metallicaredemption

[loveyourlovelysoul]

Guided healing meditation

As promised, finally here with the guided meditation I got taught in the past. You can learn this and follow it (or listen to it, audio at the end of the post + you can find caption on the original video) before falling asleep: hopefully it can help you relax enough. I will write the script here so you can read/learn it (if it helps you more), translate it in your language eventually, and record it on your own too if you want (or have an AI to read it for you: I tried to talk as low as I could, but maybe not everyone will find it of help and that's okay). Just remember to not rush but go as slow as you can. At first you may feel like running a little but with time, you'll be able to go slower. (The meditation generally takes 10-15 minutes, it depends on the pauses you take; I cut a little the imagination's time so to fit into TikTok's standards -yeah the perks of occasionally remember you have an account there, lol. At least it's helping me sharing this with you).

Lay down on your back, legs touching the floor. You can do this on your bed too, just find a comfortable position. You can put a pillow under your head, if you need. Once you're ready, let's start.

Close your eyes and breathe slowly. Breathe in from your nose --- and breathe out from your mouth ------. Let the exhale last as long as you can. Once again: breathe in from your nose --- and breathe out from your mouth ------. Relax your forehead. Open your mouth a little and relax your teeth. Let your shoulders relax as well.

Breathe in from your nose --- and breathe out from your mouth ------.

Relax your right arm... your right hand and fingers.... Relax your right leg... your right ankle and foot. Let it fall on the outside. Relax your left leg... your left ankle and foot. Let it fall on the outside. Relax your left arm... your left hand and fingers....

Breathe in from your nose and inflate your belly --- and breathe out from your mouth and deflate your belly ------. Breathing not just with your lungs but with your belly too will help you relax your lower back as well.

Imagine a red number 7 and keep this image in your mind for a few seconds..... Now imagine an orange number 6 and keep the image for a few seconds..... Now a yellow number 5........... a green number 4 .............. a blue number 3 ........... a violet number 2............. and a lilac-orchid number 1

Now slowly count from 1 to 10: one.... two..... three... four.... five.... six.... seven.... eight.... nine.... ten....

Breathe in from your nose and inflate your belly --- and breathe out from your mouth and deflate your belly ------.

Imagine to be in a beautiful warm place, maybe an island or a nice green field, somewhere you can relax. Enjoy your view and your time there, free from everything. (Stay there for at least a 2-3 minutes, the longer the better. If you don't fall asleep here, or falling asleep is not in your plans:)

Breathe in from your nose --- and breath out from your mouth ------.

Slowly move your left fingers, hand and arm Your left foot comes back in position, move your left ankle and leg Your right foot comes back in position, move your right ankle and leg Move your right fingers, hand and arm

Slowly open your eyes and blink a couple of times. Before getting back up take a little time. First try to sit and then get back up on your feet if you need or... simply have a good rest. If your head is spinning around, try staying still for a few moments more (your cervical nerve may make your head spin around if you do this too fast).

[duckieduccss]

NEW KAIJU OC?!?!

Well, yea technically. Basically i was interested in figuring out how id go with making my own kaiju. At first i wasnt sure where to go for designing one. So i chose to base it off another existing kaiju for inspiration. I kinda wanted to go for a dragon type kaiju (i like dragons) and the only thing i could think of was Ghidorah so i went with that (now that i think about it more, I could’ve maybe used Manda too prob but oh well, Ghidorah was still a good option). I added some different details to mine that make it unique to the og Ghidorah

My idea was that it could potentially be a relative to Ghidorah (being of the same species) but still far apart from one another to the point they arent all that aware of the other existing (theyre in for a shock when & if they do encounter each other lol). This version actually relies on cosmic energy derived from such sources like stars & generally anything that produce some form of energy within the vast universe (basing it off how Ghidorah themselves originally came from space & this variant being much more dependent on that factor). It stores that energy & relatively stays in a dormant stage for an extended period of time until when faced with the challenge to defend itself or fight off those it deems as a danger. Then it would release all that ginormous amount of space energy that manifests itself as a rapidly expanding glow of extremely bright light. Enough to cause extreme damage & bring down the opposition. It can gather energy by using special crystals it can grow (took that also as inspiration but from Space Godzilla) & become as some form of attracting & absorbing the energy. In a way, the energy is like its main source of food & energy to maintain itself (right after releasing a lot of it during its final attack of using that glow, it would be put in a highly vulnerable state if not recovered by regaining some energy back soon enough). For the most part, they mostly sleep (being lazy 24/7 just like me fr lmao) to keep all that energy but can be potentially dangerous if disturbed or provoked in some manner

(Here’s a better closer look at their faces. Realized the canvas’ too big to properly see each of them-)

The name of this kaiju you may be wondering???

It’s Ryudorah

(Yea i know im the most creative person out there. I combined another nickname i use for myself and just added the end part of Ghidorah’s name to make it clear it’s related to the other kaiju. I couldn’t think of anything else im sorry😭)

And also each head has its own individual name:

Do, Re & Mi

(Named after intervals in the musical scale (ex: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do)

Did i mention this kaiju can also technically sing too :)

I did have a lot of fun with coming up with the concept for them (tho it honestly took longer in designing them due to a busy schedule ive been put in as of late & finding the time to finish it) but im glad to finally be able to share this with you all. Hopefully I can share more about them soon (i have a whole google doc’s worth of lore lmao) & probably draw them again (tho maybe a lot more simplified by then). Didn’t wanna overwhelm ppl with the huge amount of info so I’ll prob slowly reveal more over time.

[Another thing too is that i still am new to the fandom (tho with more knowledge from getting to learn more from the source material) & most of this i gathered from already know stuff i knew. Tho im also open to feedback & maybe some ideas to add onto my own kaiju. So id very much appreciate it if there’s any suggestions from you guys ^^⭐️]

(I’ll only be taking constructive criticism btw. Anything hateful will obv be ignored)

[multi-fandom-simp]

Chapter 1

Best friend's Brother!AU, Mafia!AU

Pairings: Helaena x reader(Main), Aemond x reader(platonic)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon or Fire & Blood characters. I do not claim any of them as my own. This work is purely fictional.

Summary: After a mission goes slightly off plan, you return to the Targaryen estate battered and bruised. Helaena offers her help, and that's when things begin to take a turn.

TW: This series will be❗️+18❗️at times. Mentions of blood, description of injury, stitches, mentions of violence, suggestive thoughts, suggestive actions, mentions of religious corruption

Word Count: 1,355

(A/N: Hello, here is Chapter 1! I apologize for how long it took, college was rough this week. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy! This has some tension to get the ball rolling, but there is more yet to come! I appreciate any criticism or feedback, so feel free to comment your thoughts! I would love to hear them! I also do not have a tag list started for this series yet, but if you would like to be on it, let me know!)

You were friends with Aemond before you could even form a coherent thought. Well, you were his protector first, but that changed as soon as Aemond was born. The two of you shared the same emotional range and soft spot for his siblings. Helaena in particular. Aemond has always felt the need to shelter his sweet, naive, older sister from the woes of the world. You, on the other hand, felt drawn to Helaena in a way you couldn’t explain. At first, the feelings were easy to hide. You would disguise the want of being near her as the need for feminine comfort. As teens, Aemond never questioned when you wanted Helaena to braid your hair for training rather than him or when you’d choose to snuggle up next to her on movie nights. In his eyes, you were using his older sister to fill the lack of womanly presence in your own life. Little did he know that you were just feeding your urges. Urges that got worse as you grew. The innocent feeling of Helaena tugging your hair into place soon began to sprout thoughts of your own hands doing the same to hers, but in a different manner. Cuddling with the blonde during movie nights became challenging as well. Every wave of warmth that radiated from her touches sent a tingle down your spine. You felt a need to constantly touch her, to feel her soft skin beneath your hands. It didn’t help that her body had begun to mature when yours did either. Making it almost damn near impossible to keep the perverted thoughts at bay inside your mind. Which is exactly why you had distanced yourself into the position you held now. You were simply Aemond’s best friend, and that was it. 

“ Are you even listening to me?” Aemond’s voice cut through your thoughts like glass. Bringing you back to the present where you could feel the torn skin over your ribs burning with every breath. Alongside the uncomfortable crinkle of dry blood on your sleeves that you had become accustomed to over the years. 

“ Yes…you were droning on about how you made the Martell man scream.” You sighed, twirling the dagger that was previously frozen still in your grip. 

“ No, I talked about that in the car. I was asking how his sister managed to land a cut on you.” Aemond snorted.

“ I got momentarily distracted.” You shrugged, wincing as the material of your dress shirt rubbed against the gash. 

“ You were sent in there to distract her, and yet she managed to turn the tables and cloud your mind.” Aemond opened the door to the Targaryen estate as he spoke. The both of you paused to take off your shoes before his mother had a fit over dirt on the marble flooring. Despite the fact that every surface in this house had endured bloodshed at one point or another. 

“ Your mind would be clouded too if a fine dornish woman was trailing her hands along the expanse of your body.” You grumbled, “ It doesn’t matter anymore, you got the information you needed from her brother.”

“ Helaena!” Your gaze trailed over to the small dining hall that Daeron’s voice floated out from. You expected to see the shaggy blonde playing one of his stupid tricks, instead you were met with Helaena’s eyes trailing the side of your figure. A grin stretched itself upon your features as her eyes snapped up to meet yours. 

“Plus, the dornish girl wasn’t really my type anyways.”You murmured, slowly pulling your eyes away from Helaena. 

“ She doesn’t need to be your type to kill you with poison.” Aemond pointed out, nodding to your wound, “seriously, I’d clean that out before something spreads through your system.”

“ Okay, dad.” You mocked. 

“ Shut up.” Aemond scoffed, pushing you away lightly. 

You chuckled to yourself as you trudged up the broad staircase to the first room on the right. It was the only room away from everyone else’s and near the stairs. This made it the perfect room for you. Were someone to attempt to break in and find their way upstairs, they would need to get past you to reach the sleeping Targaryens. It was a simple room really, only housing a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a tv, and knick knacks that you had acquired from the family. 

“ alright, lets get this done and over with.” You sighed, staring down at the wound. Gingerly, you unfastened the knife harness that was secured around your torso and slid it off. Next came the button up. Unbuttoning it was the easy part, but peeling it away from the raised flesh was tricky. You hissed as the shirt finally came off and fell to the ground. Cleaning it, like Aemond suggested, turned out to be quite easy. A simple splash of Aegon’s leftover vodka and a wet cloth did the trick. Stitching it, however, seem to be the worst part of your night. 

“ Son of a bitc-” You grunted as the needle slipped from your fingers for the millionth time. Here you were, standing in front of the mirror with nothing but dress pants and a bra, with the TV on for white noise, trying to push a pin through your skin. 

“ I could help with that.” Your head snapped up to the soft voice at your door. Helaena stood in your doorway wearing nothing more than oversized sleeping shirt while looking down at your maimed torso. 

“ What?” Your eyebrows furrowed as you took in her both her words and the bareness of her legs.  

“ I said, I can help with that.” She floated closer towards you as she spoke, ”You’ll never be able to stitch it properly from that angle.”

“ Oh, right. Let me just get a chai-” You mumbled, tearing your eyes from the temptation of her skin.

“ No, it’s alright! I can do it best with you standing. I’ll just kneel.” Helaena chirped. 

“You’ll wh-” Any coherent thought or word you had died as Helaena sunk to her knees in front of you. Kneeling before you as she would during her mother’s prayer teachings, like you were her god instead of the seven. Every nerve in your body warmed with fire at the gleam of innocence her eyes held while looking up at you. 

“ Needle please.” Helaena instructed, holding her hand out. You mindlessly passed it her way, still focused on the sight below you. Even as the blonde began to stitch, your gaze remained on her figure. 

“ You remind me of him.” Helaena spoke softly, focused on her task at hand. 

“Hmm?” You hummed in distant confusion. 

“ Kaz.” She nodded her head towards the tv where Shadow and Bone played, “ you remind me of him.”

“Mhm, how so?” You inquired.

“You’re both so serious..and duty driven. Neither of you let yourself fully open up to another person.” Helaena spoke the truth with ease like she always does.

“ I’m quite open with Aemond.” You argue as she finishes knotting the thread. 

“ I mean you don’t let anyone you desire in. Kaz pushes Inej away and you push-” Helaena’s hands stuttered slightly as her words catch.

“ and I push away who? Who is it that I desire so deeply that I push away?” You egg on, scanning her reaction closely. Her head tilts up to meet your stare one more. 

“ I- ” Neither of you said another word as she failed to answer the question. Instead you raise your hand to meet the soft curves of Helaena’s face. Your thumb presses into the pillow of her bottom lip, pulling back just enough to watch it recoil. You can feel the tremble of her fingertips tickling your abdomen. 

“ hmm, c’mon, who is it?” Desire grates the edge of your voice and pools in the depths of your eyes. It draws Helaena in like a sailor to a siren and she doesn’t even realize it. All she can think about is how badly she’s missed the way you used to hold her, or how you looked at her. She wishes to be desired again. Desired by you. 

“Me.”

(A/N: Of course I had to leave it on a cliffhanger. I can't put all the fun in chapter one, now can I? Fear not, chapter two will have a little bit of spice to get the party started!)

[lilacmingi]

Hi Lilac! I really enjoyed reading your Christmas stories over the holidays, they really gave me the fluff I needed during that busy time.

Unrelated to those stories in particular, I was wondering if you’d be willing to listen to a bit of feedback but in the form of a little …constructive criticism, so to speak? With no bad intentions at all, I just sort of starting writing out an ask like this about another story but it ended up being a longer rant as I got into it. Out of respect, I didn’t want to bombard you with it if you didn’t want to see it in the first place. You can totally say no and I’ll understand! It’s kind of a long one with the suggestions, so even if you’re not interested I appreciate your time in reading this!

Thank you! I really appreciate that 🥺🖤💜 I’m so glad my imagines could give people a break during a stressful holiday season.

I should start by saying that I don’t accept criticism because I’m an extremely sensitive person and I tend to take things to heart and it gets my anxiety running wild. I’ve stated over on my Wattpad that I don’t accept criticism, but I didn’t think I would receive any here on Tumblr so I never really put it on my profile. But you’ve approached me privately and also been SO polite 🥹 I am a little curious to know what it is that you think could be improved in my writing, because I’m really proud of my work and personally don’t really see anything wrong with it (but I guess that’s how it is lol. The writer doesn’t usually see the things that could be improved!)

I do wanna say that I REALLY appreciate that you decided not to send that feedback and chose to ask if it was okay first! :’) no one ever does that. I’m also glad you stated that you have no bad intentions. It makes me want to listen and see what you have to say! I can’t say for sure if I’ll implement your suggestions (it depends on what they are) but I’m definitely open to hearing what you have to say!! As long as it’s polite ofc. I’m still working on trying not to take things to heart, ESPECIALLY when they’re done with good intentions haha 😅

I was going to answer this privately, as it isn’t something I feel like should be dealt with publicly, but you sent it on anon so I can’t oof. But it’s okay! I totally understand why you sent it anonymously <3 I would do the same tbh

[bouquetface]

Doing it again, as I’m not sure it has been sent 😬😅

Feedback

First of all thank you again for the time and energy you’ve put out for everybody 🤗😚; truly appreciate it.

Here’s my feedback or more, my annotations/ commentary as I don’t hold much knowledge on the matter😅.

For starters: not 🫵YOU hyping me upp!🤍🤍

“You are likely physically attractive.”

Definitely what I need to hear the most: still in the long journey of loving myself🫠 [is it the Virgo rising thing and also its aspect with Venus, isn’t it?; micro-analysing myself, hence not feeling yet ‘perfect’ 😔🙄]

[…] If you feel there is serious injustice, you would fight for yourself and on the behalf of loved ones. That is your aries mercury and libra moon.

—> especially towards my loved ones: i can still leave it to Karma for myself, but for my loved ones, once I gather power, I will turn into Karma herself.

[…] Overall, you still prefer harmony over chaos.

—> truee; this gal just wants some peace

[…] Your Scorpio mars and Gemini Venus suggests you can go from 0-100 when hurt. If someone were to betray you, they would see a side of you that they didn't know existed. You are very observant, you pay attention to things that others don't. And you remember things that others forget. So in an argument, you can be vicious with your words. It can shock people.

Some may misperceive your rational and gentle side as you being a doormat or naive. Two things you definitely aren't. The things you think and say when angry may even shock you.

—> I know the power of my anger, I prefer not to lash out; if I want to hurt, I know how to do so.

—> I do feel I choose to be kind, to a fault. At times it does feel like I’m being a doormat.

Home & Family:

While you do love your family, you may have some painful memories with them. You could have a strict family. Possibly religious or very traditional. The home may make you feel restricted.

You could have a parent that put a lot of emphasis on appearances and status. This may have made you a critical person as well. Due to the way money was talked about, you need financial stability to feel secure. You can be very sentimental about your possessions too.

—> yep, true.

—> extremely sentimental with my belongings; working on declutterring but you know, it’s not easy to throw memories or part of who you were.

Career:

Aesthetics and appearances will important in your career. You could end up in a magnet position as well. Your career will become or already is very important to you. You could model, work in media/marketing. You could even be a cook or baker.

—> we’ll see about that :)

Future partner:

The good news is in vedic you AK is Venus and your partner's DK is Mars. This means you two will always be strongly attracted to another.

Passion dying out isn't something you need to worry about with your person.

They could be a person with traditional values.

Family is likely important to them. They may be religious. You would have no issues with their family. Their family is likely very sweet and welcoming as they are shown by taurus venus.

They could be a very direct person too.

Spontaneous as well. The relationship will likely begin quickly after meeting. They are a determined person. Action orientated. They could be well educated. Having a funny and sarcastic sense of humour. They may interest in politics and cars. They may be from a different ethnic background or religious background.

—> I don’t know much or should I say anything about Vedic astrology, so I will keep that in mind📝.

Love the fact that our attraction is going to be strong and undying, truly what i wish for🤗. Plus their family loving me :), not that it would have worried me, but it’s nice when things are harmonious.

I do resonate with us being of culturally different.

Solar Return: This is more likely to be accurate if you still live in the birth place.

You could be receiving or asking for help this year. You may need or get financial help. You could have a sudden shocking event in regard to higher education or travel. A trip can be planned or cancelled. You could make finals choices on a course or school.

You could be making final choices about a relationship too. Friendship or romantic or business. Something surprising may happen.

This could make you fully commit to this person or desire to fully break away.

In 2025, Jupiter your 7th ruler is conjunct Venus. This is a big indicator of meeting a romantic partner or continuing to feel joy in a relationship. With Venus, Saturn and north node in your 7th in 2025, you might be getting married or seriously committing to someone.

I hope this resonated. Please leave feedback

—> i’ll keep in mind :)

—> wow the 2025 sr made me think “Finally” but also “Wow, this soon”; nervous and excited. If it’s meeting my standards of being able to say I have someone to count and rely on, then, I can’t wait (ironically I have been, for long)

Thank you againn🤍🤍🤍, truly.

Have a good day :)

hello, thank you so much for thanking the time to leave in depth feedback. This is really helpful 🩵 And the reason I say you are attractive is because of the virgo rising & libra moon combo. These people are often nicely groomed and symmetrical. It is true virgo risings can be very critical and it’s hard for them to find satisfaction in their appearance yet to many they are attractive. Due both to your appearance and how you carry yourself. I hope you have a great 2024 and 2025. Once again thanks for the feedback!

[tintinbutwithanf]

Film Form - Critical Reflection

Format of the crit

In terms of the format, we watched all of the films through as a cohort together, in the Screen Academy, 8 films in total. The films were then screened again, one by one, and each group went up after the screening of their film to receive feedback from the tutors, and then it was opened to the rest of the class for comment. I thought this worked well as a format, it was good to see each film twice, with the tutors then giving their feedback on the film – the creative decisions, what they thought worked well, what they thought didn’t work so well, offering suggestions of what could have been done differently.  The members of each group would then comment on their process/decisions. The analysis of each film took around 35 minute. 

Feedback from tutors  

Our film was the last to be screened for comment. In terms of initial rection, the tutors liked the film. Paul (Gray) began by saying there were some brilliant things about the film, including brilliant moments of tension, and that it was successful in being frightening. The tutors appreciated just how difficult it is to do horror, and how difficult it is to make people scared, especially given that it’s such a short film – 5 minutes long. So the film had effectively achieved its aim in that the audience were actually frightened.  

In terms of specific comments, the tutors thought the writing was strong, that Mark Anthony had done well with the dialogue which was economical and worked well in setting the tone. They also thought the location was well utilised. They commented on particular choices in the edit, and said there were cuts that worked particularly well, highlighting the blackout cut, where the lights went out completely - an edit which was one of my decisions. 

In terms of my role as DOP, where lighting was one of my responsibilities, whilst the tutors liked the lighting, they commented that at times the film was “unlit”. They thought that overall it was dark and that, particularly in the scenes that preceded the blackout. They pointed out  there wasn’t enough of a shift/contrast from pre-blackout to blackout even though everyone felt the blackout was dramatic. They suggested one way I / we could have achieved the contrast would have been to use more practical lighting. The tutors liked the shots, thought that all the shots were motivated, and it was clear why the shots were framed in a particular way.

One of the tutors, Leo, said he thought that tonally there were different styles of horror apparent, breaks in continuity of style and he felt that didn’t necessarily work. I explained that analogue horror had been a massive influence in making decisions. Leo commented that in terms of an analogue aesthetic, that the text on screen didn’t necessarily work in terms of analogue horror – which, as a group, we agreed with. He also thought the jump scare was quite cheap, a decision which we defended as a group because we felt the jump scare had worked well and had served its exact purpose.

Zoe commented that she liked the sound but felt it didn’t reach its full potential, as in a horror film you can do so much with sound. Zoe addressed a specific scenes near the end of the film where she pointed out that the audience can hear the monster walking in the background, towards the character, Eric, and suggested that we should have made that silent and that Eric should have reacted more emphatically when he realises the monster is behind him. Zoe also suggested we could have done just a bit more with the monster’s voice to make it even more frightening. We agreed with Zoe’s comments on the sound.

The tutors liked the production design, including the costume of the monster, and the latex, which Mark Anthony had spent a good few hours creating/resolving.

The tutors also commented on the acting, saying they’d seen our actor, Frederick, in quite a few first year films, but ours was the first film where they felt he was playing a role that suited his acting skills.

Feedback from peers 

The feedback from peers was very positive. It was a key moment for me, when the film was screened for the first time, to realise that the people around me were genuinely scared - I could hear audible gasps and yelps.  Quite a few people came up to me during the break to tell me they’d been genuinely scared. That was quite a relief -  so in the moments of terror onscreen, I was calm because it meant the film was working -  we’d done what we set out to do – make a horror film.

When the tutors opened up the discussion to the floor, the class were in agreement that they’d been genuinely shocked / frightened.  Comments included that the use of the laptop screen had been an effective practical lamp. I was particularly happy this was mentioned because the use of the laptop screen had been my idea. In fact to enhance the light, we’d balanced another lamp on the laptop keyboard. 

If we’d had more time we definitely would have done more colour grading, although interestingly I think there were actually scenes which could have done with less lighting. But I take on board what the tutors said about the film being unlit in places.  

The other films

There were some really interesting things in the other films screened. I was impressed by the production value- some of the groups had obviously used the dolly for certain shots, which created impressive camera movement. Stresses of Joy, the film based on my outline, in which I had a cameo role, was impressive in terms of production design -  the group had made the set look very clinical, which was pretty much exactly how I’d imagined it.  I also really appreciated my credit for the original story, and for my cameo role as the “nervous scientist”.  Overall, I was impressed with all the films and I can see the difference in standard, the jump in skill / craft between this year and last year. There was one film “Rebound”, that I thought was particularly good – there was nothing overtly flashy about it -  it simply demonstrated a quiet confidence in film making that didn’t require anything bold. 

In terms of our analogue horror, I was most pleased by the audience’s immediate, visceral response-  the film provoked, and received, a very real response. And whilst the film was technically imperfect in places, overall it worked well and achieved its aim of being a horror which frightened the audience.

[hydralisk98]

Servitor random content-dump #2

I was simply editing my bucket-list / wishlist for 2023 and this came out as I was editing the retro computer hardware section.

Some brands in Angora and some of their products

Luna_Minimakhs Kex, Kora, Ren

Utalics Vixen, Wax, Ukiren

Pflaumen Alef (upper), Beya (mid) & Kappa (minis)

Macroware Bel & Fira

EBM Wyatt

Sphinx Perseus

Symbolics Union, Fraya

May_Timesharing Druid

Teko_Bevel Savy, SASS

Nineveh_Equipments Undex, Sakex

Hitachi Ural (upper tier but costly), Ouya (lower-tier but FLOSS-compliant)

Ideal Angora workflow:

Community Wyatt Maximus mainframe bulletin board system for jobs, gigs and other processing workloads in the Maskoch town

My Luna Kora workshop power-station

My Pflaumen Kappa household mid-station

My Utalics Vixen smartphone (thin-station PDA but handheld)

Symbolics Fraya retro game engine (think successor to Ken_Silverman's BUILD2 but as a Y2K engine outdoing Quake), useful for leisure and casual chatting

Sphinx Perseus Lex rich media editor, useful for fast wiki documentation & rich research workloads

Memex Miropad, useful for collaborative & cooperative time scheduling, creative activities & mainlined process management, also doubles as a memory sharing site, a digital marketplace and a utility suite for sapient autonomous processors aka "humans" in most cases

May Druid agent processing flow (Syndicated social assistance multilingual suite for androids)

Sakex Vox-Populis Ava synthetic serf (my own unit is called 'Nova' and has a similar software build mod of Ouya than mine except it is less stable due to being a testbench to my own)

Hitachi Ouya, (customized forked edition by myself decentrally shared with Ava, built for looser lower-level access than default to disjoint Haywire cerebral monitoring, much closer to natural liberty than IRL surveillance) cyberware suite

Klara Ker's Selfless Ker (my main blog name's being AutisticAngora, with a couple of side ones like MagneticHelix & NeueHashDotList) hand-curated blog & multimedia RSS tracker for journaling, analog privacy-focused personal projects and sidestream data processing that is easy to share with other wider LittleBearnet users (a smaller indie community within Angora than the wider SalvoNet, that is less centralized more transparent, more varied and more spiritual)

Much collecting of retro hardware + software technologies from many worlds to build a handsome yet deep meta-narrative simulations, aka vector-animated short films with interactive components & other silly cute physical media contents. Polymer, Maynard and SalveHistoryCarto being some of these silly personal creative outbursts

Not gonna lie, it seems to grow into a stronger and stronger vibe of Cyberpunk/Solarpunk every time I add something in there. Maybe I could provide more information about the less... dystopian and more suburb/rural side of the world eventually. Especially as I am still figuring out the exact details of the overhead map and other miscellaneous details to give ourselves much space to breathe away from such... dark or restrictive tropes. (I mean, I call for a nicer and more comforting vibe future world without sacrificing too much familiarity or 'personalization', so that's why I would need to tweak this emerging situation before it becomes too close to recent shared universes like idk, Cyberpunk 2077, Halo & Half-Life franchises.)

Btw, when (not just if) you got any suggestions, comments or criticism to share, I am welcoming such big time because I am getting closer and closer to some first milestone to reach some MVP shareware demos and I appreciate feedback so much. Mostly because it is not just a world for myself as far as I am aware, it is one I share with the rest of you (the current worldly context is not that horrendous all things considered but I don't trust quality change to occur by itself without some additional incentives... hence why I share it to serve as a refeuge and a sampler of what we could do better) and also manifest at least bits of it somewhat.

So yep, find victories + joys for yourself in this world's mess and take care of yourselves. (^*^)//

[aibanbnongrum]

“Young’s Counsel do matters”

Woke up at 8 and should be in the church by 8.30 that morning. I can’t figure it out how would I managed it. But as the saying goes ‘haste makes waste’ it did and I can’t be in the church on time even though the service is actually at 9 in the morning.

It was actually about last sunday. Starting the day lately but when I tried to catch up with the flow of the day, it somehow went very smoothly. There are two holy masses in our church. After the first one I cleaned up the items which are needed to be cleaned and assembled them accordingly for the next one.

After the holy mass, our Catechist invited me to come along with him for some church's errand. I agreed and we did went together. As it almost tick mid day both of us along with some religious persons went for lunch which is being prepared for the day's feast.

However he is always a man with a sense of humour which I always felt very easy to get along. After the appetizing lunch, we set our journey back home on foot. Walking alongside, he without dissembling expressed so much of his very own intentions and ideals. We talked during the whole of our journey about many aspects and matters which is a need of time in the church itself.

As christians we are bound to love and forgive one another. For some time back, just a week or so as a local church we’re somewhat in a crisis which may caused due to some misconceptions and misunderstanding. We both expressed our grieve over it in which we can’t also help without criticizing the incident. But after all we both look forward for the congregation’s prayers and support. The way he as an intellect and matured man sharing so much of his views with me, showing his trust on me is really an emotional thing. He also disclosed some of the committee’s plan to me which most of them I really do appreciate. Also told about the many programmes to be held in the church.

But the climax of this very special day was that when he speaks about church’s plan and on strengthening the youth of our own. I was very much pleased with that topic, he said that ‘our trust should really be on our young people.’ Along with the committee they had agreed on assigning task to them. My words was full with the encouragement and appreciating his ideas. I told him, with that you can really make the church sprout and bloom beautifully again. He also did encouraged me to come out with more suggestions and feedbacks for him. He said that ‘at some point as adults we are ignorant, we should always look upto young and talented minded people infact.’ He continued, ‘suggestions and constructive ideas can also comes from a child. We may thinked that he is small in age and no good would even expect from his saying. But sometimes if as adults too take our time to ponder over it, positively it can also be a constructive one.’ At one instance I considered myself very lucky and proud to be his mini aide and advisor. And to which he had always looked up on me though I’m a teenager, it always made me realised that I can be trusted by someone and which made me to work even more harder for the better of the congregation and the church itself.

[aydaptic]

Hey there, lovely author!

this is a follow-up to my AO3 comment on Adapt and Endure [the WebComic], as well as a comment on the written original:

First of all, I am hugely impressed by your work and only write this because I felt like you might appreciate detailed feedback, but felt like the comment section on AO3 might really not be the place for concrit. So, if you rather would not have it, feel free to ignore everything under the dashed line: spoiler -- it's only tiny, tiny things. If you decide to skip: I hope you have a lovely day, and a good weekend :) ! Cheers, Arts

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

WebComic: texture of bodies below neck in Ch 6 My only constructive criticism (as a complete, unskilled layperson!) is on Chapter 6, the bedroom scene -- I feel like the skin texturing below the neck of both characters' bodies is... slightly too smooth, making them look more oiled than just naked to me. it's probably only visible in this kind of lighting (I have no idea how blender works. NONE)(you probably are aware of this)(if yes, please ignore) Original Fic: Tense shifts and some prepositions Also, started the written version and loved it; just noticed (systematically lacking) tense shifts and some (systematically) wrong prepositions, 'pushing up' doors instead of 'open', mostly-- would you be interested in a (post-hoc) beta? I know that this kind of question can go terribly wrong and seem insulting... especially if people are not explicitly asking for beta; this offer is a gamble on my part, hoping that the chance you might find this useful is higher than insulting you by it :/ (Please be aware that this is only written out of appreciation for your work, and that I personally am kind of obsessive about tenses and prepositions, so I'm pretty sure nobody but me minded and /or even noticed.) If your answer to both of the above is along the lines of 'thanks, no thanks' feel free to not answer this, I do not wish to make you uncomfortable!

Hello!

I’m open to constructive criticism -- both on AO3 and the social links listed on my profile there -- so have no fear. It's very sweet that you gave a heads-up, though.

WebComic: Texture of bodies below neck in Ch 6

Well, they’re supposed to be ‘oily!’ They’re sweating after the implied s*x as it can be a very strenuous activity. That said, textures in general are a very technical thing. I don’t have the skills/free time to learn the whole process despite being aware of the basics. Say, if you have a beautiful 3D model, that 3D model is gonna look like garbage unless it has nice textures.

I’m not gonna get into the technical stuff bc it makes even my head explode (...and I’ve spent 5.000+ hours in Blender + am currently taking a 3D/animation bachelor!) Simply put, the body mesh and the face mesh are separate meshes, creating a seam when joined -- naturally, Gav doesn’t have a shirtless model in-game meaning that it’s custom-made (not by me) -- thus a lot of ‘texture blending’ is required between his head and the body. I don’t have the art skills to mess with textures unless it’s small stuff like increasing contrast/brightness/changing overall colors, etc., so I can’t do much there at my current skill level.

Original Fic: Tense shifts and some prepositions

They're known to me, actually. I like it that way even if it sounds odd to others. I’m not a native English speaker, but to my Norwegian ears, it flows anyway. I hope it wasn’t too distracting and took away from the story, though. I once attended an English grammar course and it’s giving me Vietnam flashbacks to even think about it, lol. The most important part for me is to get my stories across, and when possible, have readers learn from them and build my own empathy in the process. I personally don’t mind grammatical errors and such unless it’s completely/close to illegible.

In terms of your suggestion of a beta reader, I’m not insulted at all. It’s nearly impossible to offend me. Constructive criticism is the only way to improve and I like learning about topics I’m interested in. Others have offered to beta read for me in the past, but I’m not big on the concept. I’ve had my work stolen several times before and have major trust issues when it comes to stuff like that.

Either way, thank you so much for reaching out. I hope I cleared a few things up. Feedback is crucial and I welcome it. Both positive and constructive ♥

[that-disabled-radfem]

Happy back-to-school y’all

I’ve attended and worked at a couple of super liberal universities. I avoid the gender studies departments for obvious reasons and I still had a lecture in which the female prof gave a brief overview of TERFs and proclaimed her hatred of JKR. Being openly critical of gender ideology, the porn industry, kinks, and ‘sex work’ are the kind of things that can ruin your future in academia. Not to mention the fact that any speech or actions that could be labelled transphobic (ie. defining woman as adult human female) can get you a suspension according to many universities anti-hate-speech policies. 

So, here’s a list of small and smallish (small in terms of overt TERFery, some may require more effort than others) radical feminist actions you can take as a university student:

(this is a liberal arts perspective so if you’re a stem gal this may not apply. but also if you’re in stem maybe you can actually acknowledge that women are oppressed as a sex class without getting kicked out of school. idk)

(Note for TRAs hate reading this: One of the core actions of radical feminism is creating female networks. This is not so that we can brainwash people into being anti-trans. This is because female solidarity is necessary for creating class consciousness and overturning patriarchy. It is harder to subjugate the female sex when we stand together.)

Take classes with female profs. Multiple sections of a class? Pick the one taught by a woman. Have to chose an elective? Only look at electives offered by women. When classes have low numbers they get cancelled. When classes are super popular, universities are forced to consider promoting the faculty that teach them

Make relationships with these female profs. Go to office hours. Chat after class. Ask them about their research. Building female networks is sooooo important!

Actually fill in your end of year course feedback forms. Profs often need these when applying for tenure or applying for a job at another university so it is very important (especially with young and/or new profs) that you fill out these forms and give specific examples of how great these women are. Go off about what you love about them! Give her a brilliant review because you know the idiot boy in that class who won’t shut up even though he knows nothing is going to give her only negative feedback because he thinks any woman who leaves the house is a feminazi b*tch. 

(note: obviously don’t go praising any prof - female or male - who is blatantly racist, homophobic, etc.)

(Also if you have shitty male profs write down all the horrible things they have done and said and put it in these forms because once a shitty man gets tenure they are virtually untouchable)

(also also, leave a good review on rate my profs or whatever other thing students use to figure out if they want to take classes. idc if you copy paste your feedback from the formal review. rave about the class to your friends. do what you can to get good enrolment for that prof for reasons above.)

Participate in class. Talk over the male students. Say what you mean and mean it. Call out the boys when they say dumb shit

Write about women. If you have the option to make a text written by a woman your primary text in an essay, do it. Pick the female-centred option if you’re writing an exam-essay with multiple prompts. (Profs often look at what works on their syllabus are being written about/engaged with as a marker of whether to keep those texts the next time they teach the class. If there are badass women on your syllabus, write about them to keep them on the syllabus) Use female-written secondary sources whenever possible. 

(pro tip: many women in academia are more than happy to talk to you about their papers. expand your female networks by reaching out to article authors through email and asking them about their cool shit)

Get your essays published! Many departments have undergrad journals you can publish in. This will ensure more people read about the women you write about and will demonstrate to the department that people like learning about women

Consider trying to publish your undergrad essay with a legit peer-reviewed journal. If you can do it, your use of female-written secondary sources boosts the reputations of the women who wrote those secondary sources. Also this helps generally to increase scholarship about women’s writing!

Present your papers at conferences! Many schools have their own undergraduate/departmental conferences that you can present at. Push yourself by submitting to outside conferences. Bring attention to women’s works by presenting your papers. Take a space at a conference that would otherwise be reserved for mediocre men

Talk to your profs and/or your department and/or your university about mandating the inclusion of female works in classes if this isn’t something they do already

Sit next to other women in your classes. Talk to them. Make friends. Form study groups. Proofread each other’s essays. Give each other knowing looks when the boys are being dumb. Just interact with other women! Build those female networks!

Be generous with your compliments. A female classmate and I were talking to a prof after class and the classmate told me (out of the blue) that I always have such interesting things to say. I think about that whenever I’m lacking confidence about my academic skills. Compliment the women in your classes for speaking up, for sharing their opinions, for challenging your classmates/profs, for doing cool presentations, etc.

Talk to other women about sexist things going on on campus. Make everyone aware of the sexist profs. Complain about how there are many more tenured men than tenured women. Go on rate my professor and be explicit about how the sexist profs are sexist

Be active on campus and in societies. If a society has an all male executive or is male-dominated, any women who join that society make it less intimidating for more women to join. Run for executive positions! Bring in more women! 

(Pro tip: Many societies’ elections are super gameable. You can be eligible to vote in a society election sometimes just by being a student at that university — even without having done anything with the society before. Other societies might just require that you’ve taken a class in a particular department or attended a society event. (Check the society’s governing documents.) Use those female networks you’ve been building. If you can bring three or four random people to vote for you, that might be enough for you to win. Societies have trouble meeting quorum (the minimum number of people in attendance to do votes) so it is really super achievable to rig an election with a few friends. And don’t feel bad about this. The system is rigged against women so you have every right to exploit loopholes!)

(Also feel free to go vote “non-confidence”/“re-open election” if only shitty men are running. Too often people see that only candidates they don’t like are running and so they give up. But you can actually stop them getting elected)

Your campus may have a LGBTQIA+alphabetsoup society. That society definitely needs more L and B women representation. It may be tedious to argue with the nb straight dudes who insist that it’s fine to use “q***r” in the society’s posters and that attraction has nothing to do with genitals, but just imagine what could happen if we could make these sorts of societies actually safe spaces for same-sex attracted women and advocated for our concerns

Attend random societies’ election meetings. Get women elected and peace out. (or actually get involved but I’m trying to emphasize the lowest commitment option with this one)

Write for the campus newspaper. Write about what women are doing - women’s sports, cool society activities, whatever. Review female movies, books, tv shows, local theatre productions. Write about sexism on campus. We need more female by-lines and more stories about women

Get involved with your campus’s sexual assault & r*pe hotline/sexual assault survivor’s centre/whatever similar organization your campus has if you can. This is hard work and definitely not for everyone (pls take care of yourself first, especially if you are a survivor)

(If your campus doesn’t have an organization for supporting survivor’s of sexualized violence, start one! This is probably going to be a lot of hard work though, so don’t do it alone)

Talk to your student council about providing free menstrual hygiene products on campus if your campus doesn’t already do this. If your campus provides free condoms (which they probs do), use that as leverage (ie. ‘sex is optional, menstruation is not. so why do we have free condoms and no free pads?’)

If you’re an older student, get involved with younger students (orientation week and such activities are good for this). Show the freshman that you can be a successful and well-liked woman without shaving your legs, wearing heels, wearing make-up, etc. Mentor these young women. Offer to go for coffee or proofread essays. 

Come to class looking like a human being. Be visibly make-up less, unshaven, unfeminine, etc. to show off the many different ways of being a woman

Talk to the custodial staff and learn their names. (I know there are men who work in this profession, but it is dominated by low-income women) Say hi in the hallways, ask them about their lives, show them they’re appreciated

Be explicit with your language. When you are talking about sex-based oppression, say it. Don’t say ‘sex worker’ when you mean survivor of human trafficking. This tip is obviously a bit tricky in terms of overt TERFyness, so use your best judgement

That’s all from me for now! Feel free to add your suggestions and remember that feminism is about action

[diavolosbaby]

hi viv !! congrats on posting !!! i'm so proud of you <333

here is my ask because i promised id be the first:

i was wondering if i could have small little fluff things whether it be hc's or stables for mammon, lucifer and satan :)) they don't have to be long, and if you didn't wanna do all three you can just pick one :))

happy writing !! ilysm and imy !! <33

Hi Mars!! Yes! I'll try my best! Please tell me if there's anything you don't like or in any way I can improve! Thank you so much for being my first request!

Lucifer, Mammon, and Satan headcanons

Lucifer:

- at first tried to reach out to Satan on an emotional level but the more Satan rejected him the more he gave up

- mammon is his favorite brother, gives mammon a weekly allowance but only if he agrees not to tell the others about it

- Remember the last male Cologne/bodywash you smelled? He smells like that. (In a good way)

- For being the avatar of pride, he has quite a few insecurities. Such as guilt about both Lilith and Satan, and shame that he let himself be Diavolo's dog

- On that note, Lucifer genuinely sees Diavolo as a friend. If asked about it he'll say it's for loyalty but every once in a while he laughs with Diavolo and enjoys time with him. Then he catches himself and goes stone cold again, reminding himself that this relationship is for loyalty alone. (Shush just let it be a friendship)

- has a skincare routine consisting of cleanser, serum and moisturizer

- isn't against 1 night stands, just wouldn't happen in the house of Lamentation or last overnight incase of his brother's suspicions

- wears reading glasses when he plans on reading a book, he needs them for close reading

Mammon:

-I see a lot of people say mammon sleeps naked but I think he sleeps in just underwear. He has specific underwear he changes into to sleep in. They're thin, breatheable, soft, and are definitely in the shape of tighty whiteys

- at some point wanted to gauge his ears but Lucifer refused to let him, now mammon appreciates Lucifer denying it because he's against it now

- had to lose a kidney to pay off his debt once

- would like a short MC, his protective instincts rise immensely but he thinks they're so adorable even if he teases them about their height all the time. (Which is totally does)

- had a hat phase, he wore these dumb hats around and thought he looked so cool. Top hats, fedoras, bucket hats, baseball caps, it was non stop. If you ask him about it he'll still defend it and say he looked cool. (He still has the hats)

- specifically only wears gold jewelry, has silver. Just doesn't wear them

- is double jointed, idk just feel like he is. Tricks MC with his leg in a weird position acting like he's in pain

- deep down he knows MC won't choose him, (or will they?) that's why he puts on such a strong, confident and possessive front

- has a gold tooth in the back. Got a cavity and didn't want a silver tooth, so he got gold

Satan:

- wears prescribed contacts

- is secretly afraid of dogs, not in a panic way but in a go silent stay away from them kind of way

- prefers you reading to him rather than him reading to you, if you pronounce a word in a unique way or stutter it's more enjoyable to him because it just adds your personality to the book

- knows where everything is in his room, if somebody moves ANYTHING he will know as soon as he steps through the door

- adores glasses, he will catch himself staring at you with a smirk if you wear them. If you don't, he'd suggest you do just so he could see what you'd look like

- Does not like people who are naturally loud, he catches himself rolling his eyes and sighing whenever diavolo walks in

- hates when anyone asks "so Lucifer is technically your father?" Or anything like that, would even hold a grudge against MC if they told him that

- enjoys birdwatching, catch him pointing to a bird and saying "hey it's a *bird species*."

I'm done!!! This was actually fun to do Mars!!! Please give me any feedback and criticism you have!!

My favorite number's 8 so I tried to put 8 lines each but realized I gave mammon an extra 😭

Ily and imyt!!

<333

[whiteqnn]

PURE [3] - Corpse Husband x Fem! Reader

A/N: Over 1 thousand notes. You guys are insane. I can’t see any other explanation.

Thank you so much for all the love and support under the previous parts, all those comments just absolutely made my day! I would never expect this story to receive such a positive feedback, which I’m extremely grateful for! 

Anyway, I decided to add some additional plot to this story - mainly, the sudden criticism and hate directed on Y/N after the last Among Us stream. I thought it would make things more interesting.

That being said, I hope you enjoy the third part ^^

part 1

part 2 

part 4 

part 5

PURE [3]

Y/N stared at her phone screen, reading through the latest tweets of her friends inviting their fans to watch their streams. It was Thursday evening and just as it was planned, everyone was getting ready for another game of Among Us. Just as she would do if it wasn’t for all those comments...

The last stream caused sudden, unexpected amounts of attention on her social media. She probably shouldn’t be that surprised by it, given the fact that by appearing in Sean’s and Felix’s videos she wasn’t all that strange to their fans. But people who watched Rae, Toast, or Corpse’s streams didn’t know her. And apparently, some of them weren’t that happy to see a new face among the group of well-known gamers. 

She always tried to avoid the unnecessary spotlight as much as she could, preferring to stay hidden somewhere behind other, much more popular streamers. And it never bothered her. She was never one to enjoy too much attention anyway.

That’s why when she discovered how upset, or even angry, some people were when she played with all those famous streamers, she was quite shocked, to say the least. 

Like all those comments under Poki’s tweet, in which she mentioned who’s gonna be playing this time...

“Duh, why’s that Y/N chick supposed to play with them again? There are at least hundreds of other, much more popular streamers I can think of who would be better than her.”

“Who the fuck is she anyway? Why’s she there?”

“lmao, some random girl who got lucky enough to know jacksepticeye. Don’t get why she’s playing with them though.”

“NOT HER AGAIN. I SWEAR TO GOD SHE WAS SO FUCKING ANNOYING LAST TIME”

Sure, she wasn’t as famous as Felix, or Sean, or Rae, or anyone else for that matter. Her audience wasn’t very small, but it was nothing compared to the number of fans other YouTubers had. It was understandable that most people didn’t know who she was, and didn’t understand why she was there in the first place.

She was, in fact, just some random girl who was lucky to have Sean as her friend. But in a group of such great and well-known streamers, she definitely stood out like a sore thumb. 

Y/N almost jumped in her seat when her phone beeped with a new message, Sean’s nickname showing up at the top of her screen. 

Jackaboy: We’re starting in a few kiddo

Jackaboy: But join the call now so we can both make fun of Felix

After the last game, she was so excited and couldn’t wait for this evening. She looked forward to cooperating with Sykkuno again, to arguing with Toast, to laughing with Sean and Felix, to murdering other people with Corpse... Yet now, all this excitement seemed to vanish just like the mood to play, let alone talk with other people. They would surely see right through her and try to make her spill the beans, which would ruin the stream. And the last thing she wanted was to ruin their game.

Jackaboy: You there Y/N??

She sighed, thinking of some believable excuse that wouldn’t arouse suspicion, but her mind was flooded with all those comments and DMs she received over those past days, which expressed nothing but hatred towards her. 

Y/N: I’m really sorry Sean, but I don’t think I will be joining you today... I don’t feel very well. 

She waited for Sean’s reply impatiently, expecting him to send her some angry emoji or tell her to move her ass and join the discord call. What she didn’t expect though, was that he would facetime her. 

Her first instinct was to throw her phone across the room as if it would make Sean stop calling. He wouldn’t stop unless she’d tell him the truth. 

So she cleared her throat and plastered the widest smile on her face, before answering his call.

“Alright, what is going on?” Sean asked right away, staring at her with his brows furrowed. He wasn’t in his recording room, but in his kitchen, which meant that he left his stream to call her. “And please don’t tell me you’re sick cause I won’t believe it anyway. And neither will Pewds.”

“I’m tired, Sean... I was working late again and I really need to rest.” she lied, trying to keep her voice steady and calm. She really didn’t want Sean to interrogate her now, not when his fans were waiting for him. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else though. Please tell the guys that I’m sorry”

“Y/N, c’mon, cut this bullshit. What’s wrong?” he asked softly, moving his phone closer to his face. “You know you’re a terrible liar, just tell me what happened. If you don’t wanna play then neither do I.”

“Sean, please don’t do it” she shook her head with a sigh. “Your fans are waiting for you, I’ll be fine.”

“Well they’re waiting for you too you dummy, I already promised them you’ll be playing with us tonight” he stated matter of factly, rolling his eyes. Y/N remained silent for a moment, and Sean suddenly furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes at her in a suspicious look. “Did someone tell you something rude last time we played? Who and what?”

“What? No, Sean, oh my God. Everyone was super nice, it has nothing to do with the last stream... not with you guys, at least.” she mumbled under her breath, dropping her eyes from Sean’s confused face.

“What do you mean not with you guys? Y/N, what the hell happened?” he demanded, slowly getting more and more worried. She wouldn’t tell him though, too scared that Sean would just laugh it off, even though he also sometimes had problems with dealing with hate. And just as if he was reading her mind, Sean sighed, his face softening in a sad smile. “You’ve read the comments, didn’t you?”

She felt so stupid for being so easily offended by comments of some random people on the Internet, that she just nodded her head meekly, still looking anywhere but at the man. 

“Look kiddo... I’m not gonna tell you to get yourself together and just ignore them, cause it won’t help, and I know cause I’ve been there. Hell, I’m still there.” he chuckled to himself and continued “Anyway, you really shouldn’t be worrying yourself about people who don’t even know you. They don’t know you, Y/N, why would some complete stranger’s opinion matter to you?”

“They said I shouldn’t be playing with you guys... that I’m nothing but a burden and you should be playing with someone who’s at least recognizable.”

“Well excuse me Miss, last time I checked I could choose who the fuck I want to play with.” Sean scoffed, clearly irritated by such comments “You’re one of my best friends Y/N and I don’t give a fuck what some haters say. And neither should you.”

“Maybe you should just invite someone else... It would make everyone happy.” she muttered almost inaudibly, but Sean almost barked at her when he heard her words.

“I told you to cut that bullshit, Y/N! Everyone couldn’t wait for this game and now you wanna back out? C’mon, kid. Do you have any idea how heartbroken Sykkuno’s gonna be? When you left so quickly last time, he kept complaining that he has no one to team up with.” she couldn’t help but smile at that, letting out a tiny giggle. “And Corpse? Have you even seen his last tweet?”

“What? No, I- I don’t follow him...” she said, wondering what Sean was talking about. She quickly searched for Corpse on Twitter, still being on facetime with Sean, and her heart almost dropped when she saw the last tweet.

@.Corpse_Husband Really excited for tonight’s Among Us stream, 8PM PST.

Jacksepticeye

Valkyrae

Pewdiepie

Pokimane

Sykkuno

Disguised Toast 

Logic 

Mr Beast

and, hopefully, my partner in crime - Little Y/N 

:)

She stared at the screen with her eyes widened, and her lips corners curling up in a small, bashful smile. It was so nice of Corpse to mention her as well, especially with the nickname that he seemed to like so much since their last game. 

“God, if you could see yourself right now. How’s it that my pep talk didn’t do shit, but Corpse’s tweet magically made you smile, ugh.” Sean reminded her of his presence, and she quickly returned to the call, trying to somehow control her burning cheeks. 

“It’s not like that, Sean, I really appreciate that you’re trying to cheer me up... I just didn’t expect your friends to like me...” she admitted quietly, and if Sean could, he would probably strangle her at that moment. 

“I JUST TOLD YOU THAT SYKKUNO KEPT BUGGING ME ABOUT YOU FOR TWO FUCKING HOURS. YOU THINK HE WOULD TALK ABOUT YOU IF HE DIDN’T LIKE YOU?!”

“I just... what if they’re just being nice, but they don’t actually want me to play with them?”

“I’m done.” Sean groaned, shaking his head furiously. “Alright, here’s what you’re gonna do. You stay away from your phone, join the discord call, say hi to everyone, and we’re all gonna have fun, okay? If not, Pewds is gonna murder you, cause he was already growing impatient even before I called you.”

“I’m still not sure if that’s a good idea, Sean...”

“But I am sure, Y/N! Now come on, we’re playing in five. I’m telling everyone you’re joining as well.”

And before she could even reply, he hung up. Y/N groaned, rushing to her computer to turn it on. Now it would just be plain rude not to join the game, especially after Sean wasted his time talking with her, while he should be talking to his fans. Just as he suggested, she kept her phone far away from her desk, deciding to stay away from Twitter and all those comments for a bit. Maybe it would help her clear her mind and at least try to have some fun. 

An invite to the group call was already waiting for her, along with a message from Sean with a code to the game. Y/N put her headphones on before joining the call and quickly typing in the code. 

“... so let me repeat myself. I ALWAYS sound guilty, no matter what. Please, guys, don’t vote me out!” 

Y/N shook her head with a smile on her lips when the first thing she heard after joining the call was Felix’s pleading voice. Clearly, he was already trying to save his own ass even before the game began.

 Y/N could hear Sean’s loud voice as he commented on Felix’s plea with some snarky remark, later also catching the sounds of Rae’s laughter. Everyone was already there, they’ve been clearly waiting for her to join. 

“Hey, look who’s finally here! Hi Y/N!” Poki noticed her presence first. 

“Hello everyone” Y/N said, as shy and quiet as usual.

“Oh, Y/N! It’s so great to see you again, I was worried you weren’t joining us tonight” Sykkuno said, a pout clear in his voice. 

“WELL ABOUT DAMN TIME” Felix all but yelled, making her roll her eyes with a smile. “What did I tell you about being late?!”

“Give her a break Felix, her mic wasn’t working again... Luckily, I was there to save the damsel in distress” Sean said, and even though she couldn’t see him, Y/N was almost certain that he was smirking. 

“Yeah, I’m really sorry guys to have kept you waiting so long...” Y/N said, feeling genuinely bad. Maybe Sean was right after all? They could have just invited someone else, and yet they decided to wait for her.  

“It’s okay, you’re here now and it’s all that matters” a deep voice sounded out, and whether she liked it or not, Y/N grinned like an idiot with a blush rising up her cheeks. 

“Shit, here we go again...” Felix sighed, making everyone else laugh. Y/N bit at her lower lip, feeling her heart thump in her chest as she felt a sudden wave of courage, deciding to speak up despite her initial shyness:

“Well... I couldn’t just leave my partner in crime alone, right?” she asked, and she could swear she heard Corpse stutter as if he completely didn’t expect her to say that.  

“Ah yes, after all, killing wouldn’t be the same without her, right Corpse?” Toast teased, repeating Corpse’s words from the last stream. Everyone in the call laughed, Y/N included. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, even though just mere minutes ago she was on the verge of crying. “It’s good to have you here, Y/N/N. Maybe I’ll actually get a chance to finally kill you this time.”

“Jesus Christ, Toast. You sound like a psychopath. Hey, I’m happy you’re here, lemme stab you in the back, please?” someone whose nickname was MrBeast spoke up with a chuckle, before directing his next words to Y/N “I believe we haven’t played together before, I’m Mr Beast, it’s really nice to meet you Y/N”

“Yeah, pleased to meet you!” another player, Logic, spoke up “I also didn’t have a chance to play with you yet, but I’ve seen Sean’s last stream... Let me just say, that Toast murder was absolutely perfect!” 

“Wow. And here I almost managed to block it out. I’m fucking traumatized Y/N, you should be ashamed of yourself” Toast scoffed over Felix’s laughter. 

“You should be proud of yourself!” Sean interfered “Just so you know lads, Y/N may seem like a little angel, but she’s a little demon. You’ve been warned.” 

“Yeah, she’ll charm you with her voice only to snap your neck next second.” Felix scoffed.

“Just like she did with Corpse!” 

“Charm?!” Y/N gasped, her cheeks burning.

“I don’t recall Y/N killing me...” Corpse said in his low voice. 

“I love how that’s the only thing he denied” Poki pointed out in a teasing voice, which only made Y/N sink further into her chair. 

“Can we please start the game now?” she asked in a pleading voice, hoping that everyone would stop making fun of Corpse and her. She could only imagine how uncomfortable he felt, for some reason being the target of their jokes... They must’ve made him feel awkward, right? 

“Jack, did you tell Y/N how we’re playing tonight?” Sykkuno asked, and she sighed in relief that they dropped the jokes. 

“Oh, right! So there’s this mod called proximity chat, where we’re able to hear each other as we pass by another person, and it seems quite fun so that’s what we decided to try out tonight.” Sean explained to Y/N, and before she could ask another question, he added “I’ve just sent you the link, it’ll take a minute to install it.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you Sean” Y/N said, before downloading the mod and quickly installing it. When everything was set and ready, she pulled up Among Us again and typed in the code, and the game finally began. 

“Woah”

“Holy shit!” 

“Guys this is so cool!” Sykkuno exclaimed, his voice so happy and excited that Y/N couldn’t help but giggle. 

“Okay, I’m scared now. I feel like encounters with Imposter are just gonna be perfectly cut screams” Felix chuckled, as they left the dropship and moved down the map. That’s when Y/N gasped in surprise, upon seeing the locations completely different than those she was used to.

“Wait- is that a different map?” she asked through her mic, hearing Toast’s distanced, devilish laugh. There was only Rae and Sykkuno beside her, as everyone else have already split up to do their tasks.

“Oh yeah, that’s Polus, it’s much more fun than the one we were playing in last time.” Rae explained happily and Y/N groaned. She didn’t know that map.

“Great. I don’t even know how am I supposed to do tasks in here...”

“Oh, it’s not that hard. They’re in most cases similar to those you already know, they only look a little bit different.” Sykkuno said in his kind voice, before asking “Do you want to team up again, Y/N?”

“I thought you would never ask Sykkuno” Rae chuckled under her breath.

“Yeah, that would be great! I need someone to show me around” she smiled. The trio finally moved from their spot beside the dropship and went to the left where, as Y/N later realized, was electrical. She quickly did her task in there, being under the watchful eyes of both Sykkuno and Rae.  

Before the latter could do his own task, the first body was reported.

“The body is in the lab” Felix said, and Y/N couldn’t help but smirk as she saw that it was Toast who was murdered first. One less person to accuse her or try to frame her, if he was the Imposter. 

“I just ran towards the lab from the left side, I only saw Poki on my way there” Corpse said right away, and the accused girl was quick to try and defend herself:

“Okay, I wasn’t in the lab, I was doing that engines task which is next to the lab.” 

“Did you see someone else there?” Jack questioned. 

“Nope, just me and the engines.” 

“Okay. Sykkuno, where are you?” the lime astronaut was next on Jack’s list of suspects, which made Sykkuno groan. 

“Why do you sound so suspicious right away?” he asked in disbelief, causing the rest to giggle “I was with Y/N and Rae all this time, we were all doing our tasks in electrical.”

“Is that true Y/N?”

“Yes Sean, that is true” she rolled her eyes with a laugh “I don’t even know this map, I have to stick with someone so I don’t end up like Toast.”

“Alright, what about rest? Logic? I think I saw you in admin but then you disappeared somewhere.” Felix said.

“Yeah I’m with Mr Beast in the office”

“That’s right” Mr Beast confirmed, which didn’t bring anything new to the investigation, so everyone decided to skip.

“Wo- Okay where are we now?” Y/N asked in surprise, when the new round began in some completely new place Sykkuno didn’t manage to show her yet. She could hear as Corpse laughed at her shocked voice, which made her smile widely.

“Yeah, I’m also not used to this new map yet” he admitted, his black astronaut walking up to her white one “Hey, wanna see something cool?”

“Sure!”

-

*Meanwhile Sykkuno*

“Okay this is bad guys, we lost Y/N” Sykkuno said to his mic, running around the map to find the girl he was earlier teamed up with. “I thought she followed us when the new round began, but she must’ve gone the other way... What if she’s dead already? Not good, not good...” 

-

"Woah! This looks amazing! Is there some task here as well?”

“Yes, there’s temperature recording right here” Corpse said, standing by the lava pit, watching as Y/N’s character ran back and forth over the pool of lava. 

“I wonder if you could jump into it. What do you think, Corpse?” she asked curiously, standing close to the edge. 

“Not that I’m aware of it...” he mumbled coming closer to the edge as well “Why would you jump into it?” he asked with a half-smile on his face. 

“So Felix can’t stab me in the back.” she whispered, even though there was no one around them. 

“You think it’s him?” Corpse mirrored her voice, and she hummed in response “Why?”

“He’s constantly suspicious of everyone, last time we played he also kept interrogating us all, without even telling his own location.” she stated as if it was very obvious. Corpse couldn’t help but let out a laugh “What? Why are you laughing at me?”

“Not at you, Y/N. I’m just impressed by your investigation skills” he admitted “In that case, we better both jump in. Felix likes to frame other people.”

“You wanna jump into the lava with me?”

“Sure I do.”

“There you are!” Sykkuno’s lime astronaut came out of nowhere, followed by Mr Beast. Two of them walked up to Y/N and Corpse, and before the latter could even say anything, Mr Beast snapped Y/N’s neck.

“WAIT, NO-”

“OH GOD, OH GOD” Sykkuno yelled in panic.

“KILL HIM CORPSE” Mr Beast screamed, frantically running around.

-

“What the heck?” Y/N stared at her screen in shock, her dead body laying over the lava pit. Mr Beast had already fled to the left, leaving her, Sykkuno and Corpse standing between two of them. None of them said anything for a moment before the black astronaut finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Y/N” he kept repeating, regret clear in his voice. “And Sykkuno, I- I can’t even express how-”

He was cut off by Felix’s scream, who reported the bodies before Corpse could kill him as well.

“IT’S CORPSE ALRIGHT” Felix yelled right away “HE’S STANDING OVER Y/N AND SYKKUNO, HE HAS THEIR BLOOD ON HIS HANDS”

“That is- I did not kill them” Corpse replied, calm as ever, as opposed to his frantic apologies. 

“Then why were you standing there?! Without reporting the bodies?!”

“I was... mourning their death.” he replied, which caused the whole group to burst out laughing. “Seriously guys, you think I would murder Sykkuno? And Y/N? I would never even think of hurting them.”

“The simp is strong, we get it, but it doesn’t really save your situation” Rae laughed. 

“Let’s kick him out guys, he can’t even defend himself” Sean chuckled, and everyone else didn’t need to be told twice. Soon enough, Y/N watched as Corpse’s black astronaut was thrown into the lava pit... Oh, the irony...

The game continued with her wandering around the map, doing the rest of her tasks to at least support somehow her fellow crewmates. She stumbled upon Corpse’s ghost at some point and laughed wholeheartedly when he started circling her little character in something she read as an attempt to apologize. 

A little while later another body was reported, this time it was Felix who lost his life. Y/N didn’t really focus on the conversation this time, glancing at her phone instead. There was this urge to reach for it and check how people reacted to her joining the game, but she kept repeating Sean’s words in her head. There was no point in worrying about the opinion of somebody who doesn’t even know her... or at least that’s what she tried to convince herself to think. 

Her attention was brought back to the game when she heard the sound of a new message from someone who was also dead. She clicked on the chat, seeing that it was one of the Impostors.

Corpse: :(

Corpse: I’m sorry 

Y/N thought it was sweet of him to apologize for it, even though it was his main goal to murder everyone after all. She believed he was genuinely sorry for it, just like she was each time she was an Impostor and had to kill somebody.

Sykkuno: Welcome to the afterlife, Corpse!

She laughed at Sykkuno’s constant happiness, which was evident even in his messages, before typing one as well:

Y/N: We’re all corpse here

Sykkuno: Oh, so it means we’re all really cool then ^^

Y/N: Fair point

Corpse: See Y/N

Corpse: I told you I would jump into the lava for you 

Y/N: You didn’t exactly jump...

Corpse: :(

Y/N: But let’s say it counts as well :)

Corpse: :)

Before they knew, the voting ended. Mr Beast was thrown into the lava, which ultimately lead to the victory of crewmates. Y/N cheered happily, when the blue sign appeared on her screen, right above everyone else who was innocent. 

“Yaaay, the first time I wasn’t killed in the first game!” Sean announced enthusiastically, his astronaut running around the dropship.

“Yeah, and the first time it went so fast...” 

“Right? Corpse, I’m disappointed in you. What happened to the King of Impostors?” Rae asked.

“Well.. no matter how good you are, you can’t always win, right?” Corpse replied calmly.

“Hmm, you seemed kinda absent-minded during the game, though...” Poki suggested with a smirk hiding in her voice, and Rae was very quick to pick on it.

“Oh, you’ve noticed that too? Almost as if he was distracted by something” 

“I don’t know what are you talking about” he chuckled nervously, and Y/N just sat in her chair confused about what was going on. “Anyway, who’s up for another round?” 

“Yeah, I have an idea” Sean said, effectively shutting everyone up “What if we play something along the lines of hide and seek? Let’s have one impostor, and everyone else needs to get their tasks done before he finds them.”

“That is...” Felix took in a dramatic breath “THE BEST THING I’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT”

“Yeah, I think it will be fun” Sykkuno replied. 

“It sounds really cool, but let’s maybe tell who’s the impostor? I think it would be more fair” Rae suggested. 

“I think it’s a good idea” Sean concluded, before changing the settings for one impostor only. Y/N waited patiently for the game to begin, and when she saw that she was a crewmate again, she sighed in relief. Only to gasp in a panic a second later...

“It’s me.”

Everyone stumbled out of the dropship as Corpse admitted that he’s the impostor. It seemed that knowing exactly who can murder everyone made the whole game a little bit terrifying...

“I don’t know where the heck I’m going” Y/N mumbled to herself with a nervous laugh when instead of doing her tasks, she searched for the perfect place to hide. When she entered security, she spotted Mr Beast fixing the wires, so she decided to join him.

“OH SHIT- god damn it, you scared me to death!” he all but yelled when she appeared next to him, doing her tasks. 

“Sorry” she giggled, quickly finishing the wires, before speeding out of the room. On her way to weapons, she stumbled across Felix’s dead body, and could hear some screaming in the background... but didn’t recognize who was murdered next. 

Y/N managed to do most of her tasks without meeting Corpse, whom she hoped not to see probably for the first time since they played together. She was just leaving decontamination when she heard Sean’s panicked laughter:

“...tee, bitches love me?”

“Wrong.” Corpse’s voice almost made her squeak in surprise, only to really scream when he suddenly snapped Sean’s neck. 

“Retreat, retreat!” Y/N laughed as she sped past oblivious Rae and Logic, Corpse hot on her tail. She quickly returned to the decontamination room, hoping to flee from her inevitable death, when Corpse’s black astronaut walked in, and the door closed. 

“Please don’t kill me” she chuckled, even though there was no hope for her. 

“Finish my lyrics, and I’ll let you live...” he began, and Y/N furrowed her brows in confusion “ I spilt wine...”

“Wait- what lyrics? You sing?” she asked, completely dumbfounded. Corpse was silent for a moment as if he didn’t understand her, before bursting out laughing “What’s so funny again? Corpse, come on!” 

“Yes, Y/N, I do sing, I was actually hoping you’ve heard some of my songs...” he admitted, still chuckling to himself. She felt a blush rising up her cheeks.

“Oh- I- I didn’t, I-... but I will, okay? I’ll do it right away!” she promised, quickly jumping up to grab her phone and listen to Corpse’s song. She was genuinely shocked, she would never expect him to sing! 

 She unlocked her phone with a wide, somehow nervous smile on her face, which, however, dropped the moment she saw her notifications. Hundreds of notifications. 

“You there, Y/N?” Corpse’s voice reached her after a moment, when she still didn’t say anything, just kept looking at her screen. “I hope my music isn’t so bad that you passed out from listening to it...”

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, her phone gripped tightly in her shaking hands.

“Um, Y/N?” his voice became more worried now “Is everything okay?” 

Y/N cleared her throat and quickly wiped her eyes, closing them for a moment to steady her breathing.

“Yeah, all good Corpse” she forced herself to smile, so her voice wouldn’t sound weird. “Look, um, I need to leave, can you tell the others bye from me?” 

“Is something wrong?” Corpse asked confused.

“No, of course not!” she laughed through her tears “Something just came up and I really need to leave.”

“You sure you’re-”

“Bye Corpse. It was nice playing with you.” 

-

A/N: I hope you guys are not too disappointed in me... It didn’t turn out as I initially thought it would. Isn’t it too dramatic? And is this hate plot fine? Or is it not? What do guys you think? 

TAG LIST IS CLOSED!

@slytherin-chan @pillowjj @afuckingunicornn @love-and-virtues @ignooynim @crapimahuman @hannahjsworld @laugh-like-the-moon @fallengoddess772 @kingric03 @dolphinpink310 @paigeyisme @bunnychano3o @dxrtygxrl28 @z-nyx @baby-iyania @trashygeek

[alluringjae]

au cours de l’été - jjh

⤑ translation: over the summer

⤑ summary: this is a story of an exhausted painter who needed a breather from the hectic city life. so aside from moving to the countryside, the needed air in your lungs also came in the form of a person. this summer meant for pure relaxation, perhaps your heart may dive into him too.

⤑ pairing: jaehyun x female reader

⤑ word count: 15.2k (so much for saying that i’ll be writing shorter stories)

⤑ genre: fluff, romance, smut | author!jaehyun, painter!reader, strangers to lovers!au, 50s-60s!au, summer love in france!au

⤑ warnings: me inserting some french phrases because I want to practice (feel free to correct me if I made mistakes, i’ll appreciate them), fictional interpretations of real-life people, explicit language, jaehyun being such a romantic pls im in tears, mentions and scenes of burnout (the worst)

⤑ playlist: everybody loves somebody by dean martin | c’est si bon by eartha kitt | it’s always you by chet baker | les yeux ouverts by emilie-claire barlow | a sunday kind of love by etta james | the most beautiful thing by bruno major | try again by jaehyun and d.ear (duh) | free love (dream edit) by honne | petite fleur by jill barber | plus je t’embrasse by blossom dearie | so this is love by ilene woods and mike douglas

⤑ author’s note: this was an idea that just came to me after pinterest kept recommending me poetic beauty/try again jaehyun, so here we are! i intended to write less than 5k words but sometimes plans don’t go as planned once you really invest in the story yet i’m really happy how this turned out!

the romantic exhilaration in my bones are off the charts because this is jaehyun we’re talking about lol enjoy!

⤑ masterlist

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism, or hellos!

3 juin 1957

The city life overstimulated your entire system, losing your brainpower and inspiration. Another exhibition that’ll feature your works with other influential painters was happening at the end of the year, and you had nothing prepared so far. You’ve crashed to the deep end of creative fatigue.

So you needed to get away again; somewhere quieter and surrounded by nature.

That’s why you ended up in the countryside down south, somewhere within Provence. It’s purely just for the summer, but extensions were okay as long you get back at least a month before the show. Filing that leave of absence at the studio you worked at was worth it.

You rented an apartment overlooking the marketplace, where the heart of the village was. After arranging things from your boxes and luggage the entire day, you found out that you lacked in the food department.  

So the succeeding day, the entire morning was spent on grocery shopping downstairs then stocking them inside your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Right after changing out of your pajamas into a flowy floral dress and sandals, you decided to bike to the bakery that locals suggested. A must-go place for newcomers, they all raved.

“Café des Étoiles Perdues.” (Café of Lost Stars.)

The clear chimes of the bell resounded through the small, cottage-like lobby as you entered inside. An old woman, whom you assumed was the owner, welcomed you openly.

“Oh la la, vous êtes belle! Vous vous appelez (Y/N), la nouvelle venue, n'est-ce pas?” (Oh la la, you’re beautiful. Your name is (Y/N), the newcomer, right?)

She complimented, making you shyly mutter your answer. Wiping off the flour from her apron, she introduced herself kindly.

“Je m’appelle Camille. Mes spécialités sont les macarons pisctaches et des croissants avec des amandes. Autre chose que tu aimes?” (I’m Camille. My specialties are the pistachio macarons and croissants with almonds. Is there anything else you like?)

“J'aime tout ce que vous suggères, Madame.” (I’d like anything that you suggest, Madame.)

A younger man, who went by Jaemin, was a part-timer barista who asked for your coffee order. As he directed you to the best seat of the café, which was outside overlooking the garden of blooming sunflowers, you pulled out your sketch pad so you could capture this dreamy view. It was nothing like you’ve ever seen in your life.

You’ve decided on a theme already for your exhibit thanks to your conversations with locals yesterday, which was related to freedom. After being chained to cities for so-called better living and financial standards, it’s actually how your inspiration to create squeezed the life out of you like a lemon. Although it was fun at first to see those tourist spots, it eventually got tiring.

Another matchstick to graze intensity through your bones was what you prayed for.

While you’re engaged in a rough sketch of the scenery, the dandy presence of a young man entered the café with his books. White shirt, red trousers with a matching beret, he sported freckles on his pale face. Despite visiting his favorite café numerously, Camille was overjoyed to see him and his serene smiles.

“Jaehyun! What brings you here?”

“Bonjour, Madame! I’m starving for your croissants because I ran out back home.”

“Not to worry! I’ll pack up some so you’re on your way.” She lightened him up like one of her kids, taking one of the bigger paper bags.

“No rush though, Madame. I’ll be reading and working here for a bit here.” Jaehyun affirmed, bringing it out his wallet and called out for Jaemin.

“Un café crème, s’il vous plait.” (One cup of cappuccino, please.)

Jaehyun’s usual chair was by the large window, overseeing the wide garden planted by the citizens of the village way before he was born. It was places like this he missed after moving to the city for his education and work’s sake. 

That’s the thing when you’re coming from a rich family; you don’t have much of say with what your parents order you to do. However, his recent request to stay in his childhood home (or mansion) again was fulfilled because he couldn’t search for what he needed in the cities anymore.

Jaehyun was a sucker for romance; an old romantic others would say. A lot of women mistook his kindness as flirting on many occasions, but ironically he just wasn’t looking for anyone yet. 

Starting as a novelist in the said genre based on real-life stories of people he met in Paris, Barcelona, London, and more, his stories were popular hits especially to young adults who aspire to find love one day.

However, traveling to the known places no longer felt fun as he got older. The stories he gathered were very similar, just in different languages. It took an enthusiastic dinner with his family, specifically his only older sister Krystal retelling fond stories from their younger years to get the idea of moving back for a bit. So consumed with the city life, he wanted to see things from another perspective.

What was the difference between a love story formed in the countryside than in the city?

It’s been a month since he arrived, but he didn’t hurry himself to do his research. He’s been reading books in his family library, revisiting monumental places, exploring around the village, and reconnecting with old friends as if he never left. 

Readjusting to his former life would make writing easier when he’s motivated enough to do it again. Besides, his books were profiting well enough to his taste; good enough for the next 10 years according to his personal accountant, Kim Jungwoo.

Jaehyun resumed reading this book his mother recommended him before he left. Entitled “Réessaye”, which was about a young man who reunites with his childhood sweetheart after his arranged marriage failed. After what she put her through, he’s hesitant whether to try again or let her go.

Jaehyun enjoyed reading books with realistic outlooks on love because he found them more meaningful, enlightening how exactly it makes you feel and do. Even if he enjoyed reading sappy, fairytale-like stories from time to time, he always returned to the real ones as they only displayed the truth.

That love isn’t always rainbows and sunshine, but something that can also break you especially if you go after the wrong person. This kind of mindset was how he toiled on his stories, which gained him a status outside of his unavoidable labels such as “the only striking son of the Jeong family” or “Valentine Boy”.

He diligently browsed through the climax, where the main male character confessed all his constrained emotions to his sweetheart. But it was until Jaemin pressed the bag of croissants in front of his face after placing down his childhood friend’s drink to disturb his peace.

“Reading again?” He taunted, snatching his book away and throwing the bag on Jaehyun’s lap. “When are you writing that book already? Everyone is practically dying for you to release something new again!”

Jaehyun flatly shook his head, drinking his coffee quietly. It’s not the first time anyone asked (or pressured) him about his next release, and it’s the last thing he wanted to think about. “Not in the mood right now, Jaemin. Now off to work before Madame Camille scolds you again.”

“You’re just stalling because you have nothing to write, don’t you?” Jaemin cunningly expressed, raising a brow. He’s known to catch onto the people’s bs easily; the last person you’d want to say your secrets too and Jaehyun realized too late. Though lucky for him, Jaemin shut the topic down right away so he wouldn’t pop a vein.

“Sais-tu de la nouvelle venue dans le village, d'ailleurs?” (Do you know about the newcomer in the village, by the way?)

“Une nouvelle venue?” (A newcomer?)

Being stuck at his mansion recently, news about village affairs were now late to him. Jaemin’s finger discreetly pointed outside the window, pertaining to a young woman sat outside painting her view in front of her.

That would be you, shading all the flowers in bright colors.

Seeing a new face amazed Jaehyun, especially when she was almost someone right out of a book. In a neat bun with white daisies printed in her dress, she crossed her legs whilst continuing her movements. She bit her lower lip, frustrated over an accidental smudge she made and trying to fix it by blending it with another color. When she accomplished it, she swapped brushes. A thinner one, to outline the shapes of the flower. Her lips curved to a smile after finishing another one perfectly with the rest.

“Jaehyun?”

Jaemin snapped his fingers to his distracted friend, zoning out the window. Still something he hasn’t stop doing, he pondered. With a final snap, Jaehyun broke away from falling hard from his abstract. Jaemin calculated the problem so quickly, analyzing his friend breezily like his medical school requirements.

“Elle est splendide, n'est-ce pas?” (She’s gorgeous, right?)

“Elle ressemble à une personne décente.” (She looks like a decent person.)

Jaehyun pushed it aside, flipping back to the page where he stopped reading. Before Jaemin responded, the door chimed open again to alarm him that a new customer came in. He excused himself to his friend, warning him that this wasn’t the last time he’ll talk about the newcomer too.

Jaehyun nodded along, not taking his friend’s cheeky words so seriously. However, the final result you attempted to create tickled his curiosity, so he slyly peeked from his book to the window.

You’ve freed your hair down, victorious to have started your collection this early in your break. A fantastic start, you let the paint dry first and munch on the croissant that served as your reward. However, you ‘re quick to notice a manly figure glancing through the window. From the side, his brown eyes appeared lively even if his entire face was hidden by the book.

Réessaye by Mark Lee; he must be a romantic. Every person in your studio read it, excluding yourself. Painfully beautiful, they’d summarize it.

Daring to meet more people, you locked eye contact with him. He didn’t expect it, almost flipping from his chair. Bashfully, you waved him a hello to somewhat break the ice. However, it broke his composure, and suddenly, he scurried off with his things from the café.

Now, you got quite worried. You checked your tiny mirror if he saw anything unpleasant with you, but you’d say you look relatively fine. Oh, maybe you could redeem yourself the next time you saw him. After bidding goodbye to Camille and Jaemin, the latter chased after you when you prepared yourself on your bike.

“By any chance, did you say hi to a guy with brown eyes and a red beret?”

“Well, more like I waved at him, then he zoomed out. Did I do something wrong?” You questioned with concern, putting your hands on the handles.

“That’s my friend, who’s quite reserved with strangers. I’m sorry on his behalf.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” You brushed it off politely. “See you again soon, Jaemin!”

Peddling away, letting the cool breeze fan you, your mind reverted its thoughts to that strange man. Maybe you’ll give it some time; you had a lot of it.

“Shucks, he was pretty cute.”

12 juin 1957

The world must really be on your side with these good decisions because you crossed paths with the strange man again in the café a week later. But instead of running away, he asked nicely if he could sit across your free chair in front of your table outside. It was a Saturday, and the place was packed.

“Joignez-moi, s’il vous plait.” (Join me, please.)

You insisted, giving yourself time to subtly observe his physique a lot more. Freckles dotted under his eyes like a constellation, bushy eyebrows, pink cheeks to match his pale complexion, and wearing a fuzzy knit sweater that meshed well with his green beret. He had some sort of necklace too; there was a heart pendant.

“Vous êtes une artiste.” (You’re an artist.) The small wooden palette of paint beside your small sketch pad was exposed, finding it as a great icebreaker.

“Une peintre, spécifiquement. Franchement, les visuels ici sont trés captivants qu'à Paris.” (A painter, to be specific. Frankly, the visuals here are more captivating than in Paris.)

“Je suis d’accord,” (I agree,) Jaehyun leaned against his chair, taking a better look at you with the remaining light from the descending sun.

“Oh, vous êtes comme moi. J’habite à Paris aussi.” (Oh, you’re like me. I live in Paris too.)

“Bon, je suis née à Londres. Puis, j’ai déménagé où je voulais en Europe depuis j'avais 18 ans. Mais oui, j’habite définitivement à Paris maintenant.” (Well, I was born in London then moved wherever I wanted in Europe for inspiration since I was 18. But yes, I live permanently in Paris now.)

You clarified, beginning to enjoy his comforting company. Initiating conversations with people you’re not acquainted with wasn’t in your range of skills, though he didn’t have an intimidating vibe. He looked too youthful to act like that.

“Je m’appelle (Y/N), d'ailleurs.” (I’m (Y/N), by the way.) You stuck out your hand as a sign of respect, which he enthusiastically obliged.

“Salut, (Y/N). Je m’appelle Jaehyun.” [Hi, (Y/N). I’m Jaehyun.]

He kissed it in a gentleman fashion, applying the manners he’s been taught since he was a child. Should you have been flustered, but no.  It’s been a long time since anyone greeted you like that, specifically back home.

Throughout your talk, you learned more about who he was, his job, and what his life in the countryside is like. He was an author of romance novels, yet you’ve never heard about him prior. Heavily prioritizing your work, you don’t keep up with the new releases or trends at all. Though after mentioning his last name, it piqued your interest.

“Jeong? As in the business, Jeong Tea Inc.?”

“Correct.”

His family was one of the most affluent families in Parisian society. Old money immigrants from South Korea, they brought their tea business to France and it boomed successfully. You’re quite sure you’ve seen his parents in past exhibits, but never did you approach them because you were a rookie then. But he reassured you that it was fine, and to just treat him like you’d treat your friends. Plus, it came to your knowledge that he was the same age as you too.

He opened up how this village was where he lived his childhood, so he asked his parents if he could hand over their mansion for a while for rest. It then shocked both of you at how identical your reasons were for staying in the countryside.

“I’m burnt out from the city, so I’m trying to regain my spirit here hopefully. Besides, I needed a change of scenery after living there for 3 years. My longest stay yet outside of London!”

“I need new ideas for my books. The cities don’t charm me anymore, so I returned here for peace and quiet. Maybe let these ideas come to me rather than me going after them.”

From a bigger lens, people would conclude your interaction as a sight of two artists who passionately talk about their art. But to you, you’d interpret it as two relaxed, young adults in their twenties who simply wanted to run away from the pressures of their art and enjoy the summer as every young adult should.

Not cooped up in the studio or office, but innocently waltzing around with your youth while it’s still there.

début de juillet 1957

“Dépêche-toi, (Y/N)!” [Hurry up, (Y/N)!]

Jaehyun yelled at your open balcony from downstairs, parking his mini car beside your bike. He planned on taking you somewhere a little farther this time; to absolutely feel like one of the locals.

The countryside urged you to wear more dresses and flat shoes, so you took out a turquoise dress with a white scarf to wrap on top of your head. Like your relaxed fit, your mindset too was calm. Upon meeting him, he wore his round spectacles with a red knit sweater over a white turtleneck long-sleeved top. His fingers were adorned with silver rings, then around his neck was a thin black ribbon. He curled some of his hair again, a style you really liked of his.

You can’t lie, but this man could pull any trend or style and still look extra pretty.

Out of all the locals you’ve befriended in your stay, Jaehyun was always your companion. He took you to varying places that those locals don’t visit nor tourists acknowledge in their reviews for the past few weeks. For someone who hasn’t been in the village for a long time, his memory didn’t disappoint. His childhood was only filled with cheerful moments.

Today, he was taking you to a peaceful district of shops in the farther part of the village. It’s where he’d buy sweets, journals, and accessories with his mother, Krystal, and one of his housemaids every other weekend.

All the stores there were currently bombarded with blooming flowers along their alley, bringing more enticement to those who were roaming around. There was so much life here; the head waiter of one restaurant smiling at every passing customer, one florist handing a free flower to anyone who asks, and a young lady showcasing her jewelry collection to a bunch of women who looked like tourists.

“Cette librairie vendent des livres enveloppés dans du papier. Ma mère m'a offerte l'un d'eux pour mon anniversaire tous les ans comme une surprise.” (This bookstore sells books wrapped in paper. My mother gifted me one of them on my birthday every year as a surprise.)

He trained his attention at a rustic shop with open wooden windows giving a glimpse of their shelves.

“Avez-vous fini les lisant?” (Have you finished reading them?)

“Du début à la fin.” (From cover to cover.)

He took you to this rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire plaza. Since he didn’t arrange a reservation yet didn’t get rejected, he must know the owner. Especially how a lot of the staff gave casual hellos and high fives.

Speaking of the owner, he walked out of his kitchen to introduce himself to you. He went by the name Moon Taeil, another one of Jaehyun’s childhood friends whom he used to play at his house whenever his parents came along.

Gobbling up in the appetizing food Taeil prepared beforehand, Jaehyun brought up your painting exhibition again. He loved hearing artists talk about their works, wanting to know more about their driven mindset and what their imagination is like. After all, it does vary for everyone.

“So far,” You poked your fork through the chicken, taking a bite of it. “I’ve produced 3 paintings. The garden of flowers outside Café des Étoiles Perdues, the kids playing hopscotch in the alley, and the peach tree outside your house.”

“Woah, you’re on a roll.” Jaehyun clapped across you, pouring you another glass of water. He recalled the nights you ranted not having any clue what to do for the exhibit. Then after taking you to more places, he’s rewarded to see you be creatively active again. “How many artworks do you left to make?”

“Around 3-4 left. I have ideas already, but I’m still brainstorming.” You internally rejoiced, loving how much progress you’ve made. “How about you, Jaehyun? How’s your progress?”

Unlike you, Jaehyun still felt stuck. Although he did find couples around the village, none of them intrigued him as much as his past stories. But he won’t give up easily; that’s not in his work ethic.

“Still searching, but I’ll get there.”

Recently, you got ahold of some of Jaehyun’s books from him personally since they weren’t sold in the village. You wanted to understand how he became so well known outside the labels people put him under. Reading his first novel entitled “Des Papillons” (Butterflies), it was about a couple separated during World War II without contact or knowledge about their well-being. Yet whenever they saw butterflies on the day they parted, they took it as a sign that the other was alive wherever they were.

You’re always hanging on the cliff when the scenes revert back and forth to the main male lead getting stuck in intense war scenarios, rooting for him to get out alive each time. In the end, it took 7 years before they were reunited and wed.

Jaehyun had a wonderful way with his words and descriptions, managing to enwrap you in as if you’re also a character in the book. Like how you rooted for that male lead, you’re rooting for him to find his spark again.

Following this uplifting conversation, Jaehyun finally took to your greatly anticipated spot. It was the main viewpoint of Gordes, one of the most beautiful hilltop villages in the country. The sunset was about to hit, and the lights from the city across you slowly turned on like a bunch of dominos.

As you marveled at its aesthetics, Jaehyun leaned against the hood of his car. He sensed how in awe you were, more than you ever were in the city he assumed. So used to the city that being surrounded with nature became foreign to you.

He took out his polaroid camera from his trunk and captured a photo of you from behind. The shutter sounds were obvious, turning your back at the commotion. Jaehyun fanned the freshly printed photo to dry, giving a mischievous smile.

“What can I say? While you’re fawning over the view, mine was more enamoring.”

Although Jaehyun felt overwhelmed the first time he locked eyes with you, he can’t resist the power of his developing feelings for you. The more time he took you around, the more his heart found different details about you to admire. After listening to all those love stories in the past, the people he spoke to shared how there will be some distinct moment where your heart decides who they’re longing for.

That exact view of you by the cliff, he already knew.

He’s infatuated by you.

“Tu es très ringard, Jaehyun.” (You’re so cheesy, Jaehyun.) You scoffed sassily, with a hand on your waist.

“Un gentleman ne ment jamais, (Y/N). Allez, il fait nuit maintenant.” [A gentleman never lies, (Y/N). Come on, it’s night already.]

He cleverly responded, grabbing his car keys from his pocket. The trip back to the village was energizing, putting down the roof of his car to relish the chill breeze of the night weather. You even raised your arms in the air, losing your scarf even from the speed Jaehyun went at!

The two of you belted along to the songs on the radio when the fields were the only ones surrounding you, no neighbors to shout at your rambunctiousness.

The late-night hours drew by so quickly almost like dinner with more of Jaehyun’s friends didn’t happen. Arriving at the front doors of your apartment complex, Jaehyun raced over to your side to open your door. Always maintained proper observation of manners, you appreciated that side of him. Rarely anyone in Paris that you’ve encountered treated you that way because you were a foreigner.

“Bonsoir, (Y/N).” [Goodnight, (Y/N).]

“Bonsoir, Jaehyun. Quand est-ce que je te revois?” (Goodnight, Jaehyun. When can I see you again?)

“Demain et après-demain. Appelle-moi quand tu es libre.” (Tomorrow, and the day after that. Just give me a call when you’re free.)

With a short wave, you entered your building and marched up to the stairs. A good day only meant being tired to the core, ready to crash and fall in your soft bed. Opening your wide windows to let more of the cool breeze in, your eyes easily caught Jaehyun’s classy car still there. As for the owner, he didn’t move an inch from his leaning position.

“Rentre à la maison, Jaehyun! C’est tard!” (Go home, Jaehyun! It’s late!) You shrieked, peeking side to side to make sure none of the neighbors scold you.

Jaehyun laughed wholeheartedly, not budging at all. “La nuit ne fait que commencer, ma chérie.” (The night has just begun, my darling.)

“Comment tu m'as appelé?” (What did you call me?)

Either your ears were fooling you or he addressed you by a divine pet name. The gasp you swallowed, as your entire body tingled with exhilaration. Your mind would simply disregard it like his former teasing words, but your heart begged to differ.

Rather than responding with words, Jaehyun’s voice serenaded you with a wondrous song, C’est Si Bon by Eartha Kitt, that played on the radio earlier. Out of the blue, a random guitar accompaniment followed his baritone vocals.

“En voyant notre mine ravie,”

Against the railing of your wired balcony, your body shifted forward to watch him better.

“Les passants dans la rue, nous envient,”

Your hand perched on your cheek, admiring his talent.

“C'est si bon de guetter dans ses yeux,”

It was like a lullaby, and here you were drowning in its peacefulness. Sensing the passion he gives off in his singing, your heart couldn’t refrain the strings inside from being swayed and tugged.

This was your moment of realization: that you too were smitten.

“Un espoir merveilleux, qui donne le frisson…”

À la mi-juillet de 1957

“Hello, nature!” You greeted brightly as your legs raced the huge garden in his manor. It was the first time he invited you over, too lazy to go out of the city. His social battery needed a recharge for the weekend, so a picnic within his home would do the trick. Additionally, it was an excuse to bring you over after the numerous times you’ve begged him to.

Jaehyun merely shook his head, enjoying the rush of childlike fun in your veins while you squealed and grazed your hands through the flowers.

He carried a wooden basket full of treats his family maids cooked, taking his time to venture through the rows of flowers. They were growing healthily and phenomenally these days, sometimes riding his bike to personally water them since he became busy with writing again. Lately, he found inspiration again, and so he wrote day and night to set them free.

“Voila!” You yanked out a sunflower, sniffing it a little. “Come on, Jaehyun! Pick up a few for our lunch!”

He followed your order, picking out some he found ideal. But just for fun, he put down the basket and carried you from behind out of the blue. You tried kicking him away, but his muscular arms can’t compete with your soft ones.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to pick up a flower, so I did. The prettiest of them all.”

His flirtatious words were never serious, yet you took it as a compliment. That’s how high your confidence is. Only we define our own worth, not others. The two of you chatted more about your lives until the first rain of the season poured down, chilling down from the raging heat. None of you had an umbrella; the weather was too unpredictable.

Deciding to just run for it, he gave you the wooden basket to protect yourself whilst he used the blanket you’ve sat on. Running with laughter to return to his mansion in the muddy dirt, the cool drops shivered your figure yet felt fantastic.

If you were in the city, you’d panic because it’d mess your appearance and your boss would be infuriated by your unprofessionalism. But in the countryside, it didn’t matter at all. The condition of the rain wasn’t budging to improve, getting stronger by the minute. His entire house even lost power, his housemaids having to bring candles to his bedroom and your assigned one once night dawned.

It was hopeless to return home for you, plus it’s dangerous to drive in in the dark, narrow streets too. Jaehyun handed you some of his fresh clothes so you’d be free from flinching from cold dress sticking to your body.

“Get dressed and some sleep, (Y/N).”

Nodding, you excused yourself to find the bathroom. You’d assume it’d be easy, but this was your first time in his house; a mansion even. Doors from left to right, long corridors that seemed never-ending, no maids were within the vicinity whom you can ask for guidance.

Resorting to return to Jaehyun’s chamber for help, you were taken aback by what your eyes laid on. In front of his full mirror, he discarded his now-dried shirt. Even with the dim lighting, you could make out that he was fit by the transparent view of his abdomen. Peeping like this was wrong, yet you couldn’t turn away just yet. The heat in your cheeks was inevitable, finding composure in such an unholy sight.

Though a gear in you suddenly twisted; a gear that straightened your nerves. You’re taking a bold move on the chessboard of your feelings. Wholly opening his bedroom door again, you leisurely sauntered inside without warning.

“Oh, (Y/N)! Ne peux pas trouver la salle de bain?” (Oh, (Y/N)! Can’t find the bathroom?)

Unbothered as he stood shirtless, you on the other hand silently dropped his clothes on the floor. Holding intense eye contact, your fingers graciously unzipped the side of your dress. Inch by inch, the tension built up like the strong tiny flames lit on the candles around you two. Joining the pile of clothes, all that remained were your white lace undergarments. Unplanned for the get-go, it’s the ideal set for your earlier outfit at the picnic.

“Je me suis perdue, mais je pense avoir trouvé quelque chose de mieux.” (I got lost, but I think I found something better.)

Your fingers grazed your arm up to your collarbones, faking your naivety. From your lust-filled stare, the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes darkened. He gulped at the revealing sight of you, brushing his hair back to restrain himself.

None of you could utter a single word, only the vivacious rain being the only sounds ringing around you. Thus, you allowed your actions to pursue precisely what you desired to do.

Taking baby steps towards him to test the waters, he met you right in the center and closed the leftover space. His hands cradled your face, whilst yours clung to his chest. His lips tasted like red wine, watching him pour in a glass for himself earlier. He did offer, yet you declined.

Your tongue darted his lower lip, gaining access after. Sensing the edge of his bed, you plopped yourself down the cushion. His knee urged your legs to widen, letting his body slide in. From your face, his fingers lowered to the back of your bra, snapping the clasps open.

“It takes skill to accomplish that in one try, Jaehyun.”

“I lived in Paris too, ma chérie. You out of all people would understand and have the experience.”

His palms massaged your freed breasts, throwing your head back even more to his pillows as his lips ravaged down from your stomach until the fabric of your not-so pure panties.

“Call me that again, please.”

“Ma chérie, seras-tu mienne?” (My darling, will you be mine?) He kissed and licked the tiny ribbon in front repeatedly, where your now-swollen clit laid. It electrified your bones, pulling on to his ruffled hair.

“Tu peux m'avoir.” (You can have me.)

Sex in the form of one-night stands were all you’ve invested; upcoming artists like you weren’t capable to maintain long-term relationships. Les plans à trois even if you’re extra freaky or drunk from the afterparties of your events. All that these occurrences had in common were not seeing those men ever again after sneaking out of their apartments in the morning.

This time, it’s different.

When they said that doing the deed with someone you’re romantically entangled with was more special, they didn’t bluff. You could plan bits of your life, but it can sometimes change aspects of it when you least expect it. Sometimes for the best or the worst, but right now, it went beyond your expectations.

It’s rewarding that the man you’ve slowly fallen for within your stay returned your affections.

Around late 3 am that night, your brain jolted with artistic ideas that awoken your sonorous rest. There are no hopes of sleeping them off because they tend to bother you for hours until you do something about it. But you’re already so cozy having Jaehyun’s arms around you, skin to skin under the duvet. His lips daunted right above your forehead, recalling his endless kisses there that helped you fall asleep.

Well, these ideas don’t work themselves unless you do. Untangling him tactfully, you stepped out of the blanket and wore one of his long white shirts he gave you earlier before pulling out your sketchpad and palette of oil paints.

Luckily, there was still one available candle to use as the rest have melted indefinitely. You slid the matchstick again to the sand surface, boring a flame from the friction which you placed on top of the wick.

All your ideas that night leaned towards one thing, or person rather: Jaehyun.

You spent a few minutes retracing how he vividly looked at the picnic, leaning back from the chair of his work desk. His outfit of a turquoise turtleneck underneath a white button-top with trousers matching the said turtleneck looked good together, how his ears tingled red after you complimented his newfound inspiration for his book, and the prominent veins in his arms when he rolled his sleeves due to the heat.

The thin brush you held defined the shape of his face, then paying attention to the messy strands of his hair. Stroking in a circular way to outline his eyelids, a hoarse grunt disturbed the peaceful silence.

“Get back in bed, ma chérie.” His eyes drowsily opened, lying on his side. The moment he no longer felt your warmth, he worried something happened. Instead, you’re working late at night after quite a rough yet romantic night.

“Shush,” You shunned him down with your index finger. “Give me a few more minutes.”

“Perhaps, are you painting me?” He hunched from the covers. “Your eyes looking back and forth would never lie to me, would they?”

“Maybe…” You teased, batting your eyes at him without any risky intentions. Or not?

He deeply chuckled, sluggishly removing himself under the covers. In his pure nudity, he advanced himself towards you. You shrieked, covering yourself with your free hand.

“Jaehyun, stay back! I told you I’ll be there soon!”

Not listening, he carried your bridal style, making you drop your precious palette to the fur rug. Laying you carefully, he popped each button open. By the sight of his cock hardening again, you knew you were in for another round with him.

“Wet again, ma chérie? Oh, this will be fun.”

Fin de juillet 1957

So this kind of summer romance concept that everyone fantasized about… it became your present.

Together you’d stroll in the smaller streets and immerse yourselves in the unique culture of the village. Whenever anyone saw you together, holding hands, biking, or what-not, they’d praise in the name of love for bringing you both together. A romance like yours in the countryside was a lively sight.

Remember how extensions were a possibility if your search for inspiration wasn’t found? Well, it’s not a question that you’d make one, except inspiration found you instead. And he had one arm around you as he slow danced with you in the open grounds of the village, listening to the live band covering song classics.

In particular, Chet Baker. He was Jaehyun’s favorite artist at the moment.

There was an ongoing week-long festival dedicated to summer, giving more plants their bloom and spreading gratitude to the hardworking people. Especially the students, off on their break.

The faint radiance from the post lights as Jaehyun swayed you around, making you laugh as he tried to mumble the lyrics of the song. All those glasses of wine he tried earlier with you from the bartender offering it for free had its effects, and you weren’t off the hook from them either.

Blisters started to form from your ankles, adjusting to the new pair of heels Jaehyun gave (or insisted to buy) you a while ago after staring at them like lasers. You’ve always provided things for yourself that being spoiled by someone else felt weird to you.

“If there’s anything you want me to buy for you, just tell me.”

“How can I buy you if you’re already mine?”

His smooth talk often made you punch his shoulder, but it’s just a mechanism to hide the exhilaration.

Under each other’s spells in your dance, you laid your head on Jaehyun’s chest. Feeling the strong beat of his heart, you were reminded of how much life he’s filled with. And you became a part of it, in the same way he crossed yours.

Jaehyun’s lips sank to the top of your head, pecking it affectionately. The first-ever summer where he wasn’t stuck at his desk working or drinking his life away with his rich friends in their Parisian homes, it couldn’t get better than this.

“Oiii! Flirtez ailleurs!” (Oiii! Flirt somewhere else!) The distinct voice of Jaemin, handing out pastries to passersby, shouted at the both of you, making you flip your middle finger at him.

“Trouve une copine d’abord, d’accord?!” (Find a girlfriend first, alright?!) You shouted back jokingly, almost falling due to the ache of your feet. Your immodest behavior was censored by Jaehyun’s large palms, not wanting the kids around to see it. Whispering closely to your ear,

“Tu es ivre. Laisse-moi te ramener chez toi.” (You’re drunk. Let me take you home.)

You changed back into your sandals as Jaehyun led you through the different alleys. Your vision was too hazy to navigate, so he had one arm wrapped around your shoulders. The weather grew cold too, shivering your bones so he draped you in his blazer.

“Wait,” You stopped, making him do the same. But before he could ask for your reason, your hands yanked him by his suspenders and your legs walked backward to reach the brick wall. Standing in his 5’11 glory, you were overpowered.

Yet your lips captured his effortlessly, raising to your toes to press yourself closer to him. He moved fast, one arm hugging your waist while the other hoisted your leg up. Tangling around his waist, the urge to move your hips against his crotch couldn’t be contained any longer.

Everyone was probably still out at this time or sleeping. The sloppy sounds you’ve produced were beyond suitable for any audience. Not to mention, the nasty words Jaehyun’s pretty mouth spoke in your ears desired you to fall to your knees.

“Not afraid of getting caught, ma chérie? You want me to ruin you right here, right now?”

“God, Jaehyun,” Your hands tugged his belt forward, the friction it gave to your core twitched the naughty side out of you. “Do it, please.”

The idea of public sex thrilled your mind into overdrive, yet you’ve never done it. In Paris, a city where several people started to know your name, you didn’t need a scandal to be plastered in your resume yet.

Jaehyun himself included, and still opted not to give it to you.

“Another time, ma chérie. Your apartment, now.”

The moment you unlocked your apartment door, Jaehyun was far from gentle like in the mansion. Ripping you out of your frilly dress didn’t take long, so was unbuttoning his trousers down to the floor.

On your knees, his hand gave you a makeshift ponytail as your tongue flicked the slit of his cock. Then slowly taking him inch by inch on your mouth, you’d let out a loud pop when you needed to breathe. Your hands fondling his balls, he groaned from the edge of your bed and tightened his hold on you. Tears formulated in your eyes as you got to swallow him whole, uncontrollably bobbing your head.

He felt like putty when he released, your throat taking the salty base. You hastily unhooked your bra in front of him when suddenly, his hand flicked on the fabric of your panties, cueing you to stop your motion.

“Keep them on when you ride me.”

Straddling on his lap, his head laid against the headboard of his bed. His arms roaming around your back to stabilize you, your fingers pushed your panties to the side as you pushed yourself down his protected length. Your moans became shaky. Up and down, you bounced while bracing on his shoulders.

Against his ear, your moans were harmonious. His hips moved against your beat, hitting your g-spot like the sexual ace he is. His thumb rubbing your clit, you shuttered your eyes at the impending high approaching you like a bus.

“I’m close.” You choked out, the overstimulation overwhelming your nerves.

“Fuck, me too.” He grunted, slapping your butt that made you shriek.

Soon enough, everything hit you both all at once. The knot snapped, and so did your body falling on his chest after a single scream. Panting, Jaehyun pecked on your temple as his cock softened up. Once you returned to your senses, you lifted yourself from his length, laying bare beside him.

His eyes started to fall, but before they did, he muttered huskily. “Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

It was the first time he’s said those words in the way they meant, and he’s more than certain that it’s what he felt with you. Sure, it started as mutual infatuation, but now, it can’t leave. Not on his watch.

Love was a concept unfamiliar to you, but Jaehyun slowly taught you what it was and how it felt like. Books and films may give sneak peeks, but to personally give and receive it back was made possible by him.

From this moment on, you could conclude that yes, you reciprocated it.

“Je t’aime aussi, Jaehyun.”

16 octobre 1957

Autumn made its way to the countryside.

The leaves switched into red-brown shades, the weather in the south was warmer, and the wine harvest was highly anticipated. Jaehyun’s camera was a common item in your outings, taking as many photos as he could so the two of you had something to look back on.

Planned and candid, his range was wide. These were moments that proved that your youth was as happy as you wished it to be. You wouldn’t trade it for anything else.

Painting in his mansion was a regular thing, having new canvases prepared at his patio. There were so many items that amused you there like you could base your entire collection on his home. It’s not like Jaehyun could argue; it meant more time with you whenever you came over.

“Jaehyun, if you smudge paint on me, so help me Go-” He refused to listen to your “threats”, smearing black paint on your cheek.

“You were saying?” He cockily pestered, showcasing his paint-filled fingers. You dipped one of your brushes into the new paint and chased after him without hesitation. The entire evening became a paint war, a laugh fit even after seeing your reflections in the mirror. But before you could clean yourself, Jaehyun’s camera was by your face and he pressed the button.

“Still breathtaking.”

But the middle of the season arrived, that’s where your planned extension you’ve reached its end. The exhibit was next month, getting calls from your boss regarding your return and the paintings you’ll present. You informed her that you already had them mailed to your studio way back, so there’s nothing much to worry about.

All your bags were packed in the private car Jaehyun rented. Here, you’re bidding your goodbyes to every friend you’ve made outside the doors of your apartment complex, saving your last words with Jaehyun.

The night before, he stayed over and helped you pack your last items in luggage bags. He even brought extra clothes for you so you wouldn’t work extra. You’ve talked it out the whole evening through what happens next to ease your worries. In your bed, he opened the wide windows and pulled you under the sheets.

“Write to me.”

“Call me when you’re free, or whenever you feel like it.”

Leaning against the railing of the stairs, watched the sorrow in your face over this parting. He sensed how bittersweet everything was, but he wouldn’t change anything about it. He’s positive that your story won’t end here, not right now.

Sauntering to him, you sighed whilst taking your bag he held the whole time from him. His touch was tighter as the two of you hugged tenderly, nuzzling his head on your shoulder. The scent of his citrus cologne that implanted in your brain felt comforting, despite the uncertainty of everything between you.

You hinted a minty taste from the menthol candies from his home as his lips brushed yours, colliding it timely. He waited when everyone left, relishing these last seconds.

Stepping inside the vehicle, you waved your summer love farewell one more time before the driver hit the pedal. Your eyes couldn’t stray away from looking back, the distance between him and your former apartment widening. Only when he was no longer in the frame, you shifted your focus back in front.

Your fingers fiddled with the charm bracelet he gifted you from the market. It was custom-made by a jeweler who was great friends with his mother in his younger years. There were two pendants chained on it: a paintbrush and the sun.

“A paintbrush to remind you of your passion, and the sun to remind you of the summer we first met.”

The man was like one of his romance books, in human form. He knew how to catch your breath effortlessly.

Your stay, for now, may have concluded, but there was always next summer. And the ones after that. The village felt like a second home, one you can’t neglect like the other places you’ve lived. Then having Jaehyun here, the more reasons to return.

Undoubtedly the best vacation you’ve ever been in your adult years, one that didn’t sacrifice for your art so you could compete with other artists. The weight on your chest poofed into thin air, and you felt ready for what the next steps as a painter were.

Appreciating the greenery you passed by, you peeked over the side mirror of the car only to find Jaehyun quickly biking in your direction.

Now, what was he up to?

You instantly requested the driver to slow down his pace, rolling down the window of the car. Not caring about the strong winds, “You fool, what are you doing?!”

Although he trusted your last words, he had the greed to see your face again. It would be a long time until he’ll see you in person again. So he pedaled as fast he could to still reach you. Oh, the things you do when you’re in love.

“Mon cœur bat la chamade pour toi, (Y/N)!” [My heart beats loudly for you, (Y/N)!]

You giggled at his silliness, throwing out flying kisses.

“Je reviendrai bientôt, Jaehyun!” (I’ll come back soon, Jaehyun!)

21 octobre 1957

Only your friends at the studio gave you a warm welcome back, receiving comments like “get back to work” from your first encounter with your boss. Popping a champagne glass open after work hours on the rooftop of your studio, they interrogated you with all the questions they could think of.

“So this village in Provence…. was it beautiful as the tourists said?” Ten, who moved from his home in Thailand to Paris at a young age, expressed his curiosity whilst leaning against the railing overlooking the Eiffel Tower.

“Beautiful is an understatement, Ten. I miss it dearly!” You heaved a sigh, twirling your glass.

“So this inspiration you were looking for…” Amélie, your dear friend since your university days, created some tension as she prolonged her last word. Playfulness twinkled in her eyes, crossing her legs. “Was a person involved by any chance?”

For a moment, your throat almost gagged on the sizzling alcohol going down.

“What do you mean?” You acted clueless, pouring your now empty glass with more booze. But the moment Ten gave you the troublesome look coordinating with Amélie, you already knew you wouldn’t hear the end of it. These two were such gossips in and out of the studio.

Ten took the seat across you on the table and leaked all his pent-up information.

“So you know Seo Youngho, the only son of the Seo family. Rich, socialite, a total hotshot… yeah, all that jazz.” He dived in, seeing you nod over knowing that man. Someone in the past you’ve slept with, but that’s another story. “Well, Amelie and I attended one of his parties at his large penthouse. He had his usual crowd there; Kim Doyoung, Lee Taeyong, Nakamoto Yuta, and Lee Minhyung. But fun fact: there’s another member in that friend group who doesn’t go to these kinds of events.”

“Here’s where it gets interesting,” Amélie excitedly took off like the pipelette (chatterbox) she is. “Youngho, who was talking to us for a bit, asked where you’ve run off. Poor him, he must’ve missed you in his bed but anyway! We told him that you went down south somewhere in Provence for a break. Oddly enough, he mentioned how the mentioned member moved back there for the same reason.”

Ten and Amélie gave each other another frisky look, merely to piss you off. So predictable of them.

“Get to the point please!” You screeched.

“Jeong Jaehyun, ever heard of him?” Amélie imitated your tone of voice. “I mean, you should since you made a whole painting of him.”

“H-How,” Speechless, that’s what you were. Ten went on a fit of giggles, signaling the build-up of his intoxication.

“Youngho visited the studio to find a specific painting for his home, and we helped him in choosing. Then when your deliveries of paintings arrived that day and were unwrapped, the look on his face when he saw Jaehyun’s painting was priceless. Things started to add up, especially when he told us that he called up Jaehyun prior, he said that Jaehyun was seeing a girl during his stay there.”

“A young, burnt-out painter from Paris, to be specific.”

They’ve put you on the edge of the cliff, and it was too close to call it a coincidence. Of all things to be revealed, this had to be the first.

“Well, I was waiting for another time to tell you guys about him though.”

Their gasps of joy could give you guys a noise complaint by the neighbors, telling all about your escapades of him and you. During it, the more you missed seeing him daily either on his bike or his car. It was stuck in your routine, but now it’s reverted to your old one.

Could the next summer come any faster?

14 février 1958

Perhaps your newest collection at the Louvre was your most successful one yet.

Entitled “Inspirez, Expirez” (Breathe In, Breathe Out), your sceneries during your stay in the village varied. An old couple slow dancing under the night sky, and the quiet district of shops Jaehyun took you, those were some of your last additions.

A multitude of positive reviews on the newspapers and art magazines came in, commending on taking on a fresher, brighter outlook for a change whilst finding your spark again. As fulfilling it was, what you longed the most was the one responsible for it.

Lately, it’s been tough to contact him. His maids always answered the calls, informing you that he was busy with work or family matters. It’s so rare for him to act like this. Whatever it was, it wasn’t grand or serious hopefully.

Back to your collection, tonight was the last night of it. Just in time for Valentine’s day, where numerous socialite lovers embarked on this event, but you’re more fixated that it was also Jaehyun’s birthday. A boy full of love born on the day dedicated for it, things made more sense. In case, you’ve sent your birthday wishes to him through letter and passing the message to one of his maids. Even on his special day, he hasn’t reached out to you.

But to momentarily forget about that, there was a closing ceremony held for this exhibit with the other artists involved, and it was your turn to give your final remarks. More esteemed socialites and journalists were present, which didn’t halt your nerves the slightest. You were a professional after all, holding pride in your craft as you stood in front of the microphone wearing your new favorite custom-made gown.

There are perks when you have close friends in the fashion industry, specifically Kim “Key” Kibum from the House of Key. After defending him from a disrespectful client when you were picking up a dress for your boss during your internship years, not only did you earn his respect, but an invite to his shows and first claiming of new items from his collections. Dining in expensive restaurants in the metro was a plus, catching up on your lives. Sometimes calling each other out for your sexcapades too.

Speaking of him, he was in the crowd that night, ordering every photographer to take photos of your gorgeous self in one of his dresses. Or in your opinion, bribing some by how he stuffed a few thick stacks of Euro bills down their pockets.

Only one of it ever made. A dark green satin v-neck off-the-shoulder gown, where diamonds adorned your neck and ears and white stilettos kept your perfect balance. Also courtesy of Key.

Because it’s the winter season, he gifted you a limited edition white fur coat every socialite tried getting their hands on. Your hair was styled in a bun, emphasizing your dark tinted lips from this new lipstick Amelie insisted you buy.

Most people would get the first impression that you were one of the socialites, a child from one of the affluent families even. But you were a lot more remarkable than that, having inborn talent in the arts that you specialized over your youth and rising to the top without any parental help.

“Thank you to everyone for their endless support towards the magnificent collections of each artist present. As for mine, I am grateful to rechannel my creative side by taking a break. Rather than romanticizing overworking our bones to the core, there’s nothing wrong with taking a step back from the pressure. Being alive is a blessing, realizing further how our youth won’t stay with us forever. Being away from the boisterous cities, I found relaxation in the countryside of Provence.”

Your lips quirked into a grin as every single memory during that time reeled in your head like a movie. “The beauty of Provence cannot be simply put in words. The muses I’ve encountered were more than lovely, especially the man behind the Poetic Rose. With that, I sincerely thank everyone from my bottom of my heart and I hope to continue to support me in the years to come.”

The applause roared once you stepped down the platform, shaking hands with every esteemed guest with more gratitude as they praised you. These days, socializing with them was a lot easier. You’ve even taken more initiative to greet people first before they do, conversing with them easily about anything.

Key definitely noticed that as you toured him around your section, holding his nth glass of wine for the night.

“You, Madame (Y/N), transformed into a social butterfly.” He nudged your shoulder, smirking once he got a better view of his favorite painting from you. “I guess that’s the thing when you’re in love.”

“I beg your pardon?”

With this free hand, he motioned it up and down at the painting in front of you. “The Poetic Rose is none other than the youngest son of the Jeong family, whom I’ve met through his older sister, Krystal.”

“Am I really the only one who doesn’t know him?!” You stressed, jokingly. Key was elated to capture you in his trap, the changes of your personality too evident in his eyes. Figuring it out that it was love took a while, but being acquainted with Krystal, she’s the one who told him that her younger brother was in love with a painter in Provence. Do the math.

“I’ve met him through his older sister, one of my highly favored clients. He’s not much of a socialite like her, so I don’t really blame you for that.”

Searching for a waiter to refill your wine glasses, a surprise emerged the both of you.

“Madame Krystal, you’re absolutely stunning.”  Key complimented her, giving the engaged heiress of Jeong Tea Inc. kisses on the cheek as respect. Her recent engagement to Kim Donghyun, her childhood sweetheart and also the heir of Kim Couture, was the talk of the town.

They arrived at the event together, drawing the attention of everyone in the room earlier. Now, he was speaking to a few influential socialites he made a deal with this week about the art collections present.

“Key, you never fail to look fantastic,” She remarked positively, poking his necktie before placing her undivided attention on you. “So you must be (Y/N) (Y/L/N). You’re beyond bewildering in that gown.”

“Flattered to hear that, Madame Krystal. Such a pleasure to meet you.”

The three of you chatted as if you were the only people there. From art, passion, and love, pride filled in your chest when you toured your collection. It was like walking down memory lane for her, adding out how she used to climb the peach tree with her younger brother during their childhood. Once her eyes laid on Poetic Rose, she took her time admiring it.

“My younger brother grew up well. That’s all I could ever hope for as his only older sister.” She paused, noticing how silent you became when you stared at the painting along with her. She observed the passion lit in your eyes, yet there was longing behind it by the way your lips pouted briefly. “You must really love him, do you?”

“I do, truly. After meeting him, not only was I boosted with so much ideas, but my heart embraced him for what and who he is in this universe.” You professed confidently, earning an approving smile from Krystal.

“If that’s how you feel, why not tell him that yourself?”

Her fingers gestured you to turn around. Stood in a grey suit with his brown hair slicked back, it was like seeing a completely new person. A handsome one though. His fashion in the countryside heavily differed from his fashion in the cities. So sophisticated and refined, he looked like a prince straight out of a fairytale.

Your fairytale.

“Jaehyun.”

It’s like everything stopped once he sprinted towards you, pulling you off your feet for a snug hug. Your arms threw themselves on his neck by instinct, not wasting a single second in his grasp. Your nose inhaled the woody scent of his cologne, something more formal than his usual fruity scent.

The smell of aftershave in his jaw couldn’t go ignored either, assuming that he must have had plans to go out tonight. Nonetheless, you squealed as if you were back in Provence, giggling at his boldness. Once he put you down, neither of you could get your hands off each other.

“What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you’d be in Paris!” Clutching your waist, you gazed at him with doe-like eyes, instilling confusion.

“J’ai voulu te surprendre, my chérie.” (I wanted to surprise you, my darling.)

He chuckled, pushing some straying strands of your hair behind your ear. His eyes evoked so much endearment towards this elegant look you prepared, making his heart race as if he were in the gardens of his manor again.

Hearing his petname for you again attacked your heart every time no matter how much time passed, he lifted your chin high. Jaehyun urged himself to kiss you senseless right there, leaning lower. And yes, you anticipated it by how your eyes instantly closed.

Only if it weren’t for Krystal to clear her throat, obviously ruining the mood. Flinching away from your sensual lover, you rubbed the nape of your neck. Towards an heiress like her, it must’ve been unprofessional.

“Couldn’t you at least wait until I left, younger brother?” Her fingers flicked Jaehyun’s forehead, a teasing trick they used to do as kids. Even if she was a lot shorter now, it didn’t mean the impact was weak. He cursed under his breath, covering his forehead.

Stifling your laughter was a failure, crinkling your eyes to unleash your emotions. So this is what their sibling dynamic was like?

“Now excuse me, older sister. You didn’t tell me you were visiting the exhibit after my birthday dinner with our parents?” He crossed his arms, exchanging a judgmental look. For his sake, he wanted to maintain his pride. “All you said after dinner was that you were going straight home with your fiancé after all the alcohol mother gave you because it made you lightheaded.”

“Well, you know Key and his persuasiveness. He insisted I attend this event last minute because all the collections were amazing.” She explained, shedding a subtle glance at you. “Plus, it’s an excuse to finally meet this lovely girl you raved so much through your letters.”

Jaehyun kept his family life private, so this piece of information was new to you. The unpredicted way the fluttering feeling drew in your stomach, all you could do was smile from the flattery.

“He spoke about me to you?”

“More than speak, my dear. He practically professed his love for you, asking me advice on how to court a girl, make them smile, etcetera. You’re the first girl he’s been this affectionate with, and I completely understand now.” She patted your shoulder, hopeful. She had such a strong older sister vibe, reminding you of your older siblings back home. “You’re a clever, talented woman. I look forward to seeing you more often.”

As you nodded in approval, she turned towards her brother with her recurring teasing look. “Yah, Jaehyun. You better take care of her. If she ever sheds a tear because of you, I’m hunting you down in the gardens.”

“Harsh of you, Krystal.” He planted his hand on his chest, feigning pain. “But no worries. Having you and mother around me kept me well-mannered towards women growing up.”

Playfulness aside, Krystal felt honored towards her younger brother. Men these days maintained their sexist beliefs and rudeness, especially those who doubted her high position in the family business once her father stepped down. Nowadays, it’s men like Jaehyun who could really challenge the patriarchy and make women pursue a lot more than being limited as a housewife.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Now please excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”

Krystal waltzed her way out without tripping from her slight intoxication, which Jaehyun worried about earlier. But anyway, that left him alone with you. Filled with so many questions, you didn’t know where to start.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Paris? Why didn’t you acknowledge my birthday wishes to you? Why aren’t you answering my calls and letters?” You blurted without wasting a breath, weren’t trying to come off as needy, but it became peculiar when he was contacting you like usual.

You pushed off thinking of the worst scenarios, not wanting it to ruin your drive and your emotions either. Yet you trusted Jaehyun enough to know he wasn’t the type of person either.

“Okay slow down, ma chérie.” His hands maneuvered for you to stop for a bit. “Ask me one by one and I’ll give you a solid answer for each while we roam around.”

He arrived in Paris last week, which was initially for work. Then his birthday clashing was a coincidence. It would be too lonely to go home and celebrate his special day alone, so he extended. But again, it’s his work that caused his abrupt contact.

When you were too busy delving into the success of recovering your inspiration, he also found his spur to write again too. Day and night, his mind kept him tedious with an endless trail of thoughts and words. Overall, he finalized it then brought the end product to the same publishing house where his books in the past went through.

In fact, he decided to publish them specifically today on his birthday. The only day in his itinerary he planned, where after publishing, he’d hang out with his friends, have dinner with his family then run off to reunite with you.

“I didn’t intend to make you feel like a second choice, so please forgive me for that, ma chérie.”

“All is forgiven, Jaehyun.” You held both his hands, kissing them tenderly out of habit. “I’m overjoyed that you rekindled your creative side again.”

You were so understanding and empathetic, and Jaehyun aimed to act that way too. He learned so much from you as his friend before being his lover. Quickly enough, you’re both back to his portrait in the center. Like a critic, he narrowed his eyes and scrunched his nose. Tapping his chin with his finger,

“This man in Poetic Rose, he’s quite dashing.” He commented with conceit, walking closer to it to view it better. “His freckles are on point, his dimples and dazzling eyes too. Why exactly is he described as a Poetic Rose?”

“Well sir,” You stood beside him, imitating his actions. “This man here always spoke so eloquently, like he had a very poetic approach on life. He reminded me also of a rose by his rosy tinted cheeks and his beauty. He was alluring inside and out.”

“Is he your favorite muse?”

“I never quoted him as a muse because he’s more than that. Muses can be replaced once they no longer serve purpose towards the artist. Though with him, he’s the never-ending flame that I want to keep for the rest of time."

You held on to his hand, interlocking your fingers with his. The apparent reddening of his ears proved that he was flustered, yet you spoke no lies.

“Joyeux anniversaire, ma flamme.” (Happy birthday, my flame.)

“Merci beaucoup, ma chérie.” (Thank you, my darling.)

Something about his new release piqued your attention so you brought it up again.

“So tell me about your new book.”

“Let me show you instead.” Inside the blazer, there was an inner pocket that sealed a small hardbound book. Taking it out, he handed it over to you. “This is your copy.”

The cover of the book had an illustration of two young adults running down the fields under the bright sun, with the title written in cursive and placed in the center.

“L’Été de 1957.” (The Summer of 1957.)

Like a child who received a new gift in the mail, you flipped the book open. Seeing the table of contents and credits to other important people involved in the process, there was a detailed dedication right before the starting chapter. It’s an unexpected page, noticing that he never put anything like this in his last works.

“Pour ma chérie, qui a peint les couleurs manquantes de ma vie.” (For my darling, who painted the missing colors of my life.)

Although Jaehyun planned to write about the couples he met in the countryside, he chose to change his perspective. Instead, he based this new book on your summer romance, installing more original characters who made your romance blossom more.

“I was once so engaged in listening to people’s love stories, hung up on what they felt.” He expounded, pacing around the floor whilst you skimmed through the pages. There were black and white photos from your adventures too to wrap the reader further in the story.

“While I was struggling to find the next story, I realized late that my story with you was a perfect choice. When I fell in love with you, it’s like I didn’t have to fret anymore about anything. Everything slowly yet surely aligned into place for me. Like how we found inspiration in each other.”

A poetic speaker meant having a poetic, wise mind. You kept an open mind whenever Jaehyun shared his thoughts on life with you, an intimate time that didn’t require using your bodies. Whether you were stargazing or drinking wine by his patio, his soulful personality never changed.

“So I recapped every single memory we had and compiled them,” He resumed, taking a closer step towards yours. His warm hands grasped your waist again, catching a glimpse of your astonished face. Mostly, towards your lips that he missed feeling against his.

“This book expressed my own take on love this time, the one I want to grow in.”

You’d care less if you dropped the book and your coat right there, your major desire to kiss him again was driving your senses to the edge of a cliff. Nothing could’ve braced yourself the second you fervently collided your lips with his. It didn’t feel like you were in this exhibit, but somewhere back in his mansion engulfed in each other’s presence.

Your legs almost melted by your daring move, if it weren’t for Jaehyun’s arm moving upwards to your back to stabilize you more. Your body tingled with goosebumps due to his relaxing fingers all over your body. His tongue caved in your lips, and you couldn’t ban its access.

Such an explicit sight, it felt forbidden as you were inches away from the public crowd. Yet it was the least of your worries if they made a big fuss over it. Jaehyun was here again with you, and that was more valuable to you. He savored every trace of your touches, taking his delicate time with you. No past birthday could defeat this, especially when it’s the first one to celebrate with you. The first of many.

As much you wanted to keep this up for hours, your lungs started feeling constricted of air so your lips timidly let go. Though your hands couldn’t, your overwhelmed eyes couldn’t shift away from the heart-stopping view of your lover. Wherein even after such a fearless session, his eyes fused with love and need with his plumper lips.

“Everything about Provence, especially you, that’s the life I want.” You confessed this concealed secret that’s revolved your head for a while now. Yet its certainty was true.

“Are you sure, ma chérie? What about work?” As an artist, he believed you should stay where everything is accessible. Yet as his woman, he wanted you to follow your heart. Jaehyun didn’t want you to choose or struggle.

“I’ve grown out from the idea that the city life was the only life meant of an artist like me.” You replied, confident enough to discuss it after deep thought. “Cities like Paris hold exciting, vigorous flames that will have you clinging on to them. But then, they’ll eventually die the longer you stay. You get burned in the process too. However, I stand by what I said earlier. I found an endless flame when I met and began loving you, Jaehyun. It doesn’t sting at all; it illuminates strongly every living day.”

Urging him to lower his stance with your fingers, you stated one last phrase. “Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be.”

“If that’s the case,” Jaehyun acknowledged, sticking his arm out for you. “Let’s get out of here.”

Astounded expressions crowded the socialites in the event as they watched the both of you exit together. If the news of Krystal and Donghyun weren’t crazy enough, some journalists figured the mysterious man behind The Poetic Rose and spread it like wildfire.

How was the youngest son of the Jeong family turned renowned romance novel author connected to the impressive, up-and-coming painter from London?

What really went down in Provence?

“How can you miss out on the signs? Did you not see them share a kiss earlier?” Key protested to those who weren’t approving whatever relationship you guys had. He loved his tea but hated those who simply were money hungry. Wanting a chance to be a part of the rich family, only to fish them out of their riches sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the winter season didn’t stop any of you from roaming the streets of Paris. Moments like these were a preview of the future you’ve envisioned with Jaehyun. Youthful, free, and fiery, a love between two artists created more magic not just in their crafts but to those around them.

Promenading a street overlooking the Seine River, Jaehyun took out a smaller instant camera from his pocket and took a candid shot of you. Stunned, you slapped his chest with your bag.

“Hey! Just how many more things are hidden in your blazer?”

“Just my wallet and a few condoms. Why’d you ask?” He raised a suggestive brow, feigning good intentions.

You hummed, faking your deep thought mindset. “At this rate, I don’t think we’ll make it back to my apartment alive.”

Jaehyun tugged you by your coat, his lips hovering your ear to whisper. “If we call a cab right now, I can finger you in the backseat.”

You chuckled at his vulgar idea, but it seemed ideal. You loved the thrill of getting caught or having someone overhearing you two, just like him. Besides, his fingers don’t match up to yours when you touch yourself alone in your apartment. You bat your eyelashes, giving in.

“Deal.”

6 ans plus tard (1964)

Summer returned, the sun strongly smiling down to the plentiful flowers at your family garden. By the patio of your home, your canvas was already laid by the easel stand. Shades of yellow were applied first to symbolize the brightness of the day, following the outline of your desired scenery for this piece.

Dipping the brush in water to change colors, you took another glance at the breezy sky. Light blue with clouds resembling soft pillows, you inhaled gently as your brush faintly stroked the canvas again.

Your hair was tied in a bun, meaning that you’re in for a busy session. But a more soothing one as the jazz music flowed from the vinyl player inside. Stress was the last thing you needed right now.

“What’s madame artiste up to right now?” Your husband piped in from behind, placing down a tray of tea and crackers. With some top buttons of his white top left unattended, you glimpsed on his toned chest when he leaned down. But you mustn’t pry whilst working, even when temptation was calling your name repeatedly.

“The summer sunshine healed me of my discomfort, so I think it’s about time I painted again.” You chewed on the snack, looking back and forth to the view. As enchanting as all the flowers you and him planted over the years grew, you’re more amused by a little boy strolling around it with his magnifying glass and tiny wooden basket with his furry puppy by his side.

His tiny legs often troubled the two of you because he enjoyed spending time with nature. Only God knows what he found in the garden this time.

“Adrien est explorer encore. Devrais-je lui dire qu’il change de place, ma chérie?” (Adrien is exploring again. Should I tell him to change places, my darling?) Jaehyun cautiously asked, not wanting his 3 year old son to impair your perspective.

“Non,” (No,) You held on to his hand, kissing it sweetly. Although you peeved any unnecessary details found in your scenery in the past, Adrien was an exception. As his mother, it’s hard to say no to him unless necessary.

“Il est un garçon curieux, alors il devrait explorer et flâner où il veut.” (He’s a curious boy, so he should explore and wander wherever he wants.)

Life ever since you returned to the countryside shifted into something more precious than you imagined. From moving places constantly, you found a home to settle in for good. A home with overflowing love and inspiration. A home within Jeong Jaehyun.

Recently, you halted your work-related activities in Paris and came home because you were heavily homesick. It even affected your health as a whole. So you made adjustments with your schedules, postponing appearances to events to next year.

On the plus side, you could be more active as a mother to Adrien. It felt like you burdened Jaehyun to take care of Adrien most of the time because he mainly worked from home, wherein important people who wanted to meet him would have to fly out to the countryside.

Back and forth to Paris, your presence towards Adrien often lacked. Here came your biggest fear, which was Adrien forgetting you. But Jaehyun told you over and over again that it wasn’t the case. As he listened to every wrenching thought you had, but he’d combat it with heartfelt words of reassurance so you wouldn’t overanalyze things.

He vowed to love and take care of you when times get hard, and he will continue doing so.

Remember when you said how his mansion felt too big?

It no longer did after getting married.

It gave more room to grow and breathe more life into it. When Adrien was born, he was the prime reflection of your and Jaehyun’s love. He mirrored his father’s physical traits but with a daring personality like yours. A perfect mixture, the world worked amazingly to bring a boy like him into your life.

“Maman! Papa!” Adrien bolted to where you and Jaehyun stood. From the clothes he wore, it’s very much clear that his father was in charge of it whilst you slept in the entire morning. Suspenders, capri shorts, a white shirt, and a red beret, he deserved his title as Jaehyun’s mini-me.

Jaehyun swelled with pride and love for his only son, peeking over what he brought to show and tell you both. “Oh Adrien, what do you have for us today?”

In his basket, there were 3 sunflowers stuck out from the edge. It’s been a while since you’ve seen some in full bloom, lowering your stance to get a more vivid view. He took them out to hand them to you and your husband.

One flower for Jaehyun and two for you. You let out a gasp, scrunching your brows to the center. He always gave one of each item to you and Jaehyun, never more or less.

“Ooh, deux fleurs pour Maman. Pourquoi, Rien?” (Ooh, two flowers for Mama. Why, Rien?) Jaehyun let his nickname out for his lips while you grasped his small hand.

“Well, I heard from Olivier next door that on his birthday, he gave extra flowers to his mother so he could have another sibling. And it worked!” He spoke so innocently, yet it hitched a choke from Jaehyun’s chest. Your eyes widened from disbelief. The information he collected due to his curiosity, no boundaries truly.

“Le mois prochain, c’est mon anniversaire. Je me demandais si je peux avoir un frère ou sœur comme Olivier? Tu es toujours occupée, comme Papa. Je ne veux plus être seul, alors je veux une amie aussi.” (It’s my birthday next month, and I was wondering if I can have a sibling like Olivier? You are always busy, like Papa. I don’t want to be alone anymore, so I want a friend too.)

You exchanged looks with Jaehyun, not knowing how exactly to respond. Although you and Jaehyun did agree that you wanted more than one child when you were younger, neither of you brought it up again since your careers were always loaded with plans.

Adrien was a surprise child actually, conceived on the night where you and Jaehyun celebrated after L’Été de 1957 was announced to be the best-selling romance novel of the decade in the country.

In Paris at his family home, where his parents brought out all their prized liquor, the two of you drank the entire night away to the point Krystal and Donghyun had to push you away from each other from your public affections because their children were present.

But it didn’t stop you two once you reached his bedroom, far away from everything and everyone. And you’ll never change it.

“Oh, Rien,” You eased in, consoling him. “Je suis désolé. Mais c’est franchement une grande demande, n'est-ce pas?” (I am sorry. But that’s quite a big request, right?)

“Mom and I will think about it first, okay? Another kid is a big responsibility, and you’ll be their older brother. That’s another important job, can you do it well?”

“Yes, I can, Papa!” He beamed with glee, his covered head patted by his father after. As you placed the sunflowers beside your palette, Adrien then proceeded to ask you if he could paint with you like old times.

Never you refuse especially with his sparkling round eyes and chubby face that makes you want to squish every time.

As you lifted his light body to sit on your lap, you placed your brush between his stubby fingers and carefully aimed in whatever angle seemed fit so the painting process would run smoothly and perfectly. He let out sounds of amazement when the strokes get bigger, jumping slightly too because the picture became more vivid. You’d smile and coo at him, commending whenever he followed instructions well. As his mother, you only encouraged your child in whatever they want to excel in.

Adrien was the child of two artists, so it was only natural that he had an artistic side in his veins.

Too caught up in your fun, hearing the automatic shutter of the camera from your side was delayed. The source was none other than Jaehyun hiding behind his camera. Jaehyun’s heart soared at the heavenly view of the most important people in his life, wanting to treasure the moment as a lovely memory.

“Hey!” You shouted, placing down the messy brush by the palette. “Je suis très laid!” (I am very ugly!)

“Shh! Tu est rayonnant, ma chérie. Papa est juste, Rien?” (Shh! You are glowing, my darling. Papa is right, Rien?)

Jaehyun politely quizzed the peppy boy, nodding excitedly. His dimples deeply showed up, the main trait he claimed from his father.

“Oui, papa! Maman est toujours belle!” (Yes, papa! Mama is always beautiful!)

He exclaimed, pecking your cheek numerously. You squealed, attacking him with tickles and kisses back. His shouts of delight, then he was suddenly carried by your tall husband in the air like he was flying in the sky. Adrien enjoyed that motion highly, ending up on Jaehyun’s shoulders shortly after to play by the garden again.

“Go paint. I’ll take care of him now.” Jaehyun persuaded, roaming through the long rows of flowers in full bloom. Though seconds after adding some strokes to your piece, you let down your hair, put a hat and sandals on, and ran to the cute duo to join them.

And that’s how your family spent the entire afternoon. By the garden, running around and taking photos and short videos from Jaehyun’s camera. Freezing these valuable memories, this was truly the life you loved so much.

After your break, you could convince the company you worked at that you’d prefer fewer trips to Paris and stay in the countryside longer. How badly you’ve wanted to hold your exhibits here instead. Plus like Jaehyun, let influential people visit you. You’ve already made a big name for yourself now, so that should be valid enough.

Dinner time passed by quickly too, eventually putting Adrien to a smooth slumber as you massaged the roots of his soft hair while Jaehyun sang him a lullaby. This was your joint parenting technique with him since he was a newborn, and it worked quickly as lightning.

You redressed into your silk nightgown after bringing your canvas to the master bedroom, opening the balcony doors to invite the cool breeze in. You tweaked some bits of your painting, including a silhouette of your small family. Regarding where to place it, probably by the living room as it matched the theme.

“What a spectacular day, don’t you think, ma chérie?” Jaehyun conversed, admiring the calm movements of your brush. He noticed a quirky smile grace your lips.

“It’s been a long time since we had quality time like that with Rien. He’s a feisty ball of energy these days.” You replied with a nostalgic daze. “It’s so crazy how one day, he was still crawling to us. Now, he could outrun the both of us.”

“Comme le temps passe vite, hmm?” (How time flies fast, hmm?) Nodding, nothing braced for what your husband had in mind. You almost dropped your brush mid-way. Jaehyun’s lips impatiently devoured your neck, his huge hands fondling your breasts. Violently throwing your head back against his chest, a needy moan parted your lips.

“Jae-” His touches reaching south to where you desired him highly, dampening hastily as your legs naturally spread apart. Rushed exhales, “À quoi tu penses maintenant?” (What are you thinking about right now?)

“Rien se sent seul,” (Rien feels alone,) His hot breath whispered against your ear, his fingers dangerously trailing your thin panties up and down. With your hands tightly clutching on his bicep,

“Alors, donnons-lui une amie.” (We should give him a friend.)

Ever since Adrien mentioned such a daring topic, it hasn’t left Jaehyun’s mind the whole day. After seeing you in utter bliss with your son earlier, he found you so majestic and radiant. It’s a different kind of happiness, especially for parents.

Now you went on hiatus, he thought that it was the right time to have another. He enjoyed his younger years with Krystal, and he wanted Adrien to experience it too. 3 years was quite a wait, and it seemed ideal to try again.

From his nude chest, you flipped around to intensely clash his lips with yours. Draping your arms behind his neck, Jaehyun lifted your entire figure from the chair. His hands gripping on your butt, he delicately lowered you down your bed.

Drowning into his sensual kisses with his hands all over you, this could prolong for hours. Reddening love marks started to resurface whilst your fingers tugged on the drawstring of his pajama pants. Jaehyun’s fingers dove under the fabric of your panties, his index finger rubbing figure 8s the sensitive bundle of nerves.

You struggled to swallow your moans, not wanting Rien to hear it. You wouldn’t want to repeat history, covering it as Jaehyun massaging you after a hard day.

“I know you want one too, ma chérie.” His fingers began to drape down the straps of your gown, presenting your breasts in its full, perky view. But before his lips could suck on your erect nipples, you parted momentarily from him and got up on your feet. Pulling up your straps again, Jaehyun simply laid down but he wasn’t pleased from how you left him hanging.

“Où vas-tu, ma chérie?” (Where are you going, sweetheart?)

He was growing impatient. You were never to interrupt such a sexy atmosphere ever.

From one of your drawers in your vanity table, an important, half-opened envelope was hidden. You were supposed to give it tomorrow but now seemed like a perfect time. Reading it as soon one of the maids handed it to you gave you the jitters, but in a positive way. Sitting back down on the edge of your bed, you exhilaratingly passed it to your husband.

“Qu’est-ce que c’est?” (What is this?)

“Ouvre-le.” (Open it.)

Jaehyun slowly opened the edges and once he took out the contents. Reading it thoroughly, he couldn’t believe it as his jaw dropped, pacing from the letter and you back and forth.

“Vraiment, ma chérie?” (Really, my darling?)

It was from a doctor you visited in Paris a few days before you left, who confirmed just exactly what caused your health to go feeble suddenly. You already had one certain suspicion, which you addressed in your leave of absence letter. Amelié, who finally got the position as the head, couldn’t believe her ears and insisted you take all the time off you needed.

“On dirait que Adrien a reçu son cadeau d'anniversaire en avance.” (It looks like Adrien received his birthday gift early.)

Overall, it turned out the headaches and repeated vomiting you mistook as motion sickness from traveling was a surprise hello to your second child.

A girl specifically, thanks to the blood test she recommended.

“Je t’aime, (Y/N).”

“Montre moi combien tu m’aimes, Jaehyun.” (Show me how much you love me, Jaehyun.)

The whole night through, the two of you vigorously celebrated with the moonlight from the windows and a few scented candles set in the room. Wet kisses left on your collarbone, words of devotion exchanged, holding his hand as he groaned from heartily thrusting in you, the number of moans from your lips overlapped with the vinyl playing in the room. The intimacy between you two increased, almost as if you made love for the first time again all those years ago.

Excluding being drenched from the rain.

Once the two of you grew tired, Jaehyun lied down beside you. Wrapping one arm around, one hand trailed down your naked skin again. His wedding band flashed your eyes, reminding you of the commitment you promised each other. For better, and for worse.

Jaehyun promised to love you endlessly as a woman and his wife, and it didn’t cease when you became the mother of his children. He respected how strong you are, physically and mentally. He helped you in any way he could as you endured the struggling process.

At the end of the day, his family was his biggest priority. More than ever now, you needed him as you go through the pregnancy phases again. Specifically, his index finger lingered on your stomach. There was no bump or other signs of showing, except for that glow he complimented you earlier on.

“We met and fell in love over the summer, got married in summer, had Adrien mid-summer, and now found out about our daughter at the start of summer.” He smiled, blessed at all the good he’s received during this time.

“The summer gods must adore us.” Your vacant hand with your wedding band topped his. To love and to cherish. “Ils m'ont amené à toi.” (They brought me to you.)

His power on you was simply addicting, as if your early twenties revisited you. You straddled himself once again, your fingers caressing his face sweetly. When it reached his lips, he placed longing kisses there and pulled you closer again for another kiss on your lips. In between, you mumbled in a silvery tone,

“Then they led us to say I do. Pour toujours et à jamais.”

copyright © 2021 by alluringjae.

[7-wonders]

Mother Knows Best

Summary: You place your trust in Michael, probably more than you should, as he takes your hand and pulls you out of the prison that you've known as home and into the world.

Word Count: 2474 words

A/N: Hi everybody, this is the second part of my Tangled!AU. I hope you all enjoy this, and, if you did, likes, comments, feedback, and reblogs are always appreciated. Criticism is always appreciated too. Read the first part of this AU here!

(^^^exactly how I imagine Michael and reader's relationship in this, btw)

The last time that you had asked Mother about leaving the cottage, things had not gone as you had imagined them. You had had a whole speech prepared, one where you outlined that you were mature and more than ready to face the world with your mother by your side. This trust was going to be built up with small excursions at first; you envisioned going to the market that Mother always got her herbs for spells from, maybe even to the French Quarter that you’d read so much about. Eventually, you hoped to see the school and the girls that Mother spent all day with. Even though your magic is nothing but parlor tricks, you could still be a good help with the younger girls!

Instead, you had barely gotten past what the encyclopedias called a thesis before Mother had stopped you, a smile that you came to learn as patronizing gracing her face. She stood from the couch that you had excitedly set her down on, coming to stand right in front of you. You had long since grown to be Mother’s height, but she still managed to be just as intimidating eye-to-eye.

“You want to leave the grounds?” Mother asked, and you nodded emphatically. “Look at you, as fragile as a flower. Still a little sapling, just a sprout! You know why we stay here, away from others?”

“I know, but…” Of course you knew, she had been telling you why for as long as you could remember. The world was cruel and scary, and evil people would stop at nothing to harm the Supreme’s daughter. Mother had tried for so long to have a child that, after having you, she couldn’t bear to lose you. But you’ve become tired with that explanation, and you want more.

“Yes, to keep you safe and sound.” Sometimes you wonder if she can read your mind. “I guess I always knew this day was coming. Knew that soon, you’d want to leave the nest. Soon, but not yet.”

“But--”

She put her hands on your shoulders. “Shh! Trust me, pet. Mother knows best.”

“Mother, I’m sure that I will be safe with you by my side. I’m not asking to run away and leave you, I’m asking to go with you!” You were starting to get extremely frustrated with her. Though you didn’t know it, the sky was beginning to cloud dangerously with your emotions.

“It’s a scary world out there, and something will go wrong, I swear. Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals, snakes, the plague..”

You rolled your eyes, tired of her listing every bad thing you could meet. “No!”

“Yes! Large bugs, men with pointy teeth--” she broke off in a dramatic sigh, wincing as if the mere idea was terrifying. “Stop, no more, you’ll just upset me.”

Huffing, you began to gather up the words as to why none of this mattered, but Mother gathered you in her arms and pulled you into an almost stifling hug.

“Darling, here’s what I suggest. Skip the drama, stay with mama! Mother knows best.”

“Why do you know best though? I’m grown up, I want to experience more of life than what’s here at the house. After all, there has to be good in the world, or else you wouldn’t keep going out into it.”

Mother’s eyes steeled, and she gritted her teeth as she looked down at you. “Take it from me. On your own, you won’t survive. Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy--please! They’ll eat you up alive.”

Your jaw dropped at the rude words coming out of her mouth, never having dealt with her being so harsh before.

“Gullible, naïve, positively grubby! Ditzy and a bit...well, hmm, vague. I’m just saying this because I love you! I understand, and I’m here to help you. All I have is one request.”

You were crying by then, and looked up in Mother’s embrace when she called your name softly. “Yes?”

Her hand, which had been comfortingly running through your hair, went to your chin to force you to look at her. “Don’t ever ask to leave this house again.”

“Yes, Mother,” you mumbled, just ready to be done with this nightmare of a conversation.

“I love you very much, dear.”

You forced a smile, ready to say what you had said for as long as you could remember. “I love you more.”

“I love you most.”

Oh boy, you couldn’t imagine how furious Mother would be once she arrives home and finds out that you left. That thought alone has you looking back at the end of the long, long driveway, contemplating whether you should just forget this and turn around. If you went back now, she wouldn’t even know that you left, let alone left with a strange man who broke in and started claiming so many terrible things about Mother.

The man in question senses the turmoil that you’re going through, and looks at you curiously. How Michael wishes he could read your mind right now. In normal circumstances, he could, but you’re far from normal. No formal training, yet you’ve put up mental blocks that not even he can get through. It’s fascinating, which is exactly why he can’t let you have any doubt about leaving with him.

“I know you’re worried,” Michael says next to you, making you jump, “but you don’t have to be. You think that Cordelia was worried when she kidnapped you? Was she worried all of the years that she kept you locked up as a prisoner?”

He could be one of those ruffians or thugs that Mother warned you about, your brain chimes in. Have you checked his teeth to make sure they’re not pointy?

“You don’t have to be worried or afraid. I’m right here with you, and I’ll make sure that you never have to feel this type of fear again.” Michael holds out his hand once more, but instead of expecting you to shake it, he’s expecting you to grab it. “Do you trust me?”

You’re not really sure that you do. He’s dangerous, and you don’t have to know him to know that for a fact. You saw the way his eyes went completely black. He talks like he knows you, knows your life, and you still think that he lied to you about Mother kidnapping you. Yet, there are some things that he does seem to know. He knows the isolation that you’ve felt your entire life, and he doesn’t have to tell you that for you to know. You can see it in the way that he looks at you, like you’re a kindred spirit who’s gone through what he’s gone through.

The one thing that got you to say yes to leaving with him, and the thing that keeps you from going home right now, is what he was able to do regarding your powers. Michael knew that getting you upset would unleash powers that you weren’t aware you possessed. He knows what you’re capable of, even though you don’t, and you want to figure that out, too. That’s why you grab his hand.

“I probably shouldn’t, but yes, I trust you.”

Michael smiles at you in a way that makes you duck your head shyly. “Are you ready, then?”

The step that you both take at the same time is literally quite small, but figuratively earth-shattering. You gasp when you realize that you’re actually off of the property that you had grown up on, the property that you’ve never left before. It feels like freedom to you, and freedom is tantalizing. Michael grins next to you as he watches your excitement, the grin only widening as you begin to giggle giddily.

“You really haven’t ever gotten out, huh?”

“Nope. Mother would be so mad right now.” For some reason, the thought makes you laugh even harder.

“Well, now that we’ve officially made it out, what do you want to do first?”

It takes a moment, but you finally calm down enough to respond. “What...what do you mean?”

“We can go anywhere, do anything, that you want. The world is yours now.”

You think, trying to decide. With a whole world of options in front of you, it’s a lot to comprehend. “I’ve always wanted to go to the French Quarter. I know that’s probably not what you were expecting, but I’ve always seen pictures in the books that Mother brought home for me. I want to experience everything that I’ve only ever read about.”

“Let’s start in the French Quarter, then.”

“Uh...how do we get there? It doesn’t look like you have a car.” At least, not that you can see. Maybe they make invisible cars?

“I said I’d train you to harness and use your magic, did I not?” You nod. “This is where we start. Have you ever teleported before?”

“Teleported?” You let out a sharp laugh.

“Transmuted is the correct term, but the two can be used interchangeably.”

“And you think that I can do this?”

“I know that you can do this. With how close we are to the French Quarter, it should be extremely easy for you. Think of it like riding a bike with training wheels.” You stare at him blankly. “Bad analogy for both of us, sorry.”

“Okay, so...how do I transmute, then? Am I just supposed to wish really hard or something?”

Michael chuckles. “Kind of. You have to think of your powers as something alive, something that you need to work with. Magic can do what you want, as long as you know how to tap into it correctly.”

Michael puts his hands on your shoulders, but unlike when Mother would so often do the same move, it feels comforting and not controlling.

“Take a few deep breaths, and close your eyes.” Though you feel a little foolish, you do as he says, body relaxing as you do so. “Good. I want you to think of the pictures that you’ve seen so often, imagine the feeling on those cobblestone streets under your shoes, smell the beignets cooking--”

“I don’t know what beignets smell like,” you mutter.

“Okay then, smell what you think they smell like. See the Spanish-style buildings and the wrought iron fences. Can you imagine it?”

“Yes.” And you can. You spent so long looking at pictures from all around the world, French Quarter included, that it doesn’t take all that long to place yourself there.

“Good. Now, place yourself there. This is where the ‘wishing’ comes in. You need to put us in this scene that you’ve created.”

“Put us there,” you repeat. It feels like you’re in a trance as you do what Michael says, putting both of you in this French Quarter that you’ve imagined. Your nose tickles, you feel a strange tugging in your belly button, and then you feel the wind blowing around you. After a moment you sigh in frustration. “I don’t think it’s working, Michael.”

“Open your eyes,” he whispers. You do, and gasp at what you see.

Sure enough, both of you are standing in the actual, real French Quarter. People smile at you as they pass, and you can hear different songs coming from the open doors of the shops and bars and businesses that surround you. You smell something sickly sweet, almost like fried sugar.

“You did it.”

“Oh my god, I did it!” you squeal, bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet. “I actually did it, I--you didn’t help me, right?”

“Not at all. I told you what to do, but that’s it.”

“Wow, this is,” you spin around slowly, taking it all in, “this is amazing. It’s exactly what I always imagined it would be like.”

Michael Langdon does not have a heart, figuratively. He can’t have a heart, or any human emotions, he’s the Antichrist, for fuck’s sake. That’s not entirely true. The human emotions that are good--wrath, jealousy, rage--are ones that Michael's more than happy to feel. But seeing the wonder on your face as you look at this town that you never thought you would actually get to see, Michael feels his stomach twisting into knots. It’s uncomfortable, and he really hopes that it’s just some sort of transmutation-related sickness. Shoving his emotions down, he adopts a face of cool indifference.

“It’s going to be dark soon, we should find a hotel to spend the night in.”

Your face falls. “Oh, I don’t have any money, but I can pay you back at some point.”

“I don’t have money either.”

“Then how will we pay?”

Michael smirks. “We won’t.”

You look at him in confusion, but follow him anyways as he walks down the street with his hands clasped behind his back.

Your confusion only escalates when Michael walks right up to the front desk at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street and smiles at the concierge. “Mr. Langdon plus one.”

“Of course, Mr. Langdon, I see you’re right here with a penthouse reservation.” The book that the concierge is looking at, the one that he says the reservation is written down in, is blank. Regardless, Michael is handed a key. “Enjoy your stay at the Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans!”

Once you’re safely on the elevator, you seem to come out of the confused stupor that’s kept you tongue tied until now. “What was that?” you demand.

“What was what?” Michael says coyly.

“There was nothing written in that book, but he knew you had a reservation! How did that happen?”

“It was a simple mind control, hardly anything to write home about.”

“You tricked him into giving us a room?”

“I didn’t trick him. He just saw something that wasn’t there. Really, it’s his own fault. He should learn to read better.”

“You can’t do that! That’s...that’s mean, and I’m pretty sure it’s illegal.”

Michael sighs. “You really need to stop seeing the world in black-and-white. The Ritz-Carlton is one of the richest hotel chains in the world. Not getting paid for a single night’s reservation is not going to hurt them in the slightest. When we leave, they won’t even remember there were people staying in the suite.”

“But…”

“Feel free to sleep on the streets tonight.” Michael unlocks the door to the hotel suite, swinging it open to reveal the definition of elegance. “But I will be staying here. The choice is yours.”

You’ll soon come to learn that choices, minuscule as they may seem, have a resounding impact on your life. Taking Michael’s hand and leaving the house that was all you had ever known was the first such choice. This, swallowing your pride and going to stay in a hotel room that you did not pay for, is the second. Whether it’s good or bad is yet to be determined.

//

Tag List: @antichristlangdon @michaellangdon @ajokeformur-ray @lichellaw @wroteclassicaly @xavierplympton @trelaney @hecohansen31 @sojournmichael @dyns33 @dark-mei-rose @blakescoven @ladyrindt @marvelmayo @1950schick @brattylovee

[blueprint-han]

[Image ID: A black picture with the title “HOW TO SUPPORT FANFICTION AUTHORS” written in bold caps lock, colored with a winter forest picture. End ID.]

Well, this post has been made countless times, but I’m making one too because I’ve seen a lot of people say they’re new to tumblr and don’t know the whole “reblogging is better than liking” rule and other stuff. So without any further ado, here are ways YOU can support the fanfiction authors. Now keep in mind this applies to almost every author out there, not just the stayblr fandom, so if you’re a silent reader (or even if you aren’t), I advise you go through this post. Warning, this is a fairly long post going into detail, so yeah. I still expect you, the readers to read this, and if you’re a writer, feel free to lmk if i’ve written smth wrong or if you want me to add something! ^^

In this post I’ll go into thorough analysis of the pros and cons of each of the methods listed here and how YOU as a reader can show the authors whose fics you read more love and motivate them to produce content.

WARNING; LONG POST! GOES INTO A DECENT AMOUNT OF DETAIL. NOT EDITED, EXCUSE ANY TYPOS.

#1 : LIKING !

I think this is basic common knowledge, and a lot of people tend to do this. When you like the post, the author sees it, you see it, and if the author has their liked posts accessible (which majority of the time they don’t), and if someone deliberately goes to check it, then they see it. See why so many authors say just liking does nothing? Only liking says “Hey, I’m gonna tell you your story is not that good by simply liking it and not sharing it with other people. :D”

♯ PROS:

You’re telling the author that you've read their fic, and either you’ve enjoyed it to a certain extent, or you’re just saving it to read for later.

Likes are seen by you, the author and anyone who has access to your likes (which, most people don’t).

♯ CONS:

If you ONLY like, you’re not really helping the author’s work reach a wide audience because this site isn’t Instagram. Reblogging is the only way people can SEE our works. I’ll cover more on that in the next section.

In a nutshell, liking is good! But you should most likely use it in a combination with the other stuff I’ve listed below, because just the like itself doesn’t really do much in giving the author any feedback or interaction on their fics.

To clear shit up; I’m not talking about those people who don’t read the story or appreciate it in the first place. I’m talking about those who appreciate the fic, like it, but don’t leave any sort of feedback to show that.

#2 : REBLOGGING !

This is SO, SO important. I cannot stress on this enough. Let me explain WHY so many writers stress on reblogging content: 

Tumblr’s tag system is inherently fucked up, and has grown more so over the year. I’m not kidding, at first, the fic either used to show up in the tags or it didn’t, but now, sometimes your fic can be REMOVED from the tags because of,,, idk tumblr tag shit. Anyways, as you can see, it’s very demotivating for authors at that point, because the major way for people to find their content and expand their blogs has been blocked.  

Due to this reason, tumblr authors need to RELY on you, their followers to help spread their works to a wider audience. Now again, before you get me wrong, I’m not saying you ae forced to rb our works regardless of whether you like them or not. BUT, that being said, if you DO infact like the story, there’s no harm in reblogging, right? By doing this you’re indirectly telling the author — “hey! :D I liked your fic! Which is why I am gonna share it to my followers so they can read it too :D” Trust me, you’re doing nothing but helping the people who produce content for you to read. Seems like a worthy cause to hit the reblog button, right? It’s only a one, or maximum two step procedure.

Leave tags in your reblogs! Trust me, as an author myself and as much as I know from all my author friends, we oft check the tags of your reblogs to see if you found any part amazing or even if you have anything to say about the writing we put so much hard work into. Even a key smash or a “This was so [insert adjective] 🥺” is enough to leave a smile on your authors face. 

♯ PROS :

You’re !! Sharing !! Your authors !! Works !! This leads to them getting more recognition, so for the content they’re so graciously providing for free, you’re promoting their blog and helping them expand it.

If the tags are being a shit, which majority of the time they are, then you’re literally making an author’s day by reblogging! You’re showing them that you, a follower and appreciator of their works are willingly sharing their content because it deserves to be seen by more people. Again before any dumb people decide to attack me, i am talking about people who like the fic but don't bother reblogging and are silent/ghost readers. I am not forcing anyone to read anybody’s work.

YOU’RE MAKING YOUR AUTHOR SO HAPPY WHAT MORE REASONS COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT !! 🥺

♯ CONS :

Literally none, because as far as I remember no author is against reblogging of their works. It’s quite literally the way this platform functions. Reblogging is IMPORTANT.

#3 : COMMENTING/SENDING FEEDBACK !

This kind of overlaps with the previous section, but THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT STEP !! When you leave feedback, you are directly giving the author something so much more valuable to them than high follower/note counts or money. Your feedback is literally our serotonin. I kid you not the number of times I’ve received a positive comment and smiled and it has made my day. There’s a reason youtubers (though not the best example, bear with me here because it was the only one I could think of) ask people to subscribe, like and COMMENT. The subscription is like a follow, the like is ofc like a heart, and the comment is equivalent to an rb with comments in the tags. 

You might argue and tell me that a comment is basically like an ask so the reblogging step isn’t necessary, but I’m sure 99% of you use YouTube and you know that more comments leads to people’s videos boosted in the stream/trending charts. This is what reblogging does. Reblogging shares the piece with other people like minded, which leads to a boost in reads. You are literally helping your author grow.

It’s quite literally the same thing as youtubers. Youtubers NEED validation to keep their content creation going, so do writers, so do other ccs on this site. This post is however, focused on WRITERS, so keep that in mind.

♯ PROS :

By doing this, you’re giving author valuable feedback! It’s similar to what you do in rbing with tags. Interactivity with their fics boosts their note counts and helps expand their audience, so srsly, now think of it: your one comment is playing such a massive role to help ccs create more content.

Imagine how much of a difference the note counts will be in when every person who simply likes after reading the fic, reblogs, leaves a comment and sends an ask. the note counts would be high on each and every fic, which is validation in itself, but your comments would inspire the writer so much more! Please, don’t skip the commenting part. Even a simple one like: “this is so cute!” is wonderful. 

♯ CONS :

Remember, if you’re gonna give constructive criticism (which I’m sure you all are smart enough to know if different from hate), make sure the author is okay with it. Authors need to be in a specific mindset and must be ready to accept criticism, so if you’re gonna give constructive criticism to them when they’re at a low point, it may demotivate them.

Just commenting, instead of reblogging and commenting in the tags/ reblogging and then leaving an ask in their inbox, while it gives validation in plenty, will not lead to the author’s work being spread. Therefore I suggest either reblogging and commenting in the tags or reblog and then leave an ask, or comment under the fic!

!! reminder; I am not saying that if you don’t rb and just leave feedback, your feedback has no value. We authors truly appreciate every bit of feedback, but this post is aimed to help you learn how to interact with and support authors, and make them feel more motivated, because the current scenario of liking and scrolling is taking a toll on their creative abilities. Take it from a person who’s been writing for a year.

#4 : COMMSIONING VIA THEIR KO-FI/OTHER APPS !

Before any of you attack me, let me tell you that this is not a step that is 100% necessary to do. ONLY donate if you can and if you genuinely want to, and if anyone is forcing you to pay for something against your will, you need to get yourself out of there.

Regardless, if an author has a kofi and you’re able to and you want to donate, you definitely should! It’s also a valid form of support.

#5 : ADDING THEM ON REC LISTS/ RECOMMENDING THEM TO REC BLOGS

This is such an underrated option, to be honest. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve seen my fic was recommended onto some rec list and it’s made me smile so hard. If you like some fics, create a rec list! They’re oft very popular amongst the fans too. Making rec posts is such a great way to share your favorite stories with others. 

Rec blogs! I’ve seen a couple going around, and needless to say they are a great way to get someone else to read your favorite author’s work whilst also giving them your own feedback. These blogs oft accept recs via a form or ask box, and they leave your feedback along with their own, or else they’ll oft tag the author in the feedback post, so look! You’re basically helping your author share their fic to many more people, because you’ve given them feedback and a reblog.

♯ PROS :

Validation! Feedback! Reblogs! More exposure! Helping a blog grow! Spreading love! basically a run down of the stuff I’ve said before!

♯ CONS :

Literally no con of this. Unless, a one in a million case, this author says they don’t like receiving feedback/being tagged, and I’m sure NO person has said this before, at least none that I’ve heard of.

#6 : FINAL COMMENTS; MISC !

When an author points out about how the interactivity is drastically reducing, don’t just give them blind apologies. Yes, you feel sorry for not interacting as much, we understand, but rather show that you’ll become a better content consumer through your actions. We need to see that we’re not just throwing words into a void and that people are actually trying to be better content consumers. 

Understand the fact that authors don’t get paid for this, and 99% of the time, these authors don’t take commissions either. They’re giving you novel worthy writings for free. Take Percy Jackson: You think the author would have felt motivated to write the subsequent parts, let alone two whole series based off of it if literally no one showed that they were interested? Rick Riordan has sales, he is being paid, there are millions of people and big agencies who provide him feedback. Now take that huge amount and simmer it down to an audience of maybe 10000 people This is what fanfic authors want. They don’t want your money, nor are they telling you to risk your lives for them. All they want is, a reblog, some tags, some feedback, some INTERACTIVITY.  A sign that they aren’t throwing fics into the void and that people actually like them, some motivation to continue. Seems fairly easy to throw an rb with some tags, right?

Don’t bother to tell me that we do this for ourselves and we shouldn’t ask for likes and reblogs and feedback, because 1) you are consuming the content that we “write for ourselves” and 2) writers post their content here for interactivity and feedback. We could just not post and write and save our fics in our dungeon drafts for years. But we choose to post to entertain the readers, the consumers. And we aren’t even asking that much in return.

Don’t give me the whole “I’m scared that authors feel that comments are annoying” excuse either because seriously this has been DEBUNKED SO MANY TIMES. Istg, in the nicest way possible, if you still think writers are annoyed by interaction and feedback, after so many posts, long rants have been posted as to how we’re not, then you must truly be living under a rock. There, I said it. Please stop thinking this way, I’ll say it again, AUTHORS ARE NOT ANNOYED OF FEEDBACK, COMMENTS, TAGS, REBLOGS. WE LOVE IT. Saying this is like saying that the audience in a theatre play shouldn’t clap when the play ends because the actors would find it noisy. 🤡

I’ve seen some people saying they have anxiety issues and such, so pls note that I’m not invalidating your condition. If you’re trying to be more interactive, I really appreciate it! If you can’t, that’s fine too. You’re trying.

But for the people who have no reason other than feeling lazy to rb and comment, your lack of interactiveness is not excused. Please. Tumblr is a reblogging site. If you’re gonna consume content like authors are some sort of machines, I encourage you to go get some more perspective.

This site is not Instagram or the satan bird app. Your likes are appreciated but frankly speaking, they do nothing to the author except tell them “Hey i read ur fic but i'm not gonna support u :D” and honestly, that is detrimental to their creative capabilities and mental health. 

DON’T FOLLOW AN ACC JUST TO MINDLESS RB THEIR SIGNAL BOOST POSTS AND THEIR REBLOGS OF GIFS AND NOT INTERACT WITH THEIR WRITING AT ALL ! Trust me, authors prefer a lower amount of interactive followers than a high count that doesn’t even give them any feedback. Again your follows are appreciated, but when you’re following, you know the type of content the author creates, so the author expects that the more followers, the more interactivity. These days, this is just becoming the opposite. So don’t do it! If you’re gonna follow to read, interact with their works. I promise, this will make both you and the author happy. A win-win situation.

In conclusion: SUPPORT YOUR FUCKING AUTHORS! THEY ARE NOT MACHINES THAT HAVE NO FEELINGS TO PRODUCE CONTENT FOR YOU! FICS TAKE DAYS AND DAYS OF PLANNING, PLOTTING, OUTLINING, WRITING, EDITING, MAKING TEASERS. SO JUST SHOW THEM YOU APPRECIATE THEM WITH AN RB. IT’S THE L E A S T YOU CAN DO.

I will be liking this post here written by the lovely @chaninfused​ and @scriptura-delirus​ . Please take time to read it because if you weren’t convinced by my arguments, you will see how much frustration we as writers face on a daily basis. Please, just show support. Here is the post by @stayndays​ about how to get more people to read your work, because it also has a note on reblogging. Please educate yourself, and put an end to this mindless consuming culutre and bring up some interactivity.

If you’ve read this far, I want you to go to two of your favorite authors and leave some feedback in their inbox, and tag me in it (either tag me yourself or ask the author to do so, they won’t mind). Show your writers that our words are taking effect and you are becoming better consumers. I mean it. I’m serious. I want every single one who reads this post to do this. besides valid reasons, if you’re lazy to do this, you’re a part of the problem. PLEASE get more perspective.

Also, feel free to add to this post! I’d love to read your thoughts too, remember to be kind though. And, if I think your rb is somehow contradicting my points and is bringing down the reason I made this post, I will politely ask you to delete your comment, because this post is about being truthful about the harsh reality of tumblr consumers and how we can change it. I’m sure none of you will let it get to that point, though. <3 love you guys. 💓

And, just a reminder, don’t just blindly like this too. Do what I said before, and while I am not forcing you, I’d appreciate your reblog, because seriously, it took me 3 whole days to write this, plus, I’m sure this will help more of your followers understand the fault in consumer culture. haha, that’s it! This post was way too long uff.

also, this is ur cue to not be stupid in my inbox. You have something to say? Think I worded smth wrongly? I’m sure it wasn’t my intention to do so, point it out with manners. 

[aimmyarrowshigh]

Hey so this is really random, but I've seen you talk about bookmarks in fan fiction, and what to not put on them. I was just wondering if there are any other etiquette rules when public bookmarking? Eg if someone is tagging an NSFW ask with thirst/appreciation, if there's any sort of personal tag that can be annoying for an author to read, if there are other things authors would prefer not to know.

Disclaimer: I can only speak for myself, this is only my personal opinion, other people have different preferences and boundaries, etc.

I think the most basic rule of responding to fanfiction and fanart across the board -- whether it's comments, bookmarks, Tumblr posts, or Tweets -- is that you should never respond in a way that you wouldn't want someone to respond to you, you should always err on the side of being TOO earnest and kind, and you need to remember that you and the writer do not know each other (unless it's someone you do know).

The problem with commenting or bookmarking or tweeting about how [X] fic is a 7/10 is, A, that metric means nothing -- there is no rubric for what it takes to be a good fic, and even if there were, your taste (editorial you) is not subjective -- and B, it's fucking rude. People are sharing their fic, or their fanart, with you because they love a thing you also love and they are communicating with you about that love. Grading them on their love is cruel.

Grading fics, whether on the A/B/C/D/F scale or the 1-10 scale or whatever, is never, ever actually providing feedback. It's just being mean for the sake of being mean. It also suggests that you view fandom and fanfiction as a hierarchy or a competition and not as a community, which is against the whole spirit of the thing.

And even if you (editorial you, not you you-you) are one of the people who looks at my first "guideline" and says, "But I would want people to be honest about my fic's Quality, and it's weak sauce not to be able to take criticism," then here's the thing: "7/10" is not criticism. It tells the author absolutely nothing about your actual response to their work, it just says "this was mediocre, bye." Like... okay? What about it? And why do I care what you think? What are your qualifications to grade my writing?? And do you understand that fanfiction is written, 99.9% of the time, without significant editing or drafting and is pretty much never totally polished?? Because it seems like you don't know that and therefore, again, why should I care what you think??? Rude!

I have genuinely never seen anyone respond to a fic with so-called constructive criticism and actually be saying anything worthwhile about writing craft. Editing is actually incredibly difficult and that's why it is a full-time, highly skilled career that takes a lot of dedication and education to do in a meaningful way. It's also something that happens BEFORE a work is finalized.

For fanfiction, if it's posted, it's finalized. Going in with suggestions, unless they are VERY SPECIFICALLY ASKED FOR IN AN AUTHOR'S NOTE, is both pointless -- the story/chapter is done -- and most of the time, frankly just... not helpful, because most people don't know how to respond critically to a work without confusing "literary criticism" with "being critical" and "editorial comments" with either "personal preferences" or, way worse, "prescriptivist grammar policing."

(And that's FINE! Most people don't NEED that skill! I'm not saying that it's a bad thing or that anyone shouldn't be allowed to have preferences or suggestions or whatever for the fic that they read, and I'm not bashing people who don't have that skill. It's a niche skill. I can't do long division. That's not even niche.)

IF you ABSOLUTELY MUST give unasked-for critique, then the ONLY thing that you should be concerned with doing is providing actionable feedback that is concerned with the text as it actually exists, not with what you wish it had done or think it should have done or are pretending that it did. But you know what's way better than leaving unasked-for critique that is 100% guaranteed just to bum someone out and ruin their day, and possibly their whole experience in your fandom?

Just find another fic to read and let whatever you didn't like in the first fic roll off your back like water off a duck.

And if you TRULY CANNOT DO THAT, YOU MUST let the writer know that you don't think their pacing was good, or whatever --

You wouldn't walk up to a stranger on the street and say that you didn't like their shirt. You COULD tell your best friend that. If you really want to have an impact on someone's writing and you ABSOLUTELY MUST tell them how to change it to better suit your personal taste, then put on your big-person pants and message them privately about how you love their shoelaces and make a friend. And then, eventually, they will probably ASK for your thoughts on their writing. Because that's what writers do to their friends. But no one ever wants to make friends with, or consider the opinion of, a stranger who just ran up and was rude out of nowhere.

And if you read a fic and you REALLY HATE IT and you CANNOT CONTAIN YOUR HATRED and you HAVE TO LET SOMEONE KNOW HOW MUCH YOU HATED IT -- my pal, my buddy, that is what private conversations are for. That is not the author's business. That is not Twitter's business. That is not Tumblr's business. That is your Salt Friend Susan's business, and you can shit-talk that fic in private to Salty Susan as much as you want. I'm not saying you cannot have fun being salty about fics you hate. I'm saying you absolutely should never do that in any place that the author could conceivably see it.

Like, I have dunked on "reylo fics" as a thing on my blog, but even at my MOST unhinged anti-reylo, I have never publicly shit-talked any specific fic, author, or fan. Because that's just fucking cruel and there is NO purpose to it besides making someone feel bad. And if you are SO INCENSED that you MUST MAKE THE AUTHOR FEEL BAD then not to be glib but you need to close AO3 for an hour and slowly drink a glass of cold water, because no, you do not need to make an author feel bad. There is never a reason to do that.*

*I'm not talking about troll fics that are intentionally tagged incorrectly or that are intentionally racist/transphobic/antisemitic/anti-Black/etc. The only rule for responding to THOSE fics is "block and report, do not personally engage the troll, protect your own self."

And then the flip side: when you're responding kindly and excitedly and squeeing and AFLSLGSKGLSGLSGDSGL; about a fic, the main thing to remember is that you and the author do not know each other (unless you do) and that they can't read your tone over the internet. If you're not sure how your message comes across, make it nicer and kinder, and then send it. Err on the side of being TOO earnest and kind. That's always better than thinking you're sending a squee comment and accidentally ruining someone's day anyway.

Example: a few months ago someone commented on one of my fics, "This is the stupidest thing I've ever read!" And I was like... okay? Did you have to tell me that? I don't need to know that you're saving it to laugh at or something? Fucking rude??? And I think I wrote back, "Fucking rude???" and they wrote back and were like "OMG no I meant that I loved it and laughed so hard!!!" and it was like... just... say that then? I don't know you, I don't know your language patterns, and there's no way to infer tone from a written comment. "This is the stupidest thing I've ever read" does NOT read like "I loved this." Just say "I loved this."

And in terms of responding specifically to smut and thirst asks... idk. *MY* opinion is that I never want anything more detailed than like, "that was Not Gross and I enjoyed it," but I'm also a giant prude and almost never write smut anymore, so my opinion is very different than someone who runs a thirst-ficlet blog, probably. But I feel like the general stance of, "if you wouldn't say it to a stranger on the street, don't say it to a stranger on the internet" is a fair rule of thumb.

I don't want to know that some random person in the movie theater has a boner any more than I want to know that someone wanked to a smut scene. That's not my business.

But again, my opinion is likely to be very different from someone who runs a thirst blog and is intentionally TRYING to elicit physical reactions. But still. One of the worst comments I've ever gotten was like ten years ago someone said that they thought of a scene I'd written while they fucked their husband and I'm like, scarred. I don't know them. I don't know their husband. I didn't write it "for" that. I... ablsa;hdb;lsn;l;

So all in all, tl;dr, remember that writers are people, they're strangers, and they're doing fandom to participate in a community about a thing that they love, not necessarily to get better at writing and DEFINITELY not to get told by random strangers that they didn't love something correctly.