#Reasons will probably be revealed in the next update? Lol

[familiar-anonymous]

Dream x Hob texting AU:

The Next Day (day -2):

I like texting fics. So just thought I would give it a go (and hopefully it will give fellow dreamling shippers motivation to write a better one than this nonsense).

[I don’t know if/when there will be a next part. So, sorry in advance.]

Edit: so I have updated the next part→ part-2 part-3

[phi4mars]

So I was thinking of a request, when an idea popped into my mind, I definitely see Velvet to be the type to fall really hard in love and be in complete denial while also acting dismissive and uncaring, but in reality she’s all putty and melting at just the thought of them(and veneer knows and teases her about it) and she tries really hard not to show those weaknesses to anyone, especially the reader who in this case is worried on why velvet seems to avoid them like the plague. So yeah I thought a lot about this for some reason, hope it’ll give you more ideas for future stories:)

ahh yes. guys im so sorry i haven’t updated im suuuuuper busy right now but i should be able to post more. keep requesting please!!!

anyways thankyou for the suggestion i love it!!

complicated

꧁………….꧂

“i do not like her!! she’s my bestfriend!” velvet denies shouting at veneer.

“sure you don’t!! your all lovey dovey around her, just admit it!” he yells back frustrated that his sister will not admit she is a girl kisser.

“what do you mean lovey dovey?!” she asks crossing her arms.

“you’re always trying to get close to her and you turn into a blushing mess when she compliments you!!” veneer says slapping his face.

velvet thinks for a minute, then dropping her jaw.

“oh my god.”

~~

2 days later velvet and veneer are in their dressing room after one of their shows. velvet lays on the couch after sighing,

“where’s y/n?” she asks looking disappointed.

“why so you can swoon over her?” veneer replies snickering.

“shut up” she replies covering her face.

suddenly the door bursts open revealing a very angry y/n.

“can you believe it? the stupid security guard held me back and called me a crazy fan!” she says moving her hands around.

y/n walks over to the couch and sits next to the green haired girl. velvet shifts away from her a little leaving y/n super confused.

“anyways you guys did amazing tonight! everyone was going crazy” y/n exclaimed.

“awe thankyou” veneer said while velvet stayed silent.

veneer shot velvet a look before she finally replied,

“oh yeah thanks” she said coldly.

y/n could tell something was off with velvet since she always used to be right next to her and talk a crazy lot. there was so much tension in the room y/n thought it would be best to leave.

“i’m gonna leave, see ya later!” she smiled at the two.

~~

8:15pm

9:30pm

~~

y/ns pov

“i need space” the message read, from my own bestfriend. my heart stopped. what the fuck was going on.

what had i done? it doesn’t make sense, i didn’t do anything.

i held back tears as i dialled veneer, surely he would have answers right?

no answer.

a million thoughts rushed through my head as i tried to backtrack my whole life trying to find anything that could have caused this. the pure panic rushed through my body as i couldn’t hold back the tears.

~~

velvets pov

“i need space” i typed in and sent. i didn’t think before i sent that fucking message. she read it straight away.

what have i done?

i have messed up so bad, it’s so hard being around her, it feels all so different. i like her. no i’m inlove with my own bestfriend.

it felt like the only answer, avoid her until these feelings go away right? she probably hates me now.

“velvet, y/n is calling me” veneer opened the door and told me showing me his phone.

“don’t answer it.” i said sternly

“why?” he questioned.

“don’t answer it!” i screamed as i put my head in my hands.

꧁………….꧂

part 2?

sorry this isn’t really like the request and a bit short it’s just if i continued it would be so long lol

[rearranged-fanfic]

Update (3/15)

I'm never actually going to get a chapter out on time. Lol. I am resigned to the fact that this is my truth.

So, fun stuff these past three weeks.

The next chapter? I hate it. It has been the bane of my existence for several reasons. I've deleted either the whole thing or massive parts of it no less than six times now. I've probably typed and retyped somewhere between 30K words for this one alone. I'm not happy with it at all. I've already put it off for another week, and I still can't get it the way I want. The perfectionist in me is telling me to pound it out until it's acceptable. The person inside who wants to meet my deadlines is screaming at me to just upload it in its current state and change it later.

I'm finishing it, though. Or, as finished as I can get it in an extra day. So, one more day and it'll be out for you guys to view to your hearts' content.

In other news, while battling frustration with the story, I've tried to distract myself from it so that my anger doesn't bleed into my writing. And I've wound up getting back into one of my old favorite chill games: My Time at Portia. I've put somewhere around 500 hours into it, and still love it. Lol. If you like things like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing, you'll probably like Portia, too.

I've started rewatching My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer with my husband. Both of those things are living in my head rents free as well, alongside this fic and my game.

So, now I'm resisting the urge to contribute to a smaller, less-saturated fandom or pairing. Like, there are ten million GojoXReader stories, but what about for Arlo? Or Hawks? Or best boi Rengoku Kyojuro? Arrrggggh! The ADHD beckons, and I must resist its call!

I wish I could pause time so that I can write all the things I want to!

Also, I tried to unwind by watching The Boy and the Heron to celebrate its win at the Oscars. And I feel like I'm being gaslit by the world and anime community as a whole. Because it was… not great. Like, it was a genuinely incohesive and confusing movie? The plot was chaotic and nonsensical? The characters weren't very fleshed out? Character motivations suffered due to poor pacing? Emotional payoff was non-existant? The plot "reveals" weren't satisfying? The worldbuilding was lackluster and simultaneously too involved but not involved enough? There was a crappy third-act villain? The English dub is mid (barring Robert Pattinson, who is stellar, TBH); Why the fuck did Christian Bale decide that a Godfather-esque mafioso accent would be fitting for a WW era Japanese man when nobody else in the movie sounds like that?!

IDK… I went in expecting this to be on the same level as Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, or Spirited Away. And I feel like we got Tales From Earthsea all over again. Except this time, for whatever reason, it won an award and is being praised as Miyazaki's magnum opus?!

I was actually salty for days. Scratch that; I'm still salty.

So... in conclusion, I'm back, bitches. And I'm vibing to the music of my own internal screaming.

[sakis-sweets]

ok i think we need to talk about the MASSIVE shit revealed in this update

I haven't had a chance to install the game and play anything for myself for various reasons, but I've seen some videos on YouTube, and I am REELING - like, where do I even start???

I guess I'll start with the dream that Ayano has about the origins of the Aishi condition. Which. DEFINITELY seems to be a curse. I was able to find a video that enables free cam without any of the effects so we can get a good look at who all is in this sequence. There is, of course, Ayano's ancestor (using the Yanvania model) and her Senpai. But there's also someone that looks like Info-chan and someone else that looks like Mae Kunahito. Weirdly enough there is a demon with Osana's hair? And the Lust demon (probably). She seemed to be a major player in this, but her role is unclear. She stopped Yancestor from getting her Senpai in some way, but i don't get why he was trapped in a bubble. The REAL kicker is at the end - WE FINALLY HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT'S UNDER THE CHERRY TREE. There is a dilapidated corpse tangled up in the roots! And Yancestor knew about it! But we don't know who or why. My current theory is that we've got a Dehydrated Ganondorf situation, and if the corpse is disturbed, we free the Lust demon for an opportunity to defeat her once and for all. That, or the Osana demon. Hard to say. But that would probably be the secret true ending. And honestly, I'm not mad about that direction for the story.

Next is the CRAZY timeline shenanigans going on in 1980's mode. It's definitely FUN! We learned that Fun Girl can manifest through her sister. Here's a thought - Ichiko referenced a window of time where she wouldn't be monitored. It would be easy to assume that she meant monitored by the Saikou family, but is it possible that she actually meant being monitored by Fun Girl? Is Ichikou being manipulated by her sister? Is she actually a victim? Fun Girl's actions at the end of the time paradox playthrough indicate that she's more sinister than we thought. No matter what happens, she grants us a Chara-style jumpscare (which makes sense because Fun Girl was inspired by Gaster, but I would appreciate some originality honestly). It seems like her intention is to steal Ayano and use her as a vessel to re-enter that dimension. To do what? Enact revenge on Saisho? He's dead by the time 202x mode starts. So it's hard to say. Either way, the effects are cool and it's an interesting extra!

Now I'm tempted to make tier lists based off of the sins of Akademi's students as shown in the Death Demon Easter egg. Maybe I will lol. But I guess we'll see next month what the plan for the game is. In the meantime, Yakuza mode sounds fun!

[goldensunset]

i’m not about to draw a minimum of twelve entire pictures but i wanna do this anyway (i guess i could just edit the images in there but that’s lame lol)

•my favorite gym leader is probably either tulip or clay! something about tulip i just always found very endearing and respectable and i love clay’s no-nonsense attitude and sheer strength. plus he gets bonus points for his daughter being lacey

•fav champion is clearly volo. like how could you not classify that as a champion fight. that was so freaking hard man. runner up goes to kieran though bc he was also really hard for me. but of course if we’re talking official true pokémon league champions then cynthia

•fav elite four member has gotta be lacey. i adore her. first time i’ve ever lost to the same opponent multiple times in a fair fight (aka being prepared and on-level). she’s sooo cute and fun! she also terrifies me severely

•favorite protagonist is akari no surprise there. la does such a good job of making it clearly important why the protag is the protag. it offers a legitimate in-universe explanation as to why this one child in particular is so much more powerful than all the others. out of place in time and space, literally chosen by a god… the way certain characters question her humanity, both in a good and evil way… it’s so good

•favorite rival… well pokémon fans use the term rival really loosely. it can mean any friend character that you battle for funsies even once. it can mean literal arch nemesis. idk. arven stole my heart with his story but i don’t consider him a rival like most people do so that goes to cheren. i love his story and he has also mopped the floor with me several times

•favorite antagonist is also volo next question. i’m sick in the head about him. n is a strong and clear second place obviously though. i’ve done enough rambling on here about them

•professor laventon is the guy ever he feels like he actually personally cares about akari so much. that’s her dad. the way he’s actively involved in plot stuff, he accompanies the team on field missions even when he really doesn’t need to… he’s always there. you see him a lot. and he’s clearly writing the pokédex entries himself and they’re absolute gold. but seeing as professor is also a broad term because they’ve been really breaking up the older tradition in recent games, i nominate director clavell as second place bc i respect the guy a lot. that old man (tm) enjoyer here

•fav battle facility leader… well. i don’t really have one bc i’ve done very little with the battle facilities in the two games i’ve played that had them lol. so i guess throwaway answer is ingo but mostly for pla reasons. actually i think he counts as a battle facility leader in pla with the daybreak update and i’ve done some of his stuff so he does in fact count for me

•for fav clan member i’m gonna say arezu i like her a lot. she tried doing the right thing in a very chaotic way and i respect her for her efforts. plus her design is cute and she gives great haircuts and her noble is adorable

•character from other media… well i’m obsessed with the way n is portrayed in pokespe. perfect blend between sad prettyboy and freak behavior. they just made everything so intense. and i love oshawott from poképark 2 with the way he’s trying so hard to be serious and cool but snivy keeps getting on his nerves lol. that’s the reason i chose oshawott in pla bc that was the only of those pokémon i recognized

•i’m classifying arven as miscellaneous bc like i said i don’t consider him a rival but MAN!! man… this guy just got shortchanged so many times but i’m glad he was able to get closure for his parents’ disappearance and death and that he can move on and just live his own life. also certified dog lover moment

•top fav character… yeah you all know it’s volo LOL. completely shrimp fried my brain. the absolute hyperactive high i was on when he revealed himself. made even more insane bc i had literally been spoiled that he was a twist villain but i had no other context so i was just waiting the whole game for him to be evil. imagine the sinking in my gut when the credits rolled and it didn’t happen i thought i’d been embarrassing myself the whole time but then the postgame punched me in the gut HARD. i thought he’d end up being like the sad sympathetic frenemy guy where you don’t really want to fight him but NOPE full on evil full on he was just using you. made even better by the context that he had been your biggest fan throughout the whole game while everyone else had been suspicious of you. i lost my entire mind. once again second place to n though

[i--antimony]

didn't poast last week so this is a two-week extravaganza post! con: got roped into DMing dnd pro: none of these fools have read mdzs so i can steal plots from there. hope the party is ready to be lead on a quest by a disembodied arm!

listening: oh shit SO many things. i will not be linking to all of them.

depeche mode: basically just their top songs on spotify, not any specific album. strong shoutout to 'shake the disease' and 'wrong' (which featured in my secret samol post!)

disturbed: ditto

franz ferdinand: albums 'hits to the head' and 'tonight'. throwbacks

phoenix: 'wolfgang amadeus phoenix' ditto throwback

inxs: 'x' DITTO throwback. doesn't hit the same as when i first listened to em years ago unfortunately

streetlight manifesto: album 'somewhere in the between'

boy and bear: 'harlequin dream'

sammy rae: 'let's throw a party', 'the good life', and their 'everybody wants to rule the world' cover

hozier: 'wasteland baby' and 'unreal unearth'

paramore: album 'this is why'

grizzly bear: 'veckatimiest' and 'painted ruins'

haken: their newest album 'fauna' because i'm thinking about whether or not to go to one of their shows in feb (leaning towards yes right now)

my SO's pinecore playlist

shosty symphony no 5 (<3)

and, finally, a lot of borodin symphony no. 1 in e flat and the last two movements of rimsky-korsakov golden cockerel because that's what the youth orchestra i'm volunteering with is playing right now haha

for podcasts, i've listened to the new counter/weight prequel eps! i'm so charmed to see these characters again. i still haven't finished millenium break holiday special because i lost my spot when a bunch of an episode played without sound by accident so i finally went and scrubbed back to the beginning of the episode (it's the second to last part) so by next week i will FINALLY be out of holiday special zone.

reading: finished rereading tgcf lol,,, in loving memory of square checkbox: apparently apple is switching to circle ones? hateful wikipedia page for kessler syndrome my friend @celestialtourguide sent me a dm to ask about a few of the characters in this manuscript and i was immediately charmed by it. it's so pretty, i loved the informational blurbs, just really cool stuff. it was already on waybackmachine but i've gone ahead and updated it.

watching: kurtis conner looksmaxxing. weird little subculture peek. rewatched sideways' why the music in cats 2019 is worse than you thought because my roommate was interested. this led us to the same channel's why avatar has the most ironic soundtrack of all time because roommate misread ironic as iconic and she really likes that movie. no accounting for taste, but aight. much more interesting than i thought it would be. that video then lead us to tony hinnigan's woodwind demos because hell fuckin yes. big-ass panpipes.

i've been keeping up on dunmeshi anime in little watch sessions with my SO, and also am working through kill la kill with him! i've seen it before but he has not so i'm really enjoying that.

playing: fallow.

making: i managed to finish my secret samol gift in time for reveal day!!! comics are fuckin hard dude!!!! i don't know if i'll be doing it again but it was a fun challenge. i decided to use a New App for some reason instead of procreate because procreate has not been hitting right and i wanted comic half tone brushes for this project. app is called sketchbook, it's an orange icon with a pencil on it. shrug! it's fine! i'll probably keep using it for a bit. started working on an english paper piecing project! soliciting tips for that because right now my method is: cut out hexagon using pattern piece i made to be 1/4 in larger all around than the template, gluestick template onto hexagon, baste edges down neatly, whip-stitch right sides together. remove template once all six sides have something attached. i'm sure there's a better way to streamline this process, i'll have to experiment. this will end up as a dice bag i think.

finally, pottery starts again this week! so next week will have some of that in here

eating: ah beans i did not do a good job keeping track of this. uh. made the ground pork & cabbage thing again because my roommate got SO much napa cabbage for making kimchi and we had a shitload left over. napa cabbage isn't as good as a more standard cabbage for this imo, standard cabbage tends to be a little sweeter i think once it's cooked in? idk. had some stage 5 mental illness moments last week trying to cook dinner on a very short time scale with lots of other shit to do, following a recipe because fucking of course my roommate wanted me to cook with a recipe that night. anyways.

misc: like said at the top, somehow i managed to sign up for Another Activity god damn it. so now every saturday evening i run dnd. tl;dr i'm in a group irl that meets biweekly, someone who i give a lift to for that was complaining in the car that their other online group's dm ragequit after his encounter wasn't well-balanced (skill issue) and before thinking about it i just was like oh well i could probably step in if you need! god damn ittttt lol i have missed dming so it should be fun. i vibe checked them for a session 0 last week and they seem chill and honestly shouldn't be too much work on my end, especially if i yoink plots from mdzs ha ha ha. other than that, all is basically well. i've settled back into a schedule, applied for some summer positions (!), and absolutely hate the amount of busy work in one of my two classes. yippee

[nyctoheart]

You've probably answered this before so I apologize but it is impossible to search for things on tumblr, and I'm curious of your opinion. If someone were to play the Kingdom Hearts series for the first time, when would you recommend they watch/play Union X and Dark Road, do you think they're best experienced before or after Kingdom Hearts III? They do a lot to setup the next part of the saga but they also (especially Dark Road) help Kingdom Hearts III's conclusion feel even more satisfying. Also, do you think Back Cover should be watched before or after Union X? Would love to hear your opinion on this, thanks!!

Hello! That's okay I love talking about this stuff anyway 🙈 These are my personal opinions:

BC before UX:

I personally think Chirithy's narration in BC does a good job of laying out the overall situation: the world being intact, and the relations between the MoM, the Foretellers, and the unions. And with BC being devoid of the many things UX brings in (Maleficent, Darkness, the lifeboat, the reveal of the traitor, etc), I think if you were to watch BC after, it would be frustratingly simple; where a 1st viewer might say "well where are all the darknesses? where's Skuld? how come they dont mention the lifeboat? why dont--" etc etc. I think to keep viewing BC as open minded as possible, I would watch it before UX. And it'll emphasize the impact of the Foretellers' demise in UX.

UX before KH3:

KH3's reports make a lot more sense knowing UX's story, and you might gasp with the epilogue's reveal or theorize the identity of Subject X. I think if you play KH3 before UX, you might gloss over AND completely forget a lot of the interesting lines in KH3's cutscenes and reports that reference it.

DR before (or after) KH3: (maybe depending on the player's ability to keep track of information):

When it comes to "before", I assume I'm in the vaaast minority with this opinion, but the more I think about it, the more I think so. I think DR would add a lot of good-ass emotional tension in KH3 with Xehanort, his childhood with Eraqus, the reason of his collecting wielders with the ancient legacy like Ventus, the child of destiny etc etc. And it would also be good for someone going into KH3 knowing that Xehanort is not, in fact, Player reincarnated LOL.

ON THE OTHER HAND: The thing about KH3 is that it already is tying many KH titles together, it's a heavy spaghetti game with a bunch of threads coming together. So I think DR, especially being so fresh in a new viewers mind, might take away from the impact of other characters from BbS or Days returning. Maybe not, but I think its possible. I would also say "DR ties too much into Missing Link to be put before KH3" but UX ties into ML just as much, if not more, than DR. So maybe that's not a good reason LOL.

The only other reason I would say play DR after KH3 is because Re:Mind has a cropped version of MoM's scene, so it might be less impactful in ReMind (assuming you play ReMind immediately after vanilla KH3). However, that scene in ReMind is so fucking vague, and DR's context makes it a lot more comprehendible IMO. So maybe that's another reason DR should be before KH3 LOL.

(I also have not seen DR's updated text yet so I apologize if that really impacts if it should be after KH3)

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

those are my opinions, if you disagree you can take it up with my secretary or honestly reply to this post! I'm curious as to why, maybe there's a huge variable that I'm completely forgetting about...

[etherealising]

OMGOMGOMG You’re so sweet! I’m so happy my song recs are inspiring you 😭, I also read chapter 8 and listened to the songs and read the lyrics separately for the best experience lol, I sobbed what can I say, my favorite one was Your Needs, My Needs! amazing chapter like always, it took me so long to read it because work has been crazy, it was so sweet to come home and see that you had updated and that you tagged me? You made my night thank you so much

I’m also a very slow reader and when I saw all the chapter tags I made a playlist with your songs and some of my own lmfao, Philadelphia by Good Night & Good Morning, and I Bet on Losing Dogs by Mitski! Song recs are not exactly a birthday gift but lets pretend, happy late birthday, hope you had an amazing day!

Now, the chapter… 😭😭😭 I was so sad by the end, but I’m happy they are on somewhat good terms now, Natalie can finally rest! More or less. Baby finally coming clean in some parts it’s so good, for her and for Carmy, he needed to know that he wasn’t the only one going through stuff, and that his fear of commitment really impacted other people, even if the way things turned out were not completely his fault. He felt so bad knowing about the alcohol and pills, I can’t imagine how he will feel when the other shoe drops. We also had another part of the puzzle, the fact that it was Richie that found her the day of the miscarriage make his disgust for Carmy even more reasonable (and sweet? In some twisted way lol, we love a protective “older brother”), I hope we can read in the future what exactly happened and why. The chain and the pendant are also a beautiful detail, it’s the small details that make a story so memorable and you nail that every time.

I loved it! Can’t wait for the next chapter!

you could have read this chapter a whole year later and i’d still be screaming at this message! 😭 but yes they have all been so inspiring it is crazy! but omg yes, your needs, my needs was the heart and soul of chapter 8 i was bawling whenever it came on! i’m so happy to have made your night, you literally make my day anytime you send me an ask i like almost jump up and down when i see you in my notifications!

more song recs?!?! you spoil me, i will damn sure accept these recs as a birthday present! and yes it was quite great, thank you for the well wishes lovie!!

i was so on the fence about having them make up, but i just want to right them in love and lovin on each other so bad now! but yes nat can take a break for now lol. yes i thought it was well beyond time for baby to at least admit something to carmy, and you’re absolutely right hearing baby’s confession kind of gives carmy perspective like he’s not the only one struggling through things, but i also thought it was important to denote that no matter what, just because he loved her that didn’t mean anything would be different. not the other shoe dropping 😭 but yes richie is 100% so much team baby it hurts his big brother senses are always tingling around her lol. i’ve decided i’m not going too into detail about the miscarriage because of how delicate of a topic it is but when baby reveals it to carmy she will explain what happened. the chain, pendant, and flower lore are probably my favorite detail i’ve included in this series like its just so close to my heart and i love sharing it with you all!

i’m so glad you still love this fic so much and i can’t wait to continue sharing it with you! 🤍

[polariskai]

txt prompts/blurbs/writing ideas.

⋆ hey hi hello !! so I have around 738272 txt au works in my drafts and I know that I will most probably never get to write any of these so I decided to just post some of them here as writing ideas.

⋆ I've discarded this works for mainly two reasons. for one, it was quite tedious for me to conceptualize or write. two, I just ost interest in writing them lol

⋆ I would also like to say that for these writing ideas, you can freely use them and no need for credit. These can also be used for other fandoms as well, I labeled them as txt writing ideas because originally these were really intended for them. If you do use them though, I would like to be tagged hehe

. . . . . . . .

[ LEGEND ] ☂︎ : angst , ♡ : fluff

CHOI YEONJUN °

— man of my dreams | ☂︎

yeonjun was everything you’ve ever wanted. You loved and adored him so much, or so you thought. You have created fantasies of him in your head and once they began to crumble down, soon you were hammered with the reality of how he truly was to you . After a bitter breakup, you wonder on who's end does the fault of the relationship lie on. Was it your fault for creating this unhealthy and unrealistic idea of him, being oh so in love with the idea of him than him, really? Or was it yeonjun’s fault for failing to meet your expectations and be a good partner to you that it drove you to create another ideal version of him?

› ideal as a oneshot

› has a complete outline already ! just dm me if you want it

��� the villain's savior | ☂︎♡

you are devastated when you find out your favorite character in the Isekai romance fantasy manhwa you were reading, the second lead turned villain, choi yeonjun is on the brink of death on the last chapter update. the next day, you wake up shocked and confused to see a boy who looks extremely identical to yeonjun laying on your couch, in the same exact bloody and injured state in the last chapter you saw yeonjun in.

CHOI SOOBIN °

— summer flame | ♡

choi soobin. the one boy that somehow always gets on your nerves for the most ridiculous reasons. from leaving his pencil shavings on your desk to wearing a teenage mutant ninja turtles shirt to your acting project, you just couldn't stand being around him even if he was the last person on earth. But what happens when you're forced you to spend almost two weeks of your summer with the one person you despise the most?

› has a complete outline already ! just dm me if you want it

CHOI BEOMGYU °

— love is sour grapes | ☂︎

a hanahaki au wherein you only get the disease if you assume the one you love doesn't love you back. the only way you can reverse the damage is by removing every single memory you have of that person through a surgical procedure. not even reciprocated love can save you.

you and beomgyu are childhood friends. your relationship over the years became pretty complicated. there was something blooming between the two of you but you were too scared to put the label and commit to it. beomgyu on the other hand has confessed and has been patiently waiting for more than a year for an answer. at some point, what ends up blooming instead are the petals threatening beomgyu's lungs.

KANG TAEHYUN °

— game on! | ☂︎♡

you and kang taehyun go head to head on a battle to becoming the student council president on your senior year. the conflict really arises when the results come and it's revealed you guys got a tie in the score tally. the school schedules a re-election on the next month. and neither of you plan on accepting defeat, you both constantly bicker and pull pranks on each other. In a party set on the day before your re-election debate, you and taehyun find yourselves stuck in a different type of tension.

[lena-rambles]

nano update, days 4–6

daily goal ; 800 words

weekly goal ; 4800 words

month goal ; 20,000 words

one rest day per week accounted for

current count ; 5050 words

excerpts under the cut :)

also yes this is a day late bc i forgot to finish and post it, oop. sorry

sat 4 - 536 words

“how has life been since our last luncheon?” priscilla asks quietly, face drawn with acrylic concern. “i imagine you and your mother have been quite occupied with solstice preparations.” i close my eyes for a brief moment, slotting my next words together. “i am still growing accustomed to my role in such events,” i say slowly. “I am still learning to fit in my brother’s shoes.” my voice tightens at that last sentence. cold pride lurks in cadmus’ eyes. “certainly large shoes to fill,” he says, “moreso if you go the distance for your people as he did.” my stomach shifts unpleasantly and i take a shallow breath. “only time reveals such matters,” i say evenly.

i needed something to go down in this conversation, but cadmus saying erin should sacrifice herself?? not what i expected, cadmus. you don't surprise me, but damn.

sun 5 - 1343 words

“i should ask them to play one of sobol’s pieces tonight,” i murmur, eager to move on to a new topic. theodore twirls me away, then pulls me close again. “that’s not why I requested fulgencio.” “i know. you’re sweet as honey on me and expect wasps in return.” he shakes his head. “princess, i trust that you would never sting me in such a way.”

!! my average is 250 words in 20 min, i've been doubling that today, what the hell!!

also i'm just really proud of erin's line so that's why i'm sharing this excerpt. i hope i'm as creative as i think i am lol

mon 6 - 1040

“father wants me to be engaging more, be a proper son like ezekiel was before he went off to school,” cousin hugo says. “lucky for me, papa has convinced him not to push too hard.” i groan. “lucky you. unfortunately, the duties of a crown princess are of higher importance than a noble son, classy as you are.” i say that last part dubiously. “we can’t all be like ezekiel, either,” he continues. “papa doesn’t know what lord and lady evander did, but it worked. he may be a friend, but he sets an impossible standard.” he swirls the champagne in his tall glass, then drinks the last few sips like a commoner would beer. it doesn't surprise me anymore; theodore has heard from his brother a number of stories about cousin hugo’s escapades. “all that aside, cora and i had started to talk about tonight’s dresses.”

another bigger word count again?? ahhh very happy

i hit 5k!! 25% to my goal and a bit early to boot :))

also cousin hugo is. huh. interesting, not what i expected, and probably won't have any speaking past this scene. he lives on the other side of the country, so the only other reasonable time for him to show up is at the coronation, but there's other plot stuff that's more important than him lol. still, he's fun to write

long live the taglist

@memento-morri-writes, @sarandipitywrites (ask to be +/-)

[jerzwriter]

Tobias & Casey... My future plans...

Some of y'all know - the ADHD has been off the charts, and I've been stressing out because I have too much open and don't know what to do next.

Quick background: Generally, I believe fanfic doesn't have to be linear. But when it's a couple that isn't found in canon, there is no baseline; I have to create it. My intention was always to write Tobias & Casey's story chronologically. Well, that didn't happen.

It started during the holidays last year. I wanted to write holiday fics, and frankly, I wasn't even sure the fandom would still exist during the holidays in 2022, so I wrote. I brought the Carrick girls in and fell in love with them, so I wanted a little more. Then there were asks and prompts, and - before you knew it - their story was all over the place, and this isn't even taking AUs into account.

I recently started the series about their baby & wedding stories, Kind of for the same reason. I got a lot of asks about these topics, and, well, with the fandom thinning, I figured let me write it while there are still 10 people who care. lol

But as a discussion with a friend revealed, no one even knows how they finally got together. As I looked back, I think I need to make people understand why there was a connection to each other, even though the rocky beginning of their relationship ended up with Casey dumping him. So here is what I have planned:

I'm going post a timeline for them. Not the scribbled in my notebook for my own use timeline, but something pretty and organized one that will be posted here. I'm also going to update my Meet My MC, create a Meet Tobias (since, face it, he's really an OC), and I'll make little ones for other OCs in their world.

Since Casey & Tobias already told her parents the big news, then he stopped to "tell" his late father on the way to his mom's house, I will finish that and have them tell Vivian. But, after that, I'm probably going to pause that series and go back to the Their Start series.

Their Start is currently in the Book 2 timeline right before the attack. Casey broke up with Tobias, and he's wigging out because he cares that she dumped him. This has never happened to him before. He's desperate to get her back, but she's not biting. But she just gave him the slightest bit of hope (and immediately regretted it). He's walking around happy, believing there is a chance, but then she never calls, so he's deflated. That's when he learns about the chemical attack at Edenbrook. So I'm going to go back to the attack (that rhymes) and bridge at least the bones of their story up to where they got engaged, and then I'll take it from there.

There may be one-offs (for asks/events), but I will try to limit them until I finish this bridge.

As far as series go, I'll be wrapping up Friends * (I'm hoping to do it in one more part, but it may be two), and I CAN NOT WAIT to delve into "Where It Goes From Here" when that's over.

Why am I sharing this? T/C is not my more popular pairing, and I'm sure some of my beautiful anons are already penning a "you're so narcissistic" message... but this helps me formulate my thoughts. Also, while T/C have a small following, they are loyal and enthusiastic. I've always says, my readers matter, even if they are a smaller group. Lastly, this is what I always say it needs to be about... WRITE WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO READ. Don't worry too much about the rest. So, if you made it this far, thank you. I really appreciate it and can't wait to get more to you. I'm only tagging some of my bigger T/C fans here. Thanks for your love & support! 💕💕

@a-crepusculo @animesuck3r @annfg8 @annoyingmillenialnewbie @coffeeheartaddict2 @crazy-loca-blog @inlocusmads @jamespotterthefirst @jennieausten @liaromancewriter @lilypills @lucy-268 @mysticalgalaxysstuff @onikalover @peonierose @peonyblossom @potionsprefect @quixoticdreamer16 @secretaryunpaid @trappedinfanfiction @icecoffee90 @jerzwriter-reblogs-asks

[cephalonserotonin]

Devstream 172

fortunately for y'all I am unemployed this summer and was able to actually watch this one live!

prioritizing recency for this one; will fill in some graphics later. after I take a nap

TL;DR: Echoes of Duviri update coming, some summer events, and we won't know what will happen at TennoCon in August but the reveal will probably be big

Last devstream before tennocon

Rebb opening her own devstream on her phone live to get the umbra forma drop... iconic

Pride campaign ends tomorrow! Grab the 1-credit pride stuff while you can!

7 Crimes of Kullervo - it's been out for a week

The prison island literally cannot be expanded any further due to storage constraints on the size of Duviri

The time-limited node (Kullervo's Hold) is to guarantee a Kullervo experience on the short term

Kullervo: 53rd warframe

Overguard for Kullervo: why? - mostly diegetic reasons, it feels non-immersive for stab man to summon shields from nowhere.

But his survivability on SP is lacking, so the team is experimenting with giving him some invuln and higher health

Some mixed thoughts on overguard vs adaptation

People want a dagger for Kullervo. it's been… tentatively teased

Captain (corrupted) Vor in the undercroft with a new monologue is popular (I haven't personally encountered him yet, and am excited to do so)

Upcoming Duviri content (next update: Echoes of Duviri)

New undercroft arenas in progress! Level design in progress shown is a lil grassland

The Jackal as an assassination game mode within the undercroft; He's a well regarded boss fight that scales well

Goal is expanding variety within duviri play

New incarnon models, which are gorgeous.

These 5 will be available for plat. There's a lot of awkward waffling here about pricing and free-to-play which has to be seen to really be understood

"We're not twisting your arm! We're not strong enough for that!"

DUVIRI ROOM FOR THE DOJO! Unique skybox for each mood Idk about y'all but I know exactly where in my dojo it's going

6th drifter weapon: the Argo and Vel, a mace and shield, similar to what the heavy Dax use Available for both Warframe and drifter (new weapon type for the drifter) The shield is gorgeous

Wisp prime coming July 27th

Teaser for her Prime trailer (I love the fluidity of it)

Fulmin + gunsen prime. The fulmin prime looks nothing like the fulmin lol

Megan's fashion frame has been called the 8th crime (oof)

More 10th Anniversary Content: the "recall 10-0 event"

will bring some old boss battles with cosmetics to earn

Starting July 19th

Dog Days returns with a hot rod domestik drone

TennoCon in person in August

Live tickets are sold out (as of before I found out I would be free that time after all, I cry)

Baro will bring all his Waros for 1 week

Broadcast schedule released

TennoLive will be 90 minutes

Helen introduces the cosplay contest ($10k prize for first place). Her hair looks amazing

The Warframe artbook content is done!

Dex operator + drifter suit by Liger! It looks like Hanzo Shimada if flowers were growing out of his back. Will be given to everyone for free :3

For the first time, reveals at this tennocon (for the "next installment" of Warframe) will be a true surprise. "It'll be our life's work" - Rebb. :o

Rebb still wants warframes starting with each letter of the alphabet. Q and D supposedly coming at tennocon

New soundtrack record picking up from the Sacrifice

Companion rework coming sometime this year

Warframe reworks won't be until post-TennoCon

Some poor lady was accosted on her wedding to ask Rebb about cross-save (bruh). More concrete news at TennoCon

[wooahaes]

hii its tattoo anon again <3 i just wanted to update you i loved cheols part of uts and cheol is one of my biases and i am so in love with his part!! i found this series almost a year ago and its bittersweet now that it has ended. i am so excited to see what comes next for the poly fic and your new works in general. i also hope that u saw my last message!! also i wanted to ask because idk if i didnt realize it or missed it but did you ever reveal who gave mouse the little stuffed mouse? if im not mistaken was it jeonghan? i have been wanting to figure out who it was but idk if i got it wrong lol. have a good day!

omg hi lovely!! i 100% saw ur last message and meant to respond and then. either forgot or got busy w school stuff, im blanking on which is it which probably just means it slipped my mind :( sorry!!

im literally gonna copy it over here and answer both this ask + the previous one to make it easier so uhh long response under the readmore !! i hope that's okay :(

okie dokie ill address this ask first

hi!!! you've been following the series since like... very close to the beginning then haha which is v v sweet and ill sob rn!!

i think i mentioned jeonghan working on the lil plush mouse during cheol UtS but didn't address it further, but yes! it was going to come up during poly fic at some point where he made all of the plushies for each person as a way of like. giving ppl comfort, esp when they show up & don't join the group at first (so that they have Something there w them, im the kind of person who needs something in my arms in order to sleep haha so that's where it's mainly coming from).

and for ur last ask:

hi its me again the tattoo anon LOL. i just wanted to reply to what you said and im so glad that i made you happy with what i said and i genuinely mean it. this is a little vulnerable but ever since i started liking svt i think a major reason why i love them so much is because they are a big group of friends and i have friends, but not that many so stanning svt in general is so comforting because of the closeness of all of them but finding this fic was like. a fucking dream for me because them being such a big close knit group and it being like the found family trope is perfect and the way you write and portray them is so comforting. genuinely i meant it when i said its one of my favorite things i have stumbled upon in my life, i have shared this story with my friends and they love it too and when we watch some edits of seventeen or see something in general that reminds us of this fic we say “this is so under the sun coded” and its like an inside joke with me and my friends. you literally changed the trajectory of my life with this fic lol. when im having a hard time in my personal life i come back to this little world u created by either just thinking about it before i fall asleep or rereading it and i want to thank you for being a writer. i hope you enjoy writing what you write bc i know that i certainly enjoy it and i hope you are proud of urself. anyway i think selling subtle stickers would be so awesome and i will definitely buy them. also since i submitted my last ask i have thought about little ideas for a tattoo maybe?? like what about like a small drawing of a church and like 13 little people around it with a little sun?!? or flowers like you said OR getting little drawings of the animals each person has? i think that would be so cute. or like maybe a little sash blindfold?? anyway ur awesome i love u thank u

the first time i tried to answer this ask, my long response ended up deleted bc i switched tabs for a second to check something and then tumblr just... deleted it??? which was v frustrating, kind of makes me hate the new post editor a Lot!

but to be vulnerable as well, i think i started writing UtS at like... a difficult point in my life? not difficult as in the painful way, but difficult as in 'there's a lot going on right now and i've never felt more alone than i do now' i guess? it's like... i started writing it right before my final semester of college, and i'm an online student, so i don't get to go out and be in a classroom with other people. sometimes i call myself an introvert when i think the term 'ambivert' has always fit more--i don't detest being social, i do tend to enjoy it! but i still need alone time to make up for it since it's draining. and idk, i was lost for a while on who i am and what i want to do with my life?

and i feel like writing UtS has put me in a vulnerable position to like... question a lot more about myself as a person. i have friends, sure, but no one i go out to see in person since i'm not exactly like... in a good place for that kind of interaction (deep south bible belt, haha... makes not being straight something i struggle with sometimes). i think the important part of UtS is the acceptance they all have for one another, and it's something i personally wish to have a lot more of in my offline life. i think even if i had the idea without darl+ing, it would have ended up being a svt fic due to how close they are and how much they care for one another.

also tbh i just love the found family trope. i love the idea and process of choosing your own family in a sense and saying 'these are MY people and i love them' ig.

also u showing the fic to ur friends + the comment abt being like 'this is UtS coded' ill SOB!!! i will!!! thats literally so cute and sweet of u!!! (pls feel free to send me any of ur 'this is UtS coded' thoughts i would always love to hear them haha)

but like. this is why i write. i like being able to impact people and help them escape life and be happy for a while. its why it always means a lot to me when i get feedback on my work and see people be happy with what i write (... even if sometimes its angsty haha--moving people to feel is a huge compliment by itself!). im glad you have UtS. im glad i have it now, too.

i do enjoy writing, btw, and i loved writing uts. even with the frustration periods where i didn't touch it for a while, i genuinely enjoyed writing uts a lot. i think i owe a lot of that to people like you, who read it and show support for the series! its always easier to read something when i know there's someone who will enjoy it. i remember smiling hard when i rewrote the ending to cheol uts bc of how fucking stoked i was to share it tbh!!! also bc i messaged savv 'lol this is gonna be devastating (/pos)' at one point i think sdkfhsdf but i was genuinely excited to finish it and get it out to u guys!! i dont know who i would be if i didn't write, and despite like... all of the bad shit that's happened in my life that i've turned to writing to pull myself out of it, i don't think i'd ever give it up. i think it's too deeply a part of me to ever give up. maybe one day i'll get published lol

ill definitely put more thought into subtle stickers for UtS (and maybe some other series haha cant remember if i mentioned that last time but UtS felt like the bigger one)! might have to ask around my friend circle for tips on designing them >:3

ohh i like ur tattoo ideas :0 im not sure what would look good so i hope u consult a tattoo artist with ur ideas eventually!! the idea of the lil church w a sun + 13 ppl is rly cute? if u do the sash-blindfold thing, u could always have a lyric inside of it or something if u wanna play w that :3c pls feel free to keep me updated further!!

sorry i didnt get to this ask until now but i hope u are doing well mwah mwah have a good day ur awesome ily

[cvrnelians]

Thank you so much for the follow 🙏🏼🥰 I hope to make a real proper blog someday. I'm just to lazy to do anything with this one lol. Still,I appreciate it very much,especially when it's from a writer,I feel honored 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 I love If Fates Allow It btw. You write so beautifully and consistently and IFAI Bucky was just so adorable that I was rooting for him because it seems like a fluff fic at the beginning but I'm also a sucker for dark fics so I love seeing his reveal and transition to his dark side or soft dark one for now. Btw,how many chapters do you think IFAI will have? And when will the next chapter come out? If you can't answer this one because of personal reasons,I understand and I'm sorry 🙏🏼 But I'll wait no matter how long it takes and probably reread IFAI again cause it was just damn good! 😍

Thank you so much for this ♥️

I tend to like my obsessive characters on the sweeter, more affectionate side. I think that makes them even more terrifying than dark!characters who are just flat out evil, because they’ll delude themselves into thinking they have the best of intentions and that they’re doing the right thing—when in all reality, all they’re doing is causing harm.

I’m not really sure when the next update will be tbh. I have the chapter outlined, I just have to get the words on paper. Im thinking it should be around 15ish chapters. Shit is about to go DOWN lol

[roadkiii]

Entry 1.4.7-2 - The Long Grind

Welcome to my blog. I’m not tagging anything but entry #, so sorry if my unrelated mess somehow ends up in your search.

There are so many features I'm excited for, I think I'll also add a couple of planned intermissions waaayy down the line just for me to look at and look forward to. Life stress is getting to me, but I want this world to be my kind of happy place so that A) I continue to work on it, but more importantly B) I'm doing something productive (to me anyway) with my time and not doomscrolling. If I'm going to stare at a screen for several hours straight I'd much rather give myself the space to think for myself and the opportunity for a creative outlet than mindlessly swapping between tumblr and youtube to idly kill time.

I'm also excited to build little lore tidbits into this world, I just had a creeper explode and reveal this cave to me, I might just dig around and make this into some kind of excavation site when bone blocks are added.

I kind of like the idea of a crater-ridden desert (who knows, some future update may change it into something else anyway) and I could probably do some cool fossils, they'd be massive. maybe just partially exposed sometimes in the sand.

AH MY BELOVED [I AM ACTIVELY BEING SHOT]

???? what genie magic have I activated can i please just get mellohi--

Also side note, I've been messing around on a creative world and I think if I just eat a gapple and get Smite V I really only need like two Healing II potions and a bucket of milk and I could probably kill the wither more than 3 times. The reason I think this is so doable is because I've been building the wither with the obsidian end pillars. The wither typically doesn't get very far so a bow isn't even needed.

[Pic from creative world] I'm basically getting more obsidian AND a star. plus I think I read that the pillars regenerate when you respawn the dragon later. Though maybe that won't happen here. I'll have to see.

I need more EXP to try for Smite since I already enchanted my bow (Power IV BD I'm okay with it tbh) and I still want carrots, so I'll create a zombie exp farm. I'm following this tutorial so I hope it'll still work.

Okay, seems functional. I do hear thunder though, so I'm a little nervous about what's happening on the surface.

I couldn't quite follow the instructions of his tutorial since soul sand doesn't exist yet, but I got lucky with my bedrock and they fall to 22 blocks right here. This will be so fucking nice. As I sit and idle though, the zombie sounds make me so anxious while I'm looking away from the screen lol

I'm hoping to get a full set of chainmail at some point as well, so this should be helpful.

One annoying part of this grinder is that I keep having to run back and forth, if I sit at the bottom and wait I think I'm out of the function distance for the spawner. I'm also not certain how many zombies I can have at a time down there, I see the number 24 thrown around a lot, but I don't know if that's a recent update. I do have two carrots though, so I guess I'll run up and plant those, maybe use some bonemeal (before that gets nerfed in 1.5 (or maybe I'll just wait until i hit 30 xp)

gdi again with the sharpness >:/ I'm happy to have looting now but this may take A While. I'd take Smite III at this point, but all I ever seem to get is sharpness.

okay I guess I can consider the farm done, the pigs and cows haven't been escaping from their pens so I'm not focused on getting [edit from months in the future: this was just left incomplete. dont work on your projects high kids.]

Now I guess I need to start putting this sword to use and get some skulls so I can actually summon the wither.

FUCK

Okay. I got Very lucky, none of my enchanted tools or the single skull I have fell. I'm going to take a break because that wasn't good for my blood pressure.

I think I'm genuinely going to need to grind for a while, so [letsgameitout voice] hold please

next (1.4.7-3)

[manias-wordcount]

Hello! Could you do some hcs or a scenario with makoto from great pretender where him and his s/o decide to leave the team due to her being pregnate with their daughter, and a few years pass by and makoto comes home to see laurant or maybe his dad in his place playing with their daughter and trying to convinvce him and his s/o to come back? Sorry this is really long lol

Keep the Peace (Makoto Edamura x Reader)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗶 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗼𝗽𝘀

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

Makoto Edamura is a changed man. A changed, peaceful man.

He’s a career man. He works an honest job, and he earns an honest living. It’s modest, but it’s enough to pay for a house and its lights and its bills. That’s the whole reason he wakes up every morning to breakfast and kisses on the cheek from his wife. It’s the whole reason he works tirelessly at an office job, always dotting his I’s and crossing his T’s. Why he comes home late, sacrificing hours away from home with family because it’s the only way ends can meet. The only way modest, can one day be comfortable.

Today was supposed to be no different. Except you had stopped answering his messages around early afternoon. No updates on what was dinner or how the little one was doing. Nothing. Now that it was evening, and there was still no response. If the two of you were a normal couple, he probably wouldn’t have been too worried about your sudden radio silence. It’s easy to be distracted as a Stay-At-Home Mom with a little side gig of your own.

But he remembers countless nights on the team. Worrying about your safety with little-to-no contact. And he remembers you doing the same.

So he ends up rushing through his last hour of work and managing to get behind the wheel thirty minutes earlier than he usually does. The drive home usually isn’t too long, but it feels like forever until he’s pulling up to the house. The lights are on inside, and there’s no damage to the house or signs of forced entry. You and the little one are home, hopefully. But he won’t know that until he checks. He won’t know that until he opens the front door and looks to see-

Your shoes. Parked neatly by the front door. Next to two pairs of adult men dress shoes.

His blood starts to run cold at the big reveal. He can feel his heartbeat in his chest, as he starts to find it hard to swallow. The house is silent, and he wasn’t expecting any guest nor did you inform him of anyone coming over. He’s trying not to assume the worst, but he knows the type of danger the two of you used to be in. It’s been a little over two years since you both left. There’s no way you both are out of the clear just yet. But you both had always been so careful to cover your tracks. There should be no one on you- at least no one who was out of jail to come after you both. Though you could never be too sure. Now if he could just get to the kitchen where he keeps spare knives and locate where-

Your laughter.

It’s so sudden that it startles him, but it’s enough to break him out of his trance. The fear grip at his heart seems to dissipate with the indication that you’re okay. That you’re safe and happy. Because that’s a sure sign that his son is safe too. He takes a moment to calm himself. To steal his face and even his breathing before following the sound of your voice to the sitting room. He still doesn’t know what he’s about to see. But even in the worst-case scenario, he’s currently dreaming up, he can always use his briefcase as a weapon.

Except what he sees isn’t at all like the worst-case scenarios he has in his head right now. No, what he saw as he walked in through the doorway was somehow, it’s even worse than that.

“Ah! Edamura!” Laurent’s the first one to notice his arrival, and Makoto can feel his eye twitch at the sound of the blonde’s overly charming voice and the lazy way he smiles. “The man of the hour. We were just talking about you.”

Laurent’s announcement draws two sets of eyes over to where he stood. Instantly, he’s softening at the sight of you- safe in sound in your little skirt and apron- as you turn to him with a bright grin and his daughter resting on your hip. Right next to you, however, is someone he hadn’t expected to see in a long, long time. His father, looking at him with a melancholic smile on his face.

“Hi, honey! You’re home so early!” You cheer as he crosses the room to greet you. Once he’s close enough, he can’t help the urge to continue ignoring the two of them and to go in for a kiss. He takes the opportunity greedily, diving in for a quick peck on the lips while using it as an excuse to protectively wrap an arm around your waist and tug you closer to him. When he pulls away, you’re still beaming up at him. But he can see it. The tiredness in your eyes. The preparation for the conversation that about to come now that he’s home. “Look who stopped by for a visit!”

“Mhm.” He offers you his own tired smile, his hand squeezing your hip before moving to press a kiss to the crown of his daughter's forehead. His daughter offers up a sleepy sound instead of her usual loud scream of happiness to see him, no doubt tired of the visitors but intent on not leaving you alone with them at the same time. Like father, like daughter. “I see.”

“Edamura, I’m hurt!” Laurent unapologetically comments on the apathetic tone Makoto used to address them but his father still stays noticeably silent. It makes you giggle- just like you used to three years ago at their dynamic- and the brunette finds it hard to stay angry with his wife and kid in the room. “We came out all this way just to say hello, and you won’t even look at us.”

“Why don’t you go lay her down, hmm?” Makoto chooses to ignore them again in favor of whispering against your lips after kissing you a second time. You pause, considering his words carefully before eyeing him down. He keeps the look on his face passive, though he knows you can tell the growing annoying building inside of him and that you’re not too keen on leaving him alone to potentially explode on his old partner and father. But in the end, you relent. You leave him with a kiss on the cheek and saunter out of the room, daughter in tow. It’s better this way. It’s better that the kid doesn’t know what the two of you are running from just yet, anyway.

There’s a silence that falls over the three of them as they watch your back. It stays, even when you disappear from view, and they can longer hear your footsteps. Makoto doesn’t turn back to look at them. He’s too busy distracted in his own head, silently stewing at the thought of everything that he built up in such little time being at risk. It’s like they want to take every chance of a normal life away from him again. No more boring office job, sure. But no more you greeting him every day either. No more holding you close to him every night, sometimes featuring a tiny guest with an active imagination. No more peace.

They made that very clear when two of them decided to stop by his home and enter his life again announced.

“You have a daughter.” His dad finally speaks up, his voice plain. For once, Makoto finally chances look at the two of them. The blonde still has a lazy grin on his face, although the look in his eyes says he’s here for business only right now. His father on the other hand still looks a bit shell-shocked. The elder Edamura keeps looking in the direction they lost saw you, as if wondering if you or the kid were even real in the first place. “I had no idea that-”

“We’re not going back.”

“Ah, but you haven’t heard us out yet.” Laurent quips back light-heartedly as if things were still the same as they were all those years ago. “We have something we think you both might be interested in-”

“We’re not going back,” Makoto stresses each syllabus with a snarl on his face. The room is once more plunged into silence, and he can’t help but wonder if they thought about it. If they really, truly thought about it. Not just while they were at wherever they were previously staying, but while they knocked on the front door. His front door with his wife being the one to answer. Did they even consider the weight of what they were asking as they were introduced to his daughter? As they played with her? As they looked around the house and saw just how happy and safe he was here with you and his little girl. “I meant every word that night. We’re not going back.”

“You didn’t exactly say much, you know.” His father pipes in, and Makoto can’t help but turn a glare in his direction, the brunette’s own paternal instincts kicking in as memories of his life after his father’s arrest resurface. But his father doesn’t back down from the challenge. “We expected the two of you to remain together, but you left so suddenly. I thought all of us were family-”

“I have a family.” He cuts in, his tone going flat. Part of him hates that it has to be this way. But if he doesn’t put his foot down now, then who knows just how long it will take for it to come back and bite him. “My wife. My daughter. And I chose to keep them safe. I’ll choose that for every single day of my life if I have to.”

He speaks for both of you as he shoots down the proposition with no room for negotiation. Before you were husband and wife, you were just coworkers on Team Confidence. The only one he would consistently keep in touch with. And then one night, two of you find each other drunk. Confessed attractions turn sour at the mention that you always wanted to get married. That you always wanted a family of your own. He shared with you that he felt the same way, but watching his own father get arrested for a con gone wrong as a little boy has left him with nothing but fear for a domestic future. It’s safe to say that it wasn’t in the cards for either of you if you continued on this path, no matter how much you both wanted it.

The next morning, he wakes up with a splitting headache, his arms wrapped around you in bed. Not because you were a warm body to sleep with when the edge felt like too much. But because you were somebody warm who sat on the same edge he did. It was that morning that he proposed to you- hair messy and hungover. And it was that morning that you said yes.

A year in a half later, you’re taking a pregnancy test in a hotel bathroom in Prague late one night. The next day is when they finally pull off the job, and he’s just glad your only job is to sit back and watch surveillance footage from the comforts of a luxury suite. Because Makoto didn’t even wait for the results of the test to come back before he pulls Laurent to the side and tells him: “After tomorrow, we’re done. End of story.”

It was the last thing he said to him before today. The last thing he said to any of the team members before leaving that life behind. This whole time, he knew he could be tracked down so easily. They had done it before, they could do it again. But this time, he was careful when covering up his tracks. He was careful because it wasn’t just him he’s looking out for now. Not anymore.

Plus, he’d be damned if he let himself end up the same way his father did.

He married you with a promise that he’s going to do every in his power to keep his nose clean and protect you and his little girl. And any other little ones that decide to pop up along the way. So he’ll take the kisses on the cheek in exchange for a late night at an office job any day. He’ll do it for the modest house. He’ll do it for the bills he has to pay. He’ll do it for you and your little blessing upstairs too. But most of all, he’ll do it for himself.

Just so he can keep the peace.