#and straight up have no respect whatsoever for them as human beings

[counting-eyerolls]

it's so sad to see the whole laura scarborough situation because it's been all over my feeds and dashes and seeing her video on instagram now is just heartbreaking.

i've seen so many posts on twitter where people straight up criticized and bullied and insulted her and it was 1. insane to see all the people who were so in love with her and supporting her just turn like that and 2. just disgusting to see how hate gets spread around so easily because people have this inherent need to criticize and share hate and negative opinions. and that affects everyone. literally everyone. the artist and their supporters and literally everyone who comes into contact with those posts because you intentionally or unintentionally (depending of course on the nature of your post) influence those who have not shared their opinions on the matter yet.

yes, she used ai. yes, ai is harmful for artists. yes, it's not the best thing she could have done and her initial replies from that fucking interview didn't help her situation much. but that's no excuse for bullying and the behaviour i've seen all over twitter during the last few days. and it's not just specific to this situation, i see it all the time (which is why i've come to hate being on twitter because it's so full of discourse that people just start out of boredom and it shows up on my feed even though i don't follow them).

no one is saying you have to agree. no one is saying you have to like it or support or anything of the sort. but sending hate to the artist just because you disagree with them is such a shitty thing to do. constructive criticism is a thing, you know? you don't have to bring someone to such a bad emotional state that they have to take their art down or, worse, feel horrible about the art that they made. not all art is for everyone. not everybody will share the same tastes or appreciation. but respect for someone's work is rightfully owed. or at least basic decency aka not being an ass about it.

i'm aware ai is very harmful towards artists and it sucks from an artist's pov. but if you really want to advocate for a cause and teach others that using ai might not be the best thing they could do, you don't have to be rude about. you can be civil and respectful and not post on your little ghost twt page where all i see are videos of the ghouls on stage and then you come at me with comments and rude captions like "girl, please stop" and "omg so disappointed, even insert random unmasked nameless ghoul here liked her post". what comes out of that? what do you achieve by spreading these posts and just adding fire to the fuse? wouldn't it be better and more helpful to try and make people aware of how ai is harmful and teach them if they don't know about it? or to wait and see if the artist is really so clueless and doesn't give a shit or if maybe things were misinterpreted?

so much hate and so many comments but you don't take a step back and think of how your actions affect others. because what? 'what is a twitter post gonna do?' well, a lot apparently.

and this goes for more situations, not just this specific one.

just, idk, i'm so sick of just hate and disrespect as the initial and instinctive reaction to something you don't agree with.

[moki-dokie]

been seeing some stuff on blue eye samurai and big yikes to nearly everyone pushing extremely western ideals onto these characters.

this is early edo period. 1600s. the japan you know now did not exist yet.

yall. please. there was NO concept of sexuality in pre-modern japan. that came with both the influx of christianity and western influence very very late in history. like, mid-1800s. (yes, there was christianity pre-1800s but it was not a widespread idea yet and wouldn't be until about the 1800s since, y'know, missionaries were routinely murdered before then)

"so and so is either bi and hasn't figured it out yet or..." no. that isn't how it worked then. nobody gave a shit what was between your legs. anyone could be attracted to anyone else. it was a little more common for male homosexual relationships to be between an adult and younger male - like many other places around the world - but two adult men could bang and love each other just as easily. relationships between women were quite common - especially since so many men were often away at war. there's tons of pornographic prints from the time depicting all manner of fun queer relationships. sex itself had absolutely no moral assignment to it. good sex was good health. it didn't matter who with. (well, social class/caste mattered more than anything else tbh but that didn't stop upper and lower class from fucking.) that isn't to say people didn't have preferences. of course they did. that is human nature. preferences arose more from physical appearance, caste, and circumstances with gender being about the last thing one would look for in a partner - romantic, casual, or otherwise. the only role in sex where gender actually mattered was for procreation.

there would be no queer awakening moment, no sudden switch flipped, no stigma to have internal conflicts about because it simply did not exist as a concept whatsoever. you were either attracted to a person or you weren't, it was that simple. gender played no role when it came to sex and sexual attraction. the japanese were lightyears ahead of western cultures in this particular area - like most cultures were before christianity came in and ruined everything with its backwards morals and strict good/evil dichotomy.

yall have got to realize queer rep will not and should not always adhere by modern western standards. there was no straight, gay, bi, or anything else of the sort. the closest they ever got was referring to roles during sex - as in who is giving and who is receiving.

i know this is mostly a made up story but it is still set within a very specific time period and culture, which should be honored and respected by not making it fit into our box. tons of research went into making this show historically accurate (albeit with some discrepancies but tbh they aren't really that huge) right down to the calligraphy writing. please please please don't whitewash the culture from these characters.

i say this mainly because without this knowledge, so many of you are going to build these characters up on a foundation they aren't meant to be on and then you'll rage about queerbaiting and bad queer rep if it isn't somehow super explicitly stated, if it doesn't match your very modern, very western ideal of what queer looks like. don't try to force this plot and narrative and characters into something they canonically and historically aren't. headcanons are a thing, AUs are a thing, fanfiction is a thing - leave your western thinking for those and let these characters simply exist as they should otherwise. this is one of those times where the queerness really does not need to be examined at all beyond what we get.

i know it can be hard to wrap your head around - sexuality is such a huge part of our identity in the western world and has slowly started to spread amongst other parts of the world in importance. but just keep in mind with these particular characters, that concept would be so very alien to them.

[anarchywoofwoof]

this may not be a popular post, but killing the cop in your head also means killing the one that routinely polices every little thing your fellow anarchists and leftists do and say in a virtual space.

we should feel comfortable calling each other out when necessary. but leftists would rather run back to their blogs and scream "aha! i knew this person wasn't ideologically pure! here's a dissertation on why my subgroup is more ideologically pure than this subgroup!"

not helpful.

you are completely missing the entire point of community which is at the base of anarchist principles.

not to get in an infinite loop of "you're perpetuating power structures" and i fully recognize the importance of inclusive language that considers all human beings, but all too often, this is results in straight up purity testing and virtue signaling in order to project a "higher" ranking and moral authority within traditional leftist hegemony.

if you have concerns about a fellow leftists language or the way they speak on a topic, here's a suggestion: work together as a member of the community to resolve whatever exception you take with that person's language. DM them. send them an anonymous ask. if they're truly people that you respect outside of their poor choice of language, then you should really have no hesitation speaking to them rather than trying to quarantine yourself into this fine little corner of neatly manicured leftist space and create further splintering of an already fractured ideological subgroup.

some people are not willing to learn and will push back on you. if they are rude or unable to civilly discuss the matter, then sure, write 1,000 words about why "these specific leftists/anarchists/whatever" fail to properly align with the morals and ethics that you feel important. but this resistance to just talking to people and this Anti-Social Anarchy that i see from so many on this website is not constructive whatsoever and it just keeps us at each other's throats.

[byoldervine]

Character Info - Mary and Arthur Foster

General Info

Name: Mary Foster and Arthur Foster

Nicknames: N/A

Pronouns: She/Her and He/Him respectively

Age: 63 and 67

Gender: Female and Male respectively

Sexuality: Both straight

Species: Humans

Place Of Birth: England, Terran

Current Home: England, Terran

Appearance

Mary has short, strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes, with light skin. She always wears her cross around her neck, as well as often wearing cardigans and some other jewellery. She likes to ensure her hair is immaculate and will take a lot of time perfecting it

Arthur has grey hair and grey eyes, with light skin. He gets cold easily and so likes to layer his clothing, but usually a collared shirt wins out on the top. He also wears glasses

Personality

Both of them love the outdoors and nature and will sit out in their conservatory most mornings to watch the birds. They have a big garden full of fruits, vegetables and flowers that they enjoy looking out on, and it’s Arthur’s delight to tend to them. They could sit and talk to each other for hours about anything under the sun and their conversations together can turn to anything you could imagine without them running out of things to say. Mary is also quite religious and enjoys going to church, so Arthur goes with her despite being less inclined himself

The pair of them also adore their granddaughter Persephone, but their daughter Alicia is much less favoured and a source of discontent when she comes up in conversation

Likes:

• Nature and animals

• Persephone

• Chatting with one another

• Church (Mary)

• Gardening (Arthur)

Dislikes:

• Alicia

• A silent house

• Most modern tech they can’t figure out

• Bugs (Mary)

• Cantaloupe (Arthur)

Known Abilities

• Mary enjoys cooking and is very good at it. One of her favourite things is to cook up big meals and sharing them around the community for those who need them

• Arthur is very enthusiastic about his gardening and will talk the ear off of anyone who won’t shut him down about all his work and his plants

Relationships

Family:

• Alicia Foster (daughter)

• Persephone Foster (granddaughter)

Friends/Allies:

• Ellegaarde (teacher/caretaker turned employer to Persephone)

• People at the local church

Enemies:

• Alicia Foster

• Whoever Persephone’s father is

Backstory

Mary and Arthur met when they were young adults around Persephone’s age; Mary had been running a flower stand at a church fête and Arthur began telling her all about the different flowers on display. She found his knowledge and his interest endearing and was one of the first people to encourage him to keep sharing. Even with a few ups and downs, things kept improving from there, and soon they were married and looking to have a child of their own

Of course Alicia was adored as a child, like you’d hope any would be. Her ambition and determination could be a delight to anyone around her. But as she began to get older, her interests in school turned into an interest in popularity and companionship, and Mary and Arthur were at a loss with how to parent her as her stubbornness and teen rebellion grew. This put a great deal of strain on their relationship

Alicia left home the moment she legally could, going out into the world to make something of herself. Mary and Arthur, despite trying to call her, didn’t hear from her whatsoever for a few years. One day, however, they receive a knock at their door, finding Alicia at their doorstep with a newborn in her arms, not even a few days old. The story they got out of Alicia is that she didn’t plan to have to care for a baby, but now here she was, and she had no idea what to do and none of the necessary items to take care of the little girl, so she returned to try and get her parents’ help in raising their granddaughter

Despite being furious with Alicia, they agreed to take them both in, though Alicia’s stay was under a few conditions. At first Alicia did help out with caring for baby Persephone under her parents’ guidance, even providing financial support so that Mary and Arthur could afford to work less and spend more time with their granddaughter, her own work began to take priority once more, and eventually she was moving out while Mary and Arthur were still taking care of Persephone, and continued to be her primary caretakers until strange events began to happen

Persephone was nine years old when she began to grow distressed and insistent that she’d died and gone to hell. She began talking about demons and monsters and a dark palace in a fiery land, convinced of horrible things like that she’d been hit by a car. At first they tried taking her to church, then to therapy, but nothing seemed to help until a woman who introduced herself as Miss Ellegaarde showed up at their door to talk to them about a boarding school for children like Persephone that could help her; the Ampitheatre. Though they were reluctant, Mary and Arthur agreed to give it a try, and by the time she next returned home Persephone was a lot happier and less distressed. Persephone continued to go to that school and has recently began to work there as Ellegaarde’s assistant, which has more than assured Mary and Arthur that they made the right choice

Fun Facts

• Mary quite likes Marvel movies and has watched many of them with Persephone. Her favourite is Thor: Ragnarok

• Mary and Arthur like to give each other bouquets in flower language on special occasions and the recipient has to try and guess what the bouquet means

• While home alone, Arthur once watched the entirety of Fifty Shades of Grey because he thought it was about painting. Persephone still doesn’t understand why it took him until the credits to realise it probably wasn’t going to get to the painting

[yanyanderes]

This turned out to be a lot longer and kinda rushed but god damn, yandere Donnie oneshot:

Lately you have been more physical with your friends which hasn't gone unnoticed by Donnie, it enraged him watching you cuddle up to them through the hidden camera in your living room. Your friends haven't done anything to elicit any negative emotions from you so he can't get rid of them the old fashioned way, so he chooses to confront you instead. He had texted you the day prior that “ we need to talk”, even from the text alone you could feel something was wrong. He usoly write in long well throughout sentences that was borderline shakespearean at times so it was obvious that something was wrong.

When you entered his room Donnie was facing you on his chair with his legs crossed, an unamused expression plastered on his facial features, the tension already growing heavy. Donnie voiced his concerns straight up, no sugar coating whatsoever.

“why do you keep spending so much time with them”

His voice was monotune but cold, making you feel like you were being judged without a reason, it annoyed you.

“there just friends”

You retorted back.

Something within him snapped, he abruptly stood up from his chair almost knocking it over, stalking towards you with a dark look in his eyes, his hand on his belt. You suddenly regret your statement.

“what do they have that i don't?”

Even though his voice was brimming with anger there was a hint of sadness to it. You felt a twinge of guilt as you realized how much this took a toll on him, you took a deep breath trying to compose your emotions, mentally preparing yourself for what's to come. His scorching stare didn't help.

You confess how you didn't want to make him uncomfortable with your overbearing need to feel so close to someone, how you wanted to kiss his stupid face and cuddle him every night. You just wanted to show your love for him but didn't want to accidentally overstimulate him. So you tried to subdue those cravings via your friends but it never worked.

“because they were never you…”

You say in a hushed voice, almost ashamed of your basic human needs.

The tension in the air between you two could metaphorically be cut by a knife, it was suffocating almost to the point of making you cry. Donnie's face was unreadable as he stared into your averted eyes, like he was judging you, the thought made your stomach turn. You let out a sharp gasp as you felt yourself hit the wall behind you, your faces suddenly only a few inches from each other. His hands propped up beside your head, he was breathing heavily.

“show me how much you love me”

And there it was, the word you had been waiting for, it just felt so right to feel his lips against yours. Like puzzle pieces they fit perfectly together. You felt a shiver go down your spine when he tilted your head to deepen the kiss, guess you're not the only one who's been craving this kind of affection.

It's safe to say that you two became a lot more physically efficient after that, although Donnie would hold back the urge to kiss you in front of his brothers, he's still not a fan of pda. Though there were times where he genuinely couldn't stand being touched and you respected that, he couldn't be more happier with you. He sometimes thinks back on that day, the way you had opened up your heart to him. So honest, so unlike him, he's just glad you didn't notice the syringe on his belt.

YOOOOO

i was reading the beginning about the hidden camera stuff and was like “oh! we’re getting straight into the yan stuff! nice!”

and then near the end i was like “awww they both communicated! i wonder how this will turn out!”

AND THEN THE SYRINGE PART CAME UP AND I WAS LIKE AHKSBAKBDKABDLABK

YOUR WRITING

IT’S JUST SO

[aeoki]

Grand Slam - Prologue

Location: Yumenosaki Grounds Characters: Tomoya, Eichi & Wataru Season: Summer Writer: Akira

TL Note:

This is a Japanese proverb for putting one’s own children through severe hardships in order to test their spirit and raise them to be respectable human beings.

< The latter half of September, the first year ES was established. At the Yumenosaki grounds (the “Old–Fashioned Sports Festival venue) up in the sky. >

Tomoya: GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?

Eichi: “Now, it has finally begun! The first category of the traditional event “The Old-Fashion Sports Festival” at Yumenosaki Academy: Sky Blue…☆”

Tomoya: I’ve never heard of this ridiculous event before! This is completely different from the sports festivals I’ve been in!

Eichi: “It seems one of the players is saying something, but we’re too far away to hear. Let’s not mind him and continue with the live broadcast.”

Tomoya: That’s so meaaaaan!

Eichi: “Also, your MCs for the event are fellow alumni of Yumenosaki, Eichi Tenshouin from “fine” and…♪”

Wataru: “Your very own Wataru Hibiki…!”

Eichi: “Fufu. Both of us have already graduated from Yumenosaki but for ES, the four great agencies can be rather competitive when it comes to the ‘Old-Fashioned Sports Festival’, after all.”

“We are graduated students so we don’t have the right to take part, but we’ll be cheering and supporting the current students as part of the staff.”

Wataru: “Amazing! I hope you’ll have a wonderful time watching the lovely tragicomedy that is the high schoolers living out their youthful days…! ☆”

Eichi: “But the sports festival is indeed nostalgic. It’s truly hard to believe only a year has passed.”

“A lot of things happened, such as our graduation and the establishment of ES; it’s been a very jam-packed time.”

“My recollection is already fading in the distance.”

“However, the fun memories of my youth will always remain.”

Wataru: “I had thought you would have nothing but terrible memories of the sports festival, where muscles and stamina are everything, as you were born with a frail body.”

Eichi: “That’s not true. Those who are weak have their own means of enjoying things. In actuality, one cannot participate in all the events by themselves.”

“Just because you are a ‘weak character’ with no stamina whatsoever doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the sports festival at all.”

“Last year, I enjoyed tactically guiding and moving those around me. It felt as though I was playing a game of chess, it was rather delightful.”

Wataru: “Ohh, that’s a very Eichi-like thing to say! It appears the ‘Emperor’ of Yumenosaki is still alive and well!”

Eichi: “That is simply my nickname. I’m not that sort of arrogant figure at all. Fufu.”

Wataru: *Whispers* Oh? I touched upon a risky topic but you dodged it quite gracefully. As expected of you, Eichi ♪

Eichi: *Whispers* Fufu. I’m probably a “compassionate and lofty idol” in the eyes of the world, though.

*Whispers* It’s not interesting if you’re a straight-laced person, so I need to sprinkle a few jokes here and there.

*Whispers* Besides, ever since “Crazy:B” appeared, they spread and exposed everyone’s weaknesses, so I may not be able to maintain my clean image forever.

*Whispers* That’s why I’ll let a few “maybe-I’m-actually-a-little-bit-black-hearted” phrases slip and make the fans' perception of me grow closer to my actual image – until it has thoroughly blended together.

Wataru: *Whispers* Right. It’s because of such tactics that I commented and said the “Emperor” is still going strong ♪

Eichi: *Whispers* Fufu. I’m no match for you, Wataru ♪

Tomoya: You murdereeeeeeers!

Stop chit-chatting and explain what’s going on! I’ve got no clue~!

Why did I get taken up to the sky in a helicopter, was told no ifs or buts and then thrown off!? Just what did I do to deserve this~!?

Wataru: “...Oh, we must direct our attention to Tomoya-kun soon.”

Eichi: “You’re been working very hard, Wataru.”

Wataru: “Tomoya-kuuun! My Tomoya-kun! Can you hear me?”

Tomoya: I don’t ever remember becoming yours but, yeah, I can hear you, dammit!

Wataru: “Then, please listen carefully! The first category of the “Old-Fashion Sports Festival” is called ‘Sky Blue’ and, just like the name suggests, it will be held in the sky!”

Tomoya: What do you mean by that!? Humans can’t fly, you know? The only movement we can do in the sky is “falling”!

Wataru: “Rest assured! By introducing a variety of new equipment, it is now possible to hold a new ‘Sports Festival in the Sky’!”

Eichi: “We can fly through the air using the wings of an aircraft, after all. While we’re on that subject, the Tenshouin Zaibatsu are the ones responsible for supplying that new equipment.”

“It’s technology that can only be used for children to play with or in war, but I’m deeply moved to have the opportunity to showcase it this time.”

Tomoya: You guys can actually hear me, right? Then, why did you ignore me earlier and just start talking between yourselves? Are you guys heartless or something~!?

Wataru: “Tomoya-kun, Tomoya-kun! Can you see four different coloured mats on the ground? Currently, you have been tossed out into the open air but…”

“Find the colour of your agency – you’re in RhyLin, so that’ll be pink! Please land on the pink mat skilfully!”

“Once you do, that’ll count as a huge success and RhyLink will gain one point! That’s what this event is all about!”

“It’s the first event in ‘Sky Blue’ – Meteor Impact ♪”

Tomoya: Okay, okay! So I’m a meteor! I just have to let gravity do its thing and fall, right?

I’m most definitely going to turn into minced meat but is that fine!? This year’s sports festival is being broadcast on TV and the internet, right!?

Ahh~ I’m doomed! ES and Yumenosaki are doomed too! It’s going to be a huge incident that’ll go up in flames online and everything’s going to be done for! It’s game over!

Wataru: “Don’t despair, Tomoya-kun! Remember the days of our training!”

“If you remember your experience and handle it calmly, you will – for sure – succeed in this event!”

Tomoya: Yeah! Unfortunately, I do remember you tossing me out into the sky numerous times!

From the number of hot-air balloons that you’ve got! You said it was all for me to “build courage”...!

Wataru: “Fufufu, lions will toss their precious children into a steep valley[*], after all ♪”

Eichi: “If you were to think about it normally, no matter how strong their bodies are, anyone would die after falling from such a high place, though ♪”

Tomoya: Daaaammit! I’ll never forgive you for this!

If I die and get reincarnated, I’m coming straight for you two for revenge!

Wataru: “Amazing! I’ll be looking forward to it, Tomoya-kun ♪”

Eichi: “Fufu. I’m curious to see how the event will turn out, but we’re just in time for a commercial break ♪”

Tomoya: You monsterssssss!

(Oh, jeez! Why is this happening!? Wasn’t the Sports Festival a peaceful event for Yumenosaki~!?)

Next Chapter →

[eegasleega-will-change-this-l8r]

Uhhhh sure Aloysius interpretation post why not

So Aloysius is a hilarious character to me, the guy's just a plain jerk with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (even Fassad loved his mouse and had a family that cared about him) And then after being an awful guy for the entire game he just ends up completely bankrupt sobbing in a bar about his misfortunes while his wife is cozying up to Mr. Prettyman back at home

So whenever he gets involved in any of my musings I'm pretty much invariably expanding on this and using him as a punching bag (literally so in one of my last posts)

So, basically, Aloysius is a big, insecure loser He's always been this whiny doofus desperate for respect and wealth, but not being able to get it He and Lardna were probably, like, high school or college "sweethearts," meaning he was obsessed with her (popular rich girl that would instantly raise him to the popular circle) and she liked the way he would do literally anything she asked him to with no self-respect whatsoever

Predictably enough, their marriage wasn't particularly cozy Just ended up together largely because it's the expected course for straight couples and they had to keep their respectable image Had kids because that's the next step that comes with that.

(I made this stupid thing for Valentine's Day this year, guess posting it here works)

And so the Minch family begins, and Aloysius becomes increasingly more frustrated with the lack of respect he's earned in life His kids are ungrateful drains on his wallet that don't listen to him unless he raises his fist at them His wife never paid him any mind before of course, but they were a husband and wife now and she should be obeying him like a proper spouse, right? r-right, honey? But she seemed even less interested in him than she ever had before, and now even seemed like she resented him for tying her to this family. When all he's ever tried to do is make her happy! The nerve! And none of his neighbors respected him, despite being one of the richest and most traditional families in town. Heck, he even tried to buy the next-door neighbor's gratitude with a loan, but now whenever he brings it up that idiot father just laughs and slaps him on the back like they're pals or something!

So yeah, lots of tension around the Minch household. Aloysius feels completely spiteful about how he perceives his status, and is desperate to have someone below him on the social ladder that he can push around - this usually ends up being his children, because he's a horrible human being

So this all changes when his son runs off one day

This is at first infuriating - oh yes, yes, I'm worried sick too, of course - until he gets a phone call from Porky. At first he starts screaming at him, until Porky tells him where he is and he falls completely silent. Porky's made it big. He's in the city now with one Mr. Geldegarde Monotoli, and the two of them are now the richest men in Eagleland. How'd you like to be our new business partner, Dad?

Aloysius drops everything and packs his bags with stars and dollar signs in his eyes, hightailing it to Fourside without even telling his wife or younger son. He's finally getting the life he deserves, and his old one can rot.

So Aloysius Minch is living it up, fawning over Porky and Monotoli and profiting off their success, living it up in absolute luxury and success without having to lift a finger himself

I have this WIP fic about Porky and Monotoli that Aloysius gets to have a role in, so I have a lot of super fun stuff with him here but I shouldn't get into all of it if I don't want it to be spoiled before I ever actually release it

Long story short, one day the Monotoli Corporation's stock plummets to the depths of Hades, no warning whatsoever Aloysius is woken out of one of his daily naps and nearly has a heart attack when he find out that all the riches he invested are completely gone

Immediately he flips out and starts looking for Porky to scream at him, but his son is nowhere to be found. He's fled to who-knows-where, and apparently had the foresight to liquidize all his riches before the crash He turns to shout at Monotoli instead who's now just as powerless and pathetic as he is, but (this is one of my fanfic ideas slipping through) Monotoli grows a spine for the first time in his life and throws Aloysius out

So Aloysius runs sobbing to the bar to drink his sorrows away, too ashamed to go home where his wife and that other kid are probably furious at him, and that's him at the end of the game

I think when he eventually does go back, she's probably hardly noticed how long he's been gone at all. Much to his displeasure, she's been having a positively lovely time with Mr. Prettyman. He's so good with money, do you know? And what about you? Did you bring anything back from your little trip?

Unsurprisingly they get a divorce not long after. Lardna gets practically everything, Aloysius moves into a waitwaitwaitwaitwait i was just gonna say an apartment but wouldn't it be funny if he moved into the seaside house in the game my god that'd be hilarious ahhhhhh and it could be Ness who sells it to him too holy fudge that's so good

So yeah, Aloysius is a pathetic jerk with insecurities that he takes out on his kids, and when he ends up burning bridges to go and short-sightedly chase his fortune, it completely crashes and burns and he ends up far lower than he was to begin with

[itsmaybitheway]

Hey, I'm back!!

Also, just wanted to let you know that I've read your stuff on AO3 and I really love the way you write my favorite boys. I think my favorite so far is the AU of where Henry goes to the White House for that Christmas and they talk in person. Oscar clocking Henry's reaction about the casual mentioning of being gay in any capacity and then going on to tell both of them that it's okay to love who you love hurts because that's so Oscar to do it to give Henry some support without outing him or singling him out.

Anyways, so far I've had two thoughts. One of them is an actual fic idea, and then one is just dialogue that fits so right.

The fic idea is a crack fic of Henry being the FBI agent in Alex's phone. Just Alex as a normal human, with the weirdest search history and talking to Henry through his camera and stuff. Not a conspiracy nut about Big Brother or anything, but he knows someone is monitoring him due to the sheer insanity of his 2AM rabbit-holes/deep dives and the next day waking up to a search page about the dangers of sleep deprivation when he knows he didn't Google that. I don't know how it would work whatsoever, but I thought it'd be chaotic and hilarious, especially once they meet in person and Henry's like Really?? You have to make me worry for your health??

And then the dialogue is a little cluster (Henry is italic, Alex is bold): "You are the most breathtaking noun I've ever seen." Alex huffed out a laugh. "Did you just call me a noun?" "A noun is defined as a person, place, or thing. You easily surpass everything I've ever seen."

When I thought of the dialogue, I originally thought of it as either them finally on a date or perhaps one of them asking the other out, but it has potential for straight fluff and also angst (After their date before/during/after an intimacy scene [Sorry, as an asexual I spent a good five minutes trying to figure out how to phrase it so you'd understand what I mean] or Henry trying to "talk sense" into Alex to convince him he must be insane since Henry isn't worth Alex's time [fluff and angst respectively])

So yeah, that's all I've got for now!! When I have any more Firstprince thoughts you'll be the first to know because I've decided you deserve first picks from my chaos dome (brain that won't shut up about a bisexual biracial man and his formerly repressed gay white boy husband /affectionate)

Thanks again for your amazing writing, my heart feels better after reading your prose.

OMG HIII AGAIN!!! First of all thank you so so much 🩷🩷🩷

Akxkkckskdksksf I LOVE THE FBI AGENT HENRY IDEA SO MUCH JSJDJXJSKD I LITERALLY CACKLED OUT LOUD

And oh that dialogue is so so beautiful 🥺🥺

Again thank you so much for sharing your wonderful ideas with me I am honored!!!!

[pontiffpaints]

Pricing and TOS

Terms of Service

YOU MUST READ AND AGREE TO THE TERMS OF SERVICE BEFORE ANY TRANSACTIONS TAKE PLACE

You must be 18 years of age or older to place an order with me. It says minors DNI in the blog description for a reason, please heed that.

My prices are firm. I do not haggle or negotiate. If you have a specific budget I will do my best WITHIN REASON to accommodate you, but I am under no obligation to cater to your demands if I feel you’re being unreasonable.

I require a deposit of $10 upfront to hold your place in my queue.

This deposit is only refundable as long as your commission is NOT started, once a sketch is complete, it is non-refundable.

Any work $10 or below must be paid in full

Once you reach the top of the queue, I’ll start the sketching process. Full payment is required after the refined sketch is completed, and progress will not proceed until payment is received.

After linework is completed, your commission is 100% non-refundable.

The key phrase is "simply do not"

Please be respectful, I’m a human being with a life and responsibilities. My family comes first, but I will always make sure you’re receiving regular updates if anything is delayed.

If you do not own a character you’re getting romantic art of, you need to get explicit consent from the person who owns that character.

If I find out you have lied about owning a character or receiving permission from the other party, you will be immediately blacklisted. If your commission was already started, it will be dropped with NO REFUND and you will retain no rights whatsoever to any work-in-progress images you may have received.

Harassment is not tolerated. I completely understand frustrations if things get delayed, and I am always willing to hear someone out on any issues they may be having with my work speed. That being said, any spam, threatening or alarming comments, or any messages of a flirtatious or sexual nature will get you warnings. If the offending behavior does not stop after three warnings, or if the behavior is particularly egregious, your commission will be dropped with NO REFUND and no rights to any work-in-progress pictures you may have been sent.

I reserve the right to refuse a commission for any reason

If you ask for a pride badge, please be aware that I will only display flags that are LGBTQIA+. This means that any country, political, regional, “m.a.p”, “zoosexual” "super straight", or other non-pride flags are NOT allowed. If you’re not sure, ask!

I do not work holidays or weekends, as those times are reserved for my family.

Any commissions with a specific deadline must be placed with 2-3 weeks notice, with the exception of holidays which must be placed with a month’s notice.

I do not take ANY rush commissions(4-7day turnaround), I know it’s inconvenient, but I can’t guarantee the quality of the art you will receive if I have that tight of a deadline.

Once you’re at the top of my queue, turnaround time is between 1 and 3 weeks. If there are several people ahead of you and you don’t think you can wait that long, by all means support another artist! I understand my times are a little long and there’s plenty of amazing creative minds out there

Once you've read through the TOS and you have an idea of what you'd like, dm me with the key phrase so I know you've agreed to the terms.

Prices

Reference Sheets

Send these to future artists so they know what your character looks like! Clear markings and flat colors are a wonderful thing to have when drawing anybody, fur or skin!

All reference sheets have a solid colored background with a border. If you don’t like the color I come up with, feel free to ask to change it!

One Side- $45

Includes their color palette, their name, and a couple things about them.

Two Side- $60

Includes their color palette, their name, a couple things about them, and a small close-up.

Three Sides- $80

Includes their color palette, their name, a couple things about them, and two small close-ups.

Four Sides- $120

(Only recommended if your character has a lot of unique or unsymmetrical markings)

Includes their color palette, their name, a couple things about them, two small close-ups, and a large close-up.

Add-ons

Large Close-Up- $10

Torsos, tails, feetpaws, wings, etc…

Small Close-Up- $5

Hands, hand paws, mouths, etc…

Extra Expression- $15

Icon-style headshot of your character making a face or two.

Complex Background- $10

Want them on a beach? In the city? Anywhere but against a flat colored background? This is for you.

Extra Outfit- $15

Whether they’re a nurse by day, demon by night, or just a student who works in a lab, if your character wears a lot of different stuff, you might wanna show it off!

Pride Badge- FREE!! Just ask!

Appears next to your character’s name and displays any LGBTQIA+ pride flag. Can be any simple shape!

If you have an idea and you’re not seeing it listed, ask about it!

Icons

Use these for your profile picture, to show off all those piercings, or just because you want something cheap with a faster turnaround! No judgement here. These are only the head of your character.

All icons have simple shading unless a different style is specified. They come with either a translucent background or a colored background with an optional white border.

One character- $25

Just one!

Two characters- $45

Perfect for couples, best friends, and partners in crime!

One Character Painted- $35

Softer shapes and blended shading with a focus on details. Fully rendered with directional lighting.

Two Characters Painted- $60

Softer shapes and blended shading with beautiful pops of light, along with a much freer use of color.

One Character Spooky- $45

More muted palette with harsher pops of one or two colors.

Two Character Spooky- $80

Done with a haunting monotone palette, sharper shapes, harsher lines, and daring dashes of color in choice areas create a darker atmosphere.

Bust Shots

Drawn from the shoulders up, bust shots offer a lot more options when it comes to conveying emotion and creative posing. Perfect for characters who talk with their hands, hold small props, or mess with their hair!

All bust shots have a grey background by default. You can request translucent or a solid color at no extra cost.

Sketch- $10

A refined sketch with no linework or color.

Linework- $15

Nice, clean lines that you can color yourself if you want!

Flat Color- $20

Colored in with no shading, nice and simple.

Cel Shading- $30

Blocky shading and highlighting that makes a character look more cartoony and inviting!

Fully Rendered- $50

Elegant, soft-edged shading and highlighting with a focus on the fine details.

Painted- $65

Thin lines or no lines at all with a focus on carving the subject from light and shadows rather than sketching to build framework.

Spooky- $70

Harsh lines, harsh shapes, and a dark, gloomy color scheme with striking pops of color where it counts.

Add a Character- +25%

Buddies? Lovers? Enemies? Add ‘em in!

Add a Complex Background- +10%

From the beach to a concert, put your character right where they want to be… or don’t want to be!

Half-Body Shots

Drawn from the hips or mid-thighs up, this option gives you a lot more freedom to choose dynamic poses with fun angles or just show off those sick wings! Perfect for characters with markings you can’t bear to hide or an outfit too good to leave out!

Half-Body shots come with a grey background by default. You can request translucent or a solid color at no extra cost.

Sketch- $15

Just a sketch! Refined, no lines, and no color, perfect for concept art or ideas.

Linework- $20

Nice clean outline, you can color it in yourself or leave it how it is!

Flat color- $30

Flat, simple colors with no shading.

Cel Shading- $45

Simple, cartoony shading and highlighting that really brings a character to life!

Fully Rendered- $60

More realistic shading and highlighting with soft edges that makes everything feel much more refined.

Painted- $75

Color is used much more creatively and shapes aren’t heavily lined, creating a broader sense of atmosphere.

Spooky- $80

Darker atmosphere, colors, and mood with sketchier lines and moodier lighting. Fully rendered with limited use of bright colors in certain areas for emphasis.

Add a Character- +25%

Got a couple friends you want to get some art with? Why not!

Add A Complex Background- +10%

Lost in a spooky forest? Stuck in an elevator? Just on a lunch date in a cafe? Put your character anywhere!

Full-Body Shots

From sitting on a window ledge, performing at a concert, or fighting through a swarm of giant rats, full-body shots offer the most dynamism when it comes to posing and composition. Get your whole character in there!

Full-body shots come with a grey background by default. You can request translucent or a solid color at no extra charge.

Sketch- $20

Refined sketch without any color or linework.

Linework- $30

Crisp, clean lines with no color.

Flat Color- $50

Just color and linework, no shading.

Cel Shading- $80

Simple, clean shading and highlighting that gives your character some depth!

Fully Rendered- $100

Detailed shading and highlighting carefully blended and placed with a more realistic feel.

Painted- $130

Broader, looser strokes with a more free use of color, often without linework. Always fully rendered.

Spooky- $140

Striking, sharp shapes with dramatic lines and muted tones, with pops of color in choice places to create an elevated sense of mood.

Add a Character- +25%

If you want you and your brother’s DnD characters to explore that haunted house together, this is the option for you!

Add a Complex Background- +10%

Put your character against some lovely flowers or a stunning sunset, whatever your heart desires!

Make a Scene!- +20%

More than a complex background! Add a gorgeous sea or a high-reaching cityscape and an awesome, immersive foreground for your character to interact with. Perfect for fight scenes, grassy picnics, urban exploration, and beyond!

Stickers

These are a whimsical, fun way to show off your character's personality! From funny expressions to admissions of defeat, the possibilities are truly endless. Usually they don't show more than a bust shot would, but if you have an idea for a full-body one, just let me know!

Stickers are always lower resolution and have a transparent background. The art style of stickers is significantly more silly and rarely includes any shading.

One Sticker- $5

Happened to see a hilarious meme that suits your character a little too well? This is for you!

Five stickers- $20

Whether it's a set of reactions or variations of the same pose for different characters, get yourself a discount on a few stickers!

Ten stickers- $45

Got a lot of characters? Maybe just one character with lots of personality? Let it all shine with an even bigger bundle!

Still want more? I offer bundle deals on all amounts of stickers over 10, just ask!

[seikyoko]

Hi....How are you? After reading your post, can I ask the rest of your top 20 of top 30 fav characters?... Feel free if you want to write the reasons or not why you like them.....(sorry for asking almost the same ask like someone before this)....Thanks a lot for your blog...love reading them.....🥰🤩

I know this isn't much of an excuse but I straight up forgot I had this ask. I'm really, really sorry

NOW ONTO THE CONTINUATION OF MY TOP 30 CHARAS (this is my top 10 ) I'm dividing this into two posts

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3

11) The whole damn cast of Beelzebub

There are "two/three chara's braincells are allergic to the other's " and there is the utter dumbassery energy field that is this mess. The reason I spent so much time answering this was initially bec I tried really hard to pick a fave among them, yet even picking my top 5 Beelzebub charas among the rest was like asking a mother which child to kill off. The entire manga was so wild I couldn't believe what I was reading with my own two eyes and I wish I could say that iwas because of an epic mastermind or some complex conflict but it was because each chara was so off their rocker it degenerated into something insane. Even if no demon chara whatsoever appeared the human high-school charas would have done Something (TM) or several Somethings that would leave me on the floor laughing increduously.

12) Lloyd Forger (Spy x Family)

He's cool, hot, he drink his respect women juice, he's a kind and moral and caring person, I love the moments he get unlucky. he's an amazing father and has been doing amazing at it despite it having happened because he scrambled to adopt a kid after a mission requested it out of the blue and not having much of an idea on how to go about it. He did fuck up with Anya several times (like how he was too harsh on her about her education in order to complete his mission) but he learn from it, apologize, and do better by her and prioritize her well-being and happiness despite that being in the way of his mission, his interactions with Yor are very cute, and his spy feats being cool af are a nice bonus

13) Leorio Paladknight (Hunter X Hunter)

I love him, he's so kind, ressourceful, and utterly shameless about what he seeks. He states "I want money" without any kind of pretentiousness or fancy-talk, because even if it was all there was to it, seeking a more comfortable living for yourself isn't anything to be ashamed by, and he doesn't owe them the information of his tragic backstory. But also because the whole yapping about honor and "not being swayed or greedy for money" is hella annoying for someone all too aware of how even the most basic of necessities like food, shelter, clothes or a child receiving cure for a mortal disease depends on money. I really like that about his character

He's an incredibly compassionate human being, he said in live TV he spent the summer "jerking off" then got self-conscious about what he said immediately and said"forget about it".

He's a beyond amazing friend and that sometimes lead to stuff like being involved in a revenge quest against the Phantom, flipping off Chrollo while knowing what he is and what he's capable of and yelling at him "you want a piece of me ?", punching Ging on live TV and running for president and telling his audience he'd basically just mobilize the Hunter Association to heal his friend. And they voted for him anyways, because they had taste (and also because of the Ging-punching euphoria, but once again, it was because they had taste).

He didn't know jack shit about nen in York New then re-appeared in Election arc with a teleporting punch of all thing which sparked all kind of hilarous headcanon of what Leorio's teacher must have thought about the whole thing/having a good laugh about what he'd teach Leorio

14)Fujishiro Nageki (Hatoful Boyfriend)

No words are needed.

15) Light Yagami (Death Note)

Don't have much to say other than "Utter buffoon", the whole Death Note anime was a ride, even simple potato-chips eating moments, and he spent every single second of it clowning on himself. He should have been number one of this goddamn fave list.

16) Rina Song (Surviving Romance)

My beloved, My sweetie. Overpowered high-school girl who just want to pursue romance, except stuck on a zombie apocalypse with a mostly female cast. Extremely good and supportive friend when you happen to win her over, keep her goddamn promises, called Min-woo "my little pop rock" with a straight face. Her friendship with Chaerin is something I'd obsess over until the end of the universe, no, probably even after that.

I loved the whole damn chapter 47 where the one thing that contrast the creepiness of the whole thing is Rina Song getting moved and being happy because Chaerin's "crush" is confessing to her. Like, she's a little confused but she sure know how to be a supportive friend.

And even more, because of her scary appearance and how vocal she is about her crush, and how the people wary of her/terrified of her find that off-putting, maybe make the author and the narrative itself make fun of the scary muscly girl for having a crush or frame it as creepy, yet it doesn't go that path. The way she talks about and reminisce about her feelings in the latest chapters are some of the most moving stuff I'd seen. I'm not even into romance or the like but the earnestness and selflessness of her feelings left me contemplative, they'd leave me contemplative even if it wasn't all that self-less, because it's how strongly her love came across.

I got misogyny-caricature-trope baited, and I'm glad how the whole thing turned out.

17) Shiba Ganju (Bleach)

You'd think that I've chosen him because he's an underrated chara or something and that there are Bleach charas or even other mangas charas that I like more, and you would be wrong. This is his genuine place on the list.

Certified dumbass, made a "map" of Soul Society though he doesn't know any locations so he basically just drew a big circle and kept mentionning his "Soul Society map" to the high-strung Ichigo, the Hanatarou-Ganjuu-Ichigo trio was very charming, love his dumbass-resonance with Ichigo, love how he objectively state his titles being preceded by "self-proclaimed".

And, though he has all the reasons in the world to hate Shinigami (Rukia), who just showed one day dropping his brother's corpse that she skewered and said herself that she'd killed him with, like, zero explanations. He's not fully satisfied with dropping it at that, because he can't help but wonder why Kaien didn't hate the Shinigami (Rukia), and why he thanked her, and it just haunt him for years, despite everything else pointing out that he should objectively loathe the Shinigami (Rukia) and find them detestable, and the fact that he suffered a very big and hurtful loss, he's not fine with dismissing Kaien's reaction/input or leaving it at that, not even because of what Ichigo told him about the Shinigami (Rukia) who saved him, but because he pondered on that for longer than that. So he head out and get involved in that big mess because he wants to forge his own answers and opinion on the matter. This fucker is incredible.

18) Mayuzumi Chihiro (Kuroko no Basket)

He is so full of salt, poor fucker was minding his own damn business in the rooftop reading and probably getting ready to study for his entrance exams or something and got involved in the Miragen mess and the Akakuro Divorce, participating in some bball tournament should never have landed him in such telenovela, yet he might as well have expected it because from what we see, that dude's luck is cursed. He does stuff like get on random trains and wander around, he has a very entertaining and salty monologue and snarky thoughts, go king. I'm sad we didn't have more of his screen-time but he was probably internally like "ugh finally" so I'm gonna cheer for his off-screen peace

19) Azudora (Helck)

It's one of the rare serious-complex-like to put on a comical front -prankster but done right unlike all the other obnoxious representations of that trope. I find his backstory with Uria and how he deals about the whole human-demon thing very compelling, I like his level-headedness and maturity and kindness and wisdom and strength of heart and the fact that he's a dork. I very much love that instead of saying an actually serious argument/his actual feelings on the matter he was like "wait we shouldn't annihilate humans, guys imagine the effect of wiping out an entire species would have on our eco-system"

20) Chaerin Eun (Surviving Romance)

I love her growth, her chara development, the whole expanding on her actual feelings of being unable to see anyone other than Jeha and how scared and isolating the experience was for her. In another universe she would have been the bitch protagonist a beloved isekaied into a villainess protag would have fought and won against. This time around our protag is the self-absorbed superficial obsessed by her crush shallow girl, without even the cop-out of another mature/modest person taking her place or her travelling back in time or her "going to her senses" too rapidly. I am utterly in love with her journey and story And I'm not the only one

[spite-and-waffles]

Resisting Good Mommy Talia headcanons out of spite. It's like the only two ways you can conceive of her is either manipulative hoebag or Mama duck. Madonna-whore complex, woke edition.

Sometimes abused women make shitty Moms, and caring about your hubby's kid doesn't mean you wanna be his Mom. It can just be, you know, caring deeply about someone in a slightly maternal fashion. Woman was brought up to be her Dad's perfect weapon in what was essentially a viper pit. Where would she have gotten a nurturing instinct from?

Y'all just have a really fucked up way of seeing older women, trying to neutralise our sexuality and our thorns and sharp, ugly edges. Also you think good representation means being as unproblematic as possible. It's what I mean when I say this whole "diversity and representation" thing is a white grift; giving us a seat at the table as long as we agree to play respectability politics, and then watch as we fight over scraps.

Anyway, you can take or leave the whole "sleeping with Jason" thing, but my Talia's got shit to do other than mother her ex's kids. She can barely mother her own kid, even though she loves him. Did she fuck up Damian by raising him in the League, following the way she'd been raised herself? Yes. But Bruce has fucked up like six kids and counting without any excuse whatsoever other than a stubborn refusal to go to therapy. They had to straight up assassinate Talia's entire character to make Bruce seem like the better parent lmao.

(Incidentally in my country, we call bananas "maw mara upan kumara" - The Prince Who Slew His Mother To Be Born. This is because you have to cut down the whole plantain tree to harvest the fruit. It's an apt metaphor for Damian - Talia's character had to be entirely destroyed to create a biological son for Bruce.)

Stop making motherhood into a default setting and virtue for older women. And humanize problematic mothers without apologizing for them or erasing their flaws. Especially let women of colour be problematic af, the way white women are allowed to be, without having to carry our whole race on our shoulders.

[rayfive]

At this point, I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, do not believe racial diversity crammed into a single country is better than a homogeneous one.

I do not think racial diversity is better. I believe it is significantly worse.

I should also define what I mean by 'racial diversity' here.

1. It is perfectly fine for diverse racial groups to exist on the same planet at once.

2. There is no reason to try to reverse the racial diversity if your society is already made that way. In fact, it would be inethical given the extreme side-effects. I think it is practically impossible to reverse it without committing a lot of evil.

3. However, there is no inherent reason whatsoever, - absolutely none whatsoever - to deliberately make a society racially diverse when it is currently not.

My cynical attitude towards 'racial diversity crammed within one nation' is not something produced out of spite, but truly genuine.

The reason is that the racially diverse groups are seriously not showing good examples.

In fact, they create aggressive racial dynamics within their diverse country, get programmed to act and think aggressively PRECISELY BECAUSE OF THEIR DIVSERITY, then start to project it onto us, expanding their domestically-developed toxic dynamics.

They got it all 'figured out' by establishing toxic relationship based on their local past events,

and they project it onto us without even the slightest bit of doubt, and without giving a chance for a better route to develop.

They do not give us a choice either. It is clear from their popular narratives that they do not think we have the right to choose our own path with our own society.

They straight up claim that it is immoral for us not to make them part of our population, for instance.

They do not even speak our language and have zero clue how we actually feel and think internally, but cherry-pick whatever minority opinions from atypical people among us that cater to their views, reinforcing them.

In the meanwhile, they overestimate how educated they are with regard to racial dynamics because of their diversity, (1) disregarding the fact that they are extremely, horrendously ignorant with events and dynamics happening in a different society, and (2) disregarding the fact that what they're getting in their region is a purely local brand of racial mini-model simulation that does not apply elsewhere. They have extremely arbitrary social experiment going on with their particular brand of distorted models, get ideas from it, than apply it to us, thinking we would be the same as theirs.

And because these distortions underpin the entirety of their way of thinking, everything they say to us is basically built on shit. It may apply to their region, but they don't have the slightest clue what they're talking about when it comes to us. Yet they aggressive say stuff to us, and about us.

I think racial diversity crammed in one country results in very bad things. I think this is the reality.

One might argue the main problem lies in being too readily judgemental, not racial diversity per se.

My answer to that argument is that it is pretty easy for humans to be judgemental, so given that human nature, racial diversity within one nation creates a very bad combination.

I would also like to add that racial so called diversity was mainly created by invasion and slavery. These things are of forced and invasive nature, and now they are attempting to beautify it and mobilize it for their moral high ground and cultural attacks, expanding the invasion elsewhere. I mean.. if it ended up being good, I would've been willing to overlook its initial nature but with a result like this?

It's as if beating up people who look like me within their respective countries is not enough so they gotta expand that violence outward. And it always starts with villifying narratives.

Realistically you can't fix the judgemental nature of human beings, so cramming in different racial groups into one country is basically a very bad idea unless yours have already taken an irreversible route in that direction so you have to make do with that particular route. That's a different situation entirely, which I seriously wish we won't have to deal with.

If our population is decreasing, which it is, then it should be replaced by machines as necessary, not humans from other racial groups. It is a route with an extremely high cost and a lot of ugliness. Just...no. It is a veritable religious dogma to say that different racial groups should be placed within one nation. This claim is so, so not true. The diversity-derived violence first devours its nation of origin, then the violence expands. It is practically a major origin for aggression and violence.

[ladyartemesia]

Yooo your love story straight out seems like an e2l slow burn tumblr fic. Do you have any plans using at as a plot?? I would def read it 👀

I don’t know if I would truly call it enemies-to-lovers because—although I got irritated with him and his behavior and did snap at him from time to time—we were not really enemies. In fact we were barely friends for most of the years we knew each other—

Well.

Ok. So that’s not totally true...

We fought online constantly. From the time we graduated college (where his crush first developed and I routinely forgot his name) the two of us were always fighting on social media—usually about politics—and occasionally about other things but both of us were too smart to ever truly get the better of each other so there was a grudging respect, (his mom said he used to yell at his computer screen about me). We had it OUT several times online even though we rarely—if ever—spoke in person.

My poor sweet boy DID get himself in trouble over me in more ways than one though—even if we’re weren’t close yet...

His college girlfriend set him up to fail asked him who he would date if the two of them weren’t together and he answered immediately—vehemently—

“Viola. I would definitely date Viola if I could.”

🤦🏻‍♀️ (oh...honey...no)

(That would become a huge THING in their relationship. Every time they got into a fight his ex would shout “why don’t you just go date VIOLA then?!”—When he married me he said he felt like a real winner in that particular collection of conflicts. Playing the long game I guess 🤣😂)

Back then I was all about the music/dramatic arts scene and I was dating a string of empty headed pretty boys who bored me nigh unto death because I was young and completely stupid.

In contrast my someday-boo was painfully quiet and shy (though not really with me because he was too busy trying to prove me wrong), but everyone who met him or spoke to him really liked him and respected him.

After college we were were still in the same extended social circle (and—as previously mentioned—fighting online), but I went to grad school and my not-yet-husband decided to chill for awhile and take a job as a landscaper while he figured his life out and... here’s where it gets complicated because...

—that’s where the girls came in. You see... he’s always been a really nice guy... maybe a little too nice 🤦🏻‍♀️

The term fuqboi tends to conjure up impressions of a cocky frat bro who slyly shags his way through a mountain of willing women with disconnected efficiency and a subtext of emotional constipation.

But that would not be the case here.

You see my husband is a listener. He’s an INFP. He, unlike many of his brethren, understands emotions and can really make a woman feel seen. Combine that with his good looks, brilliant mind, and broody nerditude and you have a recipe for women who were ‘just friends’ randomly dropping to their knees (and a lot more) for him.

Never one to stand in the way of a lady’s dreams, pre-me-hubby figured that if they were that determined to (*insert miscellaneous sexy stuff here*) with him then—well—he’d let them.

I mean why not, right? No harm done.

Wrong. 🤬

And here is where our paths truly began to merge (in the real world) for the first time.

As the FOURTH girl (just in my friend group) he graciously allowed (🤦🏻‍♀️) to have her wicked way with him sobbed in my arms, I became determined to put this ridiculous man-child IN his PLACE—this time in the tactile world as well as the virtual one.

...Poor Liz

She realized that he had absolutely no desire whatsoever to be in a relationship with anything other than his WoW account and she was insistent that he had broken her heart.

So I cornered him and we had it out. (Call me meddlesome, but to be fair he was four friends deep at this point.)

The problem was that... the more I talked to him...the more he was not really what I expected... I found myself...oddly...intrigued?

Later it would come out that I was the first girl—ever—that he actually pursued. And I was not even aware of it for like the first three months.

He was pretty slick after all when it came down to it.

That man convinced me to ‘help him’ with women—to make sure he didn’t get himself into another situation where some girl with heart eyes was tearing off his clothes and expecting commitment.

HE ASKED ME TO BE HIS ‘EXCUSE.’

🤦🏻‍♀️(...I know. I’m an idiot.)

“We can hang out. You’ll teach me how to spot if a girl is about to catch feelings and take off my pants. And I will have an excuse when they call as to why we can’t hang out” (—and ...they really were always calling. It was wild.)

....I mean he WAS shy! It SEEMED plausible!

So yeah my dim self agreed to it. (🤦🏻‍♀️)

I considered it a valiant attempt to save the rest of my social circle from the most clueless ‘accidental’ fuqboi on planet earth and maybe even an opportunity to teach him how to be a real human being and what not.

And before you think ‘fake dating’—we weren’t. We were just hanging out as friends. You see when I went to yell at him (and chased him down after he laughed at me and tried to escape) we ended up talking in his car for like four hours. And then that happened like three more times randomly so... I... actually... wanted... to be his friend... 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was still 110% not interested romantically.

Your girl (me) was after some bland banker dude (🤦🏻‍♀️) and so I blissfully fell into friendship with my actual soulmate without a single second thought. And I never worried about either of us catching feelings because I had a crush on someone else and he had heavily implied that I was not his type. (He told me later that I just assumed this and he simply never corrected me 🙄)

I don’t remember falling for him. I never decided to. I never thought about it...

But one day after the whole crew was hanging out at a restaurant (and the waiter kept giving me free drinks which may have pissed my once-and-future man off) the two of us went out to his car to have our customary three hour post-chill chat...

I was teasing him about something—some girl he was still attempting to untangle himself from—and I said—as had become my habit (seriously I said this so many times as a joke)—“It’s too bad I’m not your type—you could just tell her you have a girlfriend.”

(Now. I know what you’re thinking. But I was still firmly on team platonic ok! I was just a flirt. And maybe part of me was starting to feel weird things about him—but those feelings weren’t like anything I recognized so I thought I just needed to cut back on sugar or something.)

(Have I mentioned I’m an idiot?)

ANYWAYS he looked me right in the eye. So serious. And instead of saying “that’s too bad”—LIKE he ALWAYS did—he said—

“You...are my type, Viola... You’re exactly my type.”

To which I responded—“....What? No I’m not. You said I wasn’t.”

“Never said that. You assumed.”

“You LET me!”

—followed by a good ten minutes of me having an existential crisis/yelling at him for allowing me to believe he didn’t find me attractive and lulling me into a false sense of security. He was infuriatingly unapologetic.

At the end of it all he asked me to give him—give us—a chance.

And I agreed to go out on a few dates with him (mostly to prove to myself that there was nothing there).

(🤦🏻‍♀️)

The only thing I ended up proving was that I was wrong about what I wanted and even more wrong about what I needed.

You see...

Those weird feelings turned out to be love.

(🤦🏻‍♀️)

And it was a really special experience to sit in a room full of girls who had cried in my arms over him—girls I had lectured repeatedly on the dangers of his heartless ways— and admit that I was his girlfriend.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Love was—and continues to be—nothing like I expected and frankly I couldn’t be happier.

... to answer your questions

1. I have considered writing a fic based on our story called Broken Road. The title is taken from an old Rascal Flatts song that—as insanely cheesy as it is—really reminds me of us. Don’t know if I will actually write this. Thought about it a lot though.

2. Tags I would use for this story?

#enemies-to-lovers / #idiots-to-lovers / #college au / #outgoing!fem reader(me) x shy nerd!accidental fuqboi / #reader is also a huge nerd actually / #she’s just a loud one / #frenemies-to-lovers / #the love is requited / #they’re just idiots / #pining (his) / denial (mine) / #reader has terrible taste in men / #except for that last one / #she really redeemed herself there at the end

[theredsuzuran]

Yandere Muzan x Reader

I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, also for my crappy writing I hope It does not bore you lol. Slight mention of gore

It was the time of summer

A multitude of people hovering over one another in the vast space of the lively Asakusa city occupying the streets like tiny ants. Unfortunately it was same monotonous sight for kibutsuji Muzan progenitor of the morbid demon race, who seems to be roaming around uninterestingly looking for a suitable prey to hunt. The fleeting lives of mortals, their compassion, happiness, sorrow, pain held no value to him. They are pests who belong in the dirt or beneath his feet, inferior compare to a perfect being like himself. Nothing more than a tool that he won't hesitate to discard after his desires are fulfilled. All of a sudden his gaze felt upon a petite figure near a tailor shop, a large number of people gathering around her.

What's the matter, mister? Muzan inquired to a man next to him.

"if you are new definitely try her kimonos, now make way" the man said quickly as he rushed to the shop pushing all the people away. He was interested to know what the deal was about so he decided to stay for a while hoping it's worth the wait.

After a long delay muzan finally got the chance to view the women. As their eyes locked the dazzling city lights broader than the day itself felt dull in comparison for a moment, the once monochromatic world seems to change vibrantly with her luminous presence, As if goddess Amaterasu, the diety of sun herself have ascended from the heaven into the mortal realm. The demon lord stood there mesmerized by her breathtaking beauty, how can someone so close to perfection exist alongside those barbarians.

"How can I help you mister?" She questioned politely with her soft vocal. His endless thoughts were interrupted breaking the silence.

"Show me your kimonos"

And so his obsession started..

Days passed since his last encounter with the woman. He have come across numerous marvelous humans in everlasting lengthy life but never have his ruby eyes caught a glimpse of someone as alluring as her. The girl possesses an unique aura that differentiated her from the rest of the crowd, able to draw attention from the cold hearted creator of cannibalistic demons. At first muzan was just curious to know about that woman, possibly persuade her to become one of his underling because of the potentials she may carry. He frequently begun to visit her shop to but or sew different fabrics. Gaining basic information, like her name, likes and dislikes, etc. Her grandfather owned the tailor shop which sold finest quality garments from the beginning and were highly respected for their excellent tailoring. Continued by (y/n) at her family's will, who runs the shop with equal undying devotion.

She treated him with such kindness even though he was a ruthless demon not that she knew about it or let alone the existence of demons. The deepest corner of his dark heart illuminated with pure light whenever she was around and he came to the conclusion that she was the ray of sunshine he desires to perceive. Eversince he was cured from his fatal illness the only goal in his life was to conquer the sun which prevents him to achieve absolute perfection, in order to live an eternal and indestructible life or so he thought until that very day his eyes laid upon you. It would be stupid to think that demons are capable of experiencing love, concepts of feelings are completely foreign in their conciousness, it was more like obsession. His megalomania makes him believe he needs you no he wants you.

Alas, if only it was a fairytale. The king does not always gets what he desires and same goes for the demon lord when he finds out that his beloved darling already has a lover. As he witnessed the sight of you hugging your partner with passion. The way her eyes flutter infront of him when he caresses her cheeks making her turn away bashfully and how she hold his hand with her delicate ones while exchanging vows of love and loyalty towards each other made his blood boiled with fury. If anyone who can hold her fragile frame is none other but the demon lord himself yet there she was sharing intimacy with some filthy creature. His narcissistic self was put down with a lowlife, he cannot accept that his (y/n) was claimed someone else's. It was something he would never allow to happen.

"Kibutsuji san would you like to buy something today as well?" The women who now acknowledge his presence asked him cheerfully.

"Should I visit you later" a force smile graced on his pale features.

"Oh no, it's fine, let me introduce you to my fiancee" she said excitedly.

"Nice to meet you kibutsuji san" your fiancee said

"Pleasure to meet you as well" The demon scoffed under his breath but Kibutsuji was quite adamant he knew it was not hard to turn the tables anytime sooner as with a blink of an eye he can get rid of him by simply ordering his underlings without even hesitating to dirty his hands exclusive for his precious darling. But that was not what muzan was planning to do at all as his mind was engulfed with much sinister thoughts.

To insanity?

"You have been restless for a long time, what's wrong my child?" A man asked with a look of concern written all over his face looking straight at the figure of an anxious woman roaming around impatiently within the house.

"Its been a week father since he last wrote a letter to him" she mumbled softly disappointment painted across her features. The father could not help but laugh a little by her daughter's remark.

"Father please it is serious"

"I am sorry sweetheart but it might be that your fiancee is busy with wedding preparation" which made sense because the wedding would be taking place after three day and it was obvious that he was caught up with the arrangement. However there was a strange feeling inside her stomach which made her believe otherwise.

As the days passed the wedding day came close, with (y/n) still not receiving any message from her lover. Worried her to the core at this point all she wanted was to make sure of his safety as something constantly felt off. The guests came in one by one for the wedding ceremony but there was no sign of the groom.

It was getting unbearable for her to remain confined. Ignoring her father's request to stay inside she went outside in hope to check whether or not her lover was approaching but once again she was greeted with emptiness. Her eyes swell up with tears forming on both corners allowing her body to slowly hit the surface as she convinced herself that her lover will never come. The worst was yet to happen and before she could make any movement the ground beneath her feet started shaking and a shoji door opened consuming her into the darkness.

It was just the start of her miserable life under the demon's control.

"So you are finally awake", a sudden voice came echoing into her eyes as she slowly opened her eyes after regaining her consciousness. She moved her hands upwards in order to ease the headache only to find her hands tied up with shackles, a chilling sensation of overwhelming fear filled her entire senses as she remembered what happened prior.

"Where am I? Why am I chained?" Who are you?" she demanded furiously at the mysterious figure infront her which was now advancing at her direction from the dark corner of the dimly litted room.

"You are quite an impatient one?" The man gripped her chin roughly as her eyes protruded out with bewilderment.

"Can't even remember your daily customer?" A wicked smile curved across his countenance.

"K..Kibutsuji san" she parted her lips. Tears forming in her eyes once again. This made muzan even more irritated as he tightened his grip on her chin. (Y/n) whimpered with pain crying out loud.

"Your shouting won't help dear nobody apart from me can hear you scream" he said bluntly with his cold apathetic voice.

"Why?" (Y/n) lowered her head down holding his hand with her delicate ones trying her best to get a hold of him.

"Pardon?" Muzan inquired as he stared at your quivering form with his souless eyes there was no empathy in them or whatsoever although he felt pity. He cannot deny the fact that he was indeed attracted to her that's the reason why he put her into so much hassles.

"Where is my lover?" She asked sternly with her voice shaking a bit.

"Oh" muzan responded his hand still holding her chin tightly. This made her even more anxious she was unaware of the power he might possess and definitely she didn't had any intentions to risk her life.

"Why can't you humans move on and accept circumstances given before you?" it startled her as she cannot process what he meant.

"I don't.. u..understand" she said.

"Then you have to learn to accept me as your partner" muzan replied coldly (y/n) sat there looking at him with disbelief her heart and soul belonged to someone else and for a long time they have been together it's absolutely impossible to change the reality she was accustomed with just because some maniac wants to make her his partner.

"I can never" she murmured with disgust hinted in her voice. "I love him" throwing daggers in his direction not ready to submit her futile attempts of protest should pissed the demon lord even more but to her surprise she saw him smiling menacingly and in the corner of her eyes she saw the figure of her debilitate lover.

"Start from his fingers" muzan ordered one of his subordinate as they began chopping one of his finger making him scream in pain.

"No! please don't hurt him" trying to break free from the shackles she was tied with realizing it was fruitless she fell on the demon's knee begging with all the strength left within her in a last desperate attempt.

"You left me with no other choice, dear" he explained playing his sick games of manipulation on her. This was exactly what he needed to break her mind and she cannot help but rely on him pleading for his forgiveness feeding on his massive ego providing him ultimate satisfaction to witness the quivering frame of his darling clinging onto his knee in pure submission.

"Please I will do anything you say" she requested shaking like crazy.

"Anything?" Muzan questioned raising his eyebrow

"Yes" she replied without any hesitation.

"Be mine"

She already knew that he wanted this and she readily obliged in order to save her beloved, sacrificing her own life. Her only purpose was now to satisfy the demon lord, he was successful until the very end and it won't take long to make her completely his.

[swtorpadawan]

World Building Wednesday: Kael Nosrol Krannus

B A S I C S • Full name: Kael Nosrol Krannus • Gender: Male • Sexuality: Heterosexual (Honestly, Kael is the only purely straight toon I have at the moment.) • Pronouns: He / him

O T H E R S • Family: Executor Krannus (cousin; deceased - Appears in the game opposing the Jedi Knight on Belsavis. Kael Nosrol is absolutely determined to avenge his cousin's death at Corellan Halcyon's hand.) | Kotât (father; Kael is ashamed of him as he is a non-Force sensitive.) | Rimu (mother; deceased - killed during the sack of the Jedi temple on Coruscant) • Birthplace: Kaas City, Dromund Kaas • Job: Executioner • Phobias: None recorded • Guilty pleasures: Kael feels no guilt whatsoever in the torment of his defeated enemies, considering it his right and basking with pleasure in their suffering. The highest mark of respect he can pay a foe is granting them a clean death when he has the opportunity to do otherwise. (This is very rare.)

M O R A L S • Morality alignment?: Darkside / Neutral Evil - Kael does not believe any laws apply to him. All that matters is power. • Sins: lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath  Kael is essentially a narcissist. He does not shy away from wealth, but considers it merely a means to an end. He certainly does sleep in if circumstances permit, and sometimes if he does not send his bed-companion away. There are not many people he enviews; Vitiate's attention to the Hand numbered among these. • Virtues: chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice He is quite determined when properly motivated.

T H I S - O R - T H A T • Introverted/extrovert. Kael considers most other beings to be beneath his notice. This has made him somewhat anti-social in general. • Organized/disorganized. During his time on the Fury, Kael relied on Quinn and 2V-R8 to keep him organized. • Close-minded/open-minded. Kael held onto his faith in Vitiate up until the moment he was shown irrefutable proof. Then he went mad. • Calm/anxious. Surprisingly, Kael's wrath is quite stoic, almost Vader-like.   • Disagreeable/agreeable. You will agree with Kael, or you will suffer his displeasure. He does not need to agree with you. • Cautious/reckless. He's not stupid, but he does over-estimate his own resilience. • Patient/impatient. He can be stoic, but if he feels his time is being wasted, he will not hesitate to show his disfavor. Customer service reps are not fans of his. • Outspoken/reserved. Kael usually doesn't bother to tell other people how stupid and worthless they are. It is not worth his time.   • Leader/follower. He commands his crew with an iron fist; but without someone to follow, he would be lost. Whether its Baras, or Vitiiate, or the Hand, or eventually Revan. • Empathetic/unempathetic. Kael does not concern himself with the emotions of others, except to manipulate them. • Optimistic/pessimistic. Surrounded by so many inferior beings, he holds little hope for the rest of the galaxy. • Traditional/modern. Kael is an absolute Sith Pureblood supremist. It was a step for him to even consider producing offspring with a mere human like Jaesa. • Hard-working/lazy. Properly motivated, Kael is pure force of nature. But without a goal in front of him, he's useless.

R E L A T I O N S H I P S • otp: Jaesa Willsaam. Kael's devotion to Jaesa is one of his few endearing qualities. Their relationship can definitely be toxic, but it kept him on a path for as long as it lasted. • ot3: Jaesa / Thana Vesh. This... is probably not something I will be expanding upon. • brotp: None. Although he seems surprisingly affectionate with Vette. • notp: Vette. Some things are wrong, even to him.

Tagging - @grandninjamasterren​ , @tishinada​ , @awryen​ and @swtorpigeons​

[jimlingss]

Foreverland

➜ Words: 15.2k

➜ Genres: 95% Fluff, 5% Angst, Peter Pan!AU

➜ Summary: Just because you're nineteen doesn't mean you aren't still a CHILD! So why does everyone want you to grow up so badly?! Is it so wrong to not want to work? To get married?! And for heaven's sake, you'll wed anyone but boring Namjoon! Little do you know, a certain fairy boy's about to grant your wish and whisk you far away from this nightmare.

cr.

You flip the page of the storybook.   It sits on your lap, the two covers spread over your thighs, the page corners crisp against your fingertips. The colours seem to jump out at you — raspberry, periwinkle and kelly vibrant against the white. And you’re completely enthralled with the adventurous storyline, studying the sentences before your eyes follow the illustration of the garden gnome climbing the mountain.   “Y/N!”    A sharp shriek interrupts your concentration and you look to the house porch. Your mother has her hands on her hips, apron tied around her waist and ladle in hand. “Heavens to Betsy! What did I say about climbing trees again! Are you tryin’ to break your neck?! Get down here this instant, young lady!”   You sigh, jumping down from the thick branch much to her horror. But your landings are always perfect. This spot’s perfect. You don’t know why she has such a bone to pick with your favourite reading place.   Not only was the tree branch comfortable, but you got the biggest and brightest view of the grassy field and can feel the wind whisking through your hair. Not like she’d understand.   She never liked heights.   “Look at yourself,” your mother chastises and starts to brush off the skirt of your dress. “You got so dirty. You can’t be looking like this when Namjoon’s coming by.”   “Again?” Your exaggerated exhale gains the lift of her brow. But you can’t help it. It’s not like your walks with Namjoon are something you enjoy. “I don’t like him, mom. You know that.”   “Then who do you like?”   You recoil. “No one.”   “You’re not a child anymore, Y/N. You’re already nineteen and you’re turnin’ twenty soon. And what happened to your friends? Sarah’s already gotten married and so did Irene.”   “That’s because they had no dreams,” you tell her. “They’ve always wanted a boring life.”   “Well, it’s time for you to grow up,” she huffs, holding you by the shoulders and looking at you one last time. “If you don’t want to get married, then move out and get a job.”   Heck no. You don’t want any of that.    The last thing you want is to be like Sarah or Irene who only knows how to gossip over tea and plan how many babies they’re gonna have. Or be like your parents. Your father’s a war veteran and always working long hours while your mother’s a homemaker — she’s so bored in the neighbourhood that she frets over every detail about you and drives herself nuts.   You don’t know when it became like this but all the adults are so utterly boring.   It seems like everyone’s grown up to live a monotonous life in the suburbs and you refuse to follow.   “Y/N?”    Your train of thought comes to a crashing halt by a tall dark-haired gentleman with rounded glasses. Namjoon’s always been polite and well-mannered but his talking can get you fast asleep. “Are you okay?”   “I’m fine. Thanks.” You muster a smile, looking away from the kids crowding around the trees and climbing them, giggling, hooting and hollering at each other.   As Namjoon walks past them, he shakes his head in disapproval. “They’re so noisy.”   “When was the last time you climbed a tree?” you suddenly ask.   “I never really did. I always preferred to build train sets and reading.”   Immediately, your eyes light up. “Reading?”   “Encyclopedias.”   Your eyes dim just as quick. “Oh.”   //   The pastel mint that’s engulfed the dining room — walls, chairs, tablecloth — is washed out, especially with the dim yellow ceiling lamp hanging over the rectangular table. But you don’t comment when the pastel pink kitchen looks much worse. Your parents’ decorating choices have always been questionable to you.   “I heard Namjoon came by,” your father says at dinner. “How was it?”   “Same as always.”    It goes silent. The air is awkward and your mother clears her throat noisily. The mashed potatoes taste bland on your palette.   “You know, he came by the other day to have a chat with me. It seems like he’s quite serious.”   You have an inkling of what your father’s trying to get at and you put your fork down, allowing it to clank against your dinner plate. “Namjoon’s terribly dull.”   “He’s a respectable businessman,” your father asserts.    Your mother agrees and chimes, “Namjoon isn’t boorish.”   “He has no life in him,” you retort back. “Watching paint dry is more fun.”   Your father’s brow jumps and he raises his voice, “He will be a fantastic family man.”   “He has a great background, dear,” your mother offers in a softer tone.   You abruptly stand, chair legs squeaking against the linoleum, not wanting to hear anymore of their reasons. No matter what you say, they have hundreds of defenses. No one’s actually listening to you. They don’t understand!   “I won’t marry him, never ever. I won’t get a job either! I hated working as a secretary!”   “Sit down, Y/N,” your father deadpans, looking back at his dinner plate as if you’re just a dog barking. You don’t faze him whatsoever. “You’re not a child who can throw a temper tantrum anymore.”   “I am a child!”   “You’re nineteen,” he reprimands. “It’s time to grow. up.”   “Ugh!” You whirl around and stomp up the stairs, abandoning your dinner on the table. Your mom calls after you, demanding to know where you’re going, but you get to your room, slam the door shut and lock it.   You dive into your bed, face flat into your pillow.   A moment later, you hear a knock but when you don’t respond, the steps fade away.   It’s always like this. You don’t know why so many kids want to grow up quickly to be adults when there’s nothing fun about it whatsoever. You don’t want to marry Namjoon. You don’t want to be a housewife for the rest of your life. You don’t want to work for someone else either.   You just want to be free — is that so much to ask?   All you want is to read, to go on an adventure, to escape to somewhere else, be someone else.   You move your face to the side and out of the pillow to finally breathe and your eyes incidentally stray out your windows. It’s a starry night tonight, pinpricks of milky light glittering over the dark horizon. You find yourself standing up and walking over to open the latch. Immediately, fresh air whisks inside your suffocating room and you inhale a deep breath.   You lean on the window sill with your arms, pupils flickering up to the bright North Star in the sky.   It’s silly and naive, but with how dismayed you are, you shut your eyes and wish upon that glimmering star. You wish that someone could take you away from here. Far, far away. To a place where there won’t be any expectations for you. A place where you won’t have to work. Where you won’t have to marry Namjoon.   A place where your dreams could be granted.   But not for a second do you expect for your wish to actually come true.   You become sleepy while resting at the sill, lids heavy as you begin to drift off. But then, there’s a tickle at your nose and a light tap of your shoulder.    “Mama….stop it,” you groan, “I’ll talk to you later…”   Yet, there’s a harder tap and a deeper voice— “Hello?”   Your eyes shoot open at the unfamiliar timbre and your eyes narrow in on a man-boy floating in front of you. Dark hair. Twinkling irises. A mischievous smile. You stumble back on your butt and scream.   No one hears you, not your parents who are heavy sleepers or the noisy neighbours who somehow have taken a day off from snooping around. So, you’re left alone to face the stranger who’s seemingly not standing on anything. He’s just outside your bedroom window, floating mid-air.   “W-Who are you?!”   You have to blink thrice to make sure you’re really seeing turquoise fairy-like wings.   “Name’s Seokjin.” A sparkly red vest with golden trousers and a blue hat with a green feather on the side — he looks like he’s come straight out of one of your storybooks. “But you can call me Jin.”   “What are you doing here?” your words stutter out.   “I heard a wish being made and came to grant it.”   Jin floats down and steps onto your window ledge, peering curiously inside your room.    “It’s quite pink,” he notes and the corners of his mouth upturn into a perfectly rounded smile. “I’m guessing that’s your favourite colour.”   Without warning, the stranger comes in. An uninvited guest who’s all too meddlesome with the trinkets on top of your dresser. Your eyes bulge, brought speechless in the meanwhile. You wouldn’t know how to explain if your parents were to come in and see this stranger walking around your room.   You don’t even know if he’s a man or a boy in the first place. It’s almost like he’s both — one second, he looks young and the next, he looks to be around your age. But one thing’s certain. He’s tall, height overcoming yours, and he has light blue translucent wings on his back.   “What are you?”   The question stumbles out without much thought and you realize a little too late once it’s said.   He whirls around with a frown and lolls his head to the side. “I’m a human.”   “How does a human have wings?!”   He laughs, a bubbling sound emitting from his mouth, and he looks behind him. “Oh this? It’s magic. I guess that kind of makes me a fairy.”   You wonder if by fairy, it’s the fairies in the books you’ve read and you wonder what exactly he means by magic. More importantly, you wonder if this is all a dream in the first place.   Jin holds out his hand, palm lifted upwards and after a beat of hesitation, you take it. He helps you stand up on your feet again and smiles. “What’s your name?”   “It’s Y/N.”   “That’s a nice name. Okay, let’s go.”   “Excuse me?” You blink hard, questioning if he’s even from this world. “Go where?”   “Foreverland, silly.” Jin smiles, plump lips pulled, cheeks puffed out like loaves of bread, brown irises twinkling. “Don’t you want to escape from here? Go on an adventure? Come on!”   He takes your hand, leading you to the window, but your steps are slow. “Where’s Foreverland?”   “Boy, you ask a lot of questions, don’t you?” He looks back at you with a boyish grin. “Just come see for yourself.”   You wonder if this is a dream. If it is, then there’s no point in staying in your room.   So you simply nod and his smile widens.   Jin gets onto the window ledge and pulls you up with him. But before he can go any further, you blurt out, “Wait!” And he promptly halts, looking at you to see if there’s anything wrong. “D-Do I need to bring anything with me?”   He laughs at your question.    “No.”   Then, before you can even blink, Jin jumps. With your hands held, you fall out the window after him and scream at the top of your lungs. Yet, there’s no fall in the pit of your stomach. There isn’t a rush, the wind tearing through your hair, or the impending splat on the ground.   You peel open your eyes to discover Jin carrying you. An arm around your back and the other behind your knees. Immediately, you loop your arms around his neck and find your house becoming smaller and smaller as he flies away.   “Did you really think I was just going to let you fall?” the strange boy asks with a cheeky smile.   “You should’ve warned me,” you murmur, not putting up much of a fight or complaining when you were too busy looking at the view. You were flying over the entire city, watching the way the lights of the buildings glimmer into a mosaic of colours, your house now a mere dot in the distance.    It’s a breathtaking sight, reminding you of stars in the distance. Except they were the buildings you entered on afternoon shopping trips with your mother or streets you biked through. You could see the diner and the record shop and even the drive-in theater!   Jin smiles as he looks at you. “If you’re impressed now, wait till we get to Foreverland.”   You turn your attention to him, eyes running from his lashes to the slope of his nose and the dip of his cupid’s bow. The breeze makes your cheeks warm and you take the opportunity to pinch yourself on the arm.   It hurts, which only means one thing. This isn’t a dream.   “How are you doing this?!”   “I said it before!” he exclaims in a pitched voice. “Magic!”   It can’t be real. But at the exact same time, it is.   And with that realization, you start hollering at the top of your lungs, momentarily startling the boy carrying you. “I can’t believe this is happening! This is amazing!”    Jin grins. “I know!”   You cheer as if you’re on top of the highest mountain, as if you’re facing the endless ocean and screaming your name, as if the entire world could hear the howls coming from the pit of your stomach. Exhilaration bleeds through your veins and you laugh aloud, finally feeling alive.   Instead of feeling fearful, cautious, or burdened with an apprehension you know anyone in your position would have, you’re elated. For the first time, you were finally going on an adventure.   The two of you fly a bit more, soaring beyond the wispy clouds and blue oceans, until the golden sun starts to rise over the horizon. As soothing as it is, to where you could fall asleep, you make sure to keep your eyes open to catch it all. And soon enough, Jin’s swooping downwards towards an oblong-shaped island in the middle of nowhere.   “Welcome to Foreverland.”   A sandy beach, an open field, a forest nearby. Jin lands and sets you down onto your feet. The grass is pliant beneath your toes and you look around with your lips parted.   “What is this place?”   “Anything you want it to be,” he says. “Foreverland grants magic, so anyone can escape to it. Here, you can make your dreams come true. Anything in your imagination can be real.”    If what he’s telling you is true, then the possibilities are limitless. But you don’t know what to do, where to start.   “Where do you live?”   “In that treehouse.” Jin points a few paces away to where the forest and the meadow meet. You see an enormous tree that looks centuries old with winding branches that act as a staircase and a tiny fort fit at the top. Cute windows, warm lighting spilling from inside and a string of bulbs wrapped around the green foliage make up his cozy home and you’re put in awe.   “There’s magic all around us,” Jin says with a small smile after watching your reaction. “You can do whatever you want. Try it.”   “How?”   “Just imagine whatever you want!”   It sounds too easy, but even though you’re not quite sure what you want to do, you shut your eyes anyway. Somehow, your mind strays to how you always wanted to be a princess when you were younger and then to the castle dollhouse your aunt got you for your sixth birthday.    Lilac walls, three towers, trim wrapped in pink, a brown gate, teal roof, the ribbon flag.   And then you open your eyes again.   A gasp befalls your lips. The castle you used to play with as a child is built right in front of you, manifested from thin air right to the last detail from your memory. The flourishing bed of flowers and winding cobblestone path welcomes you inside as the castle’s majestic ruler.   “Looks like you have a natural talent for this,” Jin laughs with an enormous grin.   “This is incredible!” You don’t know what you want to do first. If you want to run inside the castle and look into all the rooms, if you want to fall back on the meadow floor and imagine pools of chocolate, or if you want to feel that buzz of magic again, those vibrations in the air that still tingle on your skin. “Why aren’t there more people here?”   “There’s a lot of visitors, but no one stays for long,” Jin says, his expression unrecognizable in the split-second that it changes. He smiles again before you can decipher it. “But you can stay here for as long as you’d like.”   You decide that you want to go inside the castle first.   You run around the halls, up and down the stairs, flinging bedroom doors open and sprinting across the massive ballroom with the hanging chandelier. There are three levels in total, ten rooms, a dining hall and the top of the highest tower gives you the best view of the forest and the mountains in the back.   Jin follows you in the meanwhile, infected by your excitement and answering the numerous questions you have. He seems happy to share Foreverland with you, and your mind’s already racing with countless ideas of what to do, build and create. Or at least until your stomach grumbles.   “Hungry?”   You sheepishly smile. “I guess.”   Jin grins as if it’s a problem easily solvable, but you’re not sure what he has in mind when he leads you through the thicket of the forest. It’s an uphill climb, the lush canopies letting through the rays of sparkling morning light while the chickadees and blue jays chirp, wings fluttering overhead.   The tree trunks eventually open up to a cleared riverside with enormous rocks scattered around.   But what takes your attention is the long, white table and rounded chairs all around. There’s cake stands filled with buttered pastries, frosted cakes, teacups and teapots discarded and a radio on top of a rock.   “What is this?”   “It’s where we have our tea parties,” Jin informs with a smile as he pulls out a chair for you and you plop down with a fork materializing in your hand.   Instantaneously, magic thumps the air and the teapots start to dance. Fuzzy folk music plays from the static radio. And the appliances start to swirl to the cheery rhythm, tilting back and forth as teacups start to levitate in front of you. It’s like something straight out of a book and you laugh as you watch them.   The teapot pours a cupful until it spills over and you quickly take it.   “Thank you very much.”   It’s the best earl grey tea you’ve ever had and your eyes widen before you’re sipping it again. If possible, the teapot seems to blush and pours you another cup.   “Have some cake,” Jin suggests, sitting on the other side and watching you with a grin. The fork flies out of your hand to cut into the slice and the silver utensil feeds you itself. The sweetness explodes on your tongue.   “This is amazing, Jin!” You’ve never been allowed to eat so many sweets, not when your mother was constantly nagging and telling you to watch your weight. But there’s no one here to tell you otherwise, so you fill your stomach until it aches. The plates and utensils also settle down after they accidentally dribble frosting on Jin’s hair, much to the boy’s dismay.   The tea party concludes after you’ve had your full and you bid them goodbye.   “Did you like it?” The both of you are strolling back into the forest, Jin matching your steps.   “Did I ever!” You laugh. “It was spectacular. Foreverland is spectacular!”   “I’m glad.” He smiles to himself at the same time your eyes stray over to a majestic tree sitting in the middle of the magical forest. Large trunk, enormous branches, your steps speed towards it.   Jin’s brow raises but he follows after you, watching you hoist yourself up on the first branch.   “You gotta be able to see all of Foreverland up here.”   The boy’s amused and his wings start fluttering. “I could always fly you up if you want.”   “That’s cheating,” you argue, grappling with another before pulling yourself up. “My dad’s always told me that the effort makes the result sweeter. Plus, there’s nothing quite like climbing trees. You should try it.”   Jin observes the way you’re already sweating and out of breath, and opts not to. “I’ll stick to flying.”   “Suit yourself.” You dust your hands before jumping to grab another branch.    You can tell Jin’s impressed at how you’re maneuvered yourself but it’s all thanks to your childhood in the countryside. This is nothing. And in just a few minutes, you’ve made it to the top of the ginormous tree, overlooking the entirety of Foreverland. Jin’s wings stop flitting as he sits down on the branch beside you and you both soak in the scenery.   The wind tears through your hair and you’re left breathless, gazing upon the painting-like island. You can spot his treehouse from afar, the castle you’ve built, and the beaches near where you first landed. The greenery and blue horizon seems to stretch on for miles, and it’s all laid out in front of you for your eyes only.    You don’t notice how Seokjin’s turned his head to look at you.   “This is so unbelievable,” you exhale.   None of you see the green leaf beside you that withers away.   “I’m glad you love it so much.” Jin smiles. “You can stay for as long as you’d like.”   The sun is hanging high in the sky, signaling it’s already afternoon and you realize that in your excitement, you haven’t had a wink of sleep. Up here, it’s quickly catching up to you. You’re too comfortable against the tree trunk, unable to stifle your yawns, and your lids become heavier.    The second time Jin glances at you, he finds your head bobbing and he smiles.   He carries you back to your castle, through the window into one of the rooms and he places you on the soft bed. In your deep slumber, you hear a soft voice— “Sleep tight, princess.” — and for some reason, you rest easy.   //   In your dreams, there’s a man-boy with wings wearing a ridiculous outfit, red vest and golden trousers with a blue hat and a feather on it. But somehow, he seems to sparkle and so does the place he takes you to. Magic thrums the air, vibrating on your skin and anything you wish for can be real. It’s a fantasy world straight out of the many storybooks you’ve held tightly onto….   In your dreams, you want to stay forev—   FWOOP.   There’s a deafening noise in your ear. A violent rush of wind smacking your face. You open your eyes with a shriek already tearing from your raw throat.   Onyx eyes sit high on the creature’s narrow skull and they stare into yours, mere inches away. There are horns on top of its head, body crimson and scaly with a row of larger scales running down its spine. Its black talons are sharp, gripping against the edges of the shattered shingles.   Dragon.   It’s a colossal dragon. And it’s ripped off the roof of your castle.   The creature’s shadow looms over you and every exhale from its nostrils whisks your hair back.   This isn’t a dream. It isn’t. “Jin!”    You scream at the top of your lungs, scurrying back in a cold sweat, blood curdling at the back of your throat. “Jin! Jin!” There’s only one person who can rescue you— “Seokjin!”   The dragon leans down and it nabs the hem of your white nightgown with its pointed teeth. You’re immediately lifted into the air with another screech violently ripping through your vocal cords. The dragon’s wings flap aggressively and you’re practically dangling diagonally in mid-air.   Oh shit. Shit!   In the midst of your panic, you scramble for a way to save yourself and then you remember. This is Foreverland. Anything you want can become a reality. You can grant any wish you desire.   So with that in mind, you quickly think of a witch’s broomstick. Something you can easily fly away on. And just like that, it manifests itself beside you, parking next to your dangling body.   A smile stretches into your features and your arm lifts to—   The dragon bats it away. As swiftly as it appears, the broom is being flung downwards.    The creature increases its speed, beginning to circle the island and you resort back to screaming— “Jin!”    You’re shivering as the dragon soars through wispy clouds, heading towards the mountains past the forest. When the creature starts to sweep downwards, your shrieks only increase in volume and pitch.   Then, the dragon drops you.   You’re flailing for ten seconds, mind-blank, the pit of your stomach falling up into your throat, your screams becoming soundless. But before you slam into the ground, your body is plunged into light green.   It absorbs your speed. Cushions your landing.   And you open your eyes to figure out that you’ve been dropped into a humongous plate of jelly. Unable to breathe, you start eating your way out towards the light. Your hands shove backwards as if you’re digging yourself out of dirt and your mouth chomps down until you’ve broken free.    Gasping, you pull the rest of your limbs out of the green jelly and stumble to the ground.   The taste of green grapes linger on your tongue.   But more importantly, your attention is stolen by a figure standing on top of a gray rock. Ruby cape, golden crown lopsided on a black head of hair. The stranger suddenly turns around and you’re faced with a rabbit-like boy — doe eyes, a big nose, pouty lips.   “Welcome to Jelly Mountain.” His voice is smooth and he hops down to hover over you. “You’re my new hostage.”   Suddenly, there’s rope bounding your entire body.   You’re utterly confused and you realize you’re quivering uncontrollably. “W-Where’s Jin?”   The corner of the stranger’s mouth tugs.    “Seokjin?” He barks out into deep, sinister laughter. “Dead, of course.”   Blood drains from your face.   The turmoil slams into your frame. You burst out into tears.    The stranger goes completely silent, eyes widened as he watches sobs choke out of your chest and he flinches back. “Wait. A-Are you okay? Is everything alright?”   Dead. Jin’s dead. Devastation wrecks you entirely and you lose strength fighting, flopping over to weep into the ground. Just like that. He’s. Dead.   Your captor cautiously approaches you while you blink past your hazy vision, teardrops hanging off your lashes. And once he gets close enough, you lift your foot to kick him in the knee. Hard enough that you can hear a crack in his joint.   “Oof!”   The boy doubles over and you get to your knees, rage replacing grief. “Why would you kill Jin?!”   “Who killed me?” A familiar voice sounds overhead and you knock your head back to see a dignified silhouette standing at a higher cliff. Jin flies down in front of you and points a wooden sword at the king.   But the boy wheezes and lifts his palms up. “I give, I give.”   The ropes around you instantaneously vanish and the second it does, you rush upwards, launching yourself at Jin. Your arms open and your bodies collide against each other. He’s surprised and stumbles back before he smiles modestly. Jin pats your back as you mumble into his shoulder, “Oh god, a dragon took me from my bed and I thought you were dead for real and I was so scared.”   The wind ceases for a moment, the sky losing its blue vibrancy for a sheer second.   A soft laugh emits from Jin’s lips and after you let go and he whirls around to the other boy. “Look at what you did, Jungkook.”   Jungkook scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I was just kidding, I didn’t know you would take me so seriously. This is how we usually play.” He melts into a timid sort of smile and approaches you again to properly introduce himself. “I’m Jin’s imaginary friend.”   Before you can think too much, Jungkook eagerly shakes your hand. “I was really excited when I heard there was someone new in Foreverland.”   “Well, it’s nice to meet you too. But it’s very rude to take your dragon and steal me out of bed,” you huff out, almost sounding like your mother. At the same time, said dragon pops up from behind a rocky boulder with sad eyes and a whimpering noise.   You recoil and dart to hide behind Jin. But he laughs and steps aside. “It’s alright. Everyone’s friendly here.”   The dragon is clumsy as it tottles towards you and it bends over to dip its head down. You hesitate, but with Jin’s encouragement and his reassuring nod, your hand lifts and you pet its mound. You’re shocked to find the scaly texture softer than expected, though your caresses are cut short when it nudges you with a puff from its nose. The dragon’s tail is wagging.   You step away after a held breath, turning to glare at Jungkook and he ducks his head.   Jin laughs and takes your hand before another argument or fight can take place. “Are you hungry? Let’s go have some cake and tea.”   You allow him to lead the way and Jungkook strolls along with his arms folded comfortably behind his head. “I want earl grey!”   You’re not sure how imaginary friends work in Foreverland. But you don’t know how Jungkook is so life-like. If you were told he was someone like you and Jin, then you would believe it.   Jungkook readily drinks up all the tea until the teapots are tired of pouring. “Ugh, scones?!” He tosses the scones over his shoulder and indulges in cake just as much as Jin does.   There are still so many things about the power of Foreverland you have yet to learn.   “What do you want to do now?” Jin asks as the four of you tread through the meadow. It was a new day and a day full of endless possibilities.   You hum, considering it for a moment. “Have you ever read Jack and the Beanstalk?”   “What?”   A seed materializes in your hand and you lean down to plant it into the soft dirt. Both Jin and Jungkook have inquisitive expressions, but you simply step back and let magic do its work. It takes an anticipated second of bated breath held in throats. Then, there’s a splitting noise.   The ground shakes beneath your feet and a thick, green stalk blasts from the ground. It sprouts, twining and twirling upwards, growing past your eyes and the cotton clouds.   You turn around to Jin with a cheeky grin. “What are you waiting for?”   You start to climb the soft vines of the huge beanstalk, hoisting yourself upwards while Jin’s wings begin to flutter and he takes flight beside you. Jungkook, in the meanwhile, stays rooted to the ground and you look down at him, asking if he’s coming along.   “I’m fine,” he declines politely. “I’m not one for heights.”   “Alright.”   You continue onwards while Jungkook waves with the dragon beside him. Seokjin, on the other hand, is eager to see what’s awaiting him at the top.    “What is this?”   “It’s the beanstalk from Jack in the Beanstalk. You know, the story about the boy who traded in his cow for magical beans and it grew the next morning.” When Jin’s expression remains blank, you elaborate, “He fought the giant, took the goose that laid golden eggs and became rich. Have you never heard of it?!”   Jin merely shakes his head and you’re absolutely appalled.   “It’s a fairly famous fairy tale.”   “I was never allowed to read much of them,” he says passingly and notices how you’re starting to break into a sweat. “I can fly you up.”   “No.” As tiring as it is— “I love climbing.”   Within minutes, your fingertips can grasp the white clouds and your castle’s diminished into a mere smudge. You heave your body upwards with one last surge and collapse onto the clouds.    Foreverland has become the size of your thumb, surrounded in the abyss blue ocean. But you don’t look down for long when there’s so much to see around you. It’s just how you envisioned — a kingdom above the clouds, mist thin at the horizon, pastel blue overhead.    Jin lands on the plush surface and seems to be even more amazed than you are. He stares at the cotton clouds that stretch beyond the sky and after a beat, starts to jump. He bends his knees, springs upwards and bounces off the clouds.   “Look!” He laughs and you giggle, mimicking him. It’s soft beneath your feet, dipping when you land and pushing back as you hop from place to place. You twirl around when you capture air time while Jin seems to be having the time of his life, jumping as high as possible.   “This is so much fun!”   “What did I tell you?”   For once, you’re glad you can finally be the one to show him something new.   “I can jump higher than you can!”   “Not for long!”   But the bouncing session is cut short when you leap towards him and he drifts to the side in mid-air. Your heads bump into one another, skulls knocking — and you both fall back with groans and sharp inhales.   “Ouch!” — “Ugh!”   You pout, rubbing at your pulsating forehead while Jin’s cowered over and scratching his crown.    “Can’t you watch where you’re going?”   “It’s not my fault,” you retort. “I’m not the one with wings.”   He snorts and to get back at him for the injury already fading away, you collect an armful of the clouds. They remind you of the soap bubbles in a bubble bath, foamy and fluffy, and you fling it at Jin. The majority hits his face and some floats down on top of his head.    You burst out laughing at his wincing expression and how the clouds have clung to his hair and the area around his mouth like he has a beard. “You look like Santa Claus!”    “Oh, you’re gonna get it now.” He wipes his eyes and you giggle, staggering back to your feet to run. Jin regains his own footing and starts chasing you with an even bigger armful. “Get back here, coward!”   “Hey! No flying! That’s cheating!”   “We never made up any rules!” He grins as you struggle to run on the bouncy surface, restoring to leaping away. The pair of you are laughing incessantly until your stomach aches, but then you’re interrupted by a deafening roar.   Harsh wind swoops your figure back and you’re startled, falling onto your butt again. The red dragon soars past the clouds with its wings expanded. It circles over your head before landing a few steps away. Yet, instead of being frightened like earlier, you laugh this time.   Jin slows down and smiles. “The dragon’s name is Lady.”   “Lady?”   You look around from Jin to her, noticing how long her lashes are. She stares at you as if anticipating something.   “Sit,” you command on a hunch and surprisingly, she listens. Lady plops down on her behind and her tail begins to swing from side to side. You ease and step closer towards her. “Roll over!”   Lady rolls on top of the plush clouds.   Your thumb and forefinger shoot out. “Bang!”   Lady flops to her side as dead weight and you burst out laughing, coming up to pet her, scratching right under her chin. “Good girl. You’re such a good girl, aren’t you? Yes, you are!” She practically melts in your hand, nuzzling into your palm.   At the same time, Jin watches you with a softened smile. The horizon loses its bright hue.   //   “Have you ever heard of the Little Mermaid?”   “Tell me about it.”   “Well, it’s a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a prince she rescues. She trades her tail for legs in exchange for her voice to be with him. But he thinks someone else saved him and marries that girl instead.”   Jin’s brows are deeply furrowed, taken aback by the fairy tale. “Then what happened?”   “She’s given the choice of killing him to get her tail back, but in the end, she can’t do it. So she throws herself into the ocean and becomes sea foam.”   “That’s sad,” he says on an exhale, genuinely saddened by the story and you suppose the first time hearing it is always the most emotional.   But you agree with him. Part of you finds it hard to understand why someone would give up their family and home, but your friends always said love makes you do crazy things — whatever that’s supposed to mean.   Your hand tightens on Jin’s as the both of you swim deeper into the ocean’s trenches. The only way you’re able to breathe comfortably is through the water-breathing seaweed you thought of, and you were pleasantly surprised to find that something doesn’t need to exist in the real world to materialize in Foreverland.   The waters are perfectly still, a vivid cyan with the golden sunshine from above cascading through. It shimmers all around you and once the soft sand floor comes to view, so does the rocky towers and arches.   All from your imagination, you’ve constructed a whole water kingdom. Now, colourful schools of fish glide past you, anemone and seaweed practically wave, seahorses swim by and the corals decorating the structures are vibrant against the stony shades.   Jin smiles, swimming closer with you hand-in-hand so none of you can drift away. “I never thought about doing this.”   “Have you ever heard about Atlantis? It’s apparently a city underwater that’s sort of like this too. I read it in a book once.”   “You really like to read,” Jin muses and you nod.   “It’s the only time when I can be somewhere else without having to really be there.”   Jin stops at the center of the city’s square, surrounded by the many towers and buildings you’ve created in the middle of the sea. “You can make all those stories come true in Foreverland.”   As sincere as his words may be, they spur on your curiosity. “How long have you been in Foreverland for?”   “I don’t remember.” He looks to the distance. “A long, long time.”   Before you can dwell on what he says or decipher the expression on his face, you’re swept up by a school of rainbow fishes that tickle your skin. A giggle emits from your lips and air bubbles float upwards as the water sparkles around your frame. With the distraction, you don’t notice the way Seokjin’s gazing at you.   Or the way the sunshine shimmer dims.   //   It’s a busy day — from being woken up by a dragon quite literally stealing you out of bed, having a tea party, climbing a beanstalk to jump on bouncy clouds, and exploring an underwater kingdom, you and Jin are equally winded when night arrives.   So the pair of you opt to gaze at the stars instead of going on another adventure. You lay next to each other on the meadow floor. On top of a bed of soft grass with daisies surrounding you.   “Did you know the North Star always stays in the same spot?”   “Really?” Jin shifts his head, looking at your profile instead of the glimmering pinpricks of light. A daisy near him droops.   “All the constellations move except for that one. It’s pretty easy to see too. It’s right there.” You point upwards. “If you can find the Big Dipper, you can find the North Star.”   Jin smiles to himself as you chat about all the things you know. He’s always been the one showing others, guiding them around, teaching them about Foreverland. It’s nice to be the one who listens for a change. But eventually, he’s lulled by the sound of your voice and your own lids begin to droop before you’ve realized that you’ve dozed off.   It’s a bit later on that in your sleepy haze, you feel the brush of a blanket.    Jungkook sneaks by, draping the cotton over your forms before he lays down too with his arms behind his head. Lady, on the other hand, curls around your frame to further keep you warm.    And the four of you fall asleep like that, out in the open of the most magical place.   //   Time passes quickly in Foreverland. You suppose it’s like that when you’re busy having tea parties with Lady, Jungkook and Jin. When you’re going on adventures together. When you’re exploring the entire island. Telling each other stories. Manifesting all kinds of creations.   But every so often, your mind strays and you wonder what your family at home thinks.   You’ve been at Foreverland for more days than you can count on both your hands and you don’t want to leave. But you wonder if you should. You wonder if they’re worried. If they’re searching for you.   The last conversation you had with your parents was an argument. You didn’t mean to stomp off, to disappear completely. You just didn’t want to marry Namjoon, but it’s not right to end things that way.   And all of it weighs on your mind.   It lingers. Even when you’re laughing, giggling, having so much fun that you want to stay forever.   “Jin.”   “Hmm?”   “Should I go back?”   He turns to you abruptly, like he already knows the meaning of those four words, as if you don’t need to explain any further. And his brows furrow deeply, boyish visage ruined by the hurt.   “Why?”   “I….just don’t want my family to worry about me.” You fiddle with the long strands of grass spilling past the gaps of your fingers. “I’ve been here for a long time.”   “Time works differently here than it does where the others live,” he says and your eyes connect. “You don’t need to be worried that they’re worried. They’ll barely know you’re gone.”   It’s comforting to be assured by him, but it still doesn’t solve the unrest stowed in your heart.   It’s not right to abandon them. To leave your family behind. Even if they, themselves, don’t know—   “What do you want to do?” Jin suddenly asks, interrupting your thoughts with his gleaming irises.   You hum, tapping your chin.   He smiles. “Do you want to go on a pirate adventure again? Or go slay the giant.”   “I have a better idea.” A grin swells into your cheeks as a suggestion forms in your mind. “Have you ever heard of Cinderella?”    He shakes his head.   “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Cinderella born, and she grew up being mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters. One day, there was a ball in the kingdom and everyone went, except for her. But then her fairy godmother came and gave her a beautiful dress. She went to the ball and danced with the prince.”   “There’s a lot of princes in these fairy tales,” Seokjin interjects and you laugh.   “Yes, there are.” You chide, “Don’t interrupt! I haven’t finished.”   “Sorry. Keep going.”   Night sets and stars paint across the sky like silver glitter spilled onto black paper. A full golden moon sits high up to accompany the stars. The weather is warm and the breeze caresses against your cheeks, a perfect cuddle against your form. The light from inside your splendid castle spills out on the horizon of the otherwise tranquil Foreverland.   “The spell wore off at midnight, so right before the clock struck the twelfth hour, the girl ran away and she only left a glass slipper behind. The prince tried to find her and once her foot fit the slipper, they got married and lived happily ever after.”   Jin hums, less amused than he was with the other fairy tales you told. “What do you want to do with this story?”   “Have a ball, of course! It would be a lot of fun.”   “I’m not really the dancing type.”   “Then I’ll just have to teach you!”   The rounded carriage pulls up to the stone steps of the castle and you get out, kitten heels hitting against the cobblestone. You’re a bit more clumsy walking in them than you expected, but Lady grunts happily and helps you up the stone stairs by nudging you with her head. You pet and praise her when you get to the top and her lashes flutter as she lays back down at the bottom.   You’re not one for dressing up when your mother’s always nagging and fretting over every single detail. But it’s fun to do it yourself and envision that you’re an actual princess of Foreverland. It feels like you’ve completed another one of your dreams — purple ball gown, flowers sewn into the skirt, sparkling tulle overwhelming, and a crown of daisies in your hair.   For once, you feel less like the tomboy climbing trees and more like a princess from a storybook.   “Welcome.” Jungkook smiles boyishly, dressed in his own costume. White shirt with ruffled sleeves, long blue coat, breeches and stockings — he looks silly, like he’s from two centuries ago, but you don’t laugh in case he gets embarrassed.    Tonight, Jungkook’s playing the role of the squire after all. And he stands near the entrance, happily allowing the grand doors to open. He grins before announcing your name, “Y/N!”   Once the crack of the door parts, your eyes fall directly to Jin in the center of the golden ballroom.   There are funny puppets you’ve made filling the room — paper figurines you used to cut out as a child now full size and flapping to the breeze, stumbling around as a poor excuse of dancing. They make you laugh, the sound traveling mellifluously above the violins and trumpets playing by themselves in the corner. It’s the good kind of classical music that adds to the elegant atmosphere.   But you don’t dwell, not when Jin holds out his hand and you walk to him before taking it.   You slide his one hand on the small of your waist while your hand is placed on his shoulder and you hold his other. Jin’s dressed in princely attire, black jacket with a golden sash across and dark trousers. His hair is pushed to the side, revealing his forehead and you muse how it makes him lean to the older side of his usual appearance.   “You’re very handsome,” you admit with a smile, realizing his shoulders are broader than you ever considered. “How do I look?”   “Pretty,” Jin exhales and the way he says it makes you embarrassed as well. You’ve never been complimented excessively in your lifetime, but enough times that they easily roll off your shoulders. Yet, somehow, with the way he’s staring at you, with the way the syllables stutter out of his lips, a single word you know that is genuinely spoken, you feel your face heating.   “Thank you.” You divert your eyes towards your shoes and guide him with your steps. “Step back once and then to the side. One, two, three. Like that. See? You got it already! Who said you couldn’t dance?”   Jin hums, naturally falling into a rhythm. He’s a fast learner.    “Do you feel like a princess now?”   A cheeky grin swells your cheeks. “I do with you around.”    “This is surprisingly fun.”   “Of course, it is.” Your eyes flicker to the chandelier hanging off of the rounded, high ceiling. Then to the polished marble floor that’s ornate with flowers and swirls. The entire room is a warm, yellow hue and it seems to sparkle. “The pictures of balls were always pretty in storybooks. I liked them as much as the adventure stories.”   As the music swells, Jin spins you around and you twirl across the floor with a hand held.    But as you land back into his arms, his left foot smashes on yours. “S-Sorry!”   Laughter bubbles out of you. “It’s okay.”   You look into Jin’s eyes, soaking in just how brown his irises are. They resemble the warmth of the sun, a cup of coffee your dad would brew on cold mornings. They’re deep and comforting. And for a mere moment, it feels like you’re just two people who met at a dance hall one magical evening — same-aged strangers who could’ve run into each other serendipitously.   “How old are you, Jin?”   “Whatever you want me to be.”   Suddenly, you realize your feet are not on the ground anymore. You’re levitating, floating mid-air, gliding upwards. Immediately, you gasp and grip Jin closer, pressing your body onto his.   He smiles tenderly.   “Jin!”   “It’s alright. Just trust me.”   The music crescendos as you dance while drifting around the ballroom in his arms. The skirt of your gown sweeps with you and magic thrums the air, vibrating on your skin. You feel enchanted, swept up in the moment, in his eyes and embrace.   The corner of Jin’s mouth tugs and a quiet giggle befalls your lips as he twirls you around again.   When the both of you become tired, you get back to the floor and stumble out onto the castle terrace laughing.   You’re still catching your breaths, his cheeks rosy and yours warm. The violins are muffled behind the glass doors.   “Look at the stars, Jin!” you tap his shoulder twice, pointing upwards to the boundless horizon.   You don’t notice how he’s turned to gaze at you. How his eyes have become tender. “I’m looking.”   You rest against the balcony railings with a quiet sigh. “We should’ve done this sooner.”   “We could always do it again.”   Your head swivels over and you’re caught off guard to see Seokjin staring at you intently, as if he has something to say but doesn’t quite know how to. Your breath hitches in your throat and you gaze back at him, eyes met, tension overwhelming. It’s a moment that reminds you of when you were younger, when you used to peek into the kitchen at night and see your mom and dad at the counter speaking in low tones — intimate. The word you were searching for: intimate.   Ding Dong. You snap back to your senses when the clock strikes midnight. The bell chime resonates through Foreverland and you grin.   “Guess that’s my cue to leave.”   Staying true to the tale of Cinderella, you slip away from his side.    Yet, you’re immediately pulled back. Seokjin takes your hand before you can fully walk away, cradling your palm gently in his. “Y/N,” he calls you quietly and you spin around. “Stay with me.”    You’re not sure why he has that expression on his face. Why he looks anxious. Why his wings become transparent.   “I’m joking,” you say with a smile to ease him. “I don’t need to run off at midnight like actual Cinderella.”    “No. I mean...stay with me in Foreverland.” A pause. His deep timbre is heartrending. “You don’t need to go back.”   “Jin.” You step closer to him, brows furrowed deep enough to hurt. You don’t know what to tell him. You don’t know how to utter the words that are restrained in your throat. “I have to go back eventually. I can’t just leave my family behind forever and I can always come back. It’s not like you’ll be alone anyhow. You have Jungkook—”   “You’re different,” he instantly blurts and you frown, not sure you quite understand.   “What do you mean?”   Jin opens his mouth but closes it a second later. “I’m not sure. You’re just...different.”   You’re utterly confused, but unable to dawdle on the subject when he smiles and squeezes your held hands, pulling you back into the ballroom. “Let’s dance some more.”   //   It’s seldom that you awake peacefully — without Lady ripping off the roof of your castle to pick you up by her teeth, without Jungkook bouncing on your bed and pretending he’s a knight in the middle of battle, or Seokjin trying to tickle you to consciousness to start the day of adventures.   But today, it’s quiet. Unusually so.   When you step out of your castle, you’re horrified to find the ground split. The land across Foreverland is cracked several inches wide and deep enough that all you see is darkness when you peek in. It’s as if there was an earthquake or a storm that caused an earth fissure.   The flowers have lost their colour — petals and leaves monochrome. The trees don’t sway. And when you look up at the sky, in between the azure horizon is a streak of the black galaxy.    It’s as if Foreverland itself is starting to crack.   Panic overcomes you.   “Jin! Jin!”   You run, avoiding the split of the ground, sprinting across the gray meadow and towards Jin’s treehouse on the edge of the forest. You call his name at the top of your lungs, alarmed and frightened at what’s happening. But the figure you see in the distance isn’t him.   It’s Jungkook and you’re relieved to find someone in reach.    “W-What’s going on?” you pant, catching your breath and slowing down. “Jungkook?”   The boy’s frowning, lips lopsided, eyes diverted from you.    He’s not panicking — he knows something.   “I’m…..I’m not allowed to tell you.”   “What? What is it?!”   He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, scratching the back of his neck, fidgeting on spot. He doesn’t utter a single word and anger swells inside of you. “Jungkook!”    The boy groans loudly and leans over to take your hand. “As long as you promise not to tell. I’m only doing this because you’re so special, okay?” Jungkook starts walking frantically towards the treehouse and you struggle to catch up to him.   “W-Where are you taking me?”   “You’ll see.”   The both of you climb the stairs of the treehouse and enter. You’ve come here enough times, glanced out the window, laid on the wooden framed bed, sat at the oak table, admired the strung lights and cozy atmosphere. But Jungkook comes to the bookcase on the back wall and pulls out the spine of a blue book.   You step back in surprise when it trembles and starts descending into the floor, revealing a concealed area. In moments, the top of the bookcase is snug against the floorboards like two seams never even there.   Jungkook looks back at you and you follow after him.   It’s a darkened space that consists of a downwards spiraling staircase and you begin to descend down. You figure that you’re inside the tree and that alone amazes you.   Jungkook materializes a lantern in hand to give luminescence and the two of you come to a wooden door at the bottom of the staircase. He hangs back and looks at you. “Open it.”   Your hand wraps around the golden knob and you push it open.   Wind sweeps through your hair, making you shut your eyes. But once it subsides and you look again, you’re met with a hidden room of secrets — a small space with towering piles of briefcases on desks and scattered across the floor. There’s metal filing cabinets, picture frames, books, soaring stacks of papers. It clutters the room, giving off a suffocating feeling.    You step in slowly. “What...is all this?”   “It’s where Jin stores away his subconscious,” Jungkook murmurs and you pick up a photo frame of Jin tensely standing next to what you suppose is his father — a stern-looking man who’s similar to his son but with more wrinkles. They’re both expressionless in the fuzzy photograph. “He comes from a long line of salesmen. His dad was a salesman and so was his grandfather and his great-grandfather.”   You set the picture down and look upon the heaps of briefcases, almost scared they’ll topple over you and smother you to death.   “If Jin talks about his reality, his creations will shatter, so he stowed everything away,” Jungkook says and you turn around to look at him. “You still have a connection to reality, so it doesn’t affect you as much, but the longer you stay here, the more you have to detach yourself from the real world.”   “How do you know all this? How...do you know Jin’s secrets?”   The boy smiles gingerly. “I’m not just Jin’s imaginary friend or best friend, Y/N. I’m his voice of reason and self-awareness. He stowed those parts away too, just in me, so he wouldn’t have to feel so sad all the time. You could say I’m the adult in him. Or at least, I have all the adult parts of him.”   “The adult parts of him?”   Jungkook nods. “Foreverland is a place for kids who don’t want to grow up. It grants magic so people can escape to it, but you can only stay if you retain your innocence. Or if you don’t regret it and choose to leave. Kids always end up growing up and choosing to leave, and Jin recognized that. So he decided to put away any part of himself that would ever grow to regret it.”   You wonder how many children came and went. How many stepped in Foreverland, spent their time here and chose to leave in the end in spite of everything he did to get them to stay. You wonder how many times Jin was left alone. Abandoned.   You wonder if that’s why he begged you to stay with him forever.   Your voice is a cracked whisper— “How long has he been in Foreverland for?”   “Time works differently in Foreverland, so I’m not sure how much it is in the real world.” Jungkook is as solemn as you are. “He’s probably been gone for a lot less. But he came here when he was your age and he’s been here for twenty eight years. Five of which he spent without anyone outside.”   You’re stunned, made speechless, trying to fathom that length of time.   “Twenty eight years?” More importantly, you don’t know why you feel so heartbroken. “What has he been doing in that time?”   “He’s been looking for a partner to stay in Foreverland with him for...forever.” Jungkook musters another smile and he shrugs with melancholy faded in his doe eyes. “The dream world Seokjin built is lonely by himself and I’m just an imaginary friend. I’m the only other person who can take a human shape. You can’t create humans in Foreverland — I was just already in his mind when he arrived here, so it worked.”   It’s a lot to understand, to wrap your mind around. All the secrets of this magical place are being spilled into your lap and you’re not sure what to do. All you’re certain about is that Jin’s stored away parts of himself, that he’s been deserted over and over again, and that he’s been yearning for someone permanent.   He’s been suffering.   “Y/N?”   “Then why is Foreverland breaking apart?” you quickly ask. “Is it because his subconscious is leaking back into him? Is it because of this room?!”   Jungkook smiles softly. “It’s because Seokjin’s falling in love with you.”   A beat. A pause.   Your heart swells up to the bottom of your throat and it aches.   “That’s what’s distorting his reality and everything he’s built in Foreverland. Falling in love means abandoning innocence since children can’t fall in love the same way adults can,” Jungkook murmurs. “It’s been happening for a while, Y/N. You just haven’t noticed. The flowers and leaves withering, the sky losing its colour, the breeze stopping, the sun becoming less bright…”   Jin’s falling in love with you?    He loves you?   You don’t know why that discovery has you so joyful and sorrowful at the same time. His emotions are reaching out for the part of him that he tucked away. Yet, at the same time, you’re the one ruining all of Seokjin’s dreams. You’re destroying everything he’s ever created.   “That’s not a bad thing,” Jungkook interrupts and your eyes meet his. “It’s not a bad thing to be in love, Y/N.”   “What...what will happen to you if Foreverland breaks?”   The corner of the boy’s mouth tugs timidly. “Don’t worry. Foreverland will always be a place and I’ll always exist here, even if Seokjin leaves and forgets about me.”   Jungkook takes your hand and guides you away from the room. “I think you deserve to hear all of this since you’re becoming someone important to Jin too. But you should keep it a secret or else he might throw me overboard during the next pirate game.”   “Jungkook.”   He turns around, simply smiling at you. The boy leads you up the stairs and seals the space with the bookcase again. You step out of the treehouse and knowing the secrets of Foreverland, everything looks different to you now.   It’s less like a paradise of infinite dreams. More like a fragile flower about to wither.   Jungkook comes beside you and waves his hand. He repairs Seokjin’s Foreverland.   The ground stitches back together, the sky painted blue again, the flowers becoming vibrant. But you know it’s just a temporary fix. Underlying the polished layer are cracks.   //   It’s never the same again. Tea parties, dragon rides, adventures and explorations of Foreverland — Seokjin doesn’t once notice the way the colour in his flowers are losing their hue or the way the branches of his treehouse are withering, losing leaves like it’s the autumn season.   Your naiveté has been casted away.   You can’t ignore it once you’ve seen it, can’t revert the enlightenment, and you can’t stay with him.   Not when it’s ruining the world he’s made. Not when he has no choice in the matter. Not when he’s not even aware that this is happening.   “Jin.”   He shifts to you.    The pair of you are sitting on the branch of the tallest tree in Foreverland again, reminiscent of the first time you came here. You climbed while he flew, and together, the both of you look out at the sun, sitting next to one another. And you savour this moment, knowing it’s the last.   Your breath is heavy in your lungs. “I’ve decided to go back.”   “Go back to where?”   “Home.”   “The castle?”   “No.” You can’t look at him. Your voice drops down to a quiet murmur, “Home where my family is.…..where my parents are. Home as in where you took me away from.”   Silence.   It threads through the spaces between your bodies that seems to be growing as the seconds pass. The weight of tension lies on your shoulders and a lump forms at the bottom of your throat, clogging the overwhelming emotions bubbling in the pit of your stomach.   You finally gather the courage to look at him and he utters a single word—   “When?”   “A-As soon as possible.”   “Why?”   You muster a small smile. “It looks like I can’t leave them behind after all. It’s...not your fault, Jin.”   For the first time and for one last moment, you reach out. Both you and Seokjin are looking forward towards the sky, but your hand hesitantly slips on top of his. A beat later, he turns your palm to lace his fingers through yours, squeezing your hand tightly.   “Do you really have to?” he asks.   “I do.”   “When will you be back?”   “I don’t think I will come back.” You swallow hard, eyes stinging painfully. “This is goodbye forever.”   Suddenly, Seokjin lets go of your hand and he launches himself forward, flying away. You stand up from the branch, stunned by his cold reaction. “Wait!” you scream after him. You don’t want this to be the last moment. You don’t want it to end like this. “Take me back! Jin—!”   In the midst of your panic, your foot slips. You lose balance and teeter backwards. It’s too late. A shriek tears from your throat as you fall. Stomach dropping. Eyes shut tight. But before you can conjure something up to save yourself or cushion the landing, the blow is softened by warm arms.   Your lids flutter open to find that Jin’s caught you. He’s carrying you with one arm behind your knees and the other around your back. You loop your arms around his neck, gasping for air and he swoops to the ground.   Jin sets you down on the soft grass. “We’ll leave tonight.”   His turquoise, translucent wings rapidly beat and he takes flight again. You watch his backside fade into the golden sunset until it’s a black silhouette too difficult to look at. And you know there’s not much of an hour left.   //   Never once had you dreaded when night came to Foreverland.    You always looked forward to the starry horizon, watching the constellations move overhead and laid in the grass with your close friends by your side. You liked to count the specks of glitter, admire the shine of the moon, allow the breeze to caress your cheeks. Yet, it feels bittersweet tonight.   You’re not sure if it’s because you yearn to stay in Foreverland. Or if it’s because you’re afraid of leaving the people behind.   The red dragon curls up to your frame and you smile while running your hand down her scaly muzzle. She whimpers, cuddling up to your touch. “I’ll miss you a lot, but you’ll be a good girl, right, Lady?”   She grunts and the sound of crunching grass beneath feet has you whirling around. Jungkook approaches with his arms behind his back and your smile widens. “So you’re going?”   “Uh-huh. Get in here, Kook.” You come over, opening your arms to hug him.   Jungkook squeezes you back and he mumbles in your ear, “Are you sure this is the right decision?”   “No.” You part from him, taking a good look at the boy who kidnapped you for a game, who led expeditions and adventures through Foreverland, who let you know the secrets of this magical place. “I wish I could be sure when I make a choice.”   The corner of Jungkook’s mouth curls. “Even adults are never sure.”   That alone comforts you, resonating inside your mind.   Seokjin arrives at that moment, flying towards you and landing smoothly. He doesn’t look you in the eye. “It’s time to leave.”    You nod and he carries you the same way he brought you to Foreverland, his arm placed around the back of your knees and the other behind your back while yours are looped around his neck. He lifts you up like you don’t weigh a feather and he soars into the sky.   You look down to see Jungkook waving with a boyish grin, Lady roaring out. You watch how your castle, the last traces of your time spent on the island, becomes a mere dot in the distance. The sandy beaches, open meadows, Seokjin’s treehouse, forest and mountains, they fade into the clouds. You blink back the tears that have accumulated, that threaten on your lash line and you look ahead to allow them to flow without Jin being able to see.   The two of you soar beyond the wispy clouds and blue oceans until the silver moon is high over the horizon. The wind brushes through your hair and you allow yourself to lean onto Seokjin’s chest, savouring the warmth of his embrace.   As soothing as it is, you focus on the view to subside your sobs. And it’s still a breathtaking sight, even when your vision is hazy by tears. Eventually, the pair of you fly over a familiar city, watching the way the lights of the buildings glimmer into a mosaic of colours.   Your house comes into sight.    Jin didn’t even need reminders of the direction, as if he memorized the house you came from.   “You can set me down in front of the house,” you mumble, hoping he can’t hear how clogged your voice is from silently crying the entire way.   He nods and descends swiftly. Jin sets you down on the grass and you hold onto him, hoping he won’t leave so soon, hoping you can have another moment. But you know this is goodbye.   This is it.   You turn to face him.   He’s the first one to say something. “Are you sure?”   You nod. “I’m sorry—”   “You shouldn’t be.” He slips your grip off of him and you flinch, hurt. But then he takes your hands in his and your eyes meet. “I won’t force anyone to stay with me if they don’t want to.”   No. It’s not like that! Yet the declaration lays on your tongue, threatening to spill, but never coming out. He has it wrong. It’s not like you don’t want to stay. But if you told him that, in the last seconds of your final farewell, what would he say? What would he ask you?   “I….I loved every second I spent with you, Jin! I—”   The lights inside the house suddenly flicker on and you whirl around, wondering if they woke up from your loud voices. You’re running out of time.   “Go inside,” Jin says gently with a wistful smile.    He lets go of you. About to take off.   But before the time runs out completely, before midnight has struck, you rush forward and plant a kiss on his cheek. It’s soft. Chaste. Your lips press against his rosy skin, hesitant and timid.   Jin’s stunned, eyes as big as saucer and he looks at you.    You muster a smile, trying your best not to cry and leave that as his last memory of you.   “Thank you.”   Before tears can spring from your eyes in the form of heavy April rain, you spin around and hurry to the door of your house. Your mother’s bad habit of leaving the door unlocked makes it easy to turn the knob and you step inside. But when temptation is at its highest, you peek over your shoulder.   But Jin’s already gone.   As quick as he came into your life.   “Oh Heavens to Betsy! Oh my goodness!” The cry of your mother gives no room for you to grieve. She stumbles down the stairs, unable to believe her eyes. “Harold! Y/N’s come home!”   Your mother scurries and even though she’s upset, she immediately embraces you with a fervour that has you shifting back. You can feel her entire frame shaking and you hug her back, pressing your face to her shoulder to dispel away the tears collecting in your eyes.   Your father comes at the commotion, slippers clunking on his feet down the stairs. Once you come into sight, he’s shocked frozen in his spot. “Y/N?”   Your mother lets go and you smile at your father. “I’m home.”   “Where did you go?”   “I thought you did something foolish,” your mother gripes. “You were gone for three days! I wanted to go down to the station but your dad decided to wait! I couldn’t sleep a wink at all—”   “Wait. I was gone for three days?” You’re taken aback. You were in Foreverland for three whole months. But you suppose Jungkook really wasn’t lying when he told you time works differently there. “I-I’m sorry. I was staying with a friend farther away. I should’ve said something before I left. I’m….sorry.”   “No.” Your dad shakes his head. “I’m sorry.”   In your entire life, your father’s never apologized to you. He’s not the kind to, always disciplining with a firm mindset, never to give any leeway. So you’re even more astounded.    “What for?”   “I’m sorry for forcing you to do things that you didn’t want to do. I was just worried. But I won’t push you to marry Namjoon if that’s not what you want.”   “He’s been doing a lot of thinking lately, sweetheart.” Your mother smiles, coming to his side.   You shake your head. “No, I understand. I’m just…..I’m just really happy to be home.”   Your mom’s brows furrow. “Then why are you crying, Y/N?”   You don’t realize you are until she says it. Until your hand lifts and you’re wiping at your wet cheeks. Then the sobs surge and you cry harder, choked whimpers spilling from your aching chest, your throat constricting your emotions. Your mom quickly comes to embrace you and you lean into her while looking past your hazy vision, out the kitchen window, to the starry sky above.

Memories of Foreverland begin to fade against your will as time goes on.   You wonder if it has anything to do with what Jungkook told you and how your connection to the place is weak. But you begin to forget the scent of the flower meadow, the taste of the special earl grey on your palate, the heat of the sun beating on your cheeks.   Then, it’s the feeling of loneliness when you climb the tree in the field to read while your mom looks on from the kitchen window. Sitting on the branch and gazing out at the view, you wonder why it feels so lonely when you’re used to doing it by yourself.   A haunting nostalgia lingers uncomfortably as well. Most often when you see kids doing play pretend on the streets, when you listen to their bubbling laughter, soak in their carefree nature.   After that, you begin to forget doe eyes, soft yet scaly texture against your hands, and dark hair. Twinkling irises. A mischievous smile. Brown eyes that resembled the warmth of the sun to you.   A rotten sense of discomfort overcomes your very being.    Like there was something you should’ve never forgotten. Like you’re missing something, or rather, someone. It’s a crazed desperation of yearning that aches your chest. And you can’t shake that pain off.   All you know is that you often wake up in the middle of the night with a tear-stained pillow and there’s the word Foreverland written on a page at your desk that you have no idea what it means, even when you know it’s your writing.   You slip inside the house quietly, dress ruined from tree climbing. You wonder if you’ll be scolded—   “...just looks so sad these days.” Instead, you overhear your mother’s voice coming from the kitchen. “Heavens, ever since she came back from her trip a week ago.”   “Did she ever say who she visited? Maybe that has something to do with it.”   “No, she hasn’t said a single word. Maybe she should go see a doctor, Harold. Our little girl’s not speaking much either and it’s startin’ to worry me. She’s not usually like this…”   You step into the pastel pink kitchen. They straighten their posture and seal their lips as if to pretend you weren’t the topic of discussion a moment ago and you muster a smile.    “Afternoon.” You go to pour a cup of the orange juice from the pitcher and pause. “Actually, I was just thinking about something.”   Your mother places down the kitchen towel, anticipation clear in her face. “What is it, dear?”   “Well…” You turn around, leaning against the counter. “I was thinking about everything, what I want to do from now on, how Irene and Sarah are, all my friends and all that, and I think it’s time for me to get married.”   They’re shocked.    Your mother’s mouth draws open while your father promptly puts down his newspaper, folding it back up.   “This...this is great news, honey!” A grin draws on your mother’s features and she comes to hug you. You’re nearly squeezed to death. “I can’t believe you’ve finally come around and changed your mind!”   But your father seems less enthused. “Are you sure?”   You nod. “Sure as I’ll ever be.”   You’re fairly certain the only way to shake off this painful discomfort is by moving on. It’s not like you want to worry your parents anymore either. Like they said, it’s time to be an adult.   And just like that, you’re thrusted forward quicker than you can imagine.   The next time you meet with Namjoon, he gets down on one knee and presents his grandmother’s gawky heirloom to you in a box. He ends up sliding it on your ring finger before you even get a chance to respond properly.   “How do you feel in this dress?” your mother asks.   One blink later, you’re placed in front of a mirror, drowning in a white, wedding dress.    The skirt is overwhelming your frame and it’s oddly tight around your midsection, making it hard to breathe. Not to mention, the sleeves are cut off awkwardly, not quite at your wrist or at your elbow. The lace sweetheart neckline is scratchy at your skin too, making you itch at it.   It’s ugly.   “It’s beautiful,” Irene squeals.   Sarah nods her head, pulling another tissue out to dab at her eyes. “You look gorgeous, Y/N. I think this is the one.”   You muster a smile.   Even if you go this far, for some reason, you don’t think you’ll ever forget about those brown eyes.

In the real world, it’s been days. In Foreverland, it’s been months.   Seokjin sits by himself in the meadow, downcast head and reddened eyes.   Foreverland is falling apart around him. The ground continues to splinter with each moment that passes, deepening the trenches that echo silence. The sky has split, no longer azure during the day or filled with stars during the night. It’s become blackened and every so often, pinpricks of light rain down and hit the land as if the stars themselves are falling.   There isn’t a breeze. The ocean does not move. The trees do not sway.   What hasn’t withered has lost their colour — flowers, petals, leaves monochrome like newspaper print. Jin’s own wings flicker between being tangible and a hallucination.   It’s as if Foreverland itself is crumbling and Jin makes no effort to save it.    What’s the point?   In the meanwhile, Jungkook sighs to himself, looking onward. He doesn’t think you ever expected that Seokjin would still be very much in love with you even after you’ve left and removed yourself from this place.   Jungkook approaches his best friend and sits himself down. “What’s wrong?”   Jin picks at the grass. “Nothing.”    The former holds back a snort, staring out at the horizon. “You know I always know how you feel, right?”   “It’s just Y/N,” Jin discloses in a half-hearted mumble. “It feels empty now that she’s gone.”   “A lot of people have left before.”   “It feels different this time.”   “You love her,” Jungkook says in a quiet yet firm voice. It isn’t a question, answer, or suggestion.    It’s factual.    Their eyes meet. It’s silent.   Seokjin’s Foreverland is collapsing, breaking apart at the seams — the treehouse, the flowers, the sky shattering into a darker, less star-full horizon. The proof is all around them and one that cannot be ignored any longer. It screams to be acknowledged, aches to be heard.   The corners of Jungkook’s mouth curl. “Go where you need to be, Seokjin. It’s a better place for newer dreams that you can fulfill. This isn’t where you should be anymore.”   “What about you?”   Jungkook’s boyish smile turns into a grin. “I’ll always be here. Plus, I’m right here too.” He pokes Jin’s chest, right where his heart should be and the latter scoffs with a soft smile. “I won’t miss you too much. We’ve already been together for so long.”   Jin exhales in exasperation and Jungkook leans back, putting more weight into his hands behind him. “Foreverland is a place for visitors. It’s not a place to make a home.”   “Then where’s home?”   Jungkook looks at the sky. “With the people you love most.”

The lace is itchy.    For some reason, scratching doesn’t seem to alleviate the itch, even when you’ve scratched enough to make your skin raw and your fingernails hurt. The dress is really white too. To the point where it’s blinding to your own eyes. You’re starting to think you should’ve gone for the other dress with the feathers even though it was fifteen pounds heavy.    Your mother shrieks and it nearly startles you to death. “Oh my goodness! My daughter’s never looked more beautiful! Now hurry along before we’re late!”   You nod, mustering a smile.   A part of you wonders if this is the right choice, but you remember someone told you that even adults are never sure of their own choices. You wonder who told you tha—   “Are you alright?” your dad interrupts your train of thought.   “Of course, I am.” You nod to reassure him and turn away before his perceptiveness can flourish the doubt that’s long overcome the discomfort that still lingers. You take his arm and inhale a deep breath to brace yourself.   The grand, wooden doors of the church hall open.   It parts and you’re allowed a peek inside. The hundred people seated on the brown benches turn around with smiles. The organ deafeningly plays the beginning discordant chords of the bridal march before it crescendos melodically and echos down into your eardrums. The bridesmaids and groomsmen grip their bouquet of flowers and begin filing down the aisle.   Oh my god. You can do this. You can do th—   “You can always walk away from this.” Your dad’s quiet voice breaks your inner mantra and your eyes find his wrinkled ones. He looks concerned, brows furrowed, lips lopsided and reading the look on your face. “I’m on your side until the end, sweetheart.”   The corner of your mouth pulls into a soft smile. “Thanks, dad.”   It’s your turn. The doors are wide open. The music beckons you to meet your destiny.   And you step inside the church hall. Namjoon is on the other end of the aisle, prim and proper in his traditional suit and bow tie, wearing an amiable smile that could only belong to a businessman. You try to match said expression, but it’s hard to feel your cheeks.   Everyone’s eyes are on you, some dabbing their cheeks with tissue. Irene and Sarah are on the side in their brown bridesmaid dresses, swooning at the sight. And your dad lets go all too soon.   Before you’ve even realized, you’ve made it to the end and he’s passed you to Namjoon, taking his place beside your already sobbing mother in the front rows. The music tapers off as well.   “Welcome, family, friends and loved ones. We gather here today to witness and celebrate the union of Namjoon and Y/N in marriage.”   Namjoon’s holding your gloved hands, his smile picture perfect. You face one another as the officiant drones on.   “Marriage is a joyous occasion. It is the promise between two people who love each other, and who trust in that love. It is truth, honesty, and hardships shouldered among a pair—”   It’s hard to focus when all you can think about is how itchy your lace dress is. And it’s everywhere. From the neckline to your armpits to where the sleeves end. It’s driving you crazy and you wish you could rip your hands away from Namjoon’s to scratch.   “—that are prepared to begin their new life together. Marriage is the most sacred unity in humanity—”   Christ. This is so boring. You can’t wait till this is over and done with. If J͠҉̛̀͏ì͢n̷͏̵͢͞ was here, he would’ve snapped his fingers and put the almost senile, croaking officiant into a pirate costume.   You smile to yourself at the idea, muffling a quiet snicker.   But then you freeze.   Wait. Who’s .̛̀҉̷̕.͠͠͡?   “—and should not be entered into lightly, but rather, reverently, lovingly, solemnly. Thus, if anyone has just cause to object to the forming of this union, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”   Suddenly, the doors bang open.   The doors crash against the church walls, startling you to death and nearly causing you to stumble back onto your butt and scream. Everyone instantly whips their head over with widened eyes.   A stranger interrupts, shouting from the pit of his stomach, “Wait!”   There’s a man, perhaps your age or a year or two older, standing at the end of the hall. Dark hair pushed to the side, revealing his forehead. Irises twinkling. And past the crowd, the shocked expressions, the scandalized whispers, the stranger looks right at you.   Namjoon immediately steps forward, covering your sights on the stranger. “Who are you?!” he bellows.   But you place your hand on Namjoon’s shoulder and he stops, looking back at you. You stagger forward with a frown, steps slow down the aisle. Your parents call for you, but you don’t hear them. Not when you’re so transfixed on this man. There’s something strangely…..familiar.   A tap on your shoulder. A boy outside your window.

       “Don’t you want to escape from here? Go on an adventure? Come on!” 

An island. Faraway. With a castle and a treehouse. A….flower field. A dragon. A doe-eyed companion.

       “There’s magic all around us.”

A beanstalk — an underwater kingdom — a magical ball.

       “Stay with me.”

The man gazes at you and you stare back at him, looking into his brown eyes that somehow resembles the warmth of the sun to you. Like a cup of coffee your dad would brew on cold mornings. They’re deep and comforting, and a murmur befalls your trembling lips, “Seokjin?”

Before your brain can catch up, you’re sprinting towards him.   Seokjin grins, plump lips pulled into a mischievous smile, cheeks puffed out like loaves of bread.   You launch yourself at him. Your arms open and your bodies collide against each other. He stumbles back with a laugh and embraces you tightly in his arms. You hug his broad shoulders, eyes fluttering closed, savouring the moment.   He doesn’t have his sparkly red vest, his golden pants, the blue hat with the green feather. Jin doesn’t have his wing either. There’s nothing remotely magical about him, not when he’s just in a plain, white dress shirt tucked into black trousers. But him being here is already the most magical thing that’s happened to you.   “I-I can’t believe it’s you. What are you doing here?”   “I had to come see you,” he murmurs. “I went to your house but no one was there. I heard from the neighbour you were getting married today.”   You pull apart from him, inches away from his face. “No. I mean what are you doing here, Jin?”   He doesn’t hesitate. There isn’t uncertainty in his expression. No moment to waver.   He’s as certain as the stars are real and answers within a beat—   “I love you.”   A fact you had known, that creeped up on you and made you feel bittersweet. But something you thought you would never have the chance to hear from his own lips.   You search his expression. “W-What about Foreverland?”   “It doesn’t matter where I am. I just want to be with you.”   You’re crying. You can feel the tears streaking down your cheeks and for once, it’s not from tender longing or a nostalgic sadness. A smile tugs on your lips and you pull him closer.   “What took you so long?”   Seokjin smiles against you. “I needed to get my things in order, but I’m here now and I’ll stay with you if you’ll take me.”   “Yes. Of course, I will, silly.”   You heartbeat pitter patters fervently in your chest and he leans down, brushing his soft lips against yours in a sweet kiss. Your arms come to loop around his neck while his palms cradle your waist. The warmth of Jin’s skin heats your cheeks and your lashes flutter shut while his eyes open just a little to watch you. He kisses you long enough that he can inhale your breath and you feel his smile against your own.   Your heart soars. Everything you had longed for is right here. And it feels like magic. 

[Epilogue]   Growing up and becoming an adult doesn’t mean needing to abandon fun — and your life with Seokjin proves it.    The pair of you go on plenty of adventures and explorations, more than your parents would like. You’re always packing your bags to discover something new. And when you visit, your parents are adamant that sometimes it feels like there are two children at the dinner table.    But you know they’ve never been happier to see how overjoyed you are and what a great fit Seokjin is. They assume he’s someone you met when you disappeared and while that’s technically true, you don’t add more to the story. They don’t question it either.   You’re sure your parents are a lot more worried when they see you teaching Jin how to climb the enormous tree out by the field.   The whole church fiasco ends up as a scandal. It’s the talk of the neighbourhood for months on end. It’s not like you particularly mind — although, you still get glares from Namjoon and his family when you run into them. You’re sure he doesn’t want to hear any more apologies from you, but you’re also certain that this experience will make him less boring as a person.   Your nose twitches.   You sniff the air and before it even registers, you groan.   “Jin! Why is there something burning?!”   You come into the kitchen and call him again, but silence answers. With a sigh, you check the oven and take out the cake that’s practically burnt to ash and push it onto the counter. The smoke is dispersed after you waft the air.   You’re already busy picking up after school children as a teacher, you don’t really need to pick up after your husband too when you get home.   You look out the door and step onto the porch. From a distance, you can see him and a hopeless smile slips onto your visage.   You cross the field, the meadow soft beneath your feet, wind whisking through your hair. The golden sun is sinking over the horizon, turning the sky into shades of tangerine and your figure a black silhouette against the light.   Seokjin’s seated beneath the canopy of the tree. The two covers of the storybook spread over his thighs, page corner crisp against his fingertips. The colours seem to jump out — raspberry, periwinkle and kelly vibrant against the white. He doesn’t notice you approaching, completely enthralled by the adventurous storyline.   While you were gone for three days, Seokjin was gone for two years. It was a mess to sort out with his family too, his father even stricter than yours and angered while his mother was devastated and resentful that her son had chosen to leave without a single word. It was hard for him to adjust to the real world as well. It took time. But you’d like to think Jin made it out okay.    “You left the cake burning in the oven.”   His attention is brought back and he looks up, smiling at you. “Sorry.”   Much to your dismay, Jin pulls you down and plants an affectionate kiss on your cheek.   You scoff lightly and unknowingly pout while your husband grins, already aware he’s gotten away with it.   You plop down next to him and lean your head to lay on his shoulder, staring at the pages of his storybook. “What are you doing?”   “I’m thinking of writing another storybook,” Jin hums. “A sequel to Jungkook’s Adventures. What do you think if I called it Foreverland?”   “I think it’ll be wonderful.”   The two of you share tender smiles, gazing at one another while the tree above you sways, leaves rustling to the warm breeze.   You don’t need magic to live in your dreams forever.