#everyone's so intimately familiar with all the characters. it's kinda fun

[seahdalune]

how do you guys memorize all their names

[koorinokujira]

Yakuza Kiwami is an AMAZING game and I'll shove my love for it in everyone's faces now

So, I kinda realized I didn't make this post yet, and I literally finished Kiwami 2 yesterday, so... whoops? But no matter, better late than never, as they say! Spoilers below, like always, so keep reading at your own risk!

So, Yakuza Kiwami. I've actually seen a full playthrough of it a few years back, so I roughly knew what was waiting for me, but my memory is not my greatest strength, so I luckily forgot most of it. And honestly, even knowing some stuff didn't take away my enjoyment at all!

Now, I gotta say, playing this right after 0 was insane. It made my immersion so much better, and really made me feel things more strongly. I was violently dragged out of the relative peace I got after the whole fiasco with the Empty Lot, the familiar streets with shops and minigames I knew and loved into a new, unfamiliar version of Kamurocho along with Kiryu. It was rough- a lot of things stayed the same or at least similar, but there were enough differences for it to feel like a mockery of all the things Kiryu held dear. He was lost in a place he used to know intimately, and that really got to me, because I had just finished the previous journey with him and Majima.

And slowly unraveling what happened to Nishiki and seeing him fall so far from the bro we used to know genuinely hurt. Especially knowing that he wasn't a bad person before and that he was a sensitive soul that got completely crushed by the circumstances in his life.

As for the story and characters in general, I loved it, it got me in the feels and I was hooked the whole time! While I still think 0 is the best from what I played so far, this story was also amazing. Majima going all out in all the fights and with costumes and disguises, Date-san being an incredibly pathetic man and father who pulled through in the end and sorta sharing that with the Florist, Haruka being a little badass, Reina's tragic, misguided love... there was so much that I adored about this game, and the characters in the main story never really fell flat for me. It also made me love Kashiwagi even more, I just love it when he's there. And the ending was pretty heartwrenching too, though I wish it focused more on Nishiki's death than Yumi's, as I felt their brotherly bond ran way deeper than Kiryu's relationship with Yumi. But that's just my opinion, I still cried and thought it was pretty solid!

Then there are the sidequests. Hoo boy. I have to admit, I didn't really like those that much. They just lacked the spark that the ones from 0 had, and seemed somewhat repetitive in their themes. And there was of course also those very questionable ones. Of course, there were some pretty good ones too! And I had a blast in the whole Pocket Circuit saga, I love Fighter with all my heart.

Speaking of Pocket Circuit, the minigames were still really enjoyable, but I really missed Disco, to be honest. I wish you could groove in a club somewhere at least. The Karaoke gave me whiplash because it was so different (post Yakuza 0 immersion strikes again), and I hated the new version of Heartbreak Mermaid. But I have to admit, I absolutely loved Iji Sakura 2000 and definitely sang it way too many times.

Gameplay was pretty good too! I didn't really like some changes to the fighting system, but overall, it was still really enjoyable to punch everyone in close vicinity. I learned to use Dragon Style a lot more, in 0 I barely used it even though I had it. Tiger drop is spectacular, I will never sugarcoat anything ever again. The upgrade system took some getting used to, but it ended up being my favorite as it was more clear-cut and it was mostly stuff I'd actually use. The Majima Everywhere thingy was pretty fun most of the time! It could get a bit tedious to find specific Majimas, but I got through it like a champ.

So overall, amazing game as the title says, and I will also make another post with some funny screenshots for this game soon! Thank you for reading, and like always...

Have a great day!

[will-o-wips]

Save the Villainess Thoughts by Willow Masterpost Part 1: Jane

So I've decided to be insane. Make a small (lies, it is long, that is why it is divided up into parts) post about the Halloween videos and the lore that they have given us. As well as maybe compile theories/thoughts about these characters. Idk if there is a community for this even, or if anybody's actually obsessed like I am, but I'm having fun thinking about it either way, so... I guess this is for like the 0.0000000000001% of the people (me and only me). Enjoy lmao.

You have been warned: the actual insanity starts under the cut lmao.

So I will start with... Jane. Mostly because her Halloween special video is not as lore-bomb-dropping as the rest. The video itself is mostly about certain aspects of the gameplay so far. It's a neat little thing! Honestly, these are more thoughts/rambles than actual, well, coherent notes, but from what I've noticed (from being insane and watching every single social media post on Tumblr Best Laid Plans Productions ever made about all of them, more or less, even though my memory is spotty and I didn't have time to rewatch them before making this), is that Jane is just unknowingly integrated in this world. I don't notice her having any thoughts about before she was transported into the romance novel she read; it's not like she's thinking about her family home, or that she has any plans of going back. She just knows she doesn't belong in this world as the villainess, which is super interesting to me. She's just... accepted her fate and that she must survive. She's BECOME the villainess, rather than just feeling like an imposter in another person's body. She only knows she's innocent, which is why she's fighting so hard to be freed from such a fate. Another thing that supports this is the fact Jane always says such weird phrases that I'm like 99% sure aren't actual English idioms, but rather phrases that this alternate romance novel universe uses. Such as "By the blood" in the Halloween special specifically, because, what does this mean Jane???? What are you referring to here!!! (Side note: Edmund also uses these odd phrases a lot, so I suppose it's something the nobility of Carcosa are familiar with; some kind of "noble language" to distinguish those of nobility from commoners or whatever. Some kind of pretentious thing that just happens because society is cruel lmao. Either that OR this is just the way Carcosians speak in general and Jane just kinda always knew this ever.)

Another thing, besides just the obvious announcements of how this guideline/tutorial thing works in the gameplay, is the fact that Jane explicitly states that daytime and nighttime are important. Most people would sign this off to, well, gameplay experience. That during the night you can talk to people more intimately and have like rendezvous or whatever with your favourite characters, while at daytime you're solving mysteries mostly. See the thing with that is, is that Servant also somewhat says very similar things in previous instances of videos. And we all know that Servant is like... that one person that gives everyone the creeps, the intrigue and also the insanity. They are, as of now, the most explicit in the fact they are somewhat of a mastermind behind this all. They know what is happening with the lore. They know, but they don't like explicitly telling us what is happening, so... yeah thanks ig Servant? In each case, Jane here is not joking when she says that nighttime and daytime are important; they're probably very much so magically (maybe?) linked to how this story is supposed to progress. Aka gameplay actually impacts lore, and lore impacts gameplay. As to what it is referring to... well, I have my theories about it. But what I'm most confident in is that it is related to some kind of magic about the story. It is relevant to the narrative; relevant to things both Ben and Servant know about this world. And I say Ben because he's also so sus in such a world-altering way but I'll talk about him later... yeah, later lmao.

Now, my notes that I took while watching the videos here are very vague (thank you for that Willow, you are so insane about this you cannot even write in proper English), but there's something about the jewelry and accessories of these characters. Most noticeably, the way they glow. Like Rhythmically Glowing and Shaking. In Jane's case, it's her earrings [her brooch is less important but it still has symbolism on it probably, with how it has a bee etched onto it. Maybe this is her family's like symbol? Like how Renaissance Pope families had different kinds of symbols etched into buildings they funded into existence and all. Who knows]. Maybe this is some kind of glint effect or whatever; but then why is it animated like THAT??? Idk if I'm onto something or not here, I have high suspicions that I am, but maybe I'm also just looking into it too deeply... but there's something wrong with this jewelry. There's something wrong with the way that Servant's Brooch also glows, whenever Edmunds (tie clips? cufflinks for your neck??? what are they I'm not good with fashion, though the game has such good fashion design guys okay) accessories start glowing and shaking, when Izel has his little gem earring (I love that design omg, also + the brooch he has on his tie but like it doesn't shake) shakes and glows as well and how Ben's POCKET WATCH CHAIN (+ the little uhh buttons on his coat but they don't shake the way the other things do) IS GLOWING OKAY (and yes I'm insane enough to pause these videos just to see whether it is true). Something is going on. It's happening (slightly) even during daytime, and I checked this, so there's something fishy with this. There has to be. I'm so convinced there is jfkldsjfks. A possible explanation for this is that because these characters are all main actors in the story, some kind of magic is there to maybe,,, force them to play their part? Maybe they cannot be exempted from the main storyline because of this? Maybe everybody is just here because they have no other choice? Honestly idk. More thoughts on this in the other parts because dude I'm gonna lose my mind if I try to put everything in here. AND MAYBE IT'S JUST AN ARTISTIC CHOICE AND I'M JUST INSANE ABOUT IT??? Who knows.

Anyway, to close off this post, because I know it is long and idk whether there's actually any substance here, I'll try to compile the thoughts about Jane into a few small sentences, without fangirling in between lmao.

She's lovely, and while she is very funny, I find her harder to pin down than the rest of the cast (that we know of as of writing this). She's dead set on surviving, and that's probably because she might have experienced death once already. Either as the Villainess Jane Neville herself, or as the person she (possibly) used to be, that we know absolutely nothing of. She does not show any other hints to her past: just constantly assuring us she desperately needs help. I love her, of course, not only for her character design or the fact that she's funny, but for the fact that she somehow manages to avoid telling us anything concrete about herself. I don't think that this is done because Jane is not a character and is supposed to be a player-insert (that may play a part in it but y'know, that's just the nature of these kinds of games to a degree); she very much so is a character. She knows these phrases and these small courtesy things that no normal person who WASN'T integrated into this fantasy world would know. Maybe she retained only some of the past memories that her villainess self had, but truly... how could she remember those, but not her fiancé? Not the novel she is in? How can she know she is the villainess with certainty, at all, given she does not remember the book, the plot of said book, nor any of the other characters that well? She only knows someone is out to kill her, and that we must save her. Her weird integration with the world as well as the dissonance she presents with it at the same time is suspicious; she's very mysterious in that regard.

Perhaps I'm biased. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough. It might be that I'm missing something entirely. Somehow my suspicion/theory, even to me, feels like it's somewhat misplaced. That something is up is clear, but whether there's evidence to support anything is a whole other thing.

But somehow I'm inclined to believe that... Jane is not as forgetful as she might think she is. And that whatever happens to her by the choice of the player (who you romance, what kind of ending you get, what kind of choices you make, how you survive based on your deductions in the mystery, etc.), it always will tie into something she wanted to be. That us controlling her to a certain kind of destiny, is something she wanted to be, but never got the chance to be.

That we might guide her towards a destiny she actually deserved, rather than the one she has gotten.

[ Lmao I have so many more thoughts about what exactly makes a villainess but like... if the LIs/ROs/MLs or whatever you call them are all deconstructions and reconstructions of their specific tropes... Then isn't Jane also one? Shouldn't she be, at least? If she never was a villainess, then what makes her be one? If she was a villainess, what changes should she undergo in order to become a hero? And if she is neither... Or cannot remember whether she is clearly... What truly discerns her as a villainess?

I have so many more thoughts and theories about these people that I have to cover later because otherwise I'd have been sitting here for 2 hours trying to write all of this down somewhat understandably. If I actually had a plan for like any type of structure I might've not lost so much time on it. Will try to do that when it comes to the rest and all. Might also opt for smaller paragraphs lmao I genuinely hope I'm not overstepping something by doing this??? If the developers see this and go like "okay maybe don't", I'll take it down fjkdsjfklds. It's not like I'm dead set on sharing this if it's for whatever reason not good for business or something. ANYWAY THIS IS GETTING ABSURDLY LONG. Hope you enjoyed my rambles; until next time for the rest of them! ]

[op-imaginesandmore]

Well howdy again! I was wondering if you could do a scenario with Law sitting with his s/o while they are getting their first tattoo? And a scenario of Zoro training with s/o and it turns into cuteness :3

I know it’s been *checks notes* actual years since I have touched this blog, but I kinda wanted to try my hand at a few of the asks I have in my inbox. Because these are both characters I am comfortable writing for, I shall do two scenarios *jazz hands*. I know it won’t be worth the wait, because nothing is worth over two years of waiting, but I hope it is enjoyable nonetheless! And for those of you who enjoy this and my writing, thank you! My inbox will not be re-opening for the foreseeable future though, I don’t want to get anymore people’s hopes up.

Pairings: Law x GN!reader in the first, Zoro x GN!reader in the second

Warnings: Fluff, mild smut (a little bit of spice, then the teasing of spice), tattoos, tickling, non-beta’d (if that counts as a warning)

***

Law:

The gentle buzzing of the tattoo gun had become almost cathartic in the years Law had been doing the art on the side. His crew had thought it ridiculously cool that he did most of his own tattoos, and had insisted he do theirs too. Bepo was heartbroken over the fact that no matter how much he shaved, the pirate insignia permanently on his neck never seemed to be completely visible because of his thick fur.

He had shrugged nonchalantly at all of his crew’s requests, a small hint of a smile upon his easy going face as he went to collect his gun, ink, and needles.

Then you asked him, a smile on your soft lips as you kissed him down his bare chest, blankets tangled between your legs.

“Wanna pop my tattoo cherry?” You had teased, biting him playfully on the shoulder and eliciting an almost purr from the feared surgeon “I’ve always wanted to see how those hands feel” a kiss to his neck “making a masterpiece on virgin skin” a bite to the shell of his ear, and he growled, flipping you onto onto your back. A giggle escaped you, and then a pleasured moan as his skilled, slender hands played along down your body and teased at your most intimate parts.

“Where and when, but I get to pick the masterpiece and where I put it”

A soft sigh had escaped from you as he bit down on your collar and sucked. All you could do was give a flustered nod, face hot against his cheek as he kissed higher and higher before claiming your lips with his own, a smirk playing on his features.

And now, here you were, eyes watching the concentrated look of his clenched jaw as he tattooed your shoulder. You were laying on your belly on his bed, shirtless and hiding your winces in your forearms.

He had insisted it be a surprise, an uncharacteristic excitement alighting in his eyes as he teased you about it. You were excited too, trusting him to give you something you’re sure will be perfect.

The buzzing of the tattoo gun stopped, and he seemed to pause a moment after giving it a gentle swipe to rid it of the excess ink. You watched as he worried at his thumb, biting it between his teeth in thought before taking a deep breath.

“Okay, let’s get you a mirror.”

He actually sounded a little nervous. You smiled encouragingly at him, taking his offered hand and walking to the full length mirror he kept in his room on the ship. He handed you a smaller mirror to get a better angle of it, and you got your first glimpse.

An awe filled smile spread like softened butter over your face.

It was the landscape of a familiar beach, far away on your home island, a sunset shining orange and pink over crystalline waters and Law’s ship haloed in the distance.

“Where we first met” Law rumbled behind you, watching closely at your reaction “I thought that you’d want a piece of home with you, always” he paused, a hand going to the dip of your hip, finger going into one of your belt loops and fidgeting with the fabric “do you like it?”

You breathed in, hand going to the tattoo and softly caressing the scene. A smile, soft and warm, threatened to split your face clean in two.

“I love it” you smiled, and put the mirror down and turned to face your lover, pressing your bare chest to his “almost as much as I love you”

They kissed, both smiling into each others mouths and you pounced, forcing Law to catch your legs as they wrapped around his waist. He chuckled into the kiss.

“Let’s wrap that up before we get carried away”

“But we are going to get carried away, yes?” You gasped as he nipped at your neck, his strong hold on your ass tightening.

“Oh kitten” he purred, his warm breath tickling your ear “I’m gonna have you begging for more when I’m done with you”

Zoro:

“What page are you on?”

You glanced briefly at the bottom corner of the page you were currently reading.

“765”

“Okay, cool”

And he continued the push-ups.

It had become somewhat of a routine for the two of you. Once you had already finished with your own training, excersized to the point of exhaustion, you would climb up to the library, grab a new book, and Zoro would do his cool down push-ups with you criss-cross on his back, reading your book to the point where your partner was satisfied, and you’d usually go down for dinner with him.

Today, though, you were feeling mischievous.

Marking the page you were on (869), you shifted slightly, fingers running softly through Zoro’s short locks.

The swordsman stopped as he came up from the push-up, head tilting slightly to pin you with a curious look. You gave him a teasing smile as you slid off his back and then slid under him. The look went from curious to unamused rather quickly as a blush creeped up his chest from the look you were giving him.

“What?” You asked innocently, teasing smile threatening to give away your intentions “training doesn’t have to be all push-ups and weight lifting” you looked up at him with a smirk “we can work on stamina, or if you insist, I can be your weights today.” Your fingers were roaming over the peaks and plateaus of his hardened muscles, the valley between each of his abs dripping with a hard-earned sweat from the thousands of push-ups he’d been doing. His face had softened from the unamused look he had been giving you, now he closed his eyes with a shuddering breath as your hands dipped low enough to graze the hem of his black pants.

He was right where you wanted him.

Quicker than Luffy’s fists, you tickled him - tickled him — just under his armpits where you knew he was sensitive. The great and powerful pirate hunter yelped, dropping on top of you in his surprise and eliciting a maniacal laugh of your own as he tried, and failed, to escape your ministrations, straddled on top of him now. The involuntary giggles you got out of him made you give a victorious laugh of your own, before your arrogance became your downfall. Quick as a whip, the swordsman flipped you onto your back, one of his large hands gripping both of yours in a vise like grip and the other one twitching in time with the vein in his forehead.

“You’re gonna pay for that” he seethed, an evil grin and a glint in his eye promising retribution.

Jokes on him cause you weren’t ticklish, which he found so frustrating he growled, only making you snicker and attempt to tickle him back when you freed yourself from his grasp. He dodged, smacking your hands away and attempting to leap up only for you to be on him like a damn spider monkey, wrapping yourself around him like gift wrap on a present.

You nuzzled into his neck, not sorry in the slightest, but wanting to be sweet now. He harrumphed like the grump he was, the image of the two of you, him sitting cross legged on the floor with his arms crossed over his chest and you wrapped around him a funny sight to behold. You bite at his ear and his lips twitched ever so slightly.

“If I say I’m sorry, will you still wanna have some fun?” You purred, a grin playing upon your lips. Zoro scoffed, the blush on his face deepening with every kiss and nip you laid upon his neck and you could feel him turning to putty in your arms.

But just as you thought you’d get your way, Zoro grinned conspirationally.

Before you knew what was happening, he had maneuvered his way out of your grasp and was walking towards the door, picking up his discarded shirt from the floor. He gave you a sidelong look, giving you an almost predatory smirk.

“If you’re good, maybe we can have some fun later when everyone else is asleep” he shrugged “I have first watch”

And then the bastard winked before opening the hatch and descending the ladder.

You blinked a few times, scoffed at the hilarity of being one upped for the first time in your long standing relationship with the Marimo, and scrambled after him down the ladder.

[generallybarzy]

hey there, stranger. v

one, two, three, four

an: originally, I was going to end the story after part iv. That was as far as I had planned it and it felt like the perfect end, but everyone loved it so much (thank you all for your feedback, especially @fallinallincurls ily 🥺) and expressed their need to see where mat and mc go in their relationship, so back by popular demand is “hey there, stranger”! I’m sorry if things aren’t as fluffy as usual, but i promise i’ll only break your hearts a bit. I was in a mood when planning, and I have some tough things coming ahead. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible, so I'm also basing it on irl experiences I've had and I'm digging a little deeper into mc's backstory. This is definitely going to turn into a little bit more than the comfort fluffy fic I originally planned it to be. Its gonna be a lot more complex than that. As always, feedback and commentary is appreciated!!! I don't have a Thanksgiving themed blurb written like I wanted to, so hopefully this'll hold you over until Smile Like Sunshine comes out 😌

word count: 3k

the playlist :)

Two months. 

You blinked. 

It had been two months since Rebecca Seidenberg set you up with her husband’s young teammate. It had been two months since you sat in that coffee shop in the cool mid-September and watched with stars in your eyes as Mat first approached your table as a stranger. It had been two months since you started texting each other nonstop, with the occasional date between his games and practices and your class and work. How had two months passed already? How had things gone so fast? Ended up here? Why does this already feel so intense? Why does it scare you so much?

Your eyes opened. 

You could feel the bed dip beside you as Mat rolled over, his nose in your hair, his arm slung around your waist, and you turned to gaze at him in all his beauty. He was still fast asleep, his breaths coming in little puffs of air against your face, his lips turned up at one corner in a tiny, content smile, and his hair looking especially fluffy and soft this morning, falling in delicate waves over his forehead and tickling your skin as the pale morning light shone in his window. It was a look that would have made you smile. 

But not this morning. 

Your heartbeat sped up as you untangled yourself from him as quickly and delicately as you could, needing to feel your own limbs separate from his, needing space, space, more space. You slipped away from his skin, your cheeks red and your head spinning and your heart pounding. You stepped back from the bed, watching his sleeping face as the arm that had been around you found its place around a pillow instead, pulling it closer. After a few seconds to make sure he wouldn't wake up yet, you searched his room frantically for where your clothes had been set the night before, tripping over his own things and cursing him for being so messy, even though it was cute in a boyish, Mat kinda way.

You glanced back at him in bed, his hair haloed out on the pillow, a dark contrast to the soft white duvet and pillow cases, his skin looking warm and kissable. You thought about waking him up for a moment, but you didn’t want that. You didn’t want him to see you leave. You didn’t want him to beg you to stay. 

The kiss was lingering in the air, your bodies warm and flush despite the cold mid-November air, as Mat mumbled against your lips. "Stay the night?" 

"Mat, I-" You had class in the morning, he had practice in the morning, you were too afraid to be that close and that intimate and that vulnerable with anybody ever, let alone this early in a relationship. But how could you voice that?

"I'll set an alarm." His eyes- warm and golden and searching gently- scanned over your face, looking for any sign you weren't okay but missing the obvious one completely. He was always so soft in his questions. So polite, so patient, so oblivious. You couldn't say no to him. 

"Okay." 

A familiar smile tugged his lips up, a boyish, giddy grin that had you smiling as well. He was just too cute. He leaned down to press another kiss, chaste and delicate, against your lips. The feeling was something new, something that would take a while to get used to. He laced his fingers through yours.

"So, our first sleepover, huh?"

You pulled your leggings on as fast as you could and gathered up your belongings, stumbling out his bedroom door quietly, hoping he was still fast asleep in bed and had no idea you ran out this early. Finally taking the time to glance at your phone, you noticed it was 5:48am, still 4 hours until your first class of the day. You had been awake all night, you were sure, and had left the moment you saw the sun peak over the horizon. 

You couldn’t explain exactly why you were leaving so soon, so frantically, but something inside of you was begging you to run. From Mat, from his apartment, from this building. Back to where you were familiar and comfortable and safe. Safe, safe, safe. As much as you hated it, you still couldn’t feel safe in anybody’s arms, not even Mat’s. Not even when you craved so desperately to be loved by him and to love him back. Your heart and body craved his touch, his skin, his warmth, but your brain rejected it. You didn’t feel safe yet. You still couldn’t hold Mat or be held by Mat without thinking of him. 

You glanced around Mat’s apartment as you finally closed his bedroom door behind you, your mind drifting to the night before.

“So,” He laughed nervously and dropped his hand to rub the back of his neck as he opened the door. He was just a bit shy to show you around, his cheeks going pink, despite the ever-present grin that told you just how happy he was to have you here with him. Shyness was cute on him. “So this is my place.”  

The door swung open and he let you step in before him, taking in your new surroundings. Your boyfriend’s place. It wasn’t dirty at all. In fact, it was cleaner than you expected for a young, rich bachelor like him, but it was obvious he hadn’t lived on his own before, and was used to just letting it all out. Not used to having visitors. Any girls he brought home would be too caught up in the fact that he was hot and successful to care if he had some socks on the floor or some dishes in the sink. But under the hint of boyish mess, it was obvious this apartment was expensive. You knew from the second you stepped inside the apartment building that you would never be able to afford a place like this, but seeing it now… all the way from how spacious it was and beautiful the light color scheme was to the pale floorboards to the white marble of the island countertops to the huge windows looking out into the million dollar view of the city. Few people in New York City could afford a view like this. 

“Wow.”

“You think?”

“Are you kidding?” You looked back at him, at the dumb modest smile on his face. “Mat, I will never, ever in my life be able to afford this. And you have this place all by yourself at twenty-two?” He just shrugged, finally shutting the door behind him and taking your bag off your shoulder, setting it on the countertop. “It’s so pretty.”

“I mean, I didn’t decorate it. I flew my mom in to help. That’s all her.” 

It made you smile, the thought of such a big-time NHL player flying his mom across the continent just so she could help him decorate his place. It was always a good sign to see someone with such a healthy family relationship. It was so intimate and beautiful to get to see this side of Mat. This was his home. This was where he fell asleep, woke up, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, sat on the couch to watch TV. This was his private life. And now you were in on it. 

“It’s not that amazing, anyway. It’s big and expensive, but that’s no fun if I’m all alone.” His eyes caught yours, his fingers found their way back between yours. “How about we… recreate earlier tonight? Maybe watch The Office like you mentioned the other week?”

Your breath caught in the throat, but you squeezed his hand. “We can do that.”

You could kick yourself now, for giving in so easily. You wanted to hug him and kiss him and hold him, but another part of your head was so scared to jump in so fast, that you almost said no. You almost said no, but how could you follow him the whole way to his apartment, kiss him, tease him like that, and then deny him anything else? How could you say no? You cast a glance towards the couch that you had spent so much time on the night before, curled up in Mat’s arms, unbelievably tense and nervous and awkward. There was no way it had been enjoyable for him. It certainly wasn’t for you. 

With your heart aching and needy, you gave one last glance back through his apartment, listening carefully to see if you could hear any soft snores from his bedroom- you couldn’t- before slipping on your shoes and slipping into the hallway, locking the door behind you so that you couldn’t even get back in if you changed your mind.  

You were torn.

Mat arms were curled around your waist, your back was pressed against his chest as you snuggled under the blanket and watched all the shenanigans the characters were going through in The Office. If you could even call this snuggling. You couldn’t help how tense you were and how hard your heart was beating. 

“You comfy?” Mat’s nose pressed to the top of your head, squeezing you lightly. He must have noticed.

“Sorry, just not used to this.”

“Well, you better get used to it.” He laughed a little bit and you smiled too. As nervous as you were, you couldn’t deny how nice it felt to finally have someone to hold again, even if you might end up hurt in the end. “Would you be more comfy if you took your bra off?” 

You almost choked on your own spit. "What?"

"I mean, I'm not gonna make you take it off, and I don't know what it’s like to wear one, but from what I’ve heard, there's no way it’s comfortable to sleep in."

"Well, I don't want my boobs pressed all over you."

"I want that." His cheeks went a little pink and his eyes widened. He shook his head and laughed, brushing off what he just admitted. "No no no that’s not what I meant. Sorry, I just want you to be comfy. I want you to feel at home around me." 

“Hmm, I do feel at home around you.” 

“Good.” His lips found your forehead, an action that was starting to feel more and more natural after your very first kiss earlier that night. You were just beginning to relax some more when the episode finished and Netflix asked you for the third time that night “Are You Still Watching?”. You hand found Mat’s arm and you shifted to roll over and face him, smiling up at his face when your hair tickled his nose. “Hey there, baby.”

“Hey.”

“Think it’s time to go to bed?” 

You couldn’t explain it. You couldn’t explain why you felt this way, You had complained for months about how lonely you were, how dating never went well for you, but the moment you met Mat, you refused to believe it. Mat was amazing. You’d never felt this much, this soon about anyone else in your life. Only once had the feelings gotten so near to this intensity, and you could still remember how painful it turned out. It still haunts you every day, no matter how much you tried to escape it. Mat was so perfect to you, too perfect to you, that there was no way this was real. Nothing is this perfect. Nothing was this easy and flawless and simple. Things didn’t just fall into place like this. Not for you. So as you lay in Mat’s bed that night, his arm around your waist and his breath warm against your head, not even realizing what had slipped from his lips in his half-asleep daze, you realized: this was way moving too fast. Mat was going way too fast, and you weren’t there yet. 

You came to regret your decision to leave so soon before you even made it down to the front door of his apartment building, and a few minutes later you found yourself in the back of a Taxi, gazing wistfully at Mat’s contact number and knowing he was still blissfully asleep, thinking you were still in his arms. 

And as you drove away, Mat was waking up in bed alone, like always, and wondering what he had done wrong. 

---

You moved almost like a zombie through your first classes of the day, luckily you could just go home and read the textbooks and pretty much understand the whole lecture, and the first time you spoke was when you went out for lunch with your roommate and best friend. She found you in the popular campus coffee shop, your forehead down on the table and your hair a mess, your backpack of textbooks tossed haphazardly on the floor beside you. “Woah, girl, rough night?” 

“Fuck.” 

“Can I take a guess and say it has to do with this perfect guy you’ve been seeing?” 

“Ugh, Maggie……”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She sat down across from you as you finally lifted your head, only to slump back in the booth, still dwelling on the thought of what had happened the night before. “So, tell me what’s up.”

“Well, I’m running on zero sleep right now.” 

“Shit, did you sleep together last night?” 

“No, no! Girl, you know me better than that.” She held up her hands in mock surrender. 

“Hey, he sounds so perfect, I would have sucked his dick by now.” You laughed at her antics, always one to make you smile. “Well, then what happened?”

“We just… I told you we were babysitting together, right? We… walked to his place afterwards and…. We kissed.” She squealed for you across the table, but you continued on. “I stayed at his place all night. We just… cuddled and watched The Office.”

“You’re dead-ass living the dream!! Why do you look so down???” 

“Well, he uhhh…”  Your memory from last night flooded back to you.

You were curled up in his bed, his intoxicating scent surrounding you, his big arms engulfing you, his big Islanders hoodie swallowing you up. You were so overwhelmed by him all around you, but overwhelmed in the best way possible. His arms were around your waist, one of your was slung over his waist while the other stroked his dark hair away from his face. He smiled at you, half-asleep, and hummed in content. “I like when you touch my hair. S’cozy.” 

“I like touching your hair. It’s really soft.”

“Mmmm.” You could see the snow falling against the window, and snuggled further into his arms. For the first time since you started cuddling, you felt truly safe and warm and cared for. Like he was the first man to ever care about you like this. His hand was big and warm on the small of your back, pulling you into him so gently, so easily, but for once you weren’t afraid of the contact. Like all the hesitation you had, all the walls you had built up had crumbled down for him. You were both drifting off to sleep when a tiny mumble filled your ears, barely comprehensible as it tumbled from the dreaming man’s lips. 

“I love you...”

“Oh shit, (Y/N).”

“I know it’s bad.” You felt guilty, thinking back now, but Maggie knew your history, so hopefully she’d understand. “I feel shitty about it, but I panicked. I didn’t get any sleep. And ran off this morning and I haven’t answered any texts from him since then.” 

“Okay, that’s okay. You don’t need to be sorry for being uncomfortable when your boundaries are overstepped. But you gotta communicate those boundaries with him. And what he said, that’s a big deal, okay? Especially this early. So I get why you feel it's going too fast. It’s definitely something you definitely have to talk about. I get why you freaked out, but ignoring him isn’t going to make it better. He sounds like a genuine guy who means good but is just… a little too much for you. You just gotta talk it out.” 

You opened your phone to the messages he sent over the last few hours since you left, and only felt worse and worse.

maty: “where’d you go??”

maty: “what’s wrong??”

maty: “ohhh you probably have class?”

maty: “you should’ve woken me up, I would have taken you, i had to get up for practice anyway”

maty: "i don't like waking up alone."

maty: “are we hanging later on??”

maty: “i was late for practice, trotz is gonna kill me haha”

maty: “are you there??”

maty: “baby?????” 

maty: "what did i do???"

His hurt was evident in each message, and it made you feel like shit to read it, but your friend was right. You needed to talk. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, girl. All I want is to see you happy with the guy you’re with. This guy seems like a keeper.” You smiled, and before you could continue on, she smiled. “One more question: Is he an Islanders fan?” 

You shook your head, confused as to what made her ask and smiled internally to yourself slightly at the little fact about him that you had kept secret. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, cause I know you’re not really into sports, so who’s hoodie is that?” 

You glanced down curiously and realized that, in your frantic rush to get dressed, you had forgotten that the hoodie you had worn to bed the night before wasn’t yours. No, it was much too big to be yours. The familiar blue with “Islanders Hockey” across the chest was a dead giveaway that you had accidentally stolen Mathew’s hoodie. 

“Oh,” you fumbled and reached up to play with the strings. “Yeah, he’s a fan.” 

Your friend just smiled and gave you once last look before urging you with one last whisper of “text him” and stood up to leave the table. After a long, deep breath, you picked up your phone with shaky hands, pressed his contact and typed out the words that scared you so much, watching the typing bubbles appear.

you: “Can we talk?”

maty: . . .

[tigerdrop]

I gotta say that not knowing anything about hl2’s plot really adds so much to Gordon’s confusion. Gordon’s wondering what an earth is gonna happen next and I’m like me and you both bud!! It’s super fun to read a fish out of water story and you’re on the side of the fish

Ooh, are we going to get any Benrey POVs in the story or is all Gordon? Or even other npcs? Understanding Benrey through Gordon’s biased perspective is always great, but it’s moments like last chapter that really make me wonder what an earth Gordon looks like to everyone else. But I have to say you’re really good at writing from a single perspective while not keeping the entire story constrained to that perspective. If that makes sense? Like we’re seeing everything through Gordon’s eyes and we don’t know exactly what the other characters are thinking, but you can make a good guess that when they’re not stuck to their script they’re kinda wary and not sure if they’re impressed with this promised hero

I really enjoyed the latest chapter, I’m actually having so much trouble writing a comment for it cause I wanna talk about how well written it is but I don’t know where to start! There’s just so much to talk about that’s super fun to try and dissect

honestly i am delighted to get this kind of feedback from ppl who havent played hl2! ive been trying really hard to make it accessible to both camps of ppl, and its a relief to hear that the sense of confusion is not, like, offputting......the first iteration of the first chapter suffered a lot from "Guy Writing Fanfic" syndrome where i took it for granted that everybody else reading it would be as intimately familiar with the game. (plenty of people wouldnt be! so it was kind of impenetrable.)

there will definitely be other POVs down the line! theres gonna be quite a few things going down in the future that mr gordon 'hlvrai' freeman is not kept abreast of.....and benreys gonna have his chance in the sun, too. but for the time being, most of it is gonna be in gordons POV - such is the nature of narrating a first person shooter

for what its worth, i Love It when people try to dissect whats going on!!! people have come up with so many ideas that i hadnt even considered as possibilities, and i think thats fuckin awesome.....it makes me feel like weve done a good job keeping the setting interesting without giving away exactly whats going on! (i was really worried about this last bit. my weakness in writing is that i kind of tend to proselytize and Flat Out State The Theme/Plot Device, but i am getting better at this. working with kogo has really kicked my ass into gear!) thank u so much for keeping up with it and leaving these kinds of comments for us......it fuckin rules!

[paintmelikeoneofyourfrenchpoodle]

((Alright, so this is probably way overdo.

Why the heck Jade gets so weird about sex sometimes:

Alright, so this is going to be a little ridiculously long, but if you want to know? I’m putting it under the cut. Also, TW: there is a brief mention of abuse. Not of her, but its relevant. I’ll also put another warning when that part is about to come up. 

Okay so, I’m going to start of with some context. So for anyone who might not know, this Jade is pretty old. I started rping her as her back in… I think late December of 2015 or early January of 2016? Either way, it was a few months before Homestuck actually ended. At this point obviously we had no idea how it was going to end, or what was going to happen to the characters at that point. Heck, if I remember correctly GIGAPAUSE, or whatever it was called, was still going on.

Anyway, didn’t know they were going basically jump start civilization and jump into the future, that’s for sure. So, not knowing how things were going to turn out for Jadey girl here, I basically made some educated guesses based on what we knew at the time, and mixed in my own ideas and head-canons to create the timeline this Jade now exists in. This included the loss of the meteor lab, building a new civilization from the ground up (and actually sticking around to help build it), and having everyone live in a fairly small, tight knit community. Mind you, some minor things have changed to reflect the retcon John did, but mostly I’ve kept things fairly the same.

So what does this mean for Jade or have anything to do with her sexuality? We’ll get to that, but I’m going to prelude things by saying it isn’t just sex she gets worked up about. It’s relationships and intimacy in general, and there isn’t really one set reason why. There is a gosh darn list.

1) She doesn’t have the best social skills. Growing up on an island with the only human contact being through the internet isn’t exactly the best way to nurture healthy emotional development. To top it all off, she spent those 3 years on the ship basically alone thinking she killed John and Davesprite. She isn’t a complete social ignoramus obviously, but she has her awkward moments and she KNOWS it. Which, can give her some major social anxiety in general. And as far as relationships, even friendships go, she is constantly worried she is going to screw things up. She also just wasn’t used to people in general for a good while. 

Mind you, it’s almost been 10 years since the end of the game now from her perspective so she has improved drastically, but there are still some hangups that she has. For example, she doesn’t handle crowds well considering she was so used to being alone. Can Town is full mostly people she is familiar with and the population is only 1,000ish, so she is mostly in her comfort zone still even during busier occasions. However, notice Jake and her chose to move outside of town when they got the chance? There you go. 

2) She isn’t used to physical touch. Which… is really sad considering how much she actually loves it. Again, this is something that has improved over the years, but she still doesn’t like being messed with by people she doesn’t know.

3) She honestly thinks that in the end she will end up alone. Jade, hasn’t exactly had the best luck with romance. Remember, her timeline is fairly small, and pretty much everyone she might be compatible with already paired up with someone else. To top it off, she had (and still kind of has) a massive crush on her timeline’s Dave, and built up a lot of false hope that something might eventually happen between the two of them thanks to John telling her about Davesprite and Davepeta kissing her that one time. Yeah, that didn’t happen. He ended up getting with Karkat finally when they were around 22, and while she is happy for them and supports them in any way she can, it kind of broke her heart. 

She also hasn’t had the best luck with people she’s been interested in online/from other timelines either. Usually, by the time she realizes she might be interested in someone they end vanishing, dating someone else, or they actually… end up being kinda awful people she shouldn’t have liked in the first place. (*cough*Venom*cough*) Also, she has a habit of dwelling on the whole “space players are destined to be alone” thing from time to time. Over the years she has genuinely started to think that she just isn't cut out for being anyones partner romantic/sexual/otherwise, and that people aren’t ever going to be interested in her for whatever reason. She’s built up this shell around herself, this illusion that she has come to terms with things, so that when that eventuality happens, she’ll maybe not be hurt so badly. So when someone shatters that illusion? She panics and gets flustered, and remember… she is related to these guys:

(Mind you Jake had plenty of reason to act like that, but it was the only one I could find with a quick google search.)

But yeah, I think big reactions kind of runs in her family.

4) She’s inexperienced. Three times as of this point. Yep. Thats it. That’s all she has done. Ever. Don’t get her wrong, she has really enjoyed it and really gets into things once she was able to get over the jitters. Plus, she was the one that asked for it each time. But she doesn’t like not knowing what she is doing, and it wigs her out because she doesn’t want to mess things up. Also fun fact, she’s never been on a non pale date before. Just throwing that in there.

5) The whole being part dog thing. As much as she loves being part canine, she actually can be real self conscious about it at times. Also, she *hates* how people will sometimes look at her as a fetish, and gets worried that if someone is interested in her its because she is a dog girl, and not because of who she is. She does enjoy indulging in her dog side (girl likes being pet), but she wants to make sure someone to see her as herself first and foremost. Being part dog should just be a bonus.

6) She’s a bit of a hopeless romantic. She wants to actually have a connection with people, and honestly is that so wrong? One night stands, flings, or casual whatevers aren’t completely out of the question, but at least give her a chance to be friends with you first geez. 7) She’s scared of being hurt. This is kind of caused by a combination of things up top, but she genuinely is afraid of the idea of being fucked and dumped. She’s got enough emotional issues as is, and does not need that on her conscious as well. Getting intimate with her in any way can take a lot of trust depending on the person. Additionally… 

*Okay, so here is the part I warned about up top.* She has had far too many friends who have been taken advantage of and abused. There have been several people that she has been close to over the years that have been seriously messed up by their partners. Jade’s smart and she knows it, but she also knows she can be really naive about certain things as well. It’s kind of the cherry on top of all her paranoia.

Okay bad part over

So yeah! This is ridiculously long, but there you go. I feel like it is important to note that Jade does really enjoy being with someone intimately and/or sexually given the chance. It just can take some work getting her out of her shell. It’s something she knows she needs to work on, and would like to. However, she hasn’t really ever had many opportunities to.

Also, her behaviors really only apply to herself for the most part. She might get a little embarrassed by other people talking about their own stuff from time to time, but she actually can get a real kick out of it sometimes as well. Has been known to have lengthy conversations with people about their own preferences, sexual interests, habits, ect. She will even tease other people about it! It’s when it gets flipped back on her somehow that she starts getting worked up. Heck, she is normally fine with people getting her flustered because she *knows* a lot of her own behavior is ridiculous, and that when people pick at her it is usually harmless friend banter.  She also usually knows when people are being truly malicious towards her and WILL defend herself. Don’t think she is a pushover just because she looks like she is an easy target. This girl has some bite alongside that bark.

Anyway, there is probably some more I could add to this but again it is stupid long at this point. I hope this isn’t too confusing and explains a few things.

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Happy Together : 2

Small World

Character(s): (deceptively) dark!Steve

Warnings: this is a dark!fic, it contains non/dubious-consent elements. It goes without (and with) saying that this is 18+.

Series Synopsis: The reader is stood up while awaiting a blind date, instead finding herself keeping company with the restaurant’s famous owner; Steve Rogers. After that night, she tries to forget her humiliation but she just can’t shake one thing about that night: him.

Chapter Summary: The reader sees a familiar face.

Notes: For reference to setting, see the previous chapter. As for this one, I hope you have patience. Now, Witness kinda took a few chapters to get to the crux, but this one might take a little longer. ;) But I promise, it’s going to be some very fucked up Steve eventually. In advance, I thank everyone for following along and soon I will start adding to other WIPs one Witness is finished (maybe finally start that Medieval AU lol) <3

Thanks to everyone who reads and as always, I looked forward to hearing from you in the replies/reblogs/tags/asks. <3

You were annoyed that you had wasted time at that restaurant waiting on yet another unreliable and selfish man. You could’ve used the hour finishing your latest commission but instead you spent your Saturday morning on the project. You usually tried to save that day for yourself. Self-employed, you made it a priority to work at least six days a week. You were paid well enough, quite successful as it was, but you liked the security of having a little extra under your belt. Besides, it always made you anxious to think that you could be actually doing something instead of lazing around on your couch watching Netflix.

Plus, you needed the distraction from your self-pity. The humiliation lingered for a few days after and even your work couldn’t erase it entirely. Why hadn’t he come? Was it an innocent case of forgetfulness? Or maybe he had changed his mind after seeing you. Tandi had exchanged your information via Facebook and he had seen your photo the same as you had his. Perhaps he hadn’t been as pleased at the prospect. Ugh, you didn’t even know him. Just forget it!

It was Wednesday and the disappointment was still a speck at the edge of your mind. It was sunny for once, a light jacket over your blouse and jeans as you basked in the warming spring air. You walked merrily to the park, happy to be outside, refreshed almost. You found a place on one of the bench, the melody of birds and interspersed voices of people filling the flowery air. You pulled your tablet and pen from your leather tote and opened up your program, working on the outline of the geometric logo you had started the night before.

Every now and then you looked up from your work and admired the serenity nestled amidst the chaotic city. You crossed your legs, resting your tablet against your knee and continued to draw, the sunlight hugging you. A blur moved across the top of your vision and paused, looming closer and you slowly looked up. The tablet nearly slid off your knee as you spotted the man approaching you. It couldn’t be.

“Hey, it’s you,” Steve greeted, his perfect smile shining brighter than the sky. “Sorry, I didn’t get your name the other night.”

“Um, Y/N,” You answer, shading your eyes from the sun beaming over his shoulder, “You remember me?”

“A face like yours is easy to remember,” He replied coyly, “I’m Steve, by the way.”

“Yeah, I uh...know,” You admitted shyly, “Thanks again…”

“Oh, it was nothing,” He waved away the gratuity, “Do you mind if I sit?”

“Go ahead,” You shrugged, steadying your tablet across your knee.

“Are you drawing something?” He asked, your tablet half-dimmed as it threatened to lock.

“Yeah. Working actually,” You explained, clicking the sleep button and shifting the screen against your thigh. “I’m a graphic artist.”

“Ah,” He nodded, “Makes sense. It must be fun. Doing something creative like that.”

“It can be,” You answered, “I…” You paused, his eyes never leaving yours. He was so intent on you, as if no one else was in the park. How had he picked you out among the crowd? Half of New York had probably been in his restaurant. You shook away the overly paranoid questions and continued. “Depends on the job, really. I mostly just do corporate logos and designs. Can’t really get paid for what I want to draw.”

“Well, what do you like to draw?” He stretched his arm over the back of the bench, you almost didn’t notice as it slid behind you. You were sure it was just a casual gesture, a habit he didn’t give much thought to, but it felt entirely too intimate.

“Life, I guess. People, animals, trees. I just like to create scenes, not just...symbols,” You said, nervously twirling the pen between your fingers. “I prefer to paint, really.”

“Oh, yeah? Do have any of them on that thing?” He pointed to the tablet, “Anything you’re willing to show me?” You blinked as his tone caught you off-guard. He was talking about your art and yet it seemed like he meant something more. You could’ve sworn his eyes had strayed from your face for just a second. God, you were crazy. After being stood up and nearly two years by yourself, you were growing delusional.

“I might, I, um...one second,” You unlocked your tablet and saved your work. You opened your gallery and flipped through your files, settling on a quick sketch you had done of a sparrow that had built a nest outside your building. “It’s just a drawing, but, um, here.”

You handed over the tablet and he tilted it so he could see the screen, his brows lifting as his eyes ran over the lines and shadows done in monochrome, splashes of auburn here and there to give a hint of life to the sketch. “Wow, that’s really good.” He looked up, holding the tablet out to you, “You’re very talented.”

“Thanks,” You looked away shyly, “Really, it’s just a sketch. I’ve seen way better.”

“No, no, what you do is amazing. You shouldn’t compare yourself to others,” He smiled as you took the tablet, your fingers brushing his by accident. “You’re you and that makes it more than a sketch. It’s art.”

You allowed yourself a small smile. “Thank you,” You locked your tablet again and set it on your lap, resting your pen beside it.

“Well,” He slowly pulled his arm out from behind you, his warmth releasing you as he stood. “I’ll leave you to it. I’d hate to keep you from you work.” He checked his watch as he spoke, “And I’ve got to get to the restaurant for dinner service.” He looked back to you, his blue eyes searching you, considering you closely as he measured his next words, “You should definitely come back some time. You know, no date required.”

“Yeah, uh, sure,” You nodded evasively. You didn’t really want to admit that you couldn’t go back not because you were dateless but because you had bills. “It was, uh, surprising to run into you.”

“You, too,” He grinned, his golden brows twitching, “The special tonight is salmon. You should give it a try….have a good one.”

He turned away, strolling across the park and onto the street. You drew your brows together as you saw a silver car pull up and he got inside. Why would he be walking through the park if he had a town car? You shook your head and readjusted your tablet across your knee. Maybe he had just gotten out to stretch. You doubted he had gone out of his way to bug you.

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

You balanced the mugs, careful not to spill any of the foam as you walked between tables and found your seat by the window. Tandi was sat with her phone out, grinning at the screen like an idiot. You set her latte in front of her and cupped your own warm mug as you sat down. She finished typing and relinquished her phone on the table. She looked up at you, starry-eyed over her latest fling. Well, they’d been seeing each other for a couple months so maybe it was getting serious.

“I’m real sorry about Danny,” She said. She had arrived as you were waiting in line, grabbing a seat as you bided your time in the queue. Your mouth twitched and you looked away. The heat still rose in your cheeks whenever you thought of the painful hour spent in the restaurant. It had been more than a week.

“It’s not your fault,” You grumbled, “It was just embarrassing...I can’t believe I sat there that long. It was like everyone was staring at me.”

“I’m sure they weren’t, but it was a dick thing to do. I’ve blocked him on Snap, Facebook, and Twitter.” She smirked, “So yeah, fuck him.”

“Ha, thanks,” You scoffed, raising your mug to sip from it, the foam cooling the espresso. Your eyes wandered out the window as you leaned back in your chair.

“You know, not all guys are like that, Y/N,” She trilled, “Carson’s a nice guy and he has lots of friends.”

“I don’t want to date any of your boyfriend’s bros,” You protested, watching the passerbys through the glass. “Carson’s nice but not my type and I can’t imagine his friends are of a different cut.”

“Well, you should at least consider someone. Anyone!” She said dramatically, but before you could chuckle it caught in your throat. You swore you recognized that blonde head across the street. You couldn’t say for sure as it quickly ducked into the suit shop and you blinked as the mug in your hand wobbled. You steadied your grip and turned back to Tandi. Right, you were going crazy.

“I will. One day. But I’m fine right now. Work’s good and steady and I feel pretty good. I can do what I want when I want...Living with Mike was difficult and I didn’t even realize how much I hated it til he was gone.” You stopped yourself before you could get too emotional. “I know it’s been a long time, but I’m working on it, a little at a time.”

“I know…” She reached over and touched the back of your hand, “I just want you to be happy; healthy.”

You smiled. A genuine smile. Not the one you put on for strangers or when you were anxious. A real one and it felt good. You took another gulp and waited for Tandi to begin her usual train of gossip. She always had the messiest stories about her workplace; she was an actor and had garnered many a theatre job, enough at least to keep her studio apartment. Once she began, it was hard to stop her and your latte was drained by the time she finished.

Her phone shook the table. She flipped it over and checked the notification, her face shone. “Carson’s back from his trip,” She almost sang. You stared at her and sighed as her eyes rounded brightly.

“Go on,” You relented, “You’re free to go. I won’t keep you. Just call me when you get a chance...if you get a chance.”

“Thank you,” She stood so quickly she hit the table with her hip. She pulled on her thin trench, pulling taught the belt around her thin waist. “I love you, you know that?”

“I know. That’s why I’m letting you go,” You crossed your arm, “Just let me know you’ve arrived safely. You know I’m paranoid.”

“Sure, sure,” She leaned down to give you half-hug, “I’ll see you.”

“See you,” You patted her lower back in return, “Bye.”

You watched her go, content at least with the hour shared with her. You couldn’t expect her to put her life on hold because you had. You weren’t bitter but you mulled her words. Just because one jerk had stood you up didn’t mean they all would. Maybe not today or tomorrow or the next day, but you’d be ready to start again one day. For now, you wanted to pop into the used bookstore just across the street. You always found something interesting there.

You stepped out into the cool spring afternoon, the evening looming as a hint of rain floated in the air. You ran across the street and hopped up onto the curb, your focus solely on the book shop. You entered with a ring, the small bell above the door announcing your entrance. The storekeeper was sat at a desk stacked with book, the daily newspaper held aloft like a shield. You headed for the back shelves where vintage magazines were kept in old filing crates. You liked to use them for inspiration.

As you picked out decades-old issues, the bell jingled again but you didn’t pay much heed to the arrival of another. You continued to thumb through the magazines until you had half a dozen, content that they would last you a while. You stood and looked along the shelf, walking parallel to it slowly as you read the titles of ancient odes and medieval limericks. You stopped to pull out a collection of Wordsworth, the spine thin and worn, easily falling open in your hand.

“Excuse me,” The voice interrupted you before you could finish reading the title of the first poem. It was oddly familiar. Your lashes fluttered in disbelief, “You dropped…” Steve’s voice died and he chuckled as you turned to him slowly, “You again.”

“Uh-huh,” You mumbled warily. It had been him on the street retreating into the suit shop. That would prove he had been in the area for more than an hour but why? He held no wares from his visit to the tailor’s. Another coincidence? Surely, you weren’t that special.

“As I was saying, you dropped this,” He held up the white pen you used with your tablet. It had likely slipped out as you knelt at the crates.

“Thanks,” You accepted it and tucked it snuggly in the side pocket.

“What’s that you got there?” He asked, nodding at the book in your hand.

“Nothing,” You closed it and placed it back on the shelf. “I was just wasting time.”

“Oh yeah?” He smiled, resting his hand on the shelf as he leaned on it casually. “I just kinda stumbled in. Saw this copy of Dante’s Inferno,” He held up the painted cover which depicted an eerie cave spiralling ever downward, “My mother used to keep a copy but I never read it. Thought maybe I could give it a try.”

“Cool,” You hugged the magazines to you chest. Something about him being there at that exact moment was off. The unease was stronger than it had been at the park; his spontaneous visit had been more believable then. You tried to smile. You were being dumb. And what were you even afraid of? He used to be an Avenger. He was good guy. “I was actually just about to head--”

A clap of thunder shrouded your next words. You looked past the bookshelves as the light rain you had failed to notice through the window began to pour down in sheets. Your distress must have been plain as your lips parted slightly.

“Do you need a ride?” He asked, shaking you from your despair. You looked back to him and tried to think of something. Anything.

“I’ll catch a cab,” You shrugged him off, trying to seem unperturbed. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Don’t waste your money. You can share my town car. He’s just outside. I’m sure you don’t live too far out of the way.” He smirked, his hand shifting along the shelf as he edged closer. You almost didn’t notice the subtle movement.

“Really, I can’t. You’ve already done enough. I really should, um, go.” You back away only to find the corner at your back.

“I won’t let you say no,” He asserted, “Come on. Just a car ride. That’s it. I mean, do you really wanna stand out in this and hail a cab?”

You stared up at him as you considered the invitation. Why were you so reluctant? He had done nothing to earn your distrust. If anything, he had only done you favours. But why? Oh, shut up brain, he wasn’t Mike. Or Danny. He actually seemed like a decent human being so why were you being so dumb?

“Okay,” You relented, “Sure. Why not.”

****

tags:  @ruff-m3rc @alexakeyloveloki @lanabanana-86 @sathlens @jessieray98 @kellyn1604 @ahideousthinginside @ironlady1993 @kloe-iel @grayxswan @iheartsebastianstan @myboyfriendgiriboy @tanelle83 @patzammit @phoenix21love @they-call-me-le @iheartsebastianstan

[spacetimewraithwrites-archive]

Happy Storyteller Saturday! I'm sure you know at least one scene where there's suddenly a clone/doppelgänger/etc. of a character and they have to convince their friends that they're the original. How would your ocs do that? Would they succeed? What's a dish related to your ocs? (Be it inspired by them, or relating to their story in some way or simply by being their favorite food)

Ooh I love these questions!!! This is gonna be a long one hahaha

Focusing on the Main Three Big Boys™ in the interest of saving myself time and everyone patience (lol):

To prove he was the original, Guetry would just have to show that he’s got an AI in his head because Scotty would be impossible to replicate. NodeSource is the only company in the universe with access to Scotty’s code, and in order for the cloning/doppelgänging people to reverse-engineer him, should anyone have the skill/resources to succeed (they wouldn’t), they would have to kill Guetry to get to him, and that would make everything moot anyway! Fun!

Not to mention Scotty wouldn’t just allow anyone to “kidnap” him. If he sensed a breach or if Guetry died he would activate a “self-destruct” operation that would essentially wipe his processors completely clean. That’s…actually all horrifying to think about oh my god.

Warren would probably do something incredibly dangerous, because the purpose of the clone/doppelgänger, I’m assuming, is to live to take over his life. In doing something incredibly dangerous, Warren’s proving he’s willing to be the dead one, therefore making the clone look so stupid, what a loser

Thrive may be another story altogether. Considering his origins, the circumstances around his birth…it may actually be impossible to prove he’s not the clone/doppelgänger should the situation align itself perfectly so that he’s got a convincing clone/doppelgänger in the first place. I don’t actually think he would succeed bar the trope of telling everyone things only he would know. That’s really scary. What the hell.

MOVING ON to the dish question! Whenever I think of Warren I think of greasy drippy burgers because of his and Thrive’s time at a bar in Alaska in book 1. He’s kinda broken and generally miserable but a wonderful person and incredibly courageous so any kind of burger from a shitty, dirty dive that makes amazing food would be a Warren-relevant dish lmao

Thrive doesn’t really eat a lot but I think something bold and strong, like a spicy dish with powerful flavor would suit him well. I’m not well-versed in food by experience but I watch a lot of cooking shows and read a lot of recipes and stuff so from that knowledge I think some kind of spicy jambalaya with rice would be a great representation of him. Not culturally, but literally, as the spice and heat represents his boldness and power, the rice would represent the staunch attachment to his own culture and beliefs and traditions, and the seafood (we’re talkin’ like crawfish jambalaya y’all) would represent how closed-off he most often is to those not intimately familiar with him. So I can’t believe I’m saying this, but a seafood jambalaya would be a Thrive-relevant dish.

Guetry’s family comes from Champagne, France, so I feel like his favorite dish is some kind of staple the French would have in the 23rd century. He seems like a cheese boy so something that really puts emphasis on the cheese and rich, bold flavors, like some kind of futuristic stuffed duck confit or whatever. I don’t see him being too keen on seafood tbh so that would be out of the question. Poor guy. Anyway, flavorful French dishes are Guetry-relevant.

[sunlightdances]

Half of Your Heart (4/6)

Title: Half of Your Heart Author: Katie @sunlightdances​ Pairing: Dean Winchester x Female Reader Word count: 2,038 (this part) Summary: You and Dean spend some time one-on-one, and you overhear something you shouldn’t. Sam thinks he has an idea what they’re hunting. Rating/Genre/Warnings: This part is a little angsty. Some personal developments for our characters, and some plot movement too.

Tumblr is being dumb about links, so find the previous parts by going to my masterlist > Dean fics > Half of Your Heart > Masterlist!

(Quick author’s note: Oooof, you guys. I’m so sorry this has taken me so long. The long and short of it is that I’ve been feeling a little discouraged about this story, but it means a lot to me and I want to finish it. One more thing: my taglist for this story was deleted. If you asked me to be tagged, please send me an ask and I’ll make a new list. So sorry!)

.

.

“So.” Dean claps his hands together. “Target practice.”

You roll your eyes. “I want it on the record that I said this is a waste of time and unnecessary.”

“Everyone needs practice,” he says, arching an eyebrow at you in a way that you hate that you find attractive.

You try to refrain from rolling your eyes again and hope that he doesn’t see it, but the smirk on his face makes you think you’re not as sneaky as you thought you were.

“Look, we drove all the way here,” he says, referring to the training facility for Park Rangers on the outskirts of Rocky, “We might as well get some shots in.”

You sigh. “Fine.” Before he can say anything else, you aim your gun, taking a deep breath before firing, emptying your clip. You already know you’re spot on, and have to really fight to keep the smug smile off your face.

Dean looks speechless for once, and you can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of you.

“Are you happy now?”

He turns to you, an unreadable look on his face. He clears his throat. “That’s-- uh, yeah. Good shots.”

“I appreciate your worry, Dean, but I promise I know how to look after myself.”

His jaw is tense, his face still lined with concern. “I know you do. I just--” He takes a deep breath. “Have you heard about the bear attacks?”

You frown. Of course you’ve heard about it. They briefed you before you started your job, but you didn’t want to think too hard about it. You figured if you were careful enough and did your job, no one else would get hurt.

“I’m not saying you should shoot a bear, okay, but you get why I’m a little on edge.”

You nod, an idea springing up in your head. “Let’s get out of here. I’ve got just the thing.”

Dean looks skeptical, but he does as you ask. You leave the firing range and tell Dean to leave the Impala where it is. You walk with him down the dirt road towards the Visitor’s Center. It’s relatively warm today, the sun warming your skin and making your mood brighten.

You and Dean chatter idly as you walk. He doesn’t tell you much about him, but he tells you enough. He’s got plenty of embarrassing stories to tell about Sam, too. In turn you tell him more about your parents and the summer trips you’d take to National Parks with them every year.

At the Visitor Center, you drag him to the gift shop with you, and head to the ice cream counter at the small restaurant inside. He rolls his eyes, but goes with you, and refuses to let you pay. You smile, ducking your head, wondering why this feels so… so intimate. It’s ice cream. You’re a grown ass woman.

Still, when you sit down at a picnic table outside with Dean, it feels different. You find yourself cataloguing the details of his face, the freckles scattered across his cheekbones and the way his eyes crinkle at the sides when he smiles.

He catches you looking, and you blush, looking away quickly.

His spoon clatters into the plastic dish. He leans on his elbows, closing the distance between you slightly. “Am I imagining this?” He asks, and you feel your heart rate speed up.

“What?”

He swallows, gesturing back and forth between the two of you. “This. I-- I feel like…” He trails off.

“I feel that way too.” You tell him.

.

.

Dean feels like he’s on a roller coaster. Every ounce of self preservation he has is screaming at him to put the brakes on. He’s reading too much into this, he’s feeling frustrated and on edge and it’s messing with his judgement.

But then he looks at her, the way her hair shines in the sunlight and the delight on her face as she waves at some small kids who are sitting near them, and all his doubts just disappear.

He’s talking before he can stop himself. “Am I imagining this?”

She’s caught off guard, clearly, but he can’t stop now.

“This. I-- I feel like…” He doesn’t want to finish his sentence. He feels crazy. He knows he can’t do this, he can’t get attached. He can’t… but he wants to.

“I feel that way too,” she says, and something deep inside him clicks into place.

“We barely know each other--” Dean says, shaking his head.

“I know enough.”

They walk back to the car and Dean feels like a damn teenager. They keep stealing looks at each other, Dean’s grin stretched wide as a breathless laugh leaves her lips. They’re walking close enough that their hands are brushing together every so often, and he wants to bottle up this day. He wants to remember this feeling, always.

He doesn’t get this very often. This feeling of contentment. “The ice cream break was a good idea,” he tells her, grabbing her hand and tugging her to a stop when they get to the car, his thumb rubbing over the top of her hand. “Thanks.”

“Just don’t brag about it to your brother when we get back.”

He groans in mock offense. “You ruin all my fun.”

He becomes even more determined to solve this case on the way back as he glances at her out of the corner of his eye, her hair blowing in the breeze coming from the open window, eyes shut as she inhales the warm air.

When they get back, Sam is there, greeting them with a wave and a smile. He raises his eyebrow at the way Y/N sticks close to Dean’s side, a shy smile on her face. She squeezes Dean’s hand before heading off in the direction of her cabin.

Dean shoots his brother a warning glance, almost daring him to say anything. “Don’t. Look, we’re killing this thing. Tonight. Whatever it takes.”

Sam looks skeptical, but doesn’t argue. “Let’s hit the books, then. I think I have an idea of what it might be.”

.

.

The entire day with Dean feels like something out of a dream. It’s absolutely not what you thought would happen when you headed off to target practice with him, but you’re not sorry it happened.

You know this is probably a dumb idea, but there’s something about him. You feel the connection as strong as if there were a literal string connecting the two of you, and the relief you feel knowing he feels it too… it’s kinda overwhelming.

You have to do admission fee checks for the next few hours, so you head down to the entrance of the campground, fully aware you’re going to spend the rest of your shift daydreaming anyway. You can’t remember the last time you felt like this.

The hours fly by.

When the sun goes down, you shut up the entrance building and do a last sweep of the campground before heading back to the cabin. On your way back you see the light on in Sam and Dean’s trailer, and a smile blooms on your face in spite of yourself.

You veer off the path and head towards the now-familiar dwelling, raising your first to knock. You can just make out a whispered conversation on the other side of the door.

“The entire reason we’re here is to catch this thing. Staying in the campground was supposed to do that. This is clearly above our pay grade--”

Sam’s voice.

“We can’t just leave! There are people sleeping in there every night that have no idea what’s out there, and she--”

“Look, Dean. I know you like her. But we never planned to stay this long. We need back up. We can’t do this by ourselves.”

You hear Dean groan. “God dammit. I knew posing as Rangers wasn’t going to work for long. You know, we’re lucky that this thing--”

You’re pushing open the door before you can stop yourself, blood running cold at what you’re hearing. “What the hell are you talking about?” You feel like you’re going to be sick.

“Shit,” Sam hisses, turning to face you.

“Posing as Rangers? What-- what do you mean?” You will your voice not to shake. “Tell me the truth.”

“Just wait a minute,” Dean asks, hands out in front of him in a placating manner.

Before you can think about it, you’re pulling your sidearm from your waistband, angry because the only reason you even have it on you right now is because you actually believed he worried about you without a way to protect yourself -- what a crock of shit. “If you’re impersonating federal officers, then you’re under arrest.”

“Woah, hey. Slow down,” Sam says. “Let us explain.”

“You can explain to the Director,” you hiss through clenched teeth, angry at the tears you can feel building up.

“We never lied to you about who we are--”

You let out a bitter laugh. “Are you fucking serious?”

Dean deflates. “Just let me--”

“I’m tired of waiting.” You reply, “I’m turning you in.” You turn on your heel, leaving the RV as fast as you possibly can, your only thought about getting back to your cabin and getting to the Visitor Center.

Dean’s voice comes from a distance behind you as he calls your name. You should have known he would follow you.

“Please, get out.” You say flatly, starting to throw some clothes in an overnight bag. “I’m going to the Visitor Center. I’ll stay in Estes tonight.”

“I was going to tell you. Why we’re really here.”

You whirl around, anger radiating off you. “Oh yeah? You were going to tell me eventually? After you got me to trust you?” You clench your jaw hard to keep from crying. “Well, spit it out then.”

Dean looks pained, looks like he wants to reach for you, but he doesn’t. “We’re here because the Director knows our friend, Bobby. He reached out when it seemed like the bear attacks weren’t random, and he asked us to come help.”

“What - you think some… some serial killer is out there? Is that what this is? You’re undercover cops?”

His smile is bitter. “Something like that. Look -- whatever’s out there? It’s dangerous. It’s-- it’s not human.”

You freeze, a laugh of disbelief bubbling out of you. “Oh, god.” You turn away, pushing your hand through your hair. “You’re crazy. Both of you.”

“You have to trust me--” His hand lands on your shoulder. You shake it off angrily.

“Why should I?! You lied to me!” You hiss, though it comes out as a half-whisper. You’re so angry and hurt you can feel it vibrating through you.

His face is open, desperate. “No. I didn’t lie.”

“You-- you’re not who you told me you were.”

His hand is outstretched like he wants to reach for you, “You never would have believed me if I would have told you why I was here.”

You feel suffocated. “I can’t do this right now. I want you to leave--”

He’s shaking his head before you even finish your sentence. “I can’t leave you here. Look, you have no reason to trust me, and I get that, but if you stay here--”

“I can take care of myself! I’ve always taken care of myself and I don’t need your help.” The words come out more forcefully than you intended, but you’re so upset you can’t keep them in.

You can’t stand the look on his face. He’s hurt, he’s worried, but most of all, he understands and you think that’s what hurts most of all. You trust him. Deep down, you do trust him. So why is it that the one person you’ve felt a genuine connection with in the last five years has just turned out to be another person who manipulated you?

“Please go. Please.” Your voice cracks, and you think that’s what does it.

His face crumples. “I-- okay. I’m sorry. Today was-- it wasn’t fake. It was real, okay? Just... call me if you need anything and I’ll find you.”

You don’t say anything.

A minute later, you hear the familiar sound of the screen door closing, and then there’s nothing.

Silence.

.

.

Tumblr is being dumb about links, so find the next part by going to my masterlist > Dean fics > Half of Your Heart > Masterlist!

[alcego]

Boo!👻 Hi I'm here to pick your brain! 8, 9, 12, 19, 21, 39, 50 and 54 👀

hewwo!! my brain is yours to pick ^,^

[edit: added a readmore bc huh this got kinda long didn’t it?]

8. Favorite trope to write.

Oh jeez, there’s a lot of tropes I like… I’d have to say it’s the “unlikely BAMF,” since there’s something really pleasing to me in creating the dissonance there, and exploring how it came about in the first place. It’s actually a defining trope of Genesis Uprising! I had a lot of trouble envisioning Gunner, Genesis and co. acting like fools, which is a huge barrier in the character creation process, since characters who are cold and dark all the time are ultimately boring to read about. 

For reference, I actually came up with their dynamic thanks to the song Role Models by the Griswolds. I was fascinated by the dynamic of characters who lived life like they had nothing to lose, and realized that I’d be able to nurture that potential in characters with intimate familiarity with death. Basically, I love the idea of a bunch of drunk idiots saving the world and everyone who knows them asking, “Really? Those guys?” Which I think says a lot about my love of TAZ lmao.

9. Least favorite trope to write.

As much as I love reading slow-burn fiction, I agonize over writing it. It’s still fun, don’t get me wrong, but I wind up riddled with thoughts like “are these guys developing naturally, or have I ruined any chance of suspension of disbelief with an inability to be subtle?”

12. How do you deal with self-doubt?

Oh man, this was timely. Mostly I talk to friends. Like you. Because whenever I’m convinced that I’m a fraud and that my words are absolutely useless, you and the rest of the squad are there to bat me on the head and remind me that hey, I am actually good at this, aren’t I?

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on:

“Something about mediated communication left Lotor feeling unfulfilled, as if sterile texts and professional emails failed to fill a hole in his soul.”

–chapter two of god’s nut punching quota

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIPs:

“He had survived, and Lotor would reap the benefits of his fortune.”

More of god’s nut punching quota! Suddenly very glad I incorporate so much angst in my smut!

39. Do you base your characters off real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

Not really, although I did draw some inspiration for Dan’s build from an IRL coworker of mine, who shall remain unnamed because there are some things I’m paranoid about and IRL people finding my blog is definitely one of them. But yeah, I wanted Dan to be tall and chonky–especially in contrast to Gunner–and this coworker fit the loose image I was creating for Dan, so I just kinda… imagine him when I’m describing Dan, although there are definitely differences between them. Because I’m not like. Actually writing him into the book. Because that’d be weird.

50. Weirdest story idea you’ve ever had.

Honestly, I’m torn between the werelion WIP that came to me in a feverish state (and which I hardly remember writing) and the loose WIP I have that features a reaper who grew tired of eternal reaping and decided to hide on the mortal plane.

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

To quote Bob Ross, “Talent is a pursued passion.” There’s no way to get better at writing if you don’t write; you’ll be unable to find your weaknesses and improve upon them, let alone identify your strengths and use them to your benefit. That being said, being critical of the media you consume helps a lot too! And I don’t mean in a Tumblr disk horse way, but in viewing/listening/reading content while thinking about why you like it (and why you dislike other parts of it…) you’ll be able to figure out what makes tropes/plot twists/character dynamics work (or what doesn’t) and expand upon how you want to do those things. 

It really helped my writing. I remember watching the quality of my work improve by leaps and bounds while I was reading The Stormlight Archive because of this.

ask me questions about writing! (OPEN)

[despressolattes]

Side Character CHAPTER TWO | the originals/legacies

The car ride was most definitely awkward. The distance between Mystic falls and New Orleans was long enough without the excruciating pain of the silence that was so loud, my vampire self contemplated ripping my own heart out so just off myself already.

Don't make Hayley Marshall mad, she's scary.

As we walked into the Mikaelson compound, Hayley walked quickly in front of us, anger basically steaming out of her ears.

"Can you just yell at me already?" Hope called after her. "Seven hours of hostile silence is punishment enough."

Hayley stopped abruptly, turning around. "The whole point of sending you two to that school and calling you Hope Marshall was so that you wouldn't draw attention to yourselves, to keep you safe."

She turned to me, and for a second I felt like she was going to mom me as well. Instead, her expression softened, and she said, "Lilah, can you go up to your room? Sorry that I'm making you miss classes, too, I just thought if I was going to take your irresponsible best friend," she turned to her daughter when she said this, before turning back to me, "home, I might as well let you enjoy some time off as well."

I nodded, giving her a closed-mouth smile before I headed up the staircase towards the room the Mikaelson family had given me when they found out I had been compelling a landlord to let me stay in an apartment.

I passed by Freya on my way up, who instantly stopped walking towards the staircase with a knowing look on her face, staying right next to me.

"How bad is it?"

"Aunt Hayley's anger count be comparable to Uncle Niklaus," I told her.

I always called them all Aunt or Uncle when addressing them. Well, all but Elijah, though he's been gone for the past seven years, his memory taken. Even before, when I knew him, he and I had a close bond. I never called him Uncle Elijah, and no one ever asked me why not.

"Damn," Freya said, before slinging an arm around me. "So, update me on everything."

I smiled at her, my heart warmed with how the Mikaelson's opened their arms to me all those years ago. They treated me like I was one of them, and sometimes it felt like always and forever applied to me, too.

"You first, since I have a lot to say. How's Keelin, how long until she's back?" I asked.

Her smile dropped, and she said, "Soon, but... I might be leaving with her. It was suggested last time we talked, and I don't know, I kind of want to go, but I can't just stop trying to find a way to reunite my siblings, I can't just leave Vincent to take care of New Orleans by himself."

I frowned. Freya deserved the world, she deserved happiness. Sometimes it pained me to watch her spending her mortal, finite days trying to get the immortals back together. I wanted them altogether, too, but Freya put her own happiness aside for so long. I knew that it wasn't fair.

"Hope made a mistake, and she'll learn from it."

"That's what I said, but bad things come in threes, and three bad things seem to be happening," she said. "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Freya, you treat me like a kid," I said to her as we rounded the corner into my bedroom, sitting on the floor near my bed talking. "I think you're forgetting I'm an ancient vampire."

"An ancient vampire in high school, who looks like she's 16 and acts like she's 16, therefore I will treat her like she is 16."

"I'm grounded," Hope said, walking into my room. "I feel bad, but Kol seems to think it'll blow over by Mardi Gras."

"I'm sure it will," I reassured her as she joined us on the floor.

"I'm gonna go talk to your mom," Freya said, hugging her niece and kissing her forehead, before doing the same with me. "I'll see you two later."

-

The small, fixable mistake of Hope's became bigger when Henry ended up killing Poppy, a bartender at Rousseau's. Thus, sparked anger in the vampires, as well as something Hayley had to fix.

Then, Hayley went missing, though being Hope's best friend, she told me her plan. I again wrote a journal entry about how stupid my best friend was, but I kept my mouth shut about it. She wanted to see Klaus, which was understandable. Her execution was awful, but she promised she spelled Hayley to protect her, even showed me so I could have peace of mind.

So much happens in such little time when you're apart of the Mikaelson family, or at least close to them. Klaus was back in town, and doing the most to avoid Hope. Hope is trying to be with her father. Marcel is back, sans Rebekah.

I found myself wandering the house in the midst of the chaos. I walked slowly into Elijah's room, opening the box of things he felt was important enough for us to keep. I opened one of his old journals, reading the memories of his life. I had a million journals of my own, my past written down through the years I've been undead.

I had them all stored away, kept away, so no one could find a book and read about me. I went back to my room with one of them, sitting on my bed in my favorite snoopy pajamas with his journal.

There was a thud nearby, like someone bumped into the side of the house near my bedroom. I snapped my head to the two doors that lead out to my balcony, bracing myself to fight off whatever decided to poke it's head in the Mikaelson compound.

I calmed down slightly when I saw that it was Roman when he peaked his head so I could see him through the glass. Then, my nerves started up again when I realized Roman was outside my bedroom.

"Hey, Desmarais," he called. He wasn't wearing his school uniform.

This time he was clad in a red letterman jacket with white sleeves. I thought he looked good in a uniform, but seeing him dressed like a high school jock was even better.

I opened my door, quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Roman, you're at my house," I stated, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I-I needed to talk to you or Hope, so, uh," he said, his voice shaky.

"Not to be mean or anything dude, but how the hell do you know where I live?" I asked, trying to stay as myself as possible, and not stammer like an idiot in front of him. Plus, I had been excited thinking he was looking for me, but no. It was me or Hope, probably Hope since everyone prefers her anyways.

"Oh, well, Saltzman's got parent contacts in his file cabinet, which is where he keeps his emergency Bourban, so I'm intimately familiar... as are you."

I gave him a peculiar look when he said that. I found it weird that he noticed me, but also cute.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

I nodded.

"You know that I'm a vampire, too, right?" he asked, still standing with one arm pressed against the door, but not inside.

I nodded.

"So, I, uh, kinda need you to say it out loud..." he trailed off.

"Um, I can't really do that..." I replied. "Not the owner of the house, plus I'm sort of also a vampire."

He nodded, both of us realizing we're in a predicament.

"Come in," a voice said from behind us, and our heads snapped to Hope standing in my doorway looking confused.

"Hope, hey!" he said, seeming more excited to see her than he had to see me.

My eyes stayed glued to the floor.

"I'll ask questions later," she said to me. "I gotta go."

"Where are you going? It's barely dawn."

"I just... I gotta go," she said, and she hurried out of the house.

He stepped forward as I looked up, and I didn't step back. Our faces were close, and my eyes widened. I really hoped he wasn't trying to listen to my heartbeat or anything because it was beating like crazy.

"Cute jammies," he told me, looking me up and down.

I finally took a step back, my face heating up as I was embarrassed.

"So... why were you looking for me?" I asked, before adding, "Or Hope."

"Yeah, um," he said, turning around to close my balcony doors before turning back to me. "Look, people are saying all this stuff about Henry at school. That he died. And that he killed himself."

I crossed my arms over my chest, half to keep up my hardass persona, and half to cover myself considering I wasn't wearing a bra.

"Your friends were awful to him, you know that, right?" I asked, attitude in my voice as I looked at him. "He went through hell."

He looked down as I said it, and looked me in the eyes and said, "I know, okay? That's why I'm here. I should pay my respects or something. I let them push him around. Make fun of his poetry, his clothes, and now, I can't sleep."

I put a hand on his shoulder and said, "He's fine. He's with his pack, he didn't die."

The pained expression on his face got relieved, and I turned around to go to my drawer. I turned to him, and said, "I need to change, so can you look away?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, turning around.

I walked to my drawer, pulling out a tank top and a pair of blue jeans. Half way through changing, I realized the way my mirror was positioned, he could see me if he looked into it. I prayed he was a good guy and wouldn't look through it.

I grabbed green jacket from my chair, sliding it on before going back towards him. I told him he could turn around.

"Lizzie Saltzman said she saw Henry jump from the turret. A werewolf wouldn't survive that kind of fall," he said as I sat down on my bed.

"Yeah, well, Lizzie also said that Hope exploded an orphanage with my brain when she was eight," I said, and he took a seat next to me.

"Yeah, I-I heard that one," he said, this dazed look in his eye.

I felt something weird, like I was upset because of his interest in talking about Hope even though I was the one who mentioned her.

"I also heard she's a long lost Romanian princess," he added, looking at me. Our faces were close. "So, what is her secret?"

Of course, he wanted to know things about Hope. Everyone always wanted to know Hope, know about Hope. I was always just her best friend.

I chuckled. "They got her all wrong. She actually exploded an orphaned Romanian princess with her brain."

His face dropped, and I liked the fact that he wasn't sure whether I was telling him the truth or not.

I had a feeling that something was going on with Hope when the flowers near my bed started wilting, so I got up. "Can you wait here? I just need to do something real quick, I'll be back."

He shrugged and said, "Yeah."

"Also, about the princess," I added as I started walking away. "Brat had it coming."

He had a smile on his face when I turned back to look at him, and then I set off to look for my best friend.

---

chapter three

[promptosbouncybuns]

Can we please not tear ships down or character bash because of our agendas?

This somehow became super long...sorry.

Wanna know what Mai and Aang have in common?

They are normally the two biggest recipients of, honestly, really stupid accusations.

Aang is apparently abusive in that he kissed Katara once while she wasn't very consenting to it at the time.

He's 12 and does stupid things but please hold him accountable for all time despite how disappointed in himself he looked right after. He didn't even pursue her after she stepped back. He saw his error and pulled away.

He apparently doesn't care about Katara? Despite literally giving up his chance to take full control of his avatar state just to go save her from a vision that may or may not have been real. I mean he could have just been like...ok...meh...Idc. Avatar state yip yip!

Then in LOK he just used her as a baby maker...never mind that apparently Katara had enough power or sway to outlaw bloodbending. Plus...guys...she's old when we see her in that series and has always been more family centered.

Not saying she became just a regular housewife after she married Aang but as stated before, she old! She's been through enough and if she wants some peace and solitude after dealing with the loss of her Friends, her Brother, and her Husband than...let the woman be pls. Even Toph didn't really want to fight anymore since old age had finally cought up with her and she's younger than Katara! If she doesn't want to fight but instead heal, let her do as she pleases. Plus you all sound like being a housewife and taking care of your children is a death sentance. Not all fighters are in the battle all the time.

Somehow Aang is also depicted as only seeing Katara as a trophy...Honestly I don't see how this got so convoluted but anyone who saw the series can say he doesn't think or her that way. He loves her, sees her as his best friend, and as probably one of the best masters to ever teach him. He's shown her tremendous respect as a friend, pupil, and love interest. He's listened to her and has grown from her wisdom.

Its also just crapping all over Katara as a character when people have this line of thinking. She's stronger than that, and would never be a prize to anyone, not even the avatar. If she wants to be with him she will. Kinda like how in the last episode when Aang walks out, she follows and is the one to kiss him.

I've always seen them as opposites, not in elements but in personalities. Also their similarites tend to correlate too!

Katara is at times a stick in the mud and Aang helps her have a childhood with the fun he brings her. She's had to grow up fast and undertake a lot of chores around her village. She's strong and outspoken, at times very loudly. She's passionate, even in the face of supposed peril, where there is no way she can prevail. She's strong and cares for others, almost to a fault since she took up precious days till the eclipse to help firenation people she didnt know.

Aang is a playful soul that hates being tied down. He'd rather have fun, and has been raised to seek leisure instead of responsibility. Its because of this that makes him so childish, until he meets her and is shown that his destiny is to bring balance to the world. He may not be physically strong but like Katara he isn't weak willed. He's passionate about protecting people and bringing harmony back to the four nations. While his passion isn't quite so loud, he can inspire people.

She's helped curb his childishness, and has helped instill in him responsibility. She won't let him shirk things off or procrastinate. She even was willing to let Aang learn waterbending without her because it was for the greater good.

Through these actions she's helped Aang embrace his old soul vibe and have it feel justified. He sees through her that what he does now will have an impact on the world and he best be getting to it.

I've always seen them as a couple that is silly, cute, and can get things done. I can see them being older and being more familiar with each other and it can lead to them having very intense intimate energy. I mean in the series, they're kids so...not really into thinking about them that way at that age. They can communate well so, there will be less fights and a lot of understanding. Definitely not boring.

As for Mai well...apparently people just don't understand her sense of humor and personality. She's got dry humor and is very direct in a lot of things. She doesn't sugar coat things and shys away from expression a lot of times.It somehow comes off as abusive?

Her telling Zuko to never break up with her again is supposed to be a joke, seeing as the last time he did, she literally had to save his bum from being boiled alive...

Then you have the infamous scene where they were together again after season 2 and while Zuko angsts, Mai tries to redirect his thoughts from such dark depths. Honestly, what do you say to that? Should you say its going to be ok? Because that just seems empty amd shallow.

Plus Mai, being emotionally stunted, doesn't really know how to navigate emotional waters. You also have to keep in mind that they finally get to have a conversation after all these years so obviously they aren't going to really know one another and how to communicate well.

So her not coddling and not letting him angst over things neither of them can know or deal with till it actually happens is dismissive of his abuse? I don't thinks so. Its honestly saying we will have to wait and see how things have changed once you are actually back home, so lets not dwell on them so much.

Of course, then you have her bringing up what happened last time Zuko was in a war meeting which is somehow abusive too. You know, its the same thing Iroh brought up in season 1 Ep. 3. So Iroh is abusive too now. It feels like people are saying don't bring up someone's abuse, ever, even if its to help them from potentially repeating the same pain.

She's trying to stop him caring and in her very direct way says that its not worth the pain of what could happen again if he attends. She's genuinely worried about him and doesn't want him hurt more physically or emotionally.

Then they like to say Mai doesn't care about Zuko really and that she just likes his status. They also say she's abusive with how she doesn't like anything he does for her. The biggest scene used is from the Beach showing Mai non-plussed by him giving her a shell and ice cream.

For one, Zuko wasn't acting like Zuko at all that first bit of the episode. He didn't take into account what Mai liked as apposed to what other girls liked. I mean while Ty Lee may like the shell, does that mean every girl has to like it otherwise they're a complete bish? Also...who here likes having ice cream fall on them? Honestly Mai could have made a huge deal about getting it on her but chose to crack a wry, but as always, dry joke about it.

Also please note that in this same episode Mai deals with an abusive S/O very correctly. Zuko's been acting off and it culminates with him pushing a guy back who happened to be talking to her. He makes a scene and insults her in front of everyone once she calls him out on his actions. Does she get even and call him worse? Nope. She simply says that their relationship is over and thats it. Though she looks conflicted by this, she stands firm despite Zuko trying to get handsy with her twice later in the episode. She holds him accountable but says she still loves him. I'd have an issue with this if they didnt have Zuko tell her and everyone whats been eating at him so long.

If she didnt know whats been making him act so hostile and crazy then how can she know that Zuko's not just an abusive jerk showing his true colors after all this time. Not saying that it made his actions right, but I feel her knowing the why instead of leaving it a mystery helped Mai reason through forgiving him.

As for her just wanting the power of his position, thats just really, really, really, lazy. She's from a noble family and is friends with the firenation princess...or as I like to say, unfortunately trapped in Azula's orbit. She'd be well off as it is if she kept her connection to Azula, but she didn't. She chose to go against a firebending prodigy, essentially turning her back on the firenation and her family to save the jerk who dumped her by letter.

Nope! Mai doesn't give a Flamio about Zuko himself. She just wants his title.

Opposites seem to attract and in this case its definitely with personalities since...ya know...Mai can't bend elements.

Zuko is passionately driven to a scary degree. He's hyper focused on finding the avatar despite the 100 years no one's seen them. He can be hot tempered and easily set off. He cares for people even to the point he'd rather starve than rob pregnant couple for food. He's brash, and doesn't think things through.

Mai is quietly, but strongly passionate for Zuko, even if its detrimental to her as with challenging Azula. She has learned to keep her temper and other emotions under lock and key, and is not easily set off. She cares about those she's put time and energy into. She's fairly classy, choosing her words wisely and she's definitely done a lot of thinking about what she wants or needs to do as far as her actions.

Zuko's shown that its ok to be expressive, and that its ok for her to do so. He wants to see her free of her parents emotional abuse so that she won't be so guarded.

Through Mai's personality, she's helped temper....Zuko's temper. He won't be so quick to flip his lid and do things without thinking them through. Like fire to a knife Zuko's helped make Mai burn bright and she's given him a sheith for his wild emotions.

I've always seen them as the quiet but intense love kinda couple. They may not have the best communication skills and this could lead to a lot of arguments but their love for one another is stronger. Eventually the sands of time will smooth them, break down walls and allow them to understand one another better.

I'm all for pretty much any ship in atla, and I love how fanfiction can actually help strengthen my love for it more than the actual show. The creativity and OOC that some writers pull off can be amazing and help you really like a character in a certain way or open your eyes to a new pairing.

However, if you wanna like ships, like them because you can, but don't go and take obviously innocent things and blow them out of proportion.

Here is convoluted, misconstrued, out of context information to say person X is evil and shouldnt be with person Y. W shouldn't be with person Z....therefore, Person Z and Person Y should be together because their partners are obviously abusive.

The...What? Three to maybe five episodes of screentime together as begrudgingly budding friends is enough to show exactly how they will be if they got together. Which these episodes can bring about interestingly creative ideas, however people act like that this is the definitive reason Z/Y should be together and any other pairing with the other two is completely abusive.

Just to be clear...if you like Zutara, thats great, I do too. I can imagine them in any number of ways. Them being enemies to lovers, or knowing each other before becoming star crossed lovers, or everythings all good in the univers and they love each other so so much!

However, in none of these headcannons do I see the need to bash Aang or Mai. I don't need to come up with stupid reasonings for Zuko and Katara to be together. If I want them to be together in a story or piece of art, I'll do it and be classy about it. I won't have Katara say Aang assaulted her and fly into Zuko's arms, pushing Mai down saying she's a manipulative bish. Because...she and Aang aren't.

At all.

Im just tired of the mental gymnastics shippers go through to spread hate for one ship so they can have another. Half the time its not even true facts but just people seeing it from an angle that aligns with their agenda.

If you like something, you like it, but don't crap on other ships or characters wrongly to justify it.

Sorry if this is a mess but god, seeing most of these accusations against Aang had me honestly cringing. I thought it was mainly against Mai because...she got Zuko and isn't bubbly, motherly, and...well Katara. So when Anti-Kataang reasons somehow showed up on the old dash, I felt my faith in humanity plummet.

Like...I hope you guys can sleep well at night knowing you've literally slandered a cinnamon roll who's in touch with his feelings, something most of you would protect if it where for any other ship. Like people just starting the series potentially arent going to be too keen on Aang himself at all simply because of this misinformation. But no...just to have one ship you equated this kid to a sexually abusive monster. Good job. 10/10. Slow 👏 for you guys. Be proud.

[mystwright]

Her PT.1

Characters: You and Suga

 Word Count: 3194

Read Her PT.2 Here PT.3 Here

He walked through the group studio doors with an all too familiar scent clinging on to him. "Out again?" You asked as you looked up from your seat.

"Yeah" He replied. You sighed. "We need to talk... Are you ready?" You asked.

"I just got here Y/N, give me a minute to breathe"

You looked at him and already he seemed annoyed. He took his jacket off and sat across from you. Hiding behind a black face mask, all you could see were his piercing eyes looking at you.

"Alright, what do you want?" He asked.

The coldness in his tone hit you hard but you shook it off. It wasn't often that you would have to contact him, let alone be alone with him... but you were to have a meeting tomorrow with the board and you wanted everything to be perfect.

You shuffled through some of your notes to pull out a sheet and handed it to him. "We need to fix some of these lines. I think a lot of fans will get confused on what it means"

Once he saw what song it was, he looked at you with disbelief written all over his face. "It's fine. It means what it means, Y/N. You didn't seriously call me over just for that? I was out with someone." Who was it this time? You thought. At this point it didn't hurt you anymore not knowing who he was with or what he was doing. There was always an excuse for him to not be in the same room with you.

"Yoongi, I don't care if you were out with a million people. My job is on the line... If I see a possible problem, I have to fix it." He took another look at his lyrics and then got up from his seat. "Like I said, it's fine" With that, he grabbed his jacket and was out the door again. You sighed and looked at his now empty seat. He never acted like this with anyone else. Why was he only like this to you?

The next day, you sat in the office with your boss and the rest of the group members. Tensions were high but you did your best to propose your ideas.

"Y/N, did you go over the new lyrics?" Your boss asked.

"Yes."

"And what did you think?"

"I thought, for the most part, that it was good. But..."

"But?"

"I believe there were some problems with the chorus" You continued.

You could feel your boss glaring at you from across the room.

"If you saw a problem, why didn't you fix it?" He asked.

"Well…  I tried to fix it on my own but I couldn’t quite come to a final decision with the writer… it was requested that I just preserve the original intent of the song and it's meaning... So I left it alone"

That unfortunately didn't cut it for him though.“So you saw a problem and left it alone?”

You could feel yourself turning red under all the pressure but then Yoongi suddenly spoke up from his seat.

"It's my fault, sir."

Your boss turned to look at Yoongi. 

"Your fault?" Your boss asked.

"I wrote the lyrics. Y/N tried to get me to fix it, but I was too stubborn about it so I told her to leave it alone. She’s not to blame. I am." You were so confused. Was he seriously standing up for you? Your boss got up from his seat.

“I'll see you all again in one week. Fix these lines or I'll push the comeback date further.”

The other members began to scold him after the meeting.

“You can't keep doing this to us. We’re already behind.”

He cut them off.

“Leave me alone. I'll get it done. I always do.”

He began to make his way over to you.

“Come with me Y/N, we have work to do”

You were surprised. “Me?”

“It's your job, remember?”

You reluctantly got out of your seat and followed him.

“Where are we going?” You asked.

“My studio… Where else? Don't tell me that you've never been there”

“Why would I go there? It’s not like you've ever invited me before”

He stopped for a second as if he was going to say something but changed his mind.

“Hurry up”

The trip to his studio wasn't going to be long. Once the two of you were in the elevator, he hit the button for the third floor. As you stood next to him, you couldn't help but want to sigh in relief now that the meeting was over. Even if it was Yoongi’s fault in the first place for not wanting to help you fix the lyrics... he did get you out of  trouble.

“Thank you” You said breaking the silence.

“For what?” He asked.

“Stepping in and explaining what happened. For a second, I was sure I was going to get fired back there”

“Don't think too much about it. I did it to save my own skin. You were so close to bringing me down with you anyways”

You scoffed and looked at him.

“Are you always like this?” You asked.

The elevator door opened before he could answer you.

“This way”

You stayed in the elevator.

“No, I don't want to go with you if you're just going to act like this all day”

“You're being childish, Y/N. Hurry up.”

You couldn't believe he said that. You pushed the close door button but he stuck his arm through so the door wouldn't close

“Goddamit Yoongi, let go of the door! It's clear you don't even want me to go with you”

Yoongi made his way into the elevator. For a second, you were afraid he was going to try and drag you out . Instead, he just looked at you.

“Please come with me. I really want to know what ideas you have to make the song better”

His voice was so soft and gentle. It was like you were talking to a whole new person.

“Are you being serious?” You asked.

“I'm not going to ask you again”

You looked at him but he turned away.

“Fine”

You followed him to an unfamiliar door and watched as he punched in a code.

“Is a code really necessary?” You asked.

He nodded his head  and then opened the door.

His studio was nothing like you expected. It was just so chill to say the least.

Suga.

Suga.

Suga.

“Obsessed with your stage name much?” You asked jokingly.

He smirked.

“Everyone is”

“Bears too?”

“I didn't bring you up here to make fun of me”

You let out a small and nervous laugh.

“Sorry. I didn't mean it in that way. I think it's actually really cute”

You didn't notice him smile while you continued to look around. His studio definitely screamed Suga to you but there were some aspects of it that showed a different side to him. Figures upon figures and music equipment that looked more expensive  than anything you could probably ever afford.. and then shampoo?

“Do you spend a lot of time here?” You asked.

He let out a small chuckle as he began to take his face mask off.

“Too much time. Sometimes I even just fall asleep here because I'm working so late. If you're ever looking for me, I'll be here. I mean, I practically live here Y/N”

That was weird to hear. You thought he was always busy going out instead.. Or at least he always made it seem like he was when he wasn’t able to work with you. You scanned his studio again. With your eyes locked on his piano… Maybe you were wrong about him and those moments of absence where you thought he was just going out, because seeing his studio was making you see him in a new light.

“Have a seat Y/N, I'm gonna go grab another chair for me.”

You sat down and waited. When he returned, he placed his chair next to you and took a seat. While you had worked with him before, there was something different about this time. Everything felt a bit too crowded in his studio. Maybe even a little intimate since it was just the two of you alone together. You looked at Yoongi but he had his eyes glued to his computer screen. Of course he wouldn’t be looking at you… With his face mask finally off, you could see the rest of his face that he was so good at hiding. You looked away.

“What kind of music do you like listening to?” He asked as he was setting up his computer

The question threw you off guard.

“You want to know what I like listening to?”

“Yeah, why else would I ask?”

He was such a cheeky bastard.

“I don't know, to be honest. I kinda like everything. But it also all depends on how I'm feeling. Right now, I really like listening to J. Cole though”

He nodded as if he agreed with your music choice.

“He's one of my favorites”

“Yeah?” You asked a little too excited.

He smiled at you.

“Yeah! But Kanye West is number 1 in my book. My goal is to work with him one day.”

You couldn't help but notice his smile and began to feel a little weak. Was this the first time you were actually seeing it? No. But this was definitely the first time he was smiling at you. You couldn’t help but blush and pray that he wouldn’t notice. His smile was so sweet and part of why you liked him so much.

Once his computer was fully loaded, he opened up a file from his documents.

“I think you need to listen to the whole song with the beat and everything so you can understand it better”

“I’m sure it sounds fine... But those lines…”

“Just.. here.”

He grabbed a pair of headphones from his desk and leaned in as if he were going to put it on you.

“Oh I can do…”

The headphones were already on you before you could finish your sentence. For a second, you both just looked at each other in shock at what just happened.

“Thank you...” You barely whispered.

He turned away.

“Just listen to the song” He muttered.

You did as you were told. As you sat listening to the song, Yoongi brought out a notepad and scribbled down some notes. What was he writing about?  As curious as you were, you didn’t want to pry and so you focused on the song. He was right, the beat really did bring  the song together... but you just weren’t sure. You took your notes out again and studied the lyrics.

When the song was done, you took the headphones off.

“What did you think?” He asked.

“You were right about the beat but the lyrics feel so personal. It almost sounds like you’re writing about someone too specific. That being said… that specific person… it better be army or else we will have a problem.” You said. “You know how crazy insane their detective skills are”

“Of course it’s army” He replied.

You looked at him again. Who was the lucky girl? You wondered. Knowing it wasn’t you, a twinge of sadness hit you for a moment.

“Armys are very lucky then. The lyrics are pretty sweet” You replied.

For a while, the two of you sat working on the song together. As you both talked about what could be done to make it better, you couldn’t help but be in awe about how passionate Yoongi was about music. You felt proud that you had made it this far to work with someone like him, even if he didn’t want to work with you.

You sat thinking about him for a bit. When he turned to look at you, you quickly glanced at your watch and yawned.

“Tired?” He asked.

You looked at your watch again and nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s time for me to go. Could you send me the file that you let me listen to? I’ll listen and look over it again at home.”

“Can’t do that” Yoongi replied as he closed the file.

“Why not?” You asked.

“All unfinished songs stay here in my studio. You’ll have to come back tomorrow if you want to listen to it”

“Seriously?”

He didn't even give you a chance to debate it.

“Yep. I’ll see you tomorrow at noon Y/N.”

You got up from your seat.

Another day with Yoongi…

“Fine, I’ll see you at noon then”

The next day, you rushed upstairs to his studio. You were up late fixing the lyrics and had slept in too long. You looked at your watch and saw that it was a little past 12. Crap. You thought to yourself. You didn't even have time to eat anything.

You reached his door and almost knocked until you saw that he had a doorbell.

A doorbell… Really?

You pressed it and a few seconds later, Yoongi opened the door.

“About time Y/N.. your food is getting cold”

You felt out of breath.

“Food?”

You walked in and on his desk was a cup of coffee and a pastry for you. You were so surprised.

“Thank you...”

You stood staring at his kind gesture and he noticed.

“Come on Y/N, we have another song to work on”

“Right..”

You took a seat.

“Wait, did you eat yet?” You asked.

He looked at you hesitantly. “No…”

You gasped.

“Here, have some!”

You grabbed the cinnamon roll and broke it in half for you and him.

“It’s fine, Y/N. I’ll be full from just watching you eat. Besides, I’m sort of on a diet..”

“What?!” You practically yelled. “That’s nonsense! Eat!”

His eyes grew wide as you handed him the cinnamon roll and urged for him to sit down next to you. As you both sat, no words were exchanged by the two of you. Instead, there  was just  a comfortable silence between the two of you as you both ate.

Once you were done, you took a sip of the coffee and grinned.

“Was it that good?” He asked.

“It was delicious! Thank you again.”

He nodded.

“So you said we have another song to work on?”

He turned on his computer again.

“Yes, after you left yesterday, I took it upon myself to look over the other songs too”

You cut him off. “Oh! Before we begin on the new song, here”

You handed him the lyrics that made you late.

“It was kind of hard to rewrite without the beat, but I think I managed to make it more inclusive.”

He looked at the lyrics and then at you.

“Well, there's only one way to see if it’s fine.”

He took out his mic and began setting it up. In the back of your head, you knew this was only to find out if the new lyrics would work, but you were freaking out. Were you really going to witness him perform live and literally two feet away from you right now?

Yoongi looked over the lyrics again and began to play the beat on his computer. Once he started rapping, you knew you were screwed but you had to remember that this was work. Nothing else.

He continued and you listened in awe. It surprised you, even when it came to a part that was meant for the vocal line, he sang the lines in front of you. He could probably give the vocal line a run for their money if he wanted. You thought.

After he was done, he seemed a bit embarrassed and let out a small smile. As soon as you saw it, you couldn’t help but smile back.

“What?” He asked.

���That was amazing..”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Are you lying to me, Y/N?”

Your eyes grew wide.

“What!? No! Why would I lie to you about that?”

He let out another smile and you lost it.

“What now?” He asked amused.

“Nothing.”

“No, tell me”

You didn't know how he was going to react.

“You have a really nice smile.”

“Oh”

Crap. He probably thinks I’m a creep now… You thought. Fear began to take over and then word vomit began to spew from your mouth.

“It’s just… I've never seen you smile at me before. To be honest, it seems like you're always glaring at me… like you don't want me to be in the same room as you.”

You paused for a bit to look at him. He was so hard to read. His expression was blank and you didn't know if you should continue but you did anyways. As much as you didn't want to admit it.. you liked him but his constant rebuffs of working with you often threw your hopes out the window.

“If you find that you can't work with me, I can try to make it so that you don't have to see me as much. Maybe I can give my feedback and notes to Namjoon instead? Or maybe even Hobi? It will be a little more work bu…”

Before you could finish, Yoongi had moved in to silence you with a gentle kiss on your lips. It was so sudden that for a moment you froze. He gently nipped at your lips and to your own surprise, you found yourself reciprocating. He was so warm and his kisses were nothing like how you thought they were going to be like. They were soft and almost a little cautious.

Lost in the moment, you closed your eyes as his hand rose to your face. You felt his thumb graze your cheek as your lips continued to move together. How did it end up like this?

It wasn't until you realized who it was that you were kissing that you finally pushed him away from you.

“What are you doing?” You asked as you got up from the seat.  

“Wait, Y/N!”

You didn't even bother to look back as you stormed out of his studio. He had just kissed you and it was too much for you to process. You didn't know if you wanted to go back and kiss him again or just run away.

“What was that?” You thought to yourself. You continued to the parking lot and got in your car to get away as fast as you could.

Back at your apartment, you wanted nothing more than to just relax. You sat in your bathtub while hot water ran in and tried not to think about what happened between you and Yoongi.. but you couldn't help it.

“It wasn't even that good of a kiss!” You told yourself. “Stop thinking about it!”

But his lips still lingered on yours.

Her PT.2 Her Pt.3

[lewnatic]

For the D&D asks, 1-20

Oh gosh, okay. This is gonna be long so I’m gonna do it under a cut.

What was your favorite Nat 1 Experience?

I don’t think a lot of my characters have had really funny Nat1 moments, sadly. I will always remember the one when @zhixx​ made a goblin named Spook’em specifically designed to have the least survivability possible. The first time he was downed he rolled a Nat1 on his first death save. The feeling of comedic timing was just beautiful.

Favorite D&D Inside Joke?

“You are a privateer! BUT ON LAHND.”

Favorite Item Your Character received in D&D?

Phailyn was supposed to get a tome to increase his strength, but when his crush said she wanted it, he immediately fucking dropped it so she could have it. So the DM let me sneak off and get a scrying orb we’d passed up earlier. He hasn’t used it yet, but I just like the story behind it.

Ves probably considers Sikrikta to be the best item she’s received has a lot of really expensive shit she’s keeping just because she has bourgie taste. She got a bottle of wine as a gift that would have been 400g if she’d left it unopened. She’s drinking it gradually through the adventure. It’s good, but not quite as good as what she’s used to.

Teeki has a gaudy diamond crown that Bing bought for 300 gold. It does nothing. It is purely cosmetic. She loves it.

Basically I love frivolous shit.

Preferred Animal Companion (if you had any)?

Vesxlit has a familiar, if that counts. He’s a parrot named Brilliant. He talks like a normal human (in a setting where that is definitely not commonplace) and is a member of the Bardic College in the capital city of the nation we’re traveling in.

He’s a posh gentleman who helps Ves sew dresses. They spend 90% of their time arguing because, being a bird, his fashion sense is incredibly bright and garish.

Favorite D&D Battle Encounter?

Every boss fight Skaaren has done is goddamn awesome, tbh. My favorite is the first just because of how scary it was.

Keep in mind, we’re level 1 in Pathfinder, an Oracle (Ves) and a Barbarian (Cato.) We’ve just watched a big hole open up in the ground, and our characters don’t know why, but we’re looking for missing people (including the barbarian’s boyfriend Fabius, he’s important) so we figure hell, this is probably where they’re missing.

We find some of the missing people at the bottom of the hole, but we haven’t found Fabius, so we go deeper in. We find this creepy old woman doing some kinda ritual or something by a pool of water? Barbarian charges in to kill her and save his man, and… kills her very quickly.

Silence. We go to check on Fabius, and we’re not sure if we can safely move him. I’m running out of heals from earlier stuff and I pop my last one on him, and after a while of debating what to do a ton of undead start coming out of the water. Just a goddamn mob. Whatever the hell creepy-lady was doing, we were suddenly way in over our heads. Even if we picked up Fabius and ran, we don’t have a fast way out of this hole. And we start taking damage fast. Including Fabius.

I don’t remember the specifics of the fight. I think that’s a testament to how much we were panicking. I remember feeling the helplessness of being a mage completely out of spell slots frantically trying to hit things with my stupid mace.

And I remember when the fight was over, I stayed down there panicking for several more minutes, trying to determine if Fabius was even alive while the barbarian ran to get the local doctor in a town of which he didn’t even speak the language.

In the end, Fabius was okay, and we both got out of it alive. It was just that sense of dread and fear, that we didn’t know how the DM’s rolls were going or if anything we were trying had any impact. Skaaren has always done a stellar job since of bringing that sense of genuine fear into the game when he wants to, but that first unexpected taste of it was so damn cool.

Favorite D&D NPC Interaction?

Varis Vrynn was my favorite villain. Not because of his fight, or how he fit into the greater lore, but because of how @extravagantshoes​ played him. He was a slimy uppity elf in the city of Galthiel, a city with heavy class divides based on magic ability. Varis was a powerful diviner, and a lot of our party interactions involved everyone in the party trying to piss him off and Varis looking down his nose in disgust at all of us.

Then Cedlanna, our young sorcerer, got a conversation with him alone in his manor, where he wanted to make a deal with her. And she just ripped into him. Cut to the core of his insecurities and how with all of his riches on display, his manor still was incredibly empty–that for all the parties he hosted he was completely alone.

He was doing some really irredeemable things and later tried to kill us all but I still managed to feel kind of sad that we ended up gruesomely killing him.

Dumbest thing You & Your Party Did

Charging through multiple spinning saws comes to mind. Every time I try to sneak around in heavy plate armor also comes to mind.

I feel like I need to make a separate post to discuss just all the impulsive things Cato does. Turning an entire city upside down just for the chance to punch a specific guy in the face was one.

Most Epic thing You & Your Party Did

I might also make a separate post about this, but Cato and Ves convinced a bunch of lizard people that they were their gods.

Basically in this setting, the level 1 baddies generally fought are called Rapia. They’re kobold-esque in design, but they have a faith-based culture and… well, kind of a faith-based biology. Rapia need something to worship, they undergo gradual physiological changes based on the thing they follow. (Say it’s a sea creature, they might get gills.) And if they don’t have something to worship, they literally become sick and presumably die.

We’d fought a few before and looted crap from their caves, including a tiny hammer that we never could have used but the barbarian held onto cuz idk??

We later ran into some others by falling through the roof of their cave, but they didn’t attack us. They started to assume that we were the gods depicted on one of their cave walls. For the sake of brevity, a fight broke out later when we were trying to leave, and Cato gave the hammer to one of the rapia who was helping us escape. It turned out in the DM’s notes, this hammer had significance to the rapia, and was supposed to be given to the religious leader of a tribe. And so the entire tribe turned to our side and protected us. And… they started following us.

It was about this time that the DM broke character to tell us he had no plan of this happening, and I guess we just have a tribe of rapia now. And we’ve had the goddamn campaign balanced around having a tribe of rapia ever since.

What did you like about your Campaign’s World?

I’m gonna try to sum these up quickly cuz these stories have already gotten long.

The Ascension world has elements of what I affectionately like to call Pop Fantasy, there’s some genre-awareness while not being parody, and all the work on the pantheon Spi did has been goddamn amazing. I also cannot figure out the overarching mysteries and that is awesome.

Nejj puts a ton into immersing us into the world. I can always very clearly get a feel for the sort of setting he’s putting us in, and I’ve been having a lot of fun with the political intrigue he’s been setting up.

Skaaren’s got the weirdest goddamn races in his setting and I love every single one of them. He’s also packed the setting full of little cultural details, I swear to god he’s done extensive research into what we’re having for breakfast in the morning based on where we’re staying.

What was the most Interesting Lore you Found?

I seriously can’t pick a favorite here so I’m going to give a silly answer, and that’s that acolytes of Ves’s goddess commune with her by getting super high. 

Summarize Your Campaign(s) in a Single Sentence

One for each campaign:A group of weird rebels and one very ordinary guy dismantle the ruling government.Goblins discover crazy politics and necromancy, what happens next will warm your heart.Tourists getting intimate with the horrifying hidden truths of nature

Describe your whole Party Dynamic in a Sentence

The best bunch of weirdos and one stupid shady paladin.Loner rogue becomes Team Mom by sheer force of how much the other two hate each other.Bug Jesus and The Angriest Boy discover family in the form of lizards.

What Alignment do your characters lean towards?

I have a weird time choosing an alignment for characters cuz motivations change a lot for my nerds. Teeki was True Neutral but has become more Chaotic Good. Ves is Lawful Good I guess?? And Phai is a goddamn mess whose alignment has shifted at least thrice since his conception.

How do you tend to Take Notes (if you do)?

Badly! Next question.

Prefer Story/Plot Driven or No Plot/Character-Driven Campaigns?

I tend to prefer plot-driven, but I honestly think elements of both should be implemented in your narrative–occasionally giving breaks from the overarching plot to give the cast some time to dick around can give a breath of fresh air to roleplay.

Combat or Role Play?

Roleplay, of course. I actually used to think I hated D&D combat. It took a lot of great sessions to make me realize that the RP doesn’t stop for combat, and that’s when I started really getting into learning and enjoying mechanics elements.

Favorite D&D Monster/Creature?

Illithid. I would love to actually play as one someday.

Magic User or Fighter?

Magic is more engaging to me, personally, but I like both.

Preferred Weapon/Spell in D&D?

Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. In large part because of how it’s roleplayed in Critical Role tbh. I also have felt the high of Sneak Attack enough times to really love it now.

What was your Favorite Nat 20 Experience?

One time I rolled a Nat20 perception while we were on the road and it was literally just to find a coin on the ground. That might always be my favorite. 

[beanplague-moved]

Damien/Vicky, 60-83 :3c

60. Poorly Timed Confession + 83. Intimate Artistry.

i’m being held at gunpoint to write this.

vicky and damien have been dating for a while, right?

by “dating” i mean they went to prom together and now they occasionally rob banks together. you know. as a date.

they have yet to really confess deeper feelings for each other, aside from a general “i find you attractive” and “i like you” and “committing arson with you is really, really fun.

for the sake of au convenience, this all takes place after the hairstylist ending.

damien is like, kind of in love with vicky.

i’m going to have damien pine after vicky in this au because fuck off i’m allowed to do that also i love her.

on a side note i see a lot of people characterize vicky as very cute and kind and that’s valid. in this au her most defining trait is “weird.”

like, you know manic pixie dream girls in white people movies? that’s vicky except she has a constant livestream where she films her ant farm and she’s a wanted graverobber.

her highest stat is fun.

anyway, damien’s kind of in love with vicky and so he asks her on a date, and it’s just:

“well, you know how I’ve recently gone through a massive character arc regarding my interest in hair and makeup?” says damien, “and you were kind of a prominent influence in that conflict, and that was how we started dating?”

vicky says, "yeah, sounds familiar.”

damien says, “well, I figured now might be time to show you how much progress I’ve made with it, so,” he holds up his bag, “i’m gonna try and do your makeup? if you’re cool with that.”

vicky’s eyes light up, “oh shit!” she exclaims, “this totally makes up for that time liam shot me in the leg! or at least I think it does!”

btw that’s literally dialogue i copied because i first tried to write this as a full ass oneshot but it was tiring so fuck that.

anyway so damien is doing vicky’s makeup, and it goes great. he’s determined to make sure she looks awesome after this.

not that she doesn’t all the time, and lemme tell ya, staring at his girlfriend’s face for this long is very nice.

and very embarrassing because she keeps looking him directly in the eyes like he isn’t totally putting himself out there right now.

anyway.

so he finishes and of course it’s great because my mans went through an entire three episode character arc so he could do makeup. he’s not going to do a shitty job now.

now see the thing about a “poorly timed” confession is like. i don’t think it works here? but anyway damien basically confesses in his own little way.

“i generally think everyone sucks but what fucks with me is i don’t think you suck at all,” damien says, “i mean, you’re actually kinda fucking rad?”

“well i’ll say!” grins vicky, “you know, damien, if i were to let anyone look at my collection of moths that i stole from the butterfly emporium, it’d be you.”

(she has a collection of moths.)

they kiss probably.