do new very well. And this whole thing with Salem was very, very new. She wished she could talk to Bahija about it. But she'd always lorded it over the gaggle, how untouchable she was, how much better she was for not being distracted or boy crazy--

And over a serpent.

The thought twisted ugly and acid in her gut. More than when Brittany had gotten under her skin, now she hated herself. How ugly, how prejudiced, to think such things of a man who's shown her nothing but kindness. It felt like a sin, and it was.

But it left her not knowing how she should proceed. Apologize to Salem when she got the chance, sure, but what else? Did she pursue a relationship with him out of some strange sense of duty, to prove to herself she wasn't so awful inside? That felt like its own sort of awful. Every bad feeling just got twisted up, chased itself round and around inside her until she felt literally sick with it.

"You've not heard a thing I said, have you?"

Fazia realized at Bahija's soft tone that of course she hadn't, and that her sister had stopped speaking a while ago. Fazia had just let the silence stretch, and now she didn't know what to do with it.

Just like everything else.

With a sigh, Fazia leaned forward and propped her head in her hands.

"No. I'm sorry, Baj. You don't have to stay, I'm fine now."

Bahija leaned forward, wrapping Fazia in arms and wings alike. It startled Fazia more than anything, but her sister held tight.

"You're okay, Faz. I know how your brain gets." She turned and pressed a gentle kiss to her sister's cheek. "Never not fighting, ever since we were little."

Fazia reached up and patted Bahija's arms where they crossed over her chest.

"No dragons today, Baj. Just a freak out, out of the blue."

Bahija nudged Fazia's head with her own. "No dragons, huh? Not a certain scaly reason why you might feel a little panicked?"

Fazia shrank, shoulders hunching against Bahija's embrace. Bahija just squeezed tighter.

"It's nothing to feel bad about, Faz. Just let yourself enjoy it, if you're able."

#tag games #writeblr tag games #find the word #open tag #tag your fave

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pearlcaddy · 3 years

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Directors cut ask: any commentary on You and Me It’s Like Alchemy? esp. the gcs

I originally wrote the first group chat in Alchemy as an actual scene of Luke, Alex, and Reggie talking in the locker room. Halfway through that scene, the description was irritating me. It was getting in the way of the flow of the banter, I felt like it was stepping on punchlines, and writing a dialogue-heavy scene with three people who use the same pronouns requires a lot of repetitive use of names and dialogue tags. Because of the reference at the end of Wizard Love to the guys texting HP-themed pick-up lines, I already had “texting fic?” in the back of my mind, but I’d been avoiding it because I know some people really hate texting fics. But as soon as the thought “ugh, why can’t this scene just be the dialogue?” came to mind, it became a partial texting fic and I’m not even sorry about it.

As to how the absolute nonsense of the group chats comes about... I’ve worked as a screenwriter and most of my friends in LA are screenwriters, so our group chats basically read exactly like that. A lot of people trained in writing one-liners trying to outwit one another. I trained with the best.

#pearlcaddy.ask #pearlcaddy on writing #wizarding world of food service #you and me it's like alchemy #pearlcaddy.eml

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itsclydebitches · 4 years

Text

Welcome back, everyone!

A quick note before we begin: after the previous recap a couple of lovely friends and anons explained to me some discrepancies in my work, mainly about how Fox's semblance functions and how much info we’ve gotten on that previously. They're worth a read if (like me) you haven't read After the Fall and would like a more accurate picture of this whole project. However, I have to admit that sadly past!me didn’t think through the usefulness of those posts and tag them appropriately... so they’re just somewhere in the mess that is the “rwby” and “mymetas” tags. Still, I wanted to acknowledge their existence, both for your potential use and as another disclaimer along the lines of, “I’m reading what amounts to a sequel and recapping as I go. Prepare for a bumpy ride.”

We're on chapter five now (of twenty-two! Holy god I’m slow!!) and truth be told I actually enjoyed this opening. We're in Yatsuhashi's head this time around and he's likewise enjoying Vacuo's Meeting Spot, an "artificial oasis" that reminds him of his mother's healing gardens. I wonder what "healing" means in this particular context. A generalized benefit to your body, mind, and spirit in the form of meditation? Or a more literal, magic-based healing with its roots in aura use? In a world with RWBY's possibilities, a healing garden that someone like Ozpin might run—let's take time to settle ourselves and reflect—vs. one that someone like Jaune would create—let me use my semblance to literally heal your wounds—are rather different things. I'd be interested to know which category (or another) Yatsuhashi's mother falls under.

Regardless, it's a satisfyingly quiet scene. Yatsuhashi comments on both the beauty of the oasis as well as how that beauty, in turn, raises the desert in his eyes. Nothing like not having to deal with a hard landscape to make that landscape seem more bearable, alluring even, and this moment managed to capture that feeling rather well. The only downside is that, in a recurring theme, I once again got whiplash upon realizing that Yatsuhashi is not standing alone in the peace of the early morning, like the description had led me to believe. Apparently Velvet is there. As well as the whole freaking student body! Myers* has this strange habit of writing one kind of scene only to suddenly reveal that the scene is actually radically different from what his writing had encouraged you to imagine. Yatsuhashi is going on about healing, natural beauty, and the peace of an early morning. What's peaceful about dozens of students speculating beside him? Have you ever met a school of sleep deprived young adults dealing with a surprise announcement before breakfast? That’s as far from peaceful as humanly possible.

Mood, kid.

(*Also yes, we're working to write Myers' name correctly this chapter. If I'm going to drag his work so much the least I can do is not add an additional 'e' to his name lol.)

Along with the entirety of Shade Academy to break the peace, Yatsuhashi tells us about dromedons and mole crabs. The former, according to the wiki, is a "camel-like Grimm that can spit acidic venom" and also sports an armored hump. Fun! The latter, according to Yatsuhashi, is a "horrifying" creature that "slept just below the sand and could cut a person in two with their massive claws." And they're the normal, non-grimm animals! Screw Salem. Humanity needs huntsmen just to keep people safe from the everyday wildlife. Crabs cut people in two, Zwei is capable of being set on fire and launched at a mech... it's a miracle that anyone ever steps outside their home.

I do write this with full knowledge that Australia exists, but still.

As Yatsuhashi moves away from thoughts of killer crabs, we begin what is easily the strangest bit of repetition this chapter. Yatsuhashi's shoulder is sore from having tried to break down the hideout door and I'm going, "Wait no, you used your sword” and frantically flipping back through my PDF. To Myers' credit, there is a detail that suggests Yatsuhashi uh... rammed the door? I think? Last chapter he "Stepped forward and Fox heard him grunt with exertion." That's the only thing I can think of that would explain his shoulder unexpectedly being sore hours later: if he'd charged it instead of doing something insane like, oh, I don't know, trying the doorknob first. Odd choice of continuity, but okay. What's super weird though is that Myers repeats the detail again:

Yatsuhashi crossed his arms, then grimaced as a fresh pain shot through his shoulder. Come on, Aura, he thought. Do your thing.

I'm sorry, how badly did you hurt your shoulder? Why does a supposedly intelligent student immediately resort to what is apparently somewhat serious self-harm when faced with a closed door? Why is Myers choosing this of all things to tell us about? Is this incredibly random shoulder injury going to hinder Yatsuhashi during the test? Spoilers: I don't think it does considering that I searched for "shoulder" in my PDF and there's just a lot of hands on shoulders coming up, but nothing that, at first glance, seems to make this kind of set up necessary. So I say again: weird.

Meanwhile, weirdness doesn’t even acknowledge the continued inconsistencies with aura. Jaune heals a cut on his cheek instantaneously, but hours later Yatsuhashi needs to gripe at his aura to hop-to already? So either Jaune’s aura is far more powerful than the average person’s (never established outside of Pyrrha’s “You have a lot of it” comment), or Yatsuhashi really hurt his shoulder that badly. Hard enough that with the rest of the night and early morning to heal him, his aura is still working overtime.

Alrighty then.

So the whole student body is just kind of hanging out, striking up casual conversations. Velvet asks how Yatsuhashi is doing and he says he's fine, "Thanks to you." Wait... what did Velvet do? I mean yeah, she was there last night and she's here now, but so is the rest of the team. I don't really recall her helping Yatsuhashi in any specific way. As is the norm now, I remain mildly, endlessly confused by this novel.

But we don’t have time to delve into the gratitude attached to events I’m not actually sure happened. There’s more chit chat going on as everyone tries to figure out why they've been summoned so early in the morning. "It's not always about us," Velvet says and I nod along in agreement even though I know, as a reader, that it's absolutely about them. "As I'm often reminding Coco."

Coco fires back with how it "could be about us," noting that it would be pretty coincidental if something else was going on right now, plus Rumpole may have realized they were out last night. (Remember, Yatsuhashi wasn't subtle about trying to break down that door). This is one of those moments where I agree wholeheartedly with Coco's logic, but kind of hate to encourage the 'It's all about us' attitude. Velvet might be smiling, but as previously established this is an ongoing theme within RWBY's characterization that it could really stand to do without.

Yatsuhashi then offers some "unsolicited advice" about how Rumpole could afford to slow down some and "let things come at their own pace," to which I respond, "Huh?" Where in the world did this come from? Previously the whole group—including Yatsuhashi, considering he didn't speak out against it—was concerned that Rumpole wasn't doing enough to track down the Crown. That is, do more, move faster, get it done already. You haven’t gotten it done? Okay, we’ll do it instead. Now he's providing this subtle criticism in response to a meeting, as if that's an inherently odd or bad thing for a headmistress to do. You want the woman to do extra work faster but slow down when it comes to her actual job?

It reads to me like Myers is trying to put a lot of wise-sounding dialogue into Yatsuhashi's mouth—you know, the Asian character who keeps bringing up things like meditation and mindfulness—but hasn't bothered to think about whether that dialogue makes any sense. Of course, we then immediately backtrack to reveal that his comment was really about Coco not pushing the team too hard, but... that's not what he said? And Coco clearly didn't get the message. And the hidden meaning of the words didn't come across too well if your reader is squinting at what was said until the author has to straight up go, 'This is what Yatsuhashi actually meant.' Maybe just... have him say that? Give us some significant looks towards Coco, at the very least. Something to clue us in here that Yatsuhashi is (weirdly) blaming Rumpole for Coco's flaw.

Then he just ruins the whole scene further by mentally commenting that if all this extra work was hard on them, "what would it do to SSSN?" Ugh, look. I don't even like SSSN very much. I didn't shed a tear when they left the main series and would shrug if they ever came back, so you know the story is ragging on them too much when I'm standing up for the group at the bottom of my Character Adoration list. The duality of 'SSSN is so incompetent I don't even know how they're alive' and 'That, in comparison, makes us the best team ever' got old forty pages ago, yet I have the distinct feeling it won't be letting up any time soon.

Headmaster Theodore finally arrives to break up this thrilling conversation and the students erupt into thunderous applause. "It was what [he] expected. It was what he inspired whenever he appeared." That... is absolutely hilarious. This guy is so much of a showman, so insanely over the top, that he expects people to treat his everyday appearance as a spectacle worthy of praise and they agree. You know who he reminds me of?

The king himself, Alex Louis Armstrong. I'm digging this already. It's absurd and I will forever question RWBY's ability to balance comedy with its darker tones... but I'm counting this one as a win so far. There's got to be something to praise about this book.

Just as important, we get a description of Theodore's positively insane outfit. I immediately googled to see if someone had drawn him and the fandom did not disappoint. I'm not going to include the image here in case the artist, Edisu, doesn't want their work reposted like that, but I highly recommend you check out the link and get a visual.

The only thing left to say about this fashion monstrosity is that he has a "flowing gray-blue cape, the color of a stormy sky." I'll let our favorite textile engineer make my point for me:

Honestly, between Ruby's cape and Weiss' hair someone is going to end up in trouble one of these days.

In this world free of horrific cape tragedies, we've segued into a flashback which is, frankly, kind of boring compared to the others we’ve gotten. It's just the group meeting Theodore, information and characterization that could have easily been distributed to the audience in the present. It's starting to feel like the structure of including a flashback each chapter is hindering Myers somewhat, just because every chapter doesn’t necessarily need one, but that’s far from the biggest issue to tackle.

We learn that Theodore (really Rumpole) did a bunch of research on all the students involved in the Vytal Festival and they're very pleased that Team CFVY has joined them now, despite the horrific circumstances. We again hear about how judgmental Coco can be, that her judgements are rarely wrong... but if they are wrong she's the last to admit it. So really that's less of a 'This character has good instincts about other people' and more 'This character is just, as said, judgmental and then stubborn about it when she’s wrong.' Theodore, however, seems like a cool dude:

“Ah, she speaks!” Theodore strode toward Velvet. His voice softened. “You didn’t fail, my dear. You fought. You stayed, far longer than anyone would have asked or expected of a student. And now you’re here. Do you want to be here? Will you fight for Shade the way you did for Beacon, Velvet Scarlatina?”

This is great. This is the kind of reassurance I would expect from a headmaster who, thus far, has received a fair amount of praise. Unlike his students, Theodore understands the risks Beacon students took and when it was time for them to make a life-saving retreat. He's inspiring while also being empathetic and honestly? That's the most I've had that 'You're a good person' sense from RWBY in a very long time.

Now watch Theodore turn out to be evil lol.

He cuts the tension of the serious conversation by proclaiming that if any of them doubt whether they should be here, they should take it up with him via a fight. Theodore announces this while striking a pose. I say again:

We then get some more reflection on how Theodore compares to Ozpin:

Ozpin had believed in you before you did, almost like he knew your true potential, despite what your transcripts or fighting abilities looked like. Theodore believed you had potential, but you had to earn it and prove yourself to him first.

I agree with that and I'm pleased to see that this time the comparison didn't involve criticizing Ozpin in an effort to build Theodore up. It’s likewise a useful description and I think it provides us with at least one interpretation of why the RWBYJNR group has discarded Ozpin so thoroughly. The addition "despite what your transcripts or fighting abilities looked like" implies that Ozpin sees potential in everyone. It doesn't matter how presumably flawed you might be—in physical strength, like Jaune; in morals, like Lionheart— Ozpin will see the good in you and give that good a fighting chance. That's why he's the one tasked with doing something as crazy as uniting the whole world because he's the one person capable of seeing that potential in literally everyone. That much is true. But the flipside of this is that, unlike when in interacting with someone like Theodore, no one expects to have to work for Ozpin's faith, his praise... his trust. With Theodore you have to "earn" the respect he gives you right from the start. With Ozpin it's free! So surely that means such faith extends to every possible situation, right?

Which is when you run into trouble. When the situation is no longer "I'll give you a chance in my school" but something much more serious like "I'm risking the whole world on your character." Ozpin is an optimist, but he's also cautious as hell (with good reason), so though he sees the potential in everyone he knows he can't let his own hope for humanity blind him to reality. That person might betray you. They might turn on you. They might give up and hurt you in the process... even if you want to believe that people are simply better than that. Wanting doesn’t make it so.

If someone who had as little interaction with Ozpin as Team CFVY did nevertheless developed such a strong sense of, "Yeah, he believes in everyone!" then it seems likely that Team RWBY, already sporting a special connection with him, thought they were shoe-ins for every possible secret and task they might ask of him. Their time at Beacon was defined largely by both intentional favoritism and coincidences that could arguably be read as such. Ruby gets to go to Beacon two years early. She gets to be team leader. The sisters stay together despite teams supposedly being random. Team RWBY goes on missions not meant for first years. Team RWBY is given a nudge-nudge-wink-wink about The White Fang so that they can do what they’re able to help. Team RWBY was friends with Pyrrha, next in line for the Maiden powers. They got used to Ozpin simultaneously solving all the real problems that showed up and letting them play at being important, all while the rest of the school had to follow normal rules. They’re special. But then Beacon falls, the game is over, and they're blindsided by having to earn trust and privileges in the real world. Playing at huntresses in the safety of your headmaster’s school is over and Ruby in particular never got that there was a massive difference between that and a real war where the fate of the world hangs on your trustworthiness and ability to keep it together. It’s why she announces to the Argus guards that she is a huntress while attacking the people she’s meant to protect.

Which would be a fantastic arc to give them if the show ever had someone sit the group down and tell them how childish and selfish they're being. Instead, they're still being handed that trust and privilege—you can go into Atlas despite stealing from the military, you get your licenses years early, you get to carry an incalculably valuable relic around—while likewise still getting mad that the adults around them don't give them more. This comparison here, though realistically just a throwaway passage in a novel rather iffily connected to its original series, starts to highlight the excellent situation RT set up... and then didn't do anything with.

But I've gone on about this long enough. There are just two other things I'd like to point out about this flashback. The first is that it may help us get a handle on Ozpin's age (if we're willing to accept these books as canon, despite their other inconsistencies). Earlier we're told that "Headmaster Theodore’s whole style should have been ridiculous for a man likely in his forties, maybe older" and here, in describing their different approaches, we get "Headmaster Ozpin, who had been younger but seemed much older." So that could potentially put Ozpin his his late 30s if he's noticeably younger than Theodore in his 40s. Or, in his 40s if the "maybe older" part is right and Theodore is in his 50s. I can’t imagine that Theodore is in his 60s. Not much to go on, admittedly, but I'll take whatever I can get. The interesting thing is that if Ozpin really is that young and Qrow is now (presumably) in his early 40s, wouldn't that have made them basically the same age during his Beacon days? Perhaps even giving us an Ozpin who was younger than his oldest students? I don't know. It's really less of a definitive piece of information and more messy speculation to add to the pile—which is par the course for RWBY nowadays.

The second detail I wanted to point out was that despite all their supposed differences, Headmaster Theodore and Professor Rumpole have a very Ozpin-Glynda relationship going on. For all the cosmetic changes it boils down to the same dynamic. Both headmasters are powerful, quirky men who at first glance appear to be rather useless at their jobs, requiring the confident headmistress to swoop in and manage the daily running of a school. Those two do the heavy lifting while their bosses work wonders from behind the scenes (a la The Wizard). When I read Rumpole chastising Theodore for claiming he investigated the students, or when she reminds him that there isn't time to have an impromptu duel with his students, I couldn't help but think about Glynda reluctantly letting Ozpin invite Ruby to Beacon early, or cleaning up the cafeteria while he shrugs off the mess. To be clear, I don't necessarily mean this as a criticism, just an observation. In truth I'm not sure how I feel about it, but it adds to the overall sense that Shade is just Beacon with a slightly different coat of paint. As I've mentioned previously, for all the text's insistence that Shade isn't like the other schools, the story hasn't done a good job of demonstrating that cultural difference in any meaningful way and similarities like this only add to the feeling that this isn't really a unique Kingdom—or at least not one with a firm enough identity to be persuasively unique. Same rule breaking team sneaking out on their own mission. Same secondary team who’s talented, but not as special as the protagonists. Same strange man with his responsible woman running the school. The details differ, obviously, but the structure feels largely the same.

As mentioned above, once the flashback ends Theodore tries to spar with one of the students but is quickly shut down by Rumpole because, you know, they have a meeting to hold. Apparently there have been complaints lately from the local security about Shade students interfering with official huntsmen business.

“I told you it was about us,” Coco muttered.

Coco, when you hear that people are pissed that you, an unlicensed student, are disrupting the careers of professionals every night the takeaway should not be, 'Aha! I knew it was all about me.'

Yatsuhashi at least provides a more nuanced perspective. "This wasn’t right, though. If they hadn’t interfered, those Huntsmen would have kidnapped an innocent person." He's right. They did help someone, but what they've failed to learn is that an individual good deed does not excuse the unlawful steps they took in getting there. If Team CFVY had just been out on the town and happened to spot some shady characters pulling shit, then put a stop to their kidnapping, that's fine. That's heroic. What is not heroic is them going out with the express purpose of fixing a situation that trained professionals told them they should not be trying to fix—key word being “trying,” given that they all understand Rumpole’s worry that they’ll make things worse. It was enough to send them back home last night... after Yatsuhashi failed to break into the hideout. The problem is not the "I helped someone who needed it" part but rather the "I'm arrogant enough to think that my presence is necessary" bit.

If having students conducting investigations was wanted or necessary, it would be a part of the curriculum: acknowledged or otherwise. AKA yes, Ruby. It would be very helpful if you'd head on off to Mountain Glenn, under the observation of a seasoned huntsmen, and report back if there's any dubious activity going on over there. Ozpin said, 'Yes please' to the extra (highly controlled) help while these professionals are saying, 'No thanks.' The fact that Team CFVY acts is if they're justified in continuing this investigation—and worse, that the story keeps validating those feelings—undermines their otherwise heroic actions. RWBY really is a series that struggles with giving its protagonists compelling reasons for getting involved in the fight. ‘Because I want to help’ might be a noble motivation, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. The Mountain Glenn mission was like a chef allowing a talented, aspiring teen to help them with a dish, all of it done under their tutelage. Team CFVY’s investigation is like the teen sneaking into the kitchen after dark to doctor all the prep for the next day’s cooking under the assumption that they’ll make it even better. Hell, maybe they will! But that’s not the point. Your help was not invited — explicitly denied, actually —and there’s a very good chance you’ll mess something up.

So because this group of eight continually insists that they know best, the whole school is required to stay on campus after nightfall. Huzzah!

It’s just too bad these consequences hurt others just as much as Team CFVY. The other students are pissed about this. I would be too! Team CFVY remains adamant though that they did the right thing, no guilt here, relying on the reader inaccurately comparing ‘saving lives’ with ‘losing free time off campus’ in order to come out on Team CFVY's side. They still fail to understand that helping people is not the reason they’re being punished.

Theodore and Rumpole reiterate that they are working on a solution and that no one else should be getting involved. Team CVFY is no more persuaded by this speech than they were the previous ones. The announcement then segues into discussion of the former Haven students which produces... boos from the audience?? My god, what is wrong with this school? I mean I get it, school is brutal—both in real life and fiction—especially when the social dynamics of your school are written much more like a high school than a college, but usually if characters are going to drag new students it's in the semi-privacy of a bathroom or an empty hall. Groaning over the existence of war survivors in front of your headmaster is a level of confident cruelty I didn't expect.

Then again, RWBY is the show that gave us Cardin pulling on Velvet's ears in the middle of the cafeteria, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.

Theodore quickly bypasses the whole 'A decent number of my students hate these other students' issue and instead acknowledges that it is "difficult to adjust to a new school, an entirely new group of classmates, and most of all to life in Vacuo. Yet some of you have been separated from your original training teams.” Which is a nice way of saying that a good number of these teammates are dead. So what's the solution here?

Reinitiation Ceremony!

I'm sarcastic, but in all honesty I don't hate this idea. Far from it. Partly because I have a strong love of competitions in shonen-esque stories. Tests, trials, the obligatory tournament arc... they've always been some of my favorite parts of a series, largely because they allow the author to develop whacky and creative challenges that show off important characterization. See: Killua using a skateboard during the tunnel run before deciding that if Gon can manage running it, he can too; or Izuku using the mines and a piece of scrap to blast himself ahead of Bakugo and Todoroki. The structure of such tests forces characters to demonstrate creativity and critical thinking skills alongside strength, and that in turn reminds us of why they're our heroes. RWBY managed this a little bit with the Vytal Festival, but overall I don’t think the teams did anything particularly impressive to win. Team RWBY worked together, Nora hit people really hard with her hammer, Weiss' injury pissed off Yang enough to tap into more power... it was all stuff we had seen before and very little of it required planning or creativity. The Vytal Festival functioned more to set up the plot developments of Volume 3, which is fine, though for a while I had hoped that we would get a huntsmen license exam to do this sort of work... which obviously didn’t happen. Disappointing, but we’re at least getting something like that here.

So I love the concept. I even love the general reasoning behind holding the ceremony at all. Anyone who had spent five minutes on this blog knows that I think the groups need to learn to play well with others. Yet I also can't deny that the team dynamics provide stability for these characters, even if they've come to rely on that stability to an unhealthy degree. We've got students whose teams were presented to them not just as a professional tool, but their primary support system. You live with these people, attend all the same classes, spend your free time together, and survive life-threatening situations on a fairly regular basis. It's work, family, and friendship all rolled into one, so if the headmaster suddenly says that you get a new team, that's a whole lot more devastating than just learning that you've got a new project group to deal with. It shouldn't have come to that—a school looking to teach a profession that requires working with a wide variety of individuals should never have told four students to rely one each other and each other alone—but now that we're here you can't just break them apart with no notice. Especially with a traumatic war going on. It's hard to come to a new school, meet new people, learn a new culture... so let me rip away the one piece of familiarity you have left.

Of course, I don't really think that the teams will be broken up irrevocably, if at all. Rather, I simply want to acknowledge that despite my appreciation for these kinds of stories and despite my desire that the teams get some distance... it shouldn't be done like this. Even more-so when it’s abundantly clear—to us if not the instructors—that this little stunt is causing their students to re-live a whole bucket load of trauma. Yatsuhashi thinks about how this feels like an “out of body experience” and “It reminded [him] uncomfortably of the evacuation of Beacon Academy… He felt his breath catch in his throat.” Coco’s order to stick together “[brought] him back to the moment,” re-emphasizing that he was lost in the past for a while there. He’s clearly struggling.

Now, to be fair, this could all fall under the category of flawed characters. Meaning, anytime something awful happens in fiction we can interpret that as a skill on the part of the author: they wanted to write a scenario where the teachers are screwing up and unintentionally hurting their students. Or they know they’re hurting their students and consider that to be an acceptable sacrifice under the justification of ‘They have to get over Beacon at some point!’ There are lots of ways to paint this as Myers/RT writing complex, human characters who make ambiguous choices—a testament to their ability to write “realistically.” But to be frank I don’t really buy it. Simply because I’ve had a lot of experience now with how RWBY handles subjects like trauma and it’s only rarely been written respectfully and engagingly. I could be proven wrong as the novel continues, but it seems more likely that Myers wrote the instructors coming up with this test, wrote Yatsuhashi panicking over it, and intends to continually imply that these two things are separate plot points. Bringing both together in a narratively useful way would require acknowledging the instructors’ motivations—Why this test? Why now? Do they realize the harm they’re causing? If so, do they think it’s worth it?—and then coming to some sort of resolution, either via some recovery on CFVY’s part due to the instructors’ choices (this test did help us move past Beacon), or the instructors learning something about empathy and trauma via CFVY’s reaction (we never should have done this). I highly doubt we’ll get either.

Thus, everyone is (justifiably) horrified. The teams are gone and either the shock of that made Team CFVY prioritize feelings of safety over strategy, or they're just not going to demonstrate any of the intelligence I look for in this kind of arc, because they immediately start obsessing over staying together.

He needed to keep his team close to him. Especially Velvet. If they weren’t separated, they couldn’t be assigned to different teams.

Yatsuhashi, that is not at all what Rumpole told you:

“It’s already begun,” Rumpole said. “Everything you do from this moment forward will factor into your evaluations for new teams.”

Where in the world did you get the idea that you wouldn't be assigned a new team so long as you stuck with your old one? If I were one of the instructors here that choice would make me more likely to separate them. "Everything you do from this moment," Rumpole says, meaning that how they respond to this information is a part of the test. The team that panics and refuses to separate is the team that either can't function without one another, or at the very least believes that they can't. They're not willing to work with others and thus they're precisely the type that needs to learn this skillset. You're the ones they'll want to give new teammates to.

Of course, fate has different ideas about how things should go down. And by "fate" I mean "A completely ridiculous plot device." Team CFVY is separated because... the crowd is large I guess? It’s ridiculous. Four fighters already standing beside one another and who are now hyper-focused on staying together are not going to get swept away by a Shade size crowd who probably also want to stick with their own teammates. There are far better, far more convincing ways to keep them apart. Ozpin shot students one-by-one into the forest! Literally anything other than what we got, really.

Still, that’s what we wound up with. Yatsuhashi and Coco both try to keep the team together only for the immense power of other people existing putting a stop to their plan. Alrighty then. Before they’re dramatically swept away on different ships, however, we do get two other noteworthy bits of information that I'd like to end on. The first is Rumpole’s announcement that “When you reach your destination, your goal will be to locate a gold figurine and bring it back to the school” to which Fox replies, “Great. Glad this is fair for everyone. Who can see.” And you know what? He's right. Maybe Fox and I will both be proven wrong (I feel like I'm writing that a lot this chapter...) but unless there's some miscommunication here or a surprise in store, a goal of "locat[ing] a gold figurine" is indeed a sight based challenge and, when placed in a test that is deliberately separating Fox from his team, puts him at a severe disadvantage.

The second is simply that the year levels of the students will not be a factor in the creation of new teams. “What year we are? Yatsu thought. This can’t be right. How could a first-year keep up with fourth-years?” to which I respond, "Um... that's the entire show?" The webseries RWBY is about how Team RWBY, starting out as first years, has surpassed everyone around them, to the point where they're now beating the best team in Atlas. Time-wise they're still second years—far as I can figure out, anyway—so if second years can beat elite military operations, a first year can stand toe-to-toe with second, third, and fourth years. More crucial to Yatsuhashi's thought process—because as an in-world character he doesn't necessarily know what Team RWBY has been up to post-Volume 3—he's still seen how well first years did at Beacon. Ruby was let in two years early. Pyrrha is such a phenomenally talented fighter her face is on their cereal boxes. A first year, Yang, went on to compete in the Vytal Tournament final (even if it was rigged. Yatsuhashi doesn't know that), and Team CFVY fought beside a number of first years at the Battle of Beacon. Now, you all know that I think education and experience are damn important. I'm not saying Yatsuhashi is flat-out wrong to question whether there would be any issues attached to slamming, say, a first year, two second years, and a fourth year into one team (especially when you consider practical questions like going to classes), but the general takeaway of "How could they keep up?" seems a tad strange. You know first years can keep up. You watched it happen, both in your former school's curriculum—first years get to go on an upper-level mission—and in real life battle. This knee-jerk response reads as even worse after five chapters of looking down on Team SSSN. Team CFVY really thinks highly of themselves, huh.

Honestly, it feels like our authors didn't pay a whole lot of attention to the implications of the dialogue/thoughts they’re giving to the characters which is, again, par for the course at this point. Like the questions attached to the test, this feels less like giving Yatsuhashi a flaw (he, as an in-world character, hasn't bothered to think through whether his knee-jerk assumption about first years is supported by his experiences) and more like a flaw of the creators. That sounds like a legitimate concern—in the same way that Yatsuhashi's advice to Rumpole sounds generically wise—but poke at it a bit and you start finding a number of cracks. An author who is well aware of the world they've built and strives to adhere to it might have had Yatsuhashi acknowledge some of the amazing things he's seen first years do and still conclude that there are problems with this decision. That's legit. As it stands, Yatsuhashi just sounds ignorant and (again) overly confident, which I don't trust to be a moment of character insight as opposed to an authorial blip.

Which is about where we end. The team is split on different airships, no one is happy about it, and we're left with this somewhat unsettling image:

Headmaster Theodore was waving and whooping, like it was all some terrific game, while Professor Rumpole watched silently, her hair whipping around in the wind and an unsettling grin on her face.

This gives me some hope that the story will treat the problems attached to this test respectfully. The description of Theodore acting "like it was all some terrific game" is a mark against his character and Rumpole straight up has an "unsettling grin on her face." Is she one of the baddies? Potentially. Will I ever again get adult characters who aren't depicted as inept, traitorous, or just so flawed that they unwittingly cause great damage to their students? Probably not. These two desires remain constantly at war with one another. RWBY introduces issues that the story should tackle, but the only issues it acknowledges are those attached to the adults. So we have everyone doing a range of iffy things, but only the elders are likely to be punished or (better yet) learn something over the course of the tale. The double standard remains so strong across the franchise that at this point I just want to raise a THE ADULTS DID NOTHING WRONG banner and call it a day. Not because they're actually free of mistakes or even, at times, downright cruelty, but because if our protagonists constantly get that free pass I'm not sure why everyone else can't too.

Anyone for a spot of denial?

But I've now written nearly twice as much as the actual chapter in question. It's time to stop! At this rate I’ll have written the equivalent of five Before the Dawns in my attempt to recap just one. #yikes

Until Chapter Six 💜

#rwby #BTD Recaps #Before the Dawn #mymetas

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alias-b · 4 years

Text

sins of my youth. 004

Billy Hargrove x OC! Evie Fenny~ Also posted to my AO3

Summary: It was common knowledge that Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins. Hated Cherry Lane. Even loathed the strange girl next door. Evie Fenny wasn’t too fond of the chaotic Cali transfer either. An awful high school tradition sparks a chain of events that changes everything, ultimately bringing two frayed souls together.

A/N: Hello all! Pushing out a baby chapter early so I can focus on my other fic! Thank you so much for the support on this fic. Billy goes to dinner and Tries It. That's the chapter. :D Tag list open!!!

Chapter 4: No Day But Today

“Claudia, do you have the keys?” Mona crossed the salon floor.

“I do, we’re fine here, go on. Dusty is spending the night at the Wheeler’s place. Having some castle and dragons party.” She'd gushed.

“Feel free to close up early if we’re dead the last hour. Thanks, sugar.” Mona patted her back as she followed Evie out the door.

“Can I drive?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.” Mona smiled.

Evie was saving for a car. And college. And her future.

And it was a lot.

Truthfully, she didn’t care for school. It was in the way. Wished her lyrics could carry her straight to the red carpet before all those flashing paparazzi.

Wanting to unwind, Evie hid in her room when she got home. Shut the curtains and prodded at herself before the vanity. Sorted dangly earrings in a mesh metal display. Huffing to lean over when Bourbon swept into her legs. His little body shivered and she plucked him up.

“Okay, BB, you’re my best guy. You can’t let me down.” She scratched under his chin, gave him a little boop on the nose. “You take one look at that walking Def Leppard poster and you hiss and run. Got it?”

A purr.

“Good boy. You’re my only hope here. We can’t lose. Not to Billy Hargrove.” Arms let him down. She'd feel this sentiment often about Billy. A sigh. Evie applied a fresh lip color and paused. “Ugh.” She pushed up and didn’t change. Did her school work to get it out of the way and wandered out, turning the TV on to some game show. The savory smell of dinner wafted. “Need help here, Mom?” One tug and the ceiling fan spun, cycling cooler air.

“No, I have it. You can set the table for me.” Mona drained some noodles.

“Got it.” Plates and cutlery clicked around. Evie slid everything into place, perked up when the doorbell rang. Mona turned and smiled as her daughter adjusted fabric and fixed curls into place all the way to the door.

Evie half expected Billy to not even show. But, there he was. Sly smile and all. Billow of date night cologne. A vision in moonlight.

“Hey.” Evie said slowly. The surprise evident.

“Hey." He mirrored it.

"You're here." An exhale out. He blinked, found himself again.

"I was gonna steal flowers from the old lady’s garden across the way, but there’s a huge opossum in her trash guarding it.” He tilted his head, earring catching the porch light and she cracked a grin.

"Big Ben? Yeah, he's the neighborhood menace. Chief Hopper's nemesis because they get so many calls about it. You'd be a hero if you took him on." Evie persuaded lighter. His face fell.

"I'm not trying to die in Hawkins, Indiana. That thing was bigger than anyone on our football team."

“Color me impressed. King Billy didn’t want to do battle for the first time?” She actually teased him. Her nose crinkled when she smiled. Cute. “Shock and awe.”

Billy felt this tug pulse up his ribcage. Pulled a genuine chuckle from his lips. He had to look away to give it. Glowy in starlight.

“Sometimes I surprise people. I know my weight class and the pests here look like they were grown and mutated in some lab.” He shrugged into the door frame with one fist lifted, clicking his lighter shut. Hooded eyes all over. Evie went still as he leaned forward to her face with his tone lowering. “Am I allowed inside? Pretty please?”

“With cherries on top?" Bright, wet lips parted. His lashes fluttered, a baritone sinking. Bringing her with him.

"With anything your heart desires on top." Smooth.

"Huh. I guess. For now.” Evie stepped out of the way. “We go to school with plenty of those lab grown pests by the way.”

“No kidding.” Billy shrugged his jacket off and she awkwardly reached to take it. Hung it up behind her.

Evie turned to see him staring again and swallowed a hard lump down. Thought maybe he saw all the begonias blooming behind her eyes and up her throat.

“Billy.” Mona came out of the kitchen, arms out. “So glad you’re here.”

“You saved me from a sad date with a TV dinner.” Billy winked, charming Ms. Fenny to bits. She giggled and shook her hair out.

“Dinner’s got about ten minutes. Why don’t you show him around, baby?” Mona hurried back off, leaving them alone again.

“Tour? Great idea." He peered behind Evie. A mission at hand. "Where’s the cat?”

“Hiding from you, clearly.” Evie beamed, gesturing. “Welcome to the living room. Mom's showroom is a better word.”

“Your mom like tchotchkes or what?” He came to the full mantle. Scanning.

“How’d you guess?” Evie reluctantly trailed to his side.

It was strange to let this boy wander around and see little bits of her life. Guess things about her as he went along, trailing deft fingers about the fireplace. She wondered what was blooming within the pit of his stomach, if anything.

Mona Fenny's house overwhelmed.

Photographs, plants, and crafts. Little porcelain figurines. Too many handmade candles. Crochet projects. A full dollhouse on a table in the corner.

“My grandma passed a lot of craft skills down. She owned this amazingly strange trinket and voodoo shop in New Orleans that my aunts run now after Nana died."

"Your mom didn't stay for a piece of that?" Billy let his eyes trail over every little thing.

"Ah, I don't know. She was the baby and married pretty young. Seemed like she wanted something new," Evie peered behind her and whispered. "Never really got along with Nana like her older sisters did."

Billy hummed a little. Decided not to pry with Mona in the next room. Evie brought him to the corner and flicked a lamp on.

"Mom’s dollhouse is her pride and joy. Lights up and everything.”

“Tell me why your mother has a framed photograph of Dolly Parton next to a picture of you two on the fireplace. And the same photo shrunk down in the dollhouse?”

“Science may tell us the truth one day when the world is ready. And I fear for that day.” She replied in all seriousness and Billy snorted. Laughing.

A truly enchanting sound Evie decided she liked.

“And I have to say,” he plucked a photo off a bookshelf with a broad grin, “this one is my favorite.”

One of Evie on Halloween. Had to be about six. Dressed in the campiest pink daisy costume with a huge toothy smile.

“Gah,” she cringed and swiped it from his hand, “this house is a museum of embarrassment.”

“You’re into the museum shit, guess this is like our first-” Billy stopped himself from producing the damning word when Evie turned. Blushing. Oof. He scratched the back of his neck. “So, uh, you got a bedroom in here or do you sleep in the dollhouse?”

“You won’t find the cat that easily.” She caught him peering around again and led him past the kitchen. “C’mon, not much to the rest of the house. Garage. Spare room.” That used to be her dad’s office space. “Mom’s room. Attic up there and on this end. My cat's room that he lets me stay in too.”

The door was open so Billy prodded it to peek inside. Evie exhaled and flicked the light on.

It didn’t feel like a teenage girl’s bedroom. Not covered in decorations and pictures like the rest of the house. No posters cut from magazines covered in pink lipstick kisses.

A vanity full of disorganized makeup. Desk. Overfilled bookcase of novels and tapes. Crafts and trinkets she collected in labeled tin boxes. Dresser covered in jewelry. Music player. Bed. Closet. Couple of pictures taped by the vanity and headboard. Mostly Evie and Heather laughing and bright. Her beloved acoustic guitar propped in the corner.

It felt like it was decorated by one trying to take up as little space as possible. Everything was compacted. Billy eyed the wall by her bed. Realized most of the papers were notes with random lyrics and words patched together.

“Yeah, I tend to jot every little thought down even when I’m half asleep and hope it makes a song eventually.” She peered aside. It felt too intimate, letting Billy shift about the space.

"Hey, everybody has a method." Two fingers traced over a note taped up to straighten it. She caught the ring gleaming on his middle finger. “My-”

“Ah, don’t read them aloud, I may combust.”

“Oh?” Billy slunk toward her, licked his lips. A hungry way about it. Mouth watering fangs full of sweet venom. Wonder how they'd feel sinking into her throat. “Because I make you nervous, Angel?”

“No, it’s just...just…weird.” Evie pressed up into her desk. Billy closed the distance. Got within inches of her. “It’s weird.”

Repetition didn’t ease the sear of those ocean eyes drowning her too sweetly. She felt her chest fill and flutter all the way down. Flowers unfurled to be plucked and caressed. Billy pushed into the space until she was seated there on the desk. Scrambling further. Unable to climb the wall.

“You do seem nervous though, Evie.” His tone hushed. Fingers brushed her thighs and palms came to rest there. The bunched fabric of her dress barely separating them. She inhaled his cologne. Smelled peppermint from his breath. Chest heaving.

Billy knew this wasn’t part of the quest. If that’s what this was, maybe that was a nicer way to put it. Maybe rationalizing it a thousand times would help him get some sleep at night. Just show her a good night, cash in, and go home.

It still sounded shitty. Wasn't doing Evie any favors. This girl painted too many iridescent colors. They could bleed and Billy wouldn't step away if it pooled too close.

He liked to watch the blush spread across her freckled cheeks. Rose petals falling into a cool pond. Liked the way her nose scrunched when she smiled and when she was cross with him.

Billy didn't want her because she was a conquest. A challenge. Sure, she challenged him, that was part of it. And she also made him smile like he was looking at the rocking ocean waves again. Sand and wind kissing his warm skin. There was a mystery in those molten eyes he wanted to taste for himself. Maybe it was possible to just enjoy a person without strings.

To let colors bleed and swirl. To just watch it happen without fear or judgement. To not step away from it either. Just sink right in and create those echoing ripples.

It was too sweet and peculiar, how soft Evangeline Fenny was against the hard edges of his steel frame. So sharp, it warded everyone off.

But, not Evie, she fit perfectly against him. Fire with fire. It gave them so much in this world that had forgotten them both. Freckles to count. Eyelashes to wish upon. Flesh curves and razor angles to explore.

Hell, he even enjoyed how shaken she got as he neared and how still she went when his fingers trailed up her legs.

Evie watched his muscled chest rise, the saint pendant caught the light. Looked up at his eyes and then his mouth because it couldn’t be helped. Billy Hargrove filled Evie's space and lungs with sugary smoke. He was too many colors in one soul. So, he pushed further because those painted lips were big and full and right fucking there.

One curious taste, that couldn't hurt.

Brought his hand up toward her chin and leaned forth when…

“Dinner!”

Evie practically shoved Billy back. Scrambled up so the desk gave a rut. Bright red as he stumbled.

“Sorry.” She shuddered, passing him. Smelling of amber perfume. “Coming, mom.” Billy stared at the back of her hair. Blinked a couple times to pull himself together. To rationalize some.

Curiosity. A deadly thing and so sweet too.

It felt like he was dreaming and woke up sitting at the dinner table. Evie clicked a Coke in front of him, flashed a knowing expression that made him smirk before she sat down.

“Now, I left a bowl in the kitchen to cool. We always bring extra to Miss Abigail, she’s three doors down.” Mona was setting plates about.

“It looks amazing, Ms. Fenny.” Billy even shifted a dish to help make room for another.

“Please, Billy, just Mona. Ms. Fenny was my mother and she was a harder woman.” She set a glass of water down and smoothed her dress out, sitting. Billy went for his fork and his hand was snatched. Evie shot him a look as Mona reached out. “I always say grace. Don’t feel pressured to join, sweetheart.”

Billy peered at Evie’s warm hand in his and accepted her mother’s. Bowed his head a little so Mona could say her prayer.

“Bless us, oh Lord. For this and all we are about to receive, make us truly grateful. And thank you for bringing Billy to our humble table, may he truly feel welcomed in our home. Please guide and protect him. Through Christ, we pray. Amen.”

“Amen.” Evie offered softer. Lips lifting when Billy peered at their hands again leaving each other. Clearly not expecting such words from a neighbor.

“You’ll forgive me, Billy, some people say they leave their hearts open. I just let mine fill the room.” Mona settled a napkin in her lap. “May I ask, if your family is religious at all?”

“Dad’s Lutheran.” Which meant Susan was by default now whatever she believed before. “We don’t go to church or anything.”

As if Neil Hargrove could drag his son under a steeple without one of them spontaneously combusting.

“Well, that’s perfectly fine.” Mona cut each of her meatballs into smaller pieces which Evie mirrored. “Evie doesn’t attend with me when I go. Although, the choir sure misses her voice.”

“Mom...” A teenage whine, near silent as she prodded at noodles.

“She get all the solos?” Billy encouraged the pink spreading Evie’s cheeks.

“Oh, every single one. She’s even been asked to come sing the national anthem at minor league baseball games.” Mona prattled and Evie’s head fell back.

“Mom!” Another drawn out groan. Evie sunk down lower.

“Oh, Evangeline, let your mother brag about you.” Mona ignored her.

"Yeah, Evangeline." He chimed in, earning a harder glare.

“Now, Billy, you’ve been in Hawkins just over two months?” Mona continued. Blue eyes lifted from the plate before he gave a nod. “How are you liking it? I’m sure it’s such a huge change from California. You must miss the beach.”

“Getting used to the cold.” Billy speared a meatball and didn’t sound convincing.

“I’ll bet you’ve never seen snow before, your poor sinuses aren’t going to know what to do. Anyone in your family takes ill, just give us a ring.” Such a mom. “It took me a few years to get used to the cold here too. We moved when Evie was just a baby straight up from N’aw Lins.”

Billy bit his tongue.

“What type of music do you write?” Billy asked and there was a beat when Evie realized he was looking at her. Addressing her pointedly. Maybe to make conversation and suck up to her talkative mother. Evie’s back grew taut, lips opening.

“Evie’s gonna be a folk singer.” Mona had cut in. “Voice of an angel, she’ll make it big. She’s been in competitions, just one look from any talent scout and she’s sold.” Evie sank down again to go back to her food. Billy watched her roll a meatball around her plate like it was the most interesting thing in the room.

Mona Fenny struck Billy as a woman who always meant well. Frilly like a lace doily. So well, she steamrolled over you because she knew best. Evie barely got two syllables out before her mother was flicking her hair and boasting. A doll that constantly had the string in its voice box yanked.

Billy learned a great deal about her.

That Mona had been arrested twice in her life for marching and protesting. Civil and women’s rights. She joked that she hadn't been arrested for gay rights yet, but looked forward to the inevitable. She was a pageant queen too. Stopped when she found out she was pregnant and couldn’t compete after that. No bitterness there of course. She had a daughter to mold and complete the legacy now.

Mona insisted on taking the plates away. Grabbing her own, Billy’s, and a side dish.

Evie was still rolling that meatball around until Billy plucked up a fork, stabbed it, and swallowed in one bite. She perked with flushed cheeks. Glared again.

Billy wanted attention.

“Your mom is friendly.” Statement of the fucking millennium.

“Just wait til she busts out her old pageant scrapbooks. You'll never see home again.” Evie quickly flashed a smile and picked up her own plate to follow her mother off. Billy stood too, peered around. That cat had to be close. “Give it up.” Arms crossed when she leaned into the doorway working a melting ice cube around her mouth. Swallowed it whole instead of crunching. Water ran in the kitchen behind her.

“We agreed on an hour of television.” Billy matched her stance, saw her hip cock.

“Half hour.”

“Hour.” Billy went in to sit on the couch like he owned it. Legs spread. “Come on in, the water’s fine, Evangeline.” Evie plucked up the remote, sat as far away from him as she could. Turned the TV on to something campy just to make him suffer.

“Fucking Love Boat. Really? Susan watches this crap.”

“You said the full hour.” Evie flashed a smug grin. “I think The Golden Girls is on too.”

“Love Boat is fine.” Billy lifted his hand. Swiped the remote from her to set it on the other side of him. They both sunk in there. Eyes on the screen. Mona left them alone to bring the plate to their neighbor, stayed for conversation.

Billy fidgeted. Stretching to scoot closer so he could nudge his knee into Evie's. Her face remained at total peace. She pushed back at his leg which drew slow smiles upon them both.

“What kind of music do you really like, or does your mother always do all the talking?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Evie felt him peer back over and held herself. A beat.

“Yeah, your dreams. They don't matter." Came sarcasm. "A girl who wants her name in lights. Don't spend too much time feeling for the switch in darkness, Angel."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just asking. You really want to sit in silence to this cheesefest? Young actresses paired with old ass grandpas playing love sick.” Billy put his arm up over the couch. Missed Evie twitch. Got his hand smacked for tugging her curl like a giddy little boy.

“I don’t know,” Evie faced him with a shrug, “somewhere in the rock and pop area. Maybe with a touch of soul. Not the hair metal I’m sure you’re into."

How beautiful she looked when she hoped.

"And my name in lights won't ever be enough, I need people to chant it too.”

Lips curled at Evie.

“Better than folk music.” Billy decided. Pride welled because she smiled too. Genuinely. Evie fiddled with her necklace. Delicate little music note caught the technicolor glow. Brown eyes turned to see him, she tried to bite the smile down. Failed.

“So, what’s the deal with this party thing? A dance?”

“One of many in the city. Bunch of high schools will probably run drunk through the streets with everyone else. No one will get carded because no one cares on New Years. Dancing and whatever. Watch the ball drop, it’s just the feral thing to do that night.”

“And you could score with any girl, but you’re asking me. It won’t be like a date or anything.” Evie dropped the charm in her fingers to see Billy’s eyes linger.

“You mentioned that. I know how to get out and have a good time without fucking. I have all sorts of tricks.” He noted the word didn’t make her wince. “Not looking to break your seal.”

“You’re gross.” Again, no argument on the details of it.

“You’re too tightly wound.” He paused, whispering. “Maybe not, but you hide it.”

"Nothing to hide, I'm an open book."

"A never ending record," Billy pushed into her so their legs pressed flush, "not nervous around me though."

"Nope." Her lips popped, fingers curling into the hem of her dress when his arm snaked behind the couch. "Not nervous."

"Not running either." That realization seemed to hit them both.

"Why would I? I can handle you just fine." She hissed at that because it came out sexual. Billy licked his lips and snickered, shifting to face her head on.

"Oh, I like the sound of that." He'd murmured, inches from her face. Evie found herself wondering how he managed to weasel his way in this close. Wondered why she was drinking him back in. "Picture this. You and this perfume enjoying a couple free drinks and some fireworks in the city. No strings attached. Not a date. Just those exploding lights and that chilly wind cooling your cheeks down, because you'll be blushing and you won't know it."

"Uh huh. I guess I can see it." Evie sized him up and crossed her legs to lean back into him. "You and the roar of a Camaro commanding the city to its knees. Glam and hairspray working their magic."

"I love an audience, Angel." Billy shook his head and froze because her palm came to his knee. Bold move. "But, I don't mind the front seat to see you blush too."

"What about you?" She whispered with a hum. "What makes King Billy blush? Does all the noise you like to make hide it?" A spark flitted up her eyes. Made his chest heave. "Is that your secret?"

"Come to the party, I'll tell you all my secrets." Fingers grazed up her arm when soft digits gave a rhythmic tap against his thigh. Billy went for it. "Do this dance with me."

"You don't play as hard to get as you let on."

"Not when I want something bad. Better to just play harder." Lips parted to hit that word. Her brows lifted at such an admittance. "You're sizzling up a fuse, aren't you, Evie?" She shook her head with a lazy smile. Eyes finding his again after. Near sultry.

"You have to light a fuse first, Billy, for it to sizzle." Her hand crept along denim. Felt him go rigid and part his thighs just a little bit wider before she sat back. "And the fire's out anyway. I'll make good on the deal. If you win."

"I hope you have a dress picked." Billy scoffed, breathless and still intent on her while she looked ahead at the screen.

“Time is ticking. As if you taking me out will do me any good." Evie rolled her eyes and reclined back into his side. Quite comfortably like she wasn't thinking about it. "Give me cool points so Tommy and Carol leave me alone.”

“They’re assholes to everyone. It’s not you.” Billy replied dismissively. Curled his finger into her locks behind the sofa.

“You don’t notice who they target because you’re too busy chasing skirts and fighting others yourself. Also haven't seen the writing about me on the bathroom walls. School hierarchy rules. Open those pretty ocean eyes and see the world for what it is. You're untouched because of your front. Everyone wants to be Billy Hargrove or screw him.”

Evie looked at him there, blinking.

"What side of the line are you on?" He bit his lip. "I can guess."

She plucked his hand from her shoulder and placed it back into his lap. Patted it for good measure.

“So, you really think my eyes are pretty?” Billy laughed when a square pillow nailed him in the face. "You said it before too! When we were drunk and you still think it now that we're sober. Telling."

Tension shattered. Evie glittered right back at him, teeth flashing. Still chuckling, he tilted his head back to create the magical sound. Quieted.

“Fine. I’ll pay attention if it helps you sleep at night.”

Evie blew air out her lips, let a curl fly up and bounce down. They watched the screen again. Shared a space. Maybe it shouldn't have felt so intimate.

“Episode’s almost over. Thanks for playing.” She about sang. Triumphant.

“I guess you have me, Fenny.” Billy pushed up. “Mind if I take a leak?” He was already pacing off so she said nothing.

Just watched couples go hand in hand into the sunset.

There was a flush, the sink running, and then Billy’s huge smile crept back down the hallway. The boy was gone all of three minutes.

Bourbon in his arms. Purring. Perfectly happy. Evie’s jaw dropped open.

“Guess who crawled out of the shower to eyeball my junk? Not that I blame him.” Billy quipped, scratching the cat’s chin. Bourbon rubbed back into the touch. Rasped his scratchy meow for more.

“Traitor...” Evie muttered, coming to her feet. “Damn it.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re mine now, Evie. Seven o’clock. Wear something short if you like.” Billy’s lips were pressed up. Such an ass.

"I call foul." Her finger lifted.

"And I'll be calling on you. New Years Eve. Just an annoying dance. It'll be fun and free." His chin gestured at her. "Just say yes, Evie. Get out of this small town and see some lights for once. You want your name in them so bad, you gotta look at the damn things first. No day but today. Right?"

"Right," a lengthy sigh, "but, the fire's still out. Bourbon, why? First, mom and now you. He's just hypnotizing you both.” Evie took the cat from Billy, watched his face scrunch.

“Your cat is really named Bourbon?” He said flatter.

“I found him when we visited family in New Orleans. Bourbon street.” She let the feline nuzzle into her chest.

“God, Angel, I hope your lyrics are more creative than that.” Billy lightened, chest shaking as he peered away shaking his pretty head. “Well?”

She pouted and if that cat wasn't between them, Billy didn't know what he would have done. Another time or place. Another pretty dress. Another shared beat of bleeding together.

That itched him the rest of the night.

“I’ll go. Seven. I’ll dress nice. It’s not a date, so don’t try anything and get me home in one piece. I reserve the right to leave you if you act like too much of an ass.” Evie grumbled some about it, defeated.

But, she wondered about the lights and what it might be like to share them. Suppressed all urges that longed to hope.

“That much I can do, I might even keep my ass in check. Don’t flake, we have a deal. I’ll be your Mr. Darcy or whatever.” Billy made for the door, plucking up his jacket as she opened it.

“That’s an impossible standard, but keep dreaming.” Evie sighed out. Watched him turn to beam. Offered a pet to Bourbon. “Least you got his name right.”

“Quick learner, I get points. New Years Eve. Don’t make me chase you, Evie, because I will.” Billy stepped off the porch lighting a cigarette, idly waved behind him.

Game. Set. Match.

“I’m not gonna be nice about it.” She called.

“So, you’ll be your normal, cheery self with me. Great. Won't ask for anything else, we have a good thing going.” He turned to wink, curling a final smile. Evie stilled, petting her cat before sighing into the cold air. “See you then, Fenny.”

“Whatever you say, Hargrove.” She shut the door as he climbed his own porch. Looked at her cat.

“You did this to us, I hope you’re proud.”

Bourbon blinked. Another rumbling purr in response.

** ** **

“The world...” Evie plucked an idle cord. Sang soft to not disturb her mother down the hallway sleeping. Nestled into the wall on her bed next to the window. “May think I’m foolish. They can’t see you like I can...”

Darkness shrouded save for a small set of twinkling lights around her bed frame. Eyes kept averting to the clock.

“Oh, but anyone...who...”

Another pause to see the clock. Eyes flickered out along the street marked with lamps. Cracking her window to see out. Nothing. Evie settled. Changed the tune to something original and plucked another heart string.

“Those ocean eyes… Drowning me out. What I wouldn't give to...” Her palm caught the vibrating cord to snuff the sound. A groan as she set the guitar aside. “Shit.”

That was not happening.

A car went down the street at the exact moment the clock struck eleven. Evie grabbed her coat and locked her bedroom door. Checked her hair and makeup before hitching one leg over the window. Felt the naughty thrill pulse into her heart as she snuck out.

Billy peered to see beyond his own window near the foot of his bed. Unseen in the pitch black space. Thought about catching her. It was always a Saturday night. Evie Fenny crept out like clockwork. Wearing something nice under a jacket she held close. Sometimes with the guitar on her back. Lips painted red. Went down the street and returned as the sun rose. He’d observed it often. Sometimes it happened on school nights. Two to three times a week. Never asked because it didn’t seem important enough before. But, now…

Billy knew a teen girl didn’t paint her lips red at eleven o’clock on a Saturday for just anyone.

Evie hurried down the street toward the woods at the end. Got into a shiny car. Disappeared until sunrise.

~~~~~

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